NBA Player News

Lopez’s rim-protection skills on Wednesday were elite, with this being the third game in which he’s recorded at least five blocked shots. And there were other shot attempts that the Bucks center managed to change, so Lopez’s defensive impact went well beyond the five recorded blocked shots. He heads into Milwaukee’s final two games of Week 12 as a 6th-round player in 9-cat formats, exceeding his Yahoo ADP (80).

Ball has been downgraded from probable after scoring 14 points in 34 minutes his last time out. Tre Jones could be in line for a larger role to wrap up the weekend if Ball is ruled out.

Nnaji is healthy enough to play through his ankle injury. The reserve big man started for Aaron Gordon in his last game and could again on Sunday.

Gordon sat in his last game against the Pistons because of an ankle sprain and is set to miss his second straight game. Zeke Nnaji could serve as a fill-in starter.

Porzingis and Holiday sat against the Cavaliers and both are set to miss their second consecutive games. Al Horford and Sam Hauser are the players most likely to fill in as starters against Denver.

Brown is good to go after scoring 37 points in a loss to the Cavs his last time out. He should assume his usual role against Denver.

Randle missed all of February with a groin injury but is targeting a Sunday return. He’ll likely bump Terrence Shannon Jr. to the bench and start alongside Naz Reid in the frontcourt.

Dosunmu was having a healthy February before he suffered a shoulder injury against the Knicks. He returned from a three-game absence for one contest before shutting down for the year to undergo surgery. Lonzo Ball appears set to take on a featured role as a starter for the rest of the regular season with Dosunmu out of the picture.

Quinones has averaged 23.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game with the G League’s Birmingham Squadron. He isn’t likely to impact fantasy basketball with the Pelicans, though.

Marshall’s stat line was underwhelming on Saturday outside of the assists and steals. However, PJ Washington’s right ankle flared up, and the Mavericks’ forward was ruled out after playing for 15 minutes. While Washington was on a restriction (25-30 minutes), his premature exit meant more playing time for Marshall. He’ll likely be back in the starting lineup if Washington misses time. In 15 starts this season, Naji has averaged 11.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.9 three-pointers in 26.9 minutes.

Thompson has been effective for fantasy managers needing three-point production recently, as he’s made three or more in seven straight and nine of his last 10 games. Since the All-Star break, the veteran sharpshooter has provided seventh-round value in nine-cat formats. While that’s noticeably better than Thompson’s season-long production, his ceiling is limited, with the Mavericks being as shorthanded as they currently are. Dallas begins a four-game Week 18 on Monday against the Kings.