Sekou Doumbouya played a season-high 23 minutes off Detroit's bench on Monday, scoring 13 points with two rebounds, two steals, one assist and zero turnovers.
The minutes, points, steals and 3-pointers were all season highs for Doumbouya. The bad news is that he wasn't very efficient with 4-of-13 shooting, and his playing time was elevated with Blake Griffin resting. The second-year wing won't have much fantasy impact until he shows us some consistency.
Domantas Sabonis kept it going on Monday with 19 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and a 3-pointer on 9-of-16 shooting in a 118-116 overtime win against the Pelicans.
Sabonis is putting up ridiculous numbers thus far and is showing no signs of slowing down. He already has one triple-double this season and has flirted with another in three other games. He doesn't appear to have a weakness and his line would have been a little better tonight had he not fouled out.
Derrick Rose scored a season high 24 points on Monday, adding eight assists, two rebounds and a steal in 25 minutes.
Rose had an efficient night, hitting 9-of-18 FGs, 2-of-4 triples and 4-of-4 FTs. He's been solid off the bench for the Pistons, but he might be starting soon as rookie Killian Hayes exited Monday's game with a right hip injury. Rose is still available in 31% of Yahoo leagues, and we suggest you swoop him off of waivers before someone else in your league does.
Giannis Antetokounmpo used an enormous first half to power his way to a season high 43 points on 17-of-24 FGs on Monday night.
Giannis had a career-high 30 points in the first half before finishing with 43, adding nine boards, four dimes, a swat and two 3-pointers in just 36 minutes. That's the reigning two-time MVP for you. And though it's still early in the season, he's only averaging 23.5 points thus far. But we shouldn't complain because he's pulling down 11.7 rebounds and dishing out 5.8 assists a night as well. So, let's just enjoy the ride.
Victor Oladipo hit 8-of-17 shots and five 3-pointers for a season-high 25 points, five rebounds, six assists and two steals in Monday's overtime win against the Pelicans.
It officially looks like Oladipo is back to his old form after a couple of rough seasons. He's scored at least 16 points in every game this season and is racking up 3-pointers, rebounds, assists and steals at will. He's currently returning third-round fantasy value on the season which means you got yourself a flat-out steal when you drafted him in the middle rounds this season. Here's to hoping he's able to keep it going for the entire season.
Justin Holiday came off the bench and played 45 minutes, finishing with nine points, seven rebounds, five assists, a steal, a block and three 3-pointers in Monday's overtime win against the Pelicans.
Holiday's not a must-have player but he does have some upside and has the potential to have games like this somewhat consistently. He's not scoring much, but he has a steal in six straight games, a block in two straight, and a 3-pointer in four straight games. If you're in a deeper league and need a well-rounded player, Holiday might fit the bill.
Donte DiVincenzo scored just five points on Monday but posted a career-high nine assists in the Bucks win over the Pistons.
DiVincenzo had an off night, making just 2-of-9 FGs with one 3-pointer in 30 minutes. But he made up for his shooting struggles by getting his teammates involved and tacking on five rebounds, two steals and a block. Don't fall in love with the nine assists and also don't expect DD to have many off shooting nights like he did Monday. He's currently shooting 57% from the floor and a ridiculous 63% from beyond the arc through six games.
Zion Williamson hit 9-of-19 shots and 6-of-8 free throws for 24 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in 35 minutes of Monday's overtime loss to the Pacers.
Zion quietly has scored in double digits in every game this season, has blocked a shot in two straight and has racked up nine steals in seven games. In other words, he's coming along nicely and should only get better with time. We give him a hard time for a lack of peripheral stats at times, but the steals are there and the blocks may be coming. He may never be a big 3-point shooter, but as long as he's doing everything else his fantasy value will continue to increase. He looks great and his free throw shooting won't devastate your team if he keeps knocking them down like he has been lately.
Delon Wright played only 10 minutes off Detroit's bench during Monday's loss in Milwaukee, scoring two points with two rebounds, two assists and one steal.
As bad as that line looks, it could have been worse. Wright was completely out of coach Dwane Casey's rotation until Killian Hayes exited with an apparent hip injury, which bodes poorly if Hayes' impending MRI is clean. Despite a seemingly favorable spot in Detroit, and having played 42 minutes in a double-OT game in late December, Wright is on the bubble for fantasy purposes. Just hang onto him in case Hayes is ultimately forced to miss extended time.
Fred VanVleet continued his strong start to the season, netting 35 points, eight assists, three rebounds and two steals on Monday.
VanVleet went 13-of-20 from the floor, 6-of-9 from distance and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe in a losing effort. "This is uncharted territory for us ... I've never been part of something like this," VanVleet said of the Raptors loss. Toronto is 1-5 this season, and VanVleet has arguably been the team's best player this season. He's also might be the best player on the roster, but that's a debate for another day. Keep feasting, Fred.
