Tuesday night’s five-game slate presents me with my first opportunity to bring you a game recap! Normally, I’m the guy who writes up borderline players and streamers on Thursday afternoon, so it’s a nice change to profile some of the league’s studs. It’s kind of like hate watching Hallmark Christmas movies (Mingle All the Way, among others) for the first few weeks of December before switching gears and watching It’s a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Story.
Disclaimers: Because I was too busy watching Santa Switch last night, and the fact that I’m on Greenwich Mean Time, I haven’t had a chance to watch the games. As a result, all of my observations are through a strictly fantasy lens and don’t necessarily account for every nuance. Additionally, all of my ranking references are based on category-league values as a default.
I have a very advanced system for highlighting positive or negative performances and trends: green = good, red = bad. Other than that, I won’t deviate too much from most of the tried-and-true Razzball Hoops recap methods. Here we go!
Utah 126 – Detroit 111
Lauri Markkanen: As a Bulls fan, it’s painful to watch Lauri dominate after Chicago marginalized him in its offense toward the end of his Bulls tenure. Despite Utah’s recent struggles, Markkanen is showing that he can be the centerpiece of an offense, and he’s crushing his fantasy projections, putting up top-20 stats so far.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
38
13/20
3/4
9
5
1
1
0
1
Jarred Vanderbilt: With Kelly Olynyk sidelined for a second consecutive game, Vanderbilt played 32 minutes. If Vanderbilt is at the bottom of your roster ladder, I wouldn’t retain him over this performance. The value will recede again when Olynyk returns.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
18
7/13
2/3
2
13
6
2
0
2
Jordan Clarkson
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
21
7/15
4/6
3
3
6
1
0
2
Walker Kessler: Read it and weep, those of you who left him on the wire (I also left him there too long). This is the line you can expect going forward.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
10
5/7
0/2
0
9
1
0
2
1
Mike Conley: The good news – he continues to play both ends of most back-to-backs. The bad news – he shot poorly again enroute to subpar offensive counting stats. He hasn’t been the same since returning from a nine-game recovery, and though it goes against every fiber of my fantasy hoops being, I’m treating him as an assists, steals, and threes streamer until things turn around.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
7
3/7
0/1
1
3
7
1
0
0
The Pistons hung in there until the second half, with their rookies leading the way.
Jalen Duren: The Clint Capela Special! The blocks are spotty, but he’s a top-60 category-league player over the past two weeks on the strength of strong rebounding and field goal percentage.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
15
7/9
1/1
0
14
0
0
0
1
Jaden Ivey: An encouraging line for Ivey after he’d ceded minutes to Alec Burks in recent contests. Keep in mind that he won’t be able to shoot at these levels on a consistent basis, and he’s a negative in free throw percentage (72% on 4.4 attempts per game this season).
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
30
10/14
8/11
2
4
5
1
0
5
Chicago 113 – Miami 103
Nikola Vucevic: Orlando Vuc, is that you? Top-10 player over his last 7 games! He’s doing it on hot shooting – 64% on an average of 13.4 attempts over that span.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
29
13/17
0/0
3
12
2
1
0
3
Zach LaVine: Speaking of hot shooting… This is more like it for LaVine, who hasn’t met expectations this season on account of a big dip in scoring and field goal percentage.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
21
13/20
3/4
3
6
7
1
0
2
DeMar DeRozan: Does it get any more DeMar DeRozan than this line? He continues to bring top-40 value thanks to big scoring on stratospheric efficiency.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
24
9/14
6/6
0
5
5
0
0
2
Alex Caruso: He’s a great fit in the Bulls starting lineup, and his recent performances have almost drummed Ayo Dosunmu all the way out of the rotation. For fantasy, I wouldn’t consider him anything more than a steals streamer, as the threes and assists are high enough to justify a 12-team roster spot IMHO.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
7
2/2
2/2
1
6
3
3
0
2
Jimmy Butler missed the game with a gastrointestinal issue (cue giggling from my inner 11-year-old self). You’d think someone on the Heat medical staff would do him a solid and go with something less revealing. As it turned out, they went with flatulence over flattering. Haywood Highsmith took full advantage of the 41 minutes that opened up for him.
