NBA Fantasy: Pre-Christmas Temperature Check - Who is Hot, Who is Cold?

The holiday season is here, with Christmas Day arriving on Monday. The real-life NBA trade deadline also isn't far off in early February, so things are heating up despite the cold weather.

With that said, it's never a bad time to do a temperature check on the extremes of fantasy value over the past two weeks. Which hot performances can continue, and which cold streaks are bound to break? Let's dive in:

Ranks for top players are based on a three-game minimum.

Joel Embiid, 76ers

8-cat per-game rank over past two weeks: 1

Embiid has been absolutely dominant over the past 14 games amid a run of horrible opponents. During this stretch, the 76ers' schedule featured Washington twice, Atlanta, Detroit twice, Charlotte and Chicago. Still, Embiid's averages were a ridiculous 40.0 points on 61/39/92 shooting, 13.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.3 steals. He'll come back down to Earth when Philadelphia faces difficult opponents, but there's no reason to believe he won't continue being one of the best fantasy players around.

Luka Doncic, Mavericks

8-cat per-game rank over past two weeks: 2

With Kyrie Irving missing five of the past seven games, Doncic has averaged 36.7 points, 10.7 assists, 8.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals while slashing 49/38/96. It remains unclear when Irving will return. Dallas lacks other consistent and threatening playmakers, so Doncic will continue taking on increased usage for the foreseeable future.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder

8-cat per-game rank over past two weeks: 3

Gilgeous-Alexander is on a two-way heater over his past six games, averaging 33.2 points on 54/14/86 shooting, 6.7 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 3.7 steals. He's averaging nearly one more steal per game this season than last, which has been a massive boost to his fantasy value. Everything is pointing toward SGA being a first-round value once again.

Kawhi Leonard, Clippers

8-cat per-game rank over past two weeks: 4

Leonard and the Clippers are on a roll, as the team hasn't lost this month. Less defensive focus on Leonard has led to increased efficiency, with the forward averaging 30.6 points on 63/57/95 shooting, plus 5.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals. He appears on his way to return top-20 value this season, but managers should explore selling high before a potential injury.

Anthony Davis, Lakers

8-cat per-game rank over past two weeks: 5

Davis has played just four times over the past 14 days, missing one contest against the Spurs due to a hip injury. Shockingly, it was only his second absence of the season, which has been the biggest storyline for Davis, who ranks fifth in total value on the season – a rank he hasn't reached since his first year with the Lakers. It's a theoretical sell high due to the injury risk, maybe in a 1-for-2 trade, but holding and enjoying is fine.

James Harden, Clippers

8-cat per-game rank over past two weeks: 6

He's back. Over the past seven games, Harden is averaging 20.0 points on 52/53/89 shooting, 9.9 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.3 steals. The blocks will obviously be coming down, as will his three-point shooting, but he and the Clippers seem to have found symbiosis. It appears more than likely that he'll return at least second-round fantasy value, making it a major win if you selected him in the fourth round late in draft season.

Trae Young, Hawks

8-cat per-game rank over past two weeks: 7

Young has finally found his three-point stroke after struggling all of last season and the start of this year. He's been an offensive maestro lately, averaging 31.3 points on 49/44/92 shooting, 11.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds. The Hawks are slumping, however, with an 11-15 record. They probably aren't at risk of significant tanking, but it wouldn't be shocking if they decided to move on from any of Clint Capela, Dejounte Murray or De'Andre Hunter.

Damian Lillard, Bucks

8-cat per-game rank over past two weeks: 8

Lillard isn't setting the world on fire – just playing well by his standards lately. He ranks just inside first-round value on the season, so managers who selected him there can't be feeling too bad about it. Things should only get smoother and more consistent for Lillard and the Bucks moving forward.

Derrick White, Celtics

8-cat per-game rank over past two weeks: 9

Count me among the skeptics of White's fantasy value before the season started, but he's proved even his optimists wrong. Shockingly, he ranks 34th on the season, and the two weeks have brought averages of 20.0 points on 51/46/92 shooting, 4.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.8 blocks. It's hard to point out what isn't fairly sustainable, making White one of the steals of the year.

