Eric Bledsoe shot 5-of-12 FGs from the field and 5-of-6 from the foul line in Saturday’s win over the Raptors, posting a line of 19 points, five rebounds, 10 assists, one steal, one block and four 3-pointers in 31 minutes.
After scoring 18 points in his Raptors debut, Bledsoe went through a three-game stretch in which he scored a total of 19 points in the three games that followed. He has since bounced back, and on Saturday Bledsoe had his best all-around game as a Pelican. While ranked just outside of the top-100 in both 8- and 9-cat formats, Bledsoe is capable of cracking that barrier with more consistent production as an assist man. That could prove tough to do playing alongside Lonzo Ball, however.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker played just seven minutes in Saturday’s win over the Raptors, finishing with three points (1-of-5 FGs), one assist, one steal, one block and one 3-pointer.
After Alexander-Walker broke out in the Pelicans’ win over Oklahoma City on Thursday, Stan Van Gundy spoke as if he felt the need to find the young guard more minutes. Things didn’t play out that way, as Alexander-Walker played just seven minutes on Saturday. New Orleans is quite deep on the perimeter, which will make it tough for Alexander-Walker to get the minutes that he needs to be a factor in any fantasy format. Leave him on the waiver wire.
Norman Powell shot 4-of-6 from three in Saturday’s loss to New Orleans, finishing with 12 points (4-of-10 FGs) and one rebound in 24 minutes.
Powell missed all four of his field goal attempts inside of the arc Saturday night, but he managed to put forth a solid effort from beyond the arc. If there’s a concern, it’s that early on he hasn’t produced a great deal outside of points and 3-pointers. And even those numbers are lacking, which is why Powell ranks just inside of the top-200 in 9-cat formats. The return of Pascal Siakam did Powell no favors Saturday night, but he remains a player worth rostering especially in deeper leagues.
Pascal Siakam played 25 minutes in Saturday’s loss to the Pelicans, finishing with 10 points (4-of-10 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), four rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Siakam was back in the starting lineup after being held out of the Raptors’ win over the Knicks on Thursday. While the hope was that he would get back to the level of play that he reached before the bubble, Siakam continues to struggle. That, combined with Chris Boucher’s outstanding performance, meant fewer minutes for the All-Star forward. Given his struggles, this would be a good time to looking into taking the “buy low” approach when it comes to Siakam.
Chris Boucher played 29 minutes off the bench in Saturday’s loss to the Pelicans, finishing with 24 points (7-of-13 FGs, 9-of-9 FTs), five rebounds, one assist, two steals, one block and one 3-pointer.
Boucher’s fantasy profile rose significantly ahead of this season, due in large part to the departures of Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka. Thus far he’s taken advantage of the additional minutes, providing fifth-round value in 9-cat and sixth-round value in 8-cat. Even though he continues to come off the bench, backing up the more physical Aron Baynes, Boucher should be rostered regardless of league format. And yet, he’s currently rostered in just 60% of Yahoo leagues.
OG Anunoby shot 5-of-11 from the field and 5-of-6 from the foul line in Saturday’s loss to the Pelicans, accounting for 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two 3-pointers in 36 minutes.
Thursday’s game against the Knicks set up to be a great opportunity for Anunoby to show what he could do offensively without Pascal Siakam on the court. But he failed to take advantage, scoring just five points in 35 minutes played. Anunoby was much better on Saturday, which may be attributed to the attention that Siakam draws from opposing defenses. Anunoby’s current averages are the best of his career to date, and he ranks well within the top-100 in both 8- and 9-cat formats. As long as he can stay healthy, Anunoby will be a valuable option for fantasy managers regardless of league format.
Seth Curry accounted for 21 points (8-of-11 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), six assists, one steal, one blocked shot and three 3-pointers in 34 minutes Saturday vs. Charlotte.
While it’s still early, through six games Curry has proven to be just what Philadelphia needed. He has now made at least three 3-pointers in four of Philadelphia’s last five games, and for the season Curry is averaging nearly three made triples per contest. And Curry has been more than just a points and 3-pointers player, which is why he ranks within the top-50 in both 8- and 9-cat formats. Curry may be a "sell-high" option given the way in which he's started this season.
Shake Milton shot 7-of-13 from the field and 1-of-2 from the foul line in Saturday’s win over the Hornets, finishing with 18 points, four rebounds, one assist, one steal and three 3-pointers in 25 minutes.
Now with a well-defined role, Milton has made significant strides through Philadelphia’s first six games. While that hasn’t necessarily translated when it comes to Milton’s fantasy value, he’s a player that can be relied on for consistent minutes/production. He’s currently rostered in 16% of Yahoo leagues, and it can be argued that said number should be higher even with Milton not being a top-100 player in either 8- or 9-cat.
Terry Rozier had a big night in Saturday’s loss to the 76ers, finishing with 35 points (12-of-18 FGs, 4-of-4 FTs), two rebounds, three assists, one steal and seven 3-pointers in 34 minutes.
While starting backcourt partner Devonte’ Graham has been in a slump to start the season, Rozier has playing well outside of the New Year’s Day loss to Memphis. Scary Terry’s shooting numbers have been anything but, as he’s made 47% or more of his field goal attempts in four of Charlotte’s six games. A top-80 player in both 8- and 9-cat formats in 2019-20, Rozier sits within the top-50 through the first two weeks of this season.
