Jabari

Walker

Ayton and Walker exited Friday’s game prematurely, which will be their last action of the season. Duop Reath, Kris Murray, Dalano Banton, and Justin Minaya are among those who can absorb those minutes. Ayton entered the season with top-50 fantasy expectations and largely lived up to them, even if the production did not translate into winning. As for Walker, his value did not increase until after the Blazers were hit hard by injuries.

It’s unclear why Portland is wasting anybody’s time by upgrading Simons to doubtful, since he hasn’t played in weeks and that won’t change for the season finale. Walker exited early from their last game, and Justin Minaya should see extra minutes with Walker sidelined for this one.

Ayton played 23 minutes before exiting, finishing with six points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Walker only played 14 minutes, tallying nine points, five rebounds, and one blocked shot. If Ayton and Walker aren’t available for Sunday’s season finale, Duop Reath, Dalano Banton, and Kris Murray are three players who could be asked to shoulder heavy workloads.

Walker has been a beast on the boards since the beginning of April. He’s corralled at least ten rebounds in five straight games, including a 22-board effort in an April 3 win over the Hornets. Walker grabbed 16 more on Thursday while recording his fourth double-double in five games. Managers in active fantasy leagues need to ensure Walker is not sitting on the waiver wire ahead of Portland’s final two games of the season.

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Grant will be listed as doubtful for this game. He will be ruled out shortly before tipoff. Jabari Walker and Kris Murray will continue to start at the forward spots. Like clockwork, this will be what happens for the rest of the season. Managers shouldn’t expect to see Grant again this season.

No surprises here, as this has been Grant’s status ahead of every game for a few weeks now. Jabari Walker and Kris Murray will continue to be the starting forwards, with Walker coming off of a 22-rebound performance.

Walker didn’t do fantasy managers any favors with his field-goal percentage, but he was elite on the boards. The second-year forward grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds (previous high: 13), one more than his total in the four games prior. Rostered in 12% of Yahoo leagues, Walker has provided 12th-round value in 9-cat formats over the past week. That isn’t great value, but the continued absence of Jerami Grant (hamstring) makes Walker well worth the risk for the rest of Week 23.

With Toumani Camara (ribs) done for the season and Jerami Grant (hamstring) still sidelined, Walker will not lack playing time as the Blazers complete their season. The 18 points he scored on Monday were the most for the second-year forward since March 2 (18 vs. MEM) and matched his total from Portland’s previous three games. Rostered in just nine percent of Yahoo leagues, Walker is worth rolling the dice on for the remainder of Week 23, as the Blazers will play three more games.

Friday night was a disaster for Walker and the Trail Blazers, who became the first team in NBA history to suffer two 60-point defeats in the same season. Starting because of Toumani Camara’s absence, Walker did not offer much production against the Heat. Rookie Kris Murray was better, as he finished with 11 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three 3-pointers in 41 minutes. While Walker’s fantasy value moving forward depends on the availability of other players, Murray should be rostered for the rest of the season due to his being a consistent member of the starting lineup.

Henderson, Rupert, and Murray remain in the starting lineup for the Blazers, with Walker and Ayton being the changes. Walker starts for the injured Toumani Camara, while Ayton’s return means Duop Reath will come off the bench. Reath is worth holding onto, as there may be more games in which Ayton sits before the end of the regular season.