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Eric MoodyESPN
Who is trending up? Which rotations are changing? What’s the latest with the notable injuries around the NBA?
Here’s a look around the league at the most fantasy relevant news and notes for all 30 teams:
Atlanta Hawks: Cam Reddish has impressed so far this season off the bench. In four games, he has averaged 15.2 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.2 SPG and 25.0 MPG, which is impressive considering the depth the Hawks have on the wing. Danilo Gallinari and Kevin Huerter will continue to play important roles, but Reddish could still thrive off the bench. It looks like he is going to have a breakout season and he’s currently rostered in only 20.5% of ESPN leagues.
Boston Celtics: Robert Williams III currently is the league’s leading shot blocker (3.2 BPG). On top of that, he has registered double-digit points and rebounds in three of his five games to go with six steals. Sporting a 72.4 FG%, an area where he figures to be among the best in the league, Williams’ statistical production shows that he can coexist with Al Horford, who’s recorded double-doubles in all three games he’s played this season. Williams is going to go boom on most nights.
Brooklyn Nets: Given the expectations of fantasy managers and his previous years of tremendous success, James Harden is off to a rough start this season. His scoring and shooting efficiency are down from a season ago, as are his rebounds and assists, while his turnovers are up. Through five games, Harden has put up 16.6 PPG, 8.0 APG, 7.0 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 2.6 3-pointers and 4.6 TPG. These are the type of numbers many expected if Kyrie Irving was on the court, but they are troubling considering how high Harden went on draft day and the fact that Irving is not currently playing.
Charlotte Hornets: Miles Bridges registered 31 points (11-21 field goals), six rebounds, one block, and five 3-pointers in 35 minutes on Wednesday as the exciting young Hornets team pulled off another victory. As a top-six player in nine categories, he’s literally propelling fantasy teams to victory right now. Bridges had his third game with 30 or more points and his fourth in a row with 25 or more points. Take a moment to reflect on that. Bridges is one of the best fantasy players in the NBA during the opening week of the season.
Chicago Bulls: A small tear in Zach LaVine‘s left thumb (non-shooting hand) will not stop him from playing. Still, for fantasy managers, this is far from an ideal situation when it comes to one of the top scorers in the NBA. LaVine averaged 27.4 PPG and 3.4 3PG while shooting 50.7% from the floor — rarefied air for someone at his position. That led to the Bulls swingman being drafted in the top 3 rounds of fantasy drafts this year. This is a situation worth tracking; if it comes down to pain tolerance, LaVine could end up skipping some games.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Darius Garland has not yet reached his ceiling, but the early returns this season — his third in the NBA — are encouraging. The 21-year-old has averaged 12.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 8.3 APG and 0.7 SPG while shooting 44% from the field. Garland is their best passer since LeBron James and as the video below shows he can also throw it down when needed.
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Collin Sexton gets out in transition and throws down the monster dunk over Nicolas Batum.
Dallas Mavericks: Kristaps Porzingis has another injury (lower back stiffness). He could be rested given his injury history, and this might mean Maxi Kleber gets more minutes in the upcoming games. In 16 minutes against the Rockets on Tuesday night, Kleber had nine points and seven rebounds, taking him past 900 career defensive rebounds. As a key member of the Mavericks rotation, Kleber is a great perimeter shooter who does a little bit of everything defensively and rostered in only 0.8% of ESPN leagues.
Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic‘s knee is not structurally damaged, according to tests on Thursday. What a relief! Jokic did not practice Thusday due to soreness and is questionable for Friday’s game. Last season, he played in 72 of 72 games, showing up in the best shape of his life on his way to NBA MVP honors and was the near-unanimous choice for the No. 1 pick in fantasy drafts this season. Look for Jeff Green and JaMychal Green to pick up some minutes if Jokic sits.
Detroit Pistons: Isaiah Stewart is quietly having a good season. In 29 minutes Monday against the Hawks, the second-year pro had a season-high 13 points, a team-best seven rebounds and tied his career high with four blocks to go with five assists and a steal. Beef Stew is rostered in 72.1% of ESPN leagues. A breakout could be on the horizon. Fellow second-year pro Saddiq Bey has 41 points, 23 rebounds, three assists and three steals over his last two games, and hasn’t slowed down after an impressive rookie campaign. He should be rostered in all leagues.
