Point Guards

Isaiah Thomas, CLE: Making his Cavaliers debut Tuesday night, Thomas looked a bit rusty but still finished with an impressive 17 points in just 19 minutes off the bench against the Trail Blazers. He won't be playing on any back-to-backs for the time being, but his minutes should sit in the low 20s, at a minimum, in his next game and proceed upward from there. Thomas' health should likewise continue trending in a positive direction, and given the talented teammates alongside him, he should be primed for plenty of both scoring and assist opportunities immediately.

Ish Smith, DET: Smith is in for an extended stint as a starter in the wake of Reggie Jackson's ankle injury, and as he's done in the past with similar opportunities, he's already parlaying the extra run into some meaningful production. Smith is averaging 14.6 points (on 51.6 percent shooting), 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists over the last five games, and has upped his scoring to 18.0 points per game since taking over as the starter.

Chris Paul, HOU: Already highlighted in this space recently, Paul makes another cameo given the expected bump in his usage and scoring responsibility over the next several weeks with James Harden sidelined. The All-Star point guard boasts a 31.7 percent usage rate with Harden off the floor this season, and he'd already been trending in the right direction, anyhow. Even before Harden's injury, Paul held averages averages of 21.0 points, 8.2 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals over the last 10 games. Moreover, his season average of 12.6 shot attempts should see a tangible bump while Harden remains out.

ALSO TRENDING UP:Dennis Smith, Jr., DAL; Jamal Murray, DEN

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Tyler Ulis, PHO: Ulis was a pleasant surprise earlier in the season after being given an opportunity to handle starting point guard duties, as he'd posted eight double-digit scoring efforts during a 12-game span in November and December. However, he's managed that feat in only once in the subsequent nine contests, despite not seeing any appreciable dip in playing time. Shooting efficiency has predictably been a major culprit in the downturn, as Ulis has an unsightly 30.2 percent success rate from the field over the last seven contests.

Shooting Guards

Eric Gordon, HOU: Like Paul, Gordon should be poised to improve on an already-strong first half while Harden is sidelined. The veteran sharpshooter most recently wrapped up a three-game stint with the first unit while Paul was out with an adductor strain, and he's back in the starting five again at Harden's shooting guard spot. Already averaging a solid 19.4 points, 2.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 3.2 made three-pointers across 32.5 minutes per contest, Gordon should see those numbers, along with his 14.8 field goal attempts per game, all bump up in the immediate future.

Kent Bazemore, ATL: Bazemore's season-long shooting average of 41.7 percent still leaves plenty of room for improvement, but he's drained 50.0 percent of his attempts over the last seven games, including 51.9 percent from three over that span. He's started to even out his offensive performances after an inconsistent start to his season, as well, and has posted double-digit point totals in eight of his last nine games. Moreover, Bazemore is managing career bests in points (12.5), assists (3.9), steals (1.9) and three-point shooting percentage (39.3), furthering his case as an emerging asset.

DeMar DeRozan, TOR: DeRozan's record-setting, 52-point effort against the Bucks on New Year's Day certainly clinches his spot in this category, but save for a couple of uncharacteristic clunkers, he'd been providing even better production than usual before that outburst. The All-Star has averaged 29.1 points (on 50.3 percent shooting, including 46.7 percent from three-point range) 4.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds over his last 10 games, and his career-high 4.9 assists on the season serve as evidence that he's considerably improved as a passer.

Lou Williams, LAC: Like DeRozan, Williams has taken his already impressive game to a new level as of late, scoring between 32 and 40 points in four of his last six games. He's been hot from virtually anywhere on the court during that span, and is also supplying the best rebounding (2.6), assist (4.8) and three-point accuracy (2.7 made threes on 40.6 percent shooting) of his career.

ALSO TRENDING UP:Devin Booker, PHO; Caris LeVert, BKN; Allen Crabbe, BKN; Tyler Johnson, MIA; Wayne Ellington, MIA; Rodney Hood, UTA

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Joe Ingles, UTA: Ingles rattled off double-digit scoring in eight of nine games between Nov. 22 and Dec. 9, but his production has taken a turn for the worse since that point. He's been in single digits in eight of the subsequent 10 contests while shooting 41.8 percent, a drop from his season-long figure of 44.0 percent. Even Rudy Gobert's absence due to a knee injury hasn't resulted in an uptick in production, as the continued strong play of rookie Donovan Mitchell and Rodney Hood are keeping Ingles' scoring responsibilities relatively low.

Small Forwards

Evan Turner, POR: Turner was up-and-down to begin the year but could finally be turning things around. He's drained an impressive 55.4 percent of his field goal attempts over the last 10 games, including 50.0 percent from three-point range. Moreover, Turner just went for a season-high 22 points two games ago and is still offering solid contributions in rebounds and assists. With what appears to be increasing confidence in his mid-range game (11.0 shot attempts over his last four), his prospects are looking brighter.

