From the latest on the trade between Philadelphia and Brooklyn to injury updates and surprising trends, it's another busy week in the NBA with no shortage of topics to delve into.
Here's a list of the most fantasy-relevant news and notes for all 30 teams around the league:
Atlanta Hawks: Tyler Cavanaugh, an undrafted free-agent power forward out of George Washington, played 30 minutes in the injury-depleted Hawks frontcourt on Wednesday and finished with 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 3-pointers. It was a career-best game for the 23-year-old rookie, and he'll have to string together more like this one to get on the fantasy radar, but he's someone to keep an eye on in the days ahead.
Boston Celtics: From a fantasy production standpoint, it's worth recognizing when Kyrie Irving plays at home versus on the road. Interestingly, Irving is shooting and scoring much better away from home so far in his first season with the Celtics. In 13 home games, he is shooting 45.6 percent and 33.8 percent from 3-point range while averaging 21.2 points. In 12 road games, those numbers rise considerably to 52.2 percent, 40.8 percent from long range and 26 PPG. This trend may not last, but it's something to pay attention to.
Brooklyn Nets: The Nets reportedly will acquire Jahlil Okafor along with Nik Stauskas and a 2019 second-round pick from the 76ers in return for Trevor Booker, per ESPN's Zach Lowe. This immediately puts Okafor into the top-100 discussion in fantasy, as he has a good chance to average 25-plus minutes in the thin Brooklyn frontcourt.
Charlotte Hornets: Frank Kaminsky sprained his right ankle in Wednesday's game against Golden State and limped straight to the locker room after the injury occurred. He has been ruled out for Friday's home game against Chicago, and with Cody Zeller now out indefinitely due to a torn medial meniscus in his left knee, the Hornets will need to lean heavily on the starting frontcourt of Marvin Williams and Dwight Howard going forward. Not good.
Chicago Bulls: According to the Chicago Tribune, Zach LaVine likely will make his season debut next month -- not in December, as some had speculated earlier in the season. Mike McGraw reports that coach Fred Hoiberg wants LaVine to go through 10 to 14 days of practicing every other day, followed by 10 consecutive days of practice before he returns to game action. Look for LaVine to eat into Justin Holiday's and Denzel Valentine's minutes once he's able to get back on the court.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Ready for another Tristan Thompson update? The Cavs hope to have their rebound specialist back before the end of the week, ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported on Wednesday. Thompson has been out since the first day of November due to a calf injury, and his return will alter the roles of Kevin Love and Jae Crowder, so be aware of that.
Dallas Mavericks: Dennis Smith Jr. sat out Thursday's practice due to a sore hip, per Mavs writer Eddie Sefko, and while the injury is "not believed to be anything serious," it could keep the athletic rookie point guard out of Friday's game against Milwaukee. If Smith doesn't play, J.J. Barea, Devin Harris and Yogi Ferrell will each take on a bigger role against the Bucks.
Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets' defense has been in shambles lately due in large part to the losses of Paul Millsap and Nikola Jokic. Denver enters Thursday all the way down at No. 25 in the league in defensive efficiency, which has to be hard to take for the team's defensive-minded coach, Michael Malone. Right now is a great time to use players who are going up against the Nuggets, whether in daily or season-long leagues.
Detroit Pistons: Remember last season when Avery Bradley was suddenly not only scoring in bunches but rebounding like he never had before? Those days are over. Bradley, who finished last season with 4.9 rebounds per game, is all the way down to 1.9 this season while playing on a team with rebounding star Andre Drummond. What's even more hard to believe is that Bradley has just four rebounds in his past five games while playing a total of 158 minutes during that span. Needless to say, this isn't good for his fantasy value in category leagues.
Golden State Warriors: Avoid the temptation of picking up Shaun Livingston while Stephen Curry (ankle) is out for at least the next two weeks. Why? Because Livingston simply doesn't play enough minutes. He logged 16 minutes of court time in the win over Charlotte without Curry on Wednesday as Steve Kerr kept him in a bench role and used Quinn Cook for his first career start.
