John Wall hit 7-of-12 shots and 4-of-5 3-pointers for 18 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals, a block and just three turnovers in Monday's easy 136-106 win over the Thunder.
Wall has been rolling over his last four games, averaging 19.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.8 blocks and 3.0 3-pointers. Missed games will still be an ongoing concern with Wall and the Rockets go back-to-back on Wednesday and Thursday against the Thunder and Grizzlies. They also go back-to-back next Monday and Tuesday, so fantasy managers will want to do some double-checking on those days to make sure Wall will be good to go. But he's on a heater right now, so hopefully the Rockets keep letting him do his thing.
Deandre Ayton continued his rebounding onslaught on Monday vs the Mavs, grabbing 17 boards with 10 points, an assist and a block.
Once again, Ayton was a monster on the glass and now has eight straight games with at least 13 rebounds. He didn't shoot the ball that well, going 5-of-12 from the floor, but he was decent enough and made up for it by dominating the boards.
Danuel House hit 4-of-8 shots and four 3-pointers for a season-high 13 points, four rebounds, a steal and a block in 28 minutes off the bench on Monday.
House's four triples helped the Rockets set a franchise record of 28 3-pointers made and it was just one triple shy of the NBA record. Hose has been kind of quiet since returning from a health and safety protocols absence but fantasy managers should keep an eye on him in case this is a sign he's about to get hot.
DeMarcus Cousins played 21 minutes off the bench and hit just 5-of-14 shots, but also hit five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a steal in an easy win over the Thunder on Monday.
Cousins had played just 14 and 11 minutes in his previous two games but got back into the mix tonight. If you're sitting on a struggling center like Willie Cauley-Stein or Kelly Olynyk, swapping them out for Cousins might make sense. But there's just no telling if he's going to get enough minutes from night to night to make him worth having in your starting lineup.
Anthony Edwards made his third straight start and hit 5-of-12 shots and two 3-pointers for 13 points, three rebounds, two assists, a steal and zero turnovers in Monday's tough 100-98 loss to the Cavaliers.
He's been starting because Jarrett Culver has been out with a left ankle injury and he's been playing really well, scoring in double figures in six straight games, although this was the worst performance of the streak. He was coming off a 23-point gem from Sunday and had 25 points and five triples last Wednesday, and the Wolves now sit with a record of 5-15. And since they are not going anywhere this season, Edwards needs to stay in the fire and learn on the run. Hopefully the Wolves leave him in the starting lineup going forward, but then again, they are the Wolves, so we'll see.
Cam Reddish was relatively non-existent on Monday night, finishing with six points, one rebound and three assists in 29 minutes.
Reddish started with De'Andre Hunter (knee) sidelined but didn't do much, going 3-of-8 from the floor with no threes, steals or blocks. If Hunter misses more games, Cam will have opportunities to score and display his worth, but he's been up and down this season so tread cautiously if you see him on waivers.
Jarred Vanderbilt came off the bench (again) and played just 19 minutes, finishing Monday's loss with just four points, nine rebounds and four assists on 1-of-4 shooting.
The good news is the Wolves, who have just five wins on the season, are finally starting Anthony Edwards. The bad news is that Vanderbilt is back to coming off the bench and had his streak of eight straight games with at least one steal and one block snapped. Yet the Wolves are electing to start 31-year-old Ed Davis over both Vandy and Naz Reid. Davis did have a "huge offensive explosion" tonight, racking up eight points and five rebounds after failing to score more than six points in any other game this season. You have to think Vanderbilt will be back in the starting five at some point soon, but he's worth holding even if he's going to come off the bench the rest of the way. However, he's going to need 25 minutes a night to be able to hold his fantasy value and while it doesn't make much sense to us, Vandy's minutes are something to be worried about. At least for now.
Naz Reid returned from a wrist injury and hit 5-of-11 shots and two 3-pointers for 12 points and three rebounds in just 13 minutes of Monday's 100-98 loss to the Cavaliers.
Reid fired up a lot of shots and was productive despite the lack off run, and will continue to battle with Jarred Vanderbilt and Karl-Anthony Towns once he returns from his COVID-protocols extended absence.We're not sure why the Wolves are starting Ed Davis over Reid and Vanderbilt right now, but it does sound like Reid could re-take the spot once he's back up to speed, at least until KAT is back and ready to go.
Taurean Prince started again for the Cavaliers on Monday with Andre Drummond out and backed up his 1-of-7 shooting night from Friday and his 1-of-6 shooting night on Sunday with a 2-of-10 Monday night in a win over the Timberwolves.
In case you're scoring at home, Prince is now 4-of-23 over his last three games and just one of those hits wasn't a 3-pointer (he's 3-of-12 from downtown over that stretch). He's scored a grand total of 15 points over those three games but he at least kind of filled the stat sheet otherwise tonight with nine boards, four assists, a steal and two blocks. Prince has shown signs of playing well at times this season but he is simply in a shooting funk right now. He's still worth a look if he's starting for the Cavs, but you might want to wait until he starts making some shots before thinking about rolling the dice on him.
Daniel Gafford looked solid in 22 minutes, finishing with 12 points and a season-high nine rebounds in the Bulls' win on Monday.
