With Nikola Jokić sidelined with elbow and ankle injuries throughout the Nuggets' Week 22 schedule, the top of the fantasy rankings was there for the taking. A relatively unlikely candidate moved into the No. 1 spot, while the rest of the top five consists of star players from some of the top contenders in either conference that took advantage of the opportunity afforded by key injuries on their respective teams.
The following players averaged the most fantasy points per game last week (two-game minimum):
#1. Josh Giddey, Bulls 
Last Week: 61.7 FP/G Season Rank: 52 (36.3 FP/G)
Giddey was the aforementioned surprise pace-setter this past week, vaulting to the top despite playing in just two of the Bulls' three games. The high-usage guard opened the scoring period Wednesday by posting 22 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one block against the Suns in his return from a three-game absence due to an ankle injury, but it was his performance in Saturday night's surprise blowout of the Lakers that sealed the deal. Giddey nearly pulled off a quadruple-double against Los Angeles, contributing 15 points, 17 assists, 10 rebounds and a whopping eight steals, the latter giving his total the boost it needed to put his contributions at an elite level.
#2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks 
Last Week: 54.9 FP/G Season Rank: 2 (56.6 FP/G)
Antetokounmpo put together another signature three-game week that featured averages of 26.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 2.0
With Nikola Jokić sidelined with elbow and ankle injuries throughout the Nuggets' Week 22 schedule, the top of the fantasy rankings was there for the taking. A relatively unlikely candidate moved into the No. 1 spot, while the rest of the top five consists of star players from some of the top contenders in either conference that took advantage of the opportunity afforded by key injuries on their respective teams.
The following players averaged the most fantasy points per game last week (two-game minimum):
#1. Josh Giddey, Bulls
Last Week: 61.7 FP/G Season Rank: 52 (36.3 FP/G)
Giddey was the aforementioned surprise pace-setter this past week, vaulting to the top despite playing in just two of the Bulls' three games. The high-usage guard opened the scoring period Wednesday by posting 22 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one block against the Suns in his return from a three-game absence due to an ankle injury, but it was his performance in Saturday night's surprise blowout of the Lakers that sealed the deal. Giddey nearly pulled off a quadruple-double against Los Angeles, contributing 15 points, 17 assists, 10 rebounds and a whopping eight steals, the latter giving his total the boost it needed to put his contributions at an elite level.
#2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
Last Week: 54.9 FP/G Season Rank: 2 (56.6 FP/G)
Antetokounmpo put together another signature three-game week that featured averages of 26.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks per contest. The big man played the last two games of the week without Damian Lillard due to the latter's groin injury, but one of the biggest factors in Antetokounmpo's standout stretch was the fact he got to the line a total of 40 times during the three-game sample and parlayed 70.0% of those opportunities into points.
#3. Luka Dončić, Lakers 
Last Week: 53.8 FP/G Season Rank: 6 (52.8 FP/G)
Dončić missed a game for calf injury management during the Lakers' four-game Week 22 schedule, but the fact he also played a pair of contests without LeBron James due to his star teammate's groin injury helped lock in another prolific week for the star guard. Luka opened with his only double-double of the period, generating a 21-point, 14-assist performance against the Spurs that also featured nine rebounds and a trio of steals. Doncic then closed the ledger out with averages of 32.5 points (on 51.3% shooting, including 54.5% from distance), 8.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.0 steals against the Nuggets and Bulls, even with LeBron returning to action in the latter contest.
#4. Jayson Tatum, Celtics 
Last Week: 52.8 FP/G Season Rank: 7 (48.4 FP/G)
Tatum missed the Celtics' first game of the scoring period against the Nets on Tuesday with a knee injury, but the two games he did suit up were played without Jaylen Brown (knee). That helped JT see even more usage than usual in wins over the Jazz and Trail Blazers, games in which the All-Star forward averaged 24.5 shot attempts and 28.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks across 35.1 minutes per contest.
#5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder 
Last Week: 52.7 FP/G Season Rank: 4 (54.2 FP/G)
SGA got the night off against the 76ers to start OKC's week, but he was his usual MVP-caliber self in the two contests he took the floor for. A well-rested Gilgeous-Alexander had a 30-point, nine-assist, six-rebound, one-steal opening act in a blowout win over the Hornets on Friday night. Then, in an exponentially tougher matchup – a 103-101 squeaker over the Clippers on Sunday night – he overcame an atypically abysmal 7-for-29 showing from the floor by draining all 11 free-throw attempts on his way to a well-rounded line of 26 points, eight assists, three rebounds, two steals and two blocks across 37 minutes.
This Week's Preview
The following players are top fantasy point producers and play at least three games next week with fewer than two matchups against top-10 defenses:
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks (56.6 FP/G) - @PHO, @DEN, NY, ATL
Luka Dončić, Lakers (52.8 FP/G) - @ORL, @IND, @CHI, @MEM
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder (52.7 FP/G) - @SAC, MEM, IND
Jayson Tatum, Celtics (48.4 FP/G) - @SAC, @PHO, @SA
LeBron James, Lakers (48.0 FP/G) - @ORL, @IND, @CHI, @MEM
