In keeping with internet sports column hot takes, I must start today's breakdown by asking the question - why didn't they run the ball? In lieu of an acceptable answer to that question, I present to you the NBA, in all its unencumbered by the NFL glory.

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU

A quick disclaimer - if your league is one of the 41 percent of leagues on Yahoo that has Robert Covington sitting on the waiver-wire, stop reading, pick him up, and then come back and continue perusing these words. Now, another guy who is woefully underowned, is the Milwaukee Bucks' third-year forward, Khris Middleton. In the big win over the Raptors, Middleton scored 25 points (10-17 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT) with nine rebounds and three steals in 38 minutes. The ownership rate of 54 percent on Yahoo is not enough, plain and simply. Look at these numbers and tell me if you can ignore them. 15.9 points, 2.1 three-pointers, 4.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.9 steals, and 60 percent from the field in his last seven games, playing 33 minutes a night. Jason Kidd, rightly so has a reputation as a rotational tinkerer, but if you actually look closely at the Bucks lately, Middleton and the rest of the Bucks, are actually quite consistent. There is literally no reason not to own Middleton, he's a solid rotisserie player, a great head-to-head guy and is locked into a dependable role, particularly with Jabari Parker gone for the season. Go and grab Middleton, and Covington, and don't look back.

M.I.A.

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

• Hornets
  • Bismack Biyombo (knee)
  • Kemba Walker (knee)
• Wizards
  • Martell Webster (DNP-CD)
• Nets
  • Sergey Karasev (DNP-CD)
• Bucks
  • Larry Sanders (suspension)
  • Ersan Ilyasova (groin)
  • Brandon Knight (quad)
  • Zaza Pachulia (calf)
• Raptors
  • James Johnson (hamstring)
• Hawks
  • Thabo Sefolosha (calf)
• Pelicans
  • Jrue Holiday (leg)
• Thunder
  • Kevin Durant (toe)
• Timberwolves
  • Zach LaVine (ankle)
  • Shabazz Muhammad (abdominal)
• Mavericks
  • Rajon Rondo (facial fracture)
• Grizzlies
  • Vince Carter (foot)

FANTASY LINE OF THE NIGHT

With Kevin Durant, sidelined again by a toe injury, the opportunity was there for a big Russell Westbrook showing. And a big showing we got. Westbrook triple-doubled, his second of the season, finishing with 25 points, 11 rebounds, 14 assists, four steals, and one block. You don't need me to tell you that Westbrook is a fantasy, and real life star, just whenever Durant sits, expect some big, big numbers from one of the NBA's most divisive stars.

ROTATION NOTES AND QUIRKS

Michael Carter-Williams played just 20 minutes, apparently due to a right shin and a left ankle injury he suffered on the weekend and that flared up during the game. With MCW sitting, Larry Drew II played 24 minutes, adding five assists and two steals, but adding him in most leagues is not the wisest of moves, unless you are desperate for dimes in a deeper league.

J.R. Smith played 26 minutes, while Iman Shumpert got 22 minutes off the bench. Since Shumpert has returned, Smith's output has tapered and his position as a must-own player is waning. Smith still scored 12 points with two three-pointers, so you don't need to dump him just yet, but just monitor the situation, especially if you need to make a move for a hot free-agent.

Marvin Williams returned to action after missing the previous two games due to a concussion, playing 18 minutes going scoreless with seven rebounds. Hopefully, Williams remains in a minimal role, leaving Cody Zeller to continue to play 30 minutes and we don't have to consider Williams as a fantasy option moving forward.

Marcin Gortat played just 24 minutes and is averaging just 7.4 points and 6.9 rebounds in his last seven games. While the numbers are hugely disappointing, dropping Gortat is not the right move at the moment, but if it continues, you should start considering that as an option.

J.J. Redick lasted just four minutes before succumbing to back spasms, allowing Matt Barnes and Jamal Crawford to play 40 and 37 minutes respectively. If Redick was to miss time, Doc Rivers would likely just grind Crawford and Barnes into the hardwood rather than rely on Austin Rivers or Hedo Turkoglu. Barnes is the guy fantasy owners need to look at as he is available in a lot of leagues. In his 40 minutes, Barnes scored 12 points with four rebounds, two assists and one steal, ad while his numbers don't excite you that much, he may have some temporary value.

