NBA Player News

Smith Jr. struggled in his last two games with four and 10 points, but was able to put that behind him as he cruised to 23 points as the Rockets beat the Pacers by 17. He was +19 in 30 minutes, made 3-of-5 attempts from behind the 3-point line as well as all four of his free throw attempts. Smith Jr. has been inconsistent and will need to string together more performances like this if he’s going to have a good season in fantasy.

Phillips’ absence likely frees up additional minutes for rookie Matas Buzelis, but this will not impact fantasy basketball.

Sheppard will miss a third straight game, which means Quenton Jackson should remain in the starting lineup. Jackson has been an 11th-round player over the last week, and T.J. McConnell is a better streaming option than him despite coming off the bench.

Vukcevic isn’t in the rotation when healthy, so his absence will not impact fantasy basketball.

Poole, one of the most improved players in the NBA, lands on the injury report for Sunday’s game. Bub Carrington should move back into the starting lineup if Poole cannot play. This would give the rookie’s fantasy value a welcome boost, as he’s taken a hit with Malcolm Brogdon back in the lineup.

Thompson is available to make his season debut after blood clots ended his rookie campaign in March. Fantasy managers should not expect too much immediately, but Ausar’s skill set is similar to twin brother Amen’s. Once fully cleared, he won’t need too many minutes to impact fantasy basketball.

Caldwell-Pope is back after sitting out Thursday’s win over the Lakers for personal reasons. As a result, Gary Harris returns to the bench and is not worth rostering in most fantasy leagues.

Sunday’s game will be the third Powell has missed after straining his hamstring during the Clippers’ November 18 win over Golden State. Amir Coffey should continue to fill the void in the starting lineup, and he’s worth streaming until Powell returns.

Gafford played 27 productive minutes off the bench in Friday’s win over Denver, and a potential absence would undoubtedly impact the Mavericks’ rotation and fantasy basketball. While Dereck Lively II would pick up a few minutes, he isn’t guaranteed to shoulder most of the workload. Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell would also be in position for rotation minutes, limiting Lively’s fantasy ceiling.

Carter will miss an 11th straight game due to injury, meaning Goga Bitadze remains in the starting lineup. He should be rostered until the Magic clear WCJ to return.

Dillingham injured his ankle during Thursday’s loss to the Raptors, exiting after playing a shade under 10 minutes. With Mike Conley (toe) sidelined, a few minutes may be available to the rookie, but he’s unlikely to impact fantasy basketball.