Taurean Prince sputtered offensively on Friday with three points on 1-of-7 shooting, adding one rebound, one assist and one steal in 22 minutes.
Prince has had five different coaches in the past five seasons, so he's used to pivoting to a new system in a hurry. Prior to this dud, his stats had spiked in a bigger role for the Cavs including 48.7% shooting with 2.2 threes. That's far above his career average of 41.3% from the field, and the more sustainable leap might be his 3.8 dimes per game (also easily a career high). “We’re looking for guys who can play multiple positions, guys who have the ability to knock down shots, who have athleticism, who can run the floor," said coach Lloyd Pierce. Prince had been doing all that and more, so he should get back on track vs. the Wolves on Sunday.
Larry Nance Jr. (right wrist) returned to action vs. the Knicks on Friday, shooting 1-of-9 from the field for two points, eight rebounds, one steal and one block in 29 minutes.
Maybe the wrist injury bothered Nance, who was 0-of-5 from deep and didn't get to the free throw line. He's typically a reliable source of efficient shooting at 50.8%, and even when he's not scoring his 6.3 boards, 3.5 dimes and especially 2.3 steals have propelled him to top-50 roto value. He may have peaked in the absence of Kevin Love, but he's still smashing his Average Draft Position (124 in Yahoo leagues).
Cedi Osman moved to a reserve role on Friday, finishing with three points on 1-of-7 shooting, one assist and one steal in 17 minutes of action.
Osman gave way to Larry Nance Jr., who missed the previous two games with a sprained wrist. The good news is that Osman has four 20-point games under his belt this season, and is averaging career highs in assists (3.4) and 3-pointers (2.6). The bad news is that he's also shooting a career-worst 39.4% from the field and remains a poor source of boards (3.5), steals (0.9) and blocks (0.2). He's had streaming value due to a litany of Cavs' injuries this season, but in most leagues it's time to move onto the next opportunistic play.
JaVale McGee was a healthy DNP-CD during the Cavs' blowout loss on Friday.
McGee had a foothold in the rotation the past few games, but that was only because Larry Nance Jr. (wrist) was out of the lineup. Nance was back tonight and the result was another DNP for McGee, which is the predictable result of Jarrett Allen's arrival. McGee is an obvious trade candidate but he's unlikely to establish fantasy value no matter where he finishes the season.
Andre Drummond picked up 15 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in 24 minutes of action on Friday, but he scored only four points on 2-of-7 shooting.
Drummond is a stat magnet and he's enjoying a prominent role for the Cavs, averaging a career-high 18.9 points with 14.7 boards, 2.6 dimes, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks. The arrival of Jarrett Allen hasn't had a huge impact on Drummond's counting stats, but playing time is a concern. Before the trade, Drummond was averaging 32.2 minutes per game. In six games since the trade, he's down to 25.2 per game. He's still an elite fantasy center, of course, but a 20% dip in playing time shouldn't go overlooked.
Harrison Barnes kept his foot on the gas in a 126-124 win over the Raptors on Friday with 26 points (8-of-13 FGs, 6-of-6 FTs), seven rebounds, five assists and four triples in 37 minutes.
That's three straight games with at least 21 points for Barnes, all of which were wins for the Kings as they improve to 8-10. Barnes' emergence this season has come as a complete surprise, as he ranked well outside the top-100 in 9-cat in his previous two seasons. As for this season, he was on pace for top-65 numbers even before this gem of a line. His newfound playmaking ability has unlocked his game and has made the Kings a little more dynamic this season as all three of Barnes, De'Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton are finding the open man.
Buddy Hield stayed hot vs. the Raptors on Friday with 22 points (7-of-12 FGs, 3-of-3 FTs), three rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block and five triples in 40 minutes.
The Kings have won three straight and Buddy seems to be meshing well with Luke Walton, something we're not used to seeing. Walton said Buddy's 29-point game on Wednesday may have been his most complete game since he took the job and the SG credited it to a change in his style of play, as he's hoping to start scoring at all three levels instead of relying solely on the 3-point shot. “I take what the defense gives to me and I’ve just got to be attacking more,” he said. The Kings are using a lot of three-guard lineups, so the strong play of Tyrese Haliburton shouldn't affect Buddy too much -- they combined to play 73 minutes in this one.
Cory Joseph scored a season-high 16 points vs. the Raptors on Friday with four dimes, one rebound, one steal and two triples in 24 minutes.
That had to feel good for Joseph against his former team. However, this line will end up being an outlier for Joseph as it's not like he's going to be able to sustain any value as the fourth guard behind De'Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield and Tyrese Haliburton. Joseph is ranked in the 250 range for 9-cat leagues, so that pretty much sums it up.
Jrue Holiday scored 22 points in a losing effort vs. his former Pelicans team on Friday, adding nine rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block in 38 minutes.
The Pelicans were the best matchup for opposing point guards from Jan. 14-28, but this game turned into a fantasy bonanza for almost everyone who took the court. Khris Middleton had 16/8/8, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 38 points with a full line, Brook Lopez had 16 points for his sixth straight game in double digits, and even Pat Connaughton chipped in nine points, seven boards and three dimes off the bench. It added up to a 131-126 defeat, but Holiday and the Bucks will look to bounce back vs. the Hornets on Saturday.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker shot 3-of-10 from the field for six points on Friday, adding four rebounds and two steals in 22 minutes.
Lonzo Ball (right ankle) was initially questionable for this game, but he started and went off for 27 points in 35 minutes. That dumped cold water on NAW's smoldering upside for this game, with coach Stan Van Gundy riding all five of his starters at least 34 minutes in a regulation 131-126 victory. Most managers should give Alexander-Walker a grace period before cutting him, as his potential (even in a sixth-man role) is too alluring to ignore.
