NBA Player News

Dosunmu and Smith have missed the Bulls’ last three games. While the former’s return will likely mean fewer minutes for Dalen Terry and Tre Jones, the latter may not be as impactful in fantasy basketball circles. Zach Collins should remain the starter as the Bulls continue without the injured Nikola Vucevic. That limits Smith’s fantasy potential, although he will get rotation minutes.

Clowney had been dealing with a wrist injury, but an illness could keep him sidelined on the second night of a back-to-back. With Nic Claxton (rest) sidelined, Clowney will likely start at center if he is available to play. Drew Timme, who had a double-double in his NBA debut on Friday, could be forced to play a massive role if Clowney is ruled out.

Russell will sit out the second night of Brooklyn’s back-to-back, and Tyrese Martin started in place of Russell during his most recent absence. Martin should return to the starting unit on Saturday, but he isn’t an appealing streaming option in standard leagues.

Claxton will get the night of on the second leg of Brooklyn’s back-to-back. Noah Clowney is questionable with an illness, so the Nets could be incredibly shorthanded down low. Drew Timme had a double-double in his NBA debut on Friday, and he could start at center with Claxton sidelined, unless Clowney plays and Brooklyn opts for a smaller starting unit.

Surprisingly, Watson was Nuggets coach Michael Malone’s pick to replace the injured Jamal Murray (hamstring) in the starting lineup on Friday. While the third-year forward did not score much, he provided solid value in rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. Rostered in eight percent of Yahoo! leagues, Watson is ranked just outside the top 75 in nine-cat formats over the past two weeks. While he can be a valuable player when the Nuggets are shorthanded, Watson’s fantasy value hinges on the availability of the team’s starters. Denver plays four games during Week 22, starting with the Timberwolves on Tuesday.

Westbrook made history on two fronts in Friday’s 36-point victory, moving into eighth all-time in assists and 16th in steals. While the overall stat line was solid, a familiar bugaboo has been an issue recently. Westbrook committed six turnovers on Friday, pushing his total to 35 over his last seven games. While this isn’t an issue in eight-cat formats and leagues where managers are punting that category, Westbrook is ranked outside the top 200 in nine-cat over the past two weeks. He did not start Friday’s game despite the Nuggets being without Jamal Murray, but Westbrook’s fantasy ceiling is raised whenever the starting point guard is unavailable.

Jokic fell a few assists shy of a triple-double, but the four steals were the most he’s had in a game since December 3, when he tallied a season-high five against the Warriors. All that prevented the three-time MVP from another triple-double was the playing time, as none of the Nuggets starters played during the fourth quarter of the 129-93 victory. Jokic will get a few days off as Denver doesn’t play its next game until Tuesday against the Timberwolves. The Nuