NBA Player News

Smart returned to action on Wednesday after missing time with a sprained ankle, and he may be headed back to the sideline due to an illness. With Desmond Bane back in the lineup and players like John Konchar and Luke Kennard also available, Memphis should not have much trouble spreading around the minutes that would have gone to Smart.

LaVine led the Bulls in scoring with a measly 15 points, which tells you a lot about Chicago’s performance. The Bulls were blown out 143-107 by the Rockets at home. LaVine played a team-high 26 minutes and was a team-worst -36. It was a game to forget, but the Bulls have four upcoming games in Week 5.

Thompson was questionable with a quad injury, but suited up. The game was a blowout and he only played 22 minutes, but he still had a big impact. He had a double-double and dished out five assists. Thompson will continue coming off the bench, but if he can play close to 30 minutes per game he should be rostered in all formats. Houston has four games upcoming in Week 5, so he’s a good pickup in leagues where he’s still available.

Sengun’s triple-double was his second in as many games. He joined Nikola Jokic as the only two centers age-22 or younger with consecutive triple-doubles since the merger. Sengun has also quietly had at least two blocks in six of his last eight games after only having at least two blocks in a game nine times all of last season. He continues to average career-highs in rebounds and blocks, while his offensive numbers haven’t been quite as good as last year. Sengun is a fantasy stud when everything is clicking. The Rockets have four games upcoming in Week 5.

FVV has started to turn around his season with a double-double on Friday against the Clippers and a 28/7/7 line on Sunday against the Bulls. The Rockets aren’t going to score 143 points every game, but VanVleet did all of his work in 28 minutes. He’s starting to pay off his Yahoo ADP of 38. Houston has four games upcoming in Week 5.

Young had 29 points on 16 shots, made 5-of-10 attempts from behind the 3-point line and made 8-of-9 free throws. He had a good game from a scoring standpoint, but also had six turnovers and was -4 in 37 minutes in the four-point loss. Atlanta has three upcoming games in Week 5.

Henderson was inserted into the starting lineup with Anfernee Simons out with an illness. He had 10 assists, but mostly struggled against the Hawks. He had six points on 10 shots, missed all three of his 3-point attempts, had four turnovers and didn’t attempt a free throw. He was -11 in 29 minutes in the victory. Henderson is only worth using in fantasy as a streamer when Simons is out and even in that scenario on Sunday he wasn’t especially useful.

Banton benefitted from Anfernee Simons missing another game. He came off the bench and had 23 points in 25 minutes. He was efficient as he took 19 shots to get there, but it was a solid performance late in the week as a streamer. Fantasy managers will certainly take it.

With Anfernee Simons and Deandre Ayton out for Portland again, Sharpe had another game with at least 30 points. His 32 points were a game-high and he could’ve had more, objectively. Sharpe was 11-of-21 from the field and only 7-of-12 from the free throw line. Still, he was +8 in 31 minutes in the four-point win. He’s now hit his ceiling twice while Portland has been down two of its stars, but ultimately he’ll have a lesser role when Simons and Ayton return.

Miller has been in a slump since scoring 22 points on 7-of-16 shooting in Charlotte’s overtime loss to Philadelphia on November 10. He’s shot 25.5% from the field in three games while averaging 12.0 points per game. As a result, Miller is ranked outside the top 200 over the last week. Overall, he’ll be fine, but this was a difficult week to have Miller rostered if you’re counting on his production in category leagues.

Bridges was initially questionable for Sunday’s game, the second in as many nights for the Hornets. His ability to play both games so soon after missing time with a hyperextended knee is encouraging for fantasy managers. Bridges’ value has not matched his Yahoo ADP (58), but reaching that point eventually is not unrealistic.