NBA Scary Hours: 10 Halloween-Themed Fantasy Observations from the Weekend

This article is part of our NBA Daily Recap series.

Welcome to a Halloween-themed version of Around the Association. Now two weeks into the NBA season, things are starting to get spooky. Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo are looking unstoppable, there is a new superhero in Cleveland and several rookies will not stop impressing.

Here are 10 fantasy observations from the past weekend:

The Amazing Spida Mitchell 

• Donovan Mitchell does not need to dress up for Hallowee-- he's already a superhero. The first-year Cavalier has shined for his new team after yet another impressive weekend. Mitchell guided Cleveland to two wins over the weekend, averaging 39.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game over that span. The Cavaliers have begun the season 5-1, even without Darius Garland (eye) on the court. While it is still early on, Mitchell is clearly one of the early-season contenders for MVP
  • Caris LeVert had the definition roller-coaster weekend for the Cavaliers:
    • Friday's win over Boston: 41 points (12-21 FG, 6-8 3Pt, 11-12 FT), four rebounds, seven assists and three steals across 43 minutes.
    • Sunday's win over New York: one point (0-9 FG, 0-4 3PT, 1-1 FT), three rebounds and eight assists over 29 minutes. 

Zombies! 

• While zombies are usually viewed as freaky monsters, we are going to be looking at the good types of zombies. These are the players who earlier had their careers written off, but instead, these players are making a name for themselves in new situations. 
  • Dennis Smith 
    • The easiest choice for a zombie would be Smith who is amidst a career-reviving season in Charlotte. Filling in for both LaMelo Ball (ankle) and Terry Rozier (ankle), Smith is averaging 11.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
      • Season Long Nine-Category Rank: 57th Overall
  • Bol Bol
    • I am absolutely loving what I am seeing out of Bol Bol in Orlando. It has taken four seasons, but the 22-year-old forward is finally seeing meaningful minutes. Bol entered Orlando's starting lineup over the weekend, averaging 13.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks across 28.5 minutes per game during the Magic's two contests. 
      • Season Long Nine-Category Rank: 65th Overall
  • Jock Landale
    • Admittedly this one is more of a stretch, but after being passed around in multiple trades during the offseason, Landale is looking like a legitimate contributor for a shallow Suns team. The Australian is averaging 13.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks across 20.7 minutes per game during his last three appearances. The 27-year-old center is one of my favorite waiver-wire adds this week 
      • Nine-Category Rank Over the Past Week: 100th overall 

Casper the Friendly Warriors 

• It feels foul to call out the reigning champions like this, but after losses to both the Hornets and Pistons over the weekend, the Warriors were the true ghosts of the weekend. Golden State's two losses may have put them below .500, however, none of the blame can be placed on Stephen Curry.
• The world's greatest shooter topped 30 points in each of the team's two contests, averaging 31.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals over that span. While there is much attention on Doncic's hot start to the season, Curry has gone for 30 or more points in six out of his seven first appearances.
  • Jordan Poole over the weekend: 27.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

The Wicked Witch of the West 

• Luka Magic has been on full display over the first two weeks of the season. The Mavericks may have gone 1-1 over the weekend, but Doncic still averaged 37.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game. The 23-year-old has recorded at least 30 points in each of his team's first six games, a feat last recorded by Michael Jordan in the 1986-87 season. Doncic and his wizardry have translated to an incredibly productive fantasy season thus far. He currently ranks as the 3rd overall nine-category option.
  • Christian Wood fell back down to earth a little bit over the weekend, averaging just 8.0 points and 8.5 rebounds across 26.1 minutes per game. I still am high on Wood and his production in Dallas, but it is becoming more clear that his consistency may vary from night to night. 

Mummies!

