Fantasy Basketball Power Rankings: Top Performers include SGA, Haliburton
Fantasy Basketball Power Rankings: Top Performers from Week 9 of NBA Playoffs

Fantasy Basketball Power Rankings: Top Performers from Week 9 of NBA Playoffs

The second week of the NBA Finals featured a pair of thrilling battles at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and as was to be expected, the biggest stars on either side came to play. With each team taking a game during the week, multiple diverse fantasy performances keyed those results.

As customary, we'll dive into the top five fantasy performers for the past week, followed by a glance at five players that typically carry very reasonable salaries in DFS contests and are therefore worth considering for the upcoming NBA Finals.

Top Fantasy Performers from Week 8 of NBA Playoffs

#1. Pascal Siakam, Pacers

Last Week: 48.7 FP/G 

Siakam has been a steady contributor of scoring and rebounds throughout the postseason, but it was his surge on the defensive end that propelled him to the top of the fantasy rankings this week. The big man racked up seven total steals and a pair of blocks in Games 3 and 4, and he still threw in 20.5 points (on 48.3% shooting), 7.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists over that span to put together what was an extremely well-balanced stretch of fantasy production. The only area of Siakam's game that's been lacking is his long-distance accuracy, as he drained just 25.0% of his 3-point attempts during the same span.

#2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder

Last Week: 45.6 FP/G 

While SGA was usurped for his usual spot atop the fantasy mountaintop this week, the reigning MVP continued to spearhead his team's efforts with 29.5 points

The second week of the NBA Finals featured a pair of thrilling battles at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and as was to be expected, the biggest stars on either side came to play. With each team taking a game during the week, multiple diverse fantasy performances keyed those results.

As customary, we'll dive into the top five fantasy performers for the past week, followed by a glance at five players that typically carry very reasonable salaries in DFS contests and are therefore worth considering for the upcoming NBA Finals.

Top Fantasy Performers from Week 8 of NBA Playoffs

#1. Pascal Siakam, Pacers

Last Week: 48.7 FP/G 

Siakam has been a steady contributor of scoring and rebounds throughout the postseason, but it was his surge on the defensive end that propelled him to the top of the fantasy rankings this week. The big man racked up seven total steals and a pair of blocks in Games 3 and 4, and he still threw in 20.5 points (on 48.3% shooting), 7.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists over that span to put together what was an extremely well-balanced stretch of fantasy production. The only area of Siakam's game that's been lacking is his long-distance accuracy, as he drained just 25.0% of his 3-point attempts during the same span.

#2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder

Last Week: 45.6 FP/G 

While SGA was usurped for his usual spot atop the fantasy mountaintop this week, the reigning MVP continued to spearhead his team's efforts with 29.5 points (on 47.7% shooting), 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals across 41 minutes per contest. Gilgeous-Alexander's fourth-quarter performance in Friday night's Game 4 was critical in preventing the Thunder from falling into an unfathomable and potentially insurmountable 3-1 series hole, as he poured in 15 of his 35 points during the final 12 minutes in enemy territory in OKC's 111-104 win.

#3. Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers

Last Week: 43.1 FP/G 

Haliburton naturally continues to play a prominent presence on the Pacers' end of the spectrum, and he turned in a pair of very well-rounded efforts during the second week of the Finals. The star point guard averaged 20.0 points (on 50.0% shooting), 9.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals in the two-game sample, and he drained half of his eight 3-point attempts in Game 3 on his way to a Finals-high 22 points. Haliburton finally got to the free-throw line in Game 4 as well, converting all three of his shots from the charity stripe.

#4. Chet Holmgren, Thunder

Last Week: 37.8 FP/G 

Holmgren's versatile skill set was on full display in Games 3 and 4, where the 2022 No. 2 overall pick turned in a pair of double-doubles. Holmgren got the scoring period started with a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double – both figures were his best over the first three Finals games – and he provided a 14-point, 15-rebound tally as an encore in Friday night's Game 4 win. Holmgren also recorded a steal apiece in each contest and has fully put a lackluster Game 1 (six points, six rebounds, one block) behind him.

#5. Jalen Williams, Thunder

Last Week: 36.3 FP/G

Williams may have dropped to No. 5 this week, but his offense isn't to blame. The floor-stretching forward set new Finals high-water scoring marks in both Games 3 and 4, going for 26 and 27 points, respectively, on 47.2% shooting. Williams added 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest, and an 81.8% success rate on his 22 free-throw attempts complemented his other production nicely.

DFS Value Plays To Consider in the NBA Finals

Alex Caruso, Thunder

Last Week: 32.3 FP/G 

Caruso's production can often be hard to trust due to his bench role, but he's clearly in a rhythm against the Pacers after averaging 14.8 points (54.5% shooting), 4.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.5 steals per contest over the first four games of the series.

Obi Toppin, Pacers

Last Week: 27.3 FP/G 

Toppin has bookended 17-point performances around single-digit scoring tallies in Games 2 and 3, and both his 48.6% shooting, including 38.1% 3-point range, and 20-minute-plus allotments in three of the first four games are helping boost his ceiling.

Myles Turner, Pacers

Last Week: 22.7 FP/G 

Turner's shooting has taken a serious dive against the Thunder's stingy defense – he's draining just 36.4% of his 11 shot attempts per game thus far in the Finals – and he's also underwhelmed on the boards (2.7 RPG), but the big man has the talent to pay off as a tournament play on any given night.

Aaron Nesmith, Pacers

Last Week: 19.6 FP/G

Nesmith's production has taken a pretty serious downturn over the last two games – and he's fouled out in each – after a strong start to the Finals, but he's proven capable of spike performances on multiple occasions during the postseason.

Andrew Nembhard, Pacers

Last Week: 15.9 FP/G 

Nembhard has double-digit scoring totals in three of the first four games of the Finals, and he's shooting a solid 37.5% from distance in that span, but his inconsistent contributions in other categories do make him a somewhat volatile fantasy option.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juan Carlos Blanco
Winner of the FSWA 2016 Newcomer of the Year Award, Juan Carlos Blanco has been playing fantasy sports for over 20 years and covers NBA, MLB, NFL, CFL and Arena Football for Rotowire.com, including serving as the beat writer for teams in multiple sports. He has previously written for KFFL.com and remains an avid season-long and daily fantasy player in multiple sports as well.
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