NBA Player News

Black was the choice to replace Paolo Banchero in the starting lineup, and the second-year guard pretty much did what was expected. He didn’t provide much value as a scorer, but Black did dish out six assists. Of course, it would have been good to see some defensive production, but he’s worth the risk in deep leagues since Banchero is out for at least four weeks.

Jaxson Hayes told reporters Thursday that he’ll start for Anthony Davis against Washington while he recovers from a abdominal injury. Hayes has been a solid contributor off the bench as of late but his counting stats haven’t been great. Fantasy managers shouldn’t expect consistent production.

Morant is dealing with right shoulder soreness and has had a pair subpar outings after missing a game against the Pelicans.

Wiggins came up big for the Warriors in this game and led the team in scoring to help them win their second straight game. 15 of his points came in the first half, which helped keep them afloat despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31-point first half. Wiggins has been an excellent option for the Warriors this season, but his name has been mentioned as part of a potential trade package to bring in a star at the trade deadline. If he remains with Golden State, his success should continue, but a move could impact his role, for better or for worse.

Quinten Post got the first start of his career at center, but the experiment was short-lived. He played eight minutes in the first half and contributed two turnovers and three fouls. Looney ended up filling most of the center minutes and started the second half in place of Post. This was a new season-high for both points and blocks for Looney, which led to arguably his best game of the season. Assuming Trayce Jackson-Davis remains out against the Suns on Friday, Looney will likely get the starting nod in that game.

The first half didn’t go Steph’s way, and he entered the break with just four points on 1-of-7 shooting. However, he was able to get things going in the second half, which contributed to the Warriors’ win. Curry really struggled against the Lakers on Saturday and went scoreless in the second half of the game. He flipped the script in this one, though his line still ended up being below his standards. They only have one more game this week, which will be against the Suns on Friday.

JDub had a rough stretch from mid-December to mid-January, but he has been getting back on track recently. Over their last four games, he has averaged 27.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.3 steals, 1.0 block and 2.3 threes per game. The shooting splits haven’t been great, and he missed both of his free throw attempts in this game. Still, he ranks outside the top-50 over the past two months, but he has been a top-25 producer over their last four games. He’ll look to keep it going against the Kings on Saturday to wrap up the week.

Alex Caruso was forced to exit this game with an ankle injury after playing just 22 seconds. That opened the door for Joe to take on a larger role, and he ended up delivering a 3-point barrage off the bench. Over his last three appearances, Joe has hit a total of 16 triples. He has been a top-75 player in 9-cat leagues over the past two weeks simply because of his dominance from beyond the arc. Unfortunately, the competition for minutes in OKC has prevented Joe from seeing enough time on the floor to be a reliable option in standard leagues.

This was just Hartenstein’s second game back after missing five games with a calf injury, and he was able to tie his season-high for rebounds. Unfortunately, he really struggled to get any shots to fall. He made just two of his 10 shot attempts, which limited his impact despite his excellent rebound and assists numbers. This was only their third loss when Hartenstein plays this season, and he has generally been an excellent replacement for Chet Holmgren. They have one more game this week, which will be a matchup with the Kings on Saturday.

SGA was unstoppable in this game from the opening tip. He single handedly outscored the Warriors in the first quarter 21-20 and entered halftime with 31 points. It wasn’t enough to get the win, but SGA ended up scoring 50 points for the second time in their last four games. He hasn’t scored less than 20 points in a game since October, which was an 18-point night for him in a win. He’ll have a legitimate case to be the league’s MVP, and he’ll continue to be one of the best players in fantasy basketball for the rest of the season. They only have one more game this week, which will be against the Kings on Saturday.

After playing 33 minutes off the bench in Monday’s win over the Clippers, Beal’s playing time took a hit with Ryan Dunn returning from a sprained ankle. While fantasy managers who have Beal rostered should not consider dropping him, the role and the minutes aren’t promising with the veteran guard coming off the bench. If anything, this is a “buy low” time for those who can afford to take the risk. And if he’s moved before the trade deadline, Beal’s’ fantasy value would likely improve.