Harrison Barnes went 7-of-17 from the field and 9-of-10 from the line for 24 points in Wednesday's win over the Celtics.
Barnes added five rebounds, six assists, one 3-pointer, one block and just one turnover across 37 minutes in the winning effort, and this was the second straight game that the Kings had to come back from a double-digit deficit to get the win and the third time that's happened this season. Head coach Luke Walton said after the game that a big part of the Kings being able to overcome big deficits as of late has been their ability to stay calm amongst runs by the other team, and not revert to hero ball. Sacramento has now won five of their past six games and Barnes has been flirting with top 20 value over that stretch.
Buddy Hield had a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double in Wednesday's win over the Celtics.
The rebounds marked a season-high for Buddy and this was his first double-double of the season. He added three triples, one steal and two turnovers in his 38 minutes of action, although he didn't get his buckets efficiently, finishing 5-of-16 from the field, 3-of-10 from distance and 2-of-2 from the line. That said, he had one of the better plus/minus ratings amongst the starters at plus-8, and he's been a top-40 player over the past six games.
Hamidou Diallo started for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (knee) on Wednesday and hit 5-of-9 shots and 6-of-6 free throws for 16 points, nine rebounds, one assist, three steals and six turnovers in a blowout win over the Rockets.
The only one of those stats that is a season high are the turnovers, which tells you how nice of a season he's having. He's scored in double figures in seven straight games and is a decent source of boards, steals and the occasional 3-pointer or block. He's not a must-have fantasy player but he played a season-high 33 minutes tonight. And with SGA, Lu Dort (knee) and George Hill (thumb - out for a month) all hurting right now, the opportunities are going to keep coming for Diallo. Surprisingly, Diallo's rostered in just 12 percent of Yahoo! leagues right now.
Derrick White hit 4-of-11 shots in 25 minutes off the bench on Wednesday, on his way to 10 points, two rebounds, eight assists and two triples in a win over the Timberwolves.
This was a nice bounce-back performance from White after he was held to just five points on 2-of-10 shooting his last time out, and while he hasn't really had any head-turning performances just yet this season, he has been flirting with late-round value since he got back. It's going to take him a bit to get going after missing so much time, but we're willing to give him a long leash based on what we saw from him in The Bubble last year.
Kenrich Williams came off the bench and played 23 minutes, hitting 7-of-8 shots and 3-of-3 3-pointers for a season-high 19 points, six rebounds and two assists in Wednesday's blowout win over the Rockets.
It would be easy to assume his big night happened because of the lopsided score of this game, but Lu Dort left early with a knee injury and it was Williams who stepped up with the big game. Williams isn't a must-have player and hasn't done much this season, but if Dort's going to miss time, that could change. Several OKC players are worth a close look on the waiver wire right now and we'd rank them 1. Theo Maledon, 2. Hamidou Diallo and 3. Williams. But Williams is only likely to have fantasy value if Dort is going to miss some time with his injury.
Lonnie Walker couldn't get anything to drop on Wednesday, going 1-of-10 from the floor for two points, one rebound and one assist over 21 minutes.
Walker has shown some flashes this season, but he's been abysmal since Derrick White got back to the court, contributing meager averages of 6.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists on 32% shooting over the past three games. It's only going to get worse for Walker as White's minutes are ramped up, so it's safe to send him back to the waiver wire.
Andre Drummond (back) went 4-of-13 from the floor and 5-of-7 from the line for 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and three turnovers in 22 minutes on Wednesday.
Drummond was back in action tonight following a one-game absence, and while he was moving around okay, fantasy managers will need to be on the lookout for another potential rest day for Friday or Saturday’s games vs. Milwaukee. Jarrett Allen returned to the second unit with Drummond back in action, and he finished with seven points (3-of-8 FG, 1-of-1 FT), nine rebounds, five assists, one steal, two blocks and zero turnovers across 25 minutes.
