San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Spurs Notes:
- On the second night of a back-to-back, the Spurs decided to rotate their squad, leading to a rare Isaiah Roby sighting. The lightly-used big man received 21 minutes off the bench, about as much as he had played the entire month leading up to last night. He made the most of his precious opportunity, compiling 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting, with seven boards, two assists, and two treys. Roby has always produced fantasy-wise when given the requisite playing time, but he’s clearly not a part of the Spurs’ plans, even in a lost season. He can be safely ignored for now (one percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 14 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5-9 | 2-3 |
Clips Notes:
- Robert Covington has gotten lost in the sauce on a confounding Clippers roster. He hasn’t found his footing at all and been largely out of the rotation, but he’s maybe suddenly back on the map? Covington turned a vintage RoCo performance against the Spurs, finishing with 13 points, seven rebounds, two steals, three swats, and three triples in 21 minutes. He’s played at least 19 minutes in three straight, averaging 2.0 3PTM, 1.3 SPG, and 2.7 BPG. It’s impossible to rely on any set rotation from the Clips, but they did recently express a desire to cut back Ivica Zubac’s minutes. As Covington’s recent rim protection metrics show, he’s capable of sliding over to play backup center. We know what he’s capable of, and I’m okay with taking the risk of being fooled by the Clippers once more before letting him slip away to another manager if he’s indeed going to be a rotation regular going forward (21 percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 13 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5-7 | 0-0 |
New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics
Knicks Notes:
- In the wake of Mitchell Robinson’s injury, it seemed like Jericho Sims was the big winner, assuming the starting center position and garnering the lion’s share of minutes. I mean, dude hasn’t missed a shot in over a week! And yet…he’s somehow managed to do very little. Though his FG percentage is perfect over the past four games, he’s averaged just 6.5 PPG (including just two last night), his 14 rebounds against Boston nearly matched his total from the previous three games, while his lone block did match his output from the last three. All-in-all, not quite a direct Robinson replacement. He is a potential streamer if you’re looking for classic big man stats, but his low roster share for such a high-minute player is not that much lower than it should be (11 percent rostered in Yahoo! standard leagues).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 2 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1-1 | 0-0 |
Celtics Notes:
- As long as Marcus Smart remains sidelined, Derrick White needs to be rostered everywhere. The veteran guard scored 15 points last night, with four of his made baskets coming from beyond the arc. He also dished four assists and blocked a pair of shots. Since Smart exited the lineup, White has averaged 16.3 PPG, 4.7 APG, 2.7 3PTM, 0.7 SPG, and 1.7 BPG. The upside for stocks with the scoring, threes, and dimes makes him an attractive fantasy asset if he’s still out there in your league (56 percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 15 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4-10 | 3-4 |
Detroit Pistons vs. Brooklyn Nets
Pistons Notes:
- The Pistons shook up their lineup on Thursday, giving Alec Burks the start while Killian Hayes came off the bench. Both produced well, with Burks in particular raising his level. He scored an efficient 20 points on just nine shots, burying three triples and adding five rebounds, four assists, and a steal without turning it over in 30 minutes. It was the first time all month Burks reached the 20-point plateau. I would expect these two players’ roles to reverse in the near future, but Burks is worth an add in any scenario where he gets extended run (21 percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 20 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6-9 | 5-6 |
Nets Notes:
- With Brooklyn being extremely shorthanded on the perimeter last night, Edmond Sumner was called upon to deliver, and boy did he ever. In a brisk 19 minutes, Sumner tallied 24 points (nearly equaling his total of the entire month of January coming in) on 7-for-10 shooting from the field and 8-for-8 from the line to go along with five boards, three helpers, and a pair of treys. It was a pleasant boost for the Brooklyn bench, and if the Nets who exited early on Thursday miss time, he could get onto the streaming radar (zero percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 24 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7-10 | 8-8 |
Chicago Bulls vs. Charlotte Hornets
Bulls Notes:
- The most important number to monitor for Patrick Williams is field goal attempts, so it’s encouraging to see a healthy total of 15 in his box score, even if he only converted six. He got to 15 points on the evening, with a three, a steal, and a block to boot. Over his past six games, he’s scored in double figures five times, and is averaging 10 shots a game. He’s also approaching the 1/1/1 threshold for treys, swipes, and swats. Williams has been a top-75 player in 9-cat over the past 14 days, and can maintain that value over the long haul if he just retains this level of aggression (39 percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 15 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6-15 | 2-2 |
