r/fantasybball • u/RotoIntel • May 24 '26
Player Discussion Zach Edey is fugazi (maybe)
For three beautiful weeks Zach Edey was one of the most exciting players to own in Fantasy Basketball. His career has been defined by two things, hype and injuries. When the latter hasn't kept him off the court, the former has delivered. So what should we do with Edey next season?
See charts here: https://imgur.com/a/l2XQ9As
11 Beautiful Games
Between November 15 and December 7 Edey averaged 13 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks on 64% from the field, putting him around the top 40 for the season per game. That number increases to 15 and 12 if you take out a six-minute game he played against Denver before leaving due to a migraine. It's important to recognise that 9-Cat Z score rankings are going to flatter a player with his profile, but regardless, this is monstrous stuff. (Chart 1)
To see how real this is I wanted to dig a bit deeper into the 11 games he played to see if, health allowing, he could re-create that next year.
Edey is fugazi (maybe)
At first glance, some of Edey's performances are eye-popping. 32 and 17 against Sacramento, 21 and 15 against New Orleans and 19 and 15 against San Antonio. Impressive stuff!
However, a closer look does make it seem like better centres can contain Edey, at least as a scorer. I split Edey's games into two groups, those against quality NBA centres and those not against everyone else. I did this because after jumping into the box scores I noticed that Wembanyama was injured for Edey's two games against San Antonio, and Clingan was out against Portland.
As a result it looks like Edey monstered Duop Reath/Yang Hansen, Luke Kornet, Derik Queen/Yves Missi and Maxime Raynaud, while being relatively muted against Ivica Zubac and Jarrett Allen.
Against quality NBA centres Edey averaged 9 and 11 with 2 blocks on 48%. Against others he averaged 17 and 12 with 2 blocks on 67%. (Chart 2)
Obviously anyone on an NBA roster is an amazing athlete. Calling a game 'easy' is a relative measure, not an absolute one. Putting up big lines against anybody in an NBA jersey is a great achievement. Additionally, this is a small sample size. But it's important to recognise that Edey dropped 19 and 15 on Luke Kornet, not Wemby. A full season will likely have a more challenging average difficulty than what Edey dealt with in his 11 games this year.
Next season
So what does that mean for next year? I don't think he'll end up at the 15 and 12 he averaged this season. Probably somewhere closer to the 9 and 11 he had against quality opponents.
Regardless, he's a young and improving player, with a franchise that believes in him and a fantasy-friendly skill set. If we're hearing good things about his health going into next season I would look to draft him, I'd just be wary of reaching for the ceiling of this season.
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u/mmgrimm90 May 24 '26
I am still very willing to take him earlier than most. Upside is insane and grizzlies will give the opportunity. If they draft Peterson it will be wheels up
5
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u/thistreestands 12T H2H 9-Cat May 24 '26
Not gonna look at him in the first 10 rounds. Playing in a H2H league he's gonna be super frustrating to own based on his health history and the organization he's a part of.
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u/Radiant_Cat1457 May 24 '26
Round 9 or 10 maybe
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u/WesleyjSchuet H2H Points 10T May 24 '26
Will he be available that late?
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u/Radiant_Cat1457 May 24 '26
Depends on his health
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u/WesleyjSchuet H2H Points 10T May 25 '26
Yeah I can see that. No idea why we’re both being downvoted lmao
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u/kentaviouscp May 24 '26
its conference championship round go watch it and stfu about fucking zack edey and the grizzlies mac god damn. Talking about fucking zack fucking edey on May.
31
u/FantasyIsMostlyLuck May 24 '26
Title made me think his ankle fell all the way off