Lebron James notched 22 points vs. the Pistons in a losing effort to the Pistons on Thursday, adding 10 assists, seven dimes, one steal and four triples in 36 minutes.
Anthony Davis (quad) sat out tonight on the second night of a back-to-back for his third missed game of the season, though Frank Vogel insisted that it’s just a “coincidence” that Davis’ three missed games have all come during back-to-backs. We obviously don’t buy that as the Lakers are likely just load managing the injury-prone superstar, but LeBron’s fantasy managers are just ecstatic that he’s not on that same maintenance plan with zero missed games so far. He'll just be kicking himself that the Lakers somehow dropped this game. LeBron averages 4.0 more points per 36 minutes with AD off the court and gets a 6.4% usage rate bump, so this line left a lot to be desired by his standards.
Kyle Kuzma started for Anthony Davis (quad, rest) on Thursday vs. Detroit, adding 10 rebounds, one block and three triples in 30 minutes.
Kuzma is rostered in 39% of Yahoo Leagues, a number that we think is way too high. He’s not even a top-200 player in 9-cat leagues in 23 minutes per game, but he will have some streaming appeal from time to time like we saw tonight with Anthony Davis (quad, rest) out. In four previous starts, he fared well with 12.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.3 blocks and 2.0 triples in 30.0 minutes.
Montrezl Harrell posted his second straight dud on Thursday vs. the Pistons, scoring eight points (4-of-10 FGs, 0-of-1 FTs) with three boards, one assist, one steal and one block in 23 minutes.
He was scoreless in 15 minutes vs. the 76ers on Wednesday and got bullied tonight by Mason Plumlee. This was especially disappointing because the Lakers were missing Anthony Davis (quad, rest) this evening. Harrell is only an 11th-round value in 9-cat on the season, so his value has tanked a couple rounds compared to last season. He's still a hold and should get it going again soon though, as the Lakers are going to rely on him and Dennis Schroder a lot down the stretch to keep AD and Lebron James fresh.
Terance Mann started again on Thursday and hit 3-of-6 shots, a 3-pointer and 5-of-5 free throws for 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and a block in 27 minutes of a 109-105 win over the Heat.
Mann started on Tuesday and had 10 points, nine rebounds, four steals and a 3-pointer against the Hawks, but he's more of a DFS guy than someone you want to add to a season-long roster right now. But until the Clippers get Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Pat Beverley back, Mann's going to get plenty of minutes.
Gabe Vincent played through a sore ankle (again) and hit 6-of-13 shots and two 3-pointers off the bench on Thursday to finish with 18 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals in 26 minutes.
With Goran Dragic out again with a groin injury and Jimmy Butler (COVID-protocol) and Avery Bradley (knee) also sidelined again, fantasy managers likely loaded up on a semi-hot Kendrick Nunn, but he had just 10 points and three dimes on 5-of-12 shooting. But it was Vincent picking up the slack after failing to score more than eight points in his last seven games. Vincent got hot earlier in the season and could continue to make some noise as long as Dragic's out, but for now, Nunn is still the better bet for fantasy success, despite tonight's numbers.
Precious Achiuwa played just 13 minutes and hit 4-of-4 shots and 2-of-5 free throws for 10 points and five rebounds in Thursday's loss to the Clippers.
The Heat were without Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, Andre Iguodala, Avery Bradley, Meyers Leonard and Chris Silva, yet Achiuwa could only get 13 minutes. Kelly Olynyk played 25 minutes, Bam Adebayo played 35 minutes, Duncan Robinson played 33 minutes and Max Strus, who hit four 3-pointers for 12 points, played 21 minutes. The Heat should start getting some of their regulars back soon, making guys like Achiuwa, Strus, Kendrick Nunn and Gabe Vincent risky fantasy plays, especially once Miami's red crosses start going away.
Enes Kanter double-doubled vs. the Rockets on Thursday with 13 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal in 33 minutes.
Kanter has picked up a ton of steam since Jusuf Nurkic went down, coming into tonight with early-round value over his last four games with 10.5 points, 13.3 rebounds, 3.0 dimes, 1.0 steals and 2.0 blocks. It’s wishful thinking to expect the defensive stats to stick with Kanter averaging 0.4 steals and 0.5 blocks for his career, but we expect him to be a mid-rounder for as long as Nurkic is out, especially since Harry Giles has been quiet.
Anfernee Simons had another strong game off the bench on Thursday vs. Houston with 14 points (5-of-13 FGs), eight rebounds and four triples in 28 minutes.
He hit a couple of huge 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and the Blazers even drew up a shot for him on the final play, but it was executed pretty poorly. Regardless, Simons is picking up steam and looks like a low-end pickup if you missed out on a guy like Gary Trent Jr. with the Blazers missing so many players. “I don’t think a lot of you guys see his skill set the way we do on a day-to-day basis — the way he attacks, the way he can shoot the hell out of the ball … his flow within the game," Carmelo Anthony said recently. "Those things come natural to him." He's averaging 18.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.0 dimes and 4.7 triples over his last three, so Terry Stotts is likely to keep riding the hot hand.
