Fantasy basketball managers are already reaping rewards from the 2025-26 season's explosive start, with mega performances reshaping early rankings. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 55-point eruption, Nikola Jokic's historic triple-double streak, and Victor Wembanyama's 40-15 showcase against Anthony Davis headline an incredible opening week. Austin Reaves emerges as a fantasy basketball revelation, while veterans like Giannis and Curry remind everyone they're still elite. Below are 15 players making championship-caliber statements, from established superstars to breakout candidates transforming fantasy basketball rosters across all formats.
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Top Early Season Performers & Breakouts
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander entered the season fresh off a championship and an MVP award, and he is making sure that no one can call it a fluke. He reached the 30-point mark in four of his first five games, including a 55-point performance in the second game of the campaign and has his squad off to a 5-0 start without their second-highest scorer from last season, Jalen Williams (wrist). Gilgeous-Alexander has shot over 50 percent from the field in the last three seasons and is hitting 51.6 percent so far in 2025-26. Based on the early sample, he is putting himself in postion to be back in contention for the league's top honors for a second consecutive campaign.
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Austin Reaves showed that he can be more than just a
Fantasy basketball managers are already reaping rewards from the 2025-26 season's explosive start, with mega performances reshaping early rankings. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 55-point eruption, Nikola Jokic's historic triple-double streak, and Victor Wembanyama's 40-15 showcase against Anthony Davis headline an incredible opening week. Austin Reaves emerges as a fantasy basketball revelation, while veterans like Giannis and Curry remind everyone they're still elite. Below are 15 players making championship-caliber statements, from established superstars to breakout candidates transforming fantasy basketball rosters across all formats.
For up-to-the-minute updates on injuries, lineups, roster changes and more, head to RotoWire's NBA News or follow @RotoWireNBA on X.
Top Early Season Performers & Breakouts
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander entered the season fresh off a championship and an MVP award, and he is making sure that no one can call it a fluke. He reached the 30-point mark in four of his first five games, including a 55-point performance in the second game of the campaign and has his squad off to a 5-0 start without their second-highest scorer from last season, Jalen Williams (wrist). Gilgeous-Alexander has shot over 50 percent from the field in the last three seasons and is hitting 51.6 percent so far in 2025-26. Based on the early sample, he is putting himself in postion to be back in contention for the league's top honors for a second consecutive campaign.
Visit RotoWire's NBA Daily Starting Lineups to find out starters for every game on the schedule!
Austin Reaves showed that he can be more than just a sidekick over the last couple of seasons, but he has taken full advantage of the opportunity to step up as the number-one for his squad while both Luka Doncic and LeBron James deal with injury trouble to start the 2025-26 season. Reaves racked up an impressive 51 points between his first to appearances, before pouring in another 51 in his third outing, which also marked the first game of the campaign without James or Doncic by his side. He then followed up with 41 in his most recent outing, another game without either of his superstar teammates. He is averaging a scorching 57.3 percent shooting from the field and is without question one of the most offensively adept guards in the league.
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Tyrese Maxey showed incredible improvement through his first five seasons, especially the last two years, where he stepped up to average over 25 points per game as a major offensive leader while his squad dealt with continuous injury trouble. The 24-year old is right back at it to start this season, as he already has two 40-point games through four outings and is averaging 37.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game, including his first double-double of the year, with 39 points and 10 assists in the most recent game. Considering he is rarely thought of as one of the league's top stars, Maxey is here to show that he is for real and that he belongs in those conversations.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo is off to an absolutely dominant start, topping 30 points in four straight games, including three double-doubles and season highs of 40 points and 20 rebounds already under his belt. He is undoubtedly still one of the top five overall producers in the league, stuffing the stat sheet with consistency and standing as one of the most unstoppable forces in the league. He is also shooting a career-best 69.5 percent from the field through his first four outings, which may indicate that he has entered the savvy veteran stage of his career, where he can pick his spots with more discretion and rely less on his brute size and strength.
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Nikola Jokic puts up numbers like no other, stuffing the stat sheet with regularity and efficiency. Last season he became the first-ever center to average a triple-double for a season. This year, he is back in business, becoming the third player in NBA history to rack up three straight triple-doubles to start a campaign. He is averaging 20.0 points, 15.3 rebounds, 11.7 assists and 2.0 steals over three games and is clearly not going to roll over and allow anyone else to easily claim status as the most productive big man in the league.
