Damian Jones (health and safety protocols) is available to play on Saturday vs the Mavs.
The Suns' backup center will be active tonight for Phoenix after being sidelined for over a week, though he holds no fantasy value at the moment.
OG Anunoby (left calf strain) went through some light individual work on Saturday morning but will likely be questionable for Sunday's game vs the Magic.
Nick Nurse said that Anunoby and Norman Powell (quad) both did some individual work "at varying speeds" this morning but their status for tomorrow's meeting with Orlando remains up in the air.
Cameron Payne (right foot sprain) will miss Saturday's game vs the Mavs.
Payne will miss another contest for the Suns today as he recovers from a foot injury although he holds know fantasy value as the team's third-string point guard.
Luka Doncic had 25 points (8-of-17 FGs, 7-of-10 FTs), seven assists, six rebounds and a pair of 3-pointers in a dispiriting blowout loss to the Jazz on Friday.
Following Wednesday's double-digit loss to the Jazz, Doncic lamented, "We're just not ourselves right now. We're gonna have to pick it up and be way better than this." Rick Carlisle also criticized his team's effort after Wednesday's loss, but if anything they were even worse tonight -- they were outscored by 25 points in the first quarter and it was all garbage time after that. Fantasy owners shouldn't mind, because whether Luka racks them up in wins or losses, stats are stats.
Trey Burke chipped in six points, three rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals in 18 minutes off the bench vs. Utah on Friday.
Burke spent the first three seasons of his NBA career with Utah, and he watched his former team demolish his current team in tonight's 120-101 loss. He's had a few scoring eruptions and gives Dallas steady playmaking with the second unit, but there's no reason to roster him outside of deep leagues.
Tim Hardaway Jr. shot 1-of-5 from the field for two points on Friday, adding three assists, one rebound and one steal in 26 minutes.
The Mavs' losing streak extends to four games with a 120-101 drubbing in Utah, and this snaps a streak of five straight games in double-digits for THJ. He went scoreless on 0-of-12 shooting on Jan. 18 but quickly bounced back from that dud, so there are no long-term concerns here, and his minutes were down due to excessive amounts of garbage time. He won't have long to stew on the poor shooting night with the Suns visiting Dallas on Saturday.
Kristaps Porzingis was mired in foul trouble vs. Utah on Friday, finishing with 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting, nine rebounds and one turnover in 25 minutes.
Porzingis had zero assists, steals or blocks, and his line would have looked even worse if it weren't for some stats in fourth-quarter garbage time. The Mavs have lost four straight to drop their record to 8-11, and they'll need more from KP to get back on track vs. Phoenix on Saturday. At least the low playing time tonight should ensure Porzingis isn't limited in the second half of this back-to-back set.
Josh Richardson was quiet during Friday's loss in Utah, scoring six points with two rebounds, two assists and one steal in 25 minutes.
This was Richardson's second game back after a long stint on the sidelines due to health and safety protocols, so it's unsurprising to see him limited. The same holds true for Dorian Finney-Smith (11 points, zero rebounds in 23 minutes) and Dwight Powell (six points, five boards in 14 minutes). The modest playing time in tonight's blowout at least increases the odds that they'll all play in the second half of this back-to-back vs. the Suns on Saturday.
Juwan Morgan recorded multiple career highs on Friday, scoring 12 points with seven rebounds and three steals before fouling out after 21 minutes of action.
Donovan Mitchell (concussion) remains sidelined for Utah, which bumped Morgan up in the rotation tonight. He took full advantage with 5-of-8 shooting and a pair of 3-pointers, and we'll attribute his rampant fouls to excitability on a big stage in a nationally-televised game. Mitchell is just day-to-day, and even if he wasn't Morgan wouldn't be worth a standard-league pickup.
Reggie Jackson notched 10 points (4-of-7 FGs) with four rebounds, three assists, two steals and two triples in 25 minutes vs. the Magic on Friday.
Patrick Beverley (sore right knee) is without a timetable but it sounds like Jackson could be the starter even when he comes back -- coach Ty Lue said his coaching staff were saying that it's going to be hard for them to keep Jackson off the court. His upside obviously won't be as high next to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George as he averaged 18.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.0 dimes, 1.5 steals and 2.5 triples in his last two games without them, but if you're in need of a low-end PG he seems to have a decent window of opportunity here.
Jarred Vanderbilt played 24 minutes off the Wolves' bench on Friday, scoring 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting with five rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block.
He was bumped to the second unit with top overall pick Anthony Edwards getting his first-ever NBA start, but the switch didn't go well in a 118-94 loss. Vanderbilt was coming off a quiet game with four points in 25 minutes, but his play this season can't really be faulted. The third-year forward has been a surprise top-120 roto option, bolstered by six starts in which he averaged 9.0 points, 6.3 boards, 2.3 dimes, 2.0 steals and 1.2 blocks. A reserve role might ultimately mean fewer minutes, but he's worth hanging onto while we see how coach Ryan Saunders divvies up playing time the next few games.
