Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting Wednesday, to go with eight rebounds, four assists, one 3-pointer and one block in a win over the Pistons.
It was an okay stat line for the two-time MVP, but he also finished just 8-of-14 from the line, committed an unfortunate five turnovers, and this was his second straight game without a steal. However, he is averaging 1.4 steals through the first eight games of the year, which is an encouraging sign after he averaged just 1.0 last season. Khris Middleton hit 9-of-15 shots for 23 points, five triples, five rebounds, seven dimes and two turnovers across 31 minutes.
Draymond Green hit 1-of-3 shots for four points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals in 31 minutes of Wednesday's 108-101 loss to the Clippers.
Green is still not dominating by any stretch of the imagination, but he is contributing and is averaging 4.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.5 steals over his four games this season. The 2.5 points he's also averaging make him unplayable right now, but he's just rounding into game shape. Day-Day is worth a hold right now, but if someone makes you an offer you can't refuse, take it.
Kelly Oubre hit just 4-of-13 shots and was 0-for-6 from downtown for eight points, five rebounds and steal in 25 minutes of Wednesday's loss.
Oubre had been heating up, scoring in double figures in his last four games and shooting the ball much better, but he took a step backwards against a tough Clippers defense. Consider this a bump in the road for Oubre and look for him to get back on track on Friday. The only problem is that the Warriors play the Clippers again that day, but we're confident that Oubre will be better the next time out. He's a better standard-league play than a DFS option right now.
Kyle Lowry hit 9-of-15 shots for 24 points, nine rebounds, six assists, three triples, one steal and four turnovers across 38 minutes in Wednesday's loss to Phoenix.
Lowry was also a perfect 3-of-3 at the charity stripe in this one, but the Raptors couldn't get the job done with K. Low's backcourt running mate struggling. Fred VanVleet, who was coming off a monster 36-point performance, finished with just 13 points (5-of-12 FG, 1-of-2 FT), four rebounds, seven assists, two 3-pointers, two steals, one block and one turnover in 39 minutes.
Stephen Curry hit just 5-of-17 shots, 1-of-6 3-pointers and 2-of-4 free throws for 13 points, four rebounds, five assists and a steal in 35 minutes of Wednesday's loss to the Clippers.
Curry and Trae Young had really weird lines tonight, as both players came in well under expectations. The Clippers' defense is tough and Patrick Beverley was harassing Steph all night. The Warriors get the Clippers again on Friday night and we expect Curry to be better in that one, despite the presence of Beverley and the Clippers' tough D.
Otto Porter Jr. hit just 1-of-8 shots (a 3-pointer) for three points, six rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes of a 128-124 loss to the Kings.
OPJ has been hot this season, but couldn't get it going tonight. He had scored in double digits in all but one of his games this season coming into this one, but had his worst game of the year tonight. He's also likely to take a hit and a demotion to the second unit once Lauri Markkanen is back from his quarantine. The Bulls go 3-3-3-4-3 in the weekly games schedule over the next five weeks and when you add in the return of Markkanen, it might be time to think about dropping Porter for a hot free agent.
Chris Boucher saw just 15 minutes of floor time on Wednesday, finishing with nine points, two triples, two rebounds, one assist, one block and one turnover in a loss to the Suns.
Nick Nurse is going to be annoying with Boucher's minutes this season, which will result in sporadic production, but he tends to be pretty fun whenever he's allowed to clear the 20-minute mark. Despite the inconsistent minutes, Boucher is still pumping out top-60 value in 9-cat leagues with averages of 12.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.1 triples, 2.0 blocks and just 0.9 turnovers per game on 53.6% shooting from the field and 73.9% from the line.
Wendell Carter Jr. hit 4-of-9 shots and 3-of-4 free throws for 11 points, a career-high 17 rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes of Wednesday's loss to the Kings.
WCJ hasn't been thrilling to roster this season and he appeared to be fired up about playing against old rival Marvin Bagley tonight. WCJ had a solid fantasy line and should be in store for a nice season. But the Bulls go 3-3-3-4-3 over the next five weeks on the game schedule, meaning Carter is a guy you might be able to live without given the light schedule.
Chris Paul scored 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting Wednesday, to go with eight assists and two steals over 32 minutes in a win over the Raptors.
It wasn't the sexiest stat line, but CP3 went 4-of-4 from the line and didn't commit a single turnover while he was out there. The 35-year-old hasn't offered many eye-popping stat lines yet, and he's averaging a career-low 0.7 steals per game, but some of that has to do with the fact that Phoenix has been coasting through games with their 6-2 record. Paul is past his prime and injury-prone, but he should be better than he's been as the year goes on, so he could be viewed as a buy-low guy.
Jae Crowder got things back on track on Wednesday, scoring 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go with six triples, three rebounds, one assist, one steal and two turnovers across 35 minutes in Wednesday's win over Toronto.
