Juancho Hernangomez didn't do much through 26 minutes as a starter on Sunday, going 3-of-10 from the floor on his way to six points, five rebounds, two assists and nothing else in a blowout loss to the Nuggets.
Hernangomez had only been averaging minutes in the teens with the reserves through the first five games of the year, and while he got the spot-start tonight, he could easily be returning to the second unit on Tuesday with the Timberwolves suffering another bad loss. Naz Reid saw 23 minutes with the second unit and finished with 13 points (6-of-9 FG, 1-of-2 FT), four rebounds, one assist, one block and two turnovers, so he still looks like the best Minnesota big to roster while Karl-Anthony Towns (wrist) is out.
DeMar DeRozan hit 9-of-17 FGs and 1-of-2 free throws for 19 points, four assists, five rebounds and two steals with two turnovers in a blowout loss to the Jazz on Sunday.
A game after knocking down three of them, DeRozan didn't hit a 3-point shot in this one, but he contributed everywhere else. There's a reason he ranks No. 15 of all players in 9-cat leagues early on this season. The Spurs will need more from him if they want to make the playoffs, but fantasy managers have to love what they're seeing from the vet so far.
Ed Davis replaced Ricky Rubio in the starting lineup on Sunday and finished with five points (1-of-4 FG, 3-of-4 FT), eight rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block and zero turnovers in 24 minutes.
Davis might be able to sustain some low-end value in deep leagues as a shot-blocking specialist if he's able to retain his spot in the starting unit, but that's far from certain with the Timberwolves getting blown out again tonight. He had the second-worst plus/minus rating amongst the starters at minus-20, so that's obviously not working in his favor. Just keep an eye on him for now.
Gary Trent Jr. is not listed on the injury report after missing two straight games with a calf injury.
The Blazers need Trent Jr., a breakout sharpshooter, back in the lineup, and so do fantasy managers. In three games, he's made 10-of-17 3-pointers, and is averaging a career-high 13 points per night.
Russell Westbrook racked up 24 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and two steals in 38 minutes during Sunday's 123-122 win in Brooklyn.
Westbrook sat out Friday's game in a back-to-back situation, but he's playing without any known injury concerns at the moment. He came into this game averaging a healthy triple-double with 19.8 points, 12.8 boards and 12.3 assists, but is also losing a category by himself with 5.5 turnovers per game. That's the bargain GMs made on draft day, and one they'll happily live with as long as he's healthy.
Nassir Little (COVID-protocol) is available to play on Sunday against the Warriors.
Little hasn't played a game this season after testing positive for COVID-19, which kept him sick for weeks. He didn't register his first negative test until Dec. 22. Hopefully Little comes back healthy, but for now, he isn't expected to be a big contributor.
Pat Connaughton is doubtful to play against the Pistons on Monday with a left groin injury.
If Connaughton sits, Donte DiVincenzo could be in for big minutes, which is great news for fantasy managers who have the No. 51 ranked player in 9-cat leagues.
Kyle Kuzma hit 4-of-9 shots for 11 points, three rebounds, three 3-pointers, one assist, two blocks and three turnovers across 30 minutes.
Kuzma had a pair of single-digit stinkers this past week, but he appears to have gotten things back on track a bit. Traditionally, Kuzma has never been a guy who’s been consistent with the defensive stats, but he’s managed to average 1.0 block per game through the first seven games of this season, which has helped keep his value afloat in deep leagues. He’ll be inconsistent, but he’ll see a boost whenever the Lakers rest their stars.
Marc Gasol scored seven points on 2-of-6 shooting (3-of-4 FT) Sunday, to go with six rebounds, four assists, one steal and nothing else over 24 minutes.
Gasol has only cracked double digits in the scoring department once this season, and that was in a game where Anthony Davis was resting and Gasol didn’t miss a single shot. If you discount that okay game, he’s done a whole lot of nothing this season, so we see no reason for him to be rostered in most leagues. He did suffer a laceration above his left eye today which required four stitches to close, but he played through it, so we doubt that’ll be much of an issue moving forward.
Montrezl Harrell came off the bench for 16 points, nine rebounds, two steals and one turnover across 21 minutes in Sunday's win over Memphis.
