Wayne Ellington shot 0-of-6 from the field in Saturday’s loss to the Warriors, going scoreless with two rebounds, one assist and one steal in 18 minutes.
After scoring 16 points or more in seven straight games, Ellington’s run of success came to a screeching halt Saturday night. In fact, this was the first game in which he had gone scoreless while playing at least 10 minutes since last January. Ellington, who has been a top-100 player in both 8- and 9-cat formats over the last two weeks, will look to bounce back Monday night in Denver.
Montrezl Harrell was productive in his 30 minutes off the bench, logging 16 points, five boards, one assist, two steals and three blocks on Saturday night.
The reigning Sixth Man of the Year was all over the court vs the Celtics, hitting 8-of-10 shots and recording a season-high three blocks in the win. He's scored in double-figures in 16 of the Lakers' 21 games this season and has been a great pick-up for the reigning champs and fantasy managers. And for some reason, he's still available in 17% of Yahoo leagues.
Desmond Bane played 21 minutes in Saturday’s win over the Spurs, tallying 15 points (6-of-8 FGs), four rebounds, two assists and three 3-pointers.
Bane looked sharp in the Grizzlies’ first game in over a week, knocking down all three of his attempts from beyond the arc and shooting 75% from the field overall. Given Memphis’ depth on the perimeter, it will be tough for the rookie to become a worthwhile fantasy option this season. But Bane’s name is definitely one to remember for the future.
Playing in his first game since New Year’s Day, Derrick White scored 18 points (6-of-11 FGs, 3-of-4 FTs) with two rebounds, one assist, two steals and three 3-pointers in Saturday’s loss to the Grizzlies.
White was playing in just his second game of the season Saturday night, and he looked quite sharp in his 22 minutes on the floor. “I think he did very very well for having been gone a while,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of White’s performance. His return to the rotation is bad news for Devin Vassell, who played just 10 minutes and finished with two points. The rookie may not fall completely out of the rotation, as he did on New Year’s Day, but his already low fantasy value takes a major hit due to White’s return.
Dejounte Murray shot 6-of-12 from the field and 2-of-3 from the foul line in Saturday’s loss to the Grizzlies, posting a line of 15 points, four rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one 3-pointer in 28 minutes.
Murray has been one of the Spurs’ most consistent players when it comes to fantasy hoops, as he’s providing 6th-round value in both 8- and 9-cat formats. And after accounting for seven assists in the prior two games combined, he matched that number Saturday night. The return of Derrick White shouldn’t impact Murray much; if anything, being able to work with another capable scorer will only help matters when it comes to his fantasy value.
Lonnie Walker finished Saturday’s loss to the Grizzlies with 12 points (5-of-9 FGs), one rebound, five assists, one steal, one block and two 3-pointers in 25 minutes.
Walker is one of the players worth watching in the aftermath of Derrick White’s return, as there is now one more player who will need consistent playing time. Walker lost a couple minutes Saturday, as he played four fewer than he did in Friday’s win over Denver. That doesn’t seem like much, but with his fantasy value already low this development isn’t good for Walker. Rostered in 15% of Yahoo leagues, he sits just inside of the top-200 in 9-cat formats. Unless you’re a manager in a deeper league, he isn’t a must-have at this point.
Jakob Poeltl tallied eight points (4-of-6 FGs), six rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 18 minutes Saturday vs. Memphis.
By no means is Poeltl a prolific fantasy player, but he’s still rostered in 19% of Yahoo leagues because fantasy managers know what they’re going to get from him. A high field goal percentage, solid rebounding numbers and a couple blocked shots on most nights. On Saturday Poeltl added four assists, one shy of his season-high. Poeltl isn’t a worthwhile fantasy option in standard leagues, but that would change on nights when starter LaMarcus Aldridge isn’t available.
Jrue Holiday used a big first half to surge his way to 21 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks on Saturday night.
Holiday was off to a hot start in the first half but cooled off in the final two frames, ending the game with a 7-of-17 shooting night and five 3-pointers. His overall numbers are down from last season but he's still producing top-25 value in his first year with the Bucks with averages of 16 points, 4.7 boards, 5.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.
Dillon Brooks finished Saturday’s win over the Spurs with 14 points (5-of-11 FGs), three rebounds, four assists, one steal and three 3-pointers in 28 minutes.
Brooks wasn’t a prolific scorer Saturday night, but given the amount of time that he and the Grizzlies have missed this was a solid effort. Efficiency has been an issue for Brooks this season, and a big reason why his value has been so low in both 8- and 9-cat formats. For the season he’s shooting just 36.9% from the field, which is far more problematic than his turnover average (2.5 per game). Brooks is rostered in 37% of Yahoo leagues presently, which is a fair number given the shooting struggles.
Kyle Anderson shot 6-of-8 from the field and 2-of-3 from the foul line in Saturday’s win over the Spurs, accounting for 16 points, five rebounds, one assist, three steals and two 3-pointers in 21 minutes.
Anderson’s emergence as a 3-point shooter has been one of the more surprising developments this season. He was 2-of-2 Saturday night, and SloMo has made two or more in seven games. By comparison, Anderson had five such games for the entire 2019-20 season. He certainly isn’t “Klay Thompson 2.0,” but Anderson becoming a player whose perimeter shot has to be respected is good news when it comes to his fantasy value. To this point in the season, he has been a top-100 player in both 8- and 9-cat formats.
