NBA Player News

The decision to waive Fudge leaves Dallas with two two-way contract recipients, Brandon Williams and the recently signed Kessler Edwards. Waived by the Lakers in early January, Fudge signed a two-way deal with the Mavericks in early March and did not factor into the team’s rotation. He’ll look to catch on with another NBA team.

With Kelly Oubre Jr. (ankle) and Andre Drummond (illness) both sidelined, Walker IV was able to start for the first time this season. He was able to contribute decent value, but a poor shooting night limited his overall impact in an increased role. It was also a bit of a letdown after he had 25 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in Philadelphia’s previous game. If they continue to deal with injuries in Toronto on Wednesday, Walker IV may continue to hold some value as a streaming option, though he will hopefully shoot the ball better in that one.

After missing Charlotte’s last two games, Williams was back in the starting unit against Miami. He got right back to work and was able to contribute value across the board to help the Hornets win consecutive games for the first time since January. Though availability continues to be an issue for him, Williams has been a fantasy stud when on the floor this season. Of course, a trade being rescinded because of your health is a red flag for dynasty managers.

In the first of what will be multiple games without Amen Thompson (ankle), Smith Jr. returned to the starting lineup, which is a role that he may be able to maintain for a handful of games. He had his highest-scoring performance since December and tied his season-high for three-pointers made. In a low-scoring game, Smith Jr. was still able to make an impact on the offensive end, which was encouraging to see. Houston still has three more games this week, making him a valuable option with Thompson sidelined.

Despite being a consistent starter, Barnes has been a non-factor in fantasy basketball this season. He’s an efficient player that can hit some three-pointers, but he doesn’t help in any individual category. However, he was unconscious as a scorer in Monday’s loss. His two missed field goal attempts were both three-pointers, meaning he made all eight of his two-point attempts. He didn’t enjoy that same success at the free throw line as he made just one of his three shots. This was an excellent performance from him, but there is a reason that he is rostered in just 13 percent of Yahoo! leagues despite playing 27.4 minutes minutes per game.