NBA Player News

Johnson last suited up in the NBA with the Spurs in February of 2023, and now he will join the team that has won two of the last four Euroleague championships. The former lottery pick may eventually work his way back over to the NBA, but he won’t make much of a fantasy impact.

Finishes like Saturday are why the Spurs moved to acquire Fox before the trade deadline. His jumper with 1.8 seconds remaining was the difference in Memphis, as San Antonio pulled out the win despite Jaren Jackson Jr. scoring a season-high 42 points. Over the past three weeks, Fox has provided top-50 value in eight-cat formats. Sharing the court with another point guard, Chris Paul (8/3/8/1 with two three-pointers), has cut into Fox’s fantasy value, but he remains a productive guard to have rostered. The Spurs play three games during Week 18, starting with the Nets on Tuesday.

Ellis continues to be the primary reserve option for Sacramento, and he did the most with just 27 minutes on Saturday. The defensive maestro set a new career-high with five steals to help the Kings win their third straight game. Ellis has been incredibly efficient on offense recently and has shot 10-of-12 from the floor during this winning streak. Defensive production is where Ellis makes his money in fantasy basketball, and he has done that at a high level over their last two games, contributing seven steals and four blocks during that stretch.

After missing a month of games with an ankle injury, VanVleet was back in the lineup against Sacramento. Despite not being on a minutes restriction, VanVleet wasn’t able to provide many points. The rebound, assist and steal numbers were solid, but VanVleet only made one shot in his first game since February 1. VanVleet had been struggling prior to his absence, but he should get back to providing fifth round value in nine-cat leagues, as he has all season. Houston kicks off next week with a back-to-back on Monday and Tuesday, and it’s unclear if VanVleet will sit out one of those games since he is returning from a lengthy absence.

Valanciunas ended up starting the second half and playing an extended role in Saturday’s win because of Domantas Sabonis’ early exit. Sabonis was ruled out with a hamstring injury that he suffered a little over a minute into the game. Valanciunas ended up playing 29 minutes and provided an excellent stat line. Sabonis could certainly miss multiple games, which makes Valanciunas an elite streaming option, especially with a four-game week coming up for the Kings. He’s currently available in 31% of Yahoo! leagues, so he may not be easy to find on the waiver wire.

Washington’s right ankle has had him on the injury report regularly in recent weeks, and it will force him to exit early from Saturday’s game. Naji Marshall should close the game out in place of Washington and should start against the Kings on Monday if Washington remains out.

A good night for Kennard came to a disappointing and abrupt end as he picked up his second technical foul with 7:43 remaining in the fourth quarter. He finished with 14 points (6-of-9 FGs, 2-of-3 FTs), six rebounds, five assists and two steals in 24 minutes off the bench. Lamar Stevens should play additional minutes off the bench, as the Grizzlies were already without Desmond Bane and Vince Williams Jr. due to injury.

Harris has shot 50 percent or better from the field in four straight and nine of his last 10 games. Since February 7, the veteran forward has averaged 17.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.3 three-pointers per game, shooting 58.3 percent from the field and 92.9 percent from the foul line. That production has been good for fourth-round value in nine-cat formats. Harris may not be the flashiest fantasy option, but he has provided consistent middle-round value as a fixture in the Pistons’ starting lineup.

Cunningham didn’t score as much as he’s capable of Saturday night, but the Pistons’ offensive balance had much to do with that. Jalen Duren, Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley scored 18 points apiece for the Pistons, who notched their 34th win of the season. Not only are those the most wins Detroit’s amassed in a season since 2018-19 (41 wins), but this is also the first time since that year they’ve won at least 25 games. Cunningham has led the way for the much-improved Pistons, and fantasy managers have also reaped the rewards. Over the past two weeks, he has provided top-10 value in eight-cat formats.

Duren was fantastic on Saturday, recording his fifth double-double in seven games and a career-high six blocked shots. How out of the ordinary were the six rejections? Duren amassed a total of six in his previous 10 appearances. Over the past two weeks, he has been a third-round player in eight- and nine-cat formats. Of course, Isaiah Stewart (three points, four rebounds, one assist and four blocks in 14 minutes) getting into foul trouble led to Duren playing 30 minutes (or more) for just the fifth time since the beginning of February. He’s been good recently, but Duren managers should keep their expectations in check for a four-game Week 18.

On the final day of his 10-day contract, Hayes returned to the city where his NBA career began. The former lottery pick struggled against the team that drafted him, shooting 1-of-6 from the field while providing modest production in the rebound and assist categories. The Nets will have a decision to make regarding Killian. The health of D’Angelo Russell will likely influence the Nets’ decision regarding Hayes. Reece Beekman (3/1/1/3 in 26 minutes) may figure more prominently in the bench rotation if the Nets do not re-sign Hayes and Russell remains out.