Last Updated on January 19, 2026 1:19 am by Keston Paul | Published: January 19, 2026

The NBA schedule-makers are cooking as Martin Luther King Jr. Day has a very manageable nine games on instead of the usual 12-plus. Thank you NBA!

We have another very balanced week coming up and that means streaming is going to play a big role once again.

The Daily Cheat Sheet helps you out for each day, but remember to check out the Fantasy Basketball Week Ahead here for broader views on the entirety of Week 14.

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.

Jaylon Tyson (20%)

This is just an inclusion to double-check your waiver wire for. Darius Garland (Grade 1 right toe sprain) is being re-evaluated in 7-to-10 days and Sam Merrill is also out with a right hand sprain. Make sure Tyson is on a roster.

Craig Porter Jr. (1%)

Porter is a curiosity for standard 9-cat formats if he starts with Darius Garland (toe) set for an evaluation in 7-to-10 days. Porter has a fantasy-friendly stat profile. Do not expect much scoring, but he can get assists, rebounds, steals and blocks. I would not call him a must-roster right now, as I am not sure if he will start again if Dean Wade is active, but Porter is definitely worth a look.

Porter had 11 assists in his start on Friday, but we didn’t get the usual defensive stats or rebounds.

Wendell Carter Jr. (35%)

Carter had 18 points, four treys, seven boards, four dimes, two steals and two blocks in 33 minutes on Sunday. This was a high-end outcome for Carter, but he remains a servicable 12-team big for 9-cat leagues since his stat profile doesn’t have any real weaknesses despite not having any real standout areas either.

Sandro Mamukelashvili (11%)

Collin Murray-Boyles had to exit Sunday’s game with a left thumb sprain. CMB had been playing through the injury for a while, but Luka Doncic hit his thumb on Sunday while trying to poke at the ball and that might have worsened the issue. On Sunday, there was a report that the Raptors had previously been hoping for Jakob Poeltl (back) to return for the upcoming road trip, but he is still out. So, if Poeltl is not coming back (if the phrasing on the reporting was accurate), than Mamu could be left as the only real big in the rotation over the next few games or longer.

Mamu was good on Sunday with 20 points, six rebounds, two dimes, a steal, a block and two triples in 24 minutes. Mamu was trending downward but he may have a chance to shine again if CMB misses time.

Games

Bucks – Hawks @ 1:00 ET
Thunder – Cavaliers @ 2:30 ET
Clippers – Wizards @ 3:00 ET
Mavericks – Knicks @ 5:00 ET
Jazz – Spurs @ 5:00 ET
Pacers – 76ers @ 7:00 ET
Suns – Nets @ 7:30 ET
Celtics – Pistons @ 8:00 ET
Heat – Warriors @ 9:00 ET

Teams on Second Night of a Back-to-Back

Note: Teams on the second night of a back-to-back must submit their injury report by the release of the 4:00 pm ET Official NBA Injury Report. 

BKN

Michael Porter Jr. and Drake Powell sat out for rest/injury management on Sunday. I would expect them to be available on Monday, but of course, double-check that piece of news when the actual injury report drops.

Cam Thomas should definitely sit out on Monday for hamstring injury management and Egor Demin has a strong chance of sitting out for plantar fascia injury management.

Ziaire Williams has missed multiple games with an illness, so his availability remains unclear.

Teams on First Night of a Back-to-Back

LAC, SAS, UTA, PHI, PHX, GSW, MIA

I assume you are aware that Kawhi Leonard is out for both legs of the back-to-back, but if you didn’t know, now you do.

Some key notes: Joel Embiid and Paul George are questionable. If Embiid sits, Adem Bona (better for blocks) and Andre Drummond (better for rebounds) are both 12-team options. If George sits, Kelly Oubre Jr. should start and have better 12-team upside. Grimes should also have improved 12-team upside.

Devin Booker, Jalen Green and Jamaree Bouyea are all questionable for the Suns.

Tyler Herro is out. Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Davion Mitchell are probable.

De’Anthony Melton out for left knee injury management. Draymond Green is probable.

Lauri Markkanen is still out. If Jusuf Nurkic is not in the starting lineup, he is probably going to get another DNP-CD. However, I would give Nurk at least one more chance on Tuesday if that happens, as the Jazz have tough opposition throughout this week but the back-to-back is a bit unfortunate for managers.
Isaiah Collier is questionable.

Top Stories to Watch

Remember, the Heat have five games this week, while the Magic and Blazers only have two games. The Blazers’ two games are also a back-to-back set, which sucks for them.

Major Injury News & Rotation Notes
(Follow our NBA Blurb Feed and Live Injury Report for more day-to-day updates)

I want to lead with this one. John Collins missed a game on Wednesday for right groin soreness. He was cleared to play on Friday and then before the game, we got a report from Law Murray of The Athletic stating that Nic Batum will start and that Collins will come off the bench. Collins did not play at all, meaning he was a “healthy DNP-CD.”