LeBron James, Lakers

8-cat per-game rank over past two weeks: 11

James has played about as well over his past four appearances as he has for the whole season, with the legend ranking 11th on the season. Like his teammate Anthony Davis, James has missed only two games this season, which is relatively surprising. I'm still an advocate for selling high, but you'll probably want a top-15 player in return.

Ranks for struggling players are based on a three-game and 27-minute-per-game minimum

Jeremy Sochan, Spurs

8-cat per-game rank over past two weeks: 271

We all like Sochan, but he's not being put in a position to succeed. His past seven games have resulted in averages of 6.7 points on 31/11/56 shooting, 5.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 29.3 minutes. He's easily droppable in any 10-team league, while managers in 12-teamers should only hold if in a position of strength.

Ayo Dosunmu, Bulls

8-cat per-game rank over past two weeks: 210

Multiple and continuous injury issues for the Bulls have resulted in Dosunmu seeing 29.6 minutes over the past seven games, but he's just an awful fantasy producer. He averages 0.7 fantasy points per minute and ranks 256th in per-minute 8-cat value. No managers in leagues of fewer than 18 teams should even consider Dosunmu an option.

Grant Williams, Mavericks

8-cat per-game rank over past two weeks: 207

After shooting 51.7 percent from three through his first 11 games, Williams has shot 29.9 percent from three in 12 games since. He's practically useless in fantasy if he's not hitting close to three triples per game, which he certainly doesn't project to do moving forward.

Jalen Green, Rockets

8-cat per-game rank over past two weeks: 202

Green just can't seem to put it together. He's been teasing fantasy managers for three seasons with an excellent week here and there, but asking him to string together a solid month is close to impossible. He's been especially cold lately, averaging 13.9 points on 35/28/90 shooting, 4.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 28.4 minutes. Part of the issue now is that coach Ime Udoka is clearly running out of patience and has started decreasing Green's workload in favor of guys like Tari Eason, Jeff Green, Jae'Sean Tate and Aaron Holiday. I can understand holding him in a 10-team points league since he's averaging 28.0 fantasy points per game. If you're in a 12-team category league, I would try to trade him first, and then drop him if you're near the bottom of the standings. At some point, you have to just only be concerned with winning the week ahead.

Max Strus, Cavaliers

8-cat per-game rank over past two weeks: 199

Strus' shooting has gone ice cold, as he's scoring only 12.0 points on 33/29/78 over the past two weeks to go along with 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Despite the struggles, I don't think he should be dropped, especially with Darius Garland and Evan Mobley expected to miss significant time.

Harrison Barnes, Kings

8-cat per-game rank over past two weeks: 194

There's nothing to see here. Barnes is mostly a 14-team category league streamer when the Kings are on four-game weeks. He has his ups and downs.

Eric Gordon, Suns

8-cat per-game rank over past two weeks: 179

Gordon has been a nice back-end roster option for essentially the whole season, as the Suns simply can't stay healthy – namely, Bradley Beal. This is just a rough four-game stretch for him, so there's no reason to worry.

Scoot Henderson, Trail Blazers

8-cat per-game rank over past two weeks: 178

Ranking 178th over the past two weeks represents a step in the right direction for the rookie, who ranks 268th on the year. Henderson, over the past seven games, has averaged 13.9 points on 41/26/89 shooting, 4.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 28.1 minutes. Managers high in the standings should feel relatively comfortable holding Henderson in 12-team leagues, but I don't think the juice is worth the squeeze in 10-teamers.

Deni Avdija, Wizards

8-cat per-game rank over past two weeks: 174

Avdija has been trending downward lately, though it's mostly due to poor shooting (9.6 points on 41/22/79). He's still averaging 6.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists over the past two weeks. He's a borderline 10-team player but should still be rostered in 12-teamers.

Buddy Hield, Pacers

8-cat per-game rank over past two weeks: 172

Hield's minutes have been inconsistent, and his shooting has been streaky. That's an annoying combination for fantasy managers. He's on a cold stretch right now but still worth holding in 12-team category leagues.