NBA Player News

After coming off the bench in each of his first two appearances for the Clippers, Garland moved into the starting lineup on Saturday. He was supposed to be limited to 24 minutes, but the point guard logged 28 against the Grizzlies. Garland didn’t record any defensive stats, which makes the field-goal percentage that much more impactful on his category league value. The Clippers’ four-game Week 20 includes a back-to-back, so Garland could be limited to three appearances.

Jayson Tatum isn’t the only player who’s looked good recently since returning from a ruptured Achilles tendon. Murray has improved by the game in New Orleans, and his showing against the Raptors was his best yet. The Pelicans point guard surpassed the 20-point mark for the first time this season, and he also provided solid value in rebounds, assists and steals. The concern for fantasy managers going into the playoff weeks for Yahoo! default leagues: the schedule. New Orleans has a back-to-back in Weeks 21, 22 and 23, which isn’t good for Murray’s availability.

The Hornets announced shortly before Wednesday’s game that Kalkbrenner would be available, only for the rookie center to be ruled out at tipoff. Xavier Tillman picked up backup center minutes in the first quarter, but he’s unlikely to get the run needed to affect fantasy basketball.

The lone negative for Mobley managers on Wednesday was his foul shooting, as he made two of seven attempts. The double-double was his second of March, and he’s totaled eight blocked shots in his last three games. With Mobley shooting 56.4 percent from the line since the All-Star break, his fantasy value has slipped by multiple rounds. The season-long value remains fine, but fantasy managers heading into their playoff matchups will need more moving forward.

After shooting 4-of-11 from the field in Monday’s win over the 76ers, Mitchell was made to work hard for his offense on Wednesday. While he finished with 25 points, the seven-time All-Star needed 24 attempts to do it. The rebounds and assists will be useful to fantasy managers, but they were likely hoping to get a more efficient version of Mitchell.