Last week illustrates why it is so important to evaluate all 30 NBA teams once a week like we do. Last week saw several significant injuries, a coach fired, multiple team meetings and myriad trade rumors. We try to make sense of it all, and what it means for fantasy basketball, with our weekly trip around the NBA.

Atlanta Hawks (MIN, CHA, @BOS, @NY): The Hawks get an off day between each game, which is important for a team with so many fringe fantasy players. If you need help for just this week, Atlanta is a good place to look.

Boston Celtics (@DEN, NY, ATL, POR): Boston’s offense struggles when Kyrie Irving is off the floor, and even though Marcus Smart has an abysmal 35.7 field goal percentage, Boston may miss his playmaking while Smart is out for the next two weeks. Terry Rozier did not see a significant bump in minutes in Smart’s first game out, but that could change going forward. This situation bears monitoring.

Brooklyn Nets (@NY, PHI, LAL, MIL): The Nets have four games in New York this week, though the first two are back-to-back. D’Angelo Russell could be held out one of those games, and considering he hasn’t played more than 21 minutes in a game since returning from his knee injury, it may be smart to hold him out one more week. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Caris LeVert are both dealing with injuries as well, and Allen Crabbe could be playable for as long as they are out. Keep an eye on Jahlil Okafor as well. He played a season-high 24 minutes (and scored a season-high 21 points) against Minnesota Saturday, and he could be useful if he continues to see similar usage.  

Charlotte Hornets (@IND, @ATL, IND, @PHO): The Hornets are trying to package Kemba Walker with one of their albatross contracts to try to save some money, and Philadelphia would make a ton of sense as a trade partner. They could offer Trevor Booker and Amir Johnson for Walker and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or Marvin Williams or Booker and J.J. Redick for Walker and Batum. The 76ers would be taking on some future money, but they could make their team significantly better this year and next while holding onto their draft assets.

Chicago Bulls (@POR, @LAC): Zach LaVine has been up-and-down since returning from his ACL tear, but I would look to buy low. Even if it takes a while, he will probably get back to his 2016 form at some point, and he is still seeing his minutes increase with every passing game. Also, please drop Justin Holiday if you haven’t already. He has the worst field goal percentage in the NBA, and his usage is no longer high enough to make up for it.

Cleveland Cavaliers (@DET, MIA, HOU): Now could be a good time to buy low on Kevin Love. Love hasn’t topped 17 points in any of his last four games, but he does have three double-doubles. More importantly, he would likely benefit if either he or Isaiah Thomas is traded before the deadline. More importantly still, he moved back to starting at power forward Friday with Tristan Thompson rejoining the starting lineup. In the six games he has started at power forward, Love is averaging 17.7 points and 12.0 rebounds.

Dallas Mavericks (MIA, @PHO, @SAC): Wesley Matthews was on fire against the Rockets Wednesday, and while he cooled considerably against the Trail Blazers and Nuggets, it is worth remembering he can get hot in any given game. Matthews has four 20+ point games in January, and he has an excellent chance get two more against Phoenix and Sacramento.

Denver Nuggets (BOS, @SA, OKC, GS): Wilson Chandler continues to play 30 minutes per game even after heading to the bench, and it resulted in his best scoring game in three weeks Thursday against the Knicks. In the long run, I would like to see some of Chandler’s minutes go to Juan Hernangomez, Malik Beasley or Emmanuel Mudiay, but that seems unlikely so long as Denver remains in the playoff picture. It is also worth noting Mason Plumlee has at least 11 points, six rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal since replacing Trey Lyles in the starting lineup.

Detroit Pistons (CLE, MEM, MIA): It might be time to consider selling high on the Pistons. Reggie Jackson is 2-to-3 weeks away from getting cleared for basketball activity, and he will almost certainly need at least a couple of weeks after that. The Pistons rank 24th in offensive efficiency over their last 15 games, and unless they make a trade, I doubt it improves until Jackson returns.

