NBA Player News

Rhoden didn’t have much of a role for the Pistons for most of the season, but he has taken on a larger role over their last few games. He ended up setting his career-high for scoring in each of their last two games and set his career-high for 3-pointers in this one. It was a fun game for Rhoden, but he isn’t a player to consider rostering until next silly season.

The Lakers will be down three rotation guards on Sunday, with Russell, Reddish, and Austin Reaves all sidelined. The absences will mean more minutes for Gabe Vincent and Max Christie; neither qualifies as a reliable streaming option. Then again, the Lakers are shorthanded to the point where Vincent could emerge on Sunday.

As expected, AD will be available to play despite this foot issue that he continues to manage. With Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell out, Davis may be asked to do even more offensively, which could lead to a big night.

Reaves took a hard fall during the second quarter of Friday’s loss to Oklahoma City, and the injury will sideline him for at least one game. The Lakers visit Minnesota on Monday, which may have factored into the decision to hold him out on Sunday. Gabe Vincent replaces Reaves in the starting lineup but is a risky streaming play due to his minimal production this season.

With Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell and Cam Reddish all sidelined, Vincent will get his first start as a Laker. He’s in his second year with the team, and he has been incredibly disappointing for them, when he has been available. This is a good opportunity for him, but he likely won’t be worth streaming.

Wagner had one of his worst shooting performances of the season, but he was still able to make a big impact in fantasy basketball. Wagner did his scoring at the free throw line and nearly recorded a triple-double. This was his second straight game approaching that mark, which would’ve been his first of the season. Until Paolo Banchero is back in the rotation, Wagner will continue to be among the elite players in fantasy basketball. When Banchero makes his return, Wagner may take a hit, but he has taken a true leap and should maintain strong numbers all season.

Even with Wendell Carter Jr. back in the lineup, Bitadze continues to thrive as the team’s starting center. In the three games since WCJ returned, Goga has averaged 10.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.0 steals and 3.0 blocks per game. He has continued to start, and he hasn’t lost out on minutes. Paolo Banchero’s eventual return may change things, but if Bitadze continues to play this well, it may be WCJ that is moved out of the starting unit. Managers should continue to enjoy top tier production out of Bitadze moving forward.

Claxton got a bit too physical on an intentional foul on Franz Wagner in the closing moments of the loss. This is his second ejection for a Flagrant 2 this season in what was another frustrating performance for him. Claxton had a sixth round ADP in Yahoo leagues but has been incredibly disappointing this year, as he ranks outside the top-150 in 9-cat leagues and has already missed six games. He finished with nine points, seven rebounds, two steals, one block and five turnovers in 28 minutes before his ejection.

Much has been made of Haliburton’s home/away splits and with good reason. He entered Sunday averaging 12.3 points on 31.8% shooting away from home, and his performance in Memphis didn’t help. Haliburton remains a top 50 fantasy player, but this is disappointing production for someone who was expected to provide 1st-round value.

Mathurin didn’t have the best game shooting the basketball, but he’s coming off of a November in which he averaged 19.4 points on 48% shooting. He’s made the most of his opportunity to start with Aaron Nesmith (ankle) sidelined, emerging as a reliable fantasy option who provides value in more areas than scoring. Mathurin ends Week 6 ranked just outside the top 100 in 9-cat formats, providing 9th-round value.