Julius Randle hit 11-of-16 shots, 2-of-5 3-pointers and 5-of-6 free throws for 29 points, five assists and 10 rebounds with three turnovers in a loss to the Nuggets.
Randle became the second player to ever tally 200 points, 115 rebounds and 70 assists in the first 10 games of the season on Sunday. Only Oscar Robertson had done so before him. Randle’s having an excellent season, ranked No. 55 of all players in 9-cat leagues. Keep in mind he is playing the second-most minutes per game of all NBA players (five more than last season), and logged another 38 on Sunday. His endurance will be tested as the season continues.
George Hill scored 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting Sunday, to go with two triples, three assists, two steals and one turnover across 28 minutes in a win over Brooklyn.
Hill was held to just four points his last time out, so this was a solid bounce-back game for him, although his production has been quite volatile this season as he's scored 14, 4, 13 and three over his past four games. He's still managing to flirt with late-round value on the year behind averages of 11.9 points, 3.5 assists, 1.9 triples, 1.1 steals and just 1.0 turnover per game on 49.3% shooting, but he's more of a deep league guy than a standard league option.
Lu Dort scored 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting (3-of-3 FT) Sunday, to go with three rebounds, two 3-pointers, one steal and two turnovers across 25 minutes.
Dort had failed to snatch a single steal in his previous three outings, but he snapped the steal-less streak just three minutes into today’s game, and it was nice to see him back in double-figures in the scoring department after he was held to single digits in his previous two games. So far, he's been a bit too inconsistent to trust in standard 12-team leagues this season, but he's doing enough to warrant a roster spot in 14-team leagues and up.
Al Horford scored a season-high 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting in Sunday's win over the Nets, adding three triples, six boards, three dimes, one steal, one block and two turnovers across 28 minutes.
Horford got off to a horrific start this season, but he's shown signs of life over the past two games, scoring in double figures with multiple triples and decent production in the defensive categories. Hopefully, this is a sign that the 34-year-old big man is ready to start rolling, so it'll be interesting to see if he can keep it up vs. San Antonio on Tuesday. Isaiah Roby was solid in 19 minutes off the bench, producing 13 points, five rebounds, two triples and one turnover, and he's a guy who could be fun to roster if Horford ever needs to miss time.
Gary Harris hit 6-of-10 shots and 2-of-4 3-pointers for 14 points, one assist, three rebounds, two steals and one block with one turnover in a blowout win over the Knicks.
Harris might be out of his slump for real now, following up a 5-of-8 3-point shooting performance by hitting 2-of-4 against the Knicks. He had active hands too, swiping two steals. The Nuggets are a different team when he’s rolling, and, of course, his fantasy value rises as his shot comes back. Let's see if the law of averages can wipe away his 4-of-29 3-point shooting streak to start the season.
Jamal Murray hit 4-of-9 shots and 1-of-4 3-pointers for nine points and three assists with no turnovers in a blowout win over the Knicks.
He isn't playing poorly, but in two of his last four games, Murray's been a minimal part of the Nuggets' offense. He took just seven shots on Tuesday, scoring 13 points, and his nine points on Sunday tied a season-low. Still, he ranks No. 58 of all players in 9-cat leagues, and he can light the opposing defense up in a moment's notice. Hopefully he’ll bounce back against the Nets on Tuesday.
Mike Muscala (ribs) picked up a DNP-CD on Sunday.
Muscala was available for this one, but he didn't leave the bench. He typically only sees minutes in the teens, though, so his playing status is irrelevant in fantasy hoops.
Garrett Temple logged 36 minutes vs. the Clippers on Sunday, recording multiple season highs with 18 points and six boards in a 130-127 road loss.
Temple shot 7-of-8 from the field with three 3-pointers, while adding two steals and an assist. His minutes were elevated tonight due to a raft of absences for the Bulls -- Otto Porter (back), Lauri Markkanen, Chandler Hutchison, Tomas Satoransky and Ryan Arcidiacono. Temple can play multiple positions and he gives Chicago some welcome two-way utility, but we're not about to chase this performance for fantasy purposes.
It only took three minutes for Markieff Morris to get ejected from Sunday's game vs. the Rockets, and he'll finish with one rebound and one turnover.
Morris got into a shoving match with DeMarcus Cousins, and the ejection was warranted, as Morris was the guy who was attempting to escalate the situation. He got a spot-start on Friday with Anthony Davis (groin) on the sidelines, but with AD back tonight, Morris wasn't going to see much more than 15 minutes off the bench, anyway. He's irrelevant in the vast majority of fantasy leagues.
