The NBA All-Star break is in the rear-view mirror, and regular-season games return on Thursday, which means there is plenty to stay on top of around the league.
Here's a list of the most fantasy-relevant news and notes for all 30 teams:
Atlanta Hawks: Taurean Prince tends to go overlooked in the fantasy world, but the second-year swingman is playing more minutes and scoring more points than anyone else on the Hawks this month aside from Dennis Schroder. The 12th pick in the 2016 draft needs to get his 3-point shot squared away, though, as he is only 1-for-25 from long range in his past four games.
Boston Celtics: Marcus Smart (hand) practiced with the Celtics on Wednesday and has been cleared to return to the court on Friday against the Pistons. Smart hasn't played since late January due to a severe laceration on his hand, and his return to the rotation will take away minutes from Terry Rozier, who busted out with averages of 15.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists in his past 10 games.
Brooklyn Nets: D'Angelo Russell has played 30 minutes or more only once since returning to the Nets lineup, but that will likely start to change as he continues to build his endurance and get in game shape. A bigger concern might be Russell's inefficient shooting; he is shooting 40.9 percent, including 22.2 percent from 3-point range, in his past five games. Right now, Russell isn't a top-100 fantasy option.
Charlotte Hornets: No player in the NBA has made more 3-pointers per game in the past 30 days than Charlotte's Kemba Walker, whose 4.3 3PG in that 13-game stretch is even better than that of James Harden (4.2) and Stephen Curry (4.1). In the past, Walker's lack of 3-point prowess cost him fantasy value as a point guard, but those days are long gone. The seventh-year pro took his game up a notch with 2.2 3PG in 2015-16 and made 3.0 3PG last season. He is at 2.9 3PG this season.
Chicago Bulls: Kris Dunn played 20 minutes in his first game back from a concussion last Wednesday, and Bulls executive VP John Paxson said the young point guard is no longer on a minutes limit. He added that the team will be "smart" with how it uses Dunn in the next few games, so don't be surprised if coach Fred Hoiberg eases Dunn back into a heavier workload.
Cleveland Cavaliers: It's still early in George Hill's Cleveland career, but those expecting a boost in stats after he was traded from Sacramento have to be disappointed so far. In his first two games with the Cavs, the veteran point guard has averaged 9.5 PPG and 2.5 APG in 22.5 MPG.
Dallas Mavericks: Wesley Matthews remains available in 65 percent of ESPN leagues and is an excellent option if you're looking to boost your 3-point category. The veteran swingman has made 2.4 3PG this season and is red-hot from behind the arc in the past five games (44.1 percent).
Denver Nuggets: With triple-doubles in each of the past two games, Nikola Jokic is up to five for the season, which puts him fourth in the league. What's more impressive is the fact that he is averaging 19.9 PPG, 11.6 RPG and 9.1 APG in the past 10 games. Pairing Jokic with a well-rounded forward who can pass is a tough combination to contend with in fantasy this season and is something to aim for in your future fantasy drafts.
Detroit Pistons: Reggie Jackson (ankle) isn't ready to return to game action as some had originally hoped, but he has been cleared to do light running in his rehab. Jackson is likely still a few weeks away from making it back to the court, which means more time for Ish Smith to handle the point guard duties. Smith has averaged 13.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 5.5 APG and 1.3 SPG in his past eight games, but he isn't much of a 3-point threat.
Golden State Warriors: Andre Iguodala's days as a fantasy option are as numbered as ever. The 14-year-pro is averaging only 5.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.3 APG and 0.8 SPG this season and usually isn't worth streaming at this stage in his career. Now a completely complementary player, the only time Iguodala is worth using is when Kevin Durant is out of the lineup.
Houston Rockets: Clint Capela ranked 14th in the league in rebounds per 48 minutes last season with 16.3. This season he has upped it to 19.6, which is tied with New York's Enes Kanter for third in the NBA. Capela's 27.2 MPG is the only thing keeping him from ranking in the top five in RPG. Currently, he is tied for sixth with 11.1.
Indiana Pacers: Darren Collison (knee) isn't quite ready to return to the court as he works his way back from getting his left knee scoped. He is at least another week away, per Pacers reporter Scott Agness, which means at least three more games for Cory Joseph to handle the starting point guard duties in Indiana.
Los Angeles Clippers: Doc Rivers said Wednesday that Avery Bradley has a 50/50 chance to play against the Warriors on Thursday due to a groin injury, and he said that the nagging injury could make Bradley a game-time decision for every game remaining on the schedule. This wasn't what the Clippers were hoping for when they acquired Bradley in the Blake Griffin trade, obviously, and it probably makes Bradley too big of a risk to hold on to in standard 12-team leagues.
Los Angeles Lakers: The long wait for Lonzo Ball to return from a knee injury appears to be winding down, as the much-talked-about rookie said Wednesday that he plans to be back on the court Friday against the Mavericks. Ball has missed 21 of the past 26 games for the Lakers while dealing with discomfort in his left knee and is shooting only 35.6 percent from the field and 48 percent from the free throw line this season.
Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies are 11-33 without Mike Conley in the lineup this season, and with Conley (heel surgery) sidelined for the rest of the season, there's a good chance this trend will continue. Be aware of the potential of a blowout if you're streaming players against Memphis or playing daily fantasy.
