Mike Conley shot 7-of-15 from the field and 4-of-4 from the foul line in Tuesday’s win over the Pistons, accounting for 20 points, four rebounds, five assists, one steal and two 3-pointers in 32 minutes.
Conley shot just 2-of-10 from the field in Sunday’s loss to the Nuggets, and he managed to bounce back against the Pistons. He has now scored 20 points or more in seven games this season, more than halfway to his total from a season ago (13). Conley looks more comfortable in his second year with the Jazz, which was to be expected, and he’s providing 4th-round value in both 8- and 9-cat formats. He should be rostered in more than 87% of Yahoo leagues.
Royce O’Neale finished Tuesday’s win over the Pistons with 12 points (5-of-11 FGs), 13 rebounds, three assists, three steals, one block and two 3-pointers in 34 minutes.
Rostered in just 27% of Yahoo leagues, O’Neale has proved to be a more valuable fantasy option than many expected before the season began. Ranked just outside of the top-100 in both 8- and 9-cat formats, he’s providing 10th-round value in the former and 9th-round value in the latter. O’Neale won’t produce much when it comes to points, but the rebounds, assists and 3-pointers can be valuable, especially in deeper leagues. And at this rate, it’s only a matter of time until O’Neale reached the point where he has to be rostered in standard leagues as well.
Bojan Bogdanovic shot 4-of-8 from three in Tuesday’s win over the Pistons, posting a line of 18 points (5-of-12 FGs, 4-of-4 FTs), three rebounds, three assists and one steal in 32 minutes.
With Utah on the verge of blowing a big lead, Bogdanovic hit two key fourth-quarter threes that extended the home team’s lead to 10 points. Over the last week he’s shot the ball very well, making better than 52% of his field goal attempts while averaging 21.3 points and 4.0 3-pointers per game. Bogdanovic doesn’t provide a great deal in the rebound and assist categories, but he has been a top-80 player during this stretch because of the points and 3-pointers. For that reasons, Bogdanovic should be rostered in standard leagues.
Georges Niang shot 1-of-4 in Tuesday’s win over the Pistons, tallying three points, two rebounds, one assist, one steal and one 3-pointer in 13 minutes.
With the Jazz rotation once again whole, Niang is in a position where his value to the team far outweighs his fantasy value. Feel free to leave him on the waiver wire.
Dillon Brooks scored a season and team-high 25 points on Tuesday, adding three rebounds, an assist, a block and three steals.
Brooks was one of the lone bright spots for Grizzlies as he made 10-of-18 field goals, two 3-pointers and all three of his free throws. He was the only Memphis player to score more than 12 points and that includes Ja Morant. It was nice to see Brooks have a good game, however, as it was the first time since Jan. 11 that he scored at least 20 points. Unless you're in a deep league, don't take a chance DB who's been streaky this year.
Desmond Bane had a solid night vs the Pacers, scoring 16 points with three rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes.
Bane continued to log big minutes, though this time it was in a blowout loss, he was impressive nonetheless. He made 6-of-13 field goals with three 3-pointers and his 16 points were second to Dillon Brooks' 25. The rookie has scored at least 10 in five straight games, having made multiple triples in each of those contests, too. He's certainly making the most of his minutes, but Grayson Allen (health and safety) has been out and but until he returns, Bane is a high-risk, high reward streaming option.
Rui Hachimura shot 10-of-12 from the field in Tuesday’s loss to the Blazers, tallying 24 points, five rebounds, one assist, one block and three 3-pointers in 34 minutes.
After scoring a total of 18 points in the two games prior, Hachimura bounced back with his best performance of the season Tuesday night. It’s worth noting that those games against Atlanta and Brooklyn came after he missed two-plus weeks due to the league’s health and safety protocols. If anything, Tuesday’s effort was a sign that Hachimura is making strides in his attempts to "get right" both physically and mentally.
Deni Avdija accounted for 13 points (5-of-6 FGs, 1-of-1 FTs), seven rebounds, three assists and two 3-pointers in Tuesday’s loss to the Blazers.
Avdija, who struggled mightily in his return to action on Sunday, had a much better go of it Tuesday night. He played 23 minutes, an increase of seven from his total in Washington’s win over the Nets. And the seven rebounds are the most that Avdija’s accumulated since December 27 (nine vs. Orlando). Rostered in 10% of Yahoo leagues, Avdija hasn’t been a great fantasy option thus far. But he won’t lack for opportunities to turn things around, especially if the Wizards continue to struggle.
The Magic have signed Frank Mason to a two-way contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Orlando's backcourt has been hit hard by injuries this season, hence the Mason signing. He won't offer much in the way of fantasy value, so there's no need to even consider the possibility of rostering Mason. In order to free up a spot for Mason, the Magic will need to waive either Karim Mane or Jordan Bone. Bone is currently serving as Cole Anthony's backup, so Mane may be the odd man out.
Ja Morant struggled against the veteran Pacers on Tuesday, shooting 2-of-10 from the floor and finishing with 10 points, one rebound, five assists, two steals a block.
Morant's 20% shooting mark was his worst of the season and his 10 points were the second-lowest of the season. He just couldn't do much against Indy's swarming defense and length and only played 29 minutes because it was a blowout. The reigning ROY has yet to score 20 points since returning from his ankle injury and will look to shake off the rust on Thursday vs the Rockets.
