NBA Player News

Due to calf and wrist injuries, Sochan did not make his first appearance of the season until Wednesday. He looked sharp offensively, only missing one shot from the field. More encouraging may be the fact that Sochan played 23 minutes without any issues. Also making their season debuts for the Spurs were Lindy Waters III (six points, one rebound and two three-pointers) and Kelly Olynyk (four points, four rebounds and three assists), but they’re unlikely to impact fantasy basketball in the way that Sochan potentially can.

DiVincenzo has now scored 18 points or more in each of his last three games, which were all played with Anthony Edwards out of the lineup. Counting Wednesday, he’s shot 20-of-49 (40.8 percent) from the field, slightly lower than his percentage for the season (41.3 percent). However, over the past two weeks, he’s made 38.9 percent of his shots. DiVincenzo has still provided top-100 value, but things could be better for him and those who have him rostered.

With Brandon Clarke (knee) making his season debut, there may have been some concern among those who have held onto Landale. However, with Clarke under a minutes restriction, he played 30 minutes off the bench and finished with one of his best lines of the season. The double-double was the second of the season for Landale, who also recorded his third 20-point game. With Clarke’s playing time restricted and Zach Edey (ankle) unavailable, those who held onto Landale for this long might as well stick with him for a few more games.

Clarke made his season debut on Wednesday, and to the surprise of many, he did so as a starter. His first stint on the floor lasted just under four minutes, and the Grizzlies are likely to limit Clarke’s playing time for the foreseeable future. The question is whether he can play enough while Zach Edey (ankle) is out to become a viable option in deep leagues. Based on the playing time and production, Clarke isn’t there yet, but that could change in time.

With Ja Morant (ankle) unavailable, the Grizzlies decided to go big on Wednesday, with Brandon Clarke joining the starters. That may have opened some things up for Wells offensively, and the second-year wing extended his streak of double-digit scoring games to 10. Over the past two weeks, Wells has been a top-100 player in eight-cat formats, a significant improvement for a player ranked outside the top-200 for the season. Cedric Coward (13/5/3/1) continues to have superior season-long fantasy value, but the gap between him and Wells is shrinking.

After he went off for 31 points in Monday’s win over the Clippers, there were likely a lot of fantasy managers interested in seeing what Jackson would do for an encore. With Ja Morant (ankle) back on the sidelines, Trip recorded a complete stat line that included his first double-double of the season. Over the past two weeks, Jackson has been a fourth-round player in eight-cat formats. After these last two games, Jackson’s “buy low” window has likely closed.

After coming off the bench in Sunday’s overtime loss to the Hornets, Tyson was inserted back into the Cavaliers’ starting lineup. That was good news for fantasy managers, and the second-year wing responded with a complete stat line and his third 20-point game of the season. De’Andre Hunter (12/5/1 with two three-pointers) doesn’t offer a similar ceiling, whether you’re talking “real” or fantasy basketball. And based on the pregame reports, Tyson should be in the starting lineup for the foreseeable future. Providing top-100 value in eight-cat formats, he’s rostered in just 30 percent of Yahoo! leagues. Grab him if he’s sitting on your league’s waiver wire.

After playing 22 minutes in his first game back from a finger injury on Sunday, Allen logged 28 minutes against the Bulls and was more productive overall. With Evan Mobley (calf) out for a few weeks, there should be more room for Allen to operate in the post. However, he attempted only nine shots against the Bulls, and the volume could prove problematic. With Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland commanding the ball, Allen’s ceiling isn’t as high since he rarely looks to do anything scoring-wise from outside of 15 feet.