NBA Player News

Irving exited Friday’s win over the Trail Blazers during the second quarter after Dwight Powell fell onto his leg. An injury that appeared severe at that time, with Irving exiting the arena in a wheelchair, has been diagnosed as a bruise. Shams Charania of The Athletic has reported that he’s dealing with a right heel contusion as opposed to a general foot contusion. No decision has been made regarding his availability for Monday’s game against the Grizzlies. Should Irving miss time, Seth Curry would be the next man up.

Thompson has been sidelined since November 1, when he suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain. With the rookie having appeared in one game for the Rockets’ G League affiliate, he’ll participate in Sunday’s practice and will be available to play on Monday. Thompson only surpassed 20 minutes in one of the four games he appeared in for the Rockets pre-injury, so fantasy managers shouldn’t expect too much in his initial games back. But he’s certainly a player to watch for the future due to his versatile skill set.

With Clarkson having been sidelined since November 29, he was done no favors with Friday’s matchup. The Clippers boast two of the league’s top perimeter defenders in Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, the last thing a player returning from a hamstring injury needed to see. Deep-league managers shouldn’t read too much into Clarkson’s performance. However, those in standard leagues may want to consider potential alternatives. Clarkson, who’s rostered in 79% of Yahoo leagues, remains ranked outside the top 200 in 9-cat per-game value, but he’s a top 150 player in 8-cat. A rebuilding team isn’t the best place to look for efficient production.

Back in action for the first time since November 30, Olynyk played 18 minutes off the bench on Friday. The continued absence of Lauri Markkanen (hamstring) gives him a shot at establishing fantasy relevance, mainly if Jazz coach Will Hardy sticks with Olynyk and starter Walker Kessler (eight points, 12 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and five blocks in 31 minutes) as the only two bigs in the rotation. Omer Yurtseven, who started Utah’s prior six games, was a DNP-CD on Friday. Utah will play four games in Week 8, beginning with the Thunder on Monday.

After going six straight games with seven points or less, Horton-Tucker has hit double figures in three straight. Also of note from his performance is that this was THT’s first full stat line (while scoring in double figures) since November 10. Still ranked outside the top 200 in 9-cat per-game value, Horton-Tucker is still rostered in 15% of Yahoo leagues. Even with rookie Keyonte George (15 points, three assists, one steal, and two 3-pointers in 28 minutes) ranked well below that, it will take a lot for Horton-Tucker to jump back into the starting lineup.

George and Kawhi Leonard have been performing at an elite level this season and if the Clippers can figure out a way to get James Harden and Russell Westbrook into a flow, this squad could make some noise. George has been healthy this season, which is a welcomed change for managers who have rostered him over the years.

On a night when Duncan Robinson finished with more turnovers (six) than points (one), shooting 0-of-7 from the field, Richardson did his best to help pick up the slack. J-Rich shot 5-of-7 from three, with the five triples being a season-high. He’s reached double figures in eight of his last nine outings, scoring 15 or more in five. Rostered in 14% of Yahoo leagues, Richardson has been an 11th-round player over the previous two weeks. At best, he’s a deep-league streamer, but Week 8 could be a good time to gamble on Richardson. The Heat play four games, two against the Hornets and two against the Bulls, two teams ranked in the bottom third of the league in defensive rating.

With Bam Adebayo (hip) still sidelined and spot starter Orlando Robinson (5/8/3/0/1 in 20 minutes) struggling, Love stepped up and produced one of his best stat lines of the season. Not only was this Love’s first double-double since the season opener, but the 12 rebounds were a season-high. Ranked just inside the top 200 in 9-cat per-game value, Love is only worthy of streaming consideration as long as Adebayo remains sidelined. And even then, there should be better options on the waiver wire.

Bojan scored 20 or more points in his last two games so managers were excited about his successful return. His production came crashing down to earth in Friday’s blowout loss to the Magic. Bojan will bounce back from this performance and provide rest-of-season value if he stays healthy.

Starting for the injured Evan Mobley, Wade didn’t provide much scoring for the Cavaliers. But he was active as a rebounder and defender, with the three steals matching his high for the season. Wade is rostered in less than one percent of Yahoo leagues, so fantasy managers weren’t expecting much from him production-wise. Outside of the rebounds and steals, he proved them right. Even if Mobley remains sidelined, Wade isn’t worth streaming for Cleveland’s four-game Week 8 slate.