Houston Rockets: Clint Capela has consistently ranked inside the top 50 on ESPN's Player Rater this season, and he is showing no signs of slowing down. Capela is known for his rebounding and shot-blocking, but his 66.1 percent shooting tends to go overlooked, as does his 13.7 PPG, which ranks third on the Rockets behind only James Harden and Eric Gordon. He continues to be one of the game's most underrated fantasy players.
Indiana Pacers: Myles Turner (calf) is listed as questionable for Friday's game against Cleveland. If Turner cannot play, it will mean a bigger role for Domantas Sabonis and Thaddeus Young. It will also mean a higher usage for the team's leading scorer, Victor Oladipo, who is already in the midst of a career-best season (23.3 PPG).
LA Angeles Clippers: Danilo Gallinari returned to the court after a lengthy absence on Wednesday and didn't play well, making only 2 of 13 shots and finishing with seven points. There is some silver lining in all this, though, as Gallinari was able to play 26 minutes against Minnesota and ran well, scoring two of his points by beating Karl-Anthony Towns down the court for an easy dunk.
Los Angeles Lakers: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope doesn't do everything well on the court -- his 41.4 percent shooting isn't exactly a positive in fantasy -- but he is a positive in many facets of the game. In 21 games played this season since missing the first two due to suspension, KCP is averaging 13.7 PPG, a career-high 5.2 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.6 SPG and 2.1 3PG. He's a sneaky-good fantasy option at shooting guard and is someone to make trade offers for if you're in need of help at that position.
Memphis Grizzlies: JaMychal Green has emerged as a steaming option at power forward, at least for as long as Mike Conley remains out and the need is there for Green to be a scorer on this Grizzlies team. The fourth-year pro is averaging a career-high 10.7 PPG while adding 5.5 RPG and shooting 52.1 percent. He is also proving to be somewhat of a 3-point threat, averaging a career-best 0.9 3PG this season.
Miami Heat: Coach Erik Spoelstra shook things up on Wednesday by moving James Johnson into the starting lineup at power forward in place of Justise Winslow. The Heat lost the game against the Spurs, which hurts the chances of the Heat sticking to this rotation, and it's also worth noting that Johnson's 24 minutes were less than he usually gets off the bench. For the time being, it's premature to assume that Johnson's numbers will be better if he starts.
Milwaukee Bucks: Any concern that Khris Middleton's numbers would take a nosedive following the trade for Eric Bledsoe can be quashed. All Middleton has done over the past 10 games is put up 21.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.8 APG and 1.5 SPG while shooting a blistering 54.4 percent. If anything, the addition of Bledsoe has helped Middleton take his game to a different level. How Middleton's numbers are impacted once Jabari Parker returns could be another story, though, as there are only so many shots to go around.
Minnesota Timberwolves: My colleague Jim McCormick touched on it this week and it is worth repeating -- Jimmy Butler is back. Though it took a while for him to adjust to his new surroundings with the Timberwolves, Butler has settled in nicely over his past 10 games and continues to play a ton of minutes (37.5 MPG in that span), as has always been the case under Tom Thibodeau. During this recent 10-game stretch, Butler is shooting 48.8 percent while averaging 22.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.9 APG and 1.6 SPG. If you were smart enough to buy low on Butler, pat yourself on the back. It looks like a tremendous call.
New Orleans Pelicans: Anthony Davis (groin) is considered questionable for Friday's game against Sacramento, and he has already missed three games because of the injury. If Davis cannot go, it means greater usage for DeMarcus Cousins and Jrue Holiday, who have both erupted from a statistical standpoint with their star power forward out.
New York Knicks: Tim Hardaway Jr. has already missed three games due a stress reaction in his lower left leg and will be shut down and undergo treatment for the next two weeks before being re-evaluated. Without a key scoring option, you can expect heavier usage out of not only Kristaps Porzingis but also Courtney Lee and Enes Kanter -- the team's other three leading scorers. Nobody else on the team is scoring more than 8.6 PPG on the season.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Paul George (calf) will not play in Thursday's game against Brooklyn, and while the injury doesn't appear serious, it means you can expect a steady dose of Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony all night long against one of the fastest-paced teams in the league.
