With no games on tomorrow, I'll take the opportunity to wish all of you who celebrate it, a very Merry Christmas. I don't remember a day in the NBA this season where there were so many performances that had long-term fantasy implications, such as Mason Plumlee as in Brooklyn and Kyle O'Quinn in Orlando.

TOP O' THE MORNING

The change has been made in Orlando. Kyle O'Quinn is in and Channing Frye is out. And the results thus far, for the big Irishman*, have been impressive. Against the Celtics, O'Quinn had 18 points (6-12 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 4-4 FT) with 13 rebounds, two steals, and one block in 34 minutes. It was the big man's third double-double of the season and now that he is the starter, we can expect lines like this on a more regular basis. Frye was disappointing in his stint as the starter and we've seen Jacque Vaughn love for O'Quinn last season, when he started him over Tobias Harris down the stretch.  In 10 or 12 team leagues, I can see O'Quinn having value, depending on your team needs, but a big who rebounds, shoots the three ball, blocks shots regularly and has solid percentages is not easy to find.

*Not an actual Irishman.

M.I.A.

These guys all sat out Tuesday's action, for one reason or another.

• Bulls
  • Kirk Hinrich (hamstring)
• Wizards
  • Martell Webster (back)
• Timberwolves
  • Nikola Pekovic (ankle)
  • Kevin Martin (wrist)
  • Ricky Rubio (ankle)
• Pelicans
  • Eric Gordon (shoulder)
• Pacers
  • Ian Mahinmi (foot)
  • Donald Sloan (DNP-CD)
• Magic
  • Aaron Gordon (foot)
• Nuggets
  • Randy Foye (quad)
  • JaVale McGee (leg)
  • Danilo Gallinari (knee)
• Nets
  • Deron Williams (calf)
• Clippers
  • Spencer Hawes (knee)
• Hawks
  • Pero Antic (ankle)
• Sixers
  • Furkan Aldemir (plantar fasciitis)
  • Hollis Thompson (illness)
  • Tony Wroten (knee)
• Heat
  • Shabazz Napier (DNP-CD)
  • Chris Bosh (calf)
• Trail Blazers
  • Nicolas Batum (wrist)
  • Robin Lopez (hand)
• Thunder
  • Kevin Durant (ankle)
• Hornets
  • Lance Stephenson (pelvis)
• Bucks
  • John Henson (foot)
• Mavericks
  • Raymond Felton (ankle)
  • Al-Farouq Aminu (DNP-CD)
• Warriors
  • Andrew Bogut (knee)
• Lakers
  • Kobe Bryant (rest)

FANTASY LINE OF THE NIGHT

We had duelling 40-point nights from Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook, but in the end, the nod goes to Damian Lillard. Lillard had 40 points (11-21 FG, 8-12 3Pt, 10-11 FT), six rebounds, 11 assists, and two steals in 46 minutes and isn't the only player from the 2012 draft class going bonkers this season. Lillard is averaging 27.3 points, 3.2 three-pointers, 4.8 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.6 steals in his last nine games, which is top five value. Impressively, Lillard has doubled his steal numbers this season, increased his field goal percentage by four percent, grabbed an extra 1.5 rebounds and increased his scoring over his sophomore campaign. This is not a sell-high moment though for Lillard. This is as close to real as you get. Just enjoy the ride knowing you have a top fantasy players who you drafted outside that range.

CASUALTY WARD

Anderson Varejao hurt his foot after 17 minutes of action in what is now being feared as a torn Achilles tendon. If that is indeed the case, Tristan Thompson becomes a lot more valuable, considering the paper-thin depth in the front court with only Brendan Haywood and Lou Amundson to help out. That would make Thompson a guy who has value in nearly all leagues.

ROTATION NOTES AND QUIRKS

Taj Gibson played just 19 minutes and Nikola Mirotic played 14 minutes in the victory against the Wizards. Gibson was still productive with 12 points, seven rebounds and two blocks, but if the minutes continue to be even, it's unlikely either guy is consistently good enough for standard leagues.

Zach LaVine continued to start over Mo Williams, playing 26 minutes versus 22 for Williams. LaVine was average though, with six points, six assists and four steals. Both guys have limited long-term value with Ricky Rubio's return on the horizon, but if Flip Saunders is going to oscillate between the two until Rubio comes back, it's hard to own either in standard leagues.

Mike Miller started, but played just eight minutes, with the rest of the playing time going to Shawn Marion and Dion Waiters. There's little fantasy value in that trio outside of deep leagues and if the Varejao injury is a serious one, the Cavs may be forced to deal one, maybe Waiters, to acquire some big man depth.

Omer Asik played just 22 minutes for six points and nine rebounds, but that was in large part due to the four fouls. His value is still where it has been all season a dn that is tenuous in 12 team leagues.

George Hill made his season debut for the Pacers, albeit off the bench. He looked sharp and it won't be long until we see him replace C.J. Watson in the starting lineup. Hill had 15 points with two three-pointers in just 21 minutes and if he available in your league, he is a must-add in any format. With Hill back, Donald Sloan was a healthy scratch.

