NBA Player News

New York swapped picks with the Clippers, which means Sanders will return to California. After four seasons at Cal Poly, Sanders made the move to Reno for his final season of college basketball. The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 15.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 three-pointers in 31.7 minutes per game, shooting 46 percent from the field and 79.5 percent from the foul line last season. While Sanders has excellent size and instincts for a playmaker, his athleticism does not jump off the tape, and there is still work for him to do as a perimeter shooter. The 23-year-old will likely struggle to crack the Clippers’ rotation. The Knicks also acquired the draft rights to Luka Mitrovic, who was the 60th overall pick in 2015.

Rostered in 27 percent of Yahoo! leagues, Fears has been close to a top-100 player in eight-cat formats over the past week. Also, for the first time, the rookie guard has scored at least 20 points in three consecutive games. Fears is making strides after a rocky start to his first NBA season, one of the few positives for a team that is now 3-20. And with backup Jose Alvarado (13/3/1/2 with three three-pointers) doing his best to play through a left wrist injury, there could come a point when the Pelicans ask Fears to do even more as the starting point guard.

Make it four straight and five of his last six games in which Bey has scored at least 20 points. Since November 22, only Trey Murphy has been a better fantasy option amongst Pelicans players, with Bey providing top-50 value in eight-cat formats. Zion Williamson (adductor) is out for multiple weeks, and the Pelicans are also awaiting the return of Herb Jones. Rostered in 38 percent of Yahoo! leagues, Bey should be a popular option in more 12-team leagues, even with a light Week 8 schedule due to the NBA Cup knockout rounds.

While Murphy led the Pelicans in scoring on Thursday, he missed all five of his three-point attempts. That ends a streak of 17 consecutive games with at least one three-pointer for the wing, who is averaging 2.9 three-pointers per game on the season. Murphy’s overall stat line was still solid, but it could have been a lot better, especially when considering the 33/15/4 line he dropped on Minnesota in Tuesday’s overtime defeat.

Two days removed from torching the Pelicans for 44 points in an overtime victory, Edwards had arguably his worst game of the season. Due to foul trouble, he attempted six shots from the field, the second-fewest in a game for Ant-Man this season. He only attempted five shots in an October 26 win over the Pacers, but that’s because the Timberwolves guard exited after three minutes due to injury. Add in the eight turnovers, and Edwards had a dud on Thursday that fantasy managers will have to flush. Don’t be surprised if he bounces back on Saturday when Minnesota hosts the Clippers.

After logging 38 minutes and putting forth a dominant showing in Tuesday’s win over the Pelicans, Gobert only played 24 minutes in Thursday’s rematch. This isn’t the first time that Timberwolves head coach has decided to go small in crunch time, but that’s a concern when discussing Gobert’s fantasy value. He’s providing 11th-round value in eight- and nine-cat formats, well below his Yahoo! ADP (68). Gobert remains a viable option in most leagues, but the playing time is something to keep an eye on moving forward.

Seven Timberwolves scored in double figures on Thursday, with Reid’s total being surpassed only by Julius Randle, who scored 28. With head coach Chris Finch being willing to go small down the stretch, as he has on a few occasions this season, it was Reid who was on the floor while starting center Rudy Gobert was on the bench. Reid is already rostered in 74 percent of Yahoo! leagues, but, notably, he’s played at least 28 minutes in each of his last four appearances (33 on Thursday). Consistently hitting or exceeding that number would likely raise his fantasy ceiling.

On a night when Anthony Edwards finished with more turnovers (eight) than shot attempts (six), Randle led the way as other Timberwolves picked up the slack. The roles were reversed in Tuesday’s win over the Pelicans, so it’s only right that the veteran forward stepped up in the rematch. Based on his Yahoo! ADP, many expected Randle to be a middle-round option in category leagues. Well, he’s providing third-round value in eight- and nine-cat formats, much to the delight of those who drafted him. Minnesota ends its Week 7 with a home game against the Clippers on Saturday.

Over his last five games, Wolf has averaged 12.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.2 three-pointers per game. It goes without saying that these are solid numbers for a rookie coming off the bench behind two young bigs in Nic Claxton and Noah Clowney. However, the lackluster defensive production makes Wolf difficult to trust this early in the season. While the recent run has been encouraging, he has not reached the point where he should be considered in most redraft leagues. That’s likely to change later this season, especially with the Nets dropping to 1-10 at home on Thursday.

With Terance Mann limited to 18 minutes after a two-game absence and the hard fall he took during the second half of Thursday’s game, there was more room for Williams to contribute despite coming off the bench. The former lottery pick finished with his second 20-point game of the season and first since October 24. However, while Thursday was good, Williams’ season-long fantasy value remains subpar. The only reason to consider adding him ahead of Sunday’s game against the Pelicans would be if Mann and Michael Porter Jr. can’t play.

While his season-long fantasy value remains relatively low, now would be a good time to hop onto the Clowney bandwagon if he’s sitting on your league’s waiver wire. Over the past two weeks, the Nets forward/center has provided fourth-round value in eight-cat formats, and he’s scored at least 16 points in seven of his last eight games. Clowney is rostered in 30 percent of Yahoo! leagues, so he’s certainly available in some 12-team formats. Now would be a good time to change that.