NBA Player News

The Pacers are without Ben Sheppard and Pascal Siakam, which opened up spots in the starting lineup for Thompson and Slawson. The other change is Potter, whose insertion into the lineup means that Jay Huff will come off the bench.

Six Timberwolves finished Friday’s rout in double figures, with Hyland putting up a season-high point total. Over the last two games, which Minnesota has played without Anthony Edwards (knee), Bones has scored 32 points, shooting12-of-23 from the field. Ayo Dosunmu (15 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one block and three three-pointers) is the safer streaming option with Edwards out, as he’s now starting. But managers should keep an eye on Hyland if they missed out on Dosunmu.

While the efficiency isn’t what you want on your fantasy team, VanVleet consistently produces in the counting stats. It’s not a coincidence that the Rockets struggled last year and look much better this year with him there. While he is getting closer to the end of his career, he still has immense value that will keep him around the league for a few more years at least.

In the two games Minnesota has played since losing Anthony Edwards (knee), McDaniels has shot 19-of-33 from the field. The Timberwolves will be without their star for a while, so they’ll need more production from McDaniels. For some players, the opportunity could negatively impact their efficiency, but that wasn’t the case for McDaniels against the Clippers.

Jabari Smith really started to emerge last year in the playoffs and he has continued his play into his season. He’s in the first year of his 5 year/122M contract extension that he signed in 2025. Despite being in the league for five years, he’s only 23 years old which is the same age as some rookies this year. While it was a slow start into his career, he’s improved every year to get where he is now.

After attempting 11 shots and scoring eight points in Wednesday’s loss to the Warriors, the first game Minnesota played after losing Anthony Edwards to knee surgery, Ball wasn’t shy about getting up shots on Friday. He shot 6-of-15 from beyond the arc and led the Timberwolves in scoring while also recording seven assists. Just as encouraging was his committing two turnovers after racking up six on Wednesday. Ball and the Timberwolves play one more game this week, as they visit the Spurs on Saturday.

After having a disappointing performance in the previous outing, he bounced back off the bench and really pulled down some rebounds. Eason signed a 5 year/81M contract this summer to return to the Rockets. While he can put up a lot of numbers in a short amount of time, his ability to become a high level fantasy player on this team is limited as long as Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. are on this team.

After playing a season-low 13 minutes in Wednesday’s win over the Bulls, Bridges appeared to get the message on Friday. He matched his season-high with 12 points and added a few steals for good measure. Bridges’ fantasy value remains low, but Friday’s effort was a step in the right direction.

Coming off his most efficient performance of the season in Wednesday’s win over the Bulls, Brunson cooled off against the 76ers. Given the gap between Philadelphia and Chicago, that isn’t too surprising. However, Brunson is shooting 39.5 percent from the field through six games, which is a big reason his current fantasy value isn’t matching preseason expectations.

kyrie is showing that he still has it despite missing the entire season last year. He likely won’t be as efficient or score that many points every game, but he’s been one of the most efficient scoring guards in NBA history. As long as the Mavericks keep winning, his place on this team becomes more and more secure.

Towns has recorded a double-double in each of the Knicks’ six games this season, and he committed no fouls in Friday’s defeat. Given his occasional struggles with foul trouble, KAT avoiding it in a matchup with Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid is noteworthy. Unfortunately for managers rostering Towns, the Knicks don’t play again this week. But they do host the Nets on Monday.