NBA Player News

Among Trail Blazers starters, Ayton has been Portland’s most valuable player from a fantasy standpoint. However, the stat lines may feel underwhelming, especially with the limited defensive production. He did not record a steal or blocked shot on Saturday, and he’s averaging 0.8 steals and 0.9 blocks per game on the season. While 7th-round fantasy value isn’t bad, consistent defensive production would do wonders for Ayton.

Saric was initially listed as doubtful, but there is now a chance that he returns to the lineup for the first time in a month. However, outside of a few spot starts, he hasn’t impacted fantasy basketball much this sesason. DeAndre Jordan may lose out on a few minutes, but that’s it.

Embiid sat out the second leg of the back-to-back on Saturday, which allowed Andre Drummond to start in his place. Embiid will be back for this matchup, which means that Drummond will return to a reserve role, and Guerschon Yabusele will lose out on some minutes.

Richardson will miss another game, but his continued absence won’t have an impact on the team’s rotation or fantasy basketball.

Love missed their last game, which allowed Kel’el Ware to produce eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 14 minutes off the bench. Love’s expected return will likely cut into Ware’s minutes, but that shouldn’t impact many fantasy leagues.

Butler missed their last game, which allowed Dru Smith to move into the starting unit. However, Terry Rozier ended up receiving the biggest fantasy boost, as he scored 23 points in 33 minutes. If Butler is back, Smith will return to a reserve role.

The injuries continue to pile up for Orlando. Wagner exited early from Saturday night’s game because of the knee injury, and he will be sidelined for the rest of the season. Goga Bitadze and Wendell Carter Jr. will fill out extra minutes at center, giving both of them a strong boost in fantasy value.

Lyles played for the first time in almost a month on Saturday, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he is ultimately ruled out for this game on the second night of a back-to-back. His minutes will be divided among the starters, so his absence won’t impact fantasy basketball.

Murray played through the ankle injury during the first night of the back-to-back, but if he is forced to sit this one out, Doug McDermott will likely replace him in the starting unit. He isn’t an appealing streaming option, but on a day with only three games, he may end up being worth the risk if Murray doesn’t play.

Sabonis played through a back contusion on Saturday, but now he is managing an ankle issue. If he were to miss this game, Trey Lyles (calf) and Alex Len would be the main candidates to replace him, but neither would be great streaming options.

Theis should be back after missing their last two games, with Saturday’s absence coming because of conditioning. He should be back for this game, which means that Jeremiah Robinson-Earl will likely play a smaller role after logging 18 minutes on Saturday.