It's almost playoff time, and like Hassan Whiteside and his wayward elbows, it's time to swing for the fences in a bid to turn your team from an also-ran into a playoff powerhouse.

BREAKING THE PAYNE-ATA

If you don't want to read any further after that awful pun, I'll understand completely, but know this, I'm not buying into Adreian Payne. At least, not completely. The rookie forward, started in place of Kevin Garnett, and had a career-best night, scoring 16 points (7-12 FG, 2-3 FT) with 15 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block in 37 minutes. An afterthought in Atlanta, Payne joined Minnesota just before the trade deadline and is looking like he actually has an NBA career ahead of him, which isn't something you could say earlier this season. He's averaging 6.0 points and 5.8 rebounds in 23 minutes per game on his new team, but that doesn't scream fantasy to me. The 37 minutes were a season-high and it came with no Garnett, and with Nikola Pekovic on a minutes restriction. Although both of those things could happen many more times this season, I don't trust Payne to do this many more times. There'll be more double-doubles, for sure, but in leagues shallower than 14 teams, I wouldn't be buying in.

M.I.A.

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

• Wizards
  • Martell Webster (DNP-CD)
  • Kris Humphries (groin)
• Hornets
  • Kemba Walker (knee)
• Hawks
  • Pero Antic (ankle)
  • Thabo Sefolosha (calf)
• Celtics
  • Avery Bradley (elbow)
• Heat
  • Udonis Haslem (knee, wrist)
  • Goran Dragic (back)
• Bulls
  • Derrick Rose (knee)
  • Taj Gibson (ankle)
  • Jimmy Butler (elbow)
• Pelicans
  • Ryan Anderson (knee)
  • Jrue Holiday (leg)
• Bucks
  • O.J. Mayo (hamstring)
• Knicks
  • Tim Hardaway (back)
  • Quincy Acy (knee)
  • Jose Calderon (Achilles)
• Nuggets
  • Jusuf Nurkic (ankle)
• Warriors
  • David Lee (DNP-CD)
• Timberwolves
  • Kevin Garnett (knee)
• Clippers
  • Jamal Crawford (calf)
  • Blake Griffin (elbow)

FANTASY LINE OF THE NIGHT

I know it's boring to keep hearing the same names as the fantasy line of the night, but that's just the way fantasy basketball works. And Steph Curry was definitely doing work against the Suns, scoring 36 points (14-24 FG, 7-13, 1-2 FT) with six rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Over the last two months, Curry is averaging a ridiculous 3.9 three-pointers per game, but, as you know, Curry is not a one-category wonder. Just enjoy him if you have him.

ROTATION NOTES AND QUIRKS

Bradley Beal went down with a sore hamstring, although he claims it's nothing major. Given his somewhat dodgy history, caution should be exercised, but there is no clear winner with Beal out. The absence of Garrett Temple, who also suffered a hamstring strain, may force Randy Wittman to give extended or consistent minutes to Otto Porter or Rasual Butler, but from all reports, any boost will be temporary.

Cody Zeller lasted just seven minutes before exiting with a shoulder sprain. Marvin Williams played only 20 minutes, but if Zeller is going to miss any time, we should see Williams back in the starting lineup and getting around 25 minutes, which he has averaged in that role so far, perhaps even more without Zeller around. If Zeller's absence is prolonged, Williams becomes a short-term deep 12 team league option.

Carl Landry went from a DNP-CD in his previous two games, to starting at power forward, lending further credence to the notion that the Sacramento power forward position is a black hole for fantasy. Landry played only 16 minutes, while Jason Thompson played the same in his new bench role. Neither guy is worth your time or trouble.

After dropping a game to the lowly Sixers, the Hawks went full strength, with Kyle Korver, Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll all returning to the starting five, and putting up exemplary lines. While the occasional rest day could be coming, the Hawks maintain terrific consistency across all of their starters. Don't sleep on Dennis Schroder, who played just 19 minutes, but was great, scoring 12 points with eight assists and two steals. At this point, Schroder has enough value to be owned in most leagues.

Tyler Zeller ceded minutes to Kelly Olynyk, playing only 15 minutes compared to the sophomore's 21. Olynyk is by far the better fantasy player and in the next week or so, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him approaching 30 minutes and being a relevant add in most leagues. If you want to get ahead of the curve, jumping on Olynyk now may help, but don't sacrifice the present, particularly if you are battling for seeding or a playoff win.

With no Goran Dragic, Mario Chalmers got another start, scoring 12 points, with four assists and two steals, but his long-term viability is not guaranteed. Hassan Whiteside was ejected for the second time in eight days, after elbowing Olynyk in the back of the head, seemingly unprovoked. This sort of short fuse may end up frustrating Whiteside owners down the stretch and there is almost no doubt a suspension is looming after this outburst. His numbers have suffered a slight drop lately, not enough to be too concerned, but it's something to monitor.

With a possible suspension and a sprained ankle to Chris Andersen, Michael Beasley could see a significant short-term bump. He's intriguing enough anyway, after scoring another 14 points Monday, but as a stream option, you may get one game where you can use him in standard leagues.

