NBA Player News

Fontecchio will sit out this game for the first time since the middle of November, and while he doesn’t impact fantasy basketball directly, his absence should open up a few extra minutes for Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland, among other reserves.

Wednesday’s game was the first for Lively since January 14, as he had been sidelined with a stress fracture in his right ankle. While he was immediately inserted into the starting lineup, the second-year center was limited to 16 minutes. With the Mavericks ending Week 22 with a Friday/Saturday back-to-back against the Clippers, fantasy managers should anticipate Lively sitting out one of those games. While capable of providing value in the rebound and blocked shot categories, the minutes restriction limits Lively’s ceiling for what is championship week in many fantasy leagues.

The Knicks will end this week with a Saturday/Sunday back-to-back, visiting Atlanta before returning home to host the Suns. And the team’s point guard rotation may be back to normal. In addition to Jalen Brunson potentially returning from his ankle injury, McBride and Payne “should” be cleared any day, according to their head coach. McBride has missed New York’s last seven games and Payne the last four. How much McBride or Payne would impact fantasy basketball during the final days of Week 22 depends on Brunson’s availability. However, with the schedule being what it is, there isn’t anything to gain from holding onto Delon Wright or Tyler Kolek if you’ve been streaming them.

Missi did not provide much value as a scorer on Wednesday, shooting 3-of-8 from the field. However, the areas where fantasy managers have come to expect solid value are where he was most productive. He’s reached double digits in rebounds in three straight and four of his last five appearances, and the three rejections were the most in a game for the rookie since March 19. Missi’s fantasy value has been low recently, as he’s ranked outside the top 200 over the past two weeks. However, he’s worth targeting for category league managers seeking rebounds and blocked shots, as the Pelicans have two more games on their Week 22 schedule.

Brown is another Pelicans player who stands to benefit from CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson being ruled out for the rest of the season. He continues to start for the latter and has been an eighth-round player in eight- and nine-cat formats over the past two weeks. Brown is only rostered in 13 percent of Yahoo! leagues, and he’s worth a roll of the dice, despite the Pelicans’ final two games of Week 22 being played on the busiest days of the week (Friday and Sunday).

Alvarado finished Wednesday’s game with his second double-double of the season and first since March 9. Rostered in 18 percent of Yahoo! leagues, his fantasy ceiling raised significantly when the Pelicans ruled out CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson for the rest of the season. The good news for fantasy managers is that New Orleans plays two more games during Week 22, so there’s a decent chance they’ll receive solid value by rostering Alvarado.

While Bogdanovic has been a solid addition to the Clippers’ roster, his production has tailed off over the past two weeks. During this stretch, he’s ranked outside the top 200 in eight- and nine-cat formats. Wednesday was one of Bogdanovic’s good nights, but he’s only reached double figures in four of his last eight appearances. He remains rostered in 60 percent of Yahoo! leagues, but that’s due more to the expectations for Bogdanovic while he was with the Hawks than what he’s done recently.

Surprisingly, Harden’s double-double on Wednesday was his first since March 16. However, despite the decrease in assist production, The Beard has been a first-round player in eight- and nine-cat formats over the past two weeks. Harden has shot 45.7 percent from the field during this stretch, more than five percentage points higher than his mark for the season (40.1 percent). If he can maintain the improved efficiency through the Clippers’ final two games of Week 22, Harden may be able to carry some fantasy managers to a championship.

This has been a career year for Zubac, who deserves to be included in Most Improved Player conversations. The Clippers center recorded his 53rd double-double of the season on Wednesday, and the six assists were the most in a game for him since March 16. Over the past two weeks, Zubac has provided fourth-round value in eight- and nine-cat formats. The Clippers play two games against the Mavericks to end Week 22, and those matchups may be more challenging since Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II have rejoined the Dallas rotation.

Leonard has scored 20 points or more in 10 straight games and has the look of a player primed to put on a show during the postseason. The Clippers forward has rewarded those who patiently awaited his return from offseason knee surgery, and The Klaw could prove to be a league winner. Over the past two weeks, Leonard has been a first-round player in eight- and nine-cat formats. The lone negative for fantasy managers is the Clippers’ schedule, as they end Week 22 with a Friday/Saturday back-to-back against the Mavericks.

Schroder started his third game in a row in the absence of Cade Cunningham (calf) Wednesday. The 31-year-old point guard didn’t have as good of a game this time around as he had just 15 points on 18 shots and seven assists after going for double-doubles in his previous two games. It’s unclear when Cunningham might return, which likely means more starts for Schroder, who is a must-roster player as long as he’s in the starting lineup.