Week 23 of the 2022-23 began with Monday's six-game slate and Julius Randle unexpectedly exploded with an all-time performance to top the Fantasy leaderboard. While the New York Knicks forward poured in a career-high 57 points and made eight three-pointers, his team fell short to the Minnesota Timberwolves. There were plenty of other notable stat lines worth reflecting on ahead of Tuesday, so we'll go over who's hot and who's not here before giving out a strong DFS option.
Who's hot
Embiid has now scored at least 30 points in nine consecutive contests. The Philadelphia 76ers big man totaled 37 points and 16 rebounds to go along with a steal and three blocks against the Chicago Bulls on Monday. Only Randle tallied more Fantasy points than Embiid on the night. His improved health appears likely to help him finish as a top-five Fantasy player for a second straight year.
Vucevic had a tough matchup on Monday but managed to rattle off his sixth straight double-double with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and four steals. The Bulls center has scored at least 20 points in four of his previous six games while shooting 50 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from deep. Vucevic remains a top-five Fantasy center despite flying under the radar in 2022-23.
Agbaji reached double-digits in points four times in a row before his career night against the Sacramento Kings on Monday. The Utah Jazz wing racked up a career-high 27 points, five rebounds, and three assists in 33 minutes. The Kansas product has been a regular member of the rotation because of injuries and is finally getting to show what he can offer. The impending returns of Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton are sure to limit his ceiling in the near future, though.
Who's not
Hardaway had a chance to take over as the Dallas Mavericks' secondary option on offense while Luka Doncic is sidelined but hasn't looked good shooting the basketball. He's averaged just 6.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and an assist over his last three outings. Hardaway made just 26.9 percent of his field goals and 14.3 percent of his triples during that span. Christian Wood, Jaden Hardy, Josh Green, and others are picking up the slack in the meantime.
DFS play
It'll be difficult to find more of a sure-thing play than Beal tonight. Kyle Kuzma won't suit up for the Washington Wizards against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, and Beal has looked like his old self when the forward doesn't suit up this season. Beal has posted at least 32 points in his previous four contests without Kuzma. He's averaging 30.2 points, 5.5 assists, and 5.2 rebounds without the former Los Angeles Laker on the year. Expect him to be extra aggressive in his second meeting with Orlando.
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.
