Lonnie Walker shot 6-of-14 from the field on Sunday, hitting four threes to finish with 16 points in 34 minutes vs. the Pelicans.
Walker added two rebounds, one assist and one block with zero turnovers, and his impressive play continues to solidify him in the rotation. Gregg Popovich will have some tough decisions to make with Derrick White due back soon from his toe surgery. One thing Walker has going for him is 3-point shooting -- court spacing is at a premium for the Spurs, and he's hit at least two triples in every game this season. There's no reason to think he'll drop off suddenly, so keep enjoying the found money.
Spurs rookie Devin Vassell came off the bench on Sunday for two rebounds and one assist, but he failed to score on 0-of-4 shooting in 12 minutes.
Vassell had a strong preseason and it's been enough for him to get 15.0 minutes through the Spurs first three games. He's averaging 5.0 points and 4.0 boards with a few 3-pointers in that span, but doesn't warrant a pickup in most leagues. The problem isn't that he's unlikely to earn more minutes going forward; it's that he may fall completely out of the mix once Derrick White (toe) returns to action.
Keldon Johnson had another excellent game on Sunday, racking up 14 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal in a tough loss to New Orleans.
Johnson did his damage in just 31 minutes, he scored efficiently (5-of-10 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), and he even acquitted himself well defending Zion Williamson. If you didn't immediately jump on him this preseason, you've missed the boat and will need to fire up some trade offers. At this point, though, managers are unlikely to part with him for less than an established mid-round value. Congratulations if you're the one holding him.
Aaron Gordon played just 20 minutes and hit 1-of-4 shots for four points, six rebounds and nothing else in Sunday's win over the Wizards.
Gordon played a whopping 32.5 minutes last season and it appears the Magic aren't cool with that plan going forward. He was on a "minutes limit" on Saturday night when he played 30 minutes, and then only got 20 in tonight's back-to-back set, when his stat line fell into the abyss. While we see no reason as to why the Magic are handling Gordon with kid gloves, the Magic don't have a back-to-back in their next five games. Look for AG's numbers and minutes to return to normal, at least for the next week or so.
Markelle Fultz hit 11-of-21 shots, two 3-pointers and 2-of-2 free throws on his way to a career-high 26 points, two rebounds, two assists, a steal and just two turnovers in Sunday's win over the Wizards.
He didn't exactly fill the stat sheet tonight, but Fultz is really coming on and looking good through three games with D.J. Augustin in Milwaukee. Fultz is averaging 20.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.7 3-pointers. He hit his first two 3-pointers of the season tonight and while his stat line wasn't loaded with goodies, it's becoming clear that he is ready to take a big step forward. And it's not a coincidence that his strong play has resulted in the Magic getting off to a 3-0 start, although they have played the Wizards twice.
P.J. Washington double-doubled in 35 minutes vs. the Nets on Sunday, scoring 14 points with a team-high 12 rebounds.
Beyond the double-double stats, Washington was sweet (five assists, two steals) and sour (three turnovers, 6-of-16 FGs, 2-of-6 FTs). Hornets coach James Borrego has said since training camp that he wanted to use PJW more at center, and now he has no choice with Cody Zeller (hand) out indefinitely. The end result for fantasy purposes is more minutes and more statistical production.
Bismack Biyombo hit 5-of-6 shots and a pair of free throws for 12 points on Sunday, adding six rebounds and one block in 30 foul-plagued minutes.
Hornets coach James Borrego admitted that the center position is "a little bit bare" without Cody Zeller, who recently had surgery on his fractured left hand. Rookie big men Vernon Carey and Nick Richards "may get thrown into the fire quicker than they expected, or we expected," Borrego added. "That’s all we have right now." For now, it remains Biyombo starting at center and plenty of small-ball lineups when he's off the court. He's a reasonable boards-and-blocks guy to plug into rosters for the near-term.
LaMelo Ball played 20 minutes on Sunday, posting six points (2-of-6 FGs, both 3-pointers), five rebounds, five assists and one steal in a win vs. the visiting Nets.
Basketball fans are clamoring to see more of Ball's next-level playmaking, and coach James Borrego said on Saturday that "maybe there are more minutes" available for the prized rookie. "I'm taking the slow approach, but I'll add some more minutes as we go," Borrego said before Sunday's game. "He's a major part." That's an understatement for a franchise that missed the playoffs last season with a 23-42 record, and frustrated fantasy GMs should hang in there. If nothing else, he'll have more trade value when he inevitably strings together some double-digit assist games.
