From returning stars to veterans still playing atop their games, the end of February has been as action-packed as ever in the NBA.
Here's a look at the most fantasy-relevant news and notes for all 30 teams around the league:
Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks disperse minutes evenly, which might be helpful for the players' durability and overall long-term health, but it doesn't help in fantasy. Dennis Schroder led the team with 29.2 MPG during the month of February, and Taurean Prince (28.5 MPG) and Kent Bazemore (26.1 MPG) were the only other Hawks players to play at least 25.0 MPG.
Boston Celtics: After shooting at least 48.0 percent in each of the first three months of the season, rookie Jayson Tatum's efficiency has plummeted. The third overall pick last June shot 41.9 percent in January and is shooting 42.0 percent in February while adding very little else (2.7 RPG, 1.8 APG and 0.8 3PG) in 10 games this month. It's time to pump the brakes on Tatum.
Brooklyn Nets: While some first-year players such as Tatum appear to have hit the rookie wall, Brooklyn big man Jarrett Allen is picking up steam as we get ready to enter March. The No. 22 pick in 2017 is averaging 12.9 PPG, 6.8 RPG and 1.0 BPG the past 10 games while shooting a torrid 61.6 percent during that stretch.
Charlotte Hornets: Dwight Howard fell short of a double-double against Chicago on Tuesday night, but he has three in his past five games and ranks fourth in the league with 38 double-doubles on the season. Howard isn't the big-name player he once was in fantasy, but his scoring, rebound and block numbers have remained very consistent the past four seasons, and he hasn't slowed down yet.
Chicago Bulls: The Bulls are paying Robin Lopez $13.8 million this season, yet they continue to sit their pricey center on the bench in favor of Cristiano Felicio. Lopez has received a DNP-Coach's Decision in four consecutive games, while Felicio has stepped in and averaged 24.8 MPG during that span. Felicio isn't much of a fantasy option, so Lopez's vanishing as a fantasy option thins the center position a bit more than usual.
Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James averaged a triple-double during the month of February, putting up 27.0 PPG, 10.5 RPG and 10.5 APG in 10 games while averaging a hefty 37.3 MPG. King James' heavy volume of minutes in his 15th NBA season could cause him to wear down in the final months of the regular season, but he isn't showing any signs of that yet.
Dallas Mavericks: Dwight Powell tends to go overlooked, but the efficient big man ranks fifth on the Mavericks in MPG during the month of February (28.2), and his 13.4 PPG, 8.4 RPG and 59.2 percent shooting during that stretch make him a useful fantasy option on this tanking Mavs squad.
Denver Nuggets: Paul Millsap returned Tuesday and logged 23 minutes after missing 44 games with a wrist injury. Based on how well he played, finishing with 9 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal against the Clippers, you have to expect the veteran to cut into Nikola Jokic's scoring, rebounds and assists the rest of the season. Any game when Millsap is rested, though, will be a huge opportunity for Jokic to do what he does best.
Detroit Pistons: Coach Stan Van Gundy indicated that he hopes Reggie Jackson (ankle) can return to practice before the team's West Coast road trip begins on March 13. If you read into that a little bit, it looks like we are still at least three weeks away from Jackson returning to game action. He has been sidelined for more than two months already, last playing on Dec. 26.
Golden State Warriors: Here's a stat about Stephen Curry that is hard to believe: During the past 10 games, the star point guard and two-time MVP has scored 25 points or more in a game only once. You'd have to look a while to find another stretch like that for Curry.
Houston Rockets: Clint Capela missed Monday's game due to illness, but it sounds likely that he'll return to the court on Wednesday against the Clippers. The blossoming big man has been upgraded to probable for the game and enters the night averaging 15.8 PPG, 11.7 RPG and 2.2 BPG in his past nine games.
Indiana Pacers: Per Shams Charania of Yahoo! Sports, Trevor Booker is slated to sign a minimum deal with the Pacers -- once he clears waivers -- for the remainder of the season. Booker never amounted to much for the 76ers, playing just 15.0 MPG in 33 games after being traded from Brooklyn for Jahlil Okafor, but his presence in Indiana's short-handed frontcourt likely leads to a reduction in minutes for Thaddeus Young.
LA Clippers: Danilo Gallinari (hand) has been ruled out for a third straight game and will sit out Wednesday night against the Rockets. Without Gallinari in the frontcourt, Doc Rivers is expected to dole out more minutes to Wesley Johnson, Sam Dekker and Tyrone Wallace.
Los Angeles Lakers: Josh Hart suffered a small fracture in his left hand during practice on Wednesday and is likely going to have to miss time. Without Hart, it's going to mean more opportunity for guards Isaiah Thomas, Lonzo Ball and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Hart had been averaging 32.1 MPG in his past 10 games.
Memphis Grizzlies: A rib injury will cost Tyreke Evans a third straight game, as the veteran has been ruled out for the home game against the Suns. This is a big blow for those with Evans on their team; he has averaged 25.0 PPG on 50.0 percent shooting in three games against Phoenix this season.
