The High Score 100: The biggest rankings risers and fallers as we navigate Week 8 in fantasy basketball

The High Score 100 — the top-100 players in Yahoo’s newest fantasy basketball format — is a running reflection of year-to-date performance and trending production. Each weekly update captures who’s actually delivering value and who’s fading.

Here’s a breakdown of the biggest risers and fallers through the seventh week of fantasy basketball — with the complete High Score 100 at the bottom of the article. I’ll be updating my rankings every Tuesday throughout the fantasy basketball season.

📈 The Risers: Superstars rising up

Jamal Murray – G, Denver Nuggets: 16th overall (⬆️ 10)

Murray vaults to 16th overall after earning Western Conference Player of the Week honors for Week 7. He’s averaging career highs in points, rebounds and assists while posting the highest PER and true-shooting percentage of his nine NBA seasons.

That balance of efficiency and volume has him supplying 47 High Score fantasy points per game, making him a top-20 staple for High Score and a reliable co-pilot next to Nikola Jokić for Denver’s offense.

Jaylen Brown – G/FC, Boston Celtics: 13th overall (⬆️ 9)

Fresh off winning the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award for Week 7, Brown looks every bit a top-15 fantasy asset in High Score. Over the past two weeks, Brown has ranked fourth overall with 61.4 fantasy points per game, elevating his status from No. 22 to 13th on the latest High Score 100 list.

Brown is enjoying a career year, averaging 29.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists, and has thrived as the top option for the Celtics with Jayson Tatum out.

[High Score is a new way to play Fantasy Basketball on Yahoo with simple rosters and scoring. It’s not too late to create or join a league]

Jalen Johnson – FC, Atlanta Hawks: 6th overall (⬆️ 3)

The Jalen Johnson breakout is upon us. While he only moved up three spots, he had to be acknowledged because he’s pushing for a top-five asset. Since Nov. 28, he’s logged four 70-plus fantasy point games, including three triple-doubles. He’s doing everything — scoring, rebounding, creating — and his improved shot creation sans Trae Young has pushed him into a legitimate All-NBA conversation.

Like Brown, he’s one of five players posting at least 60 fantasy points per game over the past two weeks. The late second, early third-round pick is paying dividends for fantasy managers across formats.

📉 The Fallers: Regression meets reality

Ajay Mitchell – G, Oklahoma City Thunder: 116th overall (⬇️ 25)

Mitchell’s dream run ended once Jalen Williams returned. The efficiency is still there, but without steady minutes or usage, Mitchell is no longer a viable High Score stash coming off the bench. Barring a spot start when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or J-Dub miss a game, Mitchell can be dropped.

Joel Embiid – FC, Philadelphia 76ers: 70th overall (⬇️ 15)

Embiid plummeting 15 spots mirrors his declining availability. The former MVP looks like a shell of himself, shooting 40% from the field, 21% on 3s and averaging 18-5-3 with a block per game. That’s pedestrian numbers considering what Embiid’s peak looked like.

He’s played in just three games since Nov. 9, failing to score more than 35 fantasy points despite playing over 30 minutes in two of those three contests. Health continues to derail his progress and fantasy managers can keep him benched in High Score for the time being.

Jaren Jackson Jr. – FC, Memphis Grizzlies: 98th overall (⬇️ 13)

Jackson’s freefall to 98th continued after another rough stretch of production. He’s failed to reach 40 fantasy points in two weeks and is averaging 17 points per game this season, his lowest since 2021-22. His 3.3% block rate is the lowest of his career, cutting into the stat that made him worthy of a third- or fourth-round pick. Managers are hoping for a turnaround, but the trends and decline in stats are discouraging.

Complete High Score 100 rankings

The High Score 100 is a running reflection of year-to-date performance and trending production.

Stay tuned for the next look at the High Score 100!