Trade rumors are swirling. Stars are slumping. Sleepers are emerging. And injuries continue to shake things up across the NBA.
Here is a look at the most fantasy-relevant news and notes for all 30 teams around the NBA:
Atlanta Hawks: It's time to move Trae Young down a notch in the weekly rankings. The promising rookie point guard started the season hot, but shooting struggles have plagued him throughout the past month. During his past 10 games, Young has made just 33.8 percent of his shots and, for the season, he has made just 1.3 3-pointers per game. When his shooting is this poor, Young is little more than an inefficient scorer and top-notch assist option.
Boston Celtics: Just what the Celtics need ... another injury. This time, it's Al Horford; the veteran center is expected to miss a few games due to a sore knee, per Brad Stevens. The Celtics play Wednesday then have a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday, so it sounds like there's a good chance the veteran big man won't play another game this week. Take note.
Brooklyn Nets: Guess who founding his shooting touch? Allen Crabbe, that's who. Following an uncharacteristic shooting slump that saw him shoot 25.9 percent in October and 32.8 percent in November, the veteran sharpshooter is up to 44.0 percent in five games this month and has dropped 3.8 3PG during that December span on torrid 52.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Charlotte Hornets: Malik Monk, last year's No. 11 overall pick who is coming off a disappointing rookie campaign has a new mindset when on the court. "I've just got to find a way to get my rhythm and I figured it out -- attacking first and then the 3s will fall," Monk told The Athletic. "So I've just got to keep doing that. Man, the game opens up, it's easy for everybody and my teammates, too, because I can create. I know when I'm scoring like that and I can get to the bucket, I can just kick it out. It's just fun." In terms of fantasy, Monk may never be more than a streamer unless he finds a way to expand his game beyond being a scorer and 3-point shooter.
Chicago Bulls: Kris Dunn returned to the court in Monday's loss to the Kings, going for nine points and six assists in 20 minutes off the bench. Look for the No. 5 overall pick in the 2016 draft to work his way back into the starting lineup in the near future; he averaged 29.3 MPG and started 43 games last season, showing an ability to score and pass, and a special knack for the steal (2.0 SPG). Add him now if he's available in your league.
Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavs will be without Tristan Thompson for 2-4 weeks after the big man sprained his left foot in Monday's game at Milwaukee. With Kevin Love also still out of the lineup until January, Cleveland will likely turn to Larry Nance Jr. to play extended minutes in the short-handed frontcourt.
Dallas Mavericks: The 3-point shot continues to fall for Harrison Barnes. I mentioned last week how the veteran forward had become more of a factor in fantasy thanks to his improvement from long range, and Barnes doesn't appear to be slowing down. His 2.9 3PG during the past two weeks ranks 10th in the NBA during that span, and his 2.4 3PG on the season are well ahead of his previous best of 1.5 3PG, set last season.
Denver Nuggets: Michael Porter Jr. has been off the fantasy radar all season and is easy to completely forget about, but before the back injury worries popped up, this is a talent who as recently as 15 months ago was regarded as top 2-3 pick in the NBA draft. After sliding to No. 14 on draft day, Porter has yet to make his NBA debut, but according to ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst, he has looked good in recent workouts. "Those who have seen Michael Porter Jr. work out in Denver as he recovers from back surgery report he's looking impressive. Even the team is surprised how well he has been shooting the 3-pointer as he works with coach Mark Price."
Detroit Pistons: The evolution of Blake Griffin's game is one of the better stories of the season thus far. Griffin is not only making a career-best 2.3 3PG this season after knocking down 1.9 3PG during each of the past two seasons, but he is doing so after failing to make more than 0.2 3PG during his first six seasons in the league. It's not difficult to figure out why he's averaging a career-high 25.7 PPG this season.
Golden State Warriors: DeMarcus Cousins was assigned to the G League on Monday and says he's not worried about how his surgically repaired Achilles will hold up. He went through 6-7 minute quarters of full-contact 5-on-5 in practice Monday with the Santa Cruz Warriors, but it sounds like he could be several weeks away from debuting with Golden State. "I mean ... I feel like if my life depended on it at the moment, yeah, I could go out and play a game," he told ESPN after the practice. "I want to be 100 percent or as close to 100 percent as I can be when I do return. I want my body in tip-top shape. It is not even about the Achilles, it's just about my other body parts and making sure everything is fine-tuned and in the best shape possible to go out and play a full game."
