Zach LaVine shot 6-of-15 from the field and 8-of-9 from the foul line in Tuesday’s win over the Wizards, scoring 21 points to go along with five rebounds, six assists, four steal and three 3-pointers.
LaVine has scored 21 points or more in three of Chicago’s four games, with the lone exception being his 17-point effort in a December 26 loss to the Pacers. The key for LaVine when it comes to his fantasy value has always been efficiency, especially when it comes to turnovers. After coughing up the ball seven times against the Warriors, he go that number down to three Tuesday night. Just inside of the top-100 in 9-cat, LaVine is a top-50 player when turnovers are punted.
For the second-straight game, Seth Curry scored 17 points, adding six rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block in Tuesday's victory over the Raptors.
Don't look now, or maybe do, but Curry has been balling the last two games for the Sixers. He went 5-of-11 from the floor, 3-of-6 from deep and 4-of-4 from the line. That's not surprising because Curry's a good shooter. But the six rebounds, four assists, one steal and even a block are eye-popping for the guard. He should be picked up in all standard and deeper leagues.
Coby White accounted for 18 points (6-of-14 FGs, 4-of-4 FTs), five rebounds, six assists and two 3-pointers in 37 minutes Tuesday vs. the Bulls.
Handling the starting point guard duties is a work in progress for White, but he has played well in each of the Bulls’ last two games. The second-year guard turned the ball over just twice Tuesday night, his single-game low for the season thus far. In 8-cat formats White is close to top-100 territory, but he’s well below that in 9-cat. Expect more growing pains, but White put forth a solid account of himself in the Bulls’ first win of the season.
Otto Porter Jr. played 29 minutes in Tuesday’s win over the Wizards, scoring 16 points (4-of-10 FGs, 5-of-6 FTs) with three rebounds, one assist and three 3-pointers.
Porter shot 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, and after missing both of his attempts in the season opening loss to Atlanta he’s hit seven of his last 16. With Lauri Markkanen dealing with a left calf injury that he re-aggravated Tuesday night, Porter is the player who stands to benefit the most among the Bulls’ reserves. He’s rostered in 62% of Yahoo leagues, and that number should jump in the coming days regardless of Markkanen’s diagnosis.
Bradley Beal shot 9-of-20 from the field and 10-of-10 from the foul line in Tuesday’s loss to the Bulls, tallying 29 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals, one block and one 3-pointer in 37 minutes.
Another gaudy point total for Beal, and another loss for the Wizards. While the talented guard continues to produce, it hasn’t translated into wins through no fault of his own. Beal had to leave Tuesday’s game during the third quarter in order to be evaluated for a possible concussion, but he was able to return after passing the baseline tests. Beal, who is currently a top-20 player in 8-cat, should be fine for Thursday’s rematch.
Russell Westbrook finished Tuesday’s loss to the Bulls with 21 points (9-of-17 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), 15 rebounds, 11 assists, one steal and one 3-pointer in 38 minutes.
Westbrook was also responsible for six turnovers, just above his average for the season. And that statistical category is what’s limiting his fantasy value at this early point in the season. Ranked just outside of the top-60 in 8-cat despite entering Tuesday’s game without a 3-pointer, Westbrook isn’t even a top-100 player in 9-cat. He’s obviously a must-play given his status within the Wizards rotation, but rostering Westbrook could mean punting turnovers in H2H leagues more often than not.
Davis Bertans tallied 20 points (4-of-10 FGs, 9-of-9 FTs), four rebounds, two assists, one steal and three 3-pointers in 26 minutes Tuesday vs. Chicago.
Bertans gave Washington a much-needed offensive boost off the bench, and as a result Isaac Bonga (zero points, four rebounds and one turnover) was limited to 16 minutes. Bertans is a credible points and 3-pointers option in both 8- and 9-cat formats, especially with the Wizards not having much in the way of offensive firepower on the bench. Bertans’ performance was one of the few positives that Washington can take out of Tuesday’s loss.
Thomas Bryant played 34 minutes in Tuesday’s loss to the Bulls, finishing with 13 points (5-of-9 FGs, 2-of-5 FTs), six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one 3-pointer.
Bryant would never be labeled a defensive specialist, but he has now blocked three shots in Washington’s last two games. But he’s still lingering outside of the top-100 in both 8- and 9-cat formats, due in large part to his work as a rebounder. Bryant is averaging just under six rebounds per game through Washington’s first four games, which isn’t going to cut it for a team that hopes to contend for a playoff spot. And it won’t do much for his fantasy value, either.
Pascal Siakam struggled with his shot, going 8-of-23 from the floor and finishing with 20 points and six rebounds on Tuesday night.
All-NBA defender Ben Simmons was on Siakam for the most of the night and made things tough for him. Siakam shot under 33% in the loss but went 4-of-9 from beyond the arc, marking back-to-back games with four triples for the forward. The All-Star still had a decent overall game, too, posting 20 points, six boards, two steals and a block in 35 minutes.
OG Anunoby played 36 minutes on Tuesday night, finishing with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting for the Raptors in a loss.
