Stars are going down and others are set to return to action, while underrated players in Atlanta and Denver continue to rise up the ranks in ESPN's Player Rater.
Here's a look at the most fantasy-relevant news and notes for all 30 teams around the league:
Atlanta Hawks: Kent Bazemore's season numbers compare to that of Denver's Gary Harris when it comes to a swingman who shoots the 3-pointer, gets steals and scores. Bazemore's 20-point, 3-rebound, 4-assist, 4-steal effort against Phoenix on Tuesday moved him up to No. 38 on the Player Rater, and while he isn't nearly as efficient as Harris or as much of a 3-point threat, he is more of a rebounder and distributor.
Boston Celtics: The Celtics are back on top of the league in defensive efficiency, giving up 100.4 points per 100 possessions, and they are the best in the league in terms of daily fantasy points allowed to centers. Keep these stats in mind the next time you are trying to decide whether to stream someone against the Celtics.
Brooklyn Nets: Bummer for the Nets, as the red-hot Caris LeVert will miss a second straight game on Thursday due to a groin strain. LeVert had raised his game to new levels as of late, particularly as a passer, averaging seven assists in his previous four games.
Charlotte Hornets: Kemba Walker made big strides in the shooting department last season, making a career-high 44.4 percent of his shots and a career-best 39.9 percent of his 3-pointers. The bad news is he's down to 41.9 percent this season, including 34.1 percent from long range, and he made just 39.5 percent of his shots in 15 games last month. This is somewhat of an alarming trend for those who have Walker on their squad.
Chicago Bulls: We should learn soon when to expect Zach LaVine to make his debut with the Bulls. The bouncy swingman has been practicing with the Bulls and G-League affiliate in recent weeks and is set to meet with the front office and medical staff over the weekend. Once in the Bulls' rotation and up to speed, LaVine is expected to join Nikola Mirotic as the team's main scoring options.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Kevin Love sprained an ankle and didn't return to Wednesday's game against Boston, finishing with only two points and five rebounds in 21 minutes, but the veteran big man sounded optimistic about playing in Cleveland's next game on Saturday. "I don't see any reason why I shouldn't play," Love told Cleveland.com.
Dallas Mavericks: Even when healthy this season, Nerlens Noel didn't play enough in 18 games to be considered in 12-team fantasy leagues, but with the cast now removed from his surgically repaired left thumb, there is some talk about him returning soon. Coach Rick Carlisle quashed those thoughts on Thursday by indicating that Noel could play by early February if all goes well in his recovery. It sounds like he's still a month away, at best.
Denver Nuggets: Harris is up to No. 37 on the Player Rater after tying a career high with 36 points on Wednesday against the Suns. While Harris isn't a huge rebound or assist contributor, his 1.9 SPG, 2.2 3PG and 49.0 FG percentage make him a very useful fantasy option at one of the thinnest positions: shooting guard.
Detroit Pistons: Andre Drummond missed the last game due to a rib contusion and is a game-time call for Thursday's game against Philadelphia. Considering that Drummond hasn't missed more than one game in any of the past four seasons, we have to think that there's a good chance the durable center will be back out on the court against the 76ers.
Golden State Warriors: Kevin Durant (calf) will miss Thursday's big game against Houston, likely forcing the Warriors to rely more heavily on Andre Iguodala and Omri Casspi. Casspi (back) is considered questionable against the Rockets, while Iguodala will play after missing the previous game. Patrick McCaw is another player who will see an uptick in minutes while Durant is out.
Houston Rockets: In their first game without James Harden, who could miss up to six weeks because of a hamstring injury, it wasn't Eric Gordon or Chris Paul or Ryan Anderson who led the Rockets in scoring. It was Clint Capela, who finished with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting. This is worth tracking over the coming weeks, as the blossoming center could benefit statistically while Harden is out of the lineup.
Indiana Pacers: Victor Oladipo's sore knee has kept him out of the past four games, and he hasn't been practicing, either. The Pacers star indicated Thursday that his knee feels "feathery" and that he intends to play on Saturday. Good news for the Pacers. Good news for fantasy managers.
LA Clippers: Lou Williams is a top-75 fantasy option on the depleted Clippers team, and he isn't slowing down in his 13th year in the league. Williams recorded his eighth 30-point game off the bench this season in a recent win over the Grizzlies, scoring 33 points and going 15-of-15 at the free throw line. Per ESPN Stats & Information, the rest of the NBA combined has eight 30-point games off the bench, and only Rodney Hood (with two) has multiple such games.
Los Angeles Lakers: After missing the past six games, Lonzo Ball (shoulder) was a full participant in Thursday's practice and is questionable to play in Friday's game against the Hornets. The Lakers, losers of 11 of their past 12 games and eight in a row, could certainly use him.
Memphis Grizzlies: Mike Conley still doesn't have a timetable for when he'll return from his Achilles injury, but he participated in limited contact drills on Thursday. That's a positive sign and something to keep a close eye on, as we could be closer to hearing when he'll be back on the court for the Grizzlies. In the meantime, it's still the Tyreke Evans and Marc Gasol show in Memphis.
