NBA Player News

With the new CDC guidelines coming out on Monday, Iwundu was able to clear protocols just five days after he entered on December 24th. Iwundu was signed on a 10-day hardship waiver on the 22nd, and played just one game before having to enter the league’s protocols. In his lone game, he played 23 minutes, scoring two points on 1-of-5 shooting with five rebounds. With that being said, he is not on the fantasy radar.

Eason was once again a game-time decision, and Sunday’s game will be the sixth straight on the sideline for the Rockets forward. Dillon Brooks’ return to the lineup will help Houston depth-wise, while Cam Whitmore should remain in the rotation with Eason and Jae’Sean Tate (illness) out. Whitmore and Amen Thompson will provide value off the bench, with the latter already rostered in most standard leagues.

Wallace (quad) and Dort (ankle) are back in the lineup after sitting out Saturday’s win over the Hornets. Their returns mean Ajay Mitchell and Aaron Wiggins head to the bench, offering minimal fantasy value as reserves. Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Hartenstein will occupy their usual places in the starting lineup.

With both Ja Morant (shoulder) and Zach Edey (concussion) sidelined, Memphis will roll out a smaller starting unit for this game, which features JJJ at center. Pippen Jr. will replace Morant, and he has been a must-roster player when he gets to start this season.

With Duncan Robinson sidelined, Rozier and Love will get the starts, with Jaime Jaquez Jr. being moved back to the bench. This will be the first start since November 17th for both Rozier and Love, and both should see a significant boost in both minutes and production.

Jovic will be able to play through this ankle injury again, but his role has been too inconsistent to rely on him in most formats. He had just four points, two rebounds and one assist in 18 minutes off the bench on Saturday.

Clarke will join Zach Edey and Santi Aldama on the sidelines for this game, which means that there will be plenty of available minutes down low. Memphis will have to rely on some smaller lineups, though Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jay Huff should fill out the center minutes.

With the Nets trading Dorian Finney-Smith to the Lakers (the deal became official during Sunday’s game), Clowney was back in the starting lineup after coming off the bench on Friday. He got off to a slow start before offering fantasy managers some redemption with 13 points and a few 3-pointers. Those who added Clowney should not get discouraged; Rome wasn’t built in a day. And with the Nets established as “sellers” ahead of the February trade deadline, Clowney won’t lack opportunities to show what he’s capable of.

Simmons was back in the Nets’ lineup after missing Friday’s loss to the Spurs, and he provided solid rebound and assist value. Unfortunately, there weren’t any defensive stats, which is problematic for fantasy managers since Simmons doesn’t offer much scoring. He’s averaging 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocks per game on the season, so it’s difficult to view him as a must-roster player in standard leagues. And with Brooklyn beginning its Week 10 schedule with a Wednesday/Thursday back-to-back, Simmons may be limited to two games.