Deron Williams returned to action after missing the last 11 games due to a fractured rib cartilage, and played 29 minutes off the bench, scoring 15 points with three three-pointers and three assists. Obviously, if Williams is floating on your waiver-wire, you need to grab him. As a result, look for Jarrett Jack's value to decrease in the next few games. Jack played 40 minutes today, but scored just six points with seven rebounds and seven assists and may not be ownable in 12 team leagues by this time next week. Don't make a preemptive drop yet though, as Lionel Hollins continues to confound with his lineup moves, as evidenced by the fact that Brook Lopez remains on the bench.

Dwane Casey limited Jonas Valanciunas and Amir Johnson to just 42 minutes combined, giving Patrick Patterson 31 minute as the focus of the frontcourt. At this point, all three of these guys have value in 12 team leagues, but the frustration with the rotations will likely continue indefinitely.

Anthony Davis was back for New Orleans. He played 34 minutes, scored 29 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked two shots. Yeah, there's no issue there anymore. The Pelicans ran a three man big rotation, with nearly all available minutes going to Davis, Omer Asik and Ryan Anderson.

Victor Oladipo returned to his starting role after missing the lat game with Achilles soreness and picked up where he left off, scoring 22 points with seven rebounds and four assists. Channing Frye was limited to only 12 minutes and he is someone I want nothing to do with in fantasy leagues. Lord Elfrid Payton struggled, playing just 21 minutes and going scoreless, but given his strong form of late, a panic drop is the last thing you should be considering. An interesting player to monitor is Kyle O'Quinn, who got 23 minutes off the bench, scoring 11 points with eight rebounds, three steals, and one block. If his minutes can approach 27-30 consistently, his has value in most 12 team leagues.

Dion Waiters replaced Durant in the starting lineup and played a whopping 41 minutes, scoring 24 points with four rebounds. As he's averaging just 10.3 points in his last eight games, I'm not getting excited about this mini-outburst and I'm leaving Waiters on the wire in most leagues.

Ricky Rubio returned, finally, playing 21 minutes as a starter, scoring 10 points with four assists. The most encouraging thing is that we saw the Spaniard in uniform and his numbers and minutes will ramp up over the next week. It's time to reactivate Rubio from you bench or IR slot. Mo Williams also returned to action, playing 27 minutes off the bench. He scored 15 points with five assists and if you own Williams in a 12 team league, I'd still hold for a little bit until Rubio is back to normal and Shabazz Muhammad returns.

With no Rajon Rondo (face), J.J. Barea got the start and played 29 minutes, scoring 10 points with eight assists. We've seen Barea rack up assists this season when he gets the minutes and with Rondo likely to miss a few games and Devin Harris nursing a sore leg, streaming Barea in is a decent move, especially considering Dallas' other point guard is Raymond Felton. Even with Harris healthy, Barea got the nod as the starter, but if Harris was to escape any damage to his leg, he'd be a nice stream option as well.

Alex Len played 22 minutes as the starting center in Phoenix, while Brandan Wright played 22 as well as his backup. Len went scoreless, adding seven rebounds, two steals, and two blocks and Wright's presence is tempering Len's fantasy effectiveness. If there is a hot free agent available, a drop of Len is not a terrible move.

BOX SCORE HIGHLIGHTS AND ODDITIES

I mentioned him above, but Robert Covington has been flat out amazing this season. He nabbed seven steals, including six in the third quarter and should not be available in any league. He is battling Hassan Whiteside for D-League call-up fantasy MVP. His teammate, Jerami Grant is really surging at the moment, and scored a career high 18 points with three three-pointers. At this point, owning him in anything deeper than a 12 team league is a no-brainer at this point and if you a looking for a future payoff in standard leagues, Grant is nice option who could explode in the season's second half.

Timofey Mozgov has now blocked nine shots in his last three games, including five Monday and despite not cracking the 30 minute mark in his last three games, he's still having decent value. You must own him in standard leagues as well, despite the risk of the occasional dud.

Cody Zeller crashed and burned, scoring just two points in 31 minutes, but importantly, he got 31 minutes. If you grabbed him after his two huge games before Monday, I'd keep holding and see how this plays out in the next two weeks. Brian Roberts bounced back with 18 points and remains a low-level fantasy point guard while Kemba Walker (knee) remains out. He should be steady, but will not be spectacular.