Another ankle injury saw Tyreke Evans go down, but not before playing 27 minutes, and dishing six assists. He was angling to get back into Monday's game, so it doesn't appear serious, but with New Orleans playing again Tuesday, Norris Cole could be a prime streaming candidate. Cole has no long term value as long as Evans is healthy, though. Cole, dropped 11 points with four assists in his 24 minutes Monday.

Ersan Ilyasova played just 20 minutes, after not falling below 24 in his last seven games and unless this becomes a trend, he is still someone who warrants a place on a roster in most leagues. Monday also saw the end of Ilyasova's seven game double-digit scoring streak.

Alexey Shved made his first start of the season, scoring an empty 19 points with three three-pointers. In his last seven games, Shved has averaged 13.4 points with 1.3 three-pointers and 2.6 assists and is really only a help in the points and treys categories, but given the injuries to Tim Hardaway and Jose Calderon, solid minutes could be in the offing. The game was a blowout, so we saw extended run for Cleanthony Early who was demoted to a bench role. Early had an impressive 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists, but given his lack of consistent playing time, it makes it hard to trust him. Later this month, we could see 30-plus minutes become a more regular thing for Early, but until then, the deeper league owners are the only ones who need pay attention.

The Nuggets were the only doing the blowing out against the Knicks, so it's hard to read much into their rotation.

Quick note: If you still own David Lee in any league of 12 teams or less, you need to move on. Lee was a DNP-CD today and it's just not going to happen for him this season.

Brandon Knight was another point guard to go down with an ankle sprain, and while it doesn't appear serious, a game or two missed should be expected at this point. If Knight does miss, Gerald Green will likely benefit the most, but it won't be a long-term situation. Green struggled Monday, scoring just two points in 18 minutes.

BOX SCORE HIGHLIGHTS AND ODDITIES

The Mo Williams run continued, with Williams supplying 19 points with seven assists. Kemba Walker's potential return Wednesday should eat into Williams' production, but not enough to consider dropping him.

Ray McCallum played 29 minutes, but hit his shots, going 6-for-10 for 15 points with five assists. The upside is there for McCallum, who is averaging 30 minutes in his last eight games, but that sort of shooting is not a realistic expectation. Still, 45 percent from a point guard is solid and McCallum is a viable option in most leagues, especially if you are calling out for a point guard.

Brandon Bass had his second consecutive big game, ending Monday's tilt with 14 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Initially, I though Bass would leave minutes to Olynyk, but it appears that Tyler Zeller will be that person. Owning Bass in 12 team leagues is a solid option for now, especially considering he's averaging 14.4 points and 8.2 rebounds in his last five.

Tony Snell got hot, hitting 7-of-13, to end with 21 points including four three-pointers. Including this game, Snell has hit just 35 percent of his shots in his last five games, and realistically is only a contributor in three-pointers. You can probably do better in standard leagues than Snell and his inconsistency.

I can't ignore what Anthony Davis did, scoring 43 points with 10 rebounds, six assists, one steal and two blocks. He's pretty good.

Also pretty good, is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is approaching top 30 value recently. He did that candidacy no harm MOnday, when he added three steals and three blocks to his 29 points. The ceiling for Antetokounmpo is extremely high, and there's every chance he keeps improving for the remainder of this season.

Alex Len returned from his ankle injury, and went straight back to logging double doubles, finishing with 10 points and 11 rebounds. If he as dropped by an owner fearing another ankle problem, I'd be snapping up Len for the stretch run.

Ricky Rubio struggled with his shot, which we all know he is prone to do, going 1-for-8 for two points, but chimed in with 12 assists and three steals, while both Gorgui Dieng and Nikola Pekovic added 10 rebounds. In a 10 team league, it's getting harder to keep holding Dieng, but whether you do or not, depends entirely on your playoff situation.

NIGHTLY LEADERS

Points

1. Anthony Davis, F, NOP, 43 points
2. Steph Curry, G, GSW, 36 points
3. Dwyane Wade, G, MIA, 34 points

Rebounds

1. DeAndre Jordan, C, LAC, 17 rebounds
2. Adreian Payne, F, MIN, 15 rebounds
3. DeMarcus Cousins, C, SAC, 14 rebounds

Assists

1. Chris Paul, G, LAC, 15 assists
2. Jeff Teague, G, ATL, 13 assists
3. Ricky Rubio, G, MIN, 12 assists

Steals

1. Mike Conley, G, MEM, 5 steals
2. Steph Curry, G, GSW, 4 steals
3. Nine players tied with 3 steals

Blocks

1. Cole Aldrich, C, NYK, 4 blocks
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, F, MIL, 3 blocks
3. Al Horford, C, ATL, 3 blocks

Three-Pointers

1. Steph Curry, G, GSW, 7-13 3Pt
2. Kyle Korver, G, ATL, 6-8 3Pt
3. Klay Thompson, G, GSW, 4-8 3Pt
4. DeMarre Carroll, F, ATL, 4-9 3Pt
5. Tony Snell, G, CHI, 4-7 3Pt

Minutes

1. Anthony Davis, F, NOP, 41 minutes
2. Khris Middleton, F, MIL, 40 minutes
3. DeAndre Jordan, C, LAC, 39 minutes
4. J.J. Redick, G, LAC, 39 minutes