NBA Player News

While not an elite fantasy option, Finney-Smith continues to provide reliable late-round value in his role. DFS has been a 10th-round player over the last two weeks, which aligns with his season-long value. That hasn’t been enough to get him on the radar of more leagues (17% rostered), but Finney-Smith is worth a look in deep leagues where there’s a need for 3-pointers and steals.

Murray’s shot hasn’t been as accurate as in years past, with the Nuggets guard continuing to shoot below 40% from the field. Over the last week, the improved defensive production has helped compensate for that, with Murray averaging 1.8 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. Given Murray’s career numbers, expecting that production level to hold would be unrealistic. Fantasy managers have to hope he can clean up the field goal percentage or at least get it safely above 40%.

Braun was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field on Saturday, and he’s scored 11 points or more in every game this season. Rostered in 57% of Yahoo leagues, he’s provided 7th-round value over the past two weeks. Braun’s season-long value is even better, with the third-year guard ranked just outside the top 50 in 9-cat formats. Even with Denver playing three games in Week 6, his rostered percentage should increase.

Less than a week after he recorded his 200th career triple-double, Westbrook finished three rebounds shy of another in Los Angeles. By now, fantasy managers know what they’ll get from the veteran point guard, who continues to put up quality rebound and assist numbers. The percentages are the issue, but Westbrook shot 60% from the field on Saturday.

Three Nuggets finished Saturday’s win with double-doubles, with Porter recording his second in three games. Ranked just outside the top 50 in 9-cat formats for the season, MPJ’s lone issue has been the foul line. Porter has made 64.5% of his attempts for the season, and he’s shot 53.3% over the last two weeks. Cleaning up that category gives him a realistic chance of finishing the season as a top-50 player.

Jokic’s streak of triple-doubles ended on Saturday, but there should be no doubt who the best player in fantasy basketball (and the NBA) is. He finished the rout two assists shy of a sixth straight triple-double and heads into Week 6 as the top-ranked player in fantasy basketball. The Nuggets have asked Jokic to shoulder an even heavier workload, and he’s answered the call. Denver plays three games in Week 6, beginning with the Knicks on Monday.

James wasn’t as productive as he was in Thursday’s loss to the Magic, a game in which he scored 13 in the fourth quarter alone. Denver had dominated the series with the Lakers in recent years, and Saturday was no different, with the visitors taking over in the third quarter. James and the Lakers will look to bounce back when they visit the Suns on Tuesday, the first of four games in Week 6.

After scoring 19 points on 50% shooting in a November 15 win over San Antonio, Reaves endured a three-game stretch in which he shot 12-of-41 from the field. While Saturday’s game did not produce the result Reaves and the Lakers hoped for, his snapping out of his shooting funk is one positive aspect of the defeat.

While Davis has been able to put up gaudy stat lines in most of his meetings with Nikola Jokic, that was not the case on Saturday. Not only were the 14 points a season-low for the Unibrow, but this was also his first game failing to score at least 20. Davis is too good of a player not to bounce back immediately, so the Suns should be on high alert ahead of Tuesday’s meeting in Phoenix.

While Knecht’s minutes did not suffer much with Rui Hachimura returning, his scoring opportunities did. Sharing the court with the Lakers’ second unit is far different from being able to play off of LeBron James and Anthony Davis for longer stretches, as Knecht did while Hachimura was sidelined. JJ Redick made an adjustment during Saturday’s game: sub in the rookie earlier in the third quarter, but that shift did not significantly impact Knecht or the Lakers. Fantasy managers should hold onto Knecht but keep an eye on the minutes.

Hachimura was back in the Lakers’ lineup after missing four games with a sprained ankle. The minutes should increase as he shakes off the rust, and the 3-point shooting (2-of-4) was encouraging. While Hachimura is ranked outside the top 100 in 9-cat formats, he’s played well enough to merit being rostered in 47% of Yahoo leagues. The Lakers play four games in Week 6, beginning with a Tuesday/Wednesday back-to-back.