Houston Rockets: James Ennis III will miss the next 1-2 weeks due to a right hamstring strain, which should lead to more playing time for the likes of Gerald Green and Danuel House Jr. off the bench. This is considered a Grade-1 strain, unlike the Grade-2 strain he suffered earlier in the season, and Ennis isn't expected to be sidelined beyond Christmas.
Indiana Pacers: Windhorst reports that the Pacers could be active in the trade market. "Indiana might look to move one of its point guards," he writes. "Darren Collison and Cory Joseph roughly split the position and are both in the final years of their deals. The team is high on rookie Aaron Holiday and could want to clear out room for him." Holiday has looked good when given a chance to play and could become a steaming option in deeper leagues if a deal is made.
LA Clippers: Everybody knows Danilo Gallinari's game by now. He scores. He shoots the 3-ball. He rebounds. Anything else is a bonus, right? Wrong. What is easy to overlook is the frequency and efficiency of Gallinari's trips to the free throw line. The veteran scorer is getting to the line 5.8 times per game this season, which ranks 19th in the league, and his 91.3 percent shooting while at the stripe ranks right there with Lou Williams, Malcolm Brogdon, Stephen Curry, JJ Redick and Kevin Durant among the league leaders.
Los Angeles Lakers: Brandon Ingram has missed the past three games due to an ankle injury and will be re-evaluated at the end of the week. Based on the Lakers' upcoming schedule, that rules Ingram out for Thursday's game at Houston and Saturday's game at Charlotte. The Lakers remain on the road Sunday at Washington and Tuesday at Brooklyn then have a few days off before playing next Friday at home against New Orleans. In order to give Ingram adequate time to recover, that could be the game the team is looking at for a potential return. All will depend on that re-evaluation, though.
Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies reported Wednesday that Dillon Brooks is progressing on schedule from his MCL knee sprain and could be back by the end of December. Brooks, who averaged 18.9 MPG before the injury, has been sidelined since Nov. 10, leading to more playing time for Garrett Temple and MarShon Brooks.
Miami Heat: Goran Dragic is back ... but only kind of back. After missing eight games due to a sore knee, he returned Friday and played 21 minutes against the Suns. He sat out the following day against the Clippers before returning Monday to play 18 minutes against the Lakers. On Wednesday, he's out again. The bottom line here is the knee is clearly limiting the veteran point guard. He's still missing games and his minutes are limited. Leave him on the waiver wire until he starts to show he can be on the court more often.
Milwaukee Bucks: The Bucks used a first-round pick to acquire George Hill and add some much-needed depth to their roster, but the veteran guard logged only 13 minutes in his Milwaukee debut on Monday. He will likely be counted on for somewhere north of 20 MPG once he gets settled in, but in the short term, it appears that the starting backcourt of Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon won't be impacted much with the arrival of Hill.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Now that we are past a quarter of the way through the season, some trends are worth taking a longer look at and Jeff Teague's numbers are particularly interesting. Teague has seen a sharp decline in scoring (11.7 PPG) after six consecutive seasons of at least 14.2 PPG. The news isn't all bad, however, as the 10-year veteran is currently posting a career-high mark in the assist department (8.0).
New Orleans Pelicans: Need help in assists? Tim Frazier could be your guy as long as Elfrid Payton remains sidelined. In his past eight games serving as the fill-in starter at the point, Frazier has averaged 8.1 APG. Add to that 1.4 3PG and 1.0 SPG in that span, and there's a lot to like about the widely available veteran. Payton (ankle) is expected to be out for another 2-3 weeks.
New York Knicks: Mitchell Robinson is rostered in only 0.2 percent of ESPN leagues but the bouncy rookie big man serves a purpose in category leagues thanks to his ability to block shots. His 1.92 BPG rank eighth in the NBA, and his 2.2 BPG during the past two weeks rank fifth in the league during that span.
