It's another busy week filled with trade rumors, injury updates and changing trends.
Here's a look at the most fantasy-relevant news and notes for all 30 teams around the league:
Atlanta Hawks: Marc Stein of The New York Times reports that "the Hawks are known to have made the veteran point guard Jeremy Lin, big man Dewayne Dedmon and swingman Kent Bazemore available in advance of the Feb. 7 trade deadline in search of more draft picks." If any of these players are dealt without a rotation player coming back in return, it would likely lead to a bump in fantasy value for the likes of Trae Young, John Collins and Taurean Prince.
Boston Celtics: The Celtics are expected to get Kyrie Irving (quad), Marcus Smart (illness) and Aron Baynes (hand) back for Wednesday's monster matchup against the visiting Raptors, and they could use it after three straight losses. Any diversion from Gordon Hayward might be good for the team right now; the veteran continues to work his way back from last season's devastating leg injury but hasn't played well of late, finishing with scoring nights of six, eight and three points during his past three games.
Brooklyn Nets: Oft-injured forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is set to return to the court after missing the past seven games with a groin injury. He is listed as probable for Wednesday's game at Houston. Durability continues to be Hollis-Jefferson's biggest issue; he missed 53 games his rookie season, 14 games last season and has already missed 11 this season.
Charlotte Hornets: Not surprisingly, Kemba Walker leads the Hornets in shot attempts per game this month (19.9) by a wide margin. The surprising part comes in the way he is struggling shooting the ball, making just 38.8 percent of his shots. That combination is a big blow for fantasy teams that use FG% as a category, but Walker's impact as a scorer and one of the game's top 3-point threats overshadows the harm of his inefficient shooting. Plus, his 43.5 percent shooting this season indicates this slump probably won't be long-lasting.
Chicago Bulls: Not only has Zach LaVine gone from a volume shooter to an efficient scorer, he's also developed a pretty sweet 3-point shot along the way. While still streaky from beyond the arc with room for improvement, LaVine has shot 45.5 percent from deep during seven games this month to raise his season-long mark to a respectable 35.6 percent.
Cleveland Cavaliers: NBA reporter Sam Amico reports, citing several league sources, that teams are interested in Tristan Thompson after the veteran's hot play of late. "... The Cavs have taken a few calls on their starting center, who has become a solid rock of a leader and teammate in an otherwise lost season," he writes. There may never be a time where Thompson can fetch more in a trade than right now, so this is a development that could gain some momentum in the weeks leading up to the Feb. 7 trade deadline.
Dallas Mavericks: It feels wrong to say anything negative about Luka Doncic; 19-year-olds just aren't supposed to enter the league and do what this guy has this season. For those fantasy managers who play in leagues that take free throw shooting into account, though, it's worth noting that Doncic's 8.5 free throw attempts per game during the past month ranks seventh in the league, making his 69.5 percent FT% particularly impactful in category leagues. Doncic turns 20 next month, but the rookie might as well be a 25-year-old in his seventh NBA season based on the confidence he exudes on the court.
Denver Nuggets: Patience is the name of the game with Will Barton right now in Denver as he works his way back into game shape. The versatile swingman saw his playing time ramp up in Tuesday's blowout loss to Golden State, logging 23 minutes, but his shot is off (7-of-27, 25.9 percent) in his first three games back from a lengthy layoff. All you can do is wait for Barton to get going, but in the meantime, it's not out of the question to keep him on the bench when you can afford it.
Detroit Pistons: During the past 30 days, Reggie Bullock has averaged 3.3 3PG in a 15-game span. That puts him on par with JJ Redick, and only James Harden, Stephen Curry, Buddy Hield, Paul George and Walker have made more 3-pointers per game during the same stretch. Bullock has become one of the top players in the league to steam for 3-pointers.