Miami Heat: Kelly Olynyk is making a case to get more playing time. Olynyk went for 25 points and 13 rebounds in Wednesday's win over Detroit and is averaging career highs in points (10.5), rebounds (5.9), assists (2.1) and minutes (23.3). The only concern with Olynyk playing more minutes is whether he can hold up, as he's dealt with injuries throughout his five-year NBA career and never played more than 75 games in a season.
Milwaukee Bucks: Any worries about how Eric Bledsoe would handle playing in Milwaukee should now be quashed. After forcing his way out of Phoenix, the speedy point guard has settled into his new surroundings nicely with the Bucks and is averaging an impressive 18.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.8 RPG and 1.8 SPG in his past 10 games. While the assist numbers may be a little low for a point guard, he is one of the league's best in the steals department and is shooting a healthy 45.6 percent on the season.
Minnesota Timberwolves: With Jeff Teague (knee) out of the lineup for another one to three weeks, young Tyus Jones is getting a ton of playing time as the team's primary point guard. While the steals and assists are there, the scoring simply isn't available on this team full of dynamic scorers. If you're going to use Jones, who has averaged 6.4 points, 3.4 assists and 2.4 steals in his past five games, keep your expectations in check, as he is a current-day version of Jordan Farmar from a fantasy standpoint.
New Orleans Pelicans: It seems like every game that someone goes off for a huge box score against the Pelicans -- particularly in the frontcourt -- and the numbers show that. Entering Thursday, the Pels have dropped to 24th in defensive efficiency, allowing 107.5 points per 100 possessions.
New York Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis had some interesting things to say following the Knicks' loss to the Wizards on Wednesday, and they don't bode well for his fantasy value going forward. "I'm tired, I'm tired, I'm so tired right now,'' Porzingis said. "I have one day to rest my legs and get back and play better and have more energy and try to bring the team's energy up. We're in a tough stretch. The mental part doesn't help at all. When it's mentally tough, you don't have it in you.'' Some days off or a reduction in playing time could be in order for New York's 7-foot-3 star.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Terrance Ferguson's 24 points, six 3-pointers and electrifying dunk in his first-career start Wednesday is certainly an interesting development, because that type of production and a 37-point victory gives Ferguson a chance to have a more prominent role even when defensive specialist Andre Roberson (knee) returns.
Orlando Magic: The calf injury that kept Aaron Gordon out of the lineup for a stretch of seven out of eight games isn't having any lasting effects. In four games since his return, he has averaged 17.3 PPG and 8.5 RPG while playing 35 MPG. He comes in at No. 35 on the Player Ranker over the past seven days.
Philadelphia 76ers: Much has been made of Ben Simmons' natural ability to impact the game in so many ways, and from a fantasy perspective, it's easy to key in on the scoring, rebounds and assists and forget about everything else. Here's the thing: You can't forget about his impact on the defensive end. Simmons enters Thursday ranked fourth in the league in steals (1.9 per game) and is also blocking just under one shot (0.9) per game.
Phoenix Suns: Greg Monroe made a spot start on Wednesday and lit up the box score against Denver with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, but don't get too excited about Monroe. This came in a game during which Tyson Chandler sat out to rest and Alex Len played only nine minutes. There's a good chance Monroe goes back to getting a steady dose of "DNP -- coach's decision." Monroe's value could change if he lands with another team or Chandler or Len are traded or shut down, but for now, he isn't worth considering.
Portland Trail Blazers: When you think of the Trail Blazers, you think of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, and the team is more reliant on the two than ever before. Without a lot of versatility in the frontcourt and Lillard and McCollum both being score-first players, Portland ranks last in the league with only 18.5 assists per game.
Sacramento Kings: Since upsetting the Cavs last week, the Kings have lost three straight and surrendered 111 points or more in every game. Sacramento remains the worst defensive team in the league, giving up 110.7 points per 100 possessions, and is a team to stack streamers against whenever possible.
San Antonio Spurs: In his 17th season in the league and now 37 years old, Pau Gasol isn't going to be able to bring his best effort every game, but he has pulled out of an early-season slump in a big way. In the past five games, he is averaging 10.2 PPG, 8.8 RPG and 3.6 APG. Gasol is still a top-100 fantasy player when he plays like this.
Toronto Raptors: Not only has DeMar DeRozan scored 87 points in his past two games, he also has done something some wondered if he'd ever do: shoot the 3-pointer with success. In fact, DeRozan connected on five 3s in both of those games, just the latest development in his already rock-solid offensive game. DeRozan's 1.2 3PG and 36.8 3FG percentage are both career highs.
Utah Jazz: Consistency continues to trouble Rodney Hood in his fourth NBA season. The oft-injured shooting guard is averaging 17 PPG this season but has scored 12 points or fewer in four of his past five games, including a two-point stinker in 33 minutes against the Pelicans on Wednesday.
Washington Wizards: John Wall was starting to look like an MVP-caliber player at the end of last season, but his production has fallen off in his eighth NBA season. His 18.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 8.7 APG and 1.2 SPG all rank below his career averages. Drafted in the top two rounds of virtually every fantasy league this season, Wall's inefficiency and diminished production make him a long shot to be a top-20 fantasy player by season's end.