NBA Player News

Outlaw was a direct beneficiary by the absence of both Terrence Williams (flu) and Marcus Thornton (quad) tonight. He could do it again on Thursday, as it sounds like Thornton might be done for the year.

Bridges was able to play in both legs of Charlotte’s back-to-back after missing Tuesday’s game against Atlanta. He was better as a scorer on Friday than he was on Thursday, and he was still able to contribute some value in other categories. He only played 26 minutes because of the lopsided score, but it was encouraging that he was able to get to 20 points after two games in a row with fewer after a seven-game streak with at least 20 points. They’ll close out the week in Miami on Sunday.

With LaMelo Ball sitting out the second leg of Charlotte’s back-to-back, Simpson was called up from the G League and immediately slotted into the starting unit. He has started in his last three appearances, but this was also the first time that Simpson played in a game since February. Even if he is productive when he is given the opportunity, the lack of clarity in when he’ll be available to play makes him a headache to roster.

It wasn’t a fantastic encore to his triple-double on Wednesday, but it was another strong performance for JWill. If Mark Daigneault chooses to prioritize his team’s health for the playoffs, we could see Williams continue to play a significant role for the rest of the season. He may not be considered a must-add player at this point, he is worth keeping an eye to see how his minutes progress over OKC’s next few games.

After joining multiple rotation players in sitting out Wednesday’s game against Philadelphia, Hartenstein was back in the lineup on Friday. He only played 25 minutes in the blowout win, but that was enough time for him to record a double-double. OKC has already locked up the best record in the West, so it’s certainly possible that Hartenstein and the rest of the rotation pieces see more rest nights and minutes limits for the rest of the regular season, which would limit their fantasy output.

After getting a rest night against Philadelphia on Wednesday, SGA was back in the lineup to play against Charlotte. It has been the case all season, but this was just another example of a team not having an answer for SGA. He only played 30 minutes and could’ve certainly had a bigger night if the score wasn’t as lopsided as it was. OKC will wrap up the week against the Clippers on Sunday which should be a competitive enough matchup for SGA to see a full workload. However, OKC has already clinched the best record in the conference, so managers shouldn’t feel safe about SGA’s role for the rest of the season.

Beasley had his typical game Friday against the Mavericks as his only meaningful contribution was in the threes category with him making five of them. It was notable that teammate Tim Hardaway Jr. left the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury and the Pistons predictably leaned on Beasley to pick up the slack, giving him 36 minutes. We’ve seen the Pistons do this at other points in the season. If Hardaway’s ankle injury lingers, Beasley would have a lot of fantasy value playing starter-level minutes.

Cunningham had at least 35 points in a game for the third time so far in March. The 23-year-old point guard also chipped in with seven rebounds and six assists. Perhaps most notably, Cunningham only had two turnovers after committing at least four turnovers in three of his last four games. He’s a fantasy superstar, but the turnovers are the one category where he has some considerable room for improvement.

Marshall continues to produce even with the return of PJ Washington, though he benefited from the absence of Kessler Edwards on Friday. The 27-year-old small forward managed to score 19 points on 12 shots and pull down 11 rebounds to earn a double-double. Marshall was just five assists away from a triple-double. With four games on tap for the Mavericks next week, Marshall should be rostered in all formats.

Yabusele has been one of the few players in Philly that has been available for most of the season and is still healthy enough to suit up. He hasn’t been perfect, but he has generally been productive. However, this was his best performance in a while. His 23 points were the most that he has had in a game since January, and he fell one rebound shy of recording in his first double-double since January. He has missed a couple games recently, but he is one of the few 76ers worth rostering.

Washington has scored at least 26 points in three straight games. With all the injuries the Mavericks are dealing with, the 26-year-old power forward has become the primary offensive option by default. Washington is set up nicely for this to continue in Week 21 as Dallas has four games coming up next week.