Starting for the injured Nassir Little, Rodney Hood finished Tuesday’s win over the Wizards with 15 points (5-of-12 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), two rebounds, two assists and three 3-pointers in 35 minutes.
Hood was solid Tuesday night, one day after he managed just five points in a blowout loss to the Bucks. At best he worth a look in DFS on nights when the Blazers are shorthanded on the wings, as they are currently. Both Little and Derrick Jones Jr. were sidelined for Tuesday’s game, so keep Hood in mind for Thursday’s game in Philadelphia.
Paul George filled up the box score vs Brooklyn on Tuesday, scoring 26 points with four rebounds, six assists, two steals and three triples.
After the game, George said, "I think it was disrespectful that I had one free throw attempt today." He might be right, though the Nets' players did a really good job of staying vertical on his attempts in the paint. Still, PG shot 11-of-24 from the floor and 3-of-7 on threes in 36 minutes, a quality bounce-back effort after going 7-of-16 in the Clippers' last game. We told you there was nothing to worry about last time and PG proved that.
Marcus Morris played 31 minutes off the bench on Tuesday vs the Nets, recording 16 points, four boards, one steal and one block.
Morris hit 6-of-10 shots including a trio of 3-pointers and had a clutch late basket in a close game. He's now scored in double-figures in five straight games with 10 made triples in that span. Morris is available in 80% of Yahoo leagues is a good player to have in deep leagues.
Carmelo Anthony shot 8-of-16 from the field and 4-of-4 from the foul line in Tuesday’s win over the Wizards, accounting for 21 points, four rebounds, one assist, one steal and one 3-pointer in 26 minutes.
With his 21-point effort, Anthony now ranks 13th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Having passed Dominique Wilkins Tuesday night, next up on the list for Melo is Oscar Robertson. As for Anthony’s fantasy value, it isn’t great even with Portland being shorthanded on the perimeter. Over the last two weeks, he sits well outside of the top-200 in both 8- and 9-cat formats. Anthony’s a scorer, but he doesn’t offer much else on a consistent basis, hence the low fantasy value.
Robert Covington played 37 minutes in Tuesday’s win over the Wizards, finishing with 19 points (6-of-10 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), nine rebounds, one assist, one steal and five 3-pointers.
There’s the Covington that fantasy managers have fallen head over heels for in seasons past. With a Yahoo 9-cat ADP of 60, expectations were high for RoCo heading into the 2020-21 campaign. And after a slow start, it appears that he’s headed in the right direction. Over the last week Covington has provided 6th round value in both 8- and 9-cat formats, sitting just outside of the top-60.
Russell Westbrook tallied 17 points (7-of-15 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), 12 rebounds, 10 assists and one 3-pointer in 33 minutes Tuesday vs. Portland.
Westbrook posted yet another triple-double, his fifth of the season, but that didn’t help the Wizards get into the win column for the second straight game. Westbrook’s fantasy value has improved over the last week, with the veteran point guard offering top-20 value in both 8- and 9-cat formats during this stretch of games. That being said, he still sit well outside of the top-100 in 9-cat for the season as a whole. The issue: turnovers. He’s averaging just under five per game for the season, and on Tuesday Westbrook was responsible for four.
Nicolas Batum was back in the starting lineup on Tuesday and finished with 21 points, six rebounds, a steal and five 3-pointers.
After missing Sunday's game with a groin injury, Batum rejoined the Clippers and matched his season-high scoring mark vs the Nets. He shot 7-of-10 from the floor and 5-of-8 from deep. The zero assists broke a streak of five games with at least two, but it was nice to see Batum bounce back from his three-point dud on Jan. 29.
Norman Powell played 29 minutes in Tuesday’s win over the Magic, accounting for 23 points (7-of-15 FGs, 5-of-5 FTs), two rebounds, two assists, four steals and four 3-pointers.
After missing the prior two games with a quad injury, Powell played well in his return to action. And he’s made the most of the increased opportunities that have come as a result of OG Anunoby’s absence. Over the last two weeks, Powell is providing 7th round value in 9-cat formats, and 8th round value in 8-cat. As long as Anunoby remains sidelined, Powell is a worthwhile play in standard leagues.
Pascal Siakam tallied 12 points (4-of-11 FGs, 4-of-4 FTs), five rebounds, eight assists and one steal in 36 minutes Tuesday vs. Orlando.
After scoring 30 or more in back-to-back games for the first time this season, Siakam was comparatively quiet Tuesday night. But it wasn’t a huge deal, as Fred VanVleet scored a franchise-record 54 points and Norman Powell added 23. Siakam got off to a slow start this season, but he has been more productive of late. Over the last week, he’s providing 6th round value in 9-cat formats and 5th round value in 8-cat.
Dwayne Bacon shot 5-of-10 from the field in Tuesday’s loss to the Raptors, finishing with 15 points, five rebounds, one assist and four 3-pointers in 21 minutes.
Bacon picked up the slack for Terrence Ross, who shot a frigid 1-of-8 from the field and accounted for just three points, three rebounds, two assists, one block and one 3-pointer in 24 minutes. Bacon has now scored 12 points or more in four of his last five games, and over the last week he’s providing 10th round value in both 8- and 9-cat formats. Outside of deep leagues, Bacon can be left on the waiver wire for the time being.