NBA Player News

Williams missed Portland’s last game, which was part of a back-to-back. There is a chance he is sidelined against New York, and with Duop Reath (foot) ruled out for the remainder of the year, Yang Hansen would be in line for the backup center minutes. With Williams out on Tuesday, Hansen only played 12 minutes.

While he shot the ball well overall, Randle missed all five of his three-point attempts. The good news for fantasy managers is that he hit a high percentage from inside the arc and provided solid value in the rebound and assist categories. Over the past two weeks, Randle has been a top-50 player, which aligns with his season-long value.

Make it four consecutive games with at least 30 points for Edwards, who led all scorers with 35 in Friday’s defeat. As has been the case on multiple occasions this season, the Timberwolves’ offense grew stagnant in crunch time, and that was costly. Over the past two weeks, Edwards has been a first-round player in eight- and nine-cat formats, enhancing his season-long value. The Timberwolves end Week 16 on Sunday against the Clippers.

After making no more than two three-pointers in any game this season, Queen got hot on Friday. The rookie made all four of his attempts, which is a season-high, as part of a solid overall line. Consistency has been an issue recently for Queen, but his role is such that fantasy managers should continue to stick with him. Rostered in 51 percent of Yahoo! leagues, managers in 12-team formats seeking silly season potential should strongly consider adding Queen if he’s on the waiver wire.

After knocking down 12 three-pointers in Wednesday’s overtime loss to the Bucks, Murphy hit six more on Friday. While the Pelicans have struggled to string together wins outside of a five-game win streak in mid-December, Murphy’s production has been consistently excellent. In nine-cat formats, the forward has been a first-round player this season. Murphy and the Pelicans play four games in Week 17, with two on each side of the All-Star break.

Give Williamson credit for knowing where his bread is buttered as a scorer. The Pelicans forward did not register an official shot outside of the paint on Friday, and the result was his highest point total in nearly a month. Over the past two weeks, Williamson has been close to a top-75 player in eight-cat formats. The only negative for fantasy managers is that New Orleans is done for Week 16, with the team’s next game scheduled for Monday against the Kings.

While his first season in New Orleans hasn’t been successful from a team wins standpoint, this has been the most productive year of Bey’s NBA career. He recorded his third 30-point game of the season on Friday, helping lead the Pelicans to an upset win in Minneapolis. Over the past three weeks, Bey has been a first-round player in 12-team leagues, according to Basketball Monster. He’s still rostered in 42 percent of Yahoo! leagues, which is way too low, given Bey’s production.

Walker came off the bench and nearly secured a double-double in his 30 minutes of game action. He took advantage of his scoring opportunities by converting shots at an efficient rate and was active on the boards throughout the game, allowing him to finish as Indiana’s leading rebounder. The versatile forward did some good things on the defensive end, as well, leading to another strong performance overall. Walker should continue to be a nice piece off Indiana’s bench the rest of the season.

Siakam struggled with his shooting on Friday, especially from behind the three-point line, where he made just one of eight attempts. Missed opportunities from the foul line also cost him some points, but he still finished as Indiana’s second-leading scorer against the Bucks. The veteran forward made up for his inefficient shooting performance by making solid contributions on the glass and as a passer. Yet, he left a lot of meat on the bone in this game. He’ll have a chance to get back on track against the Raptors on Sunday.