Reggie Bullock, DET: Bullock has parlayed a multi-game absence on the part of Avery Bradley (groin) into the most productive stretch of play of his five-year career, as he's posted double-digit scoring in seven of his last eight contests and shot a blistering 60.0 percent (including 48.7 percent from three-point range) over the last 10 games overall. Granted, his production remains fairly scoring-dependent, and Bradley is also due back in the starting five Tuesday. However, small forward Stanley Johnson's hip injury should keep Bullock running with the starters for the moment, and his recent production is likely to afford him a solid workload even if he eventually returns to the second unit.

ALSO TRENDING UP: Lance Stephenson, IND

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Maurice Harkless, POR: Harkless unexpectedly broke out for 22 points on Dec. 23 against the Lakers, but that performance looks to be a one-game blip anomaly. Harkless' numbers -- including field goal attempts -- are down across the board compared to last season. After putting up a career-high 8.1 field-goal tries per game in 2016-17, Harkless is attempting just 5.0 per game this season, which has led to a drop from 10.0 to 5.4 points per game. With every other member of the starting five enjoying considerably higher usage, there's not much reason for optimism with respect to Harkless' Fantasy stock.

Power Forwards

Bobby Portis, CHI: Portis has scored in double digits in seven of his last 10 games, while also hauling in 7.1 rebounds across a modest 18.9 minutes per game over that span. Portis even has a pair of double-doubles during that stretch, and his relatively high and efficient usage (9.9 shot attempts over 20.6 minutes per game this season) is keeping his Fantasy stock afloat, despite his second-unit role.

Ersan Ilyasova, ATL: Ilyasova didn't quite look like himself earlier in the season, but he's validated his reputation as a talented scorer much more in recent games. The veteran has eclipsed 20 points in four of his last six, as well as seven of his last 13 contests overall. He's shooting an impressive 50.0 percent -- including 44.2 percent from long range -- over the last 10 contests, and his work on the glass has also been on the upswing. Ilyasova is averaging an impressive 8.2 rebounds over the last five games, courtesy of having hauled in between seven and nine boards in each of those contests.

Blake Griffin, LAC: Perhaps it's his frequent experience with multi-game layoffs throughout his career, but Griffin hasn't missed a beat in the three games since returning from a knee injury. The All-Star forward has averaged 23.3 points, 6.7 assists and 6.3 rebounds in those contests while shooting 48.0 percent from the floor. Back in his role as the starting five's most consistent scorer, Griffin should continue churning out his All-Star-caliber production, so long as he can stay healthy.

ALSO TRENDING UP: Dario Saric, PHI; Thabo Sefolosha, UTA; , BOS; Dirk Nowitzki, DAL; Jarrell Martin, MEM

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Marcus Morris, BOS: Morris continues to try to manage his troublesome knee, and his playing time figures to remain relatively limited as a result. He's logged no more than 19 minutes in any of his last three games, and he just returned from a nine-game absence on Christmas Day. While he's still capable of a double-digit scoring effort any time he's on the floor, the fact that he'll likely see playing time restrictions the remainder of the season and won't be playing on many back-to-backs limits his overall value.

Centers

Bismack Biyombo, ORL: Biyombo has stepped in for Nikola Vucevic (hand) and held down the fort, especially from a rebounding perspective. The 25-year-old has generated double-digit boards in four straight, a sample that includes three consecutive double-doubles. With his starting role expected to last for at least another month, Biyombo should have plenty of minutes with which to continue producing at a similar clip.

Julius Randle, LAL: Head coach Luke Walton has deployed Randle a few different ways thus far this season, but the former first-round pick seems to have particularly found his niche lately. Randle has averaged a near-double-double of 17.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists over the last four games while shooting 58.0 percent. He's also seen between 28 and 33 minutes in three of those contests, and given what he's doing with the extra playing time, that allotment could become more of the norm moving forward.

Willie Cauley-Stein, SAC: The Kings have been waiting for this current version of Cauley-Stein to emerge since selecting him with the sixth overall pick in 2015. After a rocky start to the season, he's averaging a solid 15.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists over his last seven games, and he's grabbed no fewer than six rebounds in nine straight contests.

ALSO TRENDING UP:Derrick Favors, UTA; Hassan Whiteside, MIA

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Greg Monroe, PHO: Despite some strong performances early in his Suns tenure, Monroe hasn't seen the floor in the last five games, and he's been a DNP-CD in eight of his last nine overall. With head coach Jay Triano opting to give Tyson Chandler and Alex Len the reins of the center position for the time being, Monroe's Fantasy value has been rendered virtually non-existent for the moment.