Atlanta

Hawks

Porziņģis will miss a third straight game, the last two due to illness. Onyeka Okongwu, who’s already rostered in most fantasy leagues, will continue to serve as the starting center.

Alexander-Walker, who has been starting since late October due to Trae Young’s knee injury, is dealing with a right lateral ankle sprain. If he’s unable to play on Sunday, the Hawks will likely turn to Keaton Wallace to fill the void. However, Wallace would not be the only player whose usage would increase, as Jalen Johnson would have the ball in his hands even more than he already does.

Johnson’s triple-double streak stayed alive on Friday as the versatile forward was able to extend the streak to three games, despite being on the wrong end of a blowout loss. He still logged 34 minutes, which he utilized to finish as the Hawks’ leading rebounder and playmaker on the night. The triple-double also marked his fourth in the past six games. Johnson is enjoying a career-best season in terms of his averages per game across the three major categories, and has been one of the best forwards in fantasy basketball leagues up to this point in the season.

Daniels’ production came on a night when the team struggled to stay competitive against the Pistons. Despite the one-sided score, the fourth-year guard tied a team-high in minutes at 34, which allowed him to finish as one of the team’s best scorers, facilitators, and rebounders on the evening. Daniels ended up collecting his third double-double of the season and put together a solid night from a fantasy basketball standpoint. He’ll have a chance to log another productive performance against the Sixers on Sunday.

Things went south for the Pistons while their starters were on the floor, but the one-sided contest didn’t prevent Alexander-Walker from putting up some decent stats. His scoring and three-point shooting were the main things that stood out, as he led the team in threes and total points. Despite Atlanta playing inconsistent basketball of late, the first-year Hawk continues to be productive — he’s scored over 20 points and hit at least three three-pointers in six of his last seven appearances. Alexander-Walker shouldn’t slow down much as long as he’s on the floor and in good health.

After missing Atlanta’s most recent game for conditioning reasons, Poriņģis will not be available on Friday due to illness. As has been the case in the past, Onyeka Okongwu will remain the starter. Okongwu is already rostered in most fantasy leagues, so nothing changes there.

Shams notes that, “Hawks star Trae Young, who sustained a sprained MCL on Oct. 29, is optimistic about returning to action this month. The Hawks have gone 12-8 without Young in the lineup, and they believe his fit with a rising core in Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Zaccharie Risacher and Onyeka Okongwu will elevate the team.” It’s an encouraging update, but there is still no clear timeline for Young’s return. Fantasy managers should continue monitoring his status.

Toppin injured his right shoulder in late November while playing for the Hawks’ G League affiliate. Diagnosed with a torn labrum, he underwent surgery on Monday and will not play again this season. While Toppin’s absence does not affect the Hawks’ rotation, he’ll miss out on what could have been valuable in-game reps in College Park.

Johnson’s metamorphosis into one of the league’s most impactful all-around contributors continued in this one, as he recorded his second straight triple-double and his fourth in his last 12 games. The 24-year-old has operated as Atlanta’s primary offensive catalyst all season, delivering bona fide first-round fantasy value. He’s averaging a ridiculous 26.4 points, 12.0 rebounds, 10.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.4 blocks over his last seven contests. Are you not entertained? The Hawks are off until Friday when they face the Pistons before closing out a brief two-game week with a home tilt against the 76ers.

Okongwu took advantage of Washington’s injury-depleted frontcourt and historically porous defense, and the absence of fellow big Kristaps Porziņģis on the second night of a back-to-back, to knock down 10-of-17 shots and eclipse the 20-point plateau for the eighth time this season. He’s delivered fifth-round value for fantasy managers this season, averaging 16 points, 7.4 rebounds, three assists, 0.9 steals and 1.1 blocks through 24 contests.