Golden State Warriors (@UTA, @SAC, @DEN): Head coach Steve Kerr could elect to rest several of his starters against the Kings since they will lose an hour and play at altitude the next night against Denver. If that is the case, any Warriors reserves who get extra minutes would be useful for fantasy against the 29th ranked defensive team in the NBA. Houston Rockets (ORL, @SA, @CLE): Houston’s opponents rank 27th, second and 30th in defensive efficiency this season. This could be a good week to play Trevor Ariza, who is the Sixth Man of the Year of insurance commercials.

Indiana Pacers (CHA, MEM, @CHA, PHI): Indiana would be an interesting landing spot for Kemba Walker as well, but that seems a bit unrealistic. The Pacers did get Myles Turner back this week, and while that will likely hurt Domantas Sabonis’s fantasy value, it will certainly help Indiana’s chances of hanging onto the eighth seed in the East.

Los Angeles Clippers (POR, CHI): If you picked up Milos Teodosic last week like I did, it is safe to drop him this week. The Trail Blazers have allowed the fewest assists in the NBA this season, which wouldn’t be the end of the world if the Clippers played more than two games this week.  

Los Angeles Lakers (@ORL, @BKN, @OKC): The Lakers are riding a four-game winning streak, including an impressive 108-107 victory over the Celtics, but it is important to remember this is the same team that got destroyed by the Thunder just over a week ago. Lonzo Ball is questionable for Sunday, and his return might not actually be a good thing for a team that has been up-and-down all season. You pretty much have to play Ball and Brandon Ingram when they are healthy, but the rest of the roster is so inconsistent, I would rather let them be somebody else’s headache.

Memphis Grizzlies (PHO, @IND, @DET, @TOR): JaMychal Green and James Ennis are expected to return this week, which is one of Memphis’s lone reasons for optimism. Dillon Brooks may be another. Brooks is averaging 13.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 30.9 minutes per game over the last two weeks. The Grizzlies shut Mike Conley down for the rest of the season, and fantasy players should probably be worried they will do the same with Marc Gasol. Memphis has just three more wins than the worst teams in the NBA, and playing Gasol could hurt their future prospects.

Miami Heat (@DAL, @CLE, @PHI, @DET): Tyler Johnson returned Saturday following a five-game absence, and if you were using him before, you should feel free to do so again. Wayne Ellington and Josh Richardson could both see fewer minutes and shots with Johnson back, but I would wait and see what happens before dropping them.

Milwaukee Bucks (PHI, @MIN, NY, @BKN): Malcolm Brogdon missed Friday’s game with right calf soreness and is questionable for Sunday, which means we could get more Sterling Brown and Matthew Dellavedova. The Bucks have had either Brogdon or Giannis Antetokounmpo out for every game since Jason Kidd was fired, and it is definitely too early to tell how this team is going to look under interim head coach Joe Prunty. That being said, the Bucks are 14th in pace since Prunty took over, up from 24th for the entire season. Fantasy players have reason for cautious optimism going forward.

Minnesota Timberwolves (@ATL, @TOR, MIL, NO): Minnesota ends a stretch of five-games-in-seven-days with back-to-back road games, but at least they have Jimmy Butler back. Nemanja Bjelica will likely go back to being an afterthought in Minnesota’s rotation, but he is worth keeping an eye on if Minnesota suffers another significant injury to one of its wings.

New Orleans Pelicans (SAC, @OKC, @MIN):  DeMarcus Cousins’s injury is a huge bummer, and it will have a profound impact on both the Pelicans and the fantasy landscape. Anthony Davis’s effective field goal percentage is 7.9 points lower with Cousins off the court, and it is not as if Davis can see significantly more than the 36.3 minutes per game he was already getting. Dante Cunningham is the most likely candidate to start and see a big bump in minutes, but he is unlikely to rebound enough or score consistently enough to be more than a DFS consideration. If the Pelicans fail to add another big, Solomon Hill could be effective as a stretch four, which is how the Pelicans should have used him last season. Rajon Rondo will likely have the ball in his hands more with Cousins out, which could be useful for anyone chasing assists.

