Stephen Curry led the fantasy leaderboard in Tuesday's small, four-game slate by piecing together arguably his most well-rounded performance of the season. He wasn't the only Western Conference guard who excelled though, as several other notable floor generals weren't far behind him. There will be a lot more games in Wednesday's main slate, and we'll review the performances of three Tuesday stars before diving into some fantasy duds and a DFS target here.
Who's hot
Antetokounmpo failed to record a sixth straight double-double against the Detroit Pistons on Monday, but rebounding by posting 32 points, 12 rebounds, and five steals against them in a rematch on Wednesday. His shooting percentage has come crashing back down to Earth and is now at 56.9 percent, and he's still been elite across the board. Fantasy managers should expect his uptick in scoring to continue while Khris Middleton (wrist) works his way back from injury.
Murray's ceiling hasn't really been lowered since he joined Trae Young in Atlanta. Both point guards rank among the top five in their position and are producing offense at a high level. Murray's averaging career highs in points (22.0) and steals (2.5) per game through eight outings to go along with 5.9 rebounds and 7.8 steals per contest. He scored a season-high 36 points on 27 shots against the New York Knicks his last time out and will be just as involved as Young until Bogdan Bogdanovic comes off the shelf. Murray's been the more efficient player between the two and Roto league managers should view him as more valuable than Young right now because of his defensive upside.
Garland missed five straight games with an eye injury after logging just 13 minutes in his 2022-23 debut but came back with a vengeance on Wednesday. The Cleveland Cavaliers point guard scored 29 points and dished 12 assists to help lift his team past the Boston Celtics. He, Donovan Mitchell, and Caris LeVert all eclipsed 40 minutes in the contest when overtime concluded, so it appears as the Cavs will stick with their three-guard lineup moving forward.
Who's not
The New Orleans Pelicans don't appear to be depending on Valanciunas as their rock in the middle anymore. The big man has played less than 25 minutes in four of his last five games. He's notched just two double-doubles in his first seven games of the season. Valanciunas is still a top-15 center despite his drop in usage, but it doesn't look like he'll match his top-five finish from last year with Zion Williamson back in the fold and Larry Nance Jr. playing nearly 23 minutes per contest.
Thursday DFS Target
Murray's still easing back into things after missing all of 2021-22 with an ACL injury but is starting to demand that his restrictions are lightened already. He forced Mike Malone's hand in the Denver Nuggets' latest loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and logged a season-high 32 minutes and scored a season-high 21 points on 21 shots. He was more aggressive than he has been all season and multiple Nuggets guards are dealing with injuries ahead of Thursday's matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Murray could be a home run play if Bones Hyland and Ish Smith sit out.
Still deciding who to lock in for your DFS roster? We've identified a player worth locking in and one to avoid ahead of tip-off below, but you can get my full selection of stud and value plays at each position by heading over to SportsLine.
