NBA Player News

Fantasy managers can take solace in Hendricks’ defensive production on Friday, but the offense wasn’t there. He missed all six shots, with four attempts coming from beyond the arc. There will be offensive hiccups, but Hendricks can still provide value in the defensive categories. That was the case on Friday; he’ll look to bounce back on Monday in Dallas.

The Clippers are without James Harden for Thursday’s game, opening up a spot in the starting lineup. Coffey moves into the lineup, allowing him to provide deep-league streaming value. That’s the lone change to the starting five.

Russell will get the first start of his second tenure with the Nets in this game, replacing Ben Simmons, who is sitting out the second leg of a back-to-back. Wilson gets the nod in place of Noah Clowney, who has been part of Brooklyn’s starting unit recently as well.

Wiggins is a late addition to the injury report. The good news is that he’s been given a probable tag, so the odds are still in his favor regarding playing against the 76ers. Fantasy managers should assume that Wiggins will play. If not, Moses Moody stands to play more minutes, possibly as a starter.

The Celtics are down two starters for Thursday’s game, with Jaylen Brown (shoulder) and Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) ruled out. Hauser and Horford will replace them in the lineup, with the latter unlikely to play in Friday’s game against the Rockets if his usual routine holds.

Landale doesn’t offer much fantasy value for the Rockets, as he’s usually third in the pecking order at the center position. Steven Adams will continue to serve as Alperen Sengun’s primary backup.

Kleber started the second half of their last game after PJ Washington (knee) exited early. Both Kleber and Washington are questionable for this game, so if both are sidelined, there would be a starting spot open, which would likely be filled by Quentin Grimes, who had 17 points in 30 minutes off the bench in their last game.

Injured during Tuesday’s win over the Lakers, Merrill exited and did not return. He appears likely to sit out Friday’s game in Dallas, with Sam Merrill likely to absorb most of the minutes that would have gone to Merrill. Strus isn’t a must-roster right now, but that will change once he’s no longer under any restrictions.

Harden will miss a game for just the second time this season, and in his first absence, Kevin Porter Jr. got the start in his place. KPJ should fill that void again, with Kris Dunn and Bones Hyland also seeing extra minutes as the primary playmakers.

Clowney’s status downgrade is unsurprising, as he fell hard during Wednesday’s loss to the Raptors. With Ben Simmons also out, Jalen Wilson should play more minutes, likely as a starter. Wilson is worth streaming in deep leagues due to the absences.