Will Barton kept his hot streak going in Thursday's win over the Warriors, scoring 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting (2-of-3 FT) to go with three 3-pointers, four rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 32 minutes.
Barton was coming off a 22-point, six-triple performance, so perhaps this is a sign that he's ready to start rolling after an inconsistent start to the year. Bol Bol got another spot-start with Gary Harris (personal) unavailable, but he was only out there for 10 minutes and finished with four points, one rebound, one block and one turnover in the win.
Monte Morris saw 32 minutes off the bench in Thursday's win over the Warriors and finished with 11 points, two rebounds, three assists, one 3-pointer, two steals, one block and two turnovers.
Through the first 12 games of the season, Morris has been putting up sneaky late-round value in 9-cat leagues with averages of 11.3 points, 3.2 assists, 1.3 triples, 1.0 steal and just 0.4 turnovers per contest on 52% shooting, and he's seen some increased opportunity over the past two games with Gary Harris (personal) unavailable. He typically won't blow you away with what he brings to the box score, but he can chip in a little bit of everything without hurting you anywhere, so he's worth a look in deep leagues.
JaMychal Green came off the bench for 15 points, nine rebounds, three triples and one turnover across 28 minutes in Thursday's win over the Warriors.
Green was locked in after being held to just nine points on 3-of-7 shooting his last time out, this time going 5-of-10 from the floor, 3-of-4 from distance and 2-of-2 from the stripe. He's hitting an absurd 52.8% of his long-balls through his first eight games of the season, although the general lack of defensive stats limits his value to deeper leagues. Paul Millsap had a solid game in the win, tallying 12 points (4-of-7 FG, 2-of-2 FT), two triples, four boards, four assists, three steals, one block and one turnover in 23 minutes.
Damian Lillard scored 22 points on 7-of-16 shooting in Thursday's blowout loss to the Pacers, adding six rebounds, four assists, one steal, two triples and an unfortunate five turnovers across 36 minutes.
Lillard got off to a slow start in this one, going just 2-of-6 from the floor through the first half of action, but his shot started falling after halftime and he also finished a perfect 6-of-6 at the line. C.J. McCollum matched Lillard's 22 points and added three rebounds, four assists, four 3-pointers, one steal and one turnover across 34 minutes in the loss.
Derrick Jones Jr. scored nine points without missing on Thursday, adding six rebounds, one 3-pointer, three blocks and two turnovers across 22 minutes.
DJJ typically won't blow you away with what he brings to the box score, but he could see an uptick in minutes with Jusuf Nurkic (broken wrist) set to miss time, so he's worth a look in deep leagues due to his upside in the defensive categories.
Enes Kanter pulled down nine rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench on Thursday, adding four points, two assists and two turnovers in a blowout loss to the Pacers.
Jusuf Nurkic is going to need to miss time with the fractured right wrist, so Kanter is going to see a major boost as Portland’s starting center until he gets back. He didn't see a major uptick in minutes tonight because it wasn't until the third quarter that Nurkic left the game, and Portland wasn't able to keep it close in the 24-point loss. We already know what he can do as a starter for the Blazers, as he found himself in this same situation during the 2018-19 season when Nurkic went down with the leg injury, and through eight starts in Portland he put in averages of 18.1 points, 11.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.6 blocks and 2.3 turnovers per game on 61.5% shooting from the field and 61.5% from the stripe. Make sure he’s not available on your waiver wire.
Robert Covington went just 1-of-7 from the field in Thursday's loss to the Pacers for one 3-pointer, one rebound, one assist, two steals, one block and two turnovers in 27 minutes.
Covington has been fairly consistent with the steals this season, but it’s concerning that he’s only averaging 6.7 FGA and 0.5 swats per game. He’s still finding his footing with the Trail Blazers, and he has gone through month-long cold streaks in the past, but it’ll be tough for him to turn things around if he’s averaging fewer than 10 shots a night. However, he could see more minutes at center — and more touches in general — while Jusuf Nurkic (wrist) is out, so that could help his shot-blocking numbers and overall usage. Hopefully, he'll be able to finally get things going over the next few weeks.
Lonnie Walker notched 16 points with three rebounds, two assists, four triples and two turnovers in 25 minutes vs. the Rockets on Thursday.
He was sporting a wrap on his left thumb and had to have it re-taped at one point. "It’s good. It’s a little pain here and there," Walker said. "It’s part of my thumb. It’s not going to stop me from playing.” Walker had a combined 49 points and six triples in his previous two games, but DeMar DeRozan missed those and was back tonight. Still, Walker is hot and should do just enough to be standard-league worthy, at least until Derrick White (toe) comes back.
T.J. McConnell (personal) returned from a three-game absence on Thursday and produced four points, five rebounds, eight assists, three steals and two turnovers in 21 minutes off the bench.
McConnell got some extra run in tonight's blowout, but his minutes will dip once Caris LeVert is added to the mix. At best, McConnell is nothing more than a low-end assist specialist in deep leagues.
Justin Holiday scored 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting Thursday, to go with three triples, three rebounds, one assist, one block and one turnover across 25 minutes.
Holiday was held to just eight points and one 3-pointer his last time out, but he got things back on track tonight, going 3-of-4 from distance. He's not the most consistent guy, but he should be able to do enough with the steals and triples while T.J. Warren (foot) is out to flirt with late-round value. His brother, Aaron, played some solid defense in Thursday's win, posting a team-high plus/minus rating of plus-22 in 21 minutes off the bench to go with six points, one rebound and three assists.
