Yahoo High Score settings put a premium on eruption games, and the 2025-26 numbers point toward a familiar fantasy truth: passing bigs, high-assist guards and players who pile up steals and blocks can gain ground fast when turnovers do not subtract from the total. Assists count for two points, stocks are worth three apiece, and only each player’s best performance in a given week is used.
| Player | Team | Key 2025-26 line | High Score note |
|---|---|---|---|
| LaMelo Ball | Minnesota Timberwolves | 72 games; 28.0 MPG | 1.55 points per minute; eight 60-point games |
| Josh Giddey | Chicago Bulls | 17.0 PTS, 8.3 REB, 9.1 AST | 15 games above 60 points |
| Darius Garland | Los Angeles Clippers | 6.7 AST, 2.9 TO | 39.2 points per game in 19 Clippers appearances |
| Joel Embiid | Philadelphia 76ers | 26.9 PTS; 38 games | 47.8 points per game; seven 60-point games |
| Derik Queen | New Orleans Pelicans | 11.7 PTS, 7.1 REB, 3.7 AST | 10 games above 50 points; season high of 72 |
| Draymond Green | Golden State Warriors | 8.4 PTS, 5.5 REB, 5.5 AST | Available in all 25 scoring weeks |
Ball’s move puts more creation on the floor
Ball stayed healthy enough to change the conversation last season, appearing in 72 games after missing 57 percent of his possible games across the prior three years. His High Score per-game rank climbed to 19th, compared with 39th in conventional points formats.
His weekly peak was 24 percent above his ordinary game, and he cracked 60 fantasy points eight times despite playing only 28 minutes per night. In 26 outings with at least 30 minutes, Ball produced 49.4 fantasy points per game. That points directly to the workload question in Minnesota following June’s blockbuster deal.
Ball joins Anthony Edwards on the deepest and most competitive roster of his career. He posted 9.2 assists per 36 minutes last season, while his 30-minute games brought 7.9 assists per night. With transition finishers, lob targets and perimeter shooting around him, the opening is there for more assist volume if his minutes rise.
Giddey has the Bulls’ keys
Chicago has settled on Giddey as its lead ball-handler, and his all-around line already plays differently in a format that does not punish giveaways. He averaged 3.6 turnovers, a deduction in standard scoring, but paired it with 17.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 9.1 assists.
His 13 triple-doubles were tied for the NBA’s second-highest total. Giddey finished 15th per game in High Score production, six spots better than his standard-points placement, and went over 60 fantasy points in 15 of 54 appearances. Even while sidelined for 28 games, he supplied a usable game in 20 of 25 weeks.
The roster has also added variables that could help his playmaking: new coaching, rim-running center Nic Claxton, rookie athlete Caleb Wilson and established scorer Norman Powell. Giddey already assisted Matas Buzelis 85 times last season, the most frequent passing connection on the team. A second season together should only sharpen that pairing.
Garland moves into the Clippers’ first line
Garland’s 6.7 assists against 2.9 turnovers were already more valuable in High Score, where the assists count but the miscues carry no penalty. He ranked 50th per game in that format after sitting 70th in standard points.
His Los Angeles role changed after February’s James Harden trade to Cleveland. Garland became the No. 2 option behind Kawhi Leonard and averaged 19.9 points with 39.2 High Score points across 19 Clippers games. Leonard’s departure now moves Garland into a 1A scoring and creation role.
Early-season usage could be even heavier because Brandon Ingram, Los Angeles’ major offseason addition, is rehabbing heel surgery and a partial Achilles tear. His debut timetable remains unsettled, leaving Garland positioned to handle a larger share of the offense until Ingram is cleared.
Embiid’s value is about the games he does play
Embiid’s season again came with an availability warning. Knee trouble and an emergency appendectomy limited him to 38 games, although he still registered an appearance in 17 of the 25 fantasy weeks.
On a per-game basis, Embiid ranked 11th in standard scoring and 17th in High Score. The gap flips over full-season value, where his High Score finish was 83rd versus 111th in standard points because a single monster week can carry a roster spot.
He averaged 26.9 points and 47.8 High Score points, exceeded 50 fantasy points 13 times and reached 60 seven times. His per-36 High Score output was 54.5 points. Embiid has returned to camp visibly leaner and said Philadelphia has a health-management plan in place.
LeBron James and Jaylen Brown also give the 76ers more high-end help around him than the Tyrese Maxey-heavy burden of previous seasons. A 70-game expectation would be unrealistic, but this format does not require one: one dominant Embiid night can win the week.
Queen brings big-man passing to a crowded Pelicans frontcourt
Queen’s placement shows one of the wider format splits entering 2026-27. He sits 77th in High Score rankings and 99th in standard points after playing all 81 games as a rookie.
In just 25 minutes per game, Queen averaged 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.9 combined steals and blocks. His passing is the separator. Per 36 minutes, the young frontcourt player delivered 5.3 assists and 46.0 High Score points.
The week-to-week swings were substantial, as expected from a rookie. His strongest game in each scoring period ran 31 percent higher than his baseline output. He reached 50 fantasy points 10 times, including a 72-point spike.
Minutes will remain the central issue. Queen is expected to rotate between power forward and center in a timeshare, but the long view is that he can earn a larger workload. When he gets extra run, his rebounding, passing and defensive activity give him several routes to a ceiling game.
Green could be pushed back to center
Green’s scoring has fallen to 8.4 points per game at age 36, but the connective numbers remain intact: 5.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.5 steals-plus-blocks per night. He was active in every one of the 25 scoring weeks.
His total-season High Score rank was 77th, compared with 106th in standard points. Per game, the difference was smaller but still favorable, with Green 116th in High Score and 136th in standard formats.
Passing drove 37 percent of his High Score output last year, and he posted six games with at least 10 assists. His best game in a typical scoring week outperformed his normal production by 23 percent.
Golden State’s frontcourt picture has shifted with Kristaps Porziņģis sidelined indefinitely by a health issue. Beyond drafting Yaxel Ledenborg, the roster closely resembles last season’s group. That could mean more center minutes for Green, who has also been urged to hunt his own offense more often. With an average draft position near 107, he profiles as a late selection whose High Score value may be lagging behind his situation.
