Patrick Beverley shot 6-of-9 from three in Tuesday’s loss to the Spurs, accounting for 20 points (7-of-10 FGs), eight rebounds, eight assists and two blocks in 33 minutes.
Beverley was excellent Tuesday night, helping pick up the slack as the Clippers were without the injured Paul George. Stat lines like this haven’t been commonplace for the veteran guard, but he’s hovering around the top-100 in 9-cat formats through the season’s first three weeks. The Clippers are back in action Wednesday night, and Beverley could have more opportunities to score if either George and/or Kawhi Leonard sit in Oakland. Currently rostered in just 10% of Yahoo leagues, Beverley is worth taking a flier on in the short-term.
Nicolas Batum finished Tuesday’s loss to the Spurs with 21 points (8-of-12 FGs, 3-of-3 FTs), nine rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block and two 3-pointers in 36 minutes.
While Luke Kennard failed to take advantage of his opportunity with Paul George (ankle) sidelined, Batum was one of the players who stepped up. The 21 points are a season-high for the veteran forward, and he’s reached double figures in three of the Clippers’ last four games. It remains unknown when Marcus Morris (knee) will be cleared to play, but it is going to be very hard for Tyronn Lue to pull Batum out of the starting lineup. He’s had good chemistry with George and Kawhi Leonard, and from a fantasy standpoint Batum is rostered in just 29% of Yahoo leagues. That number should be higher.
Devin Vassell scored a career-high 12 points (4-of-5 FGs, 1-of-1 FTs) with two rebounds, one steal and three 3-pointers in 17 minutes Tuesday vs. the Clippers.
Vassell hit double figures for the first time in his young NBA career, as the Spurs bounced back from a disappointing effort against the Jazz two nights earlier. Rostered in 2% of Yahoo leagues, Vassell isn’t worth considering in single-season leagues just yet. But the Spurs clearly believe in him, and he fits in with what the team is looking to do on the perimeter. "I told him what I tell everyone we draft, come in here and learn, come in here and work your butt off, don’t be afraid to ask questions, and, at the end of the day, if you are a hooper, it’s going to show,” Dejounte Murray said of Vassell following Tuesday’s game. "He’s a hooper. It’s showing."
Otto Porter Jr. had a big game on Tuesday, scoring 19 points and grabbing 13 rebounds to help the Bulls come back and beat the Blazers 111-108.
Porter shot 50% from the field and 4-of-7 on threes in 28 minutes, helping dig the Bulls out of a 20-point deficit and eventually win the game. He's shooting 42% from distance with 2.1 makes through eight games and ranks inside the top-70 in 9-cat with a near 22% usage rate.
Patrick Williams scored 14 points on Tuesday, making 5-of-8 shots and two triples in 25 minutes.
Williams has now scored in double figures in four of the Bulls first eight games during his rookie season. He didn’t do much aside from that, however, logging just three boards and a single assist. But he’s shooting 45% from the floor and 39% from deep, a great sign for Bulls fans. Unfortunately the rook doesn’t do much else to earn fantasy consideration just yet.
Coby White tallied his second double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 boards, adding five assists with just two turnovers in a Bulls victory.
White's 21 points was a team high on Tuesday, and he did it on 8-of-19 shooting with two triples in 39 minutes. The second-year guard has been picking it up after a slow start, having scored 20-plus in three out of Chicago's first eight contests. And while his 23% usage rate is solid, he currently ranks 182nd in 9-cat which is likely due to his 37% shooting mark on field goal attempts. But he's producing, and that's the important thing for his fantasy managers.
Will Barton finished Denver’s win over Minnesota with 18 points (7-of-14 FGs, 2-of-4 FTs), seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and two 3-pointers in 36 minutes.
Barton’s third start of the season was far more productive than his first two. After scoring a total of 10 points in games against Phoenix and Minnesota, the veteran wing had his best game of the season Tuesday night. Barton established season-highs in both points and rebounds, while tying his season-high in steals and 3-pointers. Barton hasn’t been great from a value standpoint, but he’s worth sticking with for as long as Michael Porter Jr. (health and safety protocols) remains sidelined.
JaMychal Green was a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc in Tuesday’s win over the Timberwolves, finishing with 17 points (5-of-8 FGs, 4-of-6 FTs), six rebounds and one assist in 20 minutes.
After a quiet outing in his Nuggets debut on New Year’s Day, Green has looked more and more comfortable with his new teammates. The matchup may have had something to do with it, as he tallied 31 points and 11 rebounds in two games against a Timberwolves squad that’s a bit lacking in the frontcourt. However, while Green doesn’t completely fill the void left by Jerami Grant he did show why Denver made him a priority in free agency. Providing top-100 value in 8-cat formats, Green should be rostered in more than 8% of Yahoo leagues.
Facundo Campazzo scored in double figures for the second straight game, tallying 11 points (3-of-7 FGs, 5-of-7 FTs) with one rebound, two assists and one steal in 26 minutes Tuesday night.
Two nights removed from scoring a career-high 15 points in a win over the Timberwolves, Campazzo hit double figures for the second straight game as Denver completed the two-game sweep. It’s worth noting that the rookie point guard, who will turn 30 in March, was on the court as Denver closed out the win (Paul Millsap sat). Campazzo is getting more comfortable with his teammates, and the 26 minutes played are a new career-high. Monte Morris (4/1/2/3 with one 3-pointer in 25 minutes) remains the better option when it comes to standard leagues, but keep an eye on Campazzo.