Brad Stevens is trying very hard to rival Jason Kidd and Brian Shaw as most frustrating fantasy coaches. He changed his starting point guard for the third time in as many games, this time going with aged veteran, Jameer Nelson, demoting rookie Marcus Smart in the process.If Smart is going to get just 17 minutes a night, any add you made of him was likely in vein, but I'd give it a week or two before we declare this definitive. Nelson had 11 assists and four steals, his most productive night all season, and as annoying as Nelson being the starter would be for Smart's progress, if Stevens goes that route, the fantasy value will be there.

Stevens also benched Jared Sullinger, sitting him the entire second half for nine minutes in total, grabbing just two rebounds. Sullinger has just two double-digit scoring games in his last eight, and hasn't gotten more than 30 minutes in any of those contests. There is a ton of big men in Boston, so who knows the whims of Stevens on a given night, but for now, a hold of Sullinger is required.

Brook Lopez returned, but played just eight minutes off the bench behind Mason Plumlee, who went off for 19 points, 13 rebounds, two steals and three blocks. Pre-game, coach Lionel Hollins said Lopez would need a while to get back into shape, so this isn't a demotion and I fully expect Lopez to retake the starting job from Lopez, but Plumlee has looked so damn good. You may still be able to get some solid production from him for the next week, maybe two, but his long-term prospects will be muted.

Much like Lopez, Jeff Teague returned from him injury and played off the bench behind Dennis Schröder. They split the minutes fairly evenly, so it feels likely that Teague will be back getting starter's minutes in the next game.

With Dwyane Wade back, Norris Cole headed back to the bench and back into fantasy irrelevancy. Mario Chalmers is the guy to own, and he had 11 points, three assists, and two steals in 39 minutes.

With Nicolas Batum sitting, Allan Crabbe got another start, but even when starting, he has no fantasy usefulness in most leagues. Joel Freeland started in place of Robin Lopez again, but like Crabbe, there is no need to add Freeland.

Marvin Williams played 27 minutes to Cody Zeller's 22 minutes, and out-produced the second year man. Zeller's usefulness in standard leagues had almost dissipated as coach Steve Clifford refuses to give him more minutes. Williams, for what it's worth, hit four three-pointers and added seven rebounds, two steals and one block in his time on the court. I don't think either is worth it in standard leagues.

Ersan Ilyasova returned to action, playing 16 minutes off the bench. If this wasn't a Jason Kidd coached team, I'd say expect Ilyasova to replace Johnny O'Bryant, who played just six minutes today, as the starter. But, this is Jason Kidd, so who knows.

Charlie Villanueva is getting extended run in Brandan Wright's absence. Charlie V had 18 points with another four three-pointers (his second night with four triples in a row) in his 20 minutes. His fantasy relevance has just gone up, but he's not someone to look at in standard leagues.

Draymond Green played just 23 minutes in David Lee's second game back, but it wasn't Lee who was cutting into his time, as Lee played just 18 minutes. Steve Kerr went with Festus Ezeli, Marreese Speights, and Ognjen Kuzmic in the frontcourt rotation as well as Green and Lee and for now, I am just considering this to be an anomaly. Monitor to see if it becomes a trend.

With Kobe Bryant sitting, Wayne Ellington started, but what it did, was allow the shots to be distributed around the team in a more even fashion. As a result, the Lakers shot 52 percent from the field. Don't expect that trend to continue when Kobe returns on Christmas.

BOX SCORE HIGHLIGHTS AND ODDITIES

Derrick Rose had his second consecutive 20 point scoring night, dropping 25 on the Wizards. Rose looks the best he has all season, and I'd be trying to trade him away if I owned him, because the specter of injury always hangs over him.

Marcin Gortat bounced back from a couple of sub-par games, getting 14 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. He's now blocked a shot in 10 games straight.

Gorgui Dieng and Andrew Wiggins filled it up for the Wolves, with Dieng stuffing the box score and coming close to the line of the night. If Dieng isn't owned in your league, which is very possible, you should do something about that. He had 20 points, 11 rebounds, three steals, and four blocks. Even when Nikola Pekovic returns, it may only be temporary given his injury history. Wiggins chipped in with 27 points, but his wild inconsistencies make owning him a difficult task.

Both LeBron James and Shawn Marion blocked three shots against the Wolves and that's a nice early Christmas present if you own these guys.

Roy Hibbert blocked seven shots before half-time, left the game with a sore knee, returned and looked good for the second straight game. Hopefully no-one dropped Hibbert after his struggles last week.

Kelly Olynyk and Tyler Zeller played as the big men in the second half for the Celtics with Zeller getting 22 and 10 and Olynyk having 14 and eight. As mentioned above, the Celtics' rotations are a mess and if you can make sense of them, you're doing a better job than me.

