Troy Brown Jr. only played 14 minutes vs. the Wolves on Friday, scoring four points (2-of-3 FGs, 0-of-2 FTs) with three rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Only 14 minutes in a 21-point win with no Russell Westbrook (rest)? That seems cruel for a player who the Wizards are supposedly very high on. The Wizards are 1-5 which means TBJ's time will come, but for now it's pretty clear he belongs on the waiver wire. Raul Neto's strong play hasn't helped TBJ's case as he's keeping him from getting reps as a backup PG.
Coby White shot 4-of-13 from the field with four turnovers on Friday, finishing a blowout loss with 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and one 3-pointer.
White's efforts weren't nearly enough for the short-handed Bulls, who fell 126-96. In fairness, they were against an elite defense without Lauri Markkanen, Chandler Hutchison, Ryan Arcidiacono and Tomas Satoransky, who missed this game due to health and safety protocols. White came in shooting 35.7% from the field and inefficient, high-volume attempts are a major drag in 8-cat or 9-cat, but his points-league managers aren't complaining.
Patrick Williams struggled in 25 minutes of action on Friday, scoring eight points with six boards and one block.
Chicago's lottery pick shot 4-of-11 from the field and most of his production came in garbage time. The bench played well but it wasn't enough to prop up the starters, who shot a combined 23-of-58 from the field (39.6%), and as a result Chicago dropped their first road game of the season. Player development is key for the Bulls this season, so Williams should keep starting whether or not it results in wins, and prior to tonight he was scoring efficiently at 48.6% FGs and 85.7% FTs. He gets a pass for tonight's Bucks-induced dud.
Denzel Valentine led Chicago's reserves with 14 points on Friday, shooting 5-of-8 from the field with two 3-pointers, five rebounds, two steals and one turnover in 21 minutes.
This was the second half of a back-to-back set for the Bulls, who narrowly escaped with a 133-130 victory in D.C. on Thursday. The entire second half was garbage time tonight, so Chicago's reserves got extra run. Valentine gets credit for taking advantage of the opportunity, but it's hard to see him emerging as a reliable fantasy asset.
Deni Avdija had his best game as a pro in a 130-109 win over the Wolves on Friday, scoring a career-high 11 points (4-of-7 FGs) with seven rebounds, three rebounds, three steals and three triples in 27 minutes.
Sure he's had a slow start to his NBA career, but it's easy to see why the Wizards are so high on Avdija after watching him effortlessly run the pick-and-roll tonight. “I love making plays for my teammates," he said after the game. It just makes me feel good. I took a big step today.” Bradley Beal piled on the praise as well. "It's amazing to see how poised he is. He doesn't get sped up. He doesn't get bothered by anything. He asks questions... he's above and beyond about what we expected him to be... he's an excellent 3pt shooter." A sneaky 9th-round value in 9-cat so far, Avdija should at the very least be on your radar.
Pat Connaughton scored 11 points in 16 minutes during Friday's win vs. Chicago, making 3-of-3 threes with five boards, one assist and one steal.
Milwaukee came in stinging from a loss to Miami, with a 2-3 record to start the season. They found a cure for what ailed them vs. a decimated Bulls team that allowed 126 points on 49.4% shooting, including 48.9% beyond the arc. "We need to be more consistent," coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game. "We've played well for big stretches of games. We've just got to extend those." Connaughton is a reliable glue-guy but his role isn't conducive to fantasy value, even if he has scored double-digit points in two straight games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 29 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and two blocks in just 28 minutes of action vs. Chicago on Friday.
That's just the twice-reigning MVP doing what he does. Giannis attacked every possession and the Bulls were hopeless defensively, as he finished 9-of-19 from the field and 10-of-18 from the line. Fantasy managers won't appreciate the hit in FT%, but that's a given, and he did manage to sink one of his five 3-point attempts.
Donte DiVincenzo scored 11 points during Friday's blowout win, making 4-of-5 shots with three 3-pointers, one board, one assist and one steal in just 19 minutes.
DiVincenzo has now scored double-digit points in five straight games, tying his career-long streak. He's quietly piling up fantasy value, especially in 9-cat where his efficient, all-around game is well rewarded. "We have a deep roster and we have guys who can make plays," DiVincenzo said. "Just because one or two guys aren't making shots, it's just time for somebody else to step up." He's been that 'somebody else' for the Bucks this season, and there's no reason he can't maintain his current mid-round fantasy trajectory with an emphasis on 3-pointers and steals.
Bryn Forbes came off the Bucks' bench for 18 points in 22 minutes on Friday, making 6-of-9 shots with four 3-pointers, one steal and two turnovers.
Forbes had a hand in Milwaukee's record-setting 3-point barrage earlier this week, with 29 made triples vs. the Heat. That's been the highlight of his first season with the Bucks, though, with a total of one assist and zero defensive stats in 78 minutes played. He's running some plays the Bucks used to deploy for Kyle Korver, according to beat writer Eric Nehm, but the Bucks are too deep to anticipate Forbes helping fantasy GMs any time soon.
Montrezl Harrell scored a season-low four points on 2-of-6 shooting vs. San Antonio on Friday, adding 11 rebounds, one assist and one steal.
