NBA Player News

With D’Angelo Russell in Dallas, Dinwiddie became the odd man out in the backcourt, and he’ll take on a backup role behind LaMelo Ball. Given Ball’s voluminous injury history, it wouldn’t be surprising if Dinwiddie played enough to make meaningful contributions for fantasy managers.

After being ejected from Monday’s loss to the Suns, Gobert responded with one of his better performances of the season on Friday. In the win, the veteran center crossed the 20-point mark for the second time this season and pulled down double-digit rebounds to claim his 10th double-double. Most notably, Gobert came up big in the fourth quarter by going 6-of-6 from the field with a key basket down the stretch to help the Timberwolves get back in the win column. His numbers are down slightly this season, but he remains a nightly double-double threat.

Randle did a little bit of everything for the Timberwolves on Friday. The veteran forward led all Minnesota players in scoring, taking advantage of the charity stripe and efficient overall shooting. His work on the boards brought him close to a double-double, and he made several key passes down the stretch of the fourth quarter to help the Wolves land a bounce-back win. Randle has now tallied at least 20 points in four consecutive games and continues to provide value as a facilitator.

Mann won’t bring much to the table as a scorer, but the Nets starting a rookie point guard (Egor Dëmin) opens the door for him to occasionally have a night like he did on Friday. The seven assists matched Mann’s season-high, and fantasy managers also received solid value in steals and percentages. However, he is still ranked well outside the top-200 in eight-cat formats, so there’s no need to take the plunge following Friday’s performance. Dëmin only played 18 minutes in Dallas, finishing with three points (1-of-7 FGs), one rebound, one assist, two steals and one three-pointer.

One game removed from recording his second triple-double of the season, Claxton pushed his double-double tally to seven on Friday. The Nets center finished with a complete stat line, which included a 4-of-4 effort at the foul line. Claxton is making 70.3 percent of his free throws on the season, which would be the best mark of his career by a wide margin. In fact, Claxton has not finished a season making at least 60 percent of his free throws in his NBA career.

Wolf has scored at least 17 points in three of his last six games. But is he at the point where he can be trusted in a higher percentage of redraft leagues? Maybe so. Despite the inconsistent scoring, Wolf has been a 10th-round player in eight-cat formats over the past two weeks. While he certainly isn’t a must-add, deep-league managers can’t be blamed for considering Wolf well ahead of the “silly season” rush. The negative in the short term is the schedule, as the Nets face Milwaukee on Sunday, but they only have two games in Week 9.

Porter dropped another gaudy point total on Friday, extending his streak of 30-point games to four. This is the player many envisioned him being after the Nets acquired him from the Nuggets. The lingering concern is that the Nets could decide later this season to prioritize their younger, unproven options, which would likely come at Porter’s expense. Well, we aren’t there yet, so Porter managers should enjoy the ride.

After scoring just six points in his first game back on the bench on December 6, Christie got back on track Friday night. He’s reached double figures in three of his last four outings, with the 15 points being the most in a game for Christie since November 24. While Naji Marshall (17/1/4/1 with one three-pointer) appears to be locked into the starting lineup, Christie is still capable of providing value. Managers in deep leagues who held onto him were rewarded for their faith (or forgetting to drop Max) on Friday.

While other Mavericks were more impactful as scorers, Washington recorded a complete stat line in Friday’s victory. And with Dereck Lively II (foot) done for the season, he stands to receive even more opportunities to provide solid fantasy value. Providing close to top-50 value over the past two weeks, Washington is now a top-100 player for the season. Rostered in 46 percent of Yahoo! leagues, P.J. is worth grabbing in 12-team leagues due to the opportunity that’s in front of him.

On a night when starting point guard Ryan Nembhard (two rebounds and five assists in 21 minutes) struggled, Flagg’s improved playmaking abilities came in handy. The rookie’s eight assists were the second-most in a game for him this season, trailing only an 11-assist effort against the Lakers on November 28. Over the last two weeks, Flagg has provided fourth-round per-game value in eight- and nine-cat formats, which aligns with his Yahoo! ADP (42).

After a subpar first half in which he tallied four points, three rebounds and three assists, Davis flipped the switch. The Mavericks forward/center accounted for 20 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots in the second half, and the final stat line may lead some to believe that Davis was steady throughout. With Dereck Lively II done for the season and Daniel Gafford limited by an ankle injury, Davis will have to serve as the Mavericks’ anchor in the middle. And when he’s up for it, the veteran post is still one of the best in the NBA. Dallas does not play again until Monday against the Jazz.