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VJ Edgecombe got off to one of the best rookie starts in NBA history by turning in 34 points on 13-for-26 shooting, seven rebounds, three assists and a steal in his debut. He followed up with three more solid outings, though topping 25 points just once in that span. Nonetheless, he is averaging 22.3 points on 47.1 percent shooting, 5.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.5 steals over his first four NBA games, indicating that he is absolutely ready to be an instant difference maker. There will surely be ups and downs as he continues to settle in, but he has already taken claim as the way-too-early Rookie of the Year candidate.
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Aaron Gordon kicked off the campaign with a 50-point performance, as he went lights-out, knocking down 10-for-11 from long range. However, he settled down with 17 points in the following outing before finishing with just nine in his last game. Nonetheless, he has proven to be an integral part of the Nuggets' core over the last few years. A performance like his season opener just goes to show that he is capable of much more than is asked of him on a regular basis. He is absolutely a guy that can step up to help lead the way should his teammates ever need a night off.
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Lauri Markkanen opened the season with a modest 20-point outing but picked up the pace with 33 in his second game. The Finnish forward then broke out to make a big-time statement with 51 points on 14-for-32 shooting, in addition to 14 rebounds and just one turnover in his most recent outing. Between injury trouble and uncertainty throughout the Jazz roster last season, Markkanen seemed to stall in his impressive trajectory established over the previous couple of seasons. However, his recent performance showed that he is still an offensive force to be feared. He may be on track for a big year.
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Victor Wembanyama is verging on completely tilting the NBA with his unfair combination of height, mobility and skill. The third-year big man opened the campaign with a 40-point, 15-rebound performance that sent shockwaves through the league, especially considering he did so against premier frontcourt defender Anthony Davis. Wembanyama is up to four straight double-doubles, including one game with nine blocks, and he is averaging 31.0 points, 13.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 4.8 blocks on the season. At just 21 years old, he has his team out to a 4-0 start and looks to be ready to take over as a face of the NBA.
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Donovan Mitchell is off to a fantastic start to the season, topping 30 points in three of his four games played, including two outings with 35. He is averaging 31.3 points on blistering 56.4 percent shooting, showing that he can take his game to new heights in his ninth season by way of utilizing elite decision-making. He must continue to carry a heavier load on the offensive end until Darius Garland returns to action, but he is showing that he is ready to lead his squad back to the upper echelon in the Eastern Conference.
Anthony Edwards was the league's fourth-highest scorer last season, reaching the 40-point mark a total of 10 times. He took no time picking up where he left off, racking up 41 points in his 2025-26 season debut. He followed up with 31 points in his second game before suffering a hamstring injury five minutes into the Timberwolves' third game of the season. Edwards is expected to be out for two weeks but will likely be quick to provide another reminder that he is among the best of the best when it comes to scoring the basketball.
Stephen Curry is still that guy! In his 17th NBA season, he has already shown that he is still one of the most fearsome offensive talents by dropping 42 points in his second game of the season, followed by a 35-point effort in the next outing. He is averaging 27.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.8 steals, including shooting 50.6 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from long range. Despite his 37-year-old profile, Curry can still be expected to take over games and shine as one of the league's best shooters.
Jamal Murray is not one to let his teammates have all the fun, as he racked up 43 points on 16-for-29 shooting in his most recent outing and is averaging 30.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.3 steals through three games. Murray was quietly among the most productive guards in the league last season, while shooting an efficient 47.4 percent from the field. His early outburst this season wasted no time in reminding us that he is not to be slept on.
LaMelo Ball has been hampered by injury trouble through the last three seasons, but hopes are high after a hot start to the new campaign. He hit the 20-point mark in each of his four outings, including a season-best performance with 38 points, 13 rebounds, 13 assists and three steals in his third game of the year. If he can keep it up, he has shown that he can still live up to the high expectations that have followed him since even before his NBA days.
Keyonte George has made the most out of his opportunity to handle a starting role amidst the absence of Isaiah Collier, as he is averaging 20.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 9.7 assists and 1.0 steals over three games to start the season. He certainly showed flashes of impressive play over his first two seasons, but back-to-back double-doubles, including a 26-point, 10-assist performance in his most recent outing, surely have his coaches thinking about what their move will be when the squad's originally anticipated starting point guard, Collier, is ready to go again.