Golden State Warriors: Barring any late setback, DeMarcus Cousins is on target to make his Warriors debut in Friday's game against the Clippers. While Cousins' scoring ability is sure to cut into that of all the other stars on the team, one thing to watch closely is how much the addition of Cousins will limit Draymond Green, particularly in terms of rebounds. Green has averaged 7.6 RPG during the past 10 games, but that number could plummet into the 5.0 range with the 7-foot Cousins entering the fray.
Houston Rockets: Losing Clint Capela for 4-6 weeks with a thumb injury was a big blow to a Rockets team already ravaged by injuries, but it sounds as though the team could get a little healthier as soon as Wednesday with Eric Gordon (knee) nearing a return. Gordon is officially listed as questionable against Brooklyn on Wednesday after missing the past eight games. If he plays, it gives the Rockets another veteran scorer aside from Harden and likely pushes Austin Rivers and Gerald Green to lesser roles.
Indiana Pacers: If you're in a league where you're punting 3-pointers and looking for high percentage scorers, Thaddeus Young is perfect for you. Not only is the veteran putting up 15.2 PPG and 6.8 RPG during the past two weeks -- a six-game span -- he also is among the league leaders with 2.0 SPG in that stretch while shooting a blistering 64.1 percent from the field.
LA Clippers: Not long ago, rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was on rosters in most fantasy leagues, but things change quickly in fantasy hoops. During his past 10 games, the promising rookie has seen his minutes decline to 19.7 per game, and his numbers in that stretch (6.7 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.1 SPG) don't justify a spot on 10- and 12-team leagues. Send him to the waiver wire if he's still taking up a spot on your roster.
Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James (left groin) hasn't played since Christmas Day and won't travel with the Lakers on their upcoming two-game road trip to Oklahoma City and Houston, which means the soonest he'll be able to return is Monday's home game against the Warriors. For the sake of basketball fans everywhere, fingers crossed that King James makes it back for that one.
Memphis Grizzlies: Marc Gasol has been a staple on the Grizzlies for the better part of a decade, but could that soon change? Stein reports that the team could be inclined to explore trading the big man in the coming weeks. "One whisper making the rounds: Marc Gasol can become a free agent at season's end, amid a growing belief around the league that he will indeed exercise that option, Memphis could be moved to explore trading Gasol now rather than face the threat of losing him without compensation," he writes. Gasol has averaged 34.0 MPG this season, and it's questionable at best whether he would remain as valuable fantasy-wise if he winds up in another uniform in 2018-19.
Miami Heat: Things are getting intense in Miami when it comes to Dion Waiters, who recently returned from injury but has seen his minutes dwindle to 10 and 12 during the past two games. Waiters was critical of the coaching staff following the Heat's blowout loss to Milwaukee, saying he should play more, but we have to wonder if that could backfire. Leave Waiters on the waiver wire right now.
Milwaukee Bucks: At 31-12 entering Wednesday, the Bucks are in the midst of their best season in a long time, and a look at Khris Middleton's numbers shows that there is still reason to believe the team can get better. Middleton, a career 45.2 percent shooter who had never shot under 44.0 percent in any of his first six seasons in the league, is currently shooting a career-low 43.4 percent. There's reason to believe Middleton can and will shoot better over the second half of the 2018-19 season.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Some not-so-good news regarding Robert Covington -- the defensive stalwart said Tuesday that he did not have a timetable on when he'll be able to return from his ankle injury. Covington has already missed the past seven games, and it will be key for him to be as close to 100 percent as possible upon his return due to the heavy workload he plays on this team (34.7 MPG in 22 games with the Timberwolves).
New Orleans Pelicans: Similar to Barton in Denver, Nikola Mirotic is off to a slow start since returning to the court three games ago. He was held scoreless in 17 minutes in the Pelicans' last game on Monday and is going to need some time to get back to the top-50 type of fantasy talent he was prior to missing nearly a full month with an ankle injury. Stash him on the bench to bide some time whenever you can in the coming weeks.
