Brooklyn Nets (29-16) at San Antonio Spurs (17-29)
There were a lot of great choices last night, but the fantasy star of the night must go to James
Harden for his massive 37-point triple-double. With Kevin Durant out with a knee injury, Harden
was forced to step up and did it in a big way on Friday with 37 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds
for his eighth triple-double this season. He ranks just outside the top-five fantasy players but is
likely to sneak into the top five while Durant is out. Kyrie Irving continues to only play in road
games because of his vaccination status but has been great when in the lineup. He scored 24
points in yesterday’s game and will see a larger role without Durant. He ranks in the top-20 on a
per-game basis, but that is only in six games this year
Dejounte Murray is a man on a mission for the Spurs. He finished with 25 points, 12 rebounds,
and 10 assists for his ninth triple-double this season. Dejounte is averaging 23.7 points per
game in January, which is far more than his 19.2 points per game for the season. He is a top-20
player this year and appears to show no signs of slowing down. Jakob Poeltl added 15 points
and 11 rebounds in the loss. He ranks outside the top-100 and does not do enough outside of
rebounding to push him any higher.
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Los Angeles Clippers (23-24) at Philadelphia 76ers (26-19)
The depleted Clippers are doing everything they can to stay afloat without Paul George and last
night went a long way towards that. They came back from being down 24 points to win 102-101
and spoil Joel Embiid’s 40-point performance. They had seven players score in double-digits as
it was a complete team effort in the comeback. Reggie Jackson has had some recent struggles
but led the way on Friday with 19 points and nine assists. Ivica Zubac battled foul trouble but
was able to finish with 12 points and 10 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the year.
Joel Embiid followed up his career night on Wednesday with another spectacular game that was
spoiled late. He finished with 40 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists. He is a top-five fantasy
player this year and could push into the top-three with the way he has been playing lately. He
has scored 30 or more in 14 of his last 16 games and shows no signs of slowing down because
no one can stop him. Tobias Harris added 20 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in the
loss. He ranks inside the top-65 players and helps across the board without excelling in any
category.
Los Angeles Lakers (23-23) at Orlando Magic (8-39)
The Lakers managed to beat the Magic 116-105 behind 29 points from LeBron James, who
added seven rebounds and five assists to round out a somewhat quiet stat line for “The King”.
Even at age 37, James is still one of the top fantasy players and appears he won’t be giving up
that title any time soon as he is trying to push the Lakers to the playoffs. Carmelo Anthony
erupted off the bench with 23 points in 17 minutes. He is a consistent scoring option off the
bench, but there are definitely better options who play more minutes and provide across more
categories.
Jalen Suggs led the Magic in the loss, showing flashes of the player people think he can be. He
finished with 22 points and nine assists, which were both team-highs. Suggs has fringe fantasy
value and does not do much except take away from fellow teammate Cole Anthony, who ranks
in the top-70 players. Anthony finished with four points, four rebounds, and two assists while
battling foul trouble and poor shooting. He has seen a slightly decreased role since Suggs has
reentered the lineup, but some of that could be due to poor play.
Oklahoma City Thunder (14-31) at Charlotte Hornets (26-20)
The Hornets rolled over the Thunder on Friday, winning 121-98. Terry Rozier has been on fire
lately and continued with a team-high 24 points while adding nine assists and five rebounds. He
is just outside the top-50 category players and could push into the top-50 if he keeps up his
recent hot streak. Miles Bridges had a huge night against a weaker Thunder squad, finishing
with 22 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks. He has been excellent
this season for fantasy, ranking in the top-40 players with no glaring downside to his game.
LaMelo Ball struggled because of foul trouble and a blowout but still managed to finish
with a near triple-double.
The Thunder may not be winning many games, but they’ve had a few consistent producers who
are helping in fantasy. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been on a tear lately, scoring 29 last night
while scoring 20 or more in five of his last six games. He added six assists and five rebounds in
the loss. He will look to continue his boosted assist numbers, as he has averaged 6.4 assists
per game in January compared to his 5.4 per game on the year. He is a top-50 player and
should remain there to finish the year.
Miami Heat (29-17) at Atlanta Hawks (20-25)
The Atlanta Hawks get a much-needed win against a well-coached Miami team, winning 110-
108. They were led by Trae Young, who finished with 28 points and seven assists. Trae
struggled with poor shooting and turnovers last night despite being the leading scoring. He still
ranks in the top-10 players and has elite upside night in and night out. DeAndre Hunter has
taken on a larger role since returning from injury and is benefitting from Cam Reddish being
traded, along with other Hawks being injured. He finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds and
should be added in most leagues as he appears to be locked into a large role for the Hawks.
Miami remains a strong team without Kyle Lowry, who is out for personal reasons, and Tyler
Herro, who is out in the league’s health and safety protocols. They were led by Bam Adebayo,
who played just his third game since returning from the injured list. He finished with 21 points,
six rebounds, and five assists. He has shown no ill effects from his thumb injury and looks
poised to lead the offense as a point forward. He has been a top-65 player when on the court
and will look to push higher as the weeks go on.
Portland Trail Blazers (19-26) at Boston Celtics (23-24)
The Blazers continue on without Damian Lillard, who will be out for quite some time with
abdominal surgery. They managed to win 109-105 behind a monster game from Jusuf Nurkic.
He finished with 29 points, 17 rebounds, and six assists. Nurkic has always been a great per-
minute producer and now is playing more minutes than he has all year. He ranks inside the top-
80 players but could easily make a push if he continues to see extended minutes. CJ McCollum
finished with 24 points in 36 minutes and it seems like he is fully recovered and cleared to play
full minutes after his punctured lung from a few months ago. He should remain the top offensive
option next to Nurkic until Lillard is back from injury.
