NBA Player News

It’s a bit of a surprising move for both sides as Valanciunas opts to sign with a rebuilding team, and Washington adds another center to a frontcourt that includes Richaun Holmes and Marvin Bagley III and just drafted Alex Sarr with the No. 2 pick in the draft. Valanciunas’ minutes were cut in his last season with New Orleans, and his production suffered because of it. It’s unclear what kind of role he’ll have in Washington, but all of the abovementioned players likely get a ding in fantasy value. New Orleans lost Larry Nance Jr. to the Hawks in the Dejounte Murray trade, so the Pelicans may be forced to give big minutes to rookie center Yves Missi right away.

Williams was helped to the locker room on Saturday night after not being able to put any weight on his knee following a drive to the basket. Now, he isn’t expected to return this season. With Mark Williams and Nick Richards still out, Moussa Diabate should be considered a must-add as the only option at center.

Both players didn’t make the initial injury report, but they were added Sunday afternoon. Neither player should end up missing this game, but this is the first leg of a back-to-back, so their status for Monday’s game is worth keeping an eye on.

DFS was initially listed as questionable but has now been downgraded to out for this game. This will be just his third absence of the season, and Ziaire Williams filled the void during the previous games that DFS missed.

Rozier was initially listed as probable for this game, so his absence is a surprising one. Duncan Robinson started in his place in their last game, with Dru Smith playing a large role off the bench. Robinson may be in line for another start, but with Smith sidelined for this one, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Alec Burks and Josh Richardson may have to take on some playmaking responsibility.

Sarr is a late addition to the injury report, and there is a chance that he misses a game for the first time in his career. If that happens, Jonas Valanciunas would likely get the starting nod in his place, with Marvin Bagley seeing extra minutes off the bench.

Poole was initially listed as questionable and has now officially been ruled out for this game. Bub Carrington should make a return to the starting lineup, and Malcolm Brogdon should see some extra minutes and touches, making both players worthy of a roster spot, at least for this game.

Butler missed practice on Saturday, but reports indicate that he’ll play against Dallas, even though he is still questionable on the injury report. He likely won’t officially be cleared until closer to tipoff, but managers should expect him to suit up. That means that players like Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Alec Burks won’t be in line for extra minutes.

Murray’s shot hasn’t been as accurate as in years past, with the Nuggets guard continuing to shoot below 40% from the field. Over the last week, the improved defensive production has helped compensate for that, with Murray averaging 1.8 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. Given Murray’s career numbers, expecting that production level to hold would be unrealistic. Fantasy managers have to hope he can clean up the field goal percentage or at least get it safely above 40%.

Braun was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field on Saturday, and he’s scored 11 points or more in every game this season. Rostered in 57% of Yahoo leagues, he’s provided 7th-round value over the past two weeks. Braun’s season-long value is even better, with the third-year guard ranked just outside the top 50 in 9-cat formats. Even with Denver playing three games in Week 6, his rostered percentage should increase.

Less than a week after he recorded his 200th career triple-double, Westbrook finished three rebounds shy of another in Los Angeles. By now, fantasy managers know what they’ll get from the veteran point guard, who continues to put up quality rebound and assist numbers. The percentages are the issue, but Westbrook shot 60% from the field on Saturday.