Xavier Tillman tallied six points (3-of-8 FGs), six rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks in Saturday’s win over the Spurs.
Tillman, starting for Jonas Valanciunas (health and safety protocols), played 21 minutes Saturday night and split the center minutes with the more effective Gorgui Dieng. Dieng played 27 minutes, posting a line of 15 points (4-of-7 FGs, 5-of-7 FTs), seven rebounds, three assists, one steal, two blocks and two 3-pointers. For the season, both are providing 8th-round value in 9-cat formats. Tillman is the slightly better choice for fantasy managers looking for another frontcourt option, but there isn’t much separation between the two. That will all change once Valanciunas is cleared to play, which could be as soon as next week.
De’Anthony Melton led the Grizzlies in both points (20) and minutes (32) in Saturday’s win over the Spurs.
Melton had a very good night in San Antonio, shooting 8-of-14 from the field while also accounting for five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and four 3-pointers (on seven attempts). Rostered in just 4% of Yahoo leagues, he’s providing 9th-round value in both 8- and 9-cat formats for the season. Melton may come off the bench, but he is definitely worth rostering in standard leagues.
Brandon Clarke tallied 14 points (6-of-11 FGs), five rebounds, one steal, one block and two 3-pointers in 26 minutes Saturday vs. San Antonio.
A top-100 player as a rookie, Clarke hasn’t been nearly as effective this season. But he’s still providing 11th-round value in 9-cat formats, while averaging just over 13 points per game and shooting close to 48% from the field. One area where Clarke can be better is as a perimeter shooter, as he’s averaging 0.6 3-pointers per game. We’ll see if Saturday’s 2-of-4 effort is a sign of what’s to come. If so, that will push Clarker closer to top-100 status.
Kelly Olynyk played 26 minutes off the bench on Saturday, totaling 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
KZ Okpala started the game but went scoreless in seven minutes, leading Erik Spoelstra to make a lineup change in the second half that benefited Olynyk. The veteran forward shot 4-of-9 from the floor and made three 3-pointers, helping the Heat pick up a 105-104 win over the Kings. There's a good chance that he could return to the starting lineup in Miami's next game.
Zion Williamson shot 11-of-19 from the field and 3-of-6 from the foul line in Saturday’s loss to Houston, finishing with 26 points, seven rebounds, four assists, one block and one 3-pointer in 29 minutes.
Williamson was responsible for a team-high four turnovers, but other than that he had a good night. That being said, he was understandably frustrated with the Pelicans’ defense after Saturday’s defeat. “It’s one thing if a team is hitting shots. But if they are playing harder than us and hitting shots, we’re not giving ourselves a chance,” Williamson said. Fantasy-wise, Zion has been more productive the last two weeks than he has been at any other point this season, providing 4th-round value in both 8- and 9-cat formats.
Bam Adebayo was all over the glass on Saturday vs the Kings, posting 18 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.
He shot 7-of-11 from the field and hit all four of his free throws in 36 minutes of action. He's now grabbed 13 boards in back-to-back games and with Jimmy Butler back in the lineup, Bam should be move involved in the pick-and-roll game and get easier looks around the basket.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had another big game on Saturday but it came in a loss, as he finished with 34 points, 18 boards, nine assists and a block.
Giannis just missed a triple-double and the Bucks dropped their second game in a row, but the Greek Freak has no grabbed 18 rebounds in two of his last three games and is averaging 11 boards each night this season. But he continues to disappoint from distance (0-of-4) and from the line (10-of-18). He could average 35-40 a game if he had a consistent jumper, which is crazy to think about.
Brandon Ingram finished Saturday’s loss to the Rockets with 15 points (5-of-15 FGs, 3-of-4 FTs), five rebounds, four assists, one steal, two blocks and two 3-pointers in 32 minutes.
Ingram had a tough night shooting the basketball, as Houston has multiple athletic wings capable of defending him. Saturday’s game ended a run of four straight with at least 23 points, and over the last week he has been a top-25 player in both 8- and 9-cat formats. Ingram will look to bounce back Monday night when the Kings visit New Orleans.
Eric Bledsoe shot 6-of-13 from the field in Saturday’s loss to the Rockets, accounting for 15 points, four rebounds, five assists and two 3-pointers in 29 minutes.
Since being limited to eight points in a January 21 loss to the Jazz, Bledsoe has scored 15 or more in four straight games. While rostered in 82% of Yahoo leagues, that is due in large part to the fact that Bledsoe is a starter. His production, which sits well outside of the top-100 in both 8- and 9-cat formats, doesn’t warrant that status.
Kira Lewis Jr. finished Saturday’s loss to the Rockets with 10 points (3-of-5 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), one assist and two 3-pointers in 10 minutes.
Lewis didn’t get into Saturday’s game until late, but the rookie made the most of his minutes. And after the game, coach Stan Van Gundy said that one of his priorities is to get Lewis more minutes moving forward. How that will happen, with veterans Lonzo Ball, Eric Bledsoe and Josh Hart all in the rotation, remains to be seen. If New Orleans eventually moves one of its veterans, Lewis stands to benefit greatly.