Kyle Anderson shot 8-of-13 from the field and 2-of-2 from the foul line in Saturday’s loss to the Pelicans, tallying 21 points, four rebounds, four assists, one steal, two blocks and three 3-pointers in 30 minutes.
Anderson is in the midst of the best season of his career, and one of the reasons why has been his improvement as a perimeter shooter. With three made 3-pointers he is up to 26 on the season, which is a career-best (he made 24 all of last season). And SloMo is making them at a 34% clip, which is the best number of his career to date. Rostered in 53% of Yahoo leagues, Anderson is providing ninth-round value in 9-cat formats, and eighth-round value in 8-cat. The shooting slump that he was mired in earlier this week appears to be over.
Gorgui Dieng made his first start as a Grizzly in Saturday’s loss to the Pelicans, finishing with eight points (2-of-2 FGs, 3-of-4 FTs), five rebounds, two assists, one steal and one 3-pointer in 21 minutes.
Dieng was inserted into the starting lineup due to the absence of Brandon Clarke (right calf soreness), and he had a rather quiet night. With the return of Jonas Valanciunas, who scored 23 points off the bench, Dieng’s time as a starter may be short-lived regardless of what happens with Clarke. Dieng can still provide some fantasy value coming off the bench, but not to the point where he’s a must-have in standard leagues. Xavier Tillman, who finished Saturday’s loss with five points, eight rebounds, one assist, one block and one 3-pointer in 28 minutes, appears destined to meet a similar fate once Valanciunas’ minutes limit is lifted.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker did not play in Saturday’s win over the Grizzlies.
After struggling in his 17 minutes during Friday’s win over the Pacers, Alexander-Walker was a healthy scratch on Saturday. J.J. Redick, who is on the trade market, replaced him in the rotation and posted a line of eight points (3-of-8 FGs), one rebound and two 3-pointers in 15 minutes. Alexander-Walker’s lack of minutes could have been due to his struggles Friday. But it’s more likely that the Pelicans simply wanted to get Redick some run, while showing prospective trade partners what he could potentially add to their teams. Until New Orleans figures out what to do with some of its veteran guards, young players such as Alexander-Walker and Kira Lewis Jr. aren't worth rostering.
DeMarcus Cousins started on Saturday vs the Spurs, finishing with 12 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, a steal and two blocks.
Boogie joined the starting five with Christian Wood (ankle) out indefinitely, posting his fourth double-double of the season. He made 5-of-12 field goals with two 3-pointers in 30 minutes, which was the limit coach Stephen Silas said he would keep Cousins at for now. There will be more opportunities for him over the next couple of weeks, so don't be frustrated from Boogie's relatively quiet night. He'll get his rhythm going the more he plays.
Luguentz Dort (knee) played 32 minutes in Saturday’s win over the Timberwolves, finishing with 10 points (4-of-10 FGs, 1-of-2 FTs), six rebounds, three assists, two steals and one 3-pointer.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said on Friday that the knee injuries that sidelined Dort and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander weren’t serious, and the workloads backed that up. Both surpassed the 30-minute mark on Saturday, and in the case of Dort he was a blocked shot shy of a full stat line. Rostered in 20% of Yahoo leagues, he still doesn’t offer much in the way of fantasy value due to his limited offense. The key for Dort, as it was when he entered the NBA, is his continuing to make strides as a shooter.
Theo Maledon tallied 10 points (4-of-8 FGs), three rebounds, six assists, one steal and two 3-pointers in 31 minutes Saturday vs. Minnesota.
Maledon was held out of Friday’s game due to health and safety protocol concerns, but he was back in the starting lineup Saturday. The six assists are a new career-high for the rookie, who has been quite productive since George Hill was sidelined due to a thumb injury. Over the last two weeks, Maledon is providing ninth-round value in 8-cat formats and 10th-round value in 9-cat. It would be wise to grab him off of the waiver wire now, because Maledon could be in line for even more playing time if the Thunder fall out of the playoff picture later this season.
Hamidou Diallo moved back to the bench for Saturday’s win over the Timberwolves but was still productive, registering 15 points (6-of-13 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), six rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block and one 3-pointer in 31 minutes.
With Luguentz Dort (knee) and Theo Maledon (health and safety protocols) cleared to play, Diallo found himself back with the second unit Saturday night. While he did have a good outing in the two-point victory, Diallo doesn’t offer much in the way of fantasy value moving forward. Still rostered in 29% of Yahoo leagues, now would be a good time for managers to cut bait.
Darius Bazley accounted for 13 points (5-of-10 FGs, 2-of-4 FTs), four rebounds, one assist, one steal and one 3-pointer in 26 minutes Saturday vs. Minnesota.
Bazley was a late addition to the injury report due to back soreness. And while he was able to take on his usual starting role, Bazley played nine fewer minutes than he did in Friday’s loss to the Timberwolves. Rostered in 47% of Yahoo leagues, the second-year forward hasn’t been the breakout player that many expected him to be entering this season. Bazley is still worth hanging onto given his place within the Thunder rotation, but he needs to be more consistent.
John Wall had a solid outing on Saturday vs the Spurs, posting 27 points, two rebounds, seven assists and a block.
Wall was a game-time decision coming into the game with back spasms but he appeared to be fine, knocking down 10-of-19 shots and 6-of-9 free throws in 32 minutes. It was his second straight game with at least 20 points and his fourth in his last six, a great sign for the guard who's coming off an Achilles injury. He's averaging 18.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists and two triples a game in 13 games this year, ranking 84th in 9-cat.