Crowder was coming off two straight, single-digit scoring duds, but his shot was falling again tonight, and the six triples marked a season-high. He's been extremely inconsistent this season, with terrible games or good games and not much in between, but on the season as a whole he's been a late-round guy with averages of 11.4 points, 2.6 triples, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.8 turnovers per game on 44.9% shooting, so give him a look if those numbers are appealing.
Zach LaVine hit 13-of-24 shots and 3-of-11 3-pointers for 32 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a block in 36 minutes of Wednesday's loss to the Kings.
LaVine had 39 last Sunday and is hot, but his schedule is rough going forward. The Bulls' weekly schedule goes 3-3-3-4-3 over the next five weeks, so it might be wise to try to trade him for another stud who has a better schedule over the next month. There's no reason to panic about the schedule, as LaVine is clearly a stud, but the lack of upcoming games played is worth taking a close look at. On the other hand, Chicago's second-half schedule could be loaded with four-game weeks, so be careful when negotiating deals involving LaVine.
Darius Bazley hit 8-of-20 shots and 3-of-11 3-pointers for 20 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and a steal in 34 minutes of Wednesday's one-point win over the Pelicans.
That's already his third double-double of the season and it's only a matter of time before you won't be able to grab him off waivers any longer. He led his team in shot attempts and was second in minutes played tonight, and it's time for Bazley to be rostered in all leagues.
Duncan Robinson dropped in another five triples on his way to 16 points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal over 31 minutes on Wednesday.
Robinson had a string of single-digit performances after his Christmas Day 3-point bonanza, but he's gotten things back on track over the past two games with double-digit scoring and multiple triples. He won't do much for you outside those two categories, but he'll do enough in those areas to warrant a roster spot in most leagues.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit 7-of-17 shots and two 3-pointers for 21 points, five rebounds, nine assists and five steals in Wednesday's one-point win over the Pelicans.
George Hill hit the game-winning free throw but SGA was the man in this one. SGA had a total of just three steals on the season and nearly doubled that number with tonight's five swipes. The nine dimes tied his season high and he's now hit 13 3-pointers in seven games. We were really high on SGA and now that his steals are back on track, his fantasy value should start tracking as well. His early-season lack of steals appears to be a fluke.
Avery Bradley was scoreless in 24 minutes off the bench on Wednesday, finishing with just two rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block in a loss to the Celtics.
Bradley had a fun four-game run when he entered the rotation, but he's seen a regression to the mean over the past two games. If you grabbed him during the hot streak, now would be the time to return him to the waiver wire in standard formats.
Blake Griffin went just 2-of-9 from the field and 5-of-6 from the line for nine points over 26 minutes in a loss to the Bucks on Wednesday.
Griffin had the unenviable task of trying to go toe-to-toe with Giannis Antetokounmpo tonight, and it went pretty much how you'd expect it to. He added one rebound, five assists, one steal and one turnover while he was out there, but he missed all six of his 3-point attempts, and he continues to look like a guy who just doesn't have it anymore. Players who rely on their athleticism tend to have a steep decline after their 30s, and Griffin will turn 32 this season.
Lu Dort started again, played 31 minutes and hit 3-of-4 shots, but finished with just nine points, one rebound, one assist and one 3-pointer in a win over the Pelicans on Wednesday.
There were plenty of young players who got a boost tonight (Cole Anthony, Tyrese Haliburton) and Dort hasn't really turned heads since he blew up for 26 points and five triples back on Dec. 28. We're not going to tell you to drop Dort, as he should have a nice season as long as he's starting for OKC, but he's been pretty quiet in four straight games. Maybe you can drop him with hopes of getting him back before he heats up again, but be careful. He may not make it back to you.
Mason Plumlee saw a season-low 17 minutes in Wednesday's loss to the Bucks, finishing with four points, five rebounds, one assist, one block and two turnovers.
Plumlee has been very hit-or-miss this season, but he really struggled over the past two games with back-to-back matchups against the Bucks. We'd expect somewhat of a bounce-back performance on Friday vs. Phoenix, but we're not expecting Plumlee to be anything more than a late-round guy this season.
Mike Muscala heated up for a season-high 18 points, three rebounds, one assist and five 3-pointers in 21 minutes off the bench on Wednesday.
Muscala got hot and couldn't miss tonight, hitting 6-of-9 shots and 5-of-7 3-pointers, but had scored just four and eight points in his previous two games. Just keep an eye on him, as he'll likely crawl back into his hole in the next one.
Zion Williamson hit 12-of-17 shots and 5-of-6 free throws for a season-high 29 points, six rebounds and three steals in Wednesday's tough 111-110 loss to the Thunder.
Zion is ballin out in the kitchen this season, scoring in double figures in every game thus far. He also has four steals in his last two games and is shooting it lights out from the field and has been respectable at the free throw line. He's hit 22-of-30 free throws over his last four games for a respectable 73 percent. It remains to be seen if his body will hold up over a 72-game season, but so far he's looked fantastic.