Garrett Temple played through a right ankle injury on Friday, finishing with eight points, three rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes off Chicago's bench.
The veteran was a true game-time decision, but he suited up and was part of coach Billy Donovan's nine-man rotation tonight. He played well and fills a versatile 3-and-D role for the Bulls, but with 13.0% usage he's tough to roster in 12-team leagues.
Onyeka Okongwu (left foot inflammation) made his season debut vs. the Jazz on Friday, shooting 2-of-6 from the field for four points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal in 14 minutes.
He's got a ton of long-term upside but minutes are going to be hard to come by with Clint Capela around and John Collins getting a handful of minutes as a small-ball five. The 6-foot-9, 245-pound Okongwu averaged 16.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.7 blocks per game in college, so if Capela needs to miss time or if Collins gets traded, fantasy managers will know what to do here.
Otto Porter (back spasms) played 25 minutes off Chicago's bench on Friday, scoring eight points with two 3-pointers, eight rebounds, one assist and one block.
Chicago led this game by 16 points with under five minutes remaining, yet they committed egregious mistakes left and right to allow OKC to force overtime -- the Bulls lost 127-125. Porter shot 3-of-7 from the field and the playing time suggests the back injury he sustained vs. the Lakers on Friday isn't a lasting concern. He's shooting 34.8% in January, though, and simply doesn't have much upside in his current low-usage role with the second unit.
Denzel Valentine only scored four points in 15 minutes on Friday, but he added four rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals in a tough loss vs. the Thunder.
That's four straight losses for Chicago, whose defense has been shredded nightly. Valentine committed two of his team's 24 turnovers, and he shot 2-of-7 from the field, but generally he was solid and finished with a team-high plus/minus rating of +14. He's flashed some fantasy potential for steals and 3-pointers, but needs more than 15-20 minutes per game to achieve it.
Lauri Markkanen returned to action on Friday with 16 points (5-of-14 FGs, 3-of-3 FTs), three 3-pointers, six rebounds, two blocks and one steal in 35 minutes vs. OKC.
Markkanen was able to practice twice prior to suiting up for this game, and his playing time was unexpectedly high considering he hadn't played since Dec. 29. This was only his fifth game of the season but the Bulls don't seem inclined to take it slow. Frustrated fantasy GMs have to hope he quickly delivers on preseason expectations fueled by coach Billy Donovan and Arturas Karnisovas, both of whom emphasized Markkanen's development as critical for the Bulls' 2020-21 campaign.
Isaac Okoro had his best game of the season on Friday vs. the Knicks with 13 points (4-of-8 FGs, 4-of-4 FTs), four assists, two rebounds, two steals, two blocks, one triple and two turnovers in 42 minutes.
He's hit some speed bumps early on in his rookie season, but is quietly having a nice stretch over his last three with so many Cavaliers on the injury report. In that span, he's putting up 12.0 points, 2.7 dimes, 2.3 rebounds, 2.3 steals, 0.7 blocks and 1.7 triples on 40% from the field and 83% from the line, good for 9th-round value in 9-cat. He's worth streaming while the Cavs are so shorthanded, and he's showing some intriguing multi-category upside for the future.
Brook Lopez notched his first double-double of the season on Friday, scoring 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting with 11 rebounds, two blocks and one assist.
Lopez helped the Bucks win their fourth straight game, and their seventh in the past eight. He's also helping fantasy managers lock up the blocks category with 2.0 swats per game in January, to go along with reliable 3-pointers. The boards are an unexpected bonus, as he's grabbed 11 in consecutive games after being held to single digits in every prior game this season. In fact, the last time BroLo had double-digit boards in consecutive games was in February 2016. Savor this moment.
Jrue Holiday (right ankle sprain) finished Friday's game vs. the Mavs with 16 points, five assists, three rebounds, two steals, one block and one 3-pointer in 35 minutes.
Holiday was 'probable' on the injury report and there's been no suggestion that the ankle ailment will linger, so consider him good to go for the Bucks' upcoming four-game week. Prior to the game he earned high praise from Giannis Antetokounmpo, who said, "I knew [Holiday] was really good, but every day I play with him, I realize how good a person he is, good a teammate he is, and how much better he is than what I thought." The Bucks are hoping that translates to postseason success, while fantasy managers are hoping Holiday's chemistry with his new teammates continues to grow. He's already posting early-round numbers in a modest 31.5 minutes per game, thanks largely to his 2.2 steals per game.
Khris Middleton racked up 25 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a 112-109 win vs. the Mavs on Friday, making 8-of-20 shots with four 3-pointers.
Middleton went 5-of-5 from the line but it was his late 3-point shooting that put Milwaukee over the top, pushing their win streak to four straight. He's absolutely loving life alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo (31 points, nine boards) and Jrue Holiday (16 points, five dimes), with elite efficiency anchoring early-found value. Even if his lofty 54.4% shooting dips at some point, he looks like a lock to finish in the top-40 for 8-cat/9-cat.
The Mavericks' four-game winning streak ended in Milwaukee on Friday, despite James Johnson contributing 13 points, three assists, two steals and two blocks in 29 minutes off the bench.
Dwight Powell and Dorian Finney-Smith were both out again due to health and safety protocols, so Johnson picked up the frontcourt slack in a tough 112-109 defeat. He's piling up steals with a smattering of stats across the board, but it's rarely enough to bother adding him in leagues with 14 or fewer teams.
Mavs rookie Josh Green finished Friday's game with three rebounds, two steals and five personal fouls in 19 scoreless minutes off the bench.
