Week 2 of the 2022-23 season is underway, and James Harden's hot start to the campaign hasn't stopped. The Beard sat atop the fantasy point leaderboard after Monday's action, and several other stars weren't far behind him. Point guards are running the show so far, and we'll highlight three who have impressed the most as of late before identifying some stragglers and a priority DFS play for Tuesday's four-game slate here.
Who's hot
Harden's this year's top fantasy performer so far and fell one rebound short of a triple-double on Monday. He scored 29 points to go along with nine rebounds and 10 assists against the Indiana Pacers. He's averaging 26.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 9.8 assists on 48.6 percent shooting. The Philadelphia 76ers look like Harden's team and playing 38.2 minutes a night will make him too productive for most players to match.
Morant is off to another ridiculous start as a scorer and leads the league in points per game. The Memphis Grizzlies star's averages of 4.2 rebounds and 7.0 assists per contest aren't a surprise, but he's also shooting 60 percent from deep. Morant is already one of the world's best finishers around the rim, and adding a consistent outside shot could take him to another level in 2022-23. He scored 38 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and tallied seven assists against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday to kick off Week 2.
Irving got off to a rough start in his season opener and scored just 15 points on 6-of-19 shooting. However, he rebounded by notching at least 30 points and five assists in each of his next two contests. He and Kevin Durant scored 37 points apiece in Brooklyn's 10-point loss to the Grizzlies on Monday. Both stars appear likely to carry most of the Nets' scoring load without a reliable third option.
Who's not
Simmons is three games into his Nets career and still lacks the aggression fantasy managers haven't seen from him in years. While his rebounding and assist numbers are on par with what he put up as an All-Star, he's attempting less than five shots per game. Simmons, who is also known as a heady defender, fouled out in less than 30 minutes twice. Fantasy managers who reached for Simmons in hopes of a bounce-back season can't be feeling too good right now. He tallied seven points, three rebounds, and eight assists on Monday.
Horford's failed to take advantage of Robert Williams missing time with a knee injury so far. The Boston Celtics center has fallen short of his usual standards as a scorer, rebounder, and playmaker early on. He's averaging 13.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game as a starter for his career, but several backup bigs on other teams seem to be much more promising fantasy prospects early in Week 2 of the 2022-23 season.
Tuesday DFS Target
The New Orleans Pelicans are banged up ahead of their Tuesday matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. Zion Williamson (hip), Brandon Ingram (concussion), and Herb Jones (knee) have been ruled out for the contest. Murphy, a second-year sharpshooter who totaled 16 points and nine rebounds in 40 minutes in his last game, won't hesitate to pull up with reckless abandon while his team is so undermanned. The Virginia product tallied 15 points and six rebounds in his lone start as a rookie and is averaging 17.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per 36 minutes so far in his sophomore season. His scoring upside will make him vital to the Pelicans on offense, as he'll have little to no competition on the wing aside from Naji Marshall.
Still deciding who to lock in for your DFS roster? We've identified a player worth locking in and one to avoid ahead of tip-off below, but you can get my full selection of stud and value plays at each position by heading over to SportsLine.