Anunoby was all over the court on Tuesday night as he dropped 20 points, six rebounds, two assists, five steals, a block and four threes. He's an underrated defender, but for those who know he isn't, the five steals isn't surprising. And for those who roster OG, the five steals is exciting as is the four made threes. Anunoby could be in for a breakout season with the Raptors.
Meyers Leonard started vs. the Bucks on Tuesday but finished with just one rebound in two minutes.
The Heat quickly fell behind 16-3 in this game and Leonard was pulled barely two minutes into the first quarter. That was his only action of the night, with Kelly Olynyk and rookie Precious Achiuwa taking over in the second half. If you weren't already aware, Leonard's role is sporadic and matchup-based, and even when he starts he's not a plus-contributor in fantasy hoops.
Moe Harkless started Tuesday's game but you couldn't tell from the boxscore, as he finished with two turnovers and nothing else to his credit in four minutes.
Harkless initially filled in for Jimmy Butler (ankle), but that didn't last long and Harkless was replaced in the starting five to begin the second half. Whether or not Butler misses more games, there's no reason to approach Harkless in any format.
Andre Iguodala was rested vs. the Bucks on Tuesday in the first half of a back-to-back set.
The bad news is that Iguodala wasn't on the official injury report, so his DNP came as a nasty surprise for a handful of DFS and deep-league managers. The good news is that Iguodala's rostered-rate is microscopic and he's healthy. Random rest days will be the norm for the veteran, who turns 37 years old in January.
Kyle Lowry just missed a triple-double on Tuesday night, tallying 24 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in the Raptors loss to the Sixers.
Lowry struggled to shoot, going 6-of-15 and 3-of-8 from deep, but he did go a perfect 9-of-9 from the line. He also coughed the ball up five times including a turnover in the game's final moments that erased any chance the Raptors had to make a late come back. But the 24/9/8 is all that matters for fantasy purposes.
Avery Bradley shot 5-of-9 from the field with four 3-pointers on Tuesday, scoring 14 points with two rebounds, one assist and one steal in 24 minutes.
Miami flipped the script after halftime, starting Avery Bradley and KZ Okpala in place of Moe Harkless and Meyers Leonard. They "only" lost the second half by 15 points, in a game they lost 144-97, so don't be surprised to see Bradley and Okpala starting in a rematch vs. Milwaukee on Wednesday. That's assuming Jimmy Butler (ankle) is out again, of course.
Kendrick Nunn shot 6-of-17 from the field in 31 minutes during Tuesday's blowout, scoring 15 points with one 3-pointer, six assists, three boards, one steal and one block.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said prior to the game that he's "really comfortable" playing Nunn, but that Miami's depth "requires some sacrifice." Nunn had played eight minutes in one appearance this season, but got an opportunity with Jimmy Butler (ankle) unavailable Tuesday. “We are deep," Spoelstra said. "Everybody has to stay ready ... Kendrick Nunn is a really good player. He’s got a great knack for scoring and putting the ball in the basket." He's on the radar as a DFS play if Butler is out again for Wednesday's rematch vs. the Bucks.
Brook Lopez found the range on Tuesday with 4-of-5 shooting and three 3-pointers, scoring 14 points in just 18 minutes during a 144-97 romp vs. Miami.
Lopez scored 11 points in the first quarter alone, whereas his previous high in the Bucks' first three games was eight points. Neither BroLo's game nor the Bucks' frontcourt have changed much since last season, so there's no reason he can't plod his way to mid-round value in category leagues, anchored by elite blocks (2.4 per game last season).
Chris Boucher came back to reality, going scoreless in five minutes on Tuesday night against Philly.
Fantasy managers (including some of us) scrambled to add Boucher after he posted 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks on Saturday. And how did he return the favor? With zero points. Just our luck. It's strange that Boucher only saw five minutes after such a big performance in the previous game, now leaving everyone to think whether they should drop him or not. He's worth holding a bit longer in standard and deeper leagues, but there's certainly better options in 10-team leagues.
Andrew Wiggins played 38 minutes in Tuesday’s win over the Pistons, scoring 27 points (9-of-19 FGs, 4-of-4 FTs) with seven rebounds, three assists, one steal, three blocks and five 3-pointers.
Wiggins was outstanding in Detroit, not only shooting 5-of-9 from three but also managing to impact the action in ways other than scoring. The three blocked shots are the most that he’s had in a game since February 12, when he tallied four in a loss to the Suns. Last season, Wiggins had just five games in which he accounted for three or more rejections. The offense isn’t going to be there for him every night, as Wiggins isn’t always as aggressive as the Warriors need him to be. But he can preserve some of his fantasy value by producing in non-scoring areas.
Ricky Rubio and Jarrett Culver are starting for the Wolves on Tuesday.
The Wolves are playing without Karl-Anthony Towns (wrist) and Josh Okogie (hamstring). As a result, they're mixing it up tonight with a starting five of Rubio, D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Culver and Naz Reid. That also shifts Jake Layman to the bench, in case you're keeping tabs on him for some reason.