Oklahoma City Thunder: When Russell Westbrook made 2.5 3PG and shot a career-high 34.3 percent from 3-point land during the 2016-17 season, it seemed like the superstar had maybe turned the corner as a long-range shooter. That hasn't proved to be the case, however, as he dipped way down to 1.2 3PG on 29.8 percent shooting last season and even further to 1.1 on 21.8 percent shooting this season.
Orlando Magic: Evan Fournier is expected to return to the Magic lineup for games on Thursday and Saturday in Mexico City after missing Monday's game against Dallas because of a personal matter. The 26-year-old has started every game he's played during the past two seasons and is averaging more than 30 MPG for the fourth consecutive season in Orlando, so his short-lived absence is good news for coach Steve Clifford.
Philadelphia 76ers: Jimmy Butler (groin) didn't practice Tuesday and is doubtful for Wednesday's game against Brooklyn. Butler's injury is worth watching closely in the coming days, but if he misses time it will likely mean a much heavier usage for Joel Embiid, who has been frustrated since the arrival of the star swingman. The 76ers play next on Friday against Indiana.
Phoenix Suns: Things just aren't getting better in Phoenix, are they? The Suns are the third-worst offensive team in the league, sporting a sad offensive efficiency of 99.8. That's one thing, but what matters more in fantasy is their woeful defense, which surrenders 111.5 points per 100 possessions. Only Cleveland is worse on the defensive end of the court.
Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard tweaked his left shoulder during Tuesday's loss to the Rockets but continued to play and finished with 34 points in 39 minutes. This doesn't appear to be anything to be overly alarmed about, but it's worth keeping an eye on if the injury to Lillard's non-shooting shoulder lingers. After playing all 82 games his first three seasons in the league, the durable point guard has missed a total of 23 games during the past three seasons and hasn't missed a game in 2018-19.
Sacramento Kings: The Kings are another team Windhorst mentions that could be active in trade discussions in the coming weeks, with Dec. 15 being the day when most players signed over the summer are eligible to be dealt. Windhorst lists the Kings, along with the Pistons and Pelicans, among the teams known to be looking to upgrade their roster, and they have some chips to play with. "With $11 million in cap space and the large expiring contracts of Zach Randolph and Iman Shumpert, it figures the Kings will be involved in something between now and the trade deadline," Windhorst writes.
San Antonio Spurs: With Pau Gasol out indefinitely due to a stress fracture in his left foot, Jakob Poeltl -- acquired from Toronto in the Kawhi Leonard trade -- has seen his role increase during the past three weeks to the point where he is suddenly a factor in fantasy circles. Poeltl, a former star at the University of Utah who went on to become the No. 9 pick in 2016, has averaged a healthy 9.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 0.9 BPG during the past 10 games while shooting a blistering 71.9 percent. Though he's still playing less than 20 minutes on most nights, he's still worth considering in category leagues.
Toronto Raptors: What a turn it has been for Kyle Lowry, who just a few weeks ago was starting to force his way into the top 10 in the fantasy rankings. Since then, Lowry's offensive game has completely fallen apart. Even after making 8 of 13 shots in Tuesday's win over the Clippers, the veteran is shooting just 28.6 in five games this month. This trend started more than a month ago; after putting up 18.5 PPG and shooting 51.5 percent in October, Lowry shot just 41.7 percent in November and hadn't been able to get on track before Tuesday's game.
Utah Jazz: Joe Ingles averaged 31.5 MPG last season and is at 31.6 in 28 games this season, but the Jazz appear to be making a concerted effort to limit his minutes in recent weeks. In fact, a closer look at the box scores reveals that Ingles has reached the 30-minute mark only once during the Jazz's past 10 games. As long as that continues to be the case, Ingles' fantasy value takes a small hit.
Washington Wizards: A nagging heal injury has slowed John Wall and kept him out of the lineup for a couple games recently, and that's had a direct impact on Bradley Beal's scoring. Beal, who has averaged 28.4 PPG during the past five games, went for 36 points (at Atlanta) and 30 points (at Indiana) in the two games in which Wall was out of the lineup. The point guard is expected to return to the court Wednesday against the Celtics, but this is something to think about in the future -- especially in daily fantasy leagues -- whenever Wall misses time.