Juancho Hernangomez shot 10-of-14 from the field in Tuesday’s loss to the Nuggets, scoring 25 points with eight rebounds, two assists, two steals, one block and five 3-pointers in 34 minutes.
Hernangomez had it rolling during the first half, as he scored 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field. But Denver managed to limit his quality looks after the intermission, and that was a big reason why the Nuggets managed to hand the Timberwolves a fifth straight defeat. With Karl-Anthony Towns (wrist) still sidelined, Hernangomez’s showing does spark some intrigue. However, he doesn’t offer much in the way of long-term value. This was his first double-digit outing of the season, and Minnesota only plays twice next week. Leave Juancho on the waiver wire.
Ed Davis shot 2-of-3 from the field in Tuesday’s loss to the Nuggets, scoring four points and grabbing six rebounds in 14 minutes.
Minnesota’s frontcourt rotation without the injured Karl-Anthony Towns has been a bit confusing. Naz Reid was the first to slide into the open spot in the starting lineup, but in an attempt to get D’Angelo Russell going Ryan Saunders made the switch to Davis. In Sunday’s loss to Denver, Russell was far more aggressive in looking for his own offense working with Davis in the two-man game than either Reid or Juancho Hernangomez. Unfortunately for Davis, there’s no fantasy reward for being a good screener, so don’t even considering grabbing him off of the waiver wire.
Playing against his former team Tuesday night, Jarred Vanderbilt accounted for 11 points (4-of-5 FGs, 3-of-7 FTs), five rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks in a loss to Denver.
After playing less than a minute in Sunday's loss to Denver, Vanderbilt played credible rotation minutes Tuesday night. He was the first big off the bench in the second half, jumping Naz Reid (two points, two turnovers and five fouls in 10 minutes) in the pecking order. Vanderbilt played the majority of his minutes at the center position, making up for his lack of size with high energy. He likely earned himself another look in Minnesota’s next game, but that isn’t enough to make him a player worthy of consideration even in deeper leagues.
Jonas Valanciunas notched 13 points and 11 rebounds on Tuesday, his seventh double-double in as many games this season.
Valanciunas has been on a rampage this season and has now scored at least 10 points and grabbed at least 10 rebounds in every single game. He added two assists, a steal and a block on Tuesday night, but through seven games, he's averaging 15 points and 11.7 boards in 29 minutes per contest. He's balling right now, but the eventual return of Jaren Jackson Jr. will likely affect JV's production. Ride the wave while you can.
Gorgui Dieng played 22 minutes off the bench on Tuesday, tying two others for a team-high 13 points in the Grizzlies loss.
Dieng did most of his damage in the first half with 11 points but was quiet from there on out. He did tack on four rebounds, an assist, two steals and a 3-pointer, so it was a decent night for the back up center. Don't get too excited about this one game though, Dieng isn't a reliable fantasy option.
Kyle Kuzma got the starting nod on Tuesday but finished with just five points on 2-of-5 shooting in 30 minutes.
Frank Vogel started Kuzma at shooting guard in place of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but Kuz didn't do much with opportunity. He made just two shots, one of which was a late layup that to his credit actually helped seal the Lakers win. He did add seven boards but failed to get any assists, steals, blocks or three pointers. Kuz is too inconsistent right now and should only be held onto in deeper leagues.
Bojan Bogdanovic shot 2-of-7 from the field in Tuesday’s loss to the Nets, accounting for four points, three rebounds and one assist in 27 minutes.
One game removed from scoring a season-high 28 points, Bogdanovic failed to hit double figures for the fourth time in seven games. He’s still playing with a brace on the wrist that was operated on last season, and while Bogdanovic said that he likes having it on there’s still work to be done when it comes to getting back to full strength. Until that time comes, expect some inconsistent shooting nights from Bogdanovic.
Anthony Davis had another great all-around game, posting 26 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks in the Lakers 94-92 win on Tuesday.
In 34 minutes, AD shot 10-of-20 from the field and attempted 10 threes, something we don't see often, but he made four of them. It was the 43rd time in Davis' career that he's had three steals and three blocks in a game, good for ninth all-time. This is the AD fantasy managers expect to see on a nightly basis, one who is getting defensive stats and a couple threes in addition to double-doubles.
LeBron James finished with 26 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, one steal and one block, helping the Lakers squeeze past the Grizzlies 94-92 on Tuesday.
James went 11-of-20 from the floor and scored 21 of his 26 points in the second half. He was very quiet in the first two frames but turned things up with 11 points in the third before putting the finishing touches on the game with a couple late jumpers including a pretty fadeaway over Dillon Brooks with 1:04 left. LeBron's fantasy managers were probably concerned after the first 24 minutes of the game, and rightfully so, but he came through in a big way.
Jabari Parker (personal reasons) is probable for Wednesday's game against the Bulls.
Parker had been dealing with back soreness but is now handling some things off the court. Hopefully we'll get to see him make his season debut soon.
After missing his first five shots, Caris LeVert finished Tuesday’s win over the Jazz with 24 points (9-of-18 FGs, 4-of-4 FTs), one rebound, five assists, two steals and two 3-pointers in 21 minutes.
LeVert has gotten off to a slow start this season, as he’s getting acclimated to a new role in Brooklyn. But after getting off to a rough start Tuesday night he got it going, making nine of his final 13 shots and tallying a season-high 24 points. With Kevin Durant (health and safety protocols) being sidelined, LeVert will have more opportunities to score even though he remains with the second unit. Tuesday’s performance was a step in the right direction for LeVert.