DeAndre Jordan scored one point on 0-of-2 FGs and 1-of-2 FTs vs. Charlotte on Sunday, but he did haul in 12 rebounds with two assists and one block in 19 minutes.
DJ didn't even attempt a field goal until the first possession of the second half. His offensive touches are few and far between, leaving him solely reliant on boards and blocks for fantasy production, so at least he contributed in those categories. There's also the ever-present threat that coach Steve Nash will start Jarrett Allen (eight points, 14 boards in 25 minutes), so Jordan's fantasy managers should enjoy whatever production they can wring out of him.
Landry Shamet had a brutal night shooting on Sunday, going 0-of-9 from the field to finish scoreless with one rebound in 13 minutes.
Shamet was 0-of-8 from deep and he didn't have any assists or defensive stats to take the sting out of this offensive dud. Spencer Dinwiddie didn't return after straining his right knee in the third quarter, but Shamet failed to capitalize on the opportunity with more minutes shifting his way. He'll have a chance to atone on Monday vs. the Grizzlies, especially if Dinwiddie can't play.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot got hot late on Sunday, finishing 4-of-4 from the field with three 3-pointers, one steal and one turnover in 11 minutes of action.
TLC was nearly the fourth-quarter savior for Brooklyn, hitting all three of his triples in the frame to help mount a failed comeback in a 106-104 defeat. This was a hot-hand situation and he may not have played if Spencer Dinwiddie didn't strain his knee, so there's no reason to add him outside of the absolute deepest leagues.
Jeff Green had two assists, one personal foul and nothing else to his credit in 13 minutes vs. the Hornets on Sunday.
Green caught an elbow from Bismack Biyombo in this game, but he survived and only needed a few stitches before being cleared to return. We're leaving him off the injury report.
Caris LeVert came off the bench on Sunday with 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting, five rebounds, four assists, two 3-pointers, one steal and one block.
LeVert's sixth-man role may be emboldening him, as he came into this game with a lofty 35.0 usage rate -- that's higher than Kevin Durant (29.9) and Kyrie Irving (29.4). Although it's unlikely to last, it's a crystal-clear indication that he has the coaching staff's blessing to fire at will offensively. He even played 26 minutes without a turnover tonight, and LeVert is doing everything fantasy managers could have anticipated on draft day.
Jalen Smith (sprained left ankle) won't play vs. the Kings on Sunday.
Kevin Love (calf) will start on Sunday night against the 76ers, according to Kelsey Russo of The Athletic.
Love is still recovering from a calf injury, but he looked good Saturday night in his season debut against the Pistons, finishing with 15 points, nine rebounds and three assists in 38 minutes. Make sure to get him in your lineups.
Shaquille Harrison (hand) is probable vs the Thunder on Monday night, per the Utah Jazz.
Even though Harrison might play, he likely won't have any fantasy impact.
Aaron Holiday will start Sunday's game in place of Victor Oladipo (rest).
VO gets the night off in a back-to-back situation, which is something to keep in mind since it could be a trend throughout the season. Holiday's minutes and touches should spike with the starting unit, putting him in play as an affordable DFS option.
Juan Toscano-Anderson will start over Eric Paschall on Sunday vs. the Bulls.
Juan has played a total of 26 minutes through two games with a combined four points. Coach Steve Kerr is just just trying to buy time until the Warriors get Draymond Green back next week. We're not going near Juan or Paschall in fantasy.
Michael Malone didn’t shy away from the topic of Michael Porter Jr.’s defense on Sunday.
“Do your job,” Malone said. “Kawhi’s a small forward. Michael’s a small forward. If you gotta hide a guy then he shouldn’t be in the starting lineup.” Some choice words for the young, talented forward, and while Malone isn’t wrong, MPJ is too good to be on the bench. He played just 23 minutes on Friday night against the Clippers, scoring 10 points along with three rebounds, two assists and two steals. And for a guy who’s ADP in Yahoo leagues was 57.4 and is 100% rostered, we’d love to see him get more time. The Nuggets next game is on Monday against the Rockets.
T.J. Warren isn't on the Pacers' injury report for Sunday's game.
It's the second half of a back-to-back set for the Pacers, but it appears Warren's foot held up well enough to play in both games. Deploy him as usual.