Turkey Day Dose: Big Wednesday

Happy Thanksgiving everybody. I’m going to keep it quick here so I can get to working up the Bruski Breakdown to be released later today. With 13 games on the slate there will be no shortage of things to talk about as we head into the day off.

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THE BIG NUMBERS

BUSTED

INJURIES

Carmelo Anthony’s back injury apparently kept him from speaking the other night, so needless to say that doesn’t sound good. He’s also got the knee thing and even if we give his situation the benefit of the doubt, any future injuries are likely to be handled with kid gloves in a meaningless season for the Knicks. Iman Shumpert (10 points, three boards, four assists, two steals, one three) is an obvious must-own player and J.R. Smith (15 points, 7-of-20 FGs, one three, three boards, five assists, one steal, seven TOs) is where you want to look next.

Tim Hardaway Jr. has a window here but he has to play out of his mind to make an impact in standard leagues due to a fantasy deficient stat-set. To that end, Hardaway has been terrible this season. Derek Fisher hasn’t been afraid to go away from Smith for all of the obvious reasons, but he may see his hand forced here if Melo misses time throughout the year. I think there’s enough upside to make the add with Smith, all said. As for Melo, I think owners need to limit their buy low offers to the one-sided variety and try not to be too obnoxious about it. Nobody likes the dude that sends the entire league irrational trades all day long.

Damian Lillard appeared to tweak his foot but stayed in the game and owners need only put this in the mental Rolodex and that’s it.

Dwight Howard isn’t expected to play on Friday and it’s a red flag that he’s getting plasma injections and missing stretches of games this early. Donatas Motiejunas was making plays last night and finished with 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting, one three, six boards, three assists and three steals in 37 minutes. I had Kostas Papanikolaou ahead of him because he has showed early that he has a better stat-set for standard fantasy leagues, but Motiejunas edges ahead of Papaniko after a night like this. It’s worth noting that the Kings’ defense was terrible in many areas last night, and Motie is just a top 180-200 value in 25 mpg this year.

Papaniko logged 29 minutes and finished with five points, four rebounds and five assists but only attempted five shots and did not hit a three. He’s still averaging a combined 2.8 threes, steals and blocks per game in 25.5 mpg on the season, but he needs to turn his 32.3 percent mark from the field around and fast to justify any stash. The top 160-200 value (8/9 cat) value is not a must-own player even in 14-team leagues, but I’m gonna let things play out this week as far as the 14-teamers I’m in are concerned. Terrence Jones (leg) doesn’t sound like he’s close to a return and Howard’s status is still murky.

Patrick Beverley (hamstring) is doubtful to play on Friday so feel free to chase Isaiah Canaan’s 24-point night including six treys, six boards, four assists and four steals. Just know he has been equally bad in these spots and opposing PG Ramon Sessions might as well have given him his sister’s phone number while he was at it last night.

Isaiah Thomas did not play due to an ankle injury that doesn’t sound overly serious, and Eric Bledsoe took a hard spill onto his hip but finished out last night’s game.

Darren Collison (quad) and Rudy Gay (Achilles) did not play last night and both are day-to-day with Collison’s injury getting less attention in the media for whatever that’s worth. DeMarcus Cousins gave everybody a scare when his knee was knocked by Francisco Garcia and he went to the ground a minute or so later during a stoppage. He stayed in the game and it doesn’t appear to be serious.

Ramon Sessions (eight points, three rebounds, three assists, five turnovers) might end up in a movie with Jim Belushi at this rate, as somebody clearly stole his basketball talent and Twitter accounts are popping up asking whether or not he played well on a given night. Omri Casspi (14 points, seven boards, two assists) is the short-term pickup if they continue to miss time, though he has been shooting over his head this season and any grab might be timed to coincide with his inevitable regression.

Danilo Gallinari left last night’s game when his surgically-repaired left knee acted up and did not return, setting back any momentum he had gained in fantasy leagues prior to that. I’m not sold on his upside even if he had been looking better this past week, so feel free to move on for a hot free agent in standard leagues. Wilson Chandler has held top 80-90 value this year and that makes him a must-own player in most formats.

Jameer Nelson (back) had the night off and Devin Harris saw 40 minutes as a result, scoring nine points with eight assists, two steals and one block in 40 minutes against the lowly Knicks.

Mo Williams (illness) did not play and he apparently has both pink eye and strep throat, and he’ll be traveling with the team for their upcoming road trip but strep isn’t anything to mess with. Zach LaVine scored 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting (no threes) with three rebounds, four assists and two steals as taking a step back appears to have helped. Williams needs to fade away for LaVine to be intriguing during Ricky Rubio’s lengthy absence but he’s worth keeping an eye on until Williams is back.

Brandon Jennings (thumb) missed another game and D.J. Augustin played well in his stead with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting with two threes, three boards and six assists. DJA was pretty bad in the prior game so he’ll need more than this to move the needle in any theoretic position battle.

Marvin Williams suffered a shoulder strain last night and did not return for the second half and that’s something I’ve been watching for a while. Not that specific injury, but he’s a prime injury risk and Cody Zeller (nine points, seven boards, four assists, one steal, one block) is worth a look to see if he cannot just absorb the minutes but also take a big step forward in a few departments. Playing time for a second-year player can often be a catalyst for that, obviously. Kemba Walker also took a knee to the thigh and an elbow to the face, but stayed in the game and there are no red flags as of yet.

Nene (foot) did not play and Kris Humphries (23 minutes, 1-of-7 FGs, three points, three boards, one block) has not been good filling in, but he had been playing decently to start the year according to reporters. He has flashed mid-round upside in the past though I don’t think he can climb that high. Perhaps some higher-end late round value would be a more appropriate target in this speculative add, but Nene’s a mess and any long-term timetable would theoretically move Humphries into strong add territory.

