NBA Player News

Boucher has been out since Christmas Day due to personal reasons but could return to take on Sacramento. However, when available, Boucher hasn’t been part of the rotation in Boston, so his return won’t alter the minutes allocation.

After a quiet first three quarters, Wells got hot in the fourth, shooting 5-of-8 from the field and scoring 15 points. For the sake of fantasy managers, it would have been nice to get a little more from Wells earlier in the game. With Ja Morant out and Cedric Coward leaving with an ankle injury, there was more room for the second-year wing to get shots. For his fantasy value to improve, Wells will need to be more aggressive offensively when the Grizzlies are at or near full strength.

After playing 20 minutes off the bench in Friday’s loss to the Lakers, Landale received the starting nod on Sunday, replacing Christian Koloko. The 30-year-old center responded with his fourth double-double of the season. However, while Landale put up a solid effort on Sunday, his production still isn’t at the point where he has to be streamed, especially with Santi Aldama still available in more than half of Yahoo! leagues. As for Koloko, he played 13 minutes on Sunday, finishing with six points, two rebounds and two steals.

While Spencer has usually been a reliable option for deep-league fantasy managers this season, Sunday was not one of those nights. The positive was that he dished out a team-high nine assists. Unfortunately, Spencer could not find his shot. He missed all five of his three-point attempts and was 1-of-10 from the field overall. However, if Ja Morant (calf) remains out, there should be another start for Spencer on Tuesday against the Spurs.

Despite coming off the bench, Aldama continues to provide reliable fantasy value. Over the past two weeks, the Grizzlies forward has been a seventh-round player in eight-cat formats. Aldama didn’t have the best night shooting the basketball, but the rebounds and assists compensated for that. The Grizzlies play four games in Week 12, and he’ll be worth rostering for the foreseeable future, especially with Zach Edey (ankle) sidelined.

Coming off of one of his least productive games of the season, Ayton bounced back with a solid effort on Sunday. The Lakers did more to get him involved early on the offensive end of the floor, resulting in the 7-footer bringing the engagement that’s required of him on defense. While Ayton remains a top-75 fantasy player for the season, he has been ranked outside the top-150 over the past two weeks. Hopefully, he can build on Sunday’s performance, especially defensively.

With Rui Hachimura (calf) and Austin Reaves (calf) unavailable, LaRavia came up big for the Lakers in their two wins over Memphis. Having scored 21 points on Friday, he dropped 26 in Sunday’s rematch and recorded a near-complete stat line. Rostered in just 18 percent of Yahoo! leagues, LaRavia has been a top-50 player in nine-cat formats over the past two weeks. With the Lakers playing four games in Week 12, now is the time to add LaRavia if he’s sitting on your league’s waiver wire.

James finished Sunday’s victory with his fourth double-double of the season and first since December 18. Add in his committing just one turnover, and this was an excellent night to have the 41-year-old rostered in nine-cat formats. Over the past two weeks, he has been a seventh-round player in nine-cat formats. While that still doesn’t align with his Yahoo! ADP, James is making strides after the delayed start to his season stunted his production early on.

Dončić has scored at least 30 points in four straight games, and he’s tallied at least 25 points in 12 consecutive meetings with the Grizzlies. And on Sunday, Dončić kept the turnovers in check, recording three. Over the past two weeks, he has offered top-10 per-game value in eight-cat formats. The Lakers play four games in Week 12, starting with the Pelicans on Tuesday.

Active after a nine-game absence, LaVine was not restricted in any way on Sunday. He did come off the bench, with Precious Achiuwa (four points, three rebounds and two steals in 15 minutes) remaining in the starting lineup. However, with LaVine playing 36 minutes, he’ll likely start as soon as Tuesday’s game against the Mavericks. With Keegan Murray exiting Sunday’s game with a sprained ankle, there’s a chance that Achiuwa remains in the starting lineup for at least one more game, even if LaVine is promoted.

One game removed from becoming the highest-scoring point guard in league history, Westbrook recorded a robust stat line on Sunday. The field-goal percentage was poor, but the veteran point guard did a little bit of everything and kept the turnovers in check. Over the past two weeks, Westbrook has offered top-75 per-game value in eight-cat formats. And if Keegan Murray has to miss time after spraining his left ankle, Westbrook may boast a higher fantasy ceiling in the short term.