NBA Player News

Simmons will return to the Clippers’ rotation after sitting out Wednesday’s win over the Rockets. His best path to fantasy relevance would be for starting center Ivica Zubac (ankle) not to play. The Clippers listed Zubac as questionable in the initial injury report.

Johnson’s metamorphosis into one of the league’s most impactful all-around contributors continued in this one, as he recorded his second straight triple-double and his fourth in his last 12 games. The 24-year-old has operated as Atlanta’s primary offensive catalyst all season, delivering bona fide first-round fantasy value. He’s averaging a ridiculous 26.4 points, 12.0 rebounds, 10.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.4 blocks over his last seven contests. Are you not entertained? The Hawks are off until Friday when they face the Pistons before closing out a brief two-game week with a home tilt against the 76ers.

There weren’t a ton of bright spots in this one for the Wizards as they fell to 3-19 on the season and dropped their second straight after a brutal 45-point loss at the hands of the Celtics earlier this week. The 34-year-old veteran remains a decent scoring threat for fantasy purposes, averaging 18.6 points through 22 games, but he doesn’t add much else at this advanced juncture of his career. The Wizards are off until Friday when they face the Cavaliers before closing out the week with a road matchup against the Pacers.

Okongwu took advantage of Washington’s injury-depleted frontcourt and historically porous defense, and the absence of fellow big Kristaps Porziņģis on the second night of a back-to-back, to knock down 10-of-17 shots and eclipse the 20-point plateau for the eighth time this season. He’s delivered fifth-round value for fantasy managers this season, averaging 16 points, 7.4 rebounds, three assists, 0.9 steals and 1.1 blocks through 24 contests.

Alexander-Walker fell just shy of reaching the 20-point mark for the sixth consecutive game as he knocked down just 3-of-10 from long range. The 27-year-old guard has stepped up in a big way from an offensive standpoint while Trae Young remains sidelined with an MCL sprain in his knee.

Porter came out of the gate on fire, dropping 22 points in the first half on 9-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, to power the Nets to a commanding 62-44 advantage. The 27-year-old scoring machine has delievered first-round value for fantasy purposes as one of the most impactful all-around performers over the past week, averaging 34.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.7 blocks over three games during that span. The Nets are off until Friday when they face the Mavericks before closing out the week with a home tilt against the Bucks.

Murphy did most of his damage in the second half of a one-sided affair, notching 14 of his team-high 25 points in the late stages of the contest, but it counts the same for fantasy managers. The 25-year-old has performed at a second-round level for fantasy purposes this season, averaging 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.2 blocks through 22 games. The Pelicans are back in action on Monday when they face the Spurs to open a three-game week that also includes matchups against the Trail Blazers and Bulls.

Claxton was a dominant presence in the paint in this one as he shot 55 percent from the floor while pulling down 11 rebounds and also dishing out double-digit assists. He also chipped in three blocks just for good measure. The 26-year-old big man has been exceptional of late, delivering third-round fantasy value over the past week, averaging 13.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 0.8 steals and two blocks over his last four games.

Sharpe provided a spark off the bench as Brooklyn raced out to a big lead early and was able to cruise to a relatively easy win. He knocked down all four of his shots from the floor to finish the first half with nine points off the bench. He finished with a solid all-around line as he also added a couple rebounds and assists in addition to a steal and a block. There are plenty of mouths to feed in Brooklyn, which limits his fantasy ceiling, but he’s averaged just over 16 minutes per-game this season. He would have some appeal in deeper fantasy leagues if he were able to get into the starting lineup.

Washington is back after a four-game absence, but his presence in the starting lineup does not come at Marshall’s expense. Instead, it will be Max Christie who heads to the bench after starting 21 consecutive games. While he will remain in the rotation, Christie’s already-low fantasy ceiling takes a hit with the change.

Joe injured his left knee during the preseason, forcing him to miss the Thunder’s first five games of the regular season. Look for players like Ousmane Dieng and Chris Youngblood to absorb the minutes that would have gone to Joe, but neither is worth streaming in fantasy leagues.