NBA Player News

Matković has not played since November 17th. He’s only averaging 4.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists; however, with Herbert Jones (calf) now out, Matković could see a slightly increased role.

A sprained right thumb will keep Branham sidelined against Cleveland, but his absence shouldn’t cause much of a stir in the realm of fantasy hoops. He logged 14 minutes off the bench on Saturday, but that was due to multiple injuries ahead of him on the depth chart. He’s logged just eight minutes per game this season.

D’Lo is a late addition to the injury report, which doesn’t bode well for his chances of taking the court on Friday. He has averaged just 15.5 minutes across his last four outings, and if he is unable to go, Ryan Nembhard and Brandon Williams would presumably absorb his vacated minutes.

Diabaté sat out Sunday’s matchup with Denver, which allowed Mason Plumlee to join the rotation. With Diabaté expected to play, he could reclaim his role as Charlotte’s primary backup center, leaving fewer minutes available for Plumlee.

Morant is on track to return from a 10-game absence, but it’s unclear if he’ll face any restrictions after such a long time on the sideline. His return should mean fewer minutes for Vince Williams Jr. and Cam Spencer, but both players should be held until Morant’s health and usage are clarified.

Maxey was listed as probable on Friday, so his downgraded status suggests he’s in danger of sitting out against Indiana. If Maxey is unable to go, Jared McCain, VJ Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes could pick up the slack using a committee approach.

Making his third straight start in place of the injured Domantas Sabonis (knee), Raynaud took on a challenging matchup in the form of Denver’s Nikola Jokić. He finished one rebound shy of a double-double and has reached double figures in scoring in four straight games. With Drew Eubanks exiting Thursday’s game with a right thumb injury, the Kings will likely need more production from Raynaud as they await Sabonis’ return. He’s rostered in 23 percent of Yahoo! leagues, and that number may increase ahead of Sunday’s game against the Timberwolves.

With Zach LaVine (thumb) unavailable, Clifford made his third start and first since November 5. Unfortunately, things did not go well for the rookie first-round pick, as he missed all six of his three-point attempts. Even though he wasn’t the choice to step in for LaVine, Malik Monk (18/4/5/1 with three three-pointers) is the safer option for fantasy managers needing a streamer, even though he committed five turnovers. There will be better days for Clifford, but he isn’t ready to impact fantasy basketball at this point in his career.

Murray recorded a solid stat line on Thursday, including four “stocks.” And increased defensive production has been critical for the Kings forward, as he exits within an offense that has other options who are more ball-dominant than him. Over the past month, Murray has provided third-round per-game value in nine-cat formats. He and the Kings will look to bounce back when they visit the Timberwolves on Sunday in their final game of Week 8.

Westbrook had a relatively efficient night on Thursday, but it did not keep the Kings from getting blown out of their own building. Over the past month, he has been close to a top-75 player in eight-cat formats. To the surprise of no one who’s experienced in fantasy basketball, Westbrook’s value is much lower in nine-cat formats because of the turnovers. He committed only two on Thursday, but the nature of the game resulted in Westbrook playing less than usual.

After enjoying a run of at least 15 points in three straight games, Watson’s offensive production tailed off a bit ahead of Thursday’s game. The fourth-year forward surpassed the 20-point mark for the third time this season, somewhat compensating for the lack of defensive production. Over the past month, Watson has been ranked just outside the top-100 in eight- and nine-cat formats. While the absences of Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon have freed up opportunities for Watson, he’s still available in over 70 percent of Yahoo! leagues.