NBA Player News

Vukčević has taken on a larger role recently with Alex Sarr (adductor) sidelined. Sarr will remain out on Saturday, so if Vukčević isn’t available to play the reserve center minutes behind Marvin Bagley, Washington will likely have to utilize small-ball lineups, which could feature Anthony Gill or Justin Champagnie at center.

Sunday’s game was Embiid’s first this season on one day’s rest. However, he still played 30 minutes against the Hawks and recorded a complete stat line. While Philadelphia’s two-game Week 9 isn’t good for fantasy managers, it is for Embiid. The 76ers don’t play again until Thursday in the first game of a back-to-back. Embiid should benefit from the time off, but he’s likely looking at a one-game week.

With Tyrese Maxey missing the last two games due to illness, the 76ers have looked to Edgecombe for more production. The rookie answered the call. After scoring 22 points in Friday’s win over the Pacers, he put up 26 against the Hawks, a superior defensive team. Over the past two weeks, Edgecombe has provided top-75 value in eight- and nine-cat formats, a respectable improvement on his season-long production.

Having scored at least 20 points in two of his three games before Sunday, George is beginning to round into form. The 76ers’ wing was elite in Atlanta, as he shot 7-of-10 from three and recorded a season-high point total. Over the past two weeks, George has provided top-40 per-game value in eight- and nine-cat formats. Unfortunately for those who have PG rostered, the 76ers’ Week 9 schedule is not good. In addition to them playing twice, the games are part of a back-to-back.

While Krejčí’s production has not been consistent enough to make him a factor in fantasy basketball, he’s had his moments. The 19 points scored on Sunday were the most in a game for Krejčí since November 22, when he dropped 21 on the Pelicans. Rostered in five percent of Yahoo! leagues, he has been close to a top-100 player over the past two weeks. However, with Trae Young (knee) returning to practice next week and the Hawks being off until Thursday, there’s no need to add Krejčí following his showing against the 76ers.

With his most recent triple-double, Johnson made history on Sunday. He’s now up to eight in his career, passing Mookie Blaylock (seven) for the most in franchise history. Also, Johnson’s streak of four straight triple-doubles ties him with Denver’s Nikola Jokić for the longest current run in the NBA. While there is some fear that Trae Young’s eventual return from a knee injury may lower Johnson’s ceiling, fantasy managers should not panic. The Hawks play three games in Week 9, starting with Charlotte on Thursday.

For the first time this season, Daniels has recorded a double-double in consecutive games. And in what was his most productive night of the season, the defensive ace notched a season-high point total while shooting well over 50 percent from the field. The question for Daniels is his ability to produce consistent offense when Trae Young (knee) is available, as the point guard is expected to resume practicing sometime next week. He’ll need to if he’s to get closer to his Yahoo! ADP (38).

While Okongwu finished Sunday’s victory with his sixth double-double of the season and first since November 30, his field-goal percentage left something to be desired. The Hawks’ center shot 1-of-7 inside the arc while making 50 percent of his three-point attempts. That said, the overall stat line more than compensates for the poor shooting. With Kristaps Porziņģis (illness) out for at least two weeks, now is the time for fantasy managers to go all-in on Okongwu. Atlanta plays three games in the final four days of Week 9, starting on Thursday.

The lone change to the starting lineup is Clingan, who is back after missing three games with a leg injury. Kris Murray heads back to the bench, and he won’t play any minutes at center since Robert Williams III and Yang Hansen are also available.

Green is back in the lineup after missing three games with a foot injury. However, with Portland employing a legitimate center in its lineup, Post will remain with the starters. The other change to the starting lineup is Moody, with Buddy Hield and Pat Spencer heading to the bench.