Jaden

McDaniels

Randle is dealing with back spasms, which is why he appears on the Timberwolves’ injury report. He’s yet to miss a game this season, and his absence on Sunday would result in more scoring opportunities for Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid. As for who moves into the starting lineup, Reid is a potential replacement, as is Terrence Shannon Jr.

Randle had a rough night in Inglewood, producing his lowest scoring output of the season. Fantasy managers were able to salvage something due to the six assists, but this was a disappointing night for the Timberwolves’ forward. Naz Reid (11 points, seven rebounds, one steal and two blocks) and Jaden McDaniels (12/7/2/3) stepped up, supplementing Anthony Edwards’ 31-point night to help the Timberwolves escape with the 94-88 victory. Randle will look to bounce back when Minnesota visits Denver on Sunday.

McDaniels has been excellent all season, and this was another big-time performance for him. Not only did he have a strong night as a scorer, but he also contributed eight defensive stats in the win. This was only the second time in NBA history that a player finished with at least three steals, five blocks and five three-pointers, with Brook Lopez achieving those marks in a game in 2024. McDaniels has provided top-20 value in nine-category leagues over the past two weeks.

After totaling eight points in the Timberwolves’ final two games of Week 16, losses to the Pelicans and Clippers, McDaniels has gotten back on track. He’s totaled 39 points in Minnesota’s first two games of Week 17, recording complete stat lines in both. And McDaniels has been a menace defensively, totaling three steals and six blocked shots. Despite providing top-75 fantasy value, he’s still rostered in 46 percent of Yahoo! leagues, which may be a bit low.

McDaniels has been on a heater recently, which continued in this game. This was the third straight game that he scored at least 20 points, and he has averaged 23.3 points and 4.3 triples while shooting 69.2 percent from the floor during this stretch. He’s enjoyed arguably the best season of his career thus far, but he has taken his scoring up a notch recently. He’ll look to stay hot in Toronto on Wednesday.

For the first time since early November, McDaniels has recorded back-to-back 20-point games. He’s also reached double figures in shot attempts in two straight games, and this level of aggression is what the Timberwolves need from McDaniels consistently. He got off to an excellent start to the season, but tailed off a bit after Christmas. Even if he doesn’t do much scoring, McDaniels will provide solid fantasy value. However, he’s a far different player when willing to look for his shot more often.

After averaging 11.8 points on 42 percent shooting in Minnesota’s last five games, McDaniels had an outstanding night against the Thunder. He made all five of his three-point attempts and has scored at least 20 points in 11 games this season, one less than his tally for the entire 2024-25 campaign. While playing alongside Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle limits McDaniels’ offensive ceiling, his overall production makes him worth having in standard category leagues.

McDaniels finished Saturday’s defeat with his tenth game with at least 20 points and a complete stat line. Due to the Timberwolves’ scoring options, the talented wing defender tends to take a back seat on offense. That wasn’t the case against the Spurs, and he made the most of his opportunities. Rostered in 46 percent of Yahoo! leagues, McDaniels has been a top-50 player in eight-cat formats over the past two weeks.

McDaniels followed a strong 19-point outing against the Heat on Tuesday by breaking the 20-point mark for the 9th time this season. He made the most of his opportunities and shot the three-pointer well, and had his usual impact on the defensive end of the floor. McDaniels finished as one of four Timberwolves starters to score at least 20 points in this game, ultimately helping lead Minnesota to a fourth straight win.

McDaniels threw down a couple monster dunks and fell just short of his fourth 20-point effort in the last month. The 25-year-old doesn’t offer immense scoring upside, but his all-around game translates extremely well for fantasy purposes. He’s produced sixth-round fantasy value, averaging 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks through 35 games.