Orlando Magic: Evan Fournier sprained an ankle Wednesday night against Atlanta, and though X-rays were negative, the veteran swingman could be out for a while. If that's the case, it further depletes a roster that's already without Terrence Ross (knee) and Jonathan Isaac (ankle), which means it will likely be up to veteran Arron Afflalo, Mario Hezonja and possibly veteran D.J. Augustin to fill the void.
Philadelphia 76ers: So the 76ers added Booker in return for Okafor ... this is a nice get, since he gives them a little more depth and flexibility in the frontcourt. Booker's fantasy value takes a hit in this deal, however, as he now has to battle for minutes with Dario Saric, Amir Johnson and Richaun Holmes, making it difficult to match the 21.9 MPG he averaged in 18 games with the Nets this season, regardless of how effective he plays.
Phoenix Suns: With Devin Booker sidelined for two to three weeks due to a left groin strain, the Suns are going to need to find someone who can help make up for his scoring. Booker averages 18.8 shots and 24.3 points a game, so it won't be an easy task, but one player you can expect to see more out of is TJ Warren. Warren is the Suns' next-best scorer after Booker, averaging 18.4 PPG, and it wouldn't be surprising if he goes from 15.5 FGA per game to closer to 20 for as long as Booker is out. According to nbawowy.com, Warren's usage rate is 25 with Booker on the court this season and 30.1 without Booker. The Suns have also announced that Josh Jackson will start in Booker's place on Thursday against Washington.
Portland Trail Blazers: Jusuf Nurkic (ankle/knee) and Maurice Harkless (quad) are both without timetables for a return to the lineup. In their absence, Ed Davis and Noah Vonleh will need to step up in the frontcourt -- one of them likely entering the starting five -- and Evan Turner's role becomes more important while Harkless is out.
Sacramento Kings: How bad is the Kings' roster this season? Consider this: Seventeen-year veteran Zach Randolph leads the team in scoring (14.1 PPG) and rebounding (6.5 RPG). Those numbers have been helped by a solid couple of weeks, as Randolph has put up 15.4 PPG and 7 RPG in his past 10 games while averaging 1.1 SPG and shooting 51.9 percent in that span.
San Antonio Spurs: The Kawhi Leonard wait appears to be nearing a much-anticipated conclusion. Leonard is eyeing Saturday against Phoenix for his season debut, barring a setback, per ESPN's Michael C. Wright, and as soon as Leonard gets back into game shape, it's going to mean a lower usage rate for LaMarcus Aldridge. That makes Aldridge a sell-high candidate in fantasy, which my colleague Andre' Snellings spoke about earlier this week.
Toronto Raptors: It shouldn't go unnoticed that DeMar DeRozan is distributing the basketball as well as ever before, averaging a career-high 4.9 assists per game. DeRozan has never gone a full season averaging more than 4 APG, so this is a noticeable uptick that has been more extreme as of late -- he has dished out 5.7 APG in his past 10 contests. Next up on the to-do list for the ninth-year pro: adding a 3-point shot. That still hasn't really happened for the career 28 percent shooter from behind the arc.
Utah Jazz: Rodney Hood (ankle) will miss his sixth straight game on Thursday against Houston, and that continues to leave the door open for Alec Burks to step up and do what he does best: score. The 26-year-old is averaging 20.8 PPG in his past five games and could very well leapfrog the oft-injured Hood in the rotation even when Hood returns to the lineup.
Washington Wizards: Tomas Satoransky is a name many outside of Washington, D.C., haven't heard much about, but he has filled in nicely with John Wall out. Over the past five games, the 26-year-old second-year player has averaged 10.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 4.4 APG while logging more than 24 MPG. His value will be gone once Wall returns but consider him a as a decent streamer in leagues with 12 teams or more until that happens.