NBA Player News

George will miss Philly’s games on Friday and Sunday, meaning the next time that he may suit up is on Wednesday against Houston. It may be longer than that, but at minimum, Kelly Oubre Jr. should get two starts in his place.

Powell will miss a sixth straight game, which should allow Amir Coffey to get another start. Coffey hasn’t been productive over his last three starts, but he should continue to play a significant role in place of Powell.

Vukcevic is not in the rotation when healthy, so his continued absence will not impact fantasy basketball.

Gafford is on track to return after an illness sidelined him for Wednesday’s win over the Knicks. He and Dereck Lively II will handle most of the responsibilities at center, with Maxi Kleber possibly getting a few minutes as well.

Wilson will be back after missing Wednesday’s game against Phoenix. That opened the door for Ziaire Williams to get another start and for Tyrese Martin to have a big scoring night off the bench. There will likely be a logjam for minutes, which may prevent any of them from contributing much value.

Payton’s availability will not significantly impact fantasy basketball, as his minutes have not warranted his rostering in most leagues. GPII only played seven minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Thunder. Given Phoenix’s “big three,” there may be more use for Payton, but that should not impact how fantasy managers view him.

Claxton has missed the last two games dealing with his back injury, but he’ll get back on the court Friday against the Magic. The Nets no longer have to go small with their starting lineup with Claxton returning.

Steph missed their last game against the Thunder, which opened the door for Brandin Podziemski to return to the starting lineup. Podz hasn’t been a great option this season, but he posted a 12/8/5 line in 30 minutes as a starter on Wednesday. If Curry remains out, Podz should be worth streaming.

Due to illness, Kuminga missed two games at the beginning of the week. He started and played 28 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to Oklahoma City, replacing Trayce Jackson-Davis in the starting lineup. TJD could return to the lineup regardless of what happens with Kuminga, as the Warriors will have to match up with a more physical center in Jusuf Nurkic.

Johnson’s breakout season continued in this game, and it has translated well into fantasy basketball. He has been a top ten player in 9-cat leagues over the last two weeks, and he has been a positive factor in every category, except for turnovers. Johnson has taken another leap forward this year after breaking out last season, and he has developed into one of the best players in fantasy hoops. There’s no reason to think that he’ll slow down, and he’ll look to keep it up in Charlotte on Saturday on the second night of a back-to-back.