I love watching nature videos. Pandas eating bamboos and being clumsy are fun and appropriate for the kids, but I’m always fascinated by the rawness of animals mating, hunting, killing, and eating. As Old Dirty sang, “Ooh, baby, I like it raw.” Salmon swimming upstream to mate always hits home to me. That’s a lot of work to get it on. Now think about all the work you did to get it on. Exactly. That’s not my favorite part of the salmon expedition, though. That comes when the bears enter the brook and have a feast. They splash, dash, and mash as many salmon into their mouths and get their grub on. Which is exactly what Dillon Brooks did last night:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 31 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5/7 | 9/16 | 8/8 |
For you enquiring minds, the 31 points weren’t a career high. Brooks dropped 36 back in 2017, so this is not foreign territory to him. Now, the minutes and production have been erratic this season. Beep. Boop. Bop. You know what’s not erratic and will deliver consistent results? The Stocktonator. Brooks has received over 30 minutes of run four times, but less than 25 minutes in the other three games. He’s scored in double figures four games, but failed to reach 10 points in three games. He also won’t contribute much outside of some boards and steals. With that said, he is starting for the Grizzlies, a team that is playing at a top 5 pace on offense. Down by the Brooks, it’s usually calm and serene, but every once in a while, Dillon will splash points like a bear feasting on salmon.
Here’s what else I saw last night:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3/5 | 8/15 | 1/2 |
Well, then. The tres and stocks are a pleasant surprise. So is the field goal percentage, but where are the boards? I want to stab someone in the back now!!! Currently, Julius is outside the top 200 due to poor percentages, few stocks, and no tres. He’s not this bad, but he’s not as good as many were mental masturbating over in the preseason. Should be a solid source of points and boards.
Marcus Morris
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3/7 | 7/14 | 1/1 |
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4/7 | 7/11 | 4/5 |
‘Twas the battle of the Morris twins, as the Pistons hosted the Knicks. The fantasy lines were similar. Duh!!! They are twins! What they should’ve done was play one-on-one an hour before the game started to settle it once and for all. Who is the best Morris in the land? Somebody is getting fired in the Pistons marketing department. Anyways, from a fantasy perspective, Marcus has been very good….like top 50 good. He ain’t that good, though, as he’s never finished higher than the 114th player in fantasy. When Blake Griffin returns to the lineup, Markieff will be relegated to the bench and will have more time to think about Marcus. He stinks anyways.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3/4 | 0 |
Only played eight minutes as he left the game early due to concussion symptoms. Mr. Robinson’s neighborhood has not been a pleasant place to visit this season. Part of it is due to getting Fizdale’d, but he’s also been Knick’d up quite a bit. Bobby Portis would likely start if Mr. Robinson’s neighborhood is closed to the public.
Frank Ntilikina
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 11 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1/1 | 5/7 | 0/2 |
Got the start and played 39 minutes! It’s happ……not so fast. He can get Fizdale’d at any moment and will likely get sent to the corner when Elfrid Payton and Dennis Smith Jr. return to action.
Tony Snell
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6/6 | 9/9 | 0 |
The Snell was so pungent and fragrant last night! It usually Snells like doo doo, so enjoy this performance. There’s a reason that outliers is a word in the dictionary.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 27 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 12/16 | 3/4 |
I’ll be honest. If I don’t see 20 points and 20 rebounds in Drummond’s stat box, my day doesn’t feel right. Stupid Snell. If he shoots 1-for-8 like he normally does, then…..
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/1 | 0/5 | 0 |
Played 21 minutes. Since a blistering start to the season, Rui has played an average of 19.5 minutes over the past three games and shot 38.9% from the field with 8 points per game. Hachimura needs to happen, as Rui has returned to his shell. Get up! Get out! As the season progresses, he should get better and play a ton of minutes because the Wizards will suck. He will likely only be a point and boards guy, though.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1/2 | 6/10 | 7/7 |
Thomas keeps chugging along. Choo chooooo!!!