Golden State Warriors: Damion Lee has scored in double figures in four-straight games and has been one of the Warriors’ best bench players so far. Lee is a great source of points and 3-pointers. Currently, he’s shooting 47% from 3-point range and should continue to do well while Klay Thompson is out. Lee, the brother-in-law of star teammate Stephen Curry, is only rostered in 1.9% of ESPN leagues.
Houston Rockets: Kevin Porter Jr. is oozing with talent, but his turnovers are a problem. When your league subtracts points for turnovers, all of Porter’s statistical goodness is negated. Remarkably, Porter already has 25 TOs in four games this season. Porter averages 14.2 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.2 SPG, and 0.5 BPG and has a high usage rate of 26.7%, but while his potential is limitless, it’s crucial that he decreases his turnover rate.
Indiana Pacers: Malcolm Brogdon left Wednesday’s game with a hamstring injury, which is a concern for the efficient guard who hasn’t played in more than 64 games since his rookie season with Milwaukee back in 2016-17. T.J. McConnell will get more minutes and opportunities if Brogdon misses time. However, Caris LeVert (stress fracture in back) is working his way to back and could return any game as well. Upon his return, a load management strategy will likely be implemented by head coach Rick Carlisle.
LA Clippers: Over the last two games, Paul George has connected on just 12 of 36 shots and scored 26 points. Wednesday night, he struggled against the Cavaliers along with Luke Kennard, who only scored six points, three rebounds and three assists. Kennard is someone to watch, though. He had 33 points, six rebounds, three assists and a block in the two previous games, is available in 98.6% of ESPN leagues, and is playing a healthy 26.0 MPG off the bench so far.
Los Angeles Lakers: Russell Westbrook triple-doubled against the Thunder last night, scoring 20 points (8-20 FGs), 14 rebounds and 13 assists. Unfortunately, he turned the ball over 10 times in the process. Westbrook now has the most quadruple-doubles (triple-double with 10 turnovers) with six since 1985, and his playmaking issues on this team – particularly when LeBron James is healthy and playing alongside him – remain a big question.
Memphis Grizzlies: Jaren Jackson Jr. has been plagued by foul trouble and poor shooting in the early going. The fourth-year forward has had four fouls in three straight games and is shooting just 31.3 from the field through Memphis’ first four games. Amazingly enough, despite JJJ’s shooting woes, the Grizzlies enter Thursday as the league’s second-most efficient offense, scoring 112.1 points per 100 possessions. Only the 76ers are better (112.6).
Miami Heat: This season, Jimmy Butler is doing it all. He’s in the top-15 overall in 9-category formats and is thriving with an upgraded supporting cast. Even though Butler was the 22nd player selected on average in ESPN drafts, he is outperforming his ADP. In fact, his stats (23.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 5.3 APG, 3.3 SPG) are eerily similar to last season, though his assists are down slightly in the early going.
Milwaukee Bucks: Bobby Portis made his season debut on Wednesday, playing 15 minutes with six points and three rebounds. He averaged 11.4 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.1 APG, 1.1 3PG and just 0.8 TPG last season as Brook Lopez‘s backup, but is best remembered for coming through in the clutch time and time again in the NBA Finals. Portis shot a career-high 52.3% from the field. Currently, Lopez is recovering from a back injury, and no return date has been set. Portis’ fantasy outlook would be even brighter if he supplants Lopez as the starter or siphons off additional minutes from the veteran center. He’s only rostered in 17.4% of ESPN leagues at this time.
Minnesota Timberwolves: D’Angelo Russell was outstanding against the Bucks. His 29 points included six assists, five rebounds and three 3-pointers, as well as numerous self-created layups with excellent touch around the rim. It’s easy to forget about Russell on this team of talents like Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Davis, but when right, Russell provides scoring, assists and 3s and always has the potential for a big night.
New Orleans Pelicans: With Zion Williamson out of the lineup, Jonas Valanciunas has stepped up big time. In 36 minutes against the Hawks, he had 16 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block. Valanciunas has had at least 15 points and 15 rebounds in three consecutive games. So how rare is that? As far as the Pelicans franchise is concerned, only Anthony Davis has a longer such streak.
