What’s up Razzballers? I have the pleasure of taking over the Saturday Daily Notes going forward. A little about myself: I’m 22, I’m Canadian, I like long walks on the beach, I cannot feel pain, and I’ve defeated a man of every race in formal combat. A medical doctor and two priests have written and signed a document confirming that I have no soul. But you didn’t come here to read about me, you came to read about sports! So let’s get into it. Here’s what I saw yesterday in fantasy basketball:
Want the best projections and tools to help dominate your league? Check out the Stocktonator, a byproduct of Rudy and machine making love. Click HERE for a FREE 7-day trial.
LeBron James – The King scored a season-low 18 in what should have been a fairly easy win against the Pelicans. Unfortunately the Cavaliers lost, and LeBron went for a forgettable 18/3/8 with four turnovers and no steals or blocks to show for it. LeBron and the Cavs might not sleepwalk into the Finals like in previous seasons, but maybe it’s a blessing in disguise (for fantasy). With each Cavs game being meaningful, LeBron might have to ball out to carry his team to a top seed, resulting in fantasy goodness. Don’t worry about any early-season hiccups – he’s the King for a reason.
Kevin Love – In a game the Cavs got thrashed, KLove hit his stride. After a slowish start to his season, his shot finally started falling on Saturday as he went for 26/11/1/1 with two turnovers, hitting five threes and going 7-for-7 from the FT line and 7-for-12 from the field. He should ball out this year with Kyrie gone, and the buy low window is closing fast.
Dwyane Wade – Showed a little bit of life going for 15 points in 23 minutes with four boards and a steal. He did hit a three and went 7-for-12 from the field, but with not much else. I wouldn’t be counting on him very much going forward.
Kyle Korver – 8/0/0/1/1 with two threes in 22 minutes, going 3-for-5 from the field. Pretty insignificant, but maybe he gets inserted into the starting lineup soon in place of JR Smith (3/2/2 on 1-for-4 shooting in 22 minutes). If you’re in a deep league and really need threes, might be worth a speculative add.
Anthony Davis – 30/14/2 with a steal and three swats on 11-for-22 shooting. 6-for-6 from the free throw line for good measure. No turnovers. He’s a stud. You didn’t need me to tell you that.
DeMarcus Cousins – 29/12/10 with three steals and only one turnover, going 11-for-20 from the field. I want to pick this Boogie.
Jrue Holiday – Popped off for 29/4/7/1 on 12-for-17 shooting. You’re my boy Jrue! This may be a high point of his season, but people seem to be underrating him this year. Sure, Rondo will be back soonish and poach some assists, but Jrue is no slouch and he’s playing next to two generational big men. Nothing to lose by floating a few buy-lows.
E’Twaun Moore – 24/2/2/0/0 in 33 minutes. Nobody on the Pelicans, other than the four mentioned here, scored more than three points. This team is a bit of a clusterfrick… but at least they beat the Cavs!
Jayson Tatum – 20 points and five rebounds on 6-for-9 shooting with two threes and 6-for-7 FT. Looking extremely comfortable in his role so far. He’s definitely justifying the Celtics’ confidence in him, and you’re riding high if you nabbed him.
Jaylen Brown – 6/5/1/0/0 with four turnovers and 1-for-7 shooting. He’s been playing very well so far, this bad game notwithstanding. He’s still a firm hold.
Kyrie Irving – 24/4/3 with three steals on 10-for-23 shooting. I loved Kyrie coming into the season, but Hayward being out complicates things. If it becomes a one-man Kyrie show, it might get a bit ugly for his efficiency. I wouldn’t sell low, but if I could get top-10ish value, I’d probably pull the trigger.
Aron Baynes – Started and went 6/4/1 in 24 minutes. He did have a steal and four blocks, but he’s not worth your consideration.
Terry Rozier – 4/4/0 in 25 minutes, going 0-for-3 from three. He has a lot of potential and finally has a clear path to some significant minutes. He’s probably more of a wait-and-see, but I’d keep my eye on him regardless.
Josh Richardson – 16/0/3 with six turnovers and a block. He’s a talented dude and I would definitely target any skittish owners with some buy-lows.
Dion Waiters – The best player in the league cooled off for 5/5/2/1 in 24 minutes on 2-for-8 shooting. He might be the GOAT, but he won’t do much for you outside of scoring.
James Johnson – 16/5/2 with a steal. He wants you to know that last year wasn’t a fluke. JJ has a well-rounded game that’s extremely fantasy friendly. Believe in the neck tats.
