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A couple of bad offensive outings in a row by Nikola Jokic doesn't change the way we feel about him. He's a first-round fantasy talent, an elite big man and one of the most versatile players in the NBA.
What his four points against Cleveland Thursday and seven points two nights later against Utah reinforced, however, is that Jokic shouldn't be ranked as high as a player like Joel Embiid who is just as versatile and averaging 20.7 shots a game compared to Jokic's 12.0.
In a week with minimal movement in the top 15, this is one of the notable changes, as Embiid moves up to No. 7, Russell Westbrook comes in at No. 8 and Jokic slides a couple spots to No. 9.
Take away Jokic's offensive struggles, and it's difficult to find too many other big men who under-performed the past week. In fact, most shined.
Karl-Anthony Towns (10) recorded three double-doubles since last Monday and put his early-season struggles squarely in the rear-view mirror, raining down 13 3-pointers and making major contributions on defense with six steals and nine blocks during the past five games.
Rudy Gobert (14) showed his usual strengths as one of the league's most efficient players, rebounders and shot-blockers.
And then things got interesting, as Nikola Vucevic (19), Marc Gasol (27) and prized Chicago rookie Wendell Carter Jr. (55) each jumped up considerably with eye-opening numbers and tremendous consistency.
Vucevic is more of a double-double threat than Gasol at this stage because Gasol doesn't pull down the rebounds he once did, but Gasol takes and makes more 3s. Both rack up a lot of assists. Vucevic gets more blocks. Gasol gets more steals; in fact the Grizzlies' center has averaged 2.8 SPG during his past five contests!
The week kind of belonged to Carter, though, if we're being honest. On the waiver wire in many leagues when last week started, Carter stepped in to play more minutes than usual with Bobby Portis out and showed the poise of a five-year vet. In four games, Carter averaged 17.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 4.0 APG, 2.0 BPG, 1.8 SPG while going 16-of-18 from the free throw line.
Carter, the No. 7 pick in June's NBA draft, looks like a Rookie of the Year candidate, and it will be interesting to see if he can continue this type of production once Portis returns. He makes the biggest jump out of anyone this week.
One other notable big man to mention is JaVale McGee (67), who is a double-double threat and shot-blocking presence, playing extended minutes in his first season with the Lakers. McGee has averaged a ridiculous 4.0 BPG during his past five games and is a game-changer right now in that department, capable of single-handedly leading you to a win in the block category in head-to-head contests some weeks.
Dwight Howard comes in at No. 61, having returned to the court for two games during the past week, while Atlanta's John Collins (95) could also be nearing a return to the court in the coming weeks. He has a higher ceiling than No. 95, obviously, but it remains to be seen how he plays once he returns from an ankle injury that has cost him the early part of the season.
Kevin Love (103) underwent surgery on his ailing left toe and will be re-evaluated in six weeks. You're not going to want to drop him if you can avoid it, but this is a story to pay close attention to in the weeks ahead. Meanwhile, Chicago's Lauri Markkanen (elbow) is reportedly still weeks away from participating in contact drills, and for now I have him a tick lower on the list at 113.
Here is a look at the rest of my top 150 roto rankings.
Note: These rankings reflect the expected player value for the remainder of this season.