Week 8 of the 2022-23 NBA season was an exciting one. Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, and others wrapped up this weekend with masterful performances, and their hot streaks could very well carry over into Week 9. Monday's main slate will feature nine games, and we'll get you caught up on who's hot, who's not, and who you should target in DFS contests ahead of the action here ahead of the first tip at 7 p.m. ET.
Who's hot
The Philadelphia 76ers have their two superstars back, and Embiid has been unstoppable as of late. He eclipsed 50 points in a game for the second time this season with 53 points against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. Embiid averaged 43.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game across three outings in Week 8 while shooting better than 66 percent from the field. Philly is force-feeding their top offensive threat, and he's getting results on efficient shooting splits.
DeRozan increased his points, rebound, and assist totals in three straight games last week. The Chicago Bulls wing wrapped up the weekend with 34 points,13 rebounds, and eight assists against the Atlanta Hawks. He's on pace to lead the Bulls in total points and assists for a second consecutive season thanks to Zach LaVine's drop-off and Lonzo Ball's lengthy absence. DeRozan will need to keep this up if the Bulls want to have a shot at making it past a play-in game this year when the postseason rolls around.
The New Orleans Pelicans didn't have two of their starters for Week 8's two-game series against the Phoenix Suns but still managed to sweep the best team in the Western Conference. Williamson's offensive dominance was a key factor, as he averaged 35.0 points and 7.5 rebounds on 71.1 percent shooting through both contests. He's getting a ton of looks with Brandon Ingram out of the way and will be the clear focal point of his team's offense while Brandon Ingram works toward getting healthy again.
Davis was a dud when flu-like symptoms forced him from the Los Angeles Lakers matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers last week, but rebounded with a pair of strong outings after taking a game off to recover. The big man's 34 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday marked his second straight double-double with at least 31 points. He averaged 22.0 points, 10 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in Week 8 despite tallying just one point in eight minutes against Cleveland.
Who's not
The Milwaukee Bucks' top shot tallied three rejections in each of his last two games but has fallen off the wagon on offense. Splash Mountain struggled from the field against the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets in the back half of Week 8. He combined for 11 points on 25 percent shooting in 62 minutes against the pair of Texas-based squads. Lopez is averaging the most points (14.6) he ever has as a Buck, but Boby Portis has been much more productive than the starter coming off the bench.
Friday DFS play
Anderson has gotten a few games to adjust to life as a starter and is coming off arguably his two best games of the season. The Minnesota Timberwolves forward is now averaging 10.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game without Karl Anthony-Towns, who's recovering from a calf strain. Anderson's averaged more than 33 minutes per game in those contests and should continue to get a similar workload while Taurean Prince (shoulder) is out.
Still deciding who to lock in for your DFS roster? We've identified a player worth locking in and one to avoid ahead of tip-off below, but you can get my full selection of stud and value plays at each position by heading over to SportsLine.
