NBA Player News

With Lonnie Walker (knee) and Austin Reaves (hamstring) sidelined for at least two weeks, the Lakers were in need of additional depth on the wing. Hence the signing of Brown, who most recently appeared in four games for Raptors 905 in the G League. Since being selected by the 76ers with the 46th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, he has appeared in 265 games, most of which were played with the Bucks. Brown played three minutes in Friday’s win over the Hawks and is not worth rostering in fantasy leagues.

For the third straight game, Achiuwa got the starting nod in place of Keegan Murray (ankle), and this was his best performance of the season. He set a new season high for scoring and nearly finished with a double-double. Murray is set to be re-evaluated in early November, but Achiuwa should have at least a few more starts, making him worth considering as a streaming option with the Kings playing four games next week.

It was a rough start to the year for Hunter, but he was able to score a season-best 24 points in their previous game on Tuesday. In this one, he matched that mark, though he knocked down one less three-pointer. Hunter has been hot during this two-game stretch, but he won’t continue to score 24 points every night, and his lack of production in other categories makes him a difficult player to justify rostering.

The trend of Acuff’s field goal percentage improving every game continued in this one, which resulted in the best game of his young career. Acuff became just the fourth teenager in NBA history to have at least 30 points and 10 assists in a game, and while it didn’t lead to a win, it was an impressive performance. He cooled off in the second half after entering the break with 21 points, but it still led to a fantastic outing for the rookie in just his fifth game. It may not be this gaudy or efficient every night, but Acuff should continue to have plenty of usage all season.

Wiggins continued to shine off the bench for Atlanta. He has scored in double figures in every game this season, and after being held to just 10 points in Wednesday’s loss to the Heat, he responded with a new season high for scoring in this one. He has been excellent in fantasy basketball thus far, mostly because he is averaging 3.0 triples per game and has hit at least two shots from beyond the arc in every game this season.

24 hours after NAW scored 23 points in a loss to Miami, he was able to surpass that mark in a win. His scoring had been slightly down since he dropped 31 points in the season opener, but he has been able to get back on track as of late. Outside of a drop in free throw percentage, his production has been in line with what he did during last season’s breakout. If he continues to contribute to this level, he’ll be one of the better players in fantasy basketball once again.

It has been a rough start to the year for Okongwu, but he was finally able to get things going in this game. Entering this game, his season high for scoring was 11 points, and he hadn’t recorded a double-double yet. This was by far his best performance of the year and hopefully a sign of things to come. He’ll look to keep it going against the Pelicans on Saturday.

Merrill is a nice shooting option to have off the bench, but he hasn’t been as productive this year as he was last season, when he averaged 3.0 triples per game. This was the first time he surprised two threes in a game this year, which resulted in his first double-digit scoring performance. He’ll have some big nights, but his upside will be capped as a reserve. Barring an injury to a starter, he won’t be a consistent producer in fantasy basketball this year.

Harden has been underwhelming this season, with his scoring, assists and shooting efficiency all down. However, he was able to get his shot going in this one, and he ended up scoring at least 20 points for the first time this season while also having his best field goal percentage of the season. However, the trade-off was a new season low for assists. Harden should be better as the season progresses, but he may not play to his third-round ADP.

Williams was initially listed as doubtful, and now he has officially been downgraded. He’s dealing with soreness, and the team is considering this a precautionary move. Yang Hansen and Micah Potter should fill out the backup center minutes behind Donovan Clingan.

Santos missed Wednesday’s game against Minnesota, which led to Georges Niang logging 22 minutes as a starter. Niang should be in line to start again but isn’t a player that’s worth streaming in any fantasy format.