NBA Player News

The Pelicans were very physical with Brunson defensively, and it appeared to knock him off his groove in the first half. That changed after the intermission, with the Knicks point guard going off for 29 second-half points. Brunson is providing 4th-round value in 8 and 9-cat formats for the season heading into a four-game Week 9 slate.

There’s never a good time for an injury, but Coulibaly possibly being sidelined by a groin issue is a tough deal for him and fantasy managers. The Wizards wing has been a top-30 player in 9-cat formats over the past two weeks. If Coulibaly cannot play on Monday, Kyshawn George and Corey Kispert should see their minutes increase, with the former being the more likely choice to start.

Kuzma has not appeared in a game since November 27 and does not have a timeline for return. Justin Champagnie, who’s rostered in 23% of Yahoo leagues, should remain in the starting lineup. He’s worth having until Kuzma is cleared to play, especially with Bilal Coulibaly questionable for Monday’s game.

Williams’ absence from the injury report means he’s ready to make his season debut, giving the Thunder an infusion of depth in the frontcourt. JWill is unlikely to get the minutes needed to impact fantasy basketball, but the Thunder have effectively been down to one center with Chet Holmgren sidelined.

Braun was considered probable for Sunday’s game after playing 25 minutes against Portland on Thursday. Fantasy managers should expect a similar workload, with Russell Westbrook playing a few more minutes off the bench. As for Saric, his return means DeAndre Jordan will drop out of the rotation. Neither big is worth streaming as long as Nikola Jokic is available.

Monday’s game will be the second Huff misses with his sprained ankle. His absence will not significantly impact fantasy basketball, as Zach Edey, Brandon Clarke, and Santi Aldama are ahead of Huff in the pecking order.

Smart injured his finger during Saturday’s win over the Hawks and did not return. While the severity of the injury is unknown, he will miss at least one game. Fellow reserves Scotty Pippen Jr. and Luke Kennard should pick up a few more minutes, but both have limited streaming value with Ja Morant in the lineup.

Morant was unavailable for Saturday’s win over the Hawks and did not travel with the team to Atlanta. He’ll play in Monday’s home game, which pushes Scotty Pippen Jr. to the bench. Pippen’s fantasy value takes a hit in the spot, but the plunge may not be as deep since the Grizzlies won’t have Marcus Smart.

While injuries have limited Caruso’s impact on the Thunder since returning to the franchise via trade this offseason, there’s no doubting the value placed on the reserve guard. The extension ensures Caruso will be part of the franchise’s plans for the foreseeable future, but it does not impact his fantasy value. Caruso remains a deep-league option due to concerns about availability.

Banton has missed Portland’s last two games, resulting in players already in the rotation playing slightly more than usual. That would remain the case if he’s unable to return on Monday night.

Bogdanovic played 25 minutes off the bench in Saturday’s loss to the Grizzlies and should take on a similar workload if cleared to play on Monday. Garrison Mathews and David Roddy are available to play rotation minutes if he sits, but neither would be worth streaming.