Gordon Hayward tallied 20 points (7-of-15 FGs, 4-of-4 FTs), six rebounds, six assists, four steals, one blocked shot and two 3-pointers in 39 minutes Saturday vs. Philadelphia.
After being limited to a total of 25 points in the two games prior, Hayward hit the 20-point mark for the third time this season in Saturday’s loss. Thus far the move to Charlotte has worked out well for the veteran forward, as he’s been a focal point offensively. Hayward is providing top-50 value in both 8- and 9-cat formats, and he should reside in that section of the rankings all season long.
Devonte' Graham shot 1-of-10 from the field in Saturday’s loss to the 76ers, accounting for five points, three rebounds, nine assists, one steal and one 3-pointer in 30 minutes.
Credit Graham for not allowing his poor shooting to prevent him from contributing in other areas. That being said, over his last three games Graham has shot 5-of-28 from the field and 4-of-17 from beyond the arc. James Borrego said before the game that he liked his rotation, and after the game he put it on himself to get Graham untracked. So even with some clamoring for LaMelo Ball to start, Borrego doesn’t appear to be willing to make such a move at this point in the season.
LaMelo Ball posted a line of 13 points (4-of-12 FGs, 4-of-6 FTs), four rebounds, five assists, four steals, two blocks and one 3-pointers in 31 minutes Saturday vs. Philadelphia.
Field goal percentage aside, Ball had a solid night in Charlotte’s road defeat. And it’s worth noting that, after going scoreless in his NBA debut, the rookie point guard has scored 13 or more in four of the last five games. James Borrego didn’t sound too willing to shake up his rotation when asked prior to Saturday’s game, but we did get our first look at a lineup that included Ball, Terry Rozier and Devonte' Graham during the second quarter. It’s clear that Ball needs to be on the court more, and his size allows for Charlotte to get away with smaller lineups in short bursts.
P.J. Washington played just over seven second-half minutes Saturday due to a thumb contusion.
Washington played a total of 22 minutes, finishing the game with nine points (2-of-8 FGs, 4-of-4 FTs), five rebounds, two assists, two steals and one 3-pointer. He didn’t appear to be “right” when on the court during the second half, and following the game James Borrego offered some clarity on why Washington’s minutes were limited. Charlotte doesn’t play again until Tuesday, so the second-year forward will have some time to recover. With the Hornets already without Cody Zeller, they can’t afford to lose Washington as well.
Larry Nance contributed in many ways on Saturday, netting nine points,11 rebounds, six assists and three steals in 37 minutes.
Nance went just 3-of-10 from the floor and 1-of-4 from distance, but he salvaged his fantasy night by chipping in across the stat sheet. The minutes will continue to be there as long as Kevin Love and Isaac Okoro are sidelined, and even if Nance isn't scoring a ton, he holds decent fantasy value in all leagues.
Joel Embiid shot 7-of-11 from the field and 4-of-6 from the foul line in Saturday’s win over Charlotte, tallying 19 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, one steal, one blocked shot and one 3-pointer in 37 minutes.
Charlotte had to swarm Embiid at times in the post, which is one reason why he turned the ball over five times. But when “The Process” took care of the ball, the Hornets were unable to do much to stop him. Embiid is currently a top-15 player in both 8- and 9-cat formats, which should come as a surprise to no one. That being said, fantasy managers walk on eggshells when it comes to Embiid due to his medical history.
Austin Rivers shot 6-of-9 from the field in Saturday’s win over the Pacers, finishing with 15 points, two rebounds, two assists and three 3-pointers in 17 minutes.
The Knicks have had some trouble closing out games thus far, but that wasn’t an issue on Saturday thanks in large part to Rivers. He scored 10 of his 15 points during the final quarter, combining with RJ Barrett to give New York two consistent shot-makers on the perimeter. Rivers took a hard fall during the second quarter, but he was able to remain in the game at that time. While he isn’t a must-add in any fantasy format right now, Rivers should remain a fixture in the Knicks rotation.
Trae Young recorded 16 points and 10 assists on an off shooting night, going 6-of-16 and coughing up the ball six times on Saturday.
Young is now 13-of-37 from the floor in his last two games with just 37 points. It's a rough pair of back-to-backs for him, but the good thing here is the high expectations we have for Young because we're used to him lighting opponents up. He'll look to bounce back Monday against the Knicks.
De'Andre Hunter made 5-of-11 shots, finishing with 17 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block on Saturday.
Hunter has now strung together a couple of solid games for the Hawks, and he's doing it efficiently. He's made 14-of-21 FGs with five threes for a total of 40 points in his last two games. The defensive stats were nice, too, as Hunter hasn't had many steals and blocks so far, but he can only get better here.
Clint Capela was a beast on Saturday, notching 16 points, 16 boards, three steals and two blocks in 31 minutes.
Capela went 8-of-12 from the floor and had eight offensive rebounds in the Hawks loss to the Cavs. He did go 0-of-5 from the line which hurts in 9-cat leagues, but he's now had solid showings in consecutive games. He'll look to keep things rolling on Monday night against the Knicks.
Kevin Huerter secured his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds on Saturday, adding an assist, steal and block, as well.
Huerter took advantage of Rajon Rondo (knee) and Danilo Gallinari (ankle) being out of the lineup. He played 28 minutes off the bench and made 5-of-11 shots and three triples in the loss. The Hawks have a deep team this season, but with guys being in-and-out of the lineup early on, Huerter has stepped up and is worth a roster spot in deeper leagues.