Prior to the game, coach Rick Carlisle praised Green's performance on Wednesday as his best all season. He's getting added opportunity with Josh Richardson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Jalen Brunson all unavailable as they work their way through the league's health and safety protocols. Once those veterans are cleared to play, though, it'll be hard for Green to scrounge up fantasy-relevant playing time on a team with championship aspirations.
Kristaps Porzingis finished Friday's road loss in Milwaukee with 15 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks, one assist and a pair of 3-pointers in 29 minutes.
Porzingis came up short on a deep 3-pointer that could have given the Mavs the lead with 10 seconds remaining, and it would be understandable if his legs were spent. He played 21 minutes in his season debut on Wednesday, but was up to 29 minutes tonight. That's a trend that should continue until he's close to the 31.8 minutes he averaged last season. Whether he'll play in back-to-back games is another question, and fantasy GMs should prepare for a missed game on either Sunday (vs. Chicago) or Monday (at Toronto). We'll leave him off the injury report for now, but managers should confirm his status before relying on him in DFS.
Wes Iwundu had three points, one 3-pointer, six rebounds and one assist in 23 minutes as a fill-in starter vs. the Bucks on Friday.
"We’re telling [Josh Green and Wes Iwundu] exactly what we need to keep it simple," said coach Rick Carlisle. "Their job is to get to their spots, defend like a son of a gun, run the floor, be ready to step into open shots and make simple, hard basketball plays." Iwundu earned another start tonight due to the absence of Josh Richardson and Dorian Finney-Smith, but even as a starter he's too low-usage to make a fantasy impact.
Javonte Green (health and safety protocols) scored 10 points in 20 minutes off Boston's bench on Friday, hitting 4-of-6 shots with two boards, two steals and one assist.
Green was out for the previous three games, all of which were postponed by the league. He's healthy and showed impressive burst offensively tonight, but he's averaging just 16.3 minutes in four appearances. He isn't a big enough part of the rotation to make a fantasy impact and could drop out entirely when Kemba Walker (knee) is ready to go.
Daniel Theis (health and safety protocols) finished Friday's game vs. the Magic with eight points, 10 rebounds and no other stats in 21 minutes off the bench.
Theis hadn't come off the bench in a game since opening night of the 2019-20 season, according to Celtics' play-by-play announcer Sean Grande. This was likely just a matchup-based move by coach Brad Stevens, who also wanted to limit his key guys' minutes, so Theis could be back in the starting five vs. New York on Sunday. He's only been averaging 22.5 minutes as a starter, though, which restricts his fantasy appeal no matter where he begins games.
Grant Williams made his first start of the season on Friday, posting two points and two rebounds in 23 minutes vs. Orlando.
Tristan Thompson started at center with Williams at power forward, presumably because Daniel Theis was just returning from the league's health and safety protocols. Williams did start five games last season and his numbers weren't thrilling with 5.2 points, 2.6 boards, 1.6 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.6 steals in 21.8 minutes. The potential for defensive stats is intriguing, but most managers can take a wait-and-see approach since this lineup may be short-lived.
Marcus Smart finished Friday's 124-97 home win with 14 points, four 3-pointers, two boards, two assists and one steal in 28 minutes.
Smart is cruising along as a top-100 fantasy asset in 9-cat, buoyed by strong assists (career-high 6.4 per game) and steals (1.6). He's shooting a career-best 36.2% from deep this season but is near his career-low overall, at 35.2% from the field, and faces headwinds in the dimes department now that Kemba Walker (knee) is back in the mix. Walker was out for Friday's game but could play vs. the Knicks on Sunday, and as his minutes ramp up we'd expect to see Smart's assists decline.
Semi Ojeleye (health and safety protocols) lit up the Magic for 18 points in 20 minutes on Friday, sinking 6-of-10 shots with three 3-pointers, six rebounds and one assist.
Jayson Tatum, Carsen Edwards and Robert Williams are still sidelined due to COVID-19 related precautions. The Celtics were also trying to limit key guys' minutes tonight, allowing Ojeleye to carve out a bigger role. To his credit, he took full advantage and stayed aggressive throughout Friday's blowout victory. As noted by beat writer Marc D'Amico, Ojeleye has recorded a dozen drives to the hoop in 10 games played, a mark he needed 20 games to reach last season. The Celtics are too deep to expect Ojeleye to help most fantasy GMs, but he's at least on the radar in deep leagues.
Jeff Teague shot 5-of-10 from the field and 5-of-5 from the line to score 17 points on Friday, adding two assists, two steals and one rebound in 21 minutes.
Celts coach Brad Stevens said before the game that he wouldn't "push anybody’s minutes beyond their limits," and the lopsided score ensured that he didn't have to. Prior to having three games postponed due to health-and-safety roster limitations, the Celtics were cruising with six wins in their previous seven games. Teague's fill-in start tonight doesn't have lasting implications, as he'll likely slide back to the bench once Jayson Tatum (medical protocols) is cleared to play. Kemba Walker (left knee) is also on the verge of returning, which is an existential threat to Teague's fantasy appeal.
Khem Birch scored 12 points with 12 rebounds, two assists and one steal on Friday, making 5-of-8 FGs and 2-of-2 FTs in 32 minutes of action.
Birch opened the game 5-of-5 from the field and continues to be a bright spot in an injury-plagued season for the Magic. Mo Bamba's inability to stay on the court has opened minutes for Birch, but he's playing well enough that coach Steve Clifford may lean toward bigger lineups just to keep him on the court. Despite career-high production in most categories, though, Birch is just a fringe option if you need a center-eligible player to boost your percentages (55.4% FGs, 90.0% FTs).