Nerlens Noel could become a fantasy star for the next several weeks. New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson will undergo surgery on his fractured right hand and is expected to miss four to six weeks of action, shifting Noel into a prominent starting role.
In a blowout win over the Houston Rockets on Friday night, Noel started for the first time this season and played a season-high 32 minutes. With the trust of coach Tim Thibodeau and some of the best steal and block rates in the NBA, Noel could immediately bolster fantasy rosters in such a busy starting role.
With Robinson off the floor this season, Noel has averaged 10.5 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 1.8 steals per 36 minutes of play. Don't sweat Noel's modest scoring clip, as such elite defensive rates support immense value in rotisserie and category formats.
Weekend recap
Highlights
Saturday
Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns: 36 points (14-23 FG), 5 rebounds, 4 assists
James Harden, Brooklyn Nets: 19 points (6-11 FG), 8 rebounds, 16 assists, 3 steals
Sunday
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks: 44 points (14-20 FG), 7 rebounds, 9 assists
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets: 23 points (8-17 FG), 16 rebounds, 10 assists
Lowlights
Saturday
RJ Barrett, New York Knicks: 7 points (2-8 FG), 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 TO
Mikal Bridges, Phoenix Suns: 4 points (1-5 FG), 2 rebounds, 1 assist
Sunday
Taurean Prince, Cleveland Cavaliers: 0 points (0-6 FG), 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics: 6 points (3-14 FG), 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 TO
Weekend takeaways
With Kawhi Leonard getting the night off for what seems like traditional load management and Paul George missing his sixth straight game due to a foot injury, the Clippers unleashed Lou Williams in the starting lineup against the Cavaliers on Sunday. Williams responded with a season-high 30 points and a season-high 10 assists in the victory. With George likely to miss more time, Williams is a strong fantasy option.
Indiana's Doug McDermott scored a game-high 26 points in a win over Atlanta on Saturday, marking his second-most points in a game this season. The Pacers are without both TJ Warren and Caris LeVert for the foreseeable future, thus McDermott should continue to serve an important role for Indiana. The Pacers are getting strong play from T.J. McConnell, as well, as the backup point guard delivered 12 dimes off the bench against the Hawks and now leads the NBA with three games off the bench with as many as 10 assists. For those in deeper leagues, it's worth noting McConnell leads the NBA in steal percentage.
San Antonio's Dejounte Murray produced his third 20-point double-double this season in a win over Charlotte on Sunday. Murray entered the season with two such performances in his career. The key fantasy take from the Spurs' comeback win was Derrick White's 25-point showing, as the gifted combo guard is finally starting to deliver some big lines.
In upsetting the heavily favored Bucks, the Thunder got another big game from Justin Jackson, as the young wing led the team with 22 points and now has 20 points in consecutive games after not having a 20-point game prior this season. Looking past his game-high seven turnovers, Luguentz Dort was impressive for the Thunder, as well, with 20 points and nine combined rebounds and assists.
Detroit's Mason Plumlee notched his first career triple-double in a win over New Orleans on Sunday, becoming the first Pistons center with a triple-double since Greg Monroe back in November of 2012. The Pistons got another big game off the pine from Josh Jackson, as he scored at least 20 points for the fourth time this season after having done so just seven times in the previous two seasons combined.
With five combined steals and blocks and 10 combined assists and rebounds in a win over the Kings last night, Kyle Anderson of the Grizzlies continues to fly under the radar as a statistical force.
Injuries of note
OG Anunoby missed yet another game for the Raptors on Sunday due to a calf injury. Norman Powell remains an ideal waiver pickup in any leagues he's still available.
A sore back sidelined Charlotte's Gordon Hayward on Sunday while P.J. Washington missed the game while in the league's health and safety protocols.
Houston's Victor Oladipo won't play against the Wizards tonight due to a sore right foot. His absence adds to Eric Gordon's scoring upside.
Philadelphia's Joel Embiid is listed as questionable due to back tightness for Monday's marquee matchup with Utah's Rudy Gobert. The team has already ruled out Shake Milton, affording Furkan Korkmaz some value in daily fantasy play.
Anthony Davis scored 15 points in 14 minutes against the Nuggets last night but left the game prior to the half after aggravating tendonosis in his right Achilles. Kyle Kuzma becomes an interesting scoring option if Davis misses any games.
Brooklyn's Kevin Durant is dealing with a left hamstring strain and will miss the team's next two games.
Analytics advantage for Monday
Rajon Rondo, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and De'Andre Hunter are all injured and not available for the Atlanta Hawks this evening against the surging Knicks. This should lead to a larger offensive workload for two young Atlanta wings.
Kevin Huerter has sported a stellar 63.6% true shooting clip with his three teammates off the court this season -- which is a measure of scoring efficiency from all three levels. Huerter has averaged 15.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 3.3 3PG per 36 minutes in such scenarios and merits interest in both redraft and daily competition for tonight's contest.
For those in deeper leagues, Cam Reddish has averaged 14.4 points with 1.2 steals and two 3-pointers per 36 minutes with his trio of teammates off the floor.
Top players to watch on Monday
The Jazz are 18-1 in their past 19 games and have won 16 of them by double digits. This means the Jazz are just the third team in NBA history with 16 double-digit wins over a 19-game span, joining the 2008-09 Cavaliers and the 1970-71 Bucks.
The 76ers will have their hands full in Salt Lake tonight as Ben Simmons faces Donovan Mitchell in a contrast of styles and a rematch of the contentious Rookie of the Year battle the two waged years ago.