Josh Hart came alive in 25 minutes vs. the Bucks on Friday, scoring 15 points with five rebounds, five assists and one steal.
Hart was efficient with 5-of-8 shooting and three of his makes came from downtown. The Pelicans have gone 3-point-happy lately and that's a good thing for Hart, who is 35.1% from deep on the season. The bad news is that he's attempted double-digit shots just once all season, back on Christmas Day, and his current role basically locks him into late-round value for 8-cat/9-cat purposes.
Doug McDermott didn't return to Friday's game due to a bruised lower back, finishing with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting, six rebounds and two turnovers in 17 minutes.
McDermott was coming off a 28-point game on Wednesday but he had a rough night tonight, suffering a bruised right thumb in addition to his back injury. We'll keep an eye on his status for Sunday's home game vs. Philly, and for now we'll consider him questionable. Even at full health, though, McDermott rarely offers more than a handful of points, triples and boards.
Clint Capela (hand) double-doubled vs. the Wizards on Friday with 13 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in 30 minutes.
He’s been one of the hottest players in fantasy basketball, ranking 4th in 9-cat over his previous six games with 18.3 points, 17.3 rebounds and 4.3 blocks. There were concerns coming into the season about the fit between him and John Collins, but the early returns are terrific on the defensive end -- opposing teams have a 47% effective field goal percentage with this pair on the floor together, ranking it in the 99th percentile.
John Collins hit 6-of-10 shots and 4-of-6 free throws for 16 points, eight rebounds and one triple in 30 minutes vs. the Wizards on Friday.
Collins hasn’t been a bust by any means with 4th-round value in 9-cat, but that’s a noticeable drop from his first-round finish in 2019-20. As Chris Kirschner pointed out in his latest piece for The Athletic, Collins’ pick-and-roll possessions have dropped from 5.1 to 2.6 per game, and he went from 67.5 touches and 9.4 paint touches per game last season to 57.2 touches and 6.9 paint touches this season. Playing alongside Clint Capela and De’Andre Hunter’s emergence on offense are the main reasons why, but on the bright side it sounds like his feud with Trae Young is over and the Hawks are getting the most out of the Collins-Capela combo on defense with that pairing boasting a 95.9 defensive rating.
Jeremy Lamb needed some stitches to close a laceration on his chin during Friday's game, but he returned to finish with 12 points, five boards, two steals, two blocks and two 3-pointers in 31 minutes.
His chin won't be a concern and Lamb's surgically-repaired left knee hasn't slowed him down since his return on Jan. 20. Despite the lengthy rehab, he came in averaging 14.0 points on 49.0% shooting, 1.6 threes, 4.6 boards, 1.4 dimes and 0.8 steals. Ironically, his only true dud came in his first start of the season vs. his former Charlotte team on Wednesday. Lamb won't erupt very often, lowering his ceiling for DFS, but he's a reliable guy to have on your 8-cat and 9-cat squads. It's unclear when Caris LeVert (kidney surgery) or T.J. Warren (left foot surgery) will return, giving him a clear path to continue starting.
Aaron Holiday finished Friday's tough loss to the Hornets with three assists, one turnover and no other stats to his credit in 16 minutes.
Holiday missed all five of his shot attempts and the Pacers' two-game streak was snapped with a loss in Charlotte. Doug McDermott exited this game with a bruised thumb and a bruised lower back, so if he's out Sunday it should mean more playing time for both of the Pacers' Holidays. Justin is the guy you'll want to stream, though.
LaMelo Ball came off the bench for 16 points, six rebounds, seven assists, two steals and five turnovers in 30 minutes vs. Indiana on Friday.
Asked prior to the game about Ball potentially hitting the rookie wall at some point, coach James Borrego dismissed any concerns. "LaMelo's gonna stay in our rotation, he's not going anywhere," Borrego said. "[But] it's a challenge, he's 19 years old ... this is new for him." Ball has been up-and-down lately and the Hornets are in no rush to start him, which is good news for the fantasy outlooks of starters Devonte' Graham (14 points, 10 assists) and Terry Rozier (19 points, five boards).
Malik Monk came off the bench Friday for six points in 14 minutes, shooting 2-of-4 from the field (both 3-pointers) with two assists and one steal.
Monk's recent return to the rotation has pushed Cody and Caleb Martin into DNP-CD territory. Presumably coach James Borrego is looking for an offensive spark with the second unit, but Monk has proven frustrating to roster in fantasy even under the best conditions and he's not even guaranteed to earn minutes. Asked about the difficulty of juggling a deep rotation, Borrego replied, "This is a math equation that's going to get solved over time ... with our roster the way it is, I'm gonna look at different lineups, different players." Leave Monk on the wire.
Bismack Biyombo played only six minutes on Friday, finishing with two points, one rebound, one assist and one block.
The veteran ranks 16th in the NBA with 4.1 screen assists per game this season, so he may not drop entirely from the rotation unless P.J. Washington can free up teammates at a comparable clip. Then again, coach James Borrego explicitly said he wants to get PJW more minutes at the five, which makes Biyombo the odd-man out in a rotation that already has starter Cody Zeller. If you rivered him during Zeller's extended absence, it's time to set him adrift.
Danilo Gallinari saw 18 minutes vs. the Wizards on Friday and finished with 11 points (4-of-8 FGs, 1-of-2 FTs) with three boards and two triples.
Gallo averaged just 15.6 minutes in his previous four games since returning from injury, but the Hawks are going to need to ramp him up a little quicker if De’Andre Hunter misses time, as the second-year forward left this game with knee discomfort. While his fantasy value has been non-existent for the most part, Gallo’s per-minute production is in line with the past few seasons and he has a 21% usage rate, so he simply just needs to get on the floor more for fantasy managers to feel confident plugging him into lineups.