As the NBA winds down its unofficial first half with the All-Star break looming, we figured it made sense to check in on what's been happening around the fake basketball world. From here until the end of the week, eDraft will be looking at the most-surprising and most-disappointing fantasy performers at each position.
We take into account preseason expectations (ADP) and performance in listing the following as the most-surprising fantasy point guards thus far on the 2016-17 NBA season.
1. Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics
PG Rank: 5th
Preseason ADP Positional Rank: 9th
Thomas has been an absolute stud this season. Not only that, he's been about as clutch as it gets. Here's a dude that's averaging nearly 11 points in the fourth quarter alone. All said, the MVP candidate is averaging 29.9 points and 6.4 assists per game while shooting at a cool 47 percent form the field.
What makes Thomas' performance so exceptional outside of the fact that he is the second-highest scoring point guard behind Russell Westbrook is that he also ranks fifth among points guards in fantasy consistency. Well done, sir.
2. Eric Bledsoe, Phoenix Suns
PG Rank: 6th
Preseason ADP Positional Rank: 11th
Bledsoe was barely considered a starter-caliber fantasy point guard in standard 12-team leagues when the season started. Now, more than halfway through the season, and he's proven to be nothing less than a fantasy dynamo. The former first-round pick is averaging 21.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He ranks in the top-10 among all point guards in each of these categories.
As with Thomas, Bledsoe has also been extremely consistent this season. He ranks 11th in that category, having put up 30-plus fantasy points in 67 percent of his outings this year.
3. Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors
PG Rank: 3rd
Preseason ADP Positional Rank: 7th
It's hard to imagine that Lowry has improved off last season's tremendous performance, but here were are. He's more than midway through the 2016-17 season and is a full four spots higher than he finished last season. Lowry is averaging a career-high 23.0 points to go with 4.8 rebounds and 7.0 assists on the year. He ranks in the top-five among point guards in each category.
As with pretty much everyone on this list, Lowry has also found a way to prove he's among the most-consistent fantasy players at his position. He's tallied 30-plus fantasy points in 88 percent of his outings on the year. That's good enough for a No. 6 ranking in this category.