New York Knicks: Tim Hardaway Jr. missed his last game due to a hamstring injury, and he is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against Washington in London. In five games this month, the scoring 2-guard has averaged an uncharacteristically low 13.6 PPG on 40.0 percent shooting. Even if he plays against the Wizards, he is probably best left on the bench until he starts to heat up.
Oklahoma City Thunder: During the past two weeks, Russell Westbrook has upped his assist game, averaging 12.6 APG in a seven-game stretch. That is 2.9 APG more than the next highest distributor during that span, Harden, who amazingly has dished out 9.7 APG while also putting up 42.0 PPG in that time.
Orlando Magic: Mo Bamba has missed the past three games with a sore left foot and is questionable for Wednesday's game at Detroit. If he can't go, the Magic will be down a key big body in a tough matchup against the likes of Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin. It would also mean another chance for Khem Birch to serve as the primary backup to Nikola Vucevic. Birch has averaged 16.0 MPG during the recent three-game stretch without Bamba.
Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid ranks fifth in the league in scoring (29.8 PPG) during the past two weeks, which shouldn't be all that shocking considering that currently sits seventh in scoring this season (27.0 PPG). Not only is the 76ers' star big man on pace to set a new career high in scoring, he is also in line to establish a new mark in rebounds (13.3 RPG) and true shooting percentage (59.6).
Phoenix Suns: The Suns were among the teams initially linked to the trade rumors involving Dallas' Dennis Smith Jr., but according to Phoenix-area sports radio host John Gambadoro, the young guard isn't on their radar. Gambadoro tweeted Monday: "The Suns have NO interest in Dennis Smith Jr from Dallas. There is nothing to any report suggesting the Suns have had any conversations with Dallas about him." What's clear, though, is no team is more desperate for improved point guard play than the Suns, and until that changes, they will be linked to just about any point guard on the market.
Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard has been one of the most durable point guards in the league since entering the NBA six seasons ago, but his tenacious style of offense means playing through injury comes with the territory. He has played in all 45 games this season for the Trail Blazers, so one has to think there's a good chance he'll be on the court Wednesday against Cleveland despite being listed as questionable due to a right hand strain.
Sacramento Kings: As mentioned above, Lin is among the players the Hawks have made available for trade. Stein reports that the Kings have "expressed exploratory trade interest" in Lin. Currently, Sacramento is going with Yogi Ferrell as its backup point guard, and it has a pair of expiring contracts (Zach Randolph, Kosta Koufos) it could use to acquire Lin. Stay tuned, as the Kings' style of play would be a nice match for Lin.
San Antonio Spurs: Rudy Gay is expected to play against Dallas on Wednesday after missing the past five games with a wrist injury. The 13-year veteran has seen his efficiency skyrocket this season in his second year with the Spurs; after never finishing a season shooting better than 47.1 percent, he currently stands at 51.1 percent and has a career-high 59.2 true shooting percentage.
Toronto Raptors: Kawhi Leonard will be in the lineup for Wednesday's highly anticipated game in Boston, but his availability for Thursday's home game against Phoenix is unlikely as he hasn't played in the second of a back-to-back yet this season. While Leonard's rebounding has dropped in recent years, his scoring is up and nobody is doing a better job in the steals department right now. He has 10 steals during his past three games and 15 in his past five.
Utah Jazz: On Tuesday, the Jazz re-evaluated the condition of Ricky Rubio (hamstring), who has missed the past four games, and made the decision to re-evaluate him once again in a week. Donovan Mitchell is the primary point guard while Rubio is out of the lineup, and that will likely continue for at least the next three games.
Washington Wizards: Bradley Beal has turned into a top-20 fantasy option in all formats since John Wall was lost for the season. During the past seven games -- all without Wall -- he has averaged a whopping 39.6 minutes per game and put up the type of numbers you dream about, eclipsing 30 points his past three games. Entering Wednesday, here are his numbers this month: 31.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 6.9 APG, 2.0 SPG and 4.0 3PG. All you can say to that is, "Wow"!