Stephen Defries
NBA Fantasy expert, Supercoach veteran
Final Word | NBA Supercoach week 5, trades, skippers, strategy
Supercoach veteran Stephen Defries reveals his trades, captains and point of difference players to consider for Supercoach NBA week five
NBA
November 17, 2025
Coaches channeled their inner Nicho Harrison this week, trading out or fading both Wemby and or Joker.
What were you thinking!
This likely meant prioritising Giannis or Mitchell, who were both rested for 1 of their 4 games.
Frustrating.
There was some relief for non-Wemby owners with Frenchman missing the final game of the week with a calf issue.
Hopefully, it’s just precautionary.
Getting an understanding of potential injury and load management is going to be key as the season rolls on.
Easier said than done.
Avoiding injury altogether across a full week is also proving difficult with popular buy Paolo Banchero going down with a groin injury.
This is going to happen.
The likelihood of getting max games from all your players in a game week is as likely as the Pelicans keeping their draft pick.
We all need to exercise patience.
‘The Closers’ had a huge bounce-back week as the much-maligned midrange strategy rolls on.
Sitting well inside the top 1000, having never owned Giannis or SGA with a team value of around 177 million, we are ready to strike.
Markkanen and Avdija produced the goods while cheapies Rollins, Flagg, Queen, and Kneuppel kept the cash gen rolling.
I’ll take this opportunity to once again reiterate that SGA is NOT a must-own this week.
Many will flip Luka on a 2-game week straight to him.
Not me.
I’ll be using the cash to bring in 2 of Jalen Johnson, Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, or Scottie Barnes.
That combo is worth more from both a points and cash generation perspective than SGA and a cheapie.
Guns
Joker is on a 4-gamer this week, which means he is a must-own and must captain, or is he?
A questionable designation was placed on Joker before his last game.
Pay close attention to the injury report before his first game of the week.
Giannis drops to a 3-game week, but isn’t a must-sell.
Assess the benefits closely, as you will likely want him back the following week.
Luka is a sell this week as he just has the two games, and you can move straight to SGA.
Whilst I won’t be doing this, it’s a safe play and you can’t go wrong.
Wemby also moves into a 3-game week and, like Joker, is carrying a questionable tag into game week 5.
If this is your ticket back to Joker, I think you probably do it.
Midrange
This week throws up plenty of options in the midrange category.
Toronto enters a run of 3 weeks of 4 games, which brings Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, and RJ Barrett into contention.
Barnes is a no-brainer.
Averaging 29 with a low break-even even I don’t think you can go wrong with the trade.
Quickley is a great cash grab.
Under 12 mil with a low break-even and decent production, this could be your ticket to one of the big boys.
James Harden is on a tear.
Without Kawhi, he is doing everything for a Clippers team struggling to find their rhythm.
I like the buy but am concerned he gets a rest at some point.
Speaking of tears, how about Jalen Johnson!
Averaged a tick over 40 points per game last week and heads into a 4-game week full of confidence.
He’s likely in for me.
Cheapies
Derik Queen did a great job for owners, however, I’d be cautious bringing him in this week.
With Zion lingering, he may not have the same role moving forward.
Kon Knueppel has been the gift that keeps on giving, and there are probably 1 or 2 more weeks of price rises to go.
There are a few bottom-priced cheapies on offer, with Will Richard and Paul Reed potential trade-ins.
POD’s
Evan Mobley CLE – 4.0% owned
Last week, I wrote that he could explode at any moment.
It’s going to happen.
He’s playing good basketball, it’s just not translating to SC points right now.
Chet Homgren OKC – 4.0% owned
Very relevant at the beginning of the season however, many coaches sold due to injury concerns.
He looked ok last week and could be an under-the-radar play this week.
Super POD’s
Shaedon Sharpe POR – 1.5% owned
Also featured here last week, where I said it was only a matter of time.
Well, that time has arrived.
A huge week last week, and he’s starting to look comfortable.
Frans Wagner ORL – 1.2% owned
No Paolo Banchero means Wagner becomes the number one scoring option in Orlando.
In 20 games without Paolo last season, Wagner averaged 26/6/6.
Schedule
Best (4 and 4 games over next 2 weeks)
NOP, TOR
Good (4 games this week)
ATL, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, LAC, MIA, OKC, ORL, PHI, POR
Bad (2 games this week)
HOU, LAL
Trade & Skipper Plans
Right now, I’m trading Luka to Scottie Barnes and using that cash to go Kuminga to Jalen Johnson.
There will be one more trade from a 3-gamer to a 4-gamer.
Good luck all, and remember, stay patient.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.