Chris Boucher balled out on his birthday, logging 20 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and five triples on Monday night.
Boucher played 32 minutes off the bench and started the second half over Alex Len who scoreless in 10 minutes. The Raptors third center Aron Baynes was a DNP-CD for the third consecutive games. Point being, Boucher is clearly the team's best big man as he can score the ball, space the floor with his shooting and protect the rim. He's scored over 20 points in four games this season and it's only a matter of time before he's the starting center.
Myles Turner hit just 2-of-7 shots and a 3-pointer for six points on Monday but still came through with six rebounds, four assists, two steals and three more blocks in a tough loss to the Kings.
Turner was manhandled by Richaun Holmes tonight and didn't have his best game, but he's blocking shots at will this season and now has 18 blocks over his last four games. He's had a couple dud scoring games this season but has also scored in double figures in seven of 10 games and is putting up respectable rebounding numbers. He's playing more aggressively this season and while he'll still have the occasional off night, Turner is currently listed as the No. 6 fantasy basketball player on Basketballmonster.com, thanks to the crazy block numbers, contributing in all categories and solid shooting percentages.
Terrance Ross shot just 2-of-6 in 25 minutes off the bench, ending the game with four points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals and no 3-pointers.
Ross has been disappointing with Fournier sidelined, hitting just 7-of-27 shots and 1-of-10 3-pointers over his last three for a total of 20 points. A true missed opportunity with extra minutes up for grabs and a let down after the start the Ross had to the season in the first couple of weeks.
Cole Anthony struggled against the Bucks, shooting 4-of-13 from the floor to finish with 12 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Anthony was limited against the length and defensive prowess of the Bucks on Monday. He missed nine shots and is shooting just 32% early in his rookie season. He's too inconsistent right now to merit a roster spot and might now change with Evan Fournier nearing his return.
Bobby Portis shot 9-of-13 from the floor on Monday against the Magic, finishing with a season-high 20 points, five rebounds, a block and two triples in the win.
Portis returned to the bench on Monday with Giannis back in the lineup but still had a solid night. He led the bench in minutes and scoring and made nearly 70% of his shots which is great for categories leagues. The forward is averaging 11.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in a reserve role and has benefitted from the Bucks blowing teams out on a handful of occasions so far. He's available in 45% of Yahoo leagues and should be rostered in all deep leagues.
Nikola Vucevic had another monster game for the Magic, notching 28 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and four 3-pointers in the loss.
The Magic are going to lose a lot of game this season. Let's just put that out there. They were already without Jonathon Isaac and now without also Markelle Fultz, too. The winners here are Vuc's fantasy managers because the center will put up big numbers nearly every night and likely lead the team in points, rebounds and field goal attempts every game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was back on the floor on Monday and made 8-of-16 shots, finishing with 22 points, six rebounds, four assists, one steal and two blocks in the win.
Giannis returned after a quick one game absence and filled up the box score by contributing in every category. He made half of his field goal attempts and knocked down two 3-pointers for the fifth time this season. Though he still ranks just 54th in 9-cat through the first few weeks of the season, and that's likely because he's playing just 31 minutes a night. The Bucks face the Pistons on Wednesday before a showdown with the Mavs on Friday.
Moe Wagner hit 3-of-5 shots and a 3-pointer for nine points, six rebounds and one assist in 22 minutes of Monday's win over the Suns.
He's going to help fill in for center Thomas Bryant, who is out for the year with a torn ACL. Robin Lopez got the start and had 11 points and 11 rebounds, but Wagner probably has more upside. RoLo looks like the safe play right now, but that could change if Wagner gets hot and starts playing more minutes going forward.
Ish Smith came off the bench and hit 3-of-8 shots for six points, three rebounds, six assists, a steal and one turnover in 21 minutes of Monday's win.
Smith didn't hit a 3-pointer and missed all four of his free throws, and is coming off the bench behind Raul Neto while Russell Westbrook is out with his quad injury. Neto is the guy you want to be using in DFS and standard leagues while Westbrook is on the shelf, but it's possible that Ish could get loose for a solid line or two over the next week.
Aaron Gordon was all the over the court on Monday, recording 21 points, five boards, eight assists, a steal and two swats.
Gordon [kind of] dunked on Giannis in the fourth quarter (link below). It would've been cleaner if he flushed it straight in, but nonetheless, it went viral on Twitter and AG had himself a solid night. He shot 8-of-14 and 3-of-4 from deep and the eight assists were a season high. We'd love to see him handle the ball and initiate the offense more, but Fournier's eventual return will likely diminish any hopes of that.
Khris Middleton had another good game on Monday, scoring 20 points to go along with 10 rebounds, three assists, a steal and two triples.