Miami Heat: With Wayne Ellington and Tyler Johnson both injured in Tuesday's game against Philadelphia and unavailable for Wednesday's practice, there is a chance that Dwyane Wade could start for the Heat on Thursday when they face the Lakers in a home game at AmericanAirlines Arena. The 36-year-old Wade is shooting just 40.8 percent in 22.7 MPG in the six games since he was traded to the Heat from Cleveland.
Milwaukee Bucks: Jabari Parker saw his minutes rise in each of the three games since the All-Star break, going from 21 to 24 to 27. With at least 18 points and five rebounds in each of his past two games, we are starting to see Parker play like the player he was before the injury last season. Pick him up now if he's still available in your league, as he is in nearly 42 percent of ESPN leagues.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Since Jimmy Butler went down, Nemanja Bjelica has stepped into Minnesota's starting lineup and averaged 33.5 MPG. That's significant, considering that Gorgui Dieng is the only big man the Wolves use off the bench. Bjelica is still available in nearly 95 percent of ESPN leagues and is a versatile player who should be strongly considered in just about every league.
New Orleans Pelicans: Anthony Davis is No. 2 on the ESPN Player Rater during the past 30 days, and nobody has averaged more points during that stretch than the Pelicans' star (34.7 PPG). As well as Davis is playing right now, a case could be made for him being the top fantasy option -- even over James Harden and LeBron -- but he is also the least durable of the trio.
New York Knicks: Michael Beasley scored just two points in 26 minutes against Golden State on Monday, marking the second time in three games that he has played more than 20 minutes and finished with single-digit points. Not many people expected this to happen once Kristaps Porzingis went down, and if Beasley can't be counted on to score, then he is a risky player to have on your roster at this critical part of the fantasy season.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Russell Westbrook gets most of the headlines in Oklahoma City, but what Paul George is doing is worthy of some attention. The free-agent-to-be ranks fourth in the NBA in scoring (26.8 PPG) in the past 30 days and is third in 3PG (3.9) and fourth in SPG (2.0) during that span.
Orlando Magic: Aaron Gordon is back on the court for the Magic, which is a great thing after he missed extended time due to a hip injury leading up to the All-Star break. However, a look at his rebounding numbers provides reason for concern. He has just 19 rebounds in 89 minutes in his first three games back, with seven or fewer in each of those games. Rebounding is one of the things Gordon does best, so this is something to keep an eye on in the weeks ahead.
Philadelphia 76ers: The Markelle Fultz saga isn't over. The No. 1 overall pick still hasn't played since the opening week of the season, but if recent pregame videos are any indication, there is some positive news coming out of all this. Fultz's shooting form is starting to round into shape, looking a lot more like it did in his one season at Washington than it did the previous five months. This is great to see, but there is still no indication as to whether he'll play again this season.
Phoenix Suns: Josh Jackson could return to the Suns' starting lineup on Wednesday, as TJ Warren is questionable against Memphis due to a bruised tailbone sustained in Monday's loss to the Pelicans. This is worth keeping an eye on leading up to tipoff, as Warren's status also impacts how many shots Devin Booker takes.
Portland Trail Blazers: What's holding CJ McCollum back from being an elite fantasy 2-guard? It sounds funny, but the answer could be a lack of 3-pointers. While McCollum is making more than 41.0 percent of his attempts from long range for a third straight season, he is attempting only 5.9 per game this season. That ranks behind players such as Carmelo Anthony, Austin Rivers and even DeMarcus Cousins (before the injury). To be an elite fantasy shooting guard, McCollum is going to have to find a way to start taking more 3s.
Sacramento Kings: When using Buddy Hield in your lineup, make sure you pay attention to whether the Kings are playing at home. Hield is shooting 46.1 percent in 27 home games this season compared to 41.7 percent in 32 road games. The 3-point shooting discrepancy is also staggering: 48.6 percent at home compared to 36.1 percent on the road.
San Antonio Spurs: Dejounte Murray is a name to watch for the rest of this season and also next season and beyond. The second-year point guard continues to show promise as a scorer, rebounder, distributor and defender -- putting up 12.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 4.0 APG and 1.8 SPG in his past four games -- and he has top-100 fantasy value for the remainder of this season. Once he adds range to his game and starts hitting 3-pointers, he's someone with top-30 fantasy potential in another season or two.
Toronto Raptors: Dating back to Valentine's Day, a span of three games, Serge Ibaka has posted scoring nights of 20, 18 and 19 while swatting six shots and making seven 3-pointers. Ibaka is capable of being a key piece on a strong fantasy team when he plays like this, and there's a reason he is up to No. 69 on ESPN's Player Rater.
Utah Jazz: Joe Ingles' 15.1 PPG the past 30 days is impressive but not as impressive as his 3.2 3PG during that span. The only players averaging more 3-pointers made in the past month are Kemba Walker, Harden, George, Curry, Kyle Lowry and Damian Lillard.
Washington Wizards: Tomas Satoransky is available in more than 60.0 percent of ESPN leagues, despite being an extremely efficient scorer and steady source of assists -- one of the toughest stats to account for in fantasy hoops. Satoransky is shooting 61.8 percent while chipping in with 12.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 6.2 APG and 1.4 SPG in his past 10 games, while John Wall remains sidelined.