Eric Gordon had the hot hand on Saturday for the Rockets, scoring 26 points with seven rebounds, two assists and a block in 36 minutes off the bench.
His 26 points were second on the team behind John Wall's 27 but his 36 minutes were a team-high, something you don't see too often from a bench player. Gordon made 8-of-13 field goals, 4-of-7 threes and 6-of-7 free throws, outplaying starter Victor Oladipo who scored just nine points on a 4-of-14 performance. EG will be in-and-out of the starting lineup all season with Wall and Oladipo frequently missing games but clearly, it doesn't matter because he plays well in a reserve role, too. He's still available in 30% of Yahoo leagues and should be rostered in all standard and deep formats.
Anthony Edwards shot 8-of-16 from the field and 2-of-4 from the foul line in Saturday’s loss to the Thunder, accounting for 20 points, eight rebounds, four assists, one steal, one block and two 3-pointers in 31 minutes.
After he shot 3-of-14 from the field in Friday’s win, give Edwards credit for bouncing back. The first overall pick in November’s draft has now scored 13 points or more in eight of his last nine games, and over the last week Edwards is providing ninth-round value in 9-cat formats. He still sits well outside of the top-200 for the season as a whole, but things are looking up for Edwards. The absence of Karl-Anthony Towns has meant more scoring opportunities for Edwards, so that’s something to keep an eye on once KAT is cleared to play.
Jake Layman played 23 minutes in Saturday’s loss to the Thunder, accounting for 16 points (6-of-9 FGs, 2-of-3 FTs), two rebounds, one assist, five steals and two 3-pointers.
Layman has scored 10 points or more in three straight appearances, and the five steals represent a new career-high (previous high was three). While Layman and Jaylen Nowell (15 points, two rebounds and three 3-pointers in 22 minutes) have earned more minutes with Jarrett Culver (ankle) sidelined, Josh Okogie has fallen down in the rotation. Okogie played just nine minutes Saturday night, and should not be rostered in any league. As for Layman, he’s worth taking a long look at if Culver isn’t cleared to play in Monday’s game vs. Dallas.
Jakob Poeltl struggled on Saturday vs Houston, scoring just two points with 11 rebounds, an assist and a block in 29 minutes.
Poeltl got another start for the banged-up LaMarcus Aldridge (hip) but went 0-of-6 from the field and 2-of-4 from the free-throw line. We don't blame if you played him tonight after seeing his numbers from the last game. But Poeltl should continue to play big minutes until LA is back in the lineup. Don't drop him just yet.
Drew Eubanks scored a season-high 12 points on Saturday, adding three rebounds, an assist and three blocks.
Eubanks had his best game of the year vs the Rockets, hitting 4-of-6 field goals and all four of his free throws in 16 minutes off the bench. It was his first time scoring in double figures this year and his second time blocking three shots. He might continue to play some decent minutes with LaMarcus Aldrige (hip) sidelined but isn't a reliable fantasy option.
Tobias Harris finished Saturday's game with a double-double, posting 21 points, 12 boards, six assists, two steals and a block in the win.
Harris kept up his impressive play, making 10-of-16 shots and recording his second straight double-double and his third in his last five games. He didn't make any threes tonight and has just one over the last three contests, but he's averaging five assists in that stretch which is certainly not a bad trade-off.
Pascal Siakam ripped away three steals and swatted two shots on Saturday, adding 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and one 3-pointer over 33 minutes.
This was Siakam’s second straight game with at least three steals and zero turnovers, and his first game of the year with multiple steals and swats. He got off to a hot start with 13 points on just eight shots through the first two quarters of play, but Atlanta did a nice job of shutting him down after halftime. The Raptors had their three-game winning streak snapped tonight, but they’ll look to get things back on track on Monday in Memphis.
Norman Powell went 7-of-15 from the field and 5-of-6 from the line for 20 points, four rebounds, two assists, one 3-pointer and two steals across 32 turnover-less minutes on Saturday.
While Powell has seriously struggled with the second unit this season, he’s been excellent as a starter, posting averages of 20.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 2.7 treys, 1.6 steals and 1.5 turnovers per game on 50% shooting from the field and 87.5% from the stripe. However, OG Anunoby (calf) could be back within the next three games, so Powell managers may want to test his market value before he returns to a reserve role.
Ben Simmons stuffed the box score with 16 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and three steals in a 124-108 win vs the Nets on Saturday night.
After missing Thursday's game with left calf tightness, Simmons looked refreshed vs Brooklyn tonight. He hit 70% of his looks and played some high-level defense on James Harden in a game that Philly took control of in the second half. He did have six turnovers and now has 11 in his last two games, but he's averaging nearly a triple-double every game and is providing top-25 value in 9-cat over the past week.
Ricky Rubio posted a line of eight points (3-of-6 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), three rebounds, six assists and one steal in 24 minutes Saturday vs. Oklahoma City.
Rubio started for the injured D’Angelo Russell, and he didn’t get off to the best start. The veteran point guard was yanked just two minutes in after committing two turnovers, and that was an issue for Rubio in Minnesota’s two games in OKC (seven total). His fantasy value depends upon Russell’s availability: if D’Angelo is healthy enough to play, there isn’t much reason to roster Rubio, regardless of league size.
Juancho Hernangomez did not play in Saturday's loss to the Thunder.
After missing time due to the league's health and safety protocols, and a need to get his conditioning up to par, Hernangomez did not play in either of the Timberwolves' games in Oklahoma City. And with young bigs Naz Reid and Jarred Vanderbilt playing good basketball, there may be more DNP-CD's in Juancho's future.