One of the biggest issues with fantasy sports is the reality that a superstar player could perform at an elite level all year and then tail off towards the end of the regular season once their team has locked up a playoff spot. That wasn’t the case with a number of the NBA’s top fantasy performers this year and as we look back at the best performers from this year’s fantasy postseason, it’s important to keep in mind how big of a factor the standings were when it comes to motivation certain players (and their teams). With that in mind, here are the five most valuable players from this year’s NBA fantasy playoffs.
PG: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City
The fact that the Thunder were chasing after a playoff spot until the very end was a huge motivating factor for a player that had dealt with his fair share of injuries this season. Westbrook took his game to another level down the stretch in an attempt to carry Oklahoma City and it only helped – fantasy teams, anyway – that Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka were out.
The Thunder might have missed out on a playoff spot but it wasn’t for a lack of Westbrook’s trying as he averaged 32.5 points, 8.1 assists, 8.0 rebounds, 2.1 three-point shots and 1.6 steals over the final two weeks of the regular season. Oklahoma City will watch this year’s postseason from home but Westbrook was easily the best of the fantasy playoff performers.
SG: James Harden, Houston
Harden was a fantasy stud all season and he showed up big time in the playoffs where he averaged 28.6 points, 6.9 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 three-point shots per game. There are few players that were able to even compare to what Harden was able – even while his supporting cast struggled to stay healthy. It really might not have mattered if the Rockets were chasing the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference or not as Harden attempted to solidify his MVP bid with a brilliant performance down the final stretch.
PG: Stephen Curry, Golden State
The threat of resting with nothing left to play for could have been an issue for Curry’s fantasy owners all season but the fact that he continued to put up MVP-caliber numbers while sitting out in a number of fourth quarters throughout the year is quite impressive. Curry also showed up when it mattered the most as he averaged 24.0 points, 6.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds and a ridiculous 4.4 three-point shots per game during the fantasy playoffs despite playing an average of six minutes less per game than players like Westbrook and Harden. A lot of Curry owners were concerned as the Warriors ran away with the top seed in the NBA and really could have put it in cruise control down the stretch but Curry didn’t disappoint.
SG: DeMar DeRozan, Toronto
He won’t be in the MVP discussions like the three players above him on this list but DeRozan was a fantasy playoffs MVP for his owners, posting some terrific numbers to rival the likes of Westbrook, Harden and Curry down the final stretch. DeRozan averaged 24.1 points, 4.9 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals over the last two weeks of the regular season. In his case, it helped that the Toronto Raptors were fighting for playoff positioning as they were vying for the No. 3 seed. Combined with an injury to Kyle Lowry, DeRozan was able to shine. There is no doubt he helped a number of fantasy GM’s win a title with those numbers.
SF: Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota
Anybody that followed Wiggin’s rookie year closely already knows how dramatically he improved throughout the season. It would have been hard to miss him down the final stretch when he put on an absolute show for the fantasy playoff period. Wiggins averaged 23.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game over the final two weeks and while he was a sneaky sleeper fantasy playoff performer for some this year, his stock has climbed high enough that he will no longer be undervalued looking ahead to his sophomore NBA season.
