NBA Player News

Johnson finished last season on a two-way deal with the Nets, but he has played well enough this summer to earn a full contract. In four appearances, he has averaged 16.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.8 blocks and 1.5 triples per game. If the Nets end up tanking this upcoming season, Johnson may be able to provide some fantasy value later in the season.

Livers injured his left shoulder during the first half of Thursday’s game and has been ruled out for the rest of the night. While the Suns lose some depth off the bench, Livers’ absence won’t affect fantasy basketball if he misses time.

For the first time since 1999, the Hornets have won eight consecutive games. While former Duke teammate Cooper Flagg is the betting favorite to win Rookie of the Year, Knueppel has been the picture of consistency in Charlotte. And his production has impacted winning. Fantasy-wise, Knueppel has been a top-75 fantasy player, exceeding his Yahoo! ADP (111) by a solid distance. The Hornets will look to extend their win streak to nine when they visit Atlanta on Saturday.

Playing in his home state of Georgia for the first time as an NBA player, Bailey put up 20 points and a complete stat line. While the shooting efficiency was lacking, his getting up 26 shots and logging 40 minutes may be a sign of what’s to come if the Jazz shut down their vets later this season. For those who can afford to take a hit in the field-goal percentage category, Bailey is worth picking up. The Jazz end Week 16 on Saturday against the Jazz.

While teammate Isaiah Collier played all 48 minutes, Markkanen didn’t even play half that. The Jazz forward logged 23 minutes in Atlanta, and that’s one of the concerns for fantasy managers who have him rostered. The good news is that Markkanen actually played, unlike Jusuf Nurkić, who was active. Hopefully, for the sake of those who have Lauri rostered, the Jazz will rule him out when he isn’t playing, rather than resorting to the Nurkić-related shenanigans of the last two games.

One game removed from dishing out a career-high 22 assists, Collier recorded his second consecutive points/assists double-double. Add in the rebounds and steals, and this was another excellent night for the second-year guard. Collier’s fantasy ceiling for the rest of the season depends on how much Utah plays Keyonte George, but he’s worth picking up if sitting on the waiver wire.

According to Landale, he was sitting on the plane, ready to head to Utah, when he was told that he was going to Atlanta instead. And it’s a good thing for the Hawks that they got in on that trade. Making his Hawks’ debut against the Jazz, the 6-foot-11 center became the second player in franchise history to record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in his debut, joining Glenn Robinson. At a minimum, Landale needs to be rostered as long as the Hawks are without Onyeka Okongwu (mouth).