The boards were a season high for Harrell, but that's scant comfort for fantasy GMs suffering through his lackluster start with the Lakers. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year is averaging fewer points (14.0), rebounds (6.6), steals (0.4) and blocks (0.4), even though his minutes are only down slightly (26.2 vs. 27.8 last season). It doesn't help that Alex Caruso was out tonight for health and safety protocols, leaving no true playmakers to set up Harrell in the pick-and-roll, so we're not reading too much into tonight's low scoring. Patience is still warranted here.
Dennis Schroder needed 15 shot attempts to score 15 points on Friday, making six shots with four boards, three assists, one steal and one block in 33 minutes.
After scoring 21 points during Wednesday's win vs. the Spurs, Schroder said the best is yet to come for the Lakers this season. "I think [team chemistry] is going to take a few more games," he said. "I'm excited. I'm going to keep working with [Anthony Davis] on the pick-and-rolls, keep talking to LeBron James and try to get better each night." Schroder has fit seamlessly with the starters and he's hovering around top-100 value, which is more than sustainable.
Raul Neto got the start for a resting Russell Westbrook on Friday vs. the Wolves, scoring 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting with two assists, two steals and two triples.
He was a popular streamer for a reason tonight after he scored 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting with five assists and four rebounds in his last start for Westy. He wasn't as involved in the offense this time around as the Wizard really showcased Deni Avdija this time around, but Neto has shown that he's going to have some nice appeal in every back-to-back set for Washington.
Lonnie Walker IV had eight points, three assists and one rebound in 24 minutes during Friday's 109-103 loss to the visiting Lakers.
Walker has played well to begin the season, averaging 14.3 points, 2.5 triples, 4.0 boards and 2.0 assists in 31.6 minutes per game. The bad news is that he's likely to cede playing time, and possibly his starting job, to Derrick White. If you've been relying on Walker in any leagues, start browsing the waiver wire for his replacement.
Drew Eubanks logged 23 minutes during Friday's 109-103 loss, finishing scoreless on 0-of-3 shooting with five boards, three blocks and one assist.
LaMarcus Aldridge (sore left knee) was out again tonight, so Jakob Poeltl got the start at center and Rudy Gay was extra busy with 16 shot attempts in 24 minutes. Eubanks has at least solidified himself ahead of Trey Lyles in the rotation, but that's not saying much.
Derrick White (toe surgery; left foot) made his season debut vs. the Lakers on Friday, scoring nine points with two blocks, one rebound, one assist and one 3-pointer in 20 minutes.
White's minutes were limited as he works his way into the mix for San Antonio, but he should not still be on any waiver wires. The Spurs are fully embracing small-ball lineups, and even deployed a lineup with Jakob Poeltl surrounded by White, Dejounte Murray, Lonnie Walker IV and Keldon Johnson. White should overtake Walker for a starting job soon, but even in a bench role his across-the-board stats are enough to vie for mid-round value.
Donovan Mitchell only hit 6-of-14 shots for 15 points with five assists, four rebounds, three triples and five turnovers , but the Jazz were able to squeeze out a 106-100 win over the Clippers on Friday anyways.
After going bonkers in the Orlando bubble, Mitchell has completely lost his shooting rhythm -- he was hitting 34% from the field entering tonight. "You're always at a point where introspection is good, in Donovan's case, the bubble was different, playoffs are different," coach Quin Snyder said. "Now we're in the regular season. He's evolved, but always opportunities to figure out the things to improve." The peripheral stats are where they need to be, so fantasy managers should not panicking over this slump.
Derrick Favors (ankle, probable) showed some life vs. the Clippers on Friday, going 6-of-12 from the field and 2-of-4 from the line for 14 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and one block in 24 minutes.
Favors was averaging under 15 minutes before this game and has yet to see any minutes as a four this season. He's strictly a backup to Rudy Gobert who was limited to 24 minutes due to foul trouble. Don't chase this line from Favors. Gobert finished the nigh with 12 points, nine rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block.
Marcus Smart notched 13 points (5-of-14 FGs, 0-of-3 FTs) with nine assists, three rebounds, three steals and three triples in 38 minutes vs. the Pistons on Friday.
He’s been playing through a shoulder contusion but he’s as tough as they come and refuses to sit. “It’s not going to stop me from playing,” he said. Smart has been playing with a wrap on his arm for a while and maybe all of this has contributed to his poor shooting at 36%. He has offset that poor FG% with ample amounts of points (11.6), assists (5.6), steals (1.6) and triples (2.4), and that’s helped him post top-70 numbers in 9-cat so far. When he heals up and the shooting picks up, look out.
Bismack Biyombo double-doubled on Friday with a team-high 16 points, 12 rebounds (seven offensive), two assists and one block in 28 minutes.
Along the way, Biyombo picked up his 4,000th career rebound. He's the only true center on the Hornets roster, which is earning him solid minutes as a starter without Cody Zeller (wrist) -- he played exactly 30 minutes in his three previous games. If you need a cheap source of boards and blocks, Biyombo is your guy. He's even handed out 11 assists in the past four games, though we don't anticipate that trend continuing.
Malik Monk didn't leave the Hornets' bench on Friday.
Monk was also the only player on Charlotte's roster to get a DNP-CD on Wednesday, presumably because of the lingering effects of his migraine. Even when he's fully healthy, it's unclear if he'll earn minutes in a backcourt rotation with Terry Rozier, Devonte' Graham and LaMelo Ball.