Chris Paul almost triple-doubled, ending with 20 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and three steals and DeAndre Jordan had the emptiest 20/20 game we've seen, ending with 22 points and 20 rebounds and literally no other numbers, shooting 10-for-13 from the field and 2-for-12 from the line.

Brook Lopez scored 24 points in 37 minutes off the bench, while Mason Plumlee was limited to 22 minutes. The Nets are just bad, poorly assembled and poorly coached and a trade appears to be in the offing sooner rather than later. All you can do is hold guys like Plumlee and Lopez until we see what shakes out in the next few weeks.

With literally no centers, except 5046 year old Kenyon Martin, John Henson still cannot crack the 30 minute mark. He came close though, playing 29 minutes, scoring 12 points with four rebounds, two steals and two blocks. If he can't play 30 minutes with no Ersan Ilyasova, Zaza Pachulia or Larry Sanders, I hold limited hope that Henson is a long-term fantasy asset, and as such, I haven't added him anywhere, despite his quite obvious potential.

The Hawks lost for the first time in 2015 and here is your overdue reminder - Kent Bazemore is not a good basketball player. With DeMarre Carroll returning to action off the bench, Bazemore got another start, playing 27 minutes for nine points and three rebounds, If you remember his scoring run in Los Angeles last season, please don't think that Bazemore will be able to do that again and even in L.A. last season, his overall fantasy value wasn't high and it will not become high this season. Carroll will be back starting soon. I guess what I'm trying to say is don't get sucked in to the memory of Kent Bazemore.

If Eric Gordon is unowned in your league, you need to look to add him, as he scored 20 points with seven assists. He is highly likely to go down with another injury, but while he is fit and firing, he is providing superb value.

If Kent Bazemore is no good at basketball, I don't know how to classify Willie Green from the Magic. Green played 27 minutes, scoring 13 minutes and hit three three-pointers, but on a real team, he wouldn't get out of his warmups. BUt this is Orlando, so Green has averaged 2.3 three-pointers in his last three games, playing an inexplicable 24 minutes a game. You can stream him for triples if you must, but don't bank on this production lasting past the end of the week.

If you are holding Reggie Jackson in a daily changes league, I feel for you. Jackson played 17 minutes and added just four rebounds and three assists. I'm sure if you are holding him, it's because of the possibility of a trade, but with daily changes, the garbage he's putting up could cost you a playoff spot or crucial seeding if a trade takes a while to materialise. I wouldn't only be holding him in weekly leagues or rotisserie formats.

Zach Randolph narrowly missed his thirteenth consecutive double-double, ending with 19 points and nine rebounds. It's not cause for concern, obviously.

NIGHTLY LEADERS

Points

1. Anthony Davis, F, NOP, 29 points
2. Russell Westbrook, G, OKC, 25 points
3. Khris Middleton, F, MIL, 25 points

Rebounds

1. DeAndre Jordan, C, LAC, 20 rebounds
2. Omer Asik, C, NOP, 17 rebounds
3. Kevin Love, F, CLE, 15 rebounds

Assists

1. Russell Westbrook, G, OKC, 14 assists
2. Tyreke Evans, G, NOP, 12 assists
3. LeBron James, F, CLE, 11 assists

Steals

1. Robert Covington, F, PHI, 7 steals
2. Russell Westbrook, G, OKC, 4 steals
3. Eric Bledsoe, G, PHX, 4 steals
4. Chandler Parsons, F, DAL, 4 steals

Blocks

1. Timofey Mozgov, C, CLE, 5 blocks
2. Marc Gasol, C, MEM, 3 blocks
3. Serge Ibaka, F, OKC, 3 blocks
4. Tyson Chandler, C, DAL, 3 blocks
5. Nerlens Noel, C, PHI, 3 blocks
6. Charlie Villanueva, F, DAL, 3 blocks

Three-Pointers

1. Joe Johnson, G, BKN, 4-6 3Pt
2. Eric Gordon, G, NOP, 4-6 3Pt
3. Robert Covington, F, PHI, 4-8 3Pt

Minutes

1. Andrew Wiggins, F, MIN, 43 minutes
2. Dion Waiters, G, OKC, 41 minutes
3. Goran Dragic, G, PHX, 41 minutes
4. Tobias Harris, F, ORL, 41 minutes