• Tuesday’s four-game slate obviously didn’t have a ton of volume, but each game had some fantasy relevance to it that’s worth quickly rehashing as we gear up for a loaded Wednesday.

    The Kings and Hornets were involved in a predictable blowout but we got some good information on how the depleted Kings are going to roll out. The short story is that Maxime Raynaud and Malik Monk are great starts in all leagues, and Daeqwon Plowden may not be far behind. DeMar DeRozan is not a must-hold, while deep-league GMs should be all over Devin Carter and might have to start thinking about Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Doug McDermott.

    The Cavs and Magic delivered a close game, with Donovan Mitchell’s heroics putting Cleveland over the top. Orlando hung tough thanks to a big night out of Paolo Banchero and yet another wave of secondary players stepping up. Tristan da Silva continued to produce must-start value with 18 points (5-of-11 FG, 5-of-5 FT), six rebounds and three triples, while Jamal Cain entered the starting five and cooked up 17 points (5-of-11 FG, 6-of-6 FT), six rebounds, three assists and a 3-pointer. Even Jevon Carter chipped in with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting, four assists, a steal and three 3-pointers off the bench. The Magic are missing some key fantasy players but they’re at least providing useful replacements.

    The Pelicans gave New York a scare but the Knicks prevailed. Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t have a great game and only saw 24 minutes, but still produced 21 & 14 so fantasy GMs weren’t left empty-handed. Dejounte Murray struggled with 2-of-12 shooting but had 12 assists in his 28 minutes, and Jeremiah Fears picked up the slack with 21 points, two steals and three triples on 9-of-12 shooting. Herb Jones also had a nice night with 13 points (6-of-8 FG), six assists, a block and a 3-pointer. It’s too little, too late for Jones this year but he’s capable of middle-round value and is worth watching closely in fantasy.

    In the nightcap, Nikola Jokic was dominant with 23-17-17 in a tight win over the Suns. The Nuggets were balanced otherwise — shoutout to Cam Johnson for 14 second-half points — but Jokic’s brilliance is just too much to overcome. The Suns tried but came up just short. Devin Booker and Jalen Green had big games and Royce O’Neale (17 points on 5-of-8 shooting, five rebounds, three assists, one steal, three blocks, five triples) and Oso Ighodaro (15 points, six rebounds, one steals) gave them secondary contributions to keep the game tight. The Suns don’t have the talent edge every night but they play hard and find ways to compete, which is the sort of rising tide that lifts all fantasy boats.

    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.

    Malik Monk (26%)

    The Kings are currently without Russell Westbrook and Nique Clifford, which paved the way for Monk to start against one of his former teams on Tuesday. It wasn’t perfect as Monk scored seven points on 3-of-13 shooting (1-of-2 FT), but he did put up three rebounds, a whopping 14 assists and a steal in 30 minutes. It took a horrendous season for the organization and some late-year injuries, but Monk is finally playing a lot. Add him until that changes.

    Daeqwon Plowden (7%)

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