NBA Player News

Okpala has been ruled out for Sacramento’s final game before the All-Star break. He hasn’t been in the rotation when healthy, so his absence will not impact fantasy basketball.

This is a huge deal, as Simmons has not played both games of a back-to-back since January 25-26, 2023. He logged 29 minutes against Milwaukee, finishing with eight points, four rebounds, nine assists, one steal, and six turnovers. If Simmons does play against the Spurs, Shake Milton will likely miss out on an increase in his playing time. However, he did play 23 minutes off the bench.

With Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard out Thursday, Portis entered the starting lineup and led the Bucks in shot attempts. Unfortunately, the 29-year-old power forward simply wasn’t up to the task of carrying the offense against the Nets. Portis had just 18 points on 16 shots, was 0-of-4 from behind the 3-point line and turned the ball over four times. He was a team-worst -16 in 35 minutes in the six-point loss. Portis had an off-night, but is still a must-play when Giannis is out and might have another opportunity to start if the big man’s back injury continues to linger.

Lopez hadn’t scored at least 20 points since November 20th, but has now had at least 20 points in back-to-back games. While he hasn’t had at least 10 rebounds in a game since November 18th, Lopez had two steals and two blocks Thursday. Fantasy managers that were patient with Lopez will take that production and hope the 36-year-old center’s uptick in scoring of late continues.

After Jonathan Mogbo was allowed to start three games for the injured Jakob Poeltl, the Raptors moved Olynyk into the lineup on Thursday. The matchup likely factored into the reasoning, with the Grizzlies starting Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey. Olynyk has played 23 minutes or more in two of his last three outings, and he’ll have value if that continues. As for Mogbo, he played 17 minutes and finished with two points, six rebounds, one assist, two steals, and three blocks. While not much of a fantasy option currently, Mogbo will be a name to know in advance of the “silly season.”

Barrett finished Thursday’s loss one rebound shy of a triple-double, and two turnovers countered the 10 assists. He has returned excellent value in 8-cat formats relative to his Yahoo ADP, with the Raptors wing being a top 75 player. As has been the case throughout Barrett’s career, he isn’t as impactful in 9-cat formats, but the move to Toronto has given him more room to establish himself as a credible fantasy asset.

Barnes has surpassed the 20-point mark in consecutive games for the third time this season, with this streak one shy of his season-high. Of course, the time missed due to injury hasn’t helped the Raptors star get into a groove, negatively impacting his fantasy value. While a top-50 player in 8-cat formats, Barnes is ranked just inside the top 75 in 9-cat. He hasn’t been poor, but many fantasy managers expected greater value when they selected him.

Morant only played 24 minutes on Thursday, one more than backcourt partner Desmond Bane. He only accumulated three turnovers against the Raptors, but that category has been an issue for the Grizzlies point guard this season. Averaging 3.8 per game, Morant’s value is three rounds lower in 9-cat than in 8-cat. Over the past two weeks, his average has been slightly higher, with Ja responsible for 4.2 per outing.

Bane only played half of Thursday’s game, as the Grizzlies blew things open during the third quarter. He’s scored 19 points or more in three straight and four of his last six outings, beginning to turn things around after a slow start to the season. Over the past two weeks, Bane has provided top-20 per-game value in 9-cat formats.

Edey was outstanding on Thursday, recording his second 20-point double-double and a complete stat line. If there’s been an issue for the rookie recently, it’s been the charity stripe. Edey has made 44.4% of his attempts over the past two weeks, which is why he’s only a 10th-round player in 8- and 9-cat formats during this stretch. However, remove the free throw percentage, and Edey is a top-75 talent.

As productive as Jackson has been this season, he entered Thursday’s game without a double-double to his credit. That changed on Thursday, as the Grizzlies forward hit double digits in rebounds for the first time this season. Jackson hasn’t been an elite rebounder, and the Grizzlies don’t need him to be, as Santi Aldama and Zach Edey average at least seven boards per game, and Desmond Bane checks in a 5.9. If Jackson can consistently threaten double-digits in rebounds, his fantasy value will benefit.