Are you totally up to date on what's happening around the NBA? You have to be if you want to stay ahead of the competition in your fantasy league.
To help, I've done the work for you and compiled a look at the most fantasy-relevant news and notes for all 30 teams around the league.
Atlanta Hawks: Jabari Parker has cooled off. After an impressive month of November that saw the former lottery pick put up 17.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.4 APG and 1.9 SPG, he has dropped down to earth in a major way, averaging 12.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 0.8 APG and 1.0 SPG during five December contests. With John Collins set to return soon, Parker's best fantasy production this season may already be in the rear-view mirror.
Boston Celtics: Marcus Smart has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the 76ers, marking the third consecutive game he has missed. The good news is the Celtics don't play again until next Wednesday, so that will give Smart ample time to let his various ailments heal.
Brooklyn Nets: As long as Kyrie Irving remains out with a shoulder injury, don't expect Spencer Dinwiddie to cool off. He's playing between 33-35 minutes every night out, and virtually nobody can stop him. During the past six games, Dinwiddie has scored at least 24 points in all but one game. Remarkably, the Colorado product has also put up 7.7 APG during that span.
Charlotte Hornets: Devonte' Graham has moved up to No. 11 on the ESPN Player Rater following his career-high 40 points on Wednesday against Brooklyn, and it's safe to say he's the biggest fantasy surprise not only of this season but in recent memory. Right now, he's a fantasy star, with averages of 27.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 6.8 APG, 1.3 SPG and 5.3 3PG during his past five games. Sensational!
Chicago Bulls: The Bulls announced Wednesday that Otto Porter Jr. will miss at least four more weeks as he recovers from a small fracture in his foot. Porter isn't a big-time scorer, rebounder or distributor. He doesn't block shots, either. He might be worth holding on to for the next month, but only if you're holding out for the value he brings in terms of steals and 3-point shooting.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Kevin Love needs to score, rebound and shoot the 3-ball -- and stay healthy -- to maintain his fantasy value, but lately things haven't gone well. The veteran big man has failed to reach double-digit scoring in five of the past seven games, hasn't made more than one 3-pointer in four of those games, and went five straight games without reaching double-digits in rebounds.
Dallas Mavericks: The Mavs lead the league in offensive efficiency with 114.6 points scored per 100 possessions, certainly helped by Luka Doncic's 61.5 true shooting percentage. As a team, Dallas ranks third behind Milwaukee and Miami with a 58.5 TS%. By comparison, the Knicks rank last (51.4).
Denver Nuggets: While Charlotte's Graham has been one of the biggest fantasy surprises of the season, it's safe to say Michael Porter Jr. has been one of the biggest disappointments. When a back injury caused him to slide to 14th in the 2018 NBA draft, it appeared at the time that the Nuggets may have got a potential superstar at a bargain, but MPJ is lacking in the MPG department, having averaged only 9.0 minutes of playing time in the 13 games he's appeared in.
Detroit Pistons: Andre Drummond rarely misses games -- he's never missed more than four in any season since his second year in the league in 2013-14 and has played in all 24 games this season -- but he's questionable for Thursday's game against Dallas due to left eye inflammation. If he's unable to play, Markieff Morris and Christian Wood are the two bigs who would see an uptick in minutes, but there's a decent chance Drummond will be out there.
Golden State Warriors: Rookie point guard Ky Bowman is on a two-way deal with the Warriors, and instead of traveling to Utah for Friday's game against the Jazz, he will be with the team's G League squad in Santa Cruz. Bowman, who has averaged 8.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG and 2.7 APG this season, will be back with the Warriors at some point -- possibly soon -- but for now, he's not worth rostering in any format.
Houston Rockets: You know you're good when scoring over 50 points is no longer a big deal. I mean, it wasn't long ago when a 50-point game in the NBA was a real big deal. That's the life of James Harden, whose scoring production has somehow soared this season despite the addition of Russell Westbrook to the Rockets. Harden has games of 60 , 55 and 50 points since Nov. 30, and he doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon.
Indiana Pacers: Domantas Sabonis is up to No. 32 on ESPN's Player Rater, despite a TS% that has dropped from 63.0 last season to 56.4 this season. While most of Sabonis' per-40-minute stats have remained very close to last season, the major difference this season is an increase of nearly 10 MPG; he is up to 34.5 MPG this season after being in the 24.5-24.8 range the past two seasons.
LA Clippers: Patrick Beverley left Wednesday's game early due to a concussion after taking an elbow to the head from Marc Gasol. It's unclear if Beverley will be available for Friday's game at Minnesota, but he will need to clear concussion protocol in order to play in that one. Make sure you stay on top of his status leading up to tip-off.
Los Angeles Lakers: Rajon Rondo (strained left hamstring) missed his second consecutive game on Wednesday and remains questionable heading into Friday's game against the Heat. Kyle Kuzma (ankle) also missed Wednesday's game and is questionable for Friday as well. Keep an eye on their statuses leading up to the game in Miami.
Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant (back) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Bucks, which is the first of a back-to-back. That will thrust Tyus Jones into the starting lineup for the Grizzlies, and whenever that happens Jones becomes a useful fantasy contributor as a distributor. Say that 10 times really fast!