• Unfortunately, we are just two weeks into the season and we are already seeing players wrapped up in bandages and on the sidelines with injuries. There were plenty of missed games by players over the weekend, but I am trying to highlight some of the bigger ones 
• Damian Lillard
  • The All-Star point guard is dealing with a calf strain and is set to be re-evaluated at some point later this week. It's still unclear how much time he'll ultimately miss, the the Blazers are hoping it's only a 1-to-2-week injury.
    • Anfernee Simons showed out with Lillard out of the lineup during Portland's only contest of the weekend. The 23-year-old ended the team's win over Houston with  30 points (10-20 FG, 7-15 3Pt, 3-3 FT), five rebounds, seven assists, one block and one steal over 38 minutes. Simons is in line to produce big numbers as long as Lillard is on the sideline.
    • Shaedon Sharpe filled in for Lillard and looked great, ending with 14 points (7-12 FG, 0-2 3Pt), one rebound and two assists in 29 minutes.
• Zach LaVine
  • LaVine missed just one game due to knee management on a back-to-back. He appears to be 100 percent healthy, but it would not be surprising to see him continue to sit on back-to-backs.
    • If I have any DFS advice this far into the season, it would be to make sure you get DeMar DeRozan in your lineup when LaVine is ruled out.
      • DeRozan without LaVine 2022-23 (3 GP): 34.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists across 36.2 minutes
      • DeRozan with LaVine 2022-23 (4 GP): 19.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists across 33.0 minutes.
• Joel Embiid
  • Embiid was also rested on a back-to-back just like LaVine. This is something that we may see more of this season as well. The 76ers ended up defeating the Raptors 112-90 on Friday without their All-Star center
    • The 76ers decided to move P.J. Tucker to the center position and insert De'Anthony Melton into the starting lineup. Melton produced his best game of the season, ending with 13 points (6-15 FG, 1-5 3Pt), five rebounds, six assists and five steals over 31 minutes.
    • Tyrese Maxey took advantage of the increased opportunity with Embiid on the sidelines, exploding for a career-high 44 points (15-20 FG, 9-12 3Pt, 5-6 FT) to go with eight rebounds, four assists and one steal over 40 minutes. While a performance of this level should not be expected every time, Maxey should see his usage rise whenever Embiid is ruled out
    • James Harden in Friday's win without Embiid: 11 points (4-9 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 3-3 FT), four rebounds, four assists and two blocks across 34 minutes.
• Kawhi Leonard
  • Kawhi Leonard fantasy managers have not had the start of the season that they had hoped for. The 31-year-old forward is set to miss his fourth straight contest Monday due to his troublesome knee. 
    • Paul George has put up back-to-back rough outings with Leonard out of the lineup, averaging just 12.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists over that span. However, these seem like outliers and I am expecting big performances to be coming out of PG as long as Leonard remains out. George is someone I am trying to trade for in all my leagues.
• Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram
  • Zion Williamson returned to action after missing two games due to a hip injury. The 22-year-old looked just like his usual self, ending with 21 points (9-17 FG, 3-4 FT), 12 rebounds, seven assists and one steal in 31 minutes. Williamson fantasy owners can take a big breath
  • Brandon Ingram has already been ruled out for Wednesday's contest against the Lakers due to a concussion. His next chance to return will come Friday.

The Monster Mash

• Halloween started early for both the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns who each celebrated their way to 2-0 weekends. The Bucks are now the only undefeated team remaining at 5-0, while the Suns are red-hot themselves at 5-1. Some quick notes on each of the team's monster weekends:
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo continued his brilliant start to the season, averaging 32.0 points, 15.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game over the weekend. The Greek Freak ranks as the 17th overall nine-category player to start the year
  • Jrue Holiday had his best game of the season during Saturday's 123-115 win over the Hawks, dropping  34 points (13-22 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 5-7 FT), two rebounds, 12 assists, one block and four steals in 37 minutes. This was the veteran point guard's first outing topping 20 points
  • Are we at the point where Devin Booker is being underrated by the general basketball public? The 26-year-old has scored at least 30 points in five out of his last six showings while averaging a career-high 29.3 points to go with 3.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists. Booker currently sits as the 22nd overall nine-category fantasy option.
  • Mikal Bridges had a strong weekend. The Villanova product dropped a season-best 27 points during Friday's win over Portland and ended the weekend averaging 21.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Bridges is just behind Booker, ranking as the 35th overall nine-category option thus far.

Vampires!