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 30 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1/12 | 12/29 | 5/5 |
Damn! A 50-burger was within sight. If only he could connect from downtown. Beal is currently a top 50 player, but fear not. The poor shooting is the only thing holding him back. He’s sporting a usage rate of 33.8 so he’s going to get his and make those who ordered the Beal very happy.
C. J. Miles
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3/6 | 6/11 | 0 |
Played 23 minutes off the bench and was the main scoring option for the second unit. If you are hunting for tres and points, just go a few Miles and you’ll find what you were looking for.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 17 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4/11 | 5/6 |
Arvydas would be proud. Except for the fouling out part, but whatever. If you ain’t fouling, you ain’t trying. Myles Turner missed another game, so Sabonis was the main guy down low. The points and boards are his foundation, but he does dish out a nice amount of dimes for a big man. As for the stocks, don’t count on them nightly, but he will provide a little something something in those departments.
JaKarr Sampson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0/3 | 7/12 | 0 |
Got the start and played 24 minutes. I’d be interested if his name was Ralph, but unfortunately he plays more like Jar Jar Binks. Once Myles returns, Jar Jar will be relegated back to the bench.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 3 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1/3 | 3/14 | 5/5 |
Brogdon is third in the Association with 9.4 dimes dished a game. Third! Yo, Milwaukee. You done F’d up.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3/5 | 7/10 | 1/1 |
Got the start and played 31 minutes because Jeremy Lamb was not able to play. The Pacers love Holiday because he’s a professional getter of buckets. His time is not now, though.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4/6 | 6/10 | 3/3 |
Please refer back to the Tony Snell blurb.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 25 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3/11 | 8/19 | 6/6 |
Returned from the two-game suspension and continued to ball the F out. MEOW!!!
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 30 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3/8 | 11/21 | 5/8 |
Wiggy Wiggy Wiggins is a top 80 player!!! Praise the Lord!!! The draft cost finally fell enough this season where we rejoice and have to fulfill all the promises that we made. The points, tres, blocks, and field goal percentage are all up. Will it continue? Probably not, but there’s upside here and late-bloomer is a concept in all walks of life.
Jarrett Culver
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2/5 | 5/13 | 3/6 |
Received the start and played 30 minutes because Jeff Teague did not play due to illness. The rookie has shown ability this season, and is averaging 19.8 minutes on the season, but when Teague is healthy, Culver will be relegated to a backup role. When he’s on the court, the percentages will be poor, but he can provide points, tres, boards, and dimes.
Treveon Graham
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 10 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2/3 | 4/9 | 0 |
Graham had been starting but came off the bench in this one. He did play 32 minutes. With that said, he’s strictly out there for defense and could provide some steals for fantasy. That’s about it.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0/2 | 0/5 | 0 |
Only played 15 minutes due to foul trouble (SHOCKER!) and suckitude. He was returning from a knee injury, so I wouldn’t go jump in front of a bus or anything. I love his potential, but there are obvious risks.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 10 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5/9 | 0 |
Played 27 minutes, the first time over 24 minutes all season long. It’s all varsity for JV, and he will provide nightly dub-dubs for fantasy. It’s all about the minutes. There’s only been one year in his career when he averaged over 28 minutes per game. If he gets that this season, top 50 player?
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 26 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9/19 | 8/10 |
Ja was watching Rocky IV, when he got so pumped up that he flew out to Moscow to play some pickup ball. In a Rocky-infused fury, Ja was breaking Rusky ankles and rims. When the slaughter was complete, the locals asked him what his name was. Ja responded with “Ja.” Da, the Ruskies replied. What is your name? How long do you think that exchange went on?
