From injury updates and rotation changes in places such as Golden State, Atlanta, Charlotte and Chicago to swirling trade rumors in New York, there is plenty going on this week.
Here is a look at the most fantasy-relevant news and notes for all 30 teams around the NBA:
Atlanta Hawks: Taurean Prince, Atlanta's third-leading scorer at 15.0 points per game, will miss at least the next three weeks due to an ankle injury, opening the door for additional minutes for Kent Bazemore, DeAndre' Bembry and Kevin Huerter. Bazemore and Bembry had been getting about 21 to 22 minutes a game playing off the bench, but that number figures to rise into the upper 20s as long as Prince is out.
Boston Celtics: Marcus Morris isn't one of the first three players you think of when you think about the Celtics, but the 29-year-old veteran forward ranks third on the team in scoring (14.0 PPG), first among regulars in field goal percentage (48.7), second in rebounds (6.4 RPG) and second in 3-pointers made per game (2.1). Somehow, he is still on only 12.9 percent of rosters in ESPN leagues.
Brooklyn Nets: Joe Harris, who has missed the past three games due to tightness in his left adductor, is expected to return to the court for Wednesday's game against Oklahoma City. Facing the stingy Thunder defense won't be an easy transition back for Harris, who already was shooting an uncharacteristically cold 41.2 percent in the seven games leading up to the injury.
Charlotte Hornets: Marvin Williams is injured and out of the lineup, and the Hornets lack an obvious replacement for the veteran power forward heading into Wednesday's game against Minnesota. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Miles Bridges are two possibilities, as is Frank Kaminsky, but it's likely going to come down to who plays best while Williams, sidelined for at least a week with a strained shoulder, is out.
Chicago Bulls: Any concerns about Wendell Carter Jr.'s production being tempered with Lauri Markkanen in the lineup appear to be overblown. Carter has averaged 32.0 minutes in the two games Markkanen has been back, even going for 12 points, 13 rebounds and four assists in Tuesday's loss to the Pacers. If anything, the player most impacted by the scoring presence of Markkanen is probably Zach LaVine, who has taken just 16 shots per game during the past two games -- far under his 19.5 FGA this season.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Collin Sexton entered Wednesday ranked fourth among rookies in minutes played (665) and, like De'Aaron Fox last season, is impressing with his athleticism and contributions as a scorer (14.5 PPG), rebounder (3.2 RPG) and distributor (2.5 APG). The 3s and steals aren't there at this point, but Sexton's 44.2 FG% as a rookie point guard is a positive sign of things to come.
Dallas Mavericks: By now, you know pretty much exactly what to expect out of Harrison Barnes. At 26, it feels like he's been in the league for a decade, and since joining the Mavericks in 2016-17, he has consistently produced 18-19 PPG and 5-6 RPG but offers little else in terms of fantasy production. That is, until this season. Barnes is now taking 5.6 3-point attempts per game and making 40 percent of them, leading to 2.2 3PG. He's not Tobias Harris, but he checks the same boxes, albeit in a less efficient manner.
Denver Nuggets: Will Barton remains available in just over a quarter of ESPN leagues, and now might be the time to snag the versatile swingman, as Barton is nearing a return to the court a month and a half after hip surgery. Last season, Barton put up 15.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.0 SPG and 1.9 3PG, and with Isaiah Thomas and Michael Porter Jr. still sidelined, there's no reason to think he can't duplicate those numbers as long as he's at 100 percent.
Detroit Pistons: Reggie Jackson's 39.6 FG% is the lowest since his rookie season, but a major uptick from 3-point land (6.3 shots per game compared to 3.8 last season) has contributed to Jackson's true shooting percentage (53.8) being at an all-time high.
Golden State Warriors: Damian Jones' torn pectoral muscle could keep the Warriors center out for the season, and that means plenty of playing time for Kevon Looney and Jordan Bell until DeMarcus Cousins is able to get back on the court. Looney, who is worth streaming for his rebounds and blocks, started against the Hawks on Monday and played 29 strong minutes (14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks), while Bell managed 6 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in 19 minutes off the bench. Cousins is expected to be available sometime after Christmas.