The Celtics lose a game they probably should have won as they continue to not live up to the
talent on their roster. Jayson Tatum stuffed the stat sheet on Friday, finishing with 27 points, 10
rebounds, and seven assists in the narrow loss. Tatum sits just outside the top-20 players with
his shooting numbers being a huge downside to his game. Jaylen Brown added 22 points and
five assists and is now in the top-50 category players.
Chicago Bulls (28-16) at Milwaukee Bucks (29-19)
The Bucks narrowly beat the shorthanded Bulls 94-90 in an ugly game on the offensive side of
the ball. Giannis Antetokounmpo accounted for almost a third of the Bucks points, finishing with
30 points and 12 rebounds in the win. He sits outside the top-10 players and will likely stay
outside of the top-10 until he can improve his free-throw shooting even more than he has. Jrue
Holiday continues to come off the bench as he gets his conditioning back from an ankle injury.
He finished with 13 points in 27 minutes off the bench.
The Bulls lose a tough game, but they showed they can still compete without Lonzo Ball and
Zach Lavine, who are both out with knee injuries. In their absences, Coby White, Ayo
Dosounmu, and Alex Caruso will all see larger roles, with DeMar DeRozen and Nikola Vucevic
handling a bulk of the offensive load. DeMar DeRozen finished with a whopping 35 points, six
rebounds, and three assists. He accounted for almost 39% of his team’s points while tearing the
Bucks up with midrange shots and free throws. Nikola Vucevic added 19 points and 11
rebounds in the loss. He is a top-40 player as of now and could see that stock rise as he takes
on more responsibility.
Toronto Raptors(22-21) at Washington Wizards(23-23)
The Raptors held on after blowing an 18-point lead to win 109-105 over the Wizards. The
Raptors have been playing their starters massive minutes of late, with all of them reaching
almost 40 minutes a night for the past few games. Scottie Barnes uncharacteristically led the
way with a career-high 27 points and eight rebounds. He is a top-90 player this season with the
ability to produce across multiple categories. Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam scored 21
points in the win with VanVleet adding 12 assists to his line.
The Wizards played without Kyle Kuzma on Friday, who was out with neck spasms. Deni Avdija
started in his place and scored nine points while adding six assists and five rebounds. Bradley
Beal led the way even more than usual, playing 40 minutes while scoring 25 points and dishing
out eight assists. Beal is a top-50 fantasy player on the year, and like many other players, his
main downside is poor shooting numbers.
Memphis Grizzlies (32-16) at Denver Nuggets (23-21)
Two of the more exciting player squared off on Friday with Ja Morant and the Grizzlies coming
out on top, winning 122-118. Morant had an unbelievable night, scoring 38 points while adding
six rebounds and assists. He is one of the most exciting players in the league and continues to
improve every game. Sitting just outside the top-25 players, Morant will look to keep up his hot
streak and crack the top-25. De’Anthony Melton exploded for 21 points and nine rebounds on
Friday. He has struggled to find playing time in recent weeks but was called upon to step up
with the Grizzlies missing some key players.
Nikola Jokic had a special game on Friday even in a loss. He finished with 26 points, 12 assists,
and 11 rebounds. He did all of this without committing a single turnover. He is the best fantasy
player and is starting to create a gap between him and everyone else in category leagues. Will
Barton added 27 points and eight assists in what was one of his best games in recent weeks.
He will look to keep the momentum moving forward as he looks to push into the top-100
players.
Detroit Pistons (11-34) at Utah Jazz (30-16)
The Jazz pulled away with a win over the Pistons 111-1101 behind a big game from Rudy
Gobert. He finished with 24 points and 14 rebounds, both of which led the team. He has
stepped up offensively with Donovan Mitchell out, scoring 23 and 24 points in the last two
games. Bojan Bogdanovic added 23 points and six rebounds in the win. He has seen an uptick
in shots with Mitchell out and should remain as one of the top options until he returns.
The Pistons continue to lose, but Cade Cunningham continues to improve. He finished with 25
points, six rebounds, and five assists in what was one of his better games as a pro. He remains
a high upside fantasy player, but like many young players, efficiency and turnovers hurt him
more than anything. Trey Lyles finished with 16 points and five rebounds. Even with Kelly
Olynyk back from injury, Lyles appears to be locked into the 18-24 minute range. His minutes
should be monitored over the next few weeks as Kelly O gets back into the swing of things.
Houston Rockets (14-33) at Golden State Warriors (33-13)
The Golden State Warriors struggled through a Thursday and Friday back-to-back but managed
to pull away with a win behind a game-winning shot from Stephen Curry. He finished with 22
points and 12 assists, but only converted on 6-21 shots. He is still a top-five player in fantasy,
but the shooting numbers of late are a concern for Curry. He will still remain a top fantasy option
as he can break the slump at any point. With Klay Thompson resting on Friday, Jordan Poole
stepped into the starting lineup and scored 20 points. He will be a solid streaming option when
Klay rests but has lost a lot of value when Thompson is playing.
Christian Wood continues to lead the way for the struggling Rockets, whose only goal seems to
be winning the draft lottery. He finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds in the close loss on
Friday. Wood is still not a great category player, as he ranks outside the top-100. His shooting
numbers continue to hurt him and he is not strong enough in any category to make up for his
downside. Kevin Porter Jr. added 17 points, eight assists, and four steals, but KPJ has been
limited fantasy-wise by poor shooting and turnovers. He ranks outside of the top-200 players.