For more injury news check out our injury page.

WELCOME BACK

Back during draft season a key question was whether or not the Thunder were up to their typical shenanigans with the injury reporting and overstating the timetables for Kevin Durant (and subsequently Russell Westbrook). Well Westbrook could play Friday and Durant’s return is seemingly right around the corner. In the case of the former it keeps the damage to a manageable level and for Durant it could end up being a ridiculous profit.

Thaddeus Young returned from bereavement leave and struggled from the field, hitting just 1-of-10 shots for three points, four rebounds, four assists and one steal in 28 minutes. If anything it’s a buy low moment and it’s good to see him back on the court.

James Johnson (illness) has been on the floor before tonight but he upped his minutes (20) and eventually things are going to get crowded like they were prior to his absence. That means Lou Williams’ (22 points) revenge game and Greivis Vasquez’s (21 points) outburst are exceptions and not the rule, though Williams’ explosion is back and folks need to evaluate him more like Philly Sweet Lou than last year’s version.

Tobias Harris’ owners are understandably touchy about the injury reporting in Orlando after last year’s shenanigans, but his calf injury cost him just one game this time around and he put up 16 points, 10 boards and two assists in 30 minutes.

My guy Kyle O’Quinn got back in the game and has been the most recent victim of the non-updates, basically testing owners on a whole bunch of levels because his top 60-90 value from the last half of last year still doesn’t hit the radar. He scored six points with seven rebounds, three assists and one steal in just 12 minutes, and that’s way more than I would have asked for in his return game.

I’m not moving my projection of KOQ being a mid-to-late round value when on the floor until he gives me a reason to going forward, and as an aside my most competitive (14-teamish) big money league put in respectable bids for him two weeks ago. I thought I was going to sneak by with a small bid and got served. As for Channing Frye (two points, 24 minutes) there is going to be a lot of panic but the return of O’Quinn just lowers his upside and thins his floor out a little bit, but he’s still profiling like a solid late-round value.

PICKUPS

Manu Ginobili scored a season-high 28 points with four rebounds, two assists and two triples last night, and as a solid late-round value on the year I like him to be owned for however long Cory Joseph (ankle) is out at a minimum. Yes, he’ll be inconsistent but he seems fairly healthy and a little can go a long way with him.

Rodney Stuckey scored 22 points on 9-of-20 shooting with four rebounds, four assists and two steals over 35 minutes. After struggling to stay on the floor he’s getting big minutes and the Pacers are paper thin these days, especially on offense. I don’t like Stuckey’s stat set or durability, but unless you’re stacked or disinterested in low-end assets I think it’s an easy call to add him with fingers crossed.

K.J. McDaniels saw 33 minutes of action last night and was all over the highlight reels, finishing with a career-high 18 points, six rebounds, one block and two threes while hitting 7-of-15 shots. I have faithfully held the rope all season and I hope you have too, as he’s returning late-round value in just 23.4 mpg and can only go up from there. And if I’m a suffering Sixers fan I might start a campaign to get the guy on the floor since he’s one of the few things worth watching in Philly.

THE MIDDLE

Corey Brewer was a de facto backup PG with Mo Williams (illness) out last night, finishing with 19 points, six rebounds, three assists, three steals and seven turnovers. The Wolves are weak on the perimeter right now and it’s possible he picks up some steam here over the next month while Ricky Rubio is out. He’ll need a little help for that to happen, but when he gets going he can be a decent asset.

O.J. Mayo got another start and posted a respectable but flawed line of 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting with three rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block, two threes and five turnovers in 29 minutes. Brandon Knight’s solid play will keep the Bucks from relying on Mayo in the way he has been used at past stops, but it’s not hard to envision them turning to Mayo if Knight starts dealing with durability issues. I like his mix of modest upside and serviceable floor in his current role.

Donald Sloan scored just three points last night with three rebounds and six assists following his 29-point outing on Monday. He’s just not good enough to avoid the swings but unless Stuckey beats the odds and stays healthy while elbowing him out, this is all about holding until George Hill gets back next month.

Alec Burks had 16 points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals last night and is holding onto 12-team value but barely. I never bought into the hype and he needs a lot of volume to move beyond late-round projections.

Evan Fournier (bruised quad) played 31 minutes and scored 10 points with just one three, two rebounds and one assist. If he keeps struggling after a few games we can revisit this, but he’s been dealing with the little red cross next to his name and we’ll want that to subside before ruling on his value.

Brian Roberts is not a very fantasy friendly player but in deeper leagues he could be worth watching if they remain banged up. He scored a career-high 24 points with three treys, four boards and four assists in 32 minutes of action. The Hornets have turned to him with Gary Neal, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and P.J. Hairston out and now Marvin Williams is hurt, too.

DROPS

Luis Scola (13 points, six rebounds) is staring down the barrel of David West’s return and he’s expendable in most standard formats.

Jeremy Lamb hit 7-of-8 shots for 21 points with three treys, four boards, two assists, three steals and one block in 24 minutes of action, but with the cavalry returning owners can drop the mic on a high note.

J.J. Redick (10 points, four rebounds, one three, 25 minutes) has had a much bigger name than fantasy game and he’s reliant on the Clips’ offense to be dynamic at multiple positions in order to feed him. He’s not really doing much on his end to help himself, either, and with low upside I can get behind a drop. Just know that whenever the Clippers get on track he’s going to trend back toward late-round value and they’re paper thin on the wings.