Gafford hit 6-of-8 field goals to notch his first double-digit scoring night since Jan. 3. He's been starting with Wendell Carter Jr. (quad) sidelined and will likely continue to do so until he returns. But his numbers will usually look like they did tonight, or worse, especially with veteran Thaddeus Young playing well and logging 31 minutes off the bench. Consider Gaff a streaming option in deep leagues if you're running short on options.
Gorgui Dieng scored a season-high 19 points during Monday's easy win in San Antonio, making 8-of-10 shots with nine rebounds, one assist and one block in 24 minutes.
During the first half of this back-to-back set on Saturday, the Grizzlies made a season-high 17 three-pointers vs. the Spurs defense. They nearly hit that mark again tonight with 15 triples, including 3-of-3 from Dieng. He's shooting 46.4% from deep and his range is extending both defenses and his NBA career. Enjoy the production while it lasts, though, as Jonas Valanciunas (health and safety protocols) was with the team in San Antonio and could return as soon as Tuesday in Indiana.
Keldon Johnson scored a team-high 25 points during Monday's lopsided loss, making 7-of-16 field goals and 8-of-8 free throws with three 3-pointers, 10 rebounds and three assists.
With a few more made shots this would have been a true 9-cat gem for Johnson, who added a steal and a block with just one turnover in 31 minutes. He's scored double-digit points in 11 consecutive games, and his playing time tonight should allay fears about his role changing now that Derrick White (five points, five assists in 21 minutes) is back in the rotation.
Rudy Gay finished Monday's loss vs. Memphis with six points (2-of-7 FGs, 1-of-2 FTs), three rebounds, two steals and one assist in 19 minutes.
The Spurs typically look for Gay to score after initial sets have been run, leaving him with high-degree-of-difficulty shots more often than not. It's part of the reason he's shooting 43.1% this season, but that's one of the only marks against him. Even in his age-34 season, Gay is chipping in enough across-the-board stats to hold some low-end 9-cat value. His upside is basically non-existent, though, which is why he's not rostered in most leagues.
Dejounte Murray had six points, five rebounds, four assists and two 3-pointers on Monday, shooting 2-of-9 from the field without any defensive stats in 24 minutes.
This was a blowout loss in the second of consecutive games vs. the Grizzlies and Gregg Popovich spread minutes around more liberally than usual. However, it's hard to ignore the fact that Murray has played 28 and 26 minutes in two games since Derrick White returned from his toe injury. Murray and White only overlapped for 2:38 tonight, a number managers will hope to see increase in a matchup vs. the moribund Wolves on Wednesday.
LaMarcus Aldridge only played 18 minutes during Monday's 133-102 loss to Memphis, making 5-of-8 shots with a pair of 3-pointers to score 12 points.
The rest of Aldridge's line is forgettable with one rebound, one steal and one block. Jakob Poeltl (six points, six boards, two blocks) matched up with Grizzlies' second-unit center Gorgui Dieng, and Pop went small to match a Memphis team starting Xavier Tillman in the middle. Aldridge is extremely hit-or-miss this season, and that's unlikely to change with so many small-ball options at Gregg Popovich's disposal.
Thaddeus Young had a great game off the bench on Monday, posting 13 points, eight boards, eight assists, a steal and a block in the Bulls' win.
Young has been balling over his last three games, averaging 12.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 9.3 assists in 30 minutes off the bench. He's provided the Bulls with a much-need boost in the frontcourt with Wendell Carter Jr. (quad) out and even though he's not starting, he's getting plenty of playing time and producing in a major way. He's a must-have in all leagues the way he's playing right now.
Julius Randle scored a team-high 23 points on Monday night, adding 11 rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
Randle was productive as usual, hitting 7-of-16 shots with a 3-pointer and 8-of-9 at the line in 39 minutes. He's been special for fantasy managers this season, providing top-45 value with a near 28% usage rate through 22 games while leading the Knicks in points, rebounds and assists thus far. Keep enjoying the ride if you roster the former Kentucky Wildcat.
Trae Young was dishing and scoring the rock on Monday night, dropping 25 points with a season-high 16 assists, four rebounds and two steals in the loss.
Young did a great job of finding his teammates on Monday but he also has a bad habit of over-dribbling in the half-court. Still, he had 16 dimes and shot 7-of-15 from the floor and 10-of-11 from the line. Pretty good. On the flip side, he only made one 3-pointer and coughed the ball up seven times against the best defensive team in the NBA including a late giveaway with the Hawks trailing in a tight game. Minus the turnovers, it was a great fantasy night for Ice Trae.
Goran Dragic returned from his groin injury and hit 1-of-9 shots (a 3-pointer) for three points, seven rebounds, eight assists, a steal and a block in Monday's overtime loss to the Hornets.
Dragic had missed three games and we weren't sure if he'd play tonight, but he was out there for 25 minutes tonight. His shot was rusty but it was nice to see him rack up a steal, a block and some solid rebounds and assists in the loss. He should be good to go going forward for the Heat.
Clint Capela had another monster game, tallying 16 points, 13 boards, an assist, one steal and three blocks on Monday night.
Capela recorded yet another double-double and was efficient with his shooting, as always, making 8-of-11 shots against the lengthy Lakers. He's now blocked at least two shots in eight straight games and has a total of 32 blocks in that span, good for four blocks on average per night. It's no surprise that he ranks 30th in 9-cat with those numbers.