Last Updated on January 28, 2026 12:39 pm by Mike Passador | Published: January 28, 2026

Tuesday’s slate wasn’t all that exciting, but we got two important returns with Deni Avdija (back) checking back in for Portland and Lauri Markkanen (illness/conditioning) on the court again after a couple weeks off. Other than that it was nothing too crazy in the box scores, with a few noncompetitive games and some returns to normalcy for the Nuggets and Sixers — aside from Jamal Murray’s choke job at the free throw line in the final seconds.

The biggest developments of Tuesday came before the games, as we received some important injury updates on two All-Star bigs.

Out of Cleveland, Evan Mobley will miss approximately 1-3 weeks with a left calf strain. That’s a crazy timeline the more you think about it, though it is Mobley’s second left calf strain of the year. The first one cost him five games in December and if he can return that quickly again, fantasy GMs will take it. Given the nebulous nature of this report, we could see Mobley back before next weekend or he could be out until after the All-Star break. The Cavs will be cautious here but it does leave fantasy GMs twisting in the wind a little bit. Unless Jaylon Tyson is still on your waiver wire, there’s no move to make in 12-team formats.

In Denver, all reports have been positive about Nikola Jokic (left knee bone bruise). He was initially tracking for a late-January return but he will now be reevaluated some time next week. As far as setbacks go it’s a minor one, though this now makes it highly unlikely that Jokic will play in enough games to be eligible for postseason awards. That has a trickle-down effect of Jokic missing more games later in the year without that carrot to chase; the Nuggets wouldn’t be depriving him of anything by sitting him in back-to-backs or after minor bumps and bruises. In the meantime, Jokic’s updated timeline flows right into our pickups section…

Top Pickups

This is the “general must-add” section regardless of the slate. If these players are being overlooked and remain chilling on the waiver wire, consider adding them to your squad.

Jonas Valanciunas (17%)

On the heels of the Jokic news, Valanciunas returned from a one-game absence (second leg of a back-to-back) and put up 16 points, 16 rebounds, a block and a 3-pointer in 31 minutes vs. the Pistons. You’ve got a week or two of must-start JV left and the clock is ticking. While you generally rush to add players with more season-long upside, Valanciunas is hitting his peak at a great time; you’re going to get big lines until right around the trade deadline, when you can typically make one or two season-long moves anyway. A few more must-start lines out of Valanciunas before a relatively guilt-free drop sounds good to us.

Bobby Portis (37%)

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