NBA Player News

Robinson-Earl has missed New Orleans’ last two games, and his absence has not significantly impacted fantasy basketball. Javonte Green played more minutes off the bench in those two contests, but he is not worth streaming. Neither player has much value when available, even with the Pelicans’ many injuries.

Barnes had at least 20 points for the second time in his last four games and made at least three 3-pointers for the third time in his last four games. Still, the 32-year-old power forward hasn’t been fantasy relevant this season and will need to show more before he’s worth rostering this year.

Wemby dropped 35 on the Nuggets Friday, but he wasn’t quite as sharp in the rematch against Nikola Jokic Saturday. The 21-year-old power forward had just 20 points on 19 shots, though he filled up the rest of the stat sheet with 23 rebounds, four blocks and two 3-pointers. Wembanyama has certainly picked up his play over the last month, but Jokic is still the top player in fantasy on the season.

Porter Jr. has now scored at least 21 points in five straight games and seven of his last eight games. His 28 points Saturday were bested only by teammate Nikola Jokic, who had 46. Porter Jr. also had a double-double with 10 rebounds. He’s provided sixth round fantasy value on the season.

Jokic scored 41 points in Friday’s loss to the Spurs so he increased his total to 46 points and the Nuggets pulled out the win in overtime in the rematch Saturday. Jokic was one rebound shy of a triple-double and needed 35 shots to get his 46 points, though it’s understandable as Victor Wembanyama is a difficult defensive matchup. Jokic continues his reign as the top player in fantasy this year.

Towns put on a show during the second half, scoring 27 points on 12-of-19 shooting from the field. The 44 points were two shy of KAT’s season-high, as he recorded his third 40-point game as a Knick. However, Towns did appear to injure his right leg during the fourth quarter, immediately heading back to the locker room with just under two minutes remaining. New York plays four games without a back-to-back during Week 11, beginning with the Magic on Monday. Hopefully, Towns will not have any availability issues.

Utah had won just six games all season entering Saturday’s game against the Heat. Still, it’s no surprise that the Jazz were able to come out and wipe the floor with Miami after the disfunction that’s gone on in the organization over the last week. From the altercation Herro had with Amen Thompson and subsequent fines and suspensions to the ongoing saga with Jimmy Butler, who is away from the team once again. This is no environment for fantasy success right now. Herro wasn’t the only one to have a bad game, but he was a team-worst -28 in 29 minutes in the 36-point loss.

Brunson was outstanding during the first half of Saturday’s game, scoring 26 points on 8-of-12 shooting (9-of-9 FTs). The Knicks point guard appeared to run out of gas in the second half, as Chicago’s three-point barrage was too much to overcome. Brunson has provided 6th-round value in 9-cat formats over the past two weeks. That’s two rounds lower than his season-long value, and he may be helped if the Knicks can have a reserve guard (or two) step up to get Brunson a little more rest. New York plays four games during Week 11, beginning with Orlando on Monday.

Stat lines like the one he recorded against the Knicks are what fantasy managers hoped for after Giddey was traded to Chicago during the offseason. He made all three of his 3-point attempts, recording a complete stat line and finishing two assists shy of a triple-double. Over the past two weeks, Giddey has provided top 40 per-game value in 9-cat formats. He’ll look to continue on this run when the Bulls host San Antonio on Monday.

Vucevic has recorded a double-double in four straight and seven of his last eight games. While the Bulls continue to hang around in the play-in tournament slots, Vooch and Zach LaVine’s names have come up in trade rumors. There may not be a change anytime soon, and Vucevic will continue to provide reliable fantasy value as long as he’s manning the middle for the Bulls.