Harrell was held to just four points on 2-of-6 shooting his last time out, but he was back to his efficient scoring ways this evening, finishing 7-of-11 from the field and 2-of-2 from the stripe. That said, he again failed to swat a single shot in this game, so that makes it four straight without a block. If Trez isn't able to turn things around defensively, he's going to be a headache to roster with his empty scoring lines.
De'Anthony Melton picked up a DNP-CD on Sunday.
Melton was available for today’s game, but he didn’t even leave the bench. He likely still needs to get his conditioning back up after being away from the team for a little over a week, so while he’ll technically have more opportunity while Ja Morant (ankle) is out, he’s only a borderline stash in deep leagues. He received eight starts in Memphis last season and averaged 23.9 minutes per game to go with 7.8 points, 4.5 boards, 3.4 dimes, 1.5 triples, 1.3 steals and 0.5 swats per contest on 36.7% shooting.
Dillon Brooks was held to nine points on 3-of-15 shooting Sunday, to go with five rebounds, five assists, one 3-pointer, one block and two turnovers in 29 minutes.
Brooks doesn’t get a lot of love in fantasy hoops because he’s a low-make chucker, and while he put that on display tonight, overall, he's been quietly having a breakout season. He’s seeing some increased playmaking responsibilities with Ja Morant (ankle) on the sidelines, which has unfortunately also resulted in some increased turnovers, but he hasn’t been so one-dimensional this season and is actually flirting with top-50 value in 8-cat leagues. This was his first game without multiple steals, but he's still averaging a career-high 2.2 swipes on the year.
Sam Merrill won't play on Monday against the Pistons due to a left ankle injury.
Merrill is a deep reserve, and his absence won't change much for fantasy purposes.
Grayson Allen's (ankle) hooting woes continued on Sunday, as he connected on just 1-of-6 shots on his way to one 3-pointer, two assists, one steal and one turnover in 15 minutes off the bench.
Allen returned from a one-game stint on the sidelines and saw limited minutes with the second unit. He’s connecting on a putrid 20% of his shot attempts this season, which is just one of many reasons why he’s only rostered in 1% of Yahoo! Leagues.
Xavier Tillman (knee) saw 17 minutes off the bench in his regular-season debut on Sunday, finishing with six points, six rebounds and nothing else in a loss to the Lakers.
Tillman has potential as a defender, and he showed that by giving Anthony Davis some trouble tonight, but it's unlikely he'll receive enough minutes on a nightly basis to make much of an impact in most leagues.
Isaac Bonga was a healthy DNP-CD on Sunday.
During training camp, Bonga was considered an option to start at SF for the Wizards this season. Rookie Deni Avdija has since claimed the job for himself, and the return of Rui Hachimura has bumped Bonga from the forward rotation entirely. Even if he does regain a foothold in the rotation, there's no fantasy appeal.
Davis Bertans led the Wizards' bench on Sunday with 15 points, shooting 5-of-12 from the field with a 4-of-10 mark from downtown.
Bertans added a season-high six rebounds and his 31 minutes were also the most this season. The bad news is that he's offering almost nothing beyond points and 3-pointers -- in addition to the low rebounds, he came in averaging a mere 1.4 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.4 blocks. Managers in 9-cat leagues will applaud his non-existent turnovers, but there's still plenty of room for improvement.
Jerami Grant logged 22 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal in the Pistons loss on Sunday.
Grant made his first five shots of the game, scoring 12 points on 5-of-6 with two triples in the opening frame. He cooled down from there, managing just 10 points in the next three frames. He’s clearly the Pistons best scoring option and perhaps their best player, too, but it looked like he was on pace for a 30-piece after the first 12 minutes of the game.
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk scored 15 points in 15 on Sunday, shooting 5-of-8 and making three triples in the loss.
After sitting the entire first half, Svi came out striking in the final two quarters, lighting the Celtics up from deep and in the fast break. It was his best game of the season, and he slotted in nicely off the bench with veteran Derrick Rose. We'll see if Dwayne Casey gives him more time in the Pistons next game Monday against the mighty Bucks. Maybe they would've won Sunday if Svi played the first half. Just saying.
Mason Plumlee continued his productive start with the Pistons on Sunday, logging 13 points, eight boards, two assists, one steal and one block.
Plumlee is averaging 7.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and four assists through his first six games with Detroit. And while he's not quite Christian Wood (sorry Pistons fans), he's been very productive early on and should be rostered in all formats.