RJ Barrett shot 8-of-16 from the field in Wednesday’s win over the Bulls, finishing with 17 points, seven rebounds and two assists in 32 minutes.
Barrett shot 50% from the field, but he's had better overall efforts this season. He was just 1-of-3 from the foul line, and also tallied a team-high four turnovers. While he has been improved this season, that hasn’t resulted in Barrett becoming a particularly valuable fantasy option. He still sits well outside of the top-100 in both 8- and 9-cat formats. While Barrett should be rostered in standard leagues given his usage, fantasy managers shouldn’t expect too much in the way of production.
Elfrid Payton put forth one of his better efforts this season in Wednesday’s win over the Bulls, accounting for 20 points (9-of-19 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), eight rebounds, four assists and one blocked shot in 35 minutes.
Two nights after he struggled and played just 18 minutes in a loss to the Bulls, Payton was a big reason why New York was able to return the favor on Wednesday. He scored 10 of his 20 points in the first quarter, all on layups, which helped set the tone for the Knicks. Fans aren’t going to stop clamoring for rookie Immanuel Quickley (nine points, one rebound, one assist and two 3-pointers in 13 minutes) to replace Payton in the starting lineup, but he appears to be safe in the eyes of Tom Thibodeau. And Thibodeau’s opinion is the one that matters the most.
Zach LaVine finished Wednesday’s loss to the Knicks with 24 points (10-of-21 FGs, 4-of-4 FTs), five rebounds and seven assists in 38 minutes.
After a three-game stretch in which he shot 15-of-24 from three, LaVine came crashing back to earth in that regard Wednesday night. He missed all seven of his attempts on the night, but the good news is that LaVine shot 10-of-14 on 2-pointers. LaVine is averaging close to four made 3-pointers per game, one of the reasons why he has been a top-20 player in both 8- and 9-cat formats. With that being the case, it’s fair to consider Wednesday to be an anomaly for LaVine.
Thaddeus Young played 26 minutes off the bench in Wednesday’s loss to the Knicks, finishing with 19 points (9-of-11 FGs, 1-of-3 FTs), four rebounds, two assists, five steals and one blocked shot.
Young had another good night off the bench for Chicago, and at this point he’s a must-roster player regardless of league format. Over the last two weeks he has been a top-50 player in 9-cat formats, while sitting just outside of that threshold in 8-cat. Young is currently rostered in just 55% of Yahoo leagues, and fantasy managers who find the veteran forward on their waiver wires should not hesitate to pick him up.
Denzel Valentine shot 5-of-10 from the field in Wednesday’s loss to the Knicks, tallying 13 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and three 3-pointers in 20 minutes.
After playing a total of eight minutes in the two games prior, Valentine received a bump in playing time due to the absence of Otto Porter (back). The 13 points are the most that he’s scored in a game since January 18, and one off of his season-high. Porter’s status for this weekend has yet to be determined, but Bulls coach Billy Donovan said before the game that he could need a little time in order to get right physically. And if that's how things play out, Valentine is one of the players who will pick up additional playing time. Unfortunately, that isn’t enough to make him a worthwhile option in most leagues.
Kelly Olynyk had eight points, 11 rebounds, a steal, a block and two 3-pointers despite hitting just 2-of-9 shots in Wednesday's loss to the Wizards.
Olynyk has been a popular drop candidate lately after scoring in double figures in just three of his last 11 games. Even so, he's still a solid source of 3-pointers, hitting at least two in five straight games, and he'll get the occasional block and steal, along with some decent rebounds. But the Wizards were a good matchup for Olynyk as they're center-challenged and he'll get another shot at them on Friday night. He's not a must-have player, but his peripheral stats aren't bad as long as you can overlook the poor scoring.
Patrick Williams played 32 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Knicks, posting a line of 12 points (6-of-12 FGs), seven rebounds, one assist and one steal.