Houston Rockets: The Rockets are reportedly looking to make a deal this week, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Forward Marquese Chriss and injured point guard Brandon Knight are among the players who could be moved, per Sam Amico, but it is unclear if the Rockets will be able to add anything of significance to their top-heavy roster.
Indiana Pacers: The Pacers announced Friday that "Victor Oladipo will be out indefinitely as he continues to deal with a sore right knee," adding, "further updates will be provided when warranted." This isn't very encouraging, especially given that Oladipo already has missed eight games, but you have to hold on to the Pacers star even in leagues without an IR spot. He's a top-20 player when healthy. In the meantime, Darren Collison might be worth considering. He is available in nearly 58 percent of ESPN leagues despite dishing out double-digit assists during three of the past five games and going for 23 points in Tuesday's win over the Bulls.
LA Clippers: At age 30, Danilo Gallinari doesn't move as well as he used to, but his offensive game has never been better, as his 19.2 PPG, 94.3 percent free throw shooting and 46.2 percent 3-point shooting indicate. Lost in all this is the fact that Gallinari's 6.0 RPG would be a career high and his 2.2 APG would be the third-best mark of his career. Do injury concerns remain? Of course. For the time being, though, Gallinari is playing like a top-50 fantasy option.
Los Angeles Lakers: JaVale McGee has cooled off, predictably so, after a scorching-hot start to the season. Both his scoring and rebounding numbers are nowhere near where they were a few weeks back. One area that hasn't cooled off, however, is his shot-blocking. He has multiple blocks in five of the past seven games and ranks tied for second with Myles Turner in blocks per game with 2.74.
Memphis Grizzlies: I never thought I'd see the day when Mike Conley attempted 10 3-pointers, but that day happened a few Sundays back. So here we are, in Conley's 12th NBA season -- all with Memphis -- and the 31-year-old point guard is attempting more 3PG than ever before (6.5) and scoring at an all-time high (21.1 PPG). He's also assisting at an all-time high (6.6). Conley always has been a bit underrated in fantasy, and that's more true this season than ever before.
Miami Heat: It's a frustrating time in Miami these days, with the injury to Goran Dragic hurting the Heat's chances of competing on many nights. The frustration boiled over on Tuesday, as Hassan Whiteside didn't play in the fourth quarter and eventually left the bench for the locker room with 40 seconds left in the game. This is worth keeping an eye on, because Whiteside has been a very strong fantasy player this season, seeing a bump in his blocks (2.9 BPG) and rebounds (13.7) from last season while still averaging 13.5 PPG.
Milwaukee Bucks: Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer benched Khris Middleton for the entire fourth quarter and overtime of Milwaukee's loss to the Knicks on Saturday, but it sounds like the coach and player are on the same page going forward. "He thought I wasn't doing the right things. I agreed with him on some parts of it, that's it," Middleton told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "We had a conversation about it. Both got on the same page on what we wanted from each other. That's what it's all about -- be on the same page and to win. That's the most important thing." Barring anything unforeseen, this probably won't impact Middleton's fantasy output.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Anytime there is a trade, the immediate question is, "How will it impact the players involved?" In the case of Robert Covington, the trade to Minnesota has only made him better. On a per-game basis, his minutes are up from 33.8 to 35.9, his scoring is up from 11.3 to 14.4, his rebounds are up from 5.2 to 6.2, his steals are up from 1.8 to 2.8 and his 3-pointers are up from 2.3 to 2.8. Covington could soon become a top-30 fantasy player, if he isn't already.
New Orleans Pelicans: Anthony Davis continues to do it all on the court and, as was the case earlier this season, he also continues to play more minutes than anyone in the league. In fact, entering Wednesday, the Pelicans' star big man averaged one full minute more per game (37.5) than the next-closest player in the league, James Harden (36.5).
New York Knicks: According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Pistons and Nets have both inquired about Damyean Dotson. The 2017 second-round pick is on less than 1 percent of rosters in ESPN leagues but carries plenty of value as long as he plays as well as he has during the past four games -- 17.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.5 SPG. While his 65 percent shooting from 3-point land during that stretch is unsustainable, his 13 3s in those games show that he can be a force in that category as well.