Bogdan Bogdanovic did not play at all during the fourth quarter of Monday’s loss to the Knicks due to a right ankle injury.
Nothing was announced by the Hawks during the game, with Lloyd Pierce disclosing the information during his press conference. Bogdanovic finished the game with three points (1-of-3 FGs), two rebounds, three assists and one 3-pointer in 19 minutes. Atlanta’s big offseason signing has been a disappointment thus far, ranking outside of the top-100 in both 8- and 9-cat formats. We’ll see if Bogdanovic has to miss any time due to the injury, but an extended absence would free up a few more minutes for Kevin Huerter and Solomon Hill. Huerter (9/2/3/1 with one 3-pointer in 31 minutes), a top-100 player in 9-cat, would be a much better choice for those scouring the waiver wire.
De’Andre Hunter shot 9-of-15 from the field and 2-of-3 from the foul line in Monday’s loss to the Knicks, accounting for 23 points, eight rebounds, one assist, one block and three 3-pointers in 37 minutes.
Hunter has scored 23 points in two of the Hawks’ last three games, and he’s averaging 21.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.7 blocks and 2.7 3-pointers per during this stretch. While he isn’t a top-50 player just yet, the second-year forward isn’t far off in either 8- or 9-cat formats. And with Danilo Gallinari (foot) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (ankle) both banged up, Hunter will have even more opportunities to put up quality stat lines moving forward.
Rajon Rondo (left knee soreness) did not play in Monday’s loss to the Knicks.
Rondo was made active for the game, but he remained in sweats throughout. As a result Brandon Goodwin took over the backup point guard duties, and in eight minutes he went scoreless with one assist. Rondo can have some appeal as an assists guy in deeper leagues, but it's better to leave him alone due to the knee concerns.
Wayne Ellington made his first start of the season on Monday, scoring 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 25 minutes.
Ellington's start was a bit surprising — he had only played in one game prior to Monday. But the veteran was ready to go, making three 3-pointers with four rebounds, two assists and one steal. If Dwayne Casey locks him in him as starter moving forward, he could provide some three-point value in 8 and 9-cat leagues.
Alec Burks (left ankle sprain) will be re-evaluated on Tuesday once the Knicks return to New York, according to Tom Thibodeau.
Burks was one of four Knicks who missed Monday's win over the Hawks due to injury, and he appears to be closest to making his return. All the players will be examined when we get back tomorrow," Thibodeau said. "Alec is making pretty good progress right now." While Burks was playing well at the time of his injury, fewer minutes may be available once he's cleared to return due to the presence (and solid play) of Austin Rivers. So don't expect to get top-20 value out of Burks moving forward.
John Wall played 33 minutes and hit 4-of-10 shots, a 3-pointer and 5-of-5 free throws on his way to 14 points, four rebounds and four assists in Monday's loss to the Mavericks.
He was coming off a 28-point game with a fun stat line that, not surprisingly, came on a night when James Harden was getting a rest. It's to be expected that Wall won't go crazy every night that Harden plays, but Wall looks healthy and very quick. And so far, he hasn't shown any conditioning or injury issues. He should be a safe fantasy play until further notice.
James Harden returned to action on Monday from a one-game rest and hit just 5-of-17 shots, 3-of-11 3-pointers and 8-of-10 free throws for 21 points, three rebounds, 10 assists and two steals with just two turnovers in 38 minutes of a 113-100 loss to the Mavericks.
Harden still doesn't want to be in Houston and Luka Doncic ran circles around him tonight with a monstrous triple-double. But, as we've seen, Harden is still capable of going nuts even if his heart's not fully in it. As long as he's starting for the Rockets he should be starting for your fantasy team, obviously.
David Nwaba started for Danuel House Jr. (back) on Monday but hit just 2-of-6 shots and a 3-pointer for five points, two rebounds, one assist and a steal in 29 minutes.
He also missed all four of his free throws tonight and while he didn't play well, he's capable of having the occasional solid game. But Houston will need to be resting some starters for it to happen.
Semi Ojeleye played 30 minutes off the bench on Monday, scoring 12 points and grabbing eight rebounds in the win.
Ojeleye started the second half over center Daniel Theis, a move Brad Stevens likely made to switch to a smaller lineup. Whether this was a one time thing or a permanent one remains to be seen. But Ojeleye stepped up, making 4-of-9 field goal attempts and three triples in what was his best game of the season. If he happens to start next game, Ojeleye might be worth streaming in deeper leagues.
George Hill hit just 1-of-5 shots for three points, two assists and a block in 21 minutes of Monday's 118-90 loss to the Heat.
The Thunder threw in the towel early in this one but the bench didn't do much to help their team. In fact, only Darius Bazley, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort did anything worth mentioning for the Thunder. The good news for Hill is that Dort didn't do much outside of scoring 12 points and hitting a couple 3-pointers, so Hill should bounce back against the Pelicans on Wednesday.