Hornets Notes:
- Coming off of a rare double-double Jalen McDaniels struggled in his return to a bench role. He finished with just five points, six rebounds, and a block in 26 minutes. He still played more than the man who took his spot—Gordon Hayward—which is a good sign, and Hayward is liable to hit the shelf sooner rather than later. If he was already on your roster, I think you can hold unless a hot commodity is available on your wire, but he’s still not the most exciting add in standard formats (47 percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2-7 | 1-2 |
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Houston Rockets
Cavs Notes:
- Dean Wade finally got back in the mix after being invisible in short minutes in his first two games back. Wade got to stretch his legs for 23 minutes on Thursday, notching 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, with four triples a steal, and two swats. Though Isaac Okoro has been a capable cog as the missing small forward in Cleveland’s lineup, Wade has always seemed the most apt to fill that void with his floor-stretching capabilities. Even if he doesn’t assume the starting role, Wade could be in line for a healthy crop of minutes—enough to provide some late-round fantasy value. Monitor this situation over the next few games before pulling the trigger on Wade (one percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 15 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 5-8 | 1-3 |
Rockets Notes:
- Tari Eason has been giving us glimpses of a very fantasy-friendly game recently, and that continued against Cleveland. Though he came off the bench, Eason double-doubled with 18 points and 11 boards in 25 minutes, hitting eight of 13 shots and adding three assists and a rejection. Over his past four, the rookie is averaging 12.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 0.8 SPG, and 1.3 BPG. The stocks upside is particularly appealing, and the Rockets have to play him more down the stretch as they wave the white flag for Wenbamyama. Be prepared to pounce (23 percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 18 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8-13 | 2-3 |
Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns
Mavs Notes:
- With Luka Doncic going down with an ankle sprain, there could be a massive vacuum to fill in the near term for Dallas. With dozens of extra possessions to go around, it could raise the value for several players as long as Luka misses time. Dorian Finney-Smith took the biggest step up against Phoenix, scoring 18 points and hauling in 12 boards while finishing second on the team with 16 field goal attempts. DFS has long been a fringe fantasy option even in a small offensive role. If he carries a larger load, he’s a definite add while Dallas is down a Doncic (27 percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 18 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7-16 | 1-1 |
Suns Notes:
- With the Suns starting to get a little healthier, their less heralded players are back to being waiver wire fodder. Torrey Craig (11 percent) is maybe your best bet if you’re dying to stream someone from Phoenix. He’s still in the starting lineup and playing comfortably the fifth most minutes. But the ball doesn’t go through him a whole lot, and it didn’t last night when he shot 2-for-6 in 28 minutes. Even with a 20-point outburst last Sunday, Craig is only managing 5.7 PPG over his last seven outings, with 1.0 SPG being his only other contribution. Not much to see here.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2-6 | 0-0 |
San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Spurs Notes:
- On the second night of a back-to-back, the Spurs decided to rotate their squad, leading to a rare Isaiah Roby sighting. The lightly-used big man received 21 minutes off the bench, about as much as he had played the entire month leading up to last night. He made the most of his precious opportunity, compiling 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting, with seven boards, two assists, and two treys. Roby has always produced fantasy-wise when given the requisite playing time, but he’s clearly not a part of the Spurs’ plans, even in a lost season. He can be safely ignored for now (one percent rostered).
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PTM | TOV | FG | FT |
| 14 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5-9 | 2-3 |
Clips Notes:
- Robert Covington has gotten lost in the sauce on a confounding Clippers roster. He hasn’t found his footing at all and been largely out of the rotation, but he’s maybe suddenly back on the map? Covington turned a vintage RoCo performance against the Spurs, finishing with 13 points, seven rebounds, two steals, three swats, and three triples in 21 minutes. He’s played at least 19 minutes in three straight, averaging 2.0 3PTM, 1.3 SPG, and 2.7 BPG. It’s impossible to rely on any set rotation from the Clips, but they did recently express a desire to cut back Ivica Zubac’s minutes. As Covington’s recent rim protection metrics show, he’s capable of sliding over to play backup center. We know what he’s capable of, and I’m okay with taking the risk of being fooled by the Clippers once more before letting him slip away to another manager if he’s indeed going to be a rotation regular going forward (21 percent rostered).
