Kyle Lowry's upcoming wrist surgery headlines this week's big news items, but there are plenty of other interesting things going on around the league, such as Jrue Holiday's struggles on the new-look Pelicans, Andrew Wiggins' scoring binge and John Wall's surge in assists. Here's a list of the most fantasy-relevant news and notes for all 30 teams heading into the week:
Atlanta Hawks: In his third game back from a groin injury that sidelined him for nine games, Thabo Sefolosha will start ahead of Tim Hardaway Jr. on Monday against the Boston Celtics. Hardaway's minutes could go from the low 30s to mid-20s as he returns to the role of instant offense off the bench. Hardaway averaged 31.8 minutes and 18.2 points in his past 10 games.
Boston Celtics: Isaiah Thomas steals so much of the attention in Boston, and deservedly so: The star point guard is putting together an MVP-caliber season for the Celtics. Lost in that, though, is the play of backcourt mate Marcus Smart, who is proving to be a force in fantasy with Avery Bradley out of the lineup. Smart's 2.2 SPG over the past 30 days ranks fifth in the league, and he has also put up 13.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4.4 APG and 1.3 3PG in that span.
Brooklyn Nets: In his first two games back in the lineup after a lengthy absence due to a hamstring injury, Jeremy Lin has averaged eight points, one rebound, 3.5 assists, 0.5 steals and one 3 in 15 minutes per game. Clearly, it's going to take some time for Lin to return to form, and it will probably be several weeks before he's back to playing close to 30 minutes a game on a consistent basis. Keep that in mind if you have him on your roster.
Charlotte Hornets: The Hornets will reportedly sign veteran point guard Brandon Jennings, who was cut by New York on Monday. Jennings' fantasy value doesn't change much as he goes from backing up Derrick Rose to backing up Kemba Walker, but his scoring ability might give the Hornets a bit more offensive punch off the bench.
Chicago Bulls: One player to keep an eye on following the Bulls' trade of Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott is rookie first-rounder Denzel Valentine. He had 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals in the first game after the trade, and he followed that with 11 points, two rebounds and two assists Saturday. Not only that, but the versatile 6-foot-6 swingman also cashed in with eight 3-pointers in that two-game span.
Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James (illness) is listed as questionable for Monday's game against Milwaukee and could miss a second straight game, a development that would translate to heavy usage for Kyrie Irving and probably another start for veteran swingman Richard Jefferson. Jefferson started and played 31 minutes with James out of the lineup on Saturday and finished with nine points, three rebounds and two assists.
Dallas Mavericks: Yogi Ferrell has cooled down considerably since he burst on the scene earlier this month, even with Deron Williams no longer on the team. Over the past three games, Ferrell has averaged 26.3 minutes and made just 7 of 26 shots on his way to 5.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 4.7 APG. With the youth movement going on in Dallas, it's unlikely that Ferrell will lose his starting job, but veteran Devin Harris is another option if Ferrell continues to struggle.
Denver Nuggets: Gary Harris keeps putting himself on the highlight shows with soaring dunks through the lane, but his 3-point shooting is another impressive part of his game over the past month. The oft-injured third-year pro out of Michigan State has averaged 2.7 3PG in his past 14 games, increasing his fantasy value in the process because aside from scoring and steals (16.9 PPG, 1.7 SPG in that span), Harris isn't a big stats guy.
Detroit Pistons: Marcus Morris tends to go overlooked on a Pistons team with bigger name players such as Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson, but Morris' 38 MPG over the past two weeks is the seventh-most in the NBA in that span, and his production is worth noting. The veteran forward has averaged 16 points, nine rebounds, two assists and 2.3 3s per game in his past four games.
Golden State Warriors: Draymond Green is as important to the Warriors' success as ever, but his fantasy production isn't nearly the same this season, particularly as a scorer. In nine games this month, Green is averaging only 8 PPG -- which puts him behind JaVale McGee (8.3 PPG), for a little perspective -- to go with 7 RPG and 5.6 APG. Where Green is so valuable is his versatility, as his 2.7 SPG and 1.8 BPG in that span still make him a top-25 fantasy asset.
