Swish Appeal Fantasy: Team Nemchock stays on top as 2023 All-Stars shine across all squads

Winless through the first six weeks of action in the Swish Appeal fantasy league, it seemed that Team Josh might finally secure a victory with a solid showing in Week 7 of 592.3 fantasy points. Unfortunately for Josh, his squad was matched up against the unstoppable force that is Team Nemchock. Eric’s team racked up 696.0 points to secure a seventh straight win and remain atop the standings.

Second-place Team Zack put together the most prolific week, earning 735.2 points in a domination of Team Cat. Team Leite sits in third, despite a loss to Team Draves, which totaled 702.8 points. Here’s a breakdown of Week 7’s matchups.

Team Nemchock (Eric Nemchock) over Team Josh (Josh Felton), 696.0-592.3

As Eric discussed last week, ESPN’s decision to make A’ja Wilson eligible as a center is a boon for Team Nemchock, especially after the loss of Brionna Jones. The All-Star captain is, of course, also a fantasy All-Star, totaling 143.9 points over three games last week, the second-highest mark in Week 7. In a league short on centers, Wilson’s dual eligibility, combined with Teaira McCowan, who earned 104.8 points last week, gives Team Nemchock an enviable roster advantage that could help Eric maintain a perfect mark in head-to-head matchups. It certainly proved consequential in Team Nemchock’s triumph over Team Josh.

Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images

Josh’s squad features three of the top seven performers in Week 7, headlined by All-Star snub Natasha Howard and her league-leading 148.9 points. Unsurprisingly, Wilson’s opposing All-Star captain — Breanna Stewart — turned in the third-best week with 137.2 points. Stewie also remains the season-long leader in average points per game. Two-time All-Star Jackie Young added 115.5 points. Yet, Josh got almost negligible contribution from the center position, with Mercedes Russell earning only 4.4 points.

Josh does have an opportunity to begin getting more production from the center position with Queen Egbo. As he analyzed recently, Egbo should see more court time after her trade to the Mystics, and, most important for our purposes here, rack up more fantasy points.

Team Zack (Zack Ward) over Team Cat (Cat Ariail), 735.2-407.3

In this matchup, we again see how the center position can provide a pivotal advantage. Eight-time All-Star Brittney Griner powered Team Zack to victory with 111.8 total points, while Kalani Brown’s absence, in addition to Shakira Austin’s injury, left Team Cat without any juice from the center position.

Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images

Seven-time All-Star Elena Delle Donne’s ankle sprain also robbed Team Cat of needed production, with the forward missing two games and showing some rust as she added just 10.6 points in her one game played, a mark well below her 36.0 per game average. Unfortunate for Cat, Satou Sabally, the now two-time All-Star who has been a fantasy stud, struggled in Week 7, averaging 21.8 fantasy points per game compared to her season-long average of 41.6.

For Team Zack, five-time All-Star Jewell Loyd also had a down week. She averages 40.6 fantasy points per game for the season, but totaled only 53.2 points last week. Yet, Zack’s squad secured the big win because the rest of his roster performed at or above their expected level, with five-time All-Star DeWanna Bonner, in particular, packing a fantasy punch with 84.8 total points.

Team Draves (Zachary Draves) over Team Leite (Chelsea Leite), 702.8-579.9

While she may not be an All-Star, Rhyne Howard has been a fantasy star for Team Draves. For the second-consecutive week, Howard has averaged approximately eight fantasy points per game more than her season-long average, clocking in at 45.2 per game for Week 7. One of Atlanta’s actual All-Stars — first-timer Cheyenne Parker — likewise significantly outperformed her season average in Week 7, with an average of 44.6 points per game in the Dream’s three wins. Zachary also enjoyed contributions from Atlanta’s other actual first-time All-Star in Allisha Gray, who added 38.4 fantasy points per game.

Photo by Randy Belice/NBAE via Getty Images

However, the Dream trio all were outdone by Napheesa Collier, the lone Lynx three-time All-Star who earned a total of 135.7 fantasy points for Team Draves.

It understandably was a challenge for Team Leite to keep up with all that prolific production, even as she received high-quality efforts from her All-Stars. The Aces’ All-Star backcourt of five-timer Chelsea Gray and two-timer Kelsey Plum combined for 201.7 points. First-time All-Star Aliyah Boston maintained her prodigious fantasy pace, totaling 107.2 points across three games.