Domantas Sabonis notched his 12th straight double-double in Thursday's win over the Trail Blazers, registering 23 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals and three turnovers in 38 minutes.
Sabonis struggled at the charity stripe through the first three games of the year, but over his past eight he’s been draining a respectable 76.5% of his free throw attempts to go with averages of 22.0 points, 13.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.5 turnovers per contest on 56.2% shooting. He’s hitting career-highs in every relevant category, and if he can keep up the solid free throw shooting, he could easily finish inside the top-20. Sure, he doesn’t block many shots, but his ability to offer up close to six dimes a night from the power forward position is elite.
Myles Turner double-doubled in Thursday's win over the Trail Blazers with 11 points, 10 rebounds, one steal, four swats and three turnovers in 37 minutes.
“The players on this team... are confident in my abilities,” said Turner in a recent interview. “It is a new coaching staff, so I am still trying to get adjusted to the system. Nonetheless, you have to be aggressive... and coach Nate Bjorkgren gave me the courage to be aggressive." Turner was very passive in the offense to begin the season, but he's been making a clear effort to be more assertive in seeking out his own shot lately, which is great for his fantasy outlook. He's averaging a career-high 4.2 swats through the first 12 games of the season, which leads the league by a wide margin, and is the main reason why he currently ranks in the top-20.
Jae'Sean Tate started at point guard vs. the Spurs on Thursday and dished out a career-high 10 assists to go with 13 points, five rebounds and two blocks in 33 minutes.
Tate has been turning heads around the franchise since training camp and got his first extended look tonight with John Wall (knee, day-to-day) out and Victor Oladipo yet to join the team after the James Harden trade. He doesn't have a realistic shot at standard-league value as long as Wall is upright, but maybe that changes if the Rockets experiment with some two-PG lineups. Just keep an eye on him if you're in a deep league, but look his way as a streamer if Wall misses more time.
P.J. Tucker played 35 minutes vs. the Spurs on Thursday with 10 points, six rebounds, two assists, one steal and two triples in 35 minutes.
James Harden's departure doesn't move the needle much for Tucker's fantasy value, but it could mean he's the next player out the door. According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, multiple teams have inquired about Tucker’s availability and it's no secret that he wasn't happy about not receiving a contract extension over the offseason. Anthony Slater covers the Warriors for The Athletic and believes the two sides could be a good fit, so that's something to watch.
DeMar DeRozan (personal reasons) returned to action on Thursday vs. Houston, scoring 13 points with seven assists, six rebounds, one steal, one block and one turnover in 35 minutes.
He was 0-of-2 from beyond the arc, but has already matched his total of 3-pointers for last season with nine through 10 games. Hopefully he keeps firing away because if he can average close to 1.0 triple per game that will keep him around top-25 territory in 9-category leagues.
OG Anunoby stuffed the box score on Thursday vs. Charlotte with 13 points (4-of-9 FGs, 3-of-4 FTs), five rebounds, two assists, three steals, one block and two triples in 33 minutes.
He hasn't been the offensive force many were expecting with only 2.0 more points per game compared to last season, but he's still getting the job done for fantasy managers with contributions across the board -- he's on pace for top-70 numbers with 12.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.9 steals, 0.6 blocks and 1.8 triples. OG did have a hard fall tonight and clutched at his wrist area, but he was able to play through it which is a good sign. We'll keep an eye out for an update.
Aron Baynes was the "starting center" on Thursday vs. Charlotte but played only eight minutes with two points and one rebound.
He was in some early foul trouble but it didn't matter with Chris Boucher running circles around him yet again. Baynes wasn't even supposed to play tonight but Alex Len was out for personal reasons. Baynes is not a fantasy option.
Pascal Siakam notched 15 points (6-of-15 FGs, 1-of-1 FTs) with seven rebounds, four assists, three steals, one block and two triples in a 111-108 win over the Hornets on Thursday.
This improves the Raptors to 3-8 on the season and they will be encouraged that Siakam is starting to look more like himself -- he averaged 24 points, 7.0 assists and 10.5 rebounds on 52.9 percent shooting on their recent road trip. "There's some speed up the floor," Nurse said. "There's much better movement and connectivity on defense. Just playing all around like he's capable of, so it's good to see. Really bright spot on this trip, for sure." Toronto will get a rematch vs. the Hornets on Saturday.
Tyler Herro came back to earth on Thursday vs. the 76ers with 17 points (7-of-16 FGs, 2-of-3 FTs), six rebounds, three assists, one steal, one triple and three turnovers in 32 minutes.
Everyone already knows all about his 3-point shooting ability, but Herro has really turned some heads with his short jumpers -- entering Thursday’s game, he was shooting 19-of-29 (65.5%) from 3-10 feet. Coach Erik Spoelstra said it’s “unique” to have a player so young who can hit threes, drive for layups and stop on a dime for mid-range jumpers, and he’s giving the Heat a nice lift in the absence of Miami’s studs -- they have only had eight active players in the last two games due to medical protocols. His lack of peripheral stats makes him just a low-end asset when Miami have their full roster though.
Malik Monk got some rare minutes on Thursday vs. Toronto and made the most of them, finishing with 10 points (3-of-6 FGs, 1-of-2 FTs), three assists, three rebounds and three triples in 23 minutes.
Gordon Hayward is out with a left hip strain, but could be back as soon as Saturday. Monk had played a total of 11 minutes entering Thursday but certainly gave coach James Borrego something to think about tonight. There's still no reason to add him in fantasy but we could see him take some minutes from the Martin twins.