New York Knicks (BKN, @BOS, @MIL, ATL): Courtney Lee has failed to top 11 points in either of his last two games, but he had at least four rebounds and five assists in both games. He has been remarkably consistent lately for fantasy, and if he continues to stuff the stat sheet on nights his shot isn’t falling, he will be ownable in all leagues.

Oklahoma City Thunder (@WAS, @DEN, NO, LAL): Andre Roberson’s ruptured patellar tendon is just brutal. He is one of the best defenders in the NBA, and we hope he can get back to that level at some point in the future. For now, expect Terrance Ferguson to rejoin the starting lineup. Oklahoma City needed to add some wing depth either in a trade or in the buyout market even before this injury, and if they add a two-way player, that player could be extremely interesting for fantasy.

Orlando Magic (@HOU, LAL, WAS): Orlando’s opponents rank 19th, 26th and 11th in opponents’ points this season, and starting the week with a back-to-back won’t help. Bismack Biyombo is actually getting outplayed by Khem Birch, and Biyombo is droppable.

Philadelphia 76ers (@MIL, @BKN, MIA, @IND): Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot is averaging 14.5 points in 30.8 minutes over the last week. J.J. Redick and Jerryd Bayless could both return this week, but I like Luwawu-Cabarrot’s chances of remaining fantasy relevant until then.

Phoenix Suns (@MEM, DAL, UTA, CHA): Phoenix plays at Houston Sunday before facing the Grizzlies Monday. Greg Monroe is averaging 14.0 points and 11.3 rebounds over the last week, and he remains a solid fantasy play whenever Tyson Chandler and/or Alex Len are out.

Portland Trailblazers (@LAC, CHI, @TOR, @BOS): The first two games are back-to-back, but otherwise, this is a pretty decent schedule. Don’t look now, but Ed Davis has double-digit rebounds in four consecutive games. I’m not convinced his streak can last much longer, but he might be worth a pickup just in case.

San Antonio Spurs (DEN, HOU, UTA): The Spurs are in the middle of a 13-day homestand this week, and it starts against a Nuggets team that will lose an hour after playing the night before. Dejounte Murray is averaging 12.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.8 steals over the last week, and so long as he keeps getting minutes, he should be owned for fantasy.

Sacramento Kings (@NO, GS, DAL): Willie Cauley-Stein is out for at least the next two games with a bone bruise. The most obvious choice for more minutes is Skal Labissiere, and he is addable this week. Most of Sacramento’s young players would benefit from George Hill or other veterans getting traded, but Labissiere has been mentioned as someone the Kings might be willing to trade away. He has a chance to be useful for fantasy on another team.

Toronto Raptors (MIN, @WAS, POR, MEM):  Toronto hosts Minnesota in a favorable spot, but that is where the good news ends, as the next two games are back-to-back before they host a stingy Memphis team. That being said, this could be a good week for Jonas Valanciunas. He has four double-doubles in his last five games, and while I wouldn’t want to play him against the Timberwolves, he should match up well against Marcin Gortat, Jusuf Nurkic and Marc Gasol.

Utah Jazz (GS, @PHO, @SA): Ricky Rubio is not a good fit for this Jazz team, but that hasn’t stopped him from posting useful numbers lately. He is averaging 11.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists over his last five games, and he should be able to keep up that production at least until Rodney Hood returns. It also wouldn’t hurt if Utah is able to trade Derrick Favors and his expiring contract for a stretch four.

Washington Wizards (OKC, TOR, @ORL): John Wall missed Saturday’s game with knee soreness, and while it does not appear to be a long-term issue, it is worth monitoring. Tomas Satoransky started for Wall Saturday, but you have to wonder if they would consider starting Kelly Oubre Jr. instead if Wall were to miss more games. Bradley Beal isn’t a point guard per se, but you could argue Satoransky isn’t, either.