NBA Player News

Grant shot 1-of-7 from beyond the arc on Thursday, which did a number on his overall field-goal percentage. Over the past two weeks, the Trail Blazers forward has been a top-75 player in eight-cat formats. And that’s with him shooting 38.8 percent from the field. Grant has been more productive as a rebounder and shot-blocker, which has boosted his fantasy value. Rostered in 43 percent of Yahoo! leagues, he’ll be worth a look ahead of Portland’s final game of Week 8 on Sunday against the Warriors.

Payton’s absence will leave the Warriors down an option off the bench, but he does not impact fantasy basketball.

Hyland has been upgraded from questionable to available and will be back in the starting lineup. He’ll once again fill the void left by Anthony Edwards, who’s out with a foot injury. Hyland only played four minutes in Friday’s win over the Warriors, as he exited with a right knee contusion.

LaVine is back in the lineup after sitting out Thursday’s loss ot the Nuggets. His return means that Nique Clifford heads to the bench, where he provided minimal fantasy value at best. There may come a point later in the season when Clifford is worth rostering, but not now.

Ellis will play after initially being listed as questionable with a sore right wrist. With Dennis Schröder also available after missing time with a hip injury, there may not be as many minutes available to Ellis. He should not be rostered in most fantasy leagues.

Knueppel continues to be the metaphorical straw that stirs the drink for the upstart Hornets as he stayed sizzling-hot with 27 points in regulation and finishing just shy of his second consecutive 30-point effort. The 20-year-old rookie delivered a sublime 33-point, nine-assist performance during Friday’s loss to the Bulls. He’s been a revelation this season for fantasy purposes, delivering sixth-round value through 26 games, averaging a crisp 19.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.2 blocks. The Hornets will attempt to keep the momentum going when they square off against the Hawks on Thursday before closing out the week with a road tilt against the Pistons.

Garland led the Cavaliers in scoring during regulation before coming up empty on all three of his shot attempts as they somehow went scoreless in overtime. He also committed a costly turnover with 23 seconds left in the marathon affair that enabled Charlotte to hang on for an improbable win. Cleveland will attempt to get back on track next week with a pair of matchups against the Bulls, who rank 23rd in defensive rating since the start of December.

Miller, who left the game briefly with what appeared to be a left shoulder issue, had a chance to put Charlotte ahead in the final seconds but wound up missing a seven-footer. He atoned for it moments later by knocking down a game-tying step back three-pointer with five ticks left in regulation. He finished with 23 points in regulation before hitting a pair of free throws in overtime to give the Hornets a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.

Williamson is back after a six-game absence. His return affects multiple players, starting with Saddiq Bey. Bey has excelled as a starter and will remain in that role on Sunday, but his minutes may decrease. Also affected by Williamson’s presence in the lineup is Derik Queen, who may not be asked to facilitate as much as he was during the Pelicans’ last six games. If so, the rookie center would have a lower fantasy ceiling, which would be unfortunate.

It was an off-night for Cleveland’s primary catalyst as Mitchell went just 1-of-10 from three-point range during regulation and missed a potential game-winning jumper at the buzzer. He also came up empty on all three of his shot attempts during overtime as Charlotte pulled out a stunning win. The clunker comes on the heels of a surreal 48-point eruption during Friday’s win over the lowly Wizards. He’ll attempt to rebound next week when the Cavaliers face off against the reeling Bulls in a pair of contests.

Allen made his return to Cleveland’s lineup following a six-game absence dating back to November 28 due to a finger injury. The 27-year-old big man was limited to just 22 minutes and hoisted just eight field goals. It’s been a bit of a lost season for him so far but the positive news is that he’s healthy and back in the mix as the Cavaliers attempts to get back on track without Evan Mobley (calf) for a couple weeks.