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7/7 | 4/4 |
In 22 minutes off the bench! Clarke is a top 40 player for fantasy despite averaging only 22 minutes! Points, boards, stocks, and excellent percentages are what he delivers. Once he gets the minutes, he’s going to be a beast.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 23 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1/5 | 10/17 | 2/2 |
Led the Magic in scoring. With that said, POOF. His fantasy value continues to disappear. He has the ability to dominate and contribute across the board, but he doesn’t. Probably will be around a top 100 player, as he can score, provide tres, points, and some dimes.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 1/2 | 5/8 | 2/2 |
Top 15 player for fantasy. Imagine when he actually starts shooting and scoring!
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1/3 | 7/15 | 4/5 |
He’s heating up. Boom shakalaka! It’s only a matter of time before he starts producing to the levels you expected.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5/8 | 2/2 |
Played 34 minutes and looks to be the guy at center for the Mavs. Boards, good percentages, and a little something something in tres and stocks are what Powell provides.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 27 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1/7 | 10/21 | 6/7 |
I heart you, Luka. The turnovers are still high, but whatever, as they are good in all walks of life. You want to eat at a buffet with low turnover? How about the strip club? That’s what I thought. He’s almost AVERAGING a trip-dub and getting his 211 on. The biggest improvement has been in the percentages.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 27 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1/5 | 5/16 | 16/18 |
Returned from his two-game suspension and balled the F out. Unfortunately, in a loss. Embiid is almost the perfect player for fantasy. The percentages are excellent, he’s a member of the 1/1/1 club, dishes out dimes, scores, and rebounds. The usage rate is over 33 as well. The only thing is the minutes and games played. Maybe it’s a good thing the basketball gods put those checks and balances in because there would be too much rage quitting.
Ben Simmons only played 10 minutes due to a shoulder injury. It doesn’t sound serious, as the initial designation was a minor sprain of the AC joint, but he could miss some time.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2/6 | 8/13 | 6/6 |
My RichardSON!!! Maybe with Simmons shelved, my RichardSON can make the family name proud.
Raul Neto
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 11 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1/2 | 5/11 | 0 |
Played 30 minutes due to the Simmons injury. If he gets extended run, Neto could provide some tres, points, dimes, and steals.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2/5 | 9/18 | 0/1 |
Such a perfect fit for BoBo and the Jazz. He’s currently a top 35 player, providing plenty of points, tres, boards, steals, and excellent percentages.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4/8 | 6/8 |
Fouled out but still led the Jazz to victory over the 76ers.
Gobert is currently a top 100 player. Uh, yeah. Primarily due to the 1 block per game. He’s averaged over 2.2 for the past five years, so get him if you can.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 8 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4/8 | 0 |
Got the start and played 31 minutes. That’s the most important thing. Hopefully, Luke the bobo doesn’t mess things up.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 26 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4/9 | 7/15 | 8/10 |
Barnes will always be Mehrrison to me. He does have the ability to score, but won’t contribute much else.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 17 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1/3 | 7/16 | 2/5 |
7’s were wild!!! Only good in Vegas, not for the turnover category in fantasy. Fox is outside the top 200 right now, as the steals are down and the percentages have been atrocious. Should get better….I hope.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6/11 | 7/14 | 2/2 |
Played 32 minutes off the bench. What a night for BoBos! Prior to last night, BogBog was averaging 24 minutes per game. Luke Walton truly is a bobo. If he gets the run, BogBog will provide tres, dimes, and steals. The shooting efficiency won’t be great, though.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 23 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0/3 | 8/13 | 7/8 |
I guess he could take another leap forward. So damn impressive. I’m still a little baffled that Siakam doesn’t block any shots, considering his length and athleticism. On the season, the usage rate is 30.6 and he’s averaging 25.6 points, 9.1 boards, 2 tres, 3.6 dimes, and 0.9 steals. The field goal percentage is 50% while he’s shooting 94% from the line on five attempts. P. S. – he’s good.
O. G. Anunoby
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3/4 | 7/10 | 1/3 |
Masai for President! First Siakam and now Anunoby. The Force is strong in both. O. G. is a top 25 player and is a 1/1/1 member. How sustainable is it, though?