• Everyone knows that Vampires live forever, which is why this area will focus on veteran players who continue to suck the life out of opposing teams' defenses. (I am refraining from obvious stars such as LeBron James or Kevin Durant).
  • Brook Lopez
    • Splash Mountain has been incredible for the 5-0 Milwaukee Bucks to begin the season. Lopez averaged 17.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.0 steals, 1.0 blocks and 2.5 threes over the weekend. Lopez's impressive shot-blocking and three-point shooting continue to make him a uniquely useful fantasy option
      • Season Long Nine-Category Rank: 15th Overall
  • Mike Conley
    • The 35-year-old is producing yet another solid season for the surprisingly impressive Utah Jazz. Conley is averaging 11.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game thus far. The veteran point guard was rested for one game over the weekend, which is something that fantasy managers will have to deal with throughout the year.
      • Season Long Nine-Category Rank: 98th Overall
  • Kevin Love 
    • While it has been a bit of an inconsistent start to the season for Love, the veteran forward turned back the clock over the weekend. Love dropped 29 points (9-14 FG, 8-13 3Pt, 3-3 FT), eight rebounds and one assist in 22 minutes during Sunday's win over the Knicks.
      • Season Long Nine-Category Rank: 99th Overall

Bibbidi-Bobbidi Banchero 

• We can't have a Halloween-themed article without bringing up princesses and royalty, and it just so happens to be that there is a new prince making a name for himself right outside of Disney World. Paolo Banchero continues to dominate early on in his career, averaging 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists over Orlando's two contests over the weekend. The Duke product has recorded 20 points in all but one of his first seven games.
• One thing that may hold Banchero back from fantasy dominance is poor free-throw shooting. The No. 1 overall pick shot went 8-of-15 at the line over the weekend, but he's still hovering around 73 percent on the season. 

Baby Ghouls

• Speaking of Banchero, the 2022 rookie class has been absolutely awesome to start the season. Here are just some of the first-year players that should be on your fantasy radar
  • Keegan Murray
    • The Iowa product has looked fantastic and should be close to an every-week starter in most leagues. Murray recently entered Sacramento's starting lineup and is averaging 18.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists across 36.5 minutes per game to start his career.
  • Bennedict Mathurin
    • The No. 6 overall pick continues to impress off the bench for the Pacers. Mathurin exploded for a personal-best 32 points (8-16 FG, 6-9 3Pt, 10-10 FT), five rebounds and two assists across 33 minutes during Saturday's win over Brooklyn. Mathurin is averaging 21.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game thus far.
  • Jalen Williams
    • The Santa Clara product missed four straight games for OKC due to an eye injury, but Williams returned with a very impressive showing during Saturday's 117-111 comeback win over Dallas. The rookie ended with 13 points (5-8 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 3-3 FT), three rebounds, three assists, one block and four steals over 27 minutes. Keep an eye out for Williams. 

The Graveyard 

• It was clear to see that Halloween was right around the corner due to all of the activity coming out of the NBA's early-season graveyard. Sacramento got its first win of the season, defeating the Heat 119-113 during its only showing of the weekend. The Lakers also found the win column for the first time, beating Denver 121-110. 
  • Sacramento Kings
    • Kevin Huerter kept his hot start going and led the way with 27 points (8-11 FG, 7-8 3Pt, 4-6 FT), three rebounds and seven assists across 38 minutes during the win. The first-year King has now topped 18 points in three out of his first five showings.Kevin 
    • While the Kings sit 1-4, I still have high hopes for this Sacramento team. De'Aaron Fox looks like an All-Star, Keegan Murray is legit and Domantas Sabonis is still a force down low. With that said, Sabonis is off to a notably slow start, posting just 14.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game -- down considerably from his 2021-22 averages. He is handing out 5.6 assists to go with 1.0 blocks per game, however.
  • Los Angeles Lakers
    • The Lakers decided to switch up its lineup and bring Russell Westbrook off of the bench and so far the results have been positive. While it has only been two games, I think that his move definitely has the Lakers trending in the right direction.
      • Westbrook as a reserve (2 GP): 18.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 4.0 turnovers across 32.5 minutes
      • Westbrook as a starter (3 GP): 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.7 turnovers across 28.7 minutes.
    • Anthony Davis kept his strong start to the season going, putting up 23 points, 15 boards, two assists, a steal and a block in Sunday's win. He sat out Friday night's loss to the Timberwolves due to a sore back.