Kelly Olynyk – Hassan Whiteside might not have played, but Kelly has proven that he can be sneaky valuable regardless. He went 14/9/1/1/3 tonight with a three and 7-for-8 FT, showcasing his across-the-board value.
Clint Capela – 12/12/1/1/1. He went 2-for-2 from FT again! He even attempted his first three of the season (a miss) and the second of his whole career. He’s up to 10-for-11 from FT so far after going 53% and 38% his last two seasons. I think he’ll have a spectacular year, but I have no idea what to make of his newfound shooting abilities.
James Harden – 20/4/8/2 on 6-for-19 shooting with two threes and 6-for-7 FT shooting. Ho hum.
Trevor Ariza – Returned to the starting lineup to go 10/7/5 in 36 minutes with two threes. He’s had a rough start to the season, but he’s definitely worth picking up if he was dropped.
Ryan Anderson – Followed up a big game by having another big game. 22/7 with two blocks and SEVEN threes. He was 7-for-11 from three. He attempted only one two-pointer. Moreyball!
Marc Gasol – Not a great night for Marc personally, even though Memphis won by 14. Marc went for 6/7/5/1/4 in a night where no Grizzlies starter scored more than nine. He may have shot 1-for-8, but the ancillary stats were still juicy.
Chandler Parsons – 24/1/1/1/0 out of nowhere against his former team. 9-for-11 from the field, 6-for-8 from three. No FT attempts. He only played 18 minutes! This game feels like an anomaly. After last season, I have almost no faith in Chandler. Unless I was totally desperate, I’d wait for more consistent production before I pick him up.
Tyreke Evans – 14/7/4/1 in 24 minutes off the bench. Tyreke has been a solid if unspectacular contributor over multiple categories in the past, and Memphis is actually a pretty good spot for him to be in. If I had a spot for him on my roster, I’d certainly consider adding him.
Russell Westbrook – 12/13/13. Only two turnovers! Ho hum.
Carmelo Anthony – 21/5/2 with five threes. Melo is in a great spot this year, and he also feels like a guy some might be underrating. He doesn’t get any boards or dish assists (at least not yet), but his efficiency should be much higher than in years past.
Paul George – 20/5 with four steals. The Bulls are awful and the Thunder beat them by 32. There’s not much else to say.
Kris Dunn – In his much anticipated Bulls debut, the Dunnster went for 8/4/3/3/1 with four turnovers in 22 minutes. He’ll be up and down, but it’s hard to ignore his potential for assists and defensive stats. He’s worth a spec add if you can swallow his percentages.
Lauri Markkanen – 15/8 with three threes and a block. Pretty much the only bright spot on the Bulls roster unless Dunn starts rolling.
Ben Simmons – 23/7/8/3/1. 10-for-15 shooting and only one turnover. Is it too early to anoint him the GOAT over Dion Waiters?
Robert Covington – A quiet game going for 11/5/1/1 on 4-for-10 shooting with three threes, but this should be a mini-breakout campaign for Lord Covington as he FINALLY has talent around him. Play him with confidence!
Dario Saric – Yeah, idunno. First start of the season and was pretty meh going 12/1/3/1 shooting 4-for-12. JJ Redick didn’t play which also factored into Dario’s playing time. I really don’t expect much for the rest of the season and there’s probably more exciting players on the waiver wire.
TJ McConnell – A nice little surprise, going 15/4/8/1 in 31 minutes. Again, Redick didn’t play and neither did Markelle Fultz. But as long as Fultz is out rediscovering his shooting form, TJ should hold some value.
Harrison Barnes – Career-high seven threes! A solid 25/4 but surprisingly didn’t take any FT’s. If Barnes can continue hitting the three, he’ll be fun to own this season.
Dennis Smith Jr – The rookie sensation went for 12/2/8/1, albeit with six turnovers. He’s got loads of talent, and you’ll take the good with the bad. This kid is good.
Dirk Nowitzki – 11 points with three threes but no rebounds. His days as a fantasy stalwart may be long gone, but I love this dude.
Nerlens Noel – 4/4/0/0/0 in 20 minutes. His first game was lit, but he’s been disappointing in the games since. I’d float some buy lows. His upside is just too tantalizing.
Wesley Matthews – 19/6/2/3 as he’s finally looking like the 3-and-D guy the Mavs were hoping they were getting.