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 5/7 | 8/15 | 3/4 |
Played 40 minutes. He’s averaging 39 minutes per game on the season! From a fantasy perspective, gotta love the minutes and production, but can he hold up the entire season?
Otto Porter Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3/4 | 5/6 | 0 |
Only played 12 minutes due to a foot injury. He was once a roto player’s wet dream. Now, he is everyone’s fantasy nightmare.
Tomas Satoransky
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 27 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4/5 | 10/13 | 3/4 |
Finally! That’s what I was expecting when drafting him in the offseason. Last night was the first night receiving at least 30 minutes of run. He’s the best guard to lead the Bulls on the roster in my opinion. With that said, I’m just some dork writing blurbs from his mom’s basement.
Coby White still played 30 minutes and scored 10 points while Kris Dunn played 20 minutes and scored 13 points with 5 steals.
Vince Carter
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3/6 | 4/8 | 3/3 |
You know it wasn’t a good night when the first Hawks player I write up is Vince Carter. The Hawks lost at home to the Bulls, 93-113. Did everyone stop taking PEDs?
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0/8 | 3/12 | 3/3 |
Just one of them days.
Glenn Robinson III
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3/6 | 6/13 | 0 |
Continues to start and played 34 minutes.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 28 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3/8 | 10/18 | 5/6 |
Played 31 minutes off the bench.
It’s Whack-a-Warrior to figure out who is going to produce on any given night when D’Angelo Russell and Draymond Green don’t play.
P. J. Tucker
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4/8 | 9/14 | 0 |
P. J. is just trolling us now. After starting the season with 17, 16, and 17 points, he proceeded to give us 9, 9, 2, and 0 the next four games. P. J. is a set-it-and-forget player, but not in a good way like with a superstar. He plays a shit ton of minutes and has this kind of ceiling, but usually just trips into counting stats.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 9/14 | 1/2 |
C & C Music Factory was pumping the jams last night. Sponsored by the Golden State Warriors. The free throw shooting and lack of tres will always be his bugaboos, but excellent field goal percentage, stocks, and boards will be plentiful.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 36 | 4 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6/16 | 10/23 | 10/13 |
Yawn. I’m Harden excited but bored at the same time. My tolerance level for Harden excellence has reached a point that this line does nothing for me.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 38 | 16 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4/7 | 10/21 | 14/18 |
So that’s what the ceiling looks like. Or is it? Ever seen those pictures of glaciers that go thousands of feet below the water with only the tip sticking out? Well, G is that except upside down. It’s all about the free throws and tres for G.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 11 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 0/3 | 4/12 | 3/4 |
He’s going to start boarding again? Yeah, probably not but it’s nice to know he’s still got it. Like a MILF going to the club after a 20 year hiatus. The field goal percentage has been brutal to start the year, but the tres and blocks are still there.
Wesley Matthews
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/2 | 0/2 | 0 |
Got the start and only played 18 minutes. He’s shooting 44% from the field but only 32% from downtown. Since opening the season with three straight 14-point games, Matthews has scored 3, 0, 2. 8, and 0 points. There’s a chance he gets usurped.
George Hill
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6/7 | 9/14 | 0 |
Played 24 minutes off the bench. Great symmetry. For the season, Hill is averaging 22.6 minutes per game. He provides tres, dimes, and some steals, but the 56% shooting from the field is unsustainable. He’s more like a 45% shooter.
Montrezl Harrell
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 34 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 13/25 | 8/12 |
One of those nights, huh? A career-high in points and boards for Montrezl. Kawhi Leonard was getting his load managed in this one, so Montrezl was able to get busy.
Patrick Beverley
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3/4 | 6/9 | 5/5 |
Like I said, one of those nights. Beverley’s first career 20/10 game.
Lou Williams
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 34 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4/9 | 9/27 | 12/13 |
Got the start and played 39 minutes. Without Kawhi on the court, Lou has a 34.6 usage rate, an increase of 5.4. Sweet!