After grabbing eight rebounds in Chicago’s January 23 loss to the Lakers, Williams went three straight games with no more than one rebound (two total). For a player of his athletic ability, that’s inexcusable. The rookie forward got back on track in that regard Wednesday night, leading the Bulls with seven rebounds. While Williams, who’s rostered in 8% of Yahoo leagues, has done enough to retain his starting spot, he isn’t a player worth rostering in standard leagues right now.
Christian Wood hit 3-of-7 shots and two 3-pointers for eight points, six rebounds, three assists, three steals and zero blocks in 22 minutes of Wednesday's brutal 104-87 loss to the Thunder.
The 87 points were a season low for the Rockets and it's probably not a coincidence that this was Wood's first single-digit scoring night of the season, as well. Wood is having a phenomenal season and it's too bad a good matchup was wasted tonight, as he had 18 points, 11 boards, two blocks and two 3-pointers against the same team on Monday night. This is a game the Rockets will quickly try to forget and they'll set their sights on the Grizzlies, who they play on Thursday night. Look for Wood to come back with a vengeance in that one.
Taurean Prince struggled in Wednesday's loss to the Clippers, going 3-of-8 from the floor for seven points, two rebounds, four assists, one 3-pointer and one steal over 28 minutes.
Prince appeared to tweak his ankle during this game, and while he was able to play through it, it wouldn't be shocking if he ends up needing to skip Friday's game vs. the Bucks with it being the first of a back-to-back. If he needs to miss a game, and Larry Nance (wrist) joins him, then Cedi Osman could be headed for a start. Osman hit 4-of-9 shots for nine points, four boards, one assist, one 3-pointer and one steal over 18 minutes in the 22-point loss to Los Angeles.
DeMarcus Cousins played 26 minutes off the bench on Wednesday, hitting 4-of-10 shots and two 3-pointers for 10 points, five rebounds, a steal and a block in a 104-87 loss to the Thunder.
The Rockets were never really in this game, falling behind 54-43 at halftime and then getting blown out 27-15 in the third quarter. Christian Wood got into some foul trouble and the game was out of hand so the Rockets rolled with DeMarcus Cousins for more minutes tonight. Wood managers don't need to worry though, as he's still the big man of preference in Houston. Cousins has played better in his last two games though, averaging 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.5 blocks and 3.5 3-pointers. If he was dropped in your league he's worth a look if you're hurting at center.
Mitchell Robinson accounted for eight points (3-of-5 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), 11 rebounds and two steals in 28 minutes Wednesday vs. Chicago.
In addition to reaching double figures in rebounds for the first time since January 22, Robinson’s two steals are the most that he’s had in a game since January 15 (three vs. Cleveland). He doesn’t get many scoring opportunities, but Robinson’s fantasy value is preserved due to his production as a rebounder and defender. He’s providing 5th round value in 9-cat formats, and 7th round value in 8-cat.
Darius Bazley hit 6-of-13 shots, two 3-pointers and 4-of-4 free throws for 18 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and two blocks in Wednesday's easy 104-87 win over the Rockets.
Bazley is rolling now, scoring in double figures in five straight games and tying his season highs in boards and blocks tonight. Lu Dort was hurt in this game and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was out, so while Bazley should be rostered in all leagues at this point, he also makes for a preferable DFS play due to his teammates' injuries.
Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting Wednesday, to go with six boards, three dimes, three treys, one steal and four turnovers across 32 minutes in a win over the Cavs.
The Clippers are 4-0 in the second half of back-to-back sets this season, and a large part of that has to do with the fact that Leonard isn’t skipping back-to-backs this season. It was impressive to see him take the floor after logging 39 minutes in Tuesday’s loss to the Nets, so he appears to be very serious about reversing the back-to-rest trend. He currently ranks No. 2 overall in 9-cat leagues with averages of 26.3 points, 5.2 boards, 5.4 dimes, 1.9 triples, 1.9 steals, 0.7 swats and just 1.6 turnovers per game.