Haywood Highsmith: Even if Butler misses additional time, I need to see more before I take any action on Highsmith. In particular, the shooting and steal numbers aren’t sustainable.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
18
7/10
0/0
4
2
2
4
0
2
Tyler Herro: He’s averaging 5.3 triples over his last 7 outings and 3.4 on the season. Another guy who’s absolutely destroying pre-season fantasy expectations.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
19
7/16
1/1
4
3
7
2
0
3
Bam Adebayo: It’s nice to see those dimes back at 2020-21 levels, but they came with Butler and Kyle Lowry out of the lineup.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
27
12/15
3/4
0
12
6
0
0
3
Victor Oladipo: Here comes the stampede to add ‘Dipo! I’m not necessarily against it, but it’s important to remember who was missing from the Heat rotation.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
14
4/13
4/4
2
5
2
2
0
1
NYK 132 – Golden State 94
Quentin Grimes: I suspect this will temporarily settle the debate on whether or not he should be added in 12-team category leagues. He posted this line despite accumulating five fouls.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
19
5/9
5/6
4
1
4
0
0
1
Jalen Brunson: It’s difficult to do anything “quietly” when you have the Knick spotlight on you, but Brunson is flying under the radar as a top-50 player. The assist/turnover ratio and shooting efficiency has been stellar all year.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
21
7/16
5/6
2
3
5
1
0
0
Immanuel Quickley: Best not to get sucked in, as he does this sometimes. I ain’t got no Santeria or crystal ball, so I’m never able to predict when he’s going to hit. Congrats if you were able to benefit from this massive game.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
22
6/10
5/5
5
4
2
2
2
4
R.J. Barrett: Friends don’t let friends draft R.J. Barrett in the top 100.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
18
8/19
1/2
1
3
5
0
0
0
Moses Moody: We should see more of Moody on Wednesday night, as Klay Thompson is already ruled out for the tail end of the back-to-back and Donte DiVincenzo is questionable with an illness. He put up modest numbers in 32 minutes last night.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
11
4/9
0/0
3
3
1
1
0
0
Jordan Poole: This is what he’ll continue to bring while Stephen Curry is on the shelf. Good if you have him in fantasy… Bad if you’re a Warriors fan.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
26
8/18
8/9
2
2
1
1
0
4
Jonathan Kuminga: His production is usually underwhelming, but he’s a player to stream for tonight if DiVencenzo remains out and the Warriors decide to sideline more of their starters (Draymond Green is a prime fake injury candidate in these situations).
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
13
5/7
2/2
1
4
4
0
0
3
Washington 113 – Phoenix 110
Kyle Kuzma: I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t think Kuz could repeat his 2021-22 performance. He is still a D stat and efficiency liability on most nights, but his scoring and rebounding make up for it in the right build.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
29
10/19
4/6
5
6
6
2
0
2
Deni Avdija: Kristaps Porzingis and Rui Hachimura out = opportunity for Deni Avdija. Good things typically happen when you add him in these circumstances.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
16
4/8
6/6
2
10
4
0
1
0
Monte Morris: If you’re still hanging on to Jordan Goodwin (11 minutes), well….
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
9
4/10
0/1
1
2
3
3
1
0
Daniel Gafford: Started in place of Porzingis and whiffed on blocks while destroying your free throw percentage 🙁
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
12
5/6
2/6
0
9
1
1
0
1
Bradley Beal: Though the lack of threes and subpar shooting is disappointing, it’s safe to say that he’s fully healthy after this performance in 35 minutes…
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
27
8/20
11/14
0
6
6
1
1
2
Landry Shamet: News of Devin Booker’s absence sent many of us scrambling in the direction of Torrey Craig (6 points, 8 rebounds, and nothing else), but it was Shamet who posted 28 percent usage nearly single-handedly sank the Wizards from deep. I’m always wary of prioritizing three-point streamers because they’re relatively easy to find on the wire, but every once in a while, one of them pops off and catches me flat footed. This performance represents such an occasion:
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
31
10/21
2/2
9
2
5
0
0
1
Deandre Ayton: Frequently criticized for his passivity, Ayton was in attack mode in this one. While it’s bad news for fans of real basketball, those who have Ayton in fantasy know that Booker injuries usually portend good things for Ayton’s value.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
30
12/20
6/6
0
13
0
0
1
4
Mikal Bridges: A rare off night from one of the steadiest players in fantasy (and reality).
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
10
4/11
1/2
1
3
3
0
0
4
Denver 105 – Memphis 91
Aaron Gordon: If you drafted him in the 120-135 range – his ADP across ESPN, Yahoo, and Fantrax – you’re reaping massive value this season.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
24
9/16
5/7
1
7
4
2
1
1
Nikola Jokic: Ho Hum.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
13
6/12
0/1
1
13
13
2
0
4
Bruce Brown: Those hoping for a big Bones Hyland performance were sorely disappointed, as Brown started at the point in place of Jamal Murray and continued to justify his status as a 12-team hold.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
16
6/15
3/3
1
4
4
0
2
2
Christian Braun: With Michael Porter Jar. receiving a ‘doubtful’ tag for this one, it’s likely that we won’t see many more of these spot starts from the Nuggets’ bench cadre (until the next MPJ injury rears its head, of course).
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
13
5/11
1/2
2
3
1
1
1
1
Jaren Jackson Jr.: Foul trouble neutered his offensive production, but he still brought the D. He’s a top-15 category-league player in 14 games this season.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
8
3/6
1/2
1
2
1
3
5
1
Tyus Jones: He received a heavier dose of minutes due to Dillon Brooks’ foul trouble, but couldn’t do anything with it (5 points, 4 assists)… Probably because he played next to Ja Morant, who commanded 45 percent usage.
Ja Morant: Low threes, inefficiency from the field/line, lackluster D stats, high turnovers. These are all factors that compel me to pass on Ja every year in category-league drafts. If you’re playing in a points league, however, efficiency takes a backseat and his value shoots through the roof.
PTS
FG
FT
3s
REB
AST
STL
BLK
TO
35
12/26
8/10
3
1
10
0
0
7
I’ll be back with you soon when I post this week’s midweek guidance. Hit me up in the comments if you have any questions or feedback in the meantime.
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