Oklahoma City Thunder: The Thunder have one of the top defenses in the league this season, even without defensive stalwart Andre Roberson in the lineup. With the news last week that Roberson suffered a setback in his rehabilitation from a ruptured patellar tendon and won't be reevaluated for another six weeks, that means another month and a half of the Thunder riding Alex Abrines and Terrance Ferguson for time at the 2-guard.
Orlando Magic: Before his past two games, Aaron Gordon had cooled off a bit in recent weeks, but his season numbers show the gains he has made as a shooter since entering the league. Gordon set a career high last season when he averaged 17.6 PPG, but he did so while shooting just 43.4 percent from the field and 33.6 percent from 3. This season, the scoring is down slightly but not enough to matter, and the efficiency is much better; Gordon is at 48.3 percent and 37.6 percent, respectively.
Philadelphia 76ers: Markelle Fultz is officially out for three to six weeks after being diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, but at this point it'd be surprising to see Fultz return to his former level at any point this season. That means there's a good chance T.J. McConnell will get a serious run as the backup point guard for the rest of the season, which could put him in play as a streaming option for assists and steals as the season goes on. He has averaged 6.6 PPG, 3.0 SPG and 1.0 SPG in 21.6 MPG during his past five games.
Phoenix Suns: With Devin Booker (hamstring) sidelined and without a timeline for a return, there is even more reason to panic in Phoenix. The Suns fell behind 36-9 at the end of the first quarter against the Kings on Tuesday, but the silver lining was a breakout performance by 2018 second-rounder De'Anthony Melton. The USC product came off the bench to score 21 points, dish out five assists and connect on three 3s. He may be worth keeping an eye on as long as Booker is out of the lineup.
Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard continues to elevate his game a little more each season, and that continues to be the case in 2018-19. His 27.3 PPG and 5.1 RPG would both be career highs for the 28-year-old veteran. So, too, would his 7.4 free throw attempts per game. One of the game's most consistent players since he entered the league, Lillard is locked in as a top-15 fantasy player right now.
Sacramento Kings: Could Trevor Ariza be an option for the Kings? This is only speculation building off of Marc Stein's report that Ariza is at the top of the list of players who will be made available for trade after Dec. 15, but the veteran could be an immediate upgrade on both sides of the ball for a Kings team that's been relying on Iman Shumpert, Justin Jackson and Troy Williams at small forward. Just something to keep in mind; in any case, Ariza doesn't appear to have a long future in Phoenix.
San Antonio Spurs: Don't look now but Derrick White is starting to heat up. During the past three games, he has averaged 10.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 5.7 APG. The second-year point guard out of Colorado remains a minimal presence in terms of steals and 3-pointers, limiting his upside in category leagues, but his value is rising with each passing week.
Toronto Raptors: Paskal Siakam's 20.09 PER is indicative of how important he is on this Raptors' team, and he doesn't seem to be cooling down as a fantasy player, either. During the past 10 games, the New Mexico State product has averaged 15.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.5 APG and 1.0 SPG while making an outstanding 63.2 percent of his shots. Siakam might be the game's most underrated player this season, both in real life and in fantasy.
Utah Jazz: Kyle Korver has played three games with the Jazz, and he's made an immediate impact, scoring at least 14 points and cashing in for at least three 3-pointers in two of those three games. He's not someone you want to keep on your fantasy roster, but if it's the end of the week and you're looking for 3s in a category league, Korver is a little more valuable with the Jazz than he was with the Cavaliers.
Washington Wizards: John Wall won't play on Wednesday due to a personal matter and Austin Rivers is expected to take his place in the starting lineup. Rivers, who averages just 2.9 assists per 40 minutes this season, is much more of a scorer than a facilitator, which is a tad worrisome for the team's top scorers such as Bradley Beal and Markieff Morris. Even as a starter, Rivers carries little fantasy value due to his lack of impact in all areas other than scoring.