Yogi Ferrell – Another good game, going 17/2/2/2. The Mavs are rebuilding, and Yogi’s nine years younger than JJ Barea. If I had to pick one, I’d probably go Yogi, but things will inevitably change when Seth Curry comes back from his injury.
Larry Nance Jr – 5/10/2/2/1. If you predicted in the preseason that Nance would be the Lakers PF to own, you’d be a dirty liar.
Lonzo Ball – 9/2/4/2 with five turnovers. His shot is ugly as hell and he’ll have more games like this going forward. He’s still as talented as anyone out there and will provide plenty of boards and dimes, but if someone is willing to pony up top 30-40ish value for Mr. Ball, I’d think long and hard about taking it.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – 7/3/1/2 on 2-for-11 shooting. This situation is just too perfect for him and I would expect him to be way better than this. Buy low, baby!
Brandon Ingram – 16/1/2/4/1 with four turnovers. Ingram is justifying the hype and I regret not grabbing him in more leagues when I had the chance.
Brook Lopez – 6/3 in 17 minutes. It wasn’t a great game for the Lakers.
Joe Ingles – 13/5/4/3. Maybe the most underrated fantasy asset in the league. All around great guy.
Derrick Favors – The Derrickonnaissance! No? 14/10/1/1/1 as his mini-comeback chugs along nicely. The defensive stats might not be there so far, but just be happy that he’s playing 30 minutes without issue.
Ricky Rubio – 21/7/4/1 with five turnovers and four threes. Utah is an incredible fit for Ricky, and I’m all-in this year.
Rudy Gobert – 6-for-8 with three blocks. It’s been a quiet season for the French Rejection so far, but give it some time. I doubt Gobert owners would sell low, but who knows!
Donovan Mitchell – 22/3/2/3 in 27 minutes for the kid. Career high in points! He’s more of a stash than anything at this point, but Donovan’s got some pretty nice potential. I already know I’ll be all over him next year.
Devin Booker – 34/6/6. 11-for-19 from the field, 8-for-9 from FT and had four threes. No other Sun scored more than 12.
Marquese Chriss – He’s got all the physical tools, but he’s just not that great at the actual game of basketball. He seems a bit lost out there, but his ceiling is high. 7/1/2/2/1 with a three tonight. I’d still hold for now, but my grip loosens with each mediocre game.
Damian Lillard – 25/7/9/1 on 7-for-21 shooting with three threes and 8-for-9 from FT. His FG% is at an ugly 37% for the year, but it’ll bounce back up. Lillard is a gem.
CJ McCollum – 23/5/6/2/1 on 9-for-20 shooting with a three and 4-for-5 from FT. Fairly standard stuff.
Ed Davis – 6/11/3/2/1 in 19 minutes. He’s been a sneaky source of boards-n-blocks thus far, and he’s worth a look if you’re in need. Especially as Jusuf Nurkic (17/9 on 6-for-15 shooting) continues to slightly underwhelm.
Stanley Johnson – 9/4/1/2 in 31 minutes. He has so many opportunities to shine, and yet has so little to show for it. Leave him on the wire until he can prove that he can provide any sort of consistent value.
Andre Drummond – 15/17/1/2/3 as he fell just one dime shy of a rainbow. By the way, he’s also shooting 70% from FT on the season. The sky is falling.
Avery Bradley – 12/5/2/4 on 4-for-15 shooting with 0-for-2 from three. It hasn’t exactly been the breakout season many had predicted, but he’s been decent. He can’t be worse than this, and the opportunity is there for him to be much, much better. Send some buy-lows.
Tobias Harris – 12/1/1 in 19 minutes as he cools off from his scorching start to the season. There aren’t many other scoring options in Detroit, so this might be a breakout season for Tobias. Hold strong.
Blake Griffin – 19/11/4 on 5-for-18 shooting. Inefficiency aside, Blake is showing everyone that the Clippers were his team, not Chris Paul’s. As long as Blake can stay healthy, he’s gonna have a monstrous season.
Austin Rivers – 20/4/1/4 as he continues to fill in capably for the injured Milos Teodosic. He’s the coach’s son and the minutes are there. You could do worse if you need a guard.
DeAndre Jordan – 7/14/0/0/3 as he got outplayed by a guy with braces. I just don’t love DeAndre as much this year with Chris Paul gone. The boards will be there, but the extremely efficient points might not be.
—
That about does it for Saturday’s games. As always, hit me up in the comments with any questions or concerns and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!