It appears for now Elfrid Payton has regained his starting job for good, and put up 12 points with seven assists. In a head-to-head league, Payton will be useful, but the percentages are too ugly for roto love.

Kenneth Faried is alive! Well, I mean, at least he's not completely dead. Faried had 20 points and 14 rebounds in 32 minutes, but is this explosion a sign of the future or a blip on the radar of mediocrity. It remains to be seen, but let's go with the two month track record over one game for the time being.

Jarrett Jack played will in place of Deron Williams, but he's only a short-term play until Williams returns. Still, the 17 points and eight assists was very handy.

Blake Griffin had a season-high 11 assists, paired with 22 points and eight rebounds and a block, but even that, along with Chris Paul's super night wasn't enough to knock off the red-hot Hawks. Paul had 19 points, six rebounds, seven assists, five steals and three three-pointers. Matt Barnes played just 21 minutes as the Clippers went with a three-guard lineup most of the night.

DeMarre Carroll led the way for the Hawks with 25 points including five three-pointers, with 10 boards. He should be owned in most all leagues.

Nerlens Noel missed all five of his shots for jut one points, but did add 10 rebounds and two blocks. If you rely on Noel for scoring though, you're doing it wrong.

Shawne Williams hit three three-pointers for 17 points in another start. If you owned Williams at the start of the season, then his skill set probably suits your squad, so I'd consider adding him again, because we aren't going to see Josh McRoberts again this season.

Russell Westbrook was very alpha without Kevin Durant, scoring 40 points with 10 rebounds, six assists, and three steals, but he couldn't will his team to victory. Serge Ibaka bounced back with two three-pointers and four blocks to go with 16 points and seven rebounds. Let's hope we see this more often.

Kemba Walker is really thriving without Lance Stephenson, scoring nother 27 points with four assists and two steals Tuesday. Walker has scored over 20 points in five of the last six games, hitting 13 three-pointers and getting nine steals in that time frame. Let's hope Lance doesn't reduce his value when he returns, because Kemba is showing us his potential at the moment.

Jared Dudley put up his third straight solid performance off the bench,scoring 10 points with two three-pointers, one steal, and one block. As scary as it is to say, one more solid game would put Dudley into consideration for 12 team leagues. We just have to see how Ilyasova is incorporated over the coming nights.

Monta Ellis had his best assist night of the Rajon Rondo era, dishing six dimes, while Rondo was his usual self.

Eric Bledsoe had his second triple-double of the season, finishing with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, adding three steals. Gerald Green and Goran Dragic both also were great, and even Isaiah Thomas handed out seven assists, so maybe it is possible for all four guards to fire on the one night.

Alex Len fouled out in 28 minutes, but had 17 points, seven rebounds and one block in that time. His time is now and he's a nice add in 12 team leagues for the upside.

David Lee had 12 points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench, which is super efficient. I still don't want him in standard leagues just yet, but this game was encouraging.

Jeremy Lin, Ronnie Price, Ed Davis, Wes Johnson, Nick Young, Wayne Ellington and Carlos Boozer all scored in double-digits for the Lakers sans Kobe, but none of that matters for fantasy, because Bryant will be back to his old ways soon. The 17 points, three three-pointers, four rebounds, eight assists and three steals Price put up were mightily impressive, but this is a massive fluke. Don't add Price based on this game.

NIGHTLY LEADERS

Points

1. Damian Lillard, G, POR, 40 points
2. Russell Westbrook, G, OKC, 40 points
3. Brandon Knight, G, MIL, 34 points

Rebounds

1. DeAndre Jordan, C, LAC, 22 rebounds
2. Tyson Chandler, C, DAL, 14 rebounds
3. Kenneth Faried, F, DEN, 14 rebounds

Assists

1. Damian Lillard, G, POR, 11 assists
2. Blake Griffin, F, LAC, 11 assists
3. Eric Bledsoe, G, PHX, 11 assists
4. Jameer Nelson, G, BOS, 11 assists

Steals

1. Michael Carter-Williams, G, PHI, 6 steals
2. Chris Paul, G, LAC, 5 steals
3. Jameer Nelson, G, BOS, 4 steals
4. Markieff Morris, F, PHX, 4 steals
5. Zach LaVine, G, MIN, 4 steals

Blocks

1. Roy Hibbert, C, IND, 7 blocks
2. Gorgui Dieng, C, MIN, 4 blocks
3. DeAndre Jordan, C, LAC, 4 blocks
4. Serge Ibaka, F, OKC, 4 blocks
5. Jordan Hill, C, LAL, 4 blocks

Three-Pointers

1. Damian Lillard, G, POR, 8-12 3Pt
2. Gerald Green, G, PHX, 6-9 3Pt
3. DeMarre Carroll, F, ATL, 5-6 3Pt
4. Wes Matthews, G, POR, 5-8 3Pt

Minutes

1. Damian Lillard, G, POR, 46 minutes
2. LaMarcus Aldridge, F, POR, 45 minutes
3. Michael Carter-Williams, G, PHI, 44 minutes