There's an important update out of Detroit regarding Reggie Jackson's timeline for a return to the court and some new wrinkles in some fantasy stars' games. Those are just a few of the many storylines on a very busy week around the NBA.
Here's a list of the most fantasy relevant news and notes for all 30 teams around the league heading into the sixth week of the season:
Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks are 1-4 in their last five games, and offensive struggles are the main reason why. Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution lays it out perfectly: "Over the past five games, the Hawks are averaging 89.6 points, a 41.2 field goal percentage and a 29.3 3-point field goal percentage per game," he wrote. "Over the first 11 games, the Hawks averaged 107.8 points, a 48.0 field goal percentage and a 37.5 3-point field goal percentage." The task doesn't get any easier on Monday, as the Hawks take on a Golden State defense that has risen all the way to No. 7 in the league (101.9 points per 100 possessions).
Boston Celtics: Al Horford will sit out Monday's game against Miami due to the birth of his second child, likely opening the door for Kelly Olynyk to move back into the starting lineup. Be aware, though, that Olynyk averaged just 8.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in the games that Horford missed due to a concussion earlier this season.
Brooklyn Nets: The Nets have lost their last five games by at least 17 points, and there isn't a lot to be excited about in Brooklyn. Unfortunately, the return of Jeremy Lin (hamstring), out since Nov. 2, may also still be a ways off. "Lin hasn't resumed full practice yet," wrote Brian Lewis of the New York Post over the weekend. And with games upcoming Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, missing a month total seems a real possibility. ..." Rookie second-rounder Isaiah Whitehead has filled in at point guard but will see his role drastically reduced once Lin is able to get back on the court.
Charlotte Hornets: Nicolas Batum missed Saturday's game against New York due to a minor eye injury, and Jeremy Lamb took full advantage as a fill-in starter with 18 points and 17 rebounds in 36 minutes. This is something to keep in mind if and when Batum misses more time at some point later this season, but he is probable to return Monday against Memphis, and Lamb isn't worth a fantasy roster spot as long as Batum is available to play.
Chicago Bulls: In case you missed it, the Bulls discovered another injury to oft-injured point guard Michael Carter-Williams on Friday when a CT scan revealed a small bone chip in his left wrist. The big question when MCW does return is how he'll mesh with a Bulls team that, at 10-6, is one of the biggest surprises in the NBA. Chicago ranks seventh in offensive efficiency and eighth in defensive efficiency, and coach Fred Hoiberg may have some hesitancy to incorporate a nonshooter like Carter-Williams into a rotation that's playing well.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Efficiency is the name of the game these days, and few have done it better of late than Kevin Love. Averaging just under 30 minutes a game in his last five contests, he has still managed to average 26.2 points and 11.6 rebounds in that span while shooting 57.5 percent from 3-point land and making 4.6 3s per game.
Dallas Mavericks: Deron Williams averaged only 17.5 minutes in his first two games back from a calf injury, and at age 32, it could take some time for Williams to get up to speed. The 3-13 Mavericks are clearly in a rebuilding season, too, so don't be surprised if they continue to take a slow approach with Williams as he works his way back.
Denver Nuggets: For all the talk of the underachieving going on in the Nuggets' frontcourt between the likes of Danilo Gallinari, Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic, there is Wilson Chandler averaging career-highs in points (18.3) and rebounds (7.7) after missing all of last season. Chandler continues to be the story in Denver after putting up 32 points and 11 rebounds against the Thunder on Friday and 25 points and eight rebounds against Phoenix on Sunday.
Detroit Pistons: Reggie Jackson was cleared for full practice on Monday and could be within a week from making his season debut with the Pistons. That being said, it probably won't happen until next week, if you believe coach Stan Van Gundy. "I'm not counting on it -- (the team doctors) will let me know -- but I haven't had any indication that, that will be the case," Van Gundy told The Detroit News following Monday's practice regarding Jackson potentially playing during the team's current road trip. Jackson is still within the original timeline of six to eight weeks that was expected in his return from knee tendinitis.