Miami Heat: The Heat will be shorthanded on Friday against the 22-3 Lakers, as Justise Winslow (back) will miss his fourth consecutive game and Goran Dragic (groin) has also been ruled out. Tyler Herro (illness) is also questionable. Regardless of whether Herro plays, Jimmy Butler and Kendrick Nunn are poised to see an uptick in scoring.
Milwaukee Bucks: Not only do the Bucks rank second in the league in offensive efficiency, scoring 112.7 points per 100 possessions, they also rank first in pace, averaging 107.3 possessions per game. As for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who missed his first game of the season Wednesday due to quad soreness, he is questionable for Friday's game at Memphis, but it wouldn't be surprising if the Bucks elected to hold out their star Friday and Saturday against Cleveland and give him extra time to rest in two games that are very winnable even without him.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Jeff Teague has always been known more for his passing than his scoring, but that hasn't been the case lately. The veteran point guard erupted for 32 points on Wednesday against the Jazz, which may seem like an aberration until you consider that he just scored 32 points on Dec. 6 at Oklahoma City. Don't expect this to continue, but consider riding the hot hand in daily fantasy leagues.
New Orleans Pelicans: Lonzo Ball is still rostered on more than 71% of ESPN fantasy rosters, but his recent production suggests that number could fall unless he significantly picks up the pace. Ball, who is shooting 37.4% on the season, has failed to score more than six points in four of the past five games and is more of a streaming option in points leagues at this point. His assists and steals make him worthy of more consideration in category leagues.
New York Knicks: Elfrid Payton has played four games since returning to the lineup after a month-long injury, and on Wednesday, he saw his minutes spike to 30 against the Warriors. Though the minutes were helped by the game going to overtime, the increase in playing time is a positive sign that Payton could again be worthy of rostering in 12-team leagues, with his ability to rack up assists and steals making him valuable in category leagues.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Steven Adams appears to be over the sluggish start to the season. During the past 10 games, the veteran center sports a 70.7 FG% and 70.3 FT%, and he has averaged 14.2 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 3.3 APG and 1.9 BPG. If you missed the chance to buy low on Adams, that ship has now sailed.
Orlando Magic: An ankle injury has kept Nikola Vucevic out of the lineup for the past three weeks, but the versatile center is nearing a return. He went through a full practice on Thursday and could be available to play as early as Friday's game with Houston. Stay tuned.
Philadelphia 76ers: Sometimes one big game can spring a rookie to new heights in his career, and we may have seen that out of Matisse Thybulle on Sunday when he went for a career-high 20 points and added three assists, three steals and a block in the win over Toronto. He followed that up with 13 points and five rebounds against Denver two days later, and as his confidence grows, so does his fantasy value. Thybulle is rostered on only 2.3% of ESPN fantasy leagues as of Thursday.
Phoenix Suns: It's Dario Saric's fourth season in the NBA but his first in Phoenix. So how is it going for the former 76ers and Timberwolves forward? A couple of takeaways thus far: His 16.9 usage rate is a career low, and unsurprisingly, his 15.8 points per 40 minutes is the second lowest of his career. But his 10.2 rebounds per 40 minutes is a career-high, and he's managed to cut his turnover ratio to 9.5, which is the second best in his career.
Portland Trail Blazers: Hassan Whiteside enters Thursday ranked No. 12 on ESPN's Player Rater, but his role could change in the months ahead with the news that Jusuf Nurkic (leg) is targeting a return after the All-Star break. Though Whiteside will likely remain the team's starting center all season, his minutes could suffer if Nurkic is able to increase his workload in March and April.
Sacramento Kings: Take a look at the ESPN Player Rater over the last 30 days, and one player who stands out ranked No. 11 during that span is Sacramento's Richaun Holmes. Now, the journeyman center will likely have his production trimmed down once Marvin Bagley III returns to the lineup, but as an efficient scorer who makes free throws, rebounds, and averages more than 1.0 blocks and 1.0 steals per game, Holmes still offers some staying power.
San Antonio Spurs: Rudy Gay began the season as a top-150 caliber fantasy option following a productive year where he shot a career-best 50.4% from the field and averaged 13.7 PPG, 6.8 RPG and 2.6 APG. That is no longer the case, though, which maybe shouldn't be all that surprising, given that Gay is in the tail end of his career. He's currently averaging 11.3 PPG, which is the lowest since his rookie season of 2006-07 with the Grizzlies.
Toronto Raptors: Fred VanVleet left Sunday's game early against Philadelphia due to a bruised right knee. "He's got a little swelling," Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said following that game. "He banged knees with someone a couple games ago. It just needs to be managed." VanVleet, a top 30 fantasy option this season, has missed the past two games but might be able to return to the court on Saturday against the Nets. Keep an eye on that leading up to tip-off.
Utah Jazz: Rudy Gobert has had an uneven season so far, but he remains one of the NBA's elite rebounders (13.7 RPG) and shot-blockers (1.7 BPG). Lost in it all is the fact that Gobert's 68.6 TS% is the highest of his career, eclipsing last season's previous best of 68.2. Don't overlook that type of efficiency.
Washington Wizards: Isaiah Thomas has missed the past four games due to a left calf strain, and he is expected to remain out for at least one more game. On Monday, it was announced that he would miss at least one more week, which would set his earliest possible return to next Monday in Detroit. In the meantime, Ish Smith has filled in nicely, averaging 15.3 PPG and 6.3 APG during Thomas' absence.