Ty Lue was asked about it afterward and said this:

Asked Tyronn Lue about the personnel decisions that went into tonight’s game in Toronto

The video is the video but TL;DR

– Nico didn’t play after first timeout because LAC needed ball handlers
– John Collins held out as a soft tissue precaution
– young players brought it pic.twitter.com/a1pxL7ukbk

— Law Murray 🐐 (@LawMurrayTheNU) January 17, 2026

This might just be bad injury reporting by the Clippers organization, as Collins may have still been dealing with the issue despite being cleared. So, Collins might actually be available on Monday, and that is something to monitor.

Kawhi Leonard was sent home on Sunday, so he will miss the final two games of the team’s road trip on Monday and Tuesday. According to Chris Haynes, Leonard will be evaluated on Wednesday. The Clippers are at home on Thursday vs. the Lakers, so Leonard could be back for that one if the evaluation goes well, but obviously, that isn’t guaranteed.
As I said in the Leonard blurb, Kobe Sanders started the previous game but Jordan Miller was very good off the bench. Both should be viewed as 14-team options with low-end 12-team appeal because of their low floors if they have a bad game; however, they definitely have a 12-team ceiling that can make them worth a look as streamers.

Darius Garland will be evaluated in 7-to-10 days after suffering a Grade 1 right great toe sprain. This is not the toe he had offseason surgery on, as that was his left great toe. That could be viewed as a positive, since it is not an aggravation, but it is also a concern because…is his shifty playstyle just bad for his toes? Real basketball questions here.
Craig Porter Jr. started the last game with Garland (toe) and Sam Merrill (right hand sprain) out. Porter had 11 assists but did not do much else. Porter typically gets a ton of steals, blocks and a lot of rebounds for a guard. If he gets another chance to start, I think he has 12-team value.

Jalen Williams exited Saturday’s game with was was being labeled as thigh soreness, but has been ruled out for Monday’s game with a right hamstring strain. J-Dub could be set for a few games on the sidelines or maybe even a couple of weeks. Ajay Mitchell started the second half and can be viewed as a must-roster player. Aaron Wiggins also seemed to benefit off the bench and could be a 14-team option with low-end 12-team stream appeal if his role improves. Wiggins did start one game over Cason Wallace (and one game with Lu Dort out), but Wiggins slid back to the bench on Saturday. It would not shock me if Wiggins is given the nod as the fill-in starter.

Jalen Green is questionable to return from a 32-game absence after aggravating a right hamstring strain back on November 8. Expect him to be eased in very carefully and slowly. For now, hold Grayson Allen, Collin Gillespie and Dillon Brooks to assess their roles moving forward as well.

Kel’el Ware has been marginalized recently, and Erik Spoelstra has expressed his distaste for Ware’s response to being benched, citing a lack of effort. Even with that in mind, the Heat have a five-game week so holding Ware to continue assessing his role with enough volume to hopefully make up for any reduced minutes should make sense. Ware has undoubtedly played poorly in his reduced minutes, but again, he is a hold through at least this week for me. If the minutes remain bad all week, drop him afterward if you want to. Note that one of Ware’s pre-draft concerns was about his attitude and effort, so this isn’t anything new.

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Stay up to date on news for this slate with our NBA Blurb Feed! 

Check out our Live Injury Report to see who is probable, questionable, doubtful or sidelined for this slate!

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Streamers

We are not including players who are either most likely on a roster or should be on a roster.

Seriously, make sure Jaylon Tyson is on a roster.

Standard Formats

Bobby Portis – points, rebounds, possible 3s

Kyle Kuzma – points, rebounds & occasional upside in other areas

AJ Green – 3s, 3s & 3s with occasional outbursts of rebounds or assists

Ajay Mitchell – points, assists, FT%, rebounds, steals, occasional 3s

Cason Wallace – steals specialist with upside for 3s, assists, low-end rebounds

Aaron Wiggins – points & 3s with upside for rebounds, occasional steals & blocks

De’Andre Hunter – points, 3s, FT%, decent rebounds

Craig Porter Jr. – steals, blocks, rebounds (yes, he is a guard)

Kris Dunn – steals specialist with upside for assists & 3s

Bub Carrington – points, assists, 3s, out-of-position rebounds & occasional chance of a steal

Tre Johnson – points, 3s

Justin Champagnie – rebounds, steals, blocks & maybe some upside for points

Khris Middleton – points, rebounds, assists, &upside for 3s & steals

Naji Marshall – points, rebounds, steals with occasional upside for assists (with good percentages)

Max Christie – hit-or-miss points & 3s with very occasional upside for steals or FT% if he gets to the line

Brandon Williams – points, assists, steals & some potential for 3s or FT%

Klay Thompson – 3s specialist with points if he gets hot

Miles McBride – 3s with some upside for points, steals or assists
(bump to deep leagues if Jalen Brunson, questionable, plays)