Golden State Warriors: Draymond Green expects to play Monday against Atlanta after sitting out Saturday's game against Minnesota due to a bruised ankle. Green, who missed only seven games in his first four NBA seasons, sat out Saturday against Minnesota following a scary fall on teammate Ian Clark in the win over the Lakers on Friday.
Houston Rockets: Clint Capela notched a career-high 21 points in the win over Portland on Sunday, and Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle puts it best when he writes, "Capela might not be exceeding the Rockets' expectations, but he must be progressing faster than they could have expected." That's what we like to see in fantasy -- reaching potential early in the season -- and Capela is certainly doing that. He enters the week as the league leader in field goal percentage (62.3) while posting career-high averages in points (12.4), rebounds (8.7) and blocks (2.0).
Indiana Pacers: A sore left ankle has sidelined Paul George in five of the last six games, and the Pacers' star small forward has already been ruled out for Wednesday's game as well. That means the soonest George will return is Sunday's road game against the Clippers.
Los Angeles Clippers: Blake Griffin didn't look like himself in the loss to Indiana on Sunday (16 points, nine rebounds on 6-for-15 shooting), and he mentioned after the game that he had swelling in his calf after being kicked in the loss to Detroit on Friday. This isn't a huge concern, and there's a good chance Griffin will play through the injury and not miss any time, but it's worth paying attention to in the upcoming games. The Clippers play next on the road against the ice-cold Nets on Tuesday.
Los Angeles Lakers: A hip-pointer injury has cost Julius Randle the last three games, but he participated in noncontact work at Monday's practice, and Lakers coach Luke Walton is hopeful that Randle will be able to return on the team's road trip. The Lakers play at New Orleans on Tuesday, Chicago on Wednesday, Toronto on Friday and Memphis on Saturday.
Memphis Grizzlies: Barring an injury, Marc Gasol is going to finish this season with more 3-pointers made than he had attempted in his previous eight seasons combined. He is 23-for-56 from long-range in 16 games this season after going 12-for-66 from downtown in his first eight seasons. Incredible.
Miami Heat: The Heat enter the week dealing with a rash of injuries, as Dion Waiters and Tyler Johnson join Justise Winslow on the shelf. Waiters scored a career-high 28 points against Memphis on Saturday but has been ruled out for Monday's game against Boston due to a hip-flexor injury. Meanwhile, Johnson is out as well due to a dental issue he sustained last week on the road in Detroit. On top of that, Hassan Whiteside (knee) and Goran Dragic (elbow) are both questionable against the Celtics and may have to miss time; Dragic has already missed the past two games due to the injury.
Milwaukee Bucks: You always hear about the improvements that Giannis Antetokounmpo has made to his game since entering the NBA in 2013, but one area that stands out this season is his shot-blocking. Even though Antetokounmpo is averaging fewer minutes per game than last season (34.7 vs. 35.3), his blocks per game have risen from 1.4 to a career-high 2.1. That's good enough for sixth in the league.
Minnesota Timberwolves: There isn't a better dunker in the NBA than Zach LaVine, but if you look closer, you soon realize there's more to the third-year guard than his hops. LaVine enters the week ranked 10th in minutes per game (35.8) and is averaging 20.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.0 3s per game in his last five contests. He's also shooting 47.1 percent from the field during that span.
New Orleans Pelicans: Tyreke Evans has undergone three knee surgeries in the last nine months, but he indicated last week that he was pain-free and could return by December. On Monday, Alvin Gentry told the media he hopes to have more concrete information by Wednesday on a timeline for Evans' return. The veteran guard was limited to a career-low 25 games with the Pelicans last season. Tim Frazier, Langston Galloway and E'Twaun Moore could all see their roles change once Evans makes it back on the court.
