Finding production on lottery-bound rosters is a savvy way to get an edge on the competition in fantasy hoops. Outside of Jonas Valanciunas -- who just established a new career scoring high on Monday -- and Brandon Ingram, fantasy managers haven't had much interest in rotation players from the New Orleans Pelicans.
Just last night, however, the Pelicans' Josh Hart provided a uniquely helpful fantasy line despite making just one of his nine shots. Collecting 12 rebounds and dishing a team-high nine assists fueled a solid statistical showing for Hart even as his shot wasn't falling.
Bad NBA teams still produce good fantasy players, even on the fringes of the rotation. Hart isn't a league-winning acquisition for your roster, but it's still quite helpful that he's one of the best rebounding guards in the NBA and is enjoying career highs in minutes, shots, assists, and points.
Monday recap
Highlights
Jonas Valanciunas, New Orleans Pelicans: 39 points (15-24 FG), 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
Christian Wood, Houston Rockets: 24 points (9-17 FG), 21 rebounds, 3 blocks
Lowlights
Robert Covington, Portland Trail Blazers: 0 points (0-3 FG), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 TO
Duncan Robinson, Miami Heat: 3 points (1-9 FG), 2 rebounds, 3 assists
Monday takeaways
Houston's Wood is on a heater, averaging 24.3 PPG, 15.7 RPG, and 2.3 BPG across his last three games. Wood was heading for a great fantasy season last year, but a series of injuries held him back. Now healthy and without much competition for boards or paint touches, he's becoming the fantasy star many had hoped.
Yesterday's endorsement of Houston's Kevin Porter Jr. worked out pretty well; he tallied a triple-double in last night's win over the Thunder. Porter told reporters after the team's third-straight win that he finally feels comfortable as the team's lead playmaker after a rough start to the season. Scoop up Porter in any and all leagues.
Another rising double-double machine is Jarrett Allen, as Cleveland's center poured in a career-high 28 points with 14 pulls last night in a blowout of the Mavericks. This makes for Allen's fourth straight double-double, as Cleveland is somehow getting their oversized lineups to work.
San Antonio's Derrick White is a somewhat volatile scorer, but brings enough defensive pop to the floor to offset his cold nights. Last night was an example of how fun White can prove when he's on, as he delivered a season-high 24 points in a win over the Wizards. My favorite part about White's production profile has always been his atypically awesome block rate. Reminiscent of Dwyane Wade's awesome rim protection as a combo guard, White has averaged a full block per game dating back to the start of last season. Look past the leaner scoring nights and instead value White's elite defensive identity.
Injuries of note
Kristaps Porzingis suffered an ankle injury in last night's loss to the Cavaliers. It's unclear how long he'll be sidelined, but initial X-rays were negative. Maxi Kleber was productive in his place for Dallas.
Memphis will be without Ja Morant for tonight's matchup against the Raptors. Dillon Brooks figures to take on a larger scoring role, while Tyus Jones and De'Anthony Melton share distribution duties.
The Raptors will be without OG Anunoby for yet another game due to a lingering hip injury. Scottie Barnes figures to take on a larger scoring role in Anunoby's absence.
Brooklyn's Joe Harris had ankle surgery and could miss up to two months. Patty Mills will continue to serve as the team's top complementary floor-spacer.
Analytics advantage for Tuesday
It appears that significant shifts in officiating and a league-wide commitment to running shooters off the line has inspired a sizable dip in offense this season. Betting markets have adjusted to this reality. Just tonight, for instance, only one game on the five-game slate has a point total above 221 points, a number that was often a baseline for point totals last season.
The Lakers visit Sacramento to face the Kings tonight in a game with a point total at 227, evidence this could be the game to target for finding capable streaming candidates and for building lineup stacks in daily fantasy competition. Names such as Talen Horton-Tucker and Terence Davis become relevant given how this game is differentiated from the rest of the slate. With Harrison Barnes listed as doubtful, Davis could provide real value.
DFS discussion
Alec Burks, New York Knicks: With the trust of his coach and freedom to find his own shot and create for others, Burks is underpriced for tonight's trip across the bridge to face a Brooklyn team allowing the second-most DraftKings points per game to point guards over the last two weeks.
Jusuf Nurkic, Portland Trail Blazers: The Pistons are thin at center and Nurkic has a reasonable price point on major platforms tonight. With some huge lines in recent games, Nurkic could be a difference-maker in a plus matchup.