Michael Porter Jr. played only 19 minutes on Friday, scoring nine points on 3-of-5 shooting with two 3-pointers, four rebounds and two blocks.
It will be interesting to hear coach Mike Malone's reasoning here. P.J. Dozier (right hamstring strain) was out again and his absence leaves 20 minutes up for grabs, but Malone still played MPJ less than JaMychal Green (20 minutes), Paul Millsap (23), Will Barton (30) and Gary Harris (34). He's too good to be this limited for long, of course, so there's no need for real concern. But it would be great if Malone didn't mess with his minutes in the first place. Expect a more typical workload vs. the steamroller Jazz (10 straight wins) on Sunday.
Luke Kennard returned to the bench on Friday vs. Orlando with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George back, scoring six points with three rebounds, one assist and two triples in 23 minutes.
Thanks for the memories Kennard but you're streaming window is closed with the two superstars back in action. Kennard has a 15.7% usage rate on the season and only got six shot attempts tonight, so that won't cut it. He wasn't overly impressive in his last two games either despite the Clippers being shorthanded, averaging 11.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 dimes, 2.0 steals and 1.5 triples.
Terrence Ross was the lone bright spot for the Magic in their 116-100 loss to the Clippers, scoring 24 points (8-of-12 FGs, 7-of-7 FTs) with four rebounds, one assist and one triple in 23 minutes.
He's either red hot or ice cold so he may be ready to go on another one of his runs. Ross already has six 20-point games on his resume this season but his upside is limited to three categories with decent points (15.2), triples (1.9) and steals (1.2). He gets a date with his former Raptors on Sunday.
Evan Fournier finally cooled off vs. the Clippers on Friday with eight points (3-of-13 FGs, 1-of-1 FTs), four rebounds, three assists, one steal and one triple in 26 minutes.
He gets a pass here because every starter not named Nikola Vucevic had single-digit points in this blowout. Fournier came into tonight averaging 23.0 points and 5.4 assists on 41.5% shooting from 3-point range over the last five games, so we're not worried about this dud. Josh Robbins of The Athletic speculated that the Magic may move on from Fournier this season because he doesn't see them re-signing the wing in free agency, so if Orlando doesn't turn their 8-12 season around the trade rumors should start swirling.
Kyrie Irving scored an efficient 25 points (10-of-16 FGs, 4-of-4 FTs) vs. the Thunder on Friday to go with seven assists, five rebounds, one steal, one block and one triple in 34 minutes.
Kyrie is sitting at 35.5 minutes per game which isn't quite as high as Kevin Durant and James Harden, but coach Steve Nash did say he'd like to bring that number down a bit. That's not exactly a surprise though as the Nets have already load managed him as they take his injury history into account. This is something to keep in mind next week for the Feb. 5th and 6th back-to-back set, as he could be next in line for a DNP with Kevin Durant taking his turn tonight.
Bruce Brown moved into the starting lineup for a resting Kevin Durant on Friday vs. the Thunder and scored a season-high 19 points with five rebounds, one assist and one turnover in 24 minutes.
Brown is not even ranked inside the top-200 and won't be able to sustain any real value when the entire "Big 3" is active. He has made a strong case to keep seeing minutes in the teens off the bench though, scoring 12 points in his last outing with a block in 19 minutes.
The Nuggets' five-game win streak ended on Friday, despite Nikola Jokic piling up 35 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in 39 minutes.
The Joker was in full effect, making 14-of-24 shots with five 3-pointers, but the Spurs got the last laugh. Jokic hit 2-of-4 freebies and turned it over four times, but he also had a steal and a block, and you just can't find fault with his game this season. He's leading all players in per-game fantasy production and has yet to miss a game, so the math does itself. Congrats to all those who nabbed him in drafts.
Will Barton had nine points, two assists and one rebound without any defensive stats in 30 minutes during Friday's 119-109 loss to the Spurs.
Barton's role has predictably decreased with Michael Porter Jr. back in the lineup, even though he's clinging to the starting job. He's played 21, 26, 21 and 30 minutes in the past four games, averaging a paltry 6.5 points on combined 32.3% shooting. Nor is he racking up supporting stats at 3.3 boards, 2.5 dimes, 0.3 steals and 0.3 blocks. He hasn't scored double-digit points in three straight games since the start of the season, his usage rate is at a career-low 18.4%, and his arrow is pointing down with the Nuggets' roster near full strength.
Devin Vassell had nine points (3-of-4 FGs, 2-of-3 FTs), two rebounds, one 3-pointer and one steal in 18 minutes vs. the Nuggets on Friday.
The Spurs rookie is still flying under the radar despite doing some excellent things. He's chipping in top-150 roto value for the past few weeks behind averages of 7.5 points, 1.5 threes, 4.5 boards, 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.5 blocks. It's the steals that shine, as he's collected at least one steal in all but one game in January. He's also handed out 20 assists with four turnovers this month, and is a teammate's injury away from emerging with 12-team value. For now, just appreciate what he's doing as a specialist in 8-cat and 9-cat leagues.