New York Knicks: Brandon Jennings is playing only 21.4 minutes a game while serving as the Knicks' backup point guard this season, but he's someone to keep an eye on if the oft-injured Derrick Rose ever goes down this season. Why? His assists, for starters. Jennings quietly ranks ninth in the league in assists per 48 minutes (11.2).
Oklahoma City Thunder: Steven Adams is averaging 6.3 more minutes per game this season than in any of his previous three seasons, playing 31.6 minutes per game, and that's a big reason for the rise in his fantasy value. One area that cannot be overlooked, though, is the effort he has made to become a better free throw shooter. A 57.3 career shooter at the line, Adams is shooting 81.6 percent this season and has turned a weakness into a strength.
Orlando Magic: Frank Vogel shook up the struggling Magic rotation on Sunday by moving point guard D.J. Augustin and Bismack Biyombo into the starting five and moving Elfrid Payton and Nikola Vucevic to the second unit. He also moved Aaron Gordon back into the starting lineup in place of Jeff Green. While the lineup changes steal the headlines, Vucevic's improved play of late is worth noting. He went for 17 points and 16 rebounds in 30 minutes off the bench against Milwaukee and is averaging 15 points and 13.8 rebounds in his last five games.
Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid ranks fourth in the NBA in blocks per game (2.4) despite averaging only 22.8 minutes per game. The three players above him (Anthony Davis, Whiteside and Rudy Gobert) are all averaging at least 30.6 MPG. As Embiid's minutes increase in the months ahead, he should have a shot at Whiteside for the honor of the league's top shot-blocker.
Phoenix Suns: If you look at the season-long numbers of Eric Bledsoe, they compare closely to Atlanta's Dennis Schroder; Bledsoe is shooting and scoring better and also rebounding more, but the assists, steals and 3s are pretty similar. Narrow it down to recent action, though, and Bledsoe is far superior, averaging 26 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 6.6 APG, 1.6 steals and 2.2 3s made in his last five games. The only factor hurting Bledsoe is the Suns play only two games this week.
Portland Trail Blazers: We've noted in the past the defensive struggles of the Blazers, who enter the week ranked last in the league on that side of the ball (110.5 points allowed per 100 possessions). One position Portland really hasn't been able to stop is power forward, which isn't helped by the injury to Al-Farouq Aminu, but it is what it is; the Blazers have allowed opposing power forwards to score more than 50 DFS points per game this season, which ranks worst in the league.
Sacramento Kings: DeMarcus Cousins passed Chris Webber for third place on Sacramento's career scoring list in the team's come-from-behind win over Brooklyn on Sunday and now ranks third all time on the Kings behind Mitch Richmond and Peja Stojakovic. Cousins is averaging a career-high 28.3 PPG and also posting career-bests in free throw percentage (76.9) and 3s made per game (1.7).
San Antonio Spurs: Danny Green has played only nine games this season since returning from injury, but his shooting is markedly improved from a season ago when he finished with a 37.6 field goal percentage. Green enters Monday shooting 48.1 percent and ranks seventh in the league from beyond the 3-point arc, shooting 46.2 percent.
Toronto Raptors: Among the top 40 scorers in the NBA, only Blake Griffin (1.0) and LaMarcus Aldridge (1.1) are attempting fewer 3-point shots per game than DeMar DeRozan (2.1). As great of a scorer as DeRozan is and has been throughout his NBA career, the 3-pointer has always remained outside his range. He is just 3-for-31 from distance on the season.
Utah Jazz: For the third year in a row, the Jazz are the slowest-paced team in the NBA. They come in averaging 93.5 possessions per game after averaging 93.3 in 2015-16 and 92.8 in 2014-15. Fewer possessions mean fewer opportunities to accumulate stats, limiting the upside of Jazz players in season-long and daily leagues.
Washington Wizards: Always streaky and temperamental, Markieff Morris is currently in a bad shooting stretch. The career 44.3 percent shooter is all the way down to 41.3 this season, and the problem has been on shots inside the 3-point arc, because he's currently shooting a career-high 37.8 percent from beyond the arc.