Luke Kennard (knee) downgraded to out vs. Portland

Murray has been consistently good on offense since scoring six points on 2-of-11 shooting in Denver’s season-opening loss to the Thunder. In Denver’s last three games, the Nuggets guard has shot 50.9 percent from the field while averaging 28 points per game. While the 42-point masterclass against the Pelicans has boosted the scoring average, Murray’s efficiency has been excellent. The Nuggets finish Week 2 with a road game against the Suns on Friday night.

For the Warriors, it was all Stephen Curry and Yaxel Lendeborg on Wednesday, so Podz took a step back. You want more scoring than what you got tonight, but he got you some good rebounds and assists from the guard position. However, Podz is not someone who has been able to show consistently that he can ramp up usage and score the ball when the team needs it, so there is a cap on his upside.

Steph can still go crazy in games but it doesn’t happen as often with his age. Getting a perfect 16-16 from the free throw line is an incredible boost to your fantasy teams at this point in the week. As long as he is healthy, he will be one of the most exciting players in the NBA, and you can take any of these performances you can get as a fantasy owner.

Reed made his third consecutive start with Jalen Duren (hamstring) out of the lineup. He followed up his 22-point performance against the Knicks with another solid effort against the Hornets. Reed had 16 points on seven attempts, made both of his three-point attempts and had four stocks. He should be started in all formats until Duren returns.

The 24 year old rookie has come in and made an immediate impact in the NBA. He has shown that he can ramp up usage despite not doing it very much in last year in college. This Warriors roster doesn’t have anyone outside of Steph and him that can ramp up usage consistently until Jimmy Butler comes back. If you have him in dynasty leagues, enjoy the ride and you could look to sell high. That being said, he has all the strength and measurables that would indicate that this is somewhat legit. His unconventional path to the league is why he was so old entering the NBA. He’s going to continue to get better on defense. He should be rostered in redraft leagues going forward.

Cunningham had just 19 points in Tuesday’s loss to the Knicks, but bounced back with 30 points in the victory over the Hornets Wednesday. Expect Cunningham to continue doing it all for the Pistons and he should keep shouldering a heavy usage load while Jalen Duren (hamstring) is out.

In the first game without Kawhi Leonard, he did exactly what the Raptors wanted him to do. He hit three points, he defended well, eh was low usage and allowed the more gifted offensive players to have the ball. Ja’Kobe has really emerged as a good bench scorer and defender in the NBA. He should be in the league for a while given his skill set. In dynasty, he should be someone to watch if his role ever expands.

Johnson was just one rebound shy of a triple-double. While that makes for a somewhat solid stat line, he also shot 4-of-12 from the field and was -23 in 36 minutes in a 12-points loss at home to the Heat, who entered play Wednesday winless. It’ll be a quick turnaround for Johnson as the Hawks take on the Cavaliers at home Thursday.

RJ Barrett took the shots early in this game in the first game without Kawhi and was efficient from the field. Notably, he was on the exercise bike at multiple points in this game, so it could be something to monitor. If you got RJ Barrett in fantasy, you should be really happy about what he’s been doing. He won’t get you many defensive numbers but he will certainly score, and get you some rebounds. There’s an opportunity with Kawhi out, so there could be room to sell-high if someone gives you a good offer.

With no Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes made up the difference and kept the defense aggressive in this game. He’s very good as a roamer and can get a lot of his defensive numbers that way. If you drafted Scottie Barnes, you should be feeling very happy about that decision and should be in contention to finish in the top 10 of fantasy rankings this season.