NBA Player News

Fontecchio remains sidelined for a third consecutive game, while Umude injured his ankle during Wednesday’s loss to the Pacers. Evan Fournier and Troy Brown Jr. are two players in line for additional minutes due to the injuries, with the former being the better streaming option in deep leagues.

Lillard returned from a four-game layoff with a bang. He led all scorers and got to the charity stripe with ease, but fell short to Chicago without his co-star.

Podziemski was injured during the second quarter of Saturday’s game, exiting with just over four minutes remaining. His absence leaves the Warriors down a player in their backcourt rotation, resulting in more minutes for Buddy Hield and Lindy Waters III. While the former remains rostered in standard leagues, he has struggled recently. Waters is not a player who should be rostered in fantasy leagues.

The Hawks did not provide details when announcing Nance’s injury, simply stating that additional information would be provided once it was available. That doesn’t sound good, especially for a team already without Onyeka Okongwu (knee). If Nance is sidelined for an extended period and Okongwu is not available, Dominick Barlow may move into the backup center role. Barlow will have a shot at achieving relevance in deep leagues, but fantasy managers should not expect too much.

Davis is good to go after a sprained left ankle forced him out of Wednesday’s win over the Warriors during the first half. The lone change to the starting lineup is Vincent, who replaces LeBron James (illness). Also of note is the return of backup point guard D’Angelo Russell.

O’Neale sprained his ankle after rejecting a Dennis Schroder layup attempt during the first half of Saturday’s game. His absence resulted in more playing time for Josh Okogie. With Devin Booker also sidelined, Okogie and Ryan Dunn (who started Saturday’s game) will have added value in the short term. Okogie offers a little more offensively, but Dunn may play more minutes.

Brogdon started Saturday’s game for the injured Jordan Poole, who did not play due to a hip contusion. The veteran guard did not take on a full starters’ workload, but the points, assists, and 3-pointers were solid. Brogdon did commit five turnovers, but that isn’t an area where he’s consistently struggled. Also benefitting from Poole’s absence was rookie Kyshawn George, who played 34 minutes and finished with 13 points, three rebounds, three assists, one block, and three 3-pointers. Both players will be worth streaming in deep leagues if Poole remains out for Monday’s rematch with the Knicks.

Coulibaly produced a complete stat line on Saturday, and the recent improvement in all-around production has boosted his fantasy value. Over the past three weeks, the second-year wing has provided top-60 per-game value in 9-cat formats. The Wizards play four games in Week 10, beginning with another home game against the Knicks on Monday.

Champagnie, who grew up in Brooklyn, put on a show against the Knicks on Saturday. He only missed two shots, and things could have gotten worse for New York. Washington went away from Champagnie offensively late in regulation, and the Knicks leaned on Jalen Brunson in overtime to take the win. Rostered in 15% of Yahoo leagues, Champagnie has provided top 40 value since December 1. He’ll have value as long as the Wizards keep Kyle Kuzma out of the lineup.

Bridges continued his excellent December on Saturday, surpassing the 20-point mark for the sixth time this month. Since December 1, the Knicks wing has provided top 20 per-game value in 9-cat formats, averaging 22.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 3.2 3-pointers. Bridges has rewarded fantasy managers who refused to panic during his slow start to the season.

One night removed from scoring a season-high 23 points, Hart wasn’t as impactful as a scorer against the Wizards. However, he produced another double-double and seven assists and continues providing elite fantasy value. Fantasy managers willing to entertain the possibility of selling high should have a hefty asking price for Hart; he’s been that good.