NBA Player News

Tatum was sidelined for the first time this season on Wednesday, and there is a chance that he remains sidelined against Milwaukee. Sam Hauser started in his place in their last game, but Jrue Holiday was sidelined for that one as well. Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford are all questionable, but it would take all of them being sidelined for Hauser to potentially start.

Sengun didn’t shoot the ball well in Las Vegas, but the rebounds and steals helped compensate for that deficiency. Over the past two weeks, the Rockets center has shot 46.3% from the field, less than one percentage point lower than his mark for the season (47.2%). In short, there isn’t too much for fantasy managers to lose sleep regarding Sengun, who remains comfortably within the top-50 in 9-cat formats.

Outside Amen Thompson, none of the Rockets shot particularly well in Saturday’s NBA Cup semifinal, as they made just 36.5% of their looks on the night. Smith didn’t have the best night, but the production in other categories was solid. Over the past two weeks, only two Rockets have provided top 100 per-game value in 9-cat formats: Smith and Alperen Sengun. Smith remains a late-round player in terms of value, but he’s recently made modest steps in the right direction. Houston plays two games in Week 8, beginning with New Orleans on Thursday.

Will there come a point when Thompson moves into the starting lineup? Probably not anytime soon, but nights like Saturday will keep the chatter going. While Thompson was excellent in 30 minutes off the bench, starting guards Fred VanVleet (8/9/7/1 with one 3-pointer) and Jalen Green (12/3/2/0/1 with one 3-pointer) combined to shoot 8-of-29 from the field and 2-of-19 from three. Even as a reserve, Thompson should be rostered in most fantasy leagues. However, it’s fair to wonder if his ceiling is being limited through no fault of his own.

Dort is only rostered in 26% of Yahoo leagues, and the career track record likely has something to do with this. A notoriously poor perimeter shooter for most of his first four seasons in the NBA, the rugged Thunder wing has been much-improved over the last two. Dort shot 39.3% from deep last season, and his 5-of-9 effort on Saturday pushed his 2024-25 mark to a career-high 40.3%. As Dort continues on this path, more skeptics within fantasy basketball will board the bandwagon. Providing 7th-round value in 9-cat formats, he’s worth the risk ahead of Oklahoma City’s three-game Week 8 slate.

Hartenstein’s streak of games with at least 12 rebounds was snapped on Saturday, but he established a new season-high with 21 points. The Thunder center has been elite on the glass since returning from a broken hand, reaching double digits in eight of his ten games. Hartenstein currently provides top-75 per-game value in 8- and 9-cat formats, exceeding his Yahoo ADP (82). Oklahoma City plays three games in Week 8, beginning with Tuesday’s NBA Cup final against Milwaukee.

Of the six games he’s played in December, Williams has scored 20 or more in five. While he has gone 16-of-41 from the field in his last two games, the Thunder wing remains one of the best performers in fantasy basketball. While a 5th-round player in 8- and 9-cat formats over the past two weeks, JDub heads into Week 8 as a top-15 player in season-long value. Williams is one of the early fantasy basketball MVPs because his production in 9-cat formats has exceeded his Yahoo ADP (36) by two rounds.

SGA and the Thunder are headed to Tuesday’s NBA Cup championship game, as they pulled away in a rugged semifinal battle. Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t as efficient shooting the basketball as usual, but the overall stat line was excellent. Despite being harrassed by multiple Rockets defenders, the early MVP candidate recorded a complete stat line and only committed one turnover. Gilgeous-Alexander will look to do more of the same against Milwaukee on Tuesday, the first of three Week 8 games for Oklahoma City.

Adams sprained his ankle during the third quarter of Saturday’s game, with team trainers taking him back to the locker room for further evaluation. With the veteran center sidelined, the Rockets went small in the minutes played before Alperen Sengun returned to the floor. Jock Landale may enter the rotation if Adams misses time, but the Rockets’ ability to play small makes him a non-factor in fantasy basketball.

Smart’s potential absence may impact Scotty Pippen Jr. more than anyone else, as the Grizzlies’ backup point guard may play a few more minutes. However, neither Smart nor Pippen has much value outside of deep leagues, with Ja Morant and Desmond Bane available.

While Huff has remained in the rotation, especially in the aftermath of Zach Edey’s ankle injury, his influence on fantasy basketball has waned. Edey is also questionable for Sunday’s game, so Huff’s minutes will likely decrease if both are available.