NBA Player News

For fantasy managers with their eyes on Champagnie as a potential “silly season standout,” Saturday’s performance was a mixed bag. The overall stat line was nice, with one exception: playing time. On a day when the Wizards were without Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George and Alex Sarr, Champagnie played 22 minutes. All three could be back for Sunday’s game against the Heat, so Saturday may represent a missed opportunity for Champagnie managers.

Bufkin’s contract includes a team option for the 2026-27 season. The former first-round pick has spent most of this season in the G League, earning a 10-day contract with the Lakers in mid-January. With the Bufkin signing, the Lakers have filled all 15 of their standard contract slots.

Westbrook had nine assists in Saturday’s loss to the Cavaliers, but gave back a lot of his value in certain leagues with his seven turnovers. The 37-year-old point guard was otherwise excellent for the Kings. Westbrook was efficient with 21 points on 14 attempts and five three-pointers. The Kings have two games upcoming in Week 17, starting with a matchup against the Pelicans on Monday.

Clifford moved into the starting lineup with Zach LaVine (finger) and Malik Monk (illness) both out. The 23-year-old guard made the most of his opportunity with 30 points on 19 attempts in 40 minutes. Clifford can be used in deeper formats until the Kings are back to full strength.

On Saturday, Allen had his ninth career game with at least 25 points while shooting at least 90 percent from the field. He trails only Wilt Chamberlain all-time with 12. Allen has now had at least 29 points in two of his last three games. The 27-year-old center has provided second-round per game value over the last two weeks, according to Basketball Monster.

Harden commended his new teammates for how together, connected and unselfish they are, saying he’s just happy to be there. The 36-year-old point guard played his role just fine Saturday. Harden took a back seat to Donovan Mitchell when it came to scoring, but he was able to dish out eight assists in the flow of the offense and also made 5-of-8 from behind the three-point line. His fantasy value figures to remain pretty high in Cleveland.

For those wondering what the Grizzlies would do at the center position without Santi Aldama, the answer for their two games in Portland was to go small. After sitting out Friday’s defeat, Anderson was tabbed to serve as the starting center on Saturday, and he recorded a nice stat line. The four defensive contributions were the most in a game for SloMo since New Year’s Day. His value moving forward depends partly on Aldama’s availability. The Grizzlies play four games in Week 17, two before the All-Star break.

While James Harden made his debut for the Cavaliers Saturday, Mitchell made sure everyone knew whose team this still is by dropping a game-high 35 points in the win over the Kings. The 29-year-old shooting guard is tied for the third-most games with at least 35 points this season. Mitchell has provided first-round per game value over the last two weeks, according to Basketball Monster. The Cavaliers have two games upcoming in Week 17, starting with a matchup against the Nuggets on Monday.

Hendricks played 21 minutes in both of Memphis’ games in Portland. While the production wasn’t great, the playing time was there, unlike in Utah pre-trade. Hendricks isn’t someone who needs to be rostered in redraft leagues, but managers competing in dynasty formats will undoubtedly watch him the rest of this season.

Due to the Grizzlies being light on perimeter bodies, Saturday was a night where Small was able to get an extended runout. And the rookie guard took advantage of his time, shooting 70 percent from the field and providing solid value in the rebound and assist categories. Small played a lot of his minutes alongside Walter Clayton Jr. (8/4/7/3 in 28 minutes) in Memphis’ two games in Portland, and that may be the case moving forward on nights when the two-way guard is active. Small isn’t a must-roster player, but he may have moments when he’s worth streaming as the Grizzlies rebuild.

Prosper has impeccable timing. With February 7, 2026, designated as “National Marquette Day,” the Marquette alum had the best night of his NBA career. O-Max made his first six three-point attempts and finished with a career-high 25 points. Memphis was without Jaylen Wells and Cedric Coward, so there was plenty of room for Prosper to contribute despite coming off the bench. Nights like Saturday are unlikely to become the norm for Prosper, but there may be more moments when he’s given a prominent role out of necessity.