Marcus Smart had one of his worst games of the season, scoring just 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting with no 3-pointers in 29 minutes.
Smart had a forgettable game and so did the Celtics, as they lost 105-75 to the Knicks. Yes, those Knicks. He failed to make a triple for the third time this season and only had two rebounds, two assists and two steals in addition to his 10 points. And now with Kemba Walker back, Smart's fantasy value takes a slight dip as he won't be assuming playmaking duties as much moving forward and will need threes, steals and boards to produce good numbers.
Immanuel Quickley played 21 minutes off the bench on Sunday, netting 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting with eights assists, a steal, a block and two 3-pointers.
Quickley did some of his damage in garbage time of a blowout win for the Knicks, but who cares? The rookie has scored at least 17 points in three straight games and is on the verge of replacing Elfrid Payton in the starting lineup as Tom Thibodeau did recently say he was considering everything during the midst of their five-game skid. Quickley was picked up in 17% of Yahoo leagues last week and we suggest you "quickly" grab him in standard and deep leagues, too.
RJ Barrett logged his second double-double of the season on Sunday, scoring 19 points with 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Barrett was one of two Knicks to double-double in the game, joining Julius Randle as the other, and he shot the ball well, making 5-of-11 attempts, 7-of-8 at the line and two 3-pointers. Barrett has now made multiple threes in back-to-back games for the first time this season, a great sign for the Knicks and his fantasy managers as he's shooting just 21% from deep so far. We have to attribute his effort on the glass, however, as Barrett is grabbing 7.2 rebounds a night while dishing out 3.4 assists.
Avery Bradley (health & safety) has been ruled out against the Pistons on Monday.
Bradley will miss another game for the Heat as he continues to quarantine under the NBA's health and safety protocols. Duncan Robinson, Goran Dragic and Tyler Herro (neck; questionable) should be in line for more action with Bradley and Jimmy Butler (health & safety) sidelined.
Julius Randle double-doubled on Sunday, scoring 20 points with 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals in a 105-75 stomping over the Celtics.
Randle recorded his ninth double-double of the season and did it efficiently, hitting 7-of-14 field goals, two triples and 4-of-5 free throws, leading the Knicks to blowout win vs Boston. The win snapped New York's five-game losing streak and Randle continued his stellar play, notching his ninth 20-point game this season and building his top-50 fantasy value.
Sterling Brown (lower leg injury) is listed as questionable for Monday's game against the Bulls.
Brown was held out of Saturday's loss to the Spurs, and with Eric Gordon and Victor Oladipo available to play on Monday, his time as a relevant fantasy option may be coming to an end. Even if Brown is cleared, at best he's a name to keep in mind if the Rockets are again hit hard by injuries/COVID-19 protocol absences.
Danuel House (health and safety protocols) will miss Monday's game against the Bulls.
House continues to self-isolate, and it's unknown when he will be cleared to rejoin his teammates for practice much less a game. Leave him on the waiver wire for the time being.
Brodric Thomas (right ankle sprain) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Bulls.
Thomas isn't a viable fantasy asset, regardless of league format. We'll have an update once he's close to being cleared for action.
Tyler Herro (neck spasms) has been upgraded to questionable for Monday's contest vs Pistons, per The Associated Press' Tim Reynolds.
Erik Spoelstra and the Heat played it safe on Saturday by holding Herro out of their first game against the Pistons. They figured an extra day would be good for him so he'll likely suit up on Monday for Miami which will be without wings Jimmy Butler and Avery Bradley (health & safety). Herro could go off in big way if he's available, making him a great DFS option.
Meyers Leonard (shoulder) won't play against the Pistons on Monday, per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press.
Leonard remains out for the Heat as he recovers from a shoulder injury. But with Bam Adebayo now back in the lineup, the third-string center has no fantasy value behind him and Kelly Olynyk.
Gabe Vincent (knee) is listed as probable for the Heat's second meeting with the Pistons on Monday.
Vincent started on Saturday but only scored four in 16 minutes, going 0-of-4 from distance and fouling out in the game. It was a letdown after he topped 21 points in the each of the two previous outings, but Goran Dragic also returned for Miami and if Tyler Herro (neck) is available on Monday, Vincent will probably go back to his bench role.
Otto Porter Jr. (back spasms) and Garrett Temple (right ankle sprain) are both available to play in Sunday's game against the Mavericks.
Two of the Bulls' more important reserves will be available, which was to be expected as both were originally listed as probable. Porter offers a little more in the way of fantasy upside, but there isn't much need to grab either off of the waiver wire.
Furkan Korkmaz (left groin strain) is available to play in Sunday's game against the Thunder.
Korkmaz has been out since late-December, and at the time the expectation was that he would miss at least two weeks. He's been deemed good to go for Sunday's game in Oklahoma City, giving Philadelphia another rotation piece on the wing. In time Korkmaz's return could cut into Tyrese Maxey's minutes, but the rookie has played well with the 76ers roster being depleted due to injuries and COVID-19 protocol absences.
Marcus Morris said that his recovery from knee tendinitis was thrown off by the NBA's decision to begin this season in December.
Morris did not train for nearly four months as he rested his knees, with his expectation being that the 2020-21 season would not begin until January. The December start date threw things off, which is why he was unable to make his season debut until January 7. While Morris is still on a minutes restriction, he's making progress with regard to his conditioning and should be a full go soon enough. "My legs are so much stronger, I haven’t been dealing with any problems with my knees," Morris said according to the Los Angeles Times. "Once I get going, and once I get where I need to be, man, it’s gonna be trouble."
Brian Bowen (partial tear, left groin) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Clippers.
Bowen, who's on a two-way contract, isn't a rotation player when healthy. No need to even consider grabbing him off of the waiver wire.
Jalen Lecque (left ankle sprain) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Clippers.
Lecque wasn't an impactful part of the Pacers rotation when healthy, and that's unlikely to change once he's cleared to play.
JaKarr Sampson (back soreness) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Clippers.
Sampson played 12 minutes in Thursday's win over the Blazers, so we'll see if the time off has helped when it comes to his back issue. With Myles Turner (hand) ruled out, Sampson could be in line for a few more minutes Sunday night. That being said, he isn't worth picking up as a short-term option.
Jalen Brunson (health and safety protocols) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Bulls.
Brunson has been sidelined since early January, but he appears to be close to making a return. That won't occur on Sunday, however, and with Tim Hardaway Jr. (groin) also out it would be wise to stream Trey Burke.
Derrick Favors (right knee soreness) is listed as probable for Sunday's game against the Nuggets.
After playing 23 minutes in Utah's January 8 win over the Bucks, Favors has played no more than 17 minutes in any of the three games since. Expect a similar workload for the veteran center, and as a result he offers very little in the way of fantasy value. leave him on the waiver wire.
Goga Bitadze (right ankle sprain) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Clippers.
Bitadze has still yet to make his season debut for the Pacers, as he injured his ankle during the preseason. He isn't worth using up an IL spot on.