Houston Rockets: It looks like Louis Williams is going to fit in just fine with his new team. Williams made seven 3-pointers en route to 27 points in his Rockets debut last Thursday and tacked on 17 points and four assists in Saturday's win over Minnesota. More importantly, he averaged 25.5 minutes in those games, showing that he's going to play just as much in Houston and be just as important as he was in Los Angeles.
Indiana Pacers: Don't look now, but Monta Ellis is back ... sort of. Although his days of scoring 20 PPG are long gone, Ellis has rebounded from a rough stretch and started to produce once again. In his past 10 games, he is averaging 10.1 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 4.4 APG in 27.3 MPG, which elevates the veteran shooting guard back into the top 150 rankings for the time being.
Los Angeles Clippers: Some wondered if Blake Griffin would cool off once Chris Paul returned to the lineup, but in Paul's first two games back, it's safe to say the opposite is true; Griffin has only improved his game. After putting up 29 points, nine rebounds and five assists against San Antonio on Friday, Griffin tallied 43 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals in an overtime win over Charlotte on Sunday.
Los Angeles Lakers: The trade of Louis Williams to Houston is the latest signal that the Lakers are ready to fully embrace the youth movement, and Brandon Ingram is one of the young players who stands to benefit most. Ingram played 35 minutes in the first game after the All-Star break and 39 in the second game, and if he continues to get that type of playing time, his value will increase, even if he's still primarily just a scorer and rebounder.
Memphis Grizzlies: It's almost painful to see how much the knee surgery has negatively impacted Chandler Parsons' game this season, and more time on the court hasn't helped him turn things around. After scoring four points in 19 minutes Friday against Indiana, the veteran was held scoreless in 21 minutes against Denver on Sunday. The Parsons signing is looking like an enormous mistake for the Grizzlies, and at this point, he's safe to cut in all fantasy formats.
Miami Heat: The Heat are without backup center Willie Reed for the time being. Right ankle bursitis kept Reed out of Saturday's game against the Pacers, and he has been ruled out for Monday against the Mavericks as well. That leaves veteran Udonis Haslem and James Johnson -- both under 6-foot-10 -- to serve as the team's main options as the backup to Hassan Whiteside.
Milwaukee Bucks: After playing 24 or more minutes in three consecutive games, Khris Middleton isn't traveling with the team to Cleveland for Monday's game and instead will rest back in Milwaukee. The good news is the Bucks play three more game this week (Wednesday, Friday and Saturday), so Middleton has a chance to be valuable in standard weekly leagues.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Andrew Wiggins has taken off as a scorer since the season-ending injury to Zach LaVine. Over the past five games, he is shooting 53.8 percent and averaging 33 points. He has reached the 40-point plateau twice in that span, giving us all an indication of how great he can be as a scorer, even if the rest of his game leaves much to be desired from a fantasy perspective.
New Orleans Pelicans: Jrue Holiday's production has fallen off a cliff since DeMarcus Cousins joined the team. In three games with Cousins, the Pelicans point guard has averaged 10 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6 APG and 1 SPG. He is also 11-for-38 shooting in that span. Yes, this is a small sample, but if you have Holiday right now, there's plenty of reason to be concerned with his poor production on this new-look Pelicans team.
New York Knicks: Joakim Noah is set undergo season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, which makes Willy Hernangomez a must-add in all fantasy formats. The rookie big man is averaging 16.8 points and 15.1 rebounds per 40 minutes this season and will bring double-double potential into every game going forward this season. Kyle O'Quinn is another player to keep an eye on in deeper leagues.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Somewhat surprisingly, neither Taj Gibson nor Doug McDermott has started either of his first two games with the Thunder -- even with Victor Oladipo out of the lineup with a back injury. This is something to watch closely in the weeks ahead, but Domantas Sabonis and Andre Roberson have both maintained their starting roles thus far while the two newcomers have each averaged 21 minutes per game in their first two games with OKC.