Mitchell Robinson – FG%, rebounds, blocks
(bump to deep leagues if Josh Hart, questionable, plays)

Kyle Filipowski – points, rebounds, assists with upside for 3s
(shakier if Jusuf Nurkic actually plays)

Ace Bailey – points, 3s, rebounds & potential for steals (bad percentages)

Isaiah Collier (questionable, wait for update) – assists, upside for points

Brice Sensabaugh – points, 3s & FT% if he can get to the line

Julian Champagnie – 3s, rebounds, steals, scoring upside & occasional blocks

Keldon Johnson – points, rebounds, FG% & upside for 3s or a steal

Harrison Barnes – points & 3s with upside for rebounds, a steal or FT% if he gets to the line

Dylan Harper – points, assists & upside for a steal, some rebounds

Jay Huff – blocks specialist, upside for 3s & occasional potential for rebounds

Aaron Nesmith – points, 3s, steals & potential rebounds

T.J. McConnell –  points, assists, steals

Quentin Grimes – points, 3s, upside for steals, assists & more

Kelly Oubre Jr. – points, 3s, rebounds, steals

Grayson Allen – points, 3s, upside for assists, steals
(must-roster)

Royce O’Neale – 3-and-D stats, rebounds & upside for assists

Sam Hauser – 3s, 3s & also 3s

Tobias Harris – points, 3s, rebounds, FT%, occasional steals

Isaiah Stewart – blocks, rebounds, points, 3s, solid FG%

Duncan Robinson – 3s with occasional upside in other areas

Jaime Jaquez Jr. (probable, so likely to play) – points, rebounds, assists, usually good FG%

Davion Mitchell (probable a.k.a. likely to play) – big assists with upside for steals

Brandin Podziemski – points, 3s, rebounds, assists, steals

Moses Moody – 3s, steals, upside for points, rebounds, blocks

Second Leg of B2B Watch for Standard Formats

Look out for the official Nets injury report before streaming these players.

Noah Clowney – points, 3s, blocks, potential steals & rebounds (potentially bad FG%)

Day’Ron Sharpe – rebounds, FG% and sometimes adds steals or blocks

Deep Leagues

Adem Bona – blocks with upside for rebounds or steals
(Elevate to standard leagues if Joel Embiid, questionable, sits out and Andre Drummond also becomes an option for rebounds/big-man stats)

Pelle Larsson – low-end points, 3s, assists with upside for general stats
(retains low-end upside for standard formats if he is the fill-in starter for Tyler Herro, who is out)

Mouhamed Gueye – rebounds, steals, blocks, occasional scoring upside

Luke Kennard – points, 3s, occasional upside for assists

Vit Krejci – explosive hit-or-miss 3s & points with occasional steals upside

Corey Kispert – 3s

Alex Caruso – steals specialist with upside for 3s, assists, rebounds, occasional blocks

Lu Dort – extremely boom-or-bust 3s, upside for steals, occasional rebounds

Isaiah Joe – 3s

Jaylin Williams – across-the-board upside

Kobe Sanders – points with upside for 3s and general stats
(has 12-team upside)

Jordan Miller – mainly points, 3s, but occasional upside in other areas
(has 12-team upside)

Marvin Bagley III – points, rebounds, FG% & occasional chance of blocks

Ryan Nembhard – mainly assists with some upside for 3s or points

Dwight Powell – rebounds (steals? maybe?)

Moussa Cisse – rebounds, blocks

Jaden Hardy – boom-or-bust points & 3s with occasional assists upside

Walter Clayton Jr. – points, 3s, rebounds, assists, steals, FT% if he gets to the line

Cody Williams (18-teamer) – maybe points, maybe 3s, maybe steals

Luke Kornet – rebounds, blocks, FG%

Isaiah Jackson – rebounds, FG%, blocks

Dominick Barlow – rebounds, blocks, upside for steals, solid FG%

Jordan Goodwin – general stats

Oso Ighodaro – low-end points, rebounds, steals, blocks

Luka Garza – points & rebounds with low-end upside for threes & a couple of assists

Ron Holland II – steals, out-of-position rebounds, occasional scoring outbursts

Jaden Ivey – points with upside for 3s or assists

Quinten Post – 3s, rebounds, occasional upside for points, steals or blocks

Al Horford – low-end across-the-board upside

Dean Wade (probable, so likely to play) – rebounds, 3s

Second Leg of B2B Watch for Deep Leagues

Look out for the official Nets injury report before streaming these players.

Danny Wolf – points & rebounds with potential 3s and assists
(12-team upside if MPJ or Clowney sits out)

Terance Mann – boom-or-bust points & 3s with potential for rebounds, assists, steals
(I would not rule out Mann sitting)

I am not considering Tyrese Martin and Jalen Wilson if Porter is playing as expected.