NBA Player News

Williams dropped a game-high 33 points in his last outing, but he’ll have to watch Tuesday’s contest from the sidelines. His absence means that Kenrich Williams or Gordon Hayward should fill in for him in the starting five. It also frees up additional playing time for Aaron Wiggins and Lindy Waters III, who was just recalled from the G League.

Williams had a chance to send Sunday’s game into overtime, but his off-balance 3-point attempt fell short of the mark as time expired. This wasn’t the cleanest effort for JDub, who shot 33.3% from the field, but he’s been a top-15 player in 8-cat formats over the last two weeks. He’ll look to bounce back when the Thunder host Utah on Tuesday.

With Gradey Dick still sidelined, Walter remained in the starting lineup for a third straight game. His first start went well, as he had 14 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two 3-pointers in 28 minutes. He struggled in the second start (6/3/2/1/1), but he got back to scoring in double figures in this game. However, the minutes have gone down each game. Walter isn’t a player to roster in standard leagues, especially with Dick expected to be back in the lineup soon. Howeverm it is encouraging to see the rookie show flashes.

Hartenstein has been everything the Thunder hoped he would be when they signed him during the summer. He’s filled the void left by the injured Chet Holmgren, providing excellent value on both ends of the floor. Hartenstein has been a 5th-round player since his return from a hand injury, ranking just outside the top-50.

Gilgeous-Alexander has scored 32 points or more in four straight and six of his last seven games, producing at a level befitting of one of the NBA’s best players. He’s providing top-5 per-game value in 8- and 9-cat formats, which aligns with his Yahoo ADP (4). Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder play three games during the first segment of Week 7, beginning with the Jazz on Tuesday.

Brooks hit arguably the game’s biggest shot in Sunday’s game, as his jumper with 33.1 seconds remaining broke a 113-all tie. The Rockets would not trail again, with four Fred VanVleet free throws sealing the victory. Rostered in 12% of Yahoo leagues, Brooks is a top 200 fantasy player, which explains the low percentage. Nights like Sunday have been few and far between for the veteran wing.

While his season-long fantasy value hasn’t been great, Smith has shown signs of progress recently. Over the last two weeks, he’s been a 7th-round player in 9-cat formats. Improved percentages and increased defensive production have been factors, with Smith averaging 1.6 blocks while shooting 50% from the field and 91.7% from the foul line. His opportunities to serve as an offensive focal point will be limited, which makes Smith’s efficiency and defensive production more important concerning his fantasy value.

Sengun has scored 20 points or more in four straight and five of his last six games, falling one assist shy of a triple-double on Sunday. Over the previous week, according to Basketball Monster, he’s ranked 9th in 8- and 9-cat per-game value. Sengun’s providing top-40 value for the season, slightly behind his Yahoo ADP (27).

Rumors of VanVleet’s demise in fantasy basketball were greatly exaggerated based on his recent play. Over the last week, he has been a top-20 player in 9-cat formats despite shooting 41.4% from the field. By now, fantasy managers are aware of VanVleet’s field-goal percentage woes. And he’s done a much better job of compensating for that deficiency in recent games. Houston, which has already clinched its spot in the NBA Cup quarterfinals, plays three games during the first segment of Week 7.

Point Scottie continues to be a successful experiment for Toronto. Since returning from an extended absence due to an eye injury, Barnes has been the team’s primary playmaker. He had six assists in 27 minutes in his first game back and has had at least seven assists in the five games since then. He fell one assist short of recording a second straight triple-double, both of which came in games against Miami. They got the win in this one, and he’ll look to keep posting well-rounded stat lines with Indiana coming to town on Tuesday.