Miami Heat: The minutes reduction for Hassan Whiteside lowers his fantasy ceiling and prevents him from going off for monster games like he once put up regularly, but he is still finding a way to be productive when on the court. In his past five games, the big man has played only 26.8 MPG, yet he has still managed double-doubles in each of those contests while averaging 14.6 PPG and 13.4 RPG.
Milwaukee Bucks: Not only does Giannis Antetokounmpo do it all on the court -- except shoot the 3-ball, that is -- but his fantasy value is also boosted even more due to the amount of time he's out there. The Greek Freak's 37.0 MPG this season is tied with LeBron James for second in the league behind only Minnesota's Jimmy Butler (37.3), and the addition of Jabari Parker to the lineup hasn't reduced the work load at all for Antetokounmpo.
Minnesota Timberwolves: If you play in a league that uses double-doubles as a category, Karl-Anthony Towns' fantasy value gets moved a notch higher. Towns' 51 double-doubles this season are nine more than second place (Andre Drummond, 42), and Russell Westbrook (40) is the only other player with at least 40.
New Orleans Pelicans: How much has Anthony Davis turned up his numbers since DeMarcus Cousins went down, you ask? In February, Davis ranks second in the league in scoring (30.2 PPG), 12th in rebounding (11.3 RPG), third in blocks (2.3 BPG) and fifth in steals (2.1 SPG). He has also made 1.2 3PG in that 12-game span.
New York Knicks: Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said Wednesday that he plans to give younger players such as Frank Ntilikina, Emmanuel Mudiay and Trey Burke more minutes the rest of the season. This is bad news for those of you with Jarrett Jack on your team, as it appears that veterans such as Jack will likely see their roles diminish in the months ahead.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Russell Westbrook might not be putting up numbers at the same rate he did a season ago, but his 17 triple-doubles are more than that of second (LeBron James, 10) and third place (Ben Simmons, 6) combined. Westbrook comes out of the All-Star break ranked eighth in scoring (25.4 PPG), first in assists (10.4 APG), fifth in steals (2.0 SPG) and 13th in rebounds (9.4 RPG).
Orlando Magic: Good news for Aaron Gordon (hip) and Nikola Vucevic (hand): Both are expected to be back on the court when the Magic take on the Knicks on Thursday. The return of the two frontcourt starters will move Bismack Biyombo and Mario Hezonja back into a reserve role, and a spot on your league's waiver wire could be in their future.
Philadelphia 76ers: No big surprise here, but Markelle Fultz (shoulder) won't be available for the 76ers against the Bulls on Thursday, and it's starting to seem very unlikely that he'll play in another game this season, as the 76ers -- as always -- are looking at the big picture with the top overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. No Fultz puts Philadelphia in a position where it will have to lean on Ben Simmons to run the point with T.J. McConnell serving as the primary backup.
Phoenix Suns: The Suns have the worst defense in the NBA coming out of the All-Star break, having allowed 110.6 points per 100 possessions through their 59 games. While the presence of Elfrid Payton should improve things some, the Suns -- along with the Kings -- are a defense to take advantage of every time they take the court no matter what type of fantasy league you play in.
Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard ranks sixth in the NBA in scoring this season (26.1 PPG), and he is moving on up after a stellar 30-day stretch. During the past month, Lillard's 29.2 PPG ranks third in the league behind only Harden (30.8) and Anthony Davis (30.2). Impressively, he has made 49.1 percent of his shots during that stretch.
Sacramento Kings: At 18-39 on the season, no team in the NBA has fewer wins than the Kings as we exit the All-Star break. Oddly enough, five other teams are, however, also at 18 wins. In any case, it's clear that the Kings need to spend the final months of the regular season seeing what they have in their young players, and we have already seen the beginning of that trend. In seven games this month, the team's four leaders in minutes per game are Bogdan Bogdanovic (30.4), De'Aaron Fox (29.7), Willie Cauley-Stein (28.0) and Justin Jackson (28.0).
San Antonio Spurs: Danny Green's 12.0 PPG this month ranks second on the Spurs behind only LaMarcus Aldridge, and the veteran swingman is chipping in with 2.5 3PG, 4.3 RPG, 1.3 SPG and 1.2 BPG during that stretch. Somehow, he is still available in more than 92 percent of ESPN leagues.
Toronto Raptors: Kyle Lowry is an imperfect fantasy point guard, and if you have him on your roster this season, you know what we are getting at. His shooting is down (41.8 percent), as are his scoring (16.6), assists (6.5) and steals (1.2), but he is also making 3.0 3PG and averaging a career-best 5.7 RPG. The 12th year pro might not be a top-50 fantasy option for much longer beyond this season, which is something to think about in keeper leagues.
Utah Jazz: Donovan Mitchell has been just fine since Ricky Rubio went down with a hip injury and missed the past three games. The prized rookie out of Louisville scored at least 24 points in each of those games while adding 3.0 3PG, 6.0 RPG and 4.7 APG. This is worth noting for future games in which the Jazz are without their starting point guard.
Washington Wizards: According to nbawowy.com, Bradley Beal's usage goes from 26.3 with John Wall on the court this season to 30.8 with Wall off the court. Beal's efficiency goes down without his star teammate, however; he has a 57.8 TS% with him and a 55.5 TS% without him.
