Friday Fantasy Basketball Pickups: Ausar Thompson's First Triple-Double, Collin Murray-Boyles' Five Blocks and the Streamers to Trust

Thursday's NBA schedule had only four games, but it handed fantasy managers a handful of names worth a look before Friday's NBA Cup slate tips off. Some of these performances came from real role changes. Others came from blowouts and short-handed rosters that may not last. Here's how I'm sorting them.

Detroit's 144-140 double-overtime win in Washington will be remembered for Cade Cunningham's career-high 52 points, 11 assists and zero turnovers, a combination ESPN reported no player had produced since the league began tracking turnovers in 1977-78. But the line that should move fantasy rosters belongs to Ausar Thompson, who posted 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for the first triple-double of his career. He added three steals and three blocks. ESPN noted that he and Cunningham became just the fourth pair of teammates to log a first career 50-point game and a first career triple-double in the same night.

Thompson has long been a defense-first stash in category leagues. A night like this, with real playmaking piled on top of the steals and blocks, makes him a must-roster player in nearly every format. If he is somehow still sitting on your league's waiver wire, he is the first call this morning.

On the other side, Alex Sarr scored 30 points and was a perfect 10-for-10 from the field in regulation before finishing 12-of-14, according to ESPN. Trae Young had 37 points and 14 assists, and Anthony Davis scored 30 before fouling out while grabbing 15 rebounds. Washington has now lost six straight, but Sarr's efficiency is the kind that holds up on a losing team. Hold him firmly.

Minnesota buried Dallas 133-94 for its most lopsided win of the season and its fifth straight victory, leading by as many as 44 points. Anthony Edwards was listed as inactive, and the Wolves spread the ball around. LaMelo Ball scored 22 points with six 3-pointers and a season-high nine assists. Bones Hyland came off the bench for 24 points in under 23 minutes, hitting five of his six 3-point attempts and dishing eight assists. Big man Joan Beringer added 13 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in about 22 minutes.

Here is the caution flag. A 39-point blowout inflates bench minutes, and Edwards' return would squeeze Hyland's role. Treat Hyland as a short-term streamer in points leagues while Edwards is out, and check Minnesota's injury report before Saturday's home game against Chicago. Beringer is a deeper-league blocks dart throw, not a priority add.

The Hornets fell 101-96 in Phoenix while playing without Brandon Miller (hip), Kon Knueppel (hamstring) and Dennis Schroder (hamstring), Field Level Media reported. Grayson Allen made his third straight start in Miller's place and scored 14 points with four 3-pointers, while Coby White poured in a season-high 21 and Naz Reid added 16 points and seven rebounds. Moussa Diabate pulled down 13 rebounds.

Allen is a useful 3-point streamer for as long as Miller sits. Diabate is a rebounding specialist who can help managers chasing boards this week. Neither is a long-term hold once Charlotte gets healthy, and the Hornets' 25 turnovers in the loss show how much this group misses its regulars.

Philadelphia beat Toronto 123-112 without LeBron James, who sat for lower back and sciatica management, Bleacher Report reported. The Raptors were missing Scottie Barnes and Kawhi Leonard, and the players left standing carried the load. RJ Barrett finished with 31 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, and Immanuel Quickley added 26 points and six assists. Collin Murray-Boyles chipped in 14 points, four assists and five blocks.

Murray-Boyles is the most interesting add of the night. Five blocks from a frontcourt player with an expanded role is exactly what category managers chase, and that role could continue while Barnes is out. For the 76ers, VJ Edgecombe filled the stat sheet with 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to go with three steals, and he deserves a roster spot in most leagues while James is being managed. Anfernee Simons also gave Philadelphia 17 points off the bench.

My priority order this morning: Thompson first, then Murray-Boyles and Edgecombe, then Hyland as a streamer while Edwards is out, then Allen and Diabate for specific category needs. Every one of these players' values hinges on injury news, so check the final reports before your lineup locks.

The lesson of Thursday night is an old one. Opportunity comes to the player who is ready when his number is called, and the managers who pay attention to who is getting minutes, not just who is famous, are the ones who win in March.

And if you want to put your lineup instincts to the test for free, the Liberty Bell Fantasy games are open at /fantasy, with no money involved, just bragging rights.