NBA Player News

The Suns are rounding out their roster for training camp, with Shackelford being the most recent addition. With the Valley Suns, Phoenix’s G League affiliate, acquiring Shackelford’s returning player rights from the Oklahoma City Blue, look for him to be in the G League this season. This transaction will not impact fantasy basketball.

Risacher reached double figures for the fourth time in five games on Saturday, although he didn’t offer much value outside of the points and blocked shots. And there was added clarity on De’Andre Hunter’s status, as he’s expected to return sometime next week. Risacher won’t fall out of the rotation, but his fantasy value will take a hit once Hunter returns.

While Young was responsible for six turnovers, that doesn’t matter much when you rack up 16 assists. He’s up to nine points/assists double-doubles in 11 games, providing top-15 per-game value in 8-cat formats. Young is a third-round player in 9-cat due to the turnovers, but that was to be expected in the aftermath of the Hawks trading Dejounte Murray to New Orleans.

Daniels currently leads the NBA in steals, and that may not change anytime soon. One night after tallying a career-high seven in a loss to the Pistons, Daniels accumulated six more against the Bulls. Few, if any, expected the Hawks wing to be a top-50 fantasy player, but the defensive production has changed things. Managers who have Daniels rostered, especially those in category leagues, should avoid the temptation of selling high.

Capela hit the 20-point mark for the first time this season on Saturday, with solid percentages from the field and the foul line. Add in nine rebounds; this was a good night for managers with the veteran center rostered. Of course, some want to see more of Onyeka Okongwu (eight points, seven rebounds, one assist, and one 3-pointer in 22 minutes), but the starting job is Capela’s for the foreseeable future.

Twenty-point games have been the norm for Johnson, who has met or exceeded that number in seven of his last eight games. While he hasn’t been the breakout player many predicted he’d be, Johnson’s still providing fifth-round value in 9-cat formats. Unfortunately for managers who have him rostered, the Hawks only play three games in Week 4, beginning with the Celtics on Tuesday.

Make it eight double-doubles in 10 games for Vucevic, who remains a top 10 fantasy player through the season’s first three weeks. Some fantasy managers may be grappling with whether or not to sell high. Unless you can get a player with a history of providing second or third-round value, it would be a good idea to hold onto Vucevic. His game is well-suited for fantasy; even if he doesn’t remain a top-10 player, his value is highly unlikely to crater.

White has dished out five assists or more in four straight games, and the production in that category is one reason he’s a sixth-round player in 9-cat formats. There was a belief in some circles that White’s fantasy value would decrease with Josh Giddey joining the roster, but that has not been the case. White does enough good things in multiple categories to preserve his value, and he should be able to retain middle-round status throughout the season.

Before Saturday’s game, fantasy managers who had Dosunmu rostered may have been concerned. Even with Zach LaVine limited to 32 minutes in his return from a strained adductor, the move back to the bench was bound to negatively impact Dosunmu. Except, it didn’t. He played well in his 30 minutes on the court, providing solid value in multiple categories. The Bulls play four games in Week 4, and Dosunmu will still have value in deeper leagues.

LaVine was restricted to 32 minutes in his first game back from a strained adductor, and he played 31 in Chicago’s comeback victory. Regarding playing time, Josh Giddey (25 minutes) was impacted the most by LaVine’s return of any guard. However, Ayo Dosunmu’s playing well off the bench also had something to do with that. Once LaVine’s minutes get back into the mid-30s, fantasy managers will better understand who (if anyone) is impacted negatively.

Thomas didn’t have the most efficient night shooting the basketball, but he surpassed the 20-point mark for the fifth time in ten games. The one concern for him regarding fantasy value is the limited production outside of points and 3-pointers. There hasn’t been much movement in the rebound or assist categories when comparing his 2023-24 and 2024-25 averages. Thomas can be a top 100 fantasy player without improvement in those areas, but his ceiling won’t be as high as it can be.