NBA Player News

During Monday’s win over the Raptors, Plumlee strained his left quad, while Allen has missed Phoenix’s last four games. Plumlee’s absence means Oso Ighodaro will move into the backup center role, and he’s played more minutes than starter Nick Richards in the previous two games. Allen’s continued absence means additional playing time for Cody Martin, but he won’t impact fantasy basketball.

Towns’ absence means Mitchell Robinson could move into the starting five, and Robinson will be worth streaming in this matchup. Ariel Hukporti and Guerschon Yabusele should be in line for some additional run off the bench, while Josh Hart gets a boost in the rebounding department.

On a night when their starting backcourt of Amen Thompson and Josh Okogie combined to score 15 points, the Rockets received solid contributions from Holiday and Reed Sheppard (12/2/3 with two three-pointers) off the bench. The 19 points were the second-most in a game this season for Holiday, who has reached double figures in six of his last seven appearances. However, his fantasy value remains extremely low. The recent run does not change the fact that managers should leave Holiday on the waiver wire.

Smith took advantage of Alperen Şengün’s absence due to an illness, recording a complete stat line while shooting better than 50 percent from the field. While he has reached double figures in scoring in 13 straight games, Saturday’s defeat was the third in which Smith scored at least 20 points. While he is providing top-100 value, Smith has a limited ceiling due to the presence of Şengün and Kevin Durant.

Of the 71 points scored by Rockets starters, Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. were responsible for 49 of them. The limited production from the other starters was too much to overcome in Dallas, as Houston desperately missed Alperen Şengün (illness). Over the past two weeks, Durant has provided top-15 value in eight- and nine-cat formats. Houston plays once during Week 8, and they’ll have a total of five games in leagues that will combine Weeks 8 and 9 to account for the NBA Cup.

In the five games he played after being moved out of the starting lineup, Williams averaged 8.6 points while shooting 32.6 percent from the field. He had no such issues on Saturday, with the 20 points the most the Mavericks guard has scored in a game since October 29. Saturday’s performance won’t be enough to get Williams back on the radar in most fantasy leagues, as Ryan Nembhard continues to start. But he is worth keeping an eye on, as Williams appears to be locked into the backup role ahead of D’Angelo Russell.

Back in the lineup after a four-game absence, Washington recorded one of his best all-around lines of the season. While the scoring was modest, he did a good job on the glass and matched his career-high with five steals. However, this was Washington’s second game this season with more than two steals, so fantasy managers should not expect Saturday’s performance to become the norm. And Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd’s decision to stick with Naji Marshall (15/2/2/1 with one three-pointer) was good news for those who turned to him while Washington was out.

Flagg finished Saturday’s victory with a complete stat line, and his fantasy value continues to improve after a slow start to his rookie campaign. Over the past two weeks, the forward has provided fourth-round value in eight- and nine-cat formats. In addition to him getting more comfortable, Flagg has seemingly benefited from some solidity at the point guard position, with fellow rookie Ryan Nembhard (11/1/7/1 with one three-pointer) making the job his own recently.

Davis finished Saturday’s game with a stat line on par with what many have expected of him, but injuries have been a disappointing issue for him. However, he did play both games of this Friday/Saturday back-to-back, which is immense, given Davis’ struggles to stay healthy. Dallas only plays once during Week 8, which will give Davis and his teammates some time to get healthier.

Zubac started another double-double streak on Saturday after seeing his previous run of three straight end on Friday. Over the past two weeks, he has provided sixth-round value in eight-cat formats, which aligns with his season-long production. Zubac and the Clippers play once in Week 8, as they visit the Rockets on Thursday.

Leonard has scored at least 20 points in six straight and seven of the eight games he’s played since returning from ankle and foot injuries. He has provided second-round value in eight-cat formats since returning, and he has not missed a game. While the Clippers only playing once during Week 8 isn’t great for Leonard managers from a production standpoint, the added time off may benefit him once the schedule returns to “normal” after the NBA Cup.