Fantasy basketball daily notes for Tuesday

While it wasn’t enough to top the Boston Celtics in an overtime epic on Monday, Charlotte’s Miles Bridges led the Hornets in scoring for the third straight game. The Michigan State product is one of just six NBA players with 100 total points this season and is currently more than doubling his career scoring average.

Bridges lofted 22 shots on Monday and has averaged 17.5 field goal attempts this season, a whopping 66% leap in shot volume from his average over the past two seasons. An uptick in scoring freedom and an injury to fellow forward P.J. Washington have combined to fuel a winning fantasy profile for Bridges.

Rostered in roughly 85% of ESPN leagues, Bridges might be breaking out in his fourth NBA campaign.

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LaMelo Ball connects with Miles Bridges for a dunk that brings the Hornets bench to their feet.

Monday recap

Highlights

Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics: 41 points (14-28 FG), 7 rebounds, 8 assists

Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves: 32 points (10-24 FG), 14 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks

Lowlights

Clint Capela, Atlanta Hawks: 4 points (2-3 FG), 8 rebounds, 0 assists

Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers: 12 points (4-15 FG), 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 TO

Monday takeaways

• Off to an awesome statistical start to the season, the Clippers’ Paul George posted a career-high eight steals in a win over the Trail Blazers. The Clippers registered 21 steals in the victory, their team’s most in a game since back in November of 1991 against the Nuggets. Reserve wing Terance Mann collected four steals and could eventually emerge as a fantasy-relevant option given the team’s need for more perimeter scoring.

• Lillard is struggling from the floor to open the season; he’s shooting 8.3% from 3-point range this season, marking the worst percentage through the first three games of a season in NBA history (min. 20 attempts). Things will clearly correct for Lillard in regards to scoring efficiency, but maybe you can use this bit of trivia in making offers for Portland’s superstar.

• On the other end of the efficiency spectrum, we find Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen, who missed just one of his 11 shots from the floor in an upset win over Denver and now has three outings since the start of last season shooting at least 90% to go with at least 20 points and 15 rebounds. The rest of the league has zero such performances during this sample.

• Another uptick in scoring proficiency is found in Minnesota, as second-year guard Anthony Edwards is up to 25.3 PPG while sinking 42.1% of his 3-point attempts. Edwards made just a third of his shots beyond the arc last season, so a sizable surge in 3-point efficiency and volume could see him sustain this impressive scoring spike.

• Toronto’s Chris Boucher played just five minutes for the Raptors in the loss to the Bulls last night. With his fantasy value at its nadir just a week into the season, it’s likely a good time to make offers for a player who ranked third in the NBA in block percentage last season.

Injuries of note

• Nerlens Noel is questionable to play for the Knicks as they host the 76ers tonight. Mitchell Robinson could see 30 minutes if Noel sits.

• Oklahoma City’s Derrick Favors will sit this evening for rest, setting up Darius Bazley with double-double potential.

Analytics advantage for Tuesday

Ben Simmons and Shake Milton remain sidelined for the Sixers, which means second-year guard Tyrese Maxey should assume a large role orchestrating the Philadelphia offense. With a usage rate hovering around 23% while playing nearly 35 MPG thus far, Maxey’s leap to 16.3 PPG appears sustainable. You can find Maxey in free agency in nearly 75% of ESPN leagues.

DFS discussion

RJ Barrett, New York Knicks: Without a true pass-first point guard, Barrett is often tasked with creation for others in the half-court offense. This role buoys his fantasy value — Barrett has at least seven combined assists and rebounds in each game this season — especially against a Philadelphia team lacking perimeter defense in the current lineup.

Andrew Wiggins, Golden State Warriors: Facing a Thunder team currently allowing the most rebounds, the third-most assists, and highest shooting percentage to small forwards, Wiggins is in a good spot to deliver value. Found at reasonable pricing on major platforms and due for a busy starting role, Wiggins is a nice bargain tonight.