Orlando Magic: Frank Vogel expressed what many have been saying for a long time, telling the Orlando Sentinel that Aaron Gordon is better at power forward than small forward. "Everybody's now in their right position, quite frankly," Vogel said. "I think Aaron being a 4 is better for him. He did well at the 3 defensively, but he's better at the 4." With Evan Fournier at the 2 and Terrence Ross now at the 3, Gordon at the 4 gives the Magic a smaller, quicker lineup than the one they used with Gordon at the 3 and Serge Ibaka at the 4.
Philadelphia 76ers: The 76ers announced Monday that Joel Embiid has swelling in his left knee and is out indefinitely. The longer he's out and the more Philadelphia loses, the greater the risk that the team decides to shut down the star big man, as they've already done with 2016 No. 1 pick Ben Simmons. Jahlil Okafor is worth rostering as long as Embiid is out, but his upside is in the 15-point, six-rebound, one-block range.
Phoenix Suns: The Suns have gone to a youth movement since dealing P.J. Tucker to Toronto in a deadline-day trade, and one of the biggest beneficiaries is young big man Alan Williams. The 24-year-old scored 16 points in 15 minutes on Friday at Chicago and followed that with a monstrous 17-point, 15-rebound, three-assist, three-steal effort on the road against Milwaukee. Williams outplayed Alex Len 34 minutes to 14 in that game and, at this point, is probably the better fantasy asset for the remainder of the season.
Portland Trail Blazers: In Jusuf Nurkic's first three games with the Trail Blazers, the big man is averaging 11 PPG, 8 RPG, 2.7 APG, 2.3 SPG and 1 BPG while playing just under 26 minutes per contest. These numbers are likely to continue for the rest of the season, as long as Nurkic can stay healthy. He played between 17 and 18 minutes per game in each of his two-plus seasons in Denver, but he has a chance to play between 25-30 MPG in Portland.
Sacramento Kings: We expected Buddy Hield to get more of a look in Sacramento than he had in New Orleans, based on all the buzz about Kings owner Vivek Ranadive's admiration for the rookie's game. So far, that has gone just as expected. In two games, Hield has averaged 15.5 PPG in 26 MPG. Keep in mind, though, that Hield shot just 39.2 percent in 57 games for the Pelicans, so you can count on his hot shooting start in Sacramento to regress over the second part of the season.
San Antonio Spurs: Pau Gasol hasn't skipped a beat after missing five weeks due to a fractured finger. In his first two games back, the 36-year-old big man has averaged 16 points, nine rebounds, one assist and one block in only 23.5 minutes per game. Those are encouraging numbers, especially when you consider that his minutes will likely settle into the 25-27 MPG range once he's fully back in basketball shape.
Toronto Raptors: The Raptors announced Monday that Kyle Lowry is set to undergo surgery on Tuesday to remove loose bodies from his right wrist, with the hope that he can return in time for the playoffs. That's a tough blow for the Raptors after swinging deals for Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker before the deadline. With Lowry out, Cory Joseph gets a big boost as the team's primary point guard. The 25-year-old Joseph is averaging 15.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and five assists per 40 minutes this season. Losing Lowry, who is averaging 22.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 6.9 APG this season, forces Toronto to lean even more heavily on DeMar DeRozan as the go-to scorer. Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas are two others who will have to pick up some of the scoring slack left by Lowry's absence.
Utah Jazz: George Hill is Utah's second-leading scoring in February, averaging 17.8 PPG, but the rest of his game has left much to be desired from a fantasy perspective. In nine games this month, the veteran point guard is averaging just 2.3 RPG and 3.7 APG, below average numbers in both categories.
Washington Wizards: John Wall's 13.2 APG over the past 30 days not only is tops in the NBA but also laps the field. The next closest in assists during that span are Chris Paul (11), LeBron James (10.6) and Russell Westbrook (10.3). What's more impressive is that Wall has recorded a double-double in all 11 games during that span, averaging 22.5 PPG to go with his terrific assist numbers.