Rodney Hood (thigh) came off the bench on Thursday vs. Houston, scoring two points with two rebounds, one assist and one steal in 20 minutes.
Hood has lost all his momentum since his 21-point game on Jan. 18th. The Blazers are riding the hot hands of Anfernee Simons and Gary Trent Jr. right now but we'll let you know if Hood resurfaces in deeper formats with so many Blazers on the injury report.
Jae'Sean Tate was quiet in 17 minutes vs. the Blazers, scoring two points with three rebounds, one assist and one steal.
The rookie had some really nice performances when John Wall was injured, and while it sounds like he’s going to hold onto a starting job for now, his fantasy value has dried up with so many high-usage players on this roster. "He's just trustworthy. He makes the right plays,” coach Stephen Silas said. “Makes the right reads. Usually in the right spot on both ends of the floor. He's a good rebounder." He's safe to drop in standard leagues but will be back on the streaming radar whenever a stud sits.
DeMarcus Cousins only played 11 minutes vs. the Blazers on Thursday with Christian Wood (ankle) back, scoring six points with four rebounds, three dimes, one steal and one triple.
Wood and Cousins have only logged six minutes together all season, and unfortunately Silas did not keep his word about finding more minutes for Boogie after his strong play. Boogie averaged a 14/5/5 line with two steals and two blocks in four spot-starts this season to reward his patient fantasy managers, and while tonight was discouraging, we'd recommend holding him in the hope that Silas eventually rolls with the double-big combo for stretches.
Rodney Hood is starting on Thursday despite a thigh contusion, along with Damian Lillard, Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Jones Jr., and Enes Kanter.
Hood's starting after missing Monday's game as a late scratch with the contusion. It's impossible to know how Terry Stotts will run the rotation, though, as Gary Trent Jr. could outplay him. Hood is not ranked in the top-200 of all players in 9-cat leagues.
Terry Stotts said that Robert Covington has made some progress in the NBA concussion protocol testing, and while he won't play Thursday, he is traveling with the team.
Portland is currently in the midst of a six-game road trip, so while RoCo will remain on the sidelines tonight, it is good news that he's traveling with the team and making progress with the concussion. For now, we'll consider him questionable for Saturday's game in Chicago, and it'll be Carmelo Anthony starting until he gets back.
Rui Hachimura (protocol) is available to play on Friday against the Hawks.
Hachimura is available along with Davis Bertans and Moe Wagner for the first time in weeks. Hachimura hasn't played since January 11th after entering the medical protocol. Wait for word on whether or not Hachimura will be placed on a minutes restriction, as several players who've been out for longer than a week have been. It may not be worth playing the second-year forward right away, though it's great news he's back.
Moe Wagner (COVID-protocol) will be available to play on Friday against the Hawks.
Wagner has been out a little more than two weeks, so he'll likely be eased back into things. It's possible he could eventually emerge as a relevant name in fantasy hoops with Thomas Bryant (knee) done for the year, but he still has Robin Lopez, Alex Len and Davis Bertans to compete with for minutes, so he's a wait-and-see guy in most formats.
Derrick Jones Jr. (quad contusion) is starting on Thursday against the Rockets.
Jones Jr. will have opportunities with C.J. McCollum still sitting, but he's disappointed so far. In three games since McCollum's injury, he's averaging 8.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 0.7 steals in 29.3 minutes per game. He isn't ranked in the top-200 in 9-cat leagues.
Goran Dragic (left groin strain) has been ruled out for Thursday's game vs. the Clippers.
This will be the second straight game on the sidelines for Dragic, which should result in another start for Kendrick Nunn and more minutes for Gabe Vincent and Avery Bradley. Nunn makes for the best DFS target/streamer out of that group.
Max Strus (wrist) and Gabe Vincent (ankle) will be available to play on Thursday against the Clippers.
Strus took a tough spill after getting fouled on a dunk attempt yesterday, but he'll fight through the pain, although he remains irrelevant in fantasy hoops. The same can be said for Vincent.
Alec Burks is probable to play on Friday with a left ankle injury.
Burks' ankle injury cost him nearly a month of play, but he's been back for four games now. In that stretch, his numbers have come down, though. He's averaging 11.8 points on 31.1% shooting from the field and 30.4% shooting from 3-point range with 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 steals per game.
Avery Bradley (right knee contusion) is questionable for Thursday's game against the Clippers.
The Heat are on the second leg of a back-to-back and Bradley just returned from a lengthy absence, so they may play it safe with him and hold him out of tonight's game. Max Strus and Gabe Vincent could pick up some extra minutes if he sits, but that doesn't mean much in fantasy hoops.