New York Knicks: This season, Julius Randle has averaged 25.5 PPG, 11.3 RPG, and 6.5 APG. His defense has also improved – at least from a fantasy perspective — averaging 1.0 SPG and 1.8 BPG. Voted the NBA’s Most Improved Player last season, his second with the Knicks, Randle sits at No. 14 on ESPN’s Player Rater entering Thursday night.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Over the Thunder’s last three games, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 28.7 PPG, 5.7 APG and 5.3 RPG. Not surprisingly, the Thunder’s star was a key contributor to a 26-point comeback win against the Lakers on Wednesday night as well. Los Angeles entered play with a 230-0 record (including playoffs) when leading by at least 25 points in a game during the past 25 years, and SGA helped end that streak.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gets the hoop and the harm
Orlando Magic: Wendell Carter Jr. and Mo Bamba are both ranked inside the top-60 for category leagues. Both are playing a substantial amount of minutes as Chuma Okeke and Jonathan Isaac remain sidelined due to injury. Carter and Bamba both produced double-doubles against the Hornets on Wednesday night, and this dynamic duo can coexist and flex their collective muscles on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor for as long as Okeke and Isaac remain sidelined.
Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid (right knee soreness) is already dealing with an injury and, according to Embiid, the pain is significant. This is a strong reminder that Andre Drummond — a huge fantasy presence for the past half-decade prior to falling off abruptly last season with the Cavs and Lakers — warrants consideration. He’s only rostered in 48% of ESPN leagues.
Phoenix Suns: Last season, the addition of Chris Paul helped spring the Suns all the way to the NBA Finals. It hasn’t come as easy for the franchise this season. Paul got off to a hot start and achieved another statistical milestone, becoming the first player to reach 20,000 points and 10,000 assists in NBA history, but then he only scored 10 points in the next two games on 3 of 15 shooting. His offensive woes seemed to have spread to the rest of the team as well; the Suns are surprisingly 18th in offensive efficiency.
Portland Trail Blazers: Robert Covington has long been an underrated fantasy maven, especially in roto and category leagues due to his ability to rake in rebounds, blocks and 3-pointers, but so far this season he’s been anything but. With disappointing averages of 4.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 0.3 APG and 1.3 3PG through the first four games of the season, Covington is among the most dropped players in ESPN leagues and is now only 60% rostered.
Sacramento Kings: With each passing game, Harrison Barnes appears to be reaching higher and higher levels of play, and his early per-40 numbers are on pace to surpass his previous bests by a wide margin. In 37.2 MPG per game thus far, Barnes has put up 26.8 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.8 SPG and 4.3 3PG. Remember, Barnes had a 102.9 ADP and was somewhat of an afterthought for most fantasy managers heading into the season. At this point, he’s looking a fantasy steal.
San Antonio Spurs: Doug McDermott is expected to miss the next three games with a right knee injury. Thus, Devin Vassell (6.2% rostered) and Lonnie Walker IV (10.9% rostered) are viable options for deeper leagues. Vassell recorded 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals in the game against the Lakers, while Walker scored 21 points, two rebounds and six assists in that one.
Toronto Raptors: Gary Trent Jr. is off to a slow shooting start and is rostered in only 16.1% of ESPN leagues, but the former Trail Blazer already has two games with at least five steals and ranks fourth in the NBA with 2.8 SPG. It’s a trend to watch, as Trent only averaged 1.0 SPG last season in 31.1 MPG.
Utah Jazz: Joe Ingles continues to be one of the more underappreciated fantasy leagues, particularly in roto and category formats. Ingles finished last year ranked third among qualified players in 3-point percentage (45.5%) and put up an impressive 67.2 TS%, while also chipping in with 4.7 APG. It’s hard to find players like Ingles, yet still he’s available in 37.9% of ESPN leagues.
Washington Wizards: A thigh contusion caused Daniel Gafford to leave Wednesday night’s game. That opened the door for Montrezl Harrell to go off. The veteran Louisville product finished with a season-high 25 points (10-13 FGs), 11 rebounds and two blocks in 38 minutes. Harrell is rostered in 91.1% of ESPN leagues, but if he’s available in yours it’d be a good idea to get him..
Source: www.espn.com