NBA Player News

Cissoko isn’t in the rotation when healthy, so his continued absence will not impact fantasy basketball.

Henderson is on a roll. The Trail Blazers point guard hit a game winner against the Jazz before recording a career-high five steals against the Mavericks. He’s averaged 15.8 points, 5.3 assists, and 3.5 rebounds over his previous four games.

Ayton thrived as a scorer, rebounder, and defender against Dallas. The Trail Blazers big man has posted a double-double in the last four contests he’s logged at least 34 minutes in.

After playing 25 minutes off the bench in his first appearance since November 23 in Thursday’s loss to Portland, Williams made his first start since November 12 on Saturday. The rebounding production was the one positive takeaway from the rookie’s performance, but he’ll have ample opportunities to show what he can do. Utah is now 7-23 on the season, so it would make sense for the franchise to prioritize getting young players like Williams all the minutes they can handle with an eye toward the future.

Not only was Clarkson back on the floor after sitting out Thursday’s loss to Portland, but he was a starter. Whether or not this holds depends on the availability of Keyonte George, who has missed the last four games with a sprained ankle. Isaiah Collier, who Clarkson replaced in the lineup, played 13 minutes and finished with two points, three rebounds, four assists, and five turnovers.

Sexton notched the third 20-point game of his career on Saturday, finishing the three-point defeat two shy of his previous high. Cody Williams’ offensive struggles as a starter factored into Sensabaugh getting more opportunities, as did John Collins not being available. Sensabaugh currently doesn’t offer much fantasy value, but that may change after the trade deadline.

Keyonte George has missed Utah’s last four games, and his absence has factored into Sexton’s assist numbers increasing. He’s dished out at least five helpers in all four outings and has provided 4th-round per-game value in 9-cat formats over the past two weeks. What the Jazz will do ahead of the February trade deadline remains to be seen, but Sexton’s improved play comes at a good time for those who have him rostered.

Despite shooting 42.6% from the field, Markkanen has provided top 40 per-game value in 9-cat formats over the past two weeks. He remains well off his Yahoo ADP (30) regarding season-long value, but things may be looking up for fantasy managers who have the Jazz star rostered. Markkanen and the Jazz play four games during Week 10, beginning with the Nuggets on Monday.

Irving’s season-high 46 points wasn’t enough to lift Dallas past Portland on Saturday. He’ll likely have to continue scoring at a high rate to keep the Mavericks afloat without Luka Doncic for at least the next month.

George’s shooting struggles continue, with the 76ers wing making 40.4% of his attempts from the field. However, he compensated for poor shooting on Saturday by racking up a season-high five steals. George has recorded at least three steals in seven of the 19 games he’s played this season, and he had 12 such games with the Clippers in 2023-24. PG’s ranked just outside the top 50 in 9-cat formats for the season; cleaning up the shooting should propel him well within that threshold. Philadelphia plays four games in Week 10 with a back-to-back, so fantasy managers may only have George for three.

Maxey has scored 30 points or more in three straight games, a feat he last achieved on March 14-18 last season. While shooting a career-low 42% from the field, Maxey is providing top-25 value in 9-cat formats. The points, rebounds, and assists have primarily held steady compared to his 2023-24 averages, but Maxey is recording a career-high 2.0 steals per game. That’s one way to compensate for the decrease in field goal percentage.