Patrick Williams scored a season-high 17 points on Sunday, going 6-of-9 from the field with three 3-pointers, two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Otto Porter was out for this game due to a back injury, and Chicago is still patching over the absence of Lauri Markkanen (health and safety protocols). That left a bunch of minutes on the table, and Williams claimed 36 of them in an efficient game vs. a tough opponent. The Bulls have thrown their 19-year-old lottery pick into a starting role immediately, and he's responded with averages of 9.6 points (45.0% FGs, 84.2% FTs), 0.8 threes, 3.6 boards, 0.9 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks. Those modest numbers won't help most managers today, but they suggest he'll be an across-the-board fantasy option for years to come.
DeMarcus Cousins was ejected from Sunday's game after picking up a flagrant 2 foul.
Cousins tried to steal the ball from LeBron James on a James drive to the hoop, but he accidentally made contact with LBJ's head while he swiped down at the rock, and the result was a flagrant 2 foul. He'll end his evening with six points, four rebounds, one steal and one turnover in eight minutes off the bench.
Lou Williams warmed up on Sunday, making 6-of-10 FGs and 8-of-9 FTs for a season-high 21 points, adding four assists, three steals and one rebound in 23 minutes.
Williams has been hard to roster this season with averages of 8.9 points on 43.2% FGs and 71.4% FTs, 0.9 threes, 2.0 boards, 2.6 assists and 0.5 steals. He lit up the Bulls' suspect defense tonight, so hopefully this will be the spark that ignites him after a cold start. With only 20-24 minutes coming his way per game, though, he'll need to be efficient to maintain 12-team value.
Nicolas Batum converted a four-point play with two minutes left on Sunday, finishing a win vs. Chicago with eight points, two 3-pointers, two rebounds, three assists, four steals and one block.
In his 800th career NBA game, Batum hit yet another clutch 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, something he's developed a knack for this season. Many fantasy managers will gloss over his line due to low scoring and few boards, but he also provided defensive stats, zero turnovers and decent efficiency (2-of-3 FGs, 2-of-3 FTs). The 32-year-old offers minimal upside, but he's doing enough to earn a roster spot in 9-cat leagues.
Jerami Grant filled up the stat sheet on Sunday, posting 28 points, four rebounds, four assists, a block and three triples.
Grant had an efficient shooting night, making 9-of-19 shots, 3-of-7 from distance and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. He was the only Pistons player to score over 12 points (Saddiq Bey) and the only other starter who scored in double figures was Blake Griffin (10 points). Detroit is going to struggle this season, but Grant will put up big numbers more often than not. He's currently 28th in 9-cat format and boasts a 26% usage rate.
Josh Jackson played just 14 minutes on Sunday, going 0-of-5 with two points, two rebounds, one assist and two steals in the loss.
Jackson was outplayed by rookie Saddiq Bey, who saw 27 minutes off the bench and finished with 12 points, three rebounds, an assist and two 3-pointers. He has struggled in back-to-back games since returning from an ankle injury and it's possible that it's still bothering him. But he's gone 2-of-16 from the floor in those two games while Bey is 7-of-17 with four triples. We'll see if Dwayne Casey makes a lineup change come Wednesday against the Bucks, though he hasn't hinted at the possibility just yet. Don't feel bad for dropping Jackson, there's surely better options out there right now.
Trey Lyles will start in place of DeMar DeRozan (personal) on Sunday.
Lyles has been out of the Spurs' rotation for most of the season, a mild surprise given his strong play without LaMarcus Aldridge late last year. Drew Eubanks is out for health and safety protocols, which helps Lyles' case, and Gregg Popovich may not want to tamper with the chemistry of his normal second-unit rotation. Lyles is at least worth considering as a streaming and DFS play on Sunday.
Andrew Wiggins (bruised left quad) is probable for Sunday's game, according to coach Steve Kerr.
Wiggins needs to get through warmups before a final decision is made, but barring a setback it sounds like he'll be ready.
Saddiq Bey played 27 minutes off the bench on Sunday, netting 12 points and two triples in the loss.
Bey shot 3-of-9 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the line, playing 27 minutes and getting more time that starter Josh Jackson. The rookie is more consistent shooter than Jackson, so it's not crazy to think that he could soon get bumped up into the starting unit, especially if he continues to have solid games like tonight. Bey tacked on three rebounds and an assist to round out his night and is a viable streaming option in deep leagues.
Ed Davis will start Sunday's game in place of Karl-Anthony Towns (injury management; left wrist).
Davis has underwhelmed in his fill-in starts this season, but he and Naz Reid both stand to benefit from Towns' absence in the second half of this back-to-back set vs. the Spurs.
Wesley Matthews (right Achilles soreness) will not play Sunday.
The good news is that Matthews' left Achilles that has been surgically repaired, so at least it's not the same tendon. Nothing suggests this is a serious ailment, and it's likely just a maintenance day now that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (ankle) is returning to the lineup.