Friday night was an exciting night in the fantasy world. Returns were in style as both Russell Westbrook and David West made an impact on the court while Andre Drummond laid down the hammer in Detroit.  Anthony Davis is starting to look normal and DeMar DeRozan went down. All that and more in today’s Dose.

Westbrook comes to play

Russell Westbrook made his long-awaited return on Friday and blew off some steam as the Thunder throttled the Knicks. Westbrook started but only needed 24 minutes to score 32 points on 12-17 shooting, adding seven rebounds, eight assists, and three triples. The Knicks were without Carmelo Anthony once again and fielded a starting unit which scored a combined 26 points. Needless to say the contest was over pretty early but Westbrook’s game was still plenty relevant in the fantasy world. The dazzling point guard should continue putting up big time number for the next few games but Kevin Durant‘s return appears imminent. However, even when Durant does come back, Westbrook will still be a top-five point guard on a nightly basis.  

Griffin dominates the Rockets

With both Dwight Howard and Terrence Jones still on the mend for Houston, Blake Griffin had his way with the Rockets frontcourt and thoroughly thrashed them for 30 points and 10 rebounds in a blowout victory. It was his third 30-point performance this season and his fourth double-double. Griffin was able to put up over 30 points and 10 rebounds on 11 occasions last season but this was his first time doing it this season which is encouraging given his slow start. The perennial All-Star is averaging just 21 points and seven rebounds so far this year, not bad numbers at all but not what fantasy owners were expecting after last year’s averages of 24 points and nine rebounds. Hopefully this game jumpstarts a hot run for Griffin.  

Classic Noah returns

Despite missing Tuesday’s game, Joakim Noah looked in mid-season form on Friday, tossing up a tasty line against the Celtics. The big man finished with 15 points, 14 boards, six assists, and six blocks all while playing stifling defense throughout the contest. Noah’s been under a microscope this season due to his chronic knee issues and will likely miss several more games this season but it’s these kinds of performances that keep him locked in as a high quality fantasy center.

DeRozan comes up lame

Raptors star shooting guard DeMar DeRozan exited during the second half of Friday’s game against Dallas with a left groin strain and did not return. He was having a dreadful game and finished 0-8 from the field with zero points. He did leave the court under his own power but was walking very gingerly and should get an MRI tomorrow. If DeRozan were to miss time, Lou Williams and Greivis Vasquez would likely be the main beneficiaries. That tandem finished with a combined 30 points, seven assists, three steals, and six three-pointers.

The Bass keeps Drummond

It’s finally here. The highly-anticipated Andre Drummond beast feast is upon the fantasy world. The Detroit destroyer hung 26 points and 20 rebounds on the Bucks Friday night, officially notching his first 20/20 game of the campaign. Although the Pistons lost, Drummond’s big line was a vital fantasy storyline. Drummond had three 20/20 games last year and his double-double count was off the charts. This season the Pistons starting center got off to a slow start, getting into foul trouble frequently which limited his opportunities. However, over the last four games he’s averaging over 35 minutes per game while putting up 20 points and 15 rebounds a night. If you bought low on Drummond early this season, congratulations, it looks like he’s about to pay dividends.  

Milwaukee flips the script

Despite Andre Drummond’s domination, the Bucks were able to regroup and looked to their bench players to lead a comeback against Detroit. Ersan Ilyasova hit 9-14 shots including three triples on his way to 22 points and eight rebounds. Khris Middleton, Jerryd Bayless, and Jared Dudley combined for 38 points but Ilyasova is only real fantasy option here. It’s a bit fluky given he’s only playing about 20 minutes per contest but over his last seven games the power forward is averaging over 15 points and five rebounds per game. We’ve seen this before from him but those low-end numbers can certainly be useful at the end of most fantasy benches and he’s worth a look if you need a big man who can hit threes.

Anthony Davis is human

Last Saturday Anthony Davis put up a ridiculous 43 points and 14 rebounds against Utah. It was a stellar fantasy line, one which embodied Davis’ dominance this year. However, on Tuesday Davis shot just 4-12 from the field for 14 points and nine rebounds and on Friday the big man hit just 5-15 shots for 14 points and 11 rebounds. Both of those lines came in losing efforts. To be fair, his Friday totals of 11 rebounds, three steals, and one block were certainly serviceable but not for a player who has been the top fantasy option for most of this season. Consider this two-game stretch a temporary pause from the amazing. Davis should get back to his highlight reel ways sooner rather than later.

Mr. West makes his debut

David West made his season debut for the Pacers on Friday, starting and playing 24 minutes as Indiana held off Orlando. West , returning from an ankle injury, looked great, scoring 15 points, five boards, two assists, and two steals. He was a bit rusty from the field as he hit just 7-18 shots but the tenacity was good to see and a solid indicator of how much he’ll be shooting going forward.  With Paul George out for the year and both Roy Hibbert and George Hill injured, West should be a huge factor on the offensive end for the Pacers this season.

Grizzlies do it all

It was an all-around great effort from the three fantasy studs on Memphis as the Grizzles defeated the Blazers in a west coast showdown Friday night. Marc Gasol led the way with 26 points, seven boards, nine assists, and one block while frontcourt mate Zach Randolph dropped in a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds. Mike Conley just missed notching a triple-double, scoring 21 points, 10 boards, and nine dimes. Not only are the Grizzlies a great fantasy resource but they’re also arguably the best team in the NBA right now.

Zack Attack

Minnesota rookie Zach LaVine came off the bench on Friday and scored a career-high 28 points as the Wolves edged out the Lakers. In all fairness LaVine simply got red hot, knocking down 11-14 shots including a pair of triples. He annihilated his old scoring high of 13 points which he set a few weeks ago and certainly made a case for more minutes going forward. Mo Williams, who poured in 25 points and 11 assists of his own, appears to have the starting job intact for as long as Ricky Rubio is out but the quick rookie may have a longer leash going forward after this performance. It would be nice to see LaVine show some consistency before recommending him as a pickup but if you’re feeling confident, he certainly has upside.