Down at halftime and without fellow All-Star DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry took over in the 2nd half, carrying the Raptors to an overtime victory against the Pelicans. He hit a big time step back jumper with just 4.3 seconds to play to secure the win. Lowry finished with 33 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds, and a season-high 6 threes.
After returning to the court on Sunday, DeRozan experienced swelling in his ankle, forcing him to sit Tuesday’s game. He’s already been ruled out for Wednesday’s game, giving Lowry another chance at monster scoring numbers.
Known for pouring it on in stretches, it was his 3rd straight 30+ point game, the longest streak of his career. Had he scored 1 more point last Wednesday, he’d have a streak of 5 games. You’re already starting Lowry regardless, but the loss of DeRozan really ups Lowry’s value.
Norman Powell – Replacing DeRozan in the starting lineup, Norman Powell tallied a versatile 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Powell makes a strong DFS start on Wednesday with DeRozan out.
Jonas Valanciunas – JV ended the month of January by scoring his first 20-point game of 2017 with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Anthony Davis – The Good: 18 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks. The Bad: 4-18 shooting. The Ugly: Getting posterized by Norman Powell:
Jrue Holiday – Holiday led the Pelicans in scoring, netting 30 points, 2 steals, 2 blocks, and 3 threes.
Buddy Hield – Coming off of a 0 point outing on Sunday, Buddy found his stroke posting 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 threes. There’s still too much inconsistency from the rookie for him to be trusted.
E’Twaun Moore – Twaun was en fuego from three, knocking down 5-7, on his way to 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Markieff Morris – Morris ended his outstanding January with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 threes. He finished the month averaging 16.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.2 apg, and 1.5 threes. Hopefully his improved play continues the rest of the season.
John Wall – Grabbing his 28th double-double of the season, Wall posted 15 points, 13 assists, and 4 rebounds.
Bradley Beal – Real Deal Beal outdueled Carmelo, scoring 28 points and dishing out 4 assists.
Marcin Gortat – Shooting a perfect 7-7 from the field and 1-1 from the line, Gortat posted another double-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 1 block. There aren’t too many big men as consistent as the Polish Hammer.
Carmelo Anthony – Melo scored per usual with 26 points, but added very little else (5 rebounds, 1 three).
Brandon Jennings – Derrick Rose remained out with an ankle injury, giving Jennings another start at point guard. BJ scored 21 points, adding 5 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 threes. The efficiency won’t be there (5-16 FG, 4 TOs), but the counting stats are helpful. Rose is likely out Wednesday as well, making Jennings an option for any owners who need a short term point guard.
Willy Hernangomez – Starting for the ill Kristaps Porzingis, Hernangomez posted a monster double-double of 15 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists. It was Willy’s 5th game with double digit rebounds in January, but the minutes are just too inconsistent to be rosterable for most leagues. He played only 3 minutes in Sunday’s 4-OT thriller.
Kyle O’Quinn – The Wizards didn’t have an answer for the Knicks on the glass, as O’Quinn also registered a double-double. In only 17 minutes off the bench, O’Quinn posted 13/10 with 2 blocks. Just like Hernangomez, the minutes are just too inconsistent for O’Quinn to be trusted.
Clint Capela – Capela posted his second double-double since coming back from a fractured fibula with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
James Harden – The Beard had another poor outing, after banging his knee in the first quarter. He posted only 10 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, and 0 threes. That’s now two straight games of sub-20 points for Harden, as he’s shot 6-26 from the field and 2-15 from three in those games. Despite banging his knee, he said he would be ready to go for Thursday’s game.
Ryan Anderson – With defenses focusing on Harden the last two games, Anderson has taken on the extra scoring load. Anderson went off for 25 points, 11 rebounds, 6 threes, and 3 assists, a night after scoring 27. Anderson owners are hoping that Harden continues to struggle.
Eric Gordon – Gordon continued his excellent shooting off the bench, with 17 points (7-15 FG), 5 rebounds, and 3 threes. It looks like the back issues he was experiencing last week are behind him.
DeMarcus Cousins – Harden wasn’t the only star to struggle Tuesday. Coming off of a 46-point game, Cousins posted a 16/7/5 line on 5-16 shooting. That ended a streak of 9 straight double-doubles.
Willie Cauley-Stein – Coming off of his first back-to-back double digit scoring nights all season, Cauley-Stein continued the improved play with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks. He’ll still need more playing time to be trusted, but with potential numbers like that, WCS is a guy to monitor.
LaMarcus Aldridge – Aldridge scored an efficient 25 points in 28 minutes, adding 6 rebounds and 3 blocks. It was only the second 20-point game in the last two weeks.
Kawhi Leonard – Looks like his hand injury is no longer bothering Leonard. He exploded for 36 points (13-26 FG), 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks.
Steven Adams – Seeing his rebound numbers rise with Enes Kanter out with a broken arm, Adams continued the trend with 16 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal/block each on Tuesday.
Russell Westbrook – Westbrook was on a roll, scoring 14 points in the third, before the Spurs shut him out in the 4th. Shooting 0-4 in the 4th quarter, he finished with 27 points (7-17 FG), 14 assists, 6 rebounds, and 3 threes.
Victor Oladipo – Oladipo grabbed 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals for the Thunder.
Domantas Sabonis – Sabonis channeled his father, collecting a 13 point/10 rebound double-double, the second of his rookie year. Despite starting every game of the year, Sabonis shouldn’t be starting for your fantasy roster.
Mason Plumlee – The best of the Plumlee brothers, Mason netted 7 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. He may have broken his streak of 5 straight double-doubles, but Plumlee has continued to help in assists, blocks, and steals from the center position.
Damian LIllard – Lillard blazed the trail with a 27/4/4 line with 2 threes.
C.J. McCollum – Lillard’s backcourt mate did his thing as well, getting 18 points, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 threes.
Allen Crabbe – Coming off of the bench, Crabbe was itching to shoot, as he scored 21 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and hit 3-6 from three. He’s reached double-digit points in three of the last four games, making him the kind of Crabbes that you want to own in deep leagues.
Kemba Walker – Walker continues to shoot well from outside, knocking down 3-7 to finish with 22 points, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 3 threes.
Nicolas Batum – Revenge game? Not really, as the Frenchman was right around what you expect from him on a given night: 18 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 threes.
D’Angelo Russell – Russell went all athletic on the Nuggets, posting 22 points, a career-high 10 assists, 7 rebounds, and 2 threes.
Nick Young – Swaggy P produced a 23/3/3 line and 5 threes. Swaggilicious.
Ivica Zubac – Zubac scored a career-high 17 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Coach Luke Walton has been encouraged by the rookie and has seen 20+ minutes in the last 3 games, averaging 15 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Though, Julius Randle (pneumonia) has missed two of those games.
Lou Williams – Lou Will dropped 21 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 threes off the bench. There are few players that light it up from the bench as well as Williams. Well, maybe only former NBA player Stephen Jackson.
Kenneth Faried – Faried started strong and didn’t let up as he posted a 14/17 double-double with 2 steals. That’s now two straight double-doubles for the Manimal, with Nikola Jokic (strained hip flexor) on the sideline. Faried is the Nugget to own anytime Jokic sits, as Jusuf Nurkic (0-7 FG) lasted only 12 minutes as the starting center.
Gary Harris – Harris assembled an all-around line of 17/4/4 with 4 steals and 3 threes. Danilo Gallinari also chipped in 17 points as well.
Wilson Chandler – Chandler did his best to bring the Nuggets back, scoring 12 of his 26 points in the 4th quarter. In addition to the scoring, he added 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 4 threes, and 1 block for an impressive game.
Darrell Arthur – Arthur has also benefitted from Jokic’s injury, posting 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks off the bench. It will be short lived, as Jokic may be back on Wednesday.
Jamal Murray – The rookie scored double-digits for the second straight game, hitting 4-8 from deep for 14 points.