Middleton has now recorded a double-double in two of the last three games and is averaging 6.4 boards per game. He also shot it well, making 9-of-17 shots against the Magic. He's arguably been the Bucks most consistent player this season and that includes Giannis. If you don't believe us, Middleton ranks 20th in 9-cat while the Greek Freak is 54th. Numbers don't lie.
Deni Avdija hit 3-of-6 shots for six points, five rebounds and one assist in 20 minutes of Monday's easy win over the Suns.
Avdija went off for 20 points, five boards, five assists and two steals in 32 minutes on Saturday, but couldn't find the magic tonight. As long as he's starting for the Wizards he's worth keeping a close eye on, but scoring has been an issue and he's too inconsistent to be a full-time fantasy starter right now in most formats.
Bobby Portis shot 9-of-13 from the floor on Monday against the Magic, finishing with 20 points, five rebounds, a block and two triples in the win.
Portis returned to the bench on Monday with Giannis back in the lineup but still had a solid night. He led the bench in minutes and scoring and made nearly 70% of his shots which is great for categories leagues. The forward is averaging 11.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in a reserve role and has benefitted from the Bucks blowing teams out on a handful of occasions so far. He's available in 45% of Yahoo leagues and should be rostered in all deep leagues.
Robin Lopez started at center on Monday and hit 5-of-6 shots for 11 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes of Monday's win over the Suns.
Thomas Bryant is out for the year with a torn ACL and Lopez is the new starter for now. Davis Bertans played 24 minutes and scored 18 points with six 3-pointers and Moe Wagner played 22 minutes with nine points, six boards and a 3-pointer. The three of them will all help man the middle in Washington and Bertans and Wagner offer more upside than RoLo does. But Lopez is capable of a double-double with a block every time out as long as he's starting.
Raul Neto hit 7-of-13 shots and two 3-pointers for 16 points, two rebounds and two assists in Monday's win over the Suns.
It sounds like he'll be starting for Russell Westbrook all week and is worth a look in all formats with three more games. Neto's been a bit hit-or-miss when he starts, but he did have a big 22-4-5 line earlier this season, giving hope that he can do it again. The Wizards snapped a three-game losing streak with tonight's win.
Davis Bertans played 24 minutes and hit 6-of-10 shots and a season-high 6-of-9 3-pointers for 18 points, two rebounds and two assists in Monday's 128-107 win over the Suns.
Bertans is listed as a SF but the guy is 6'10" and can help fill the void left by Thomas Bryant's torn ACL. He's now scored in double figures in six of his last eight games and his early minutes limit is starting to go away. He should be rostered in all formats, although he's not going to do a lot more than score and hit 3-pointers.
Trae Young led the Hawks to a win over the Sixers on Monday, logging 26 points, eight assists, three rebounds and a steal in 25 minutes.
After failing to make any threes in the last couple of games, 'Ice Trae' finally knocked down a few against Philly in an easy win. He shot 9-of-19 from the floor, 3-of-7 from distance and 5-of-6 from the line. But his most impressive stat tonight was the zero turnovers because it's the first time he's done that this season. Young ranks 79th in 9-cat which is terrible for a guy who taken in 1st/2nd rounds in drafts. Hopefully he can build off this game and get that ranking up.
Isaac Okoro started again on Monday and hit 5-of-11 shots and two 3-pointers for a season-high 12 points, two rebounds, one assist and three steals in 40 minutes of a loss to the Grizzlies.
Okoro has played 40, 34, 39, 28, 42 and 34 minutes in his six games this season and the scoring and steals were nice tonight. He might take a hit once Collin Sexton (ankle) and Darius Garland (shoulder) are back, but he deserves to be on all watch lists as long as he's playing those massive minutes.
Cam Reddish started for the Hawks on Monday, posting 10 points, five rebounds, a steal and one 3-pointer in 24 minutes.
Reddish moved into the starting unit with Bogdan Bogdanovic (knee) sidelined and it's likely he will remain until either Bogy or Danilo Gallinari returns. He didn't shoot the ball a ton, going 3-of-8 and 1-of-4 from beyond the arc. But the Hawks were up by 25-plus and Lloyd Pierce emptied the bench in the second half. Reddish holds some value in standard and deep leagues.
Brandon Goodwin played 23 minutes off the bench, finishing with 15 points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal on Monday night.
The Hawks blew out the Sixers leading to Goodwin getting extra playing time in the second half. He shot 5-of-12 and splashed in three triples, by far his best game of the season. However, we don't expect him to have games like this every night, especially once Rondo returns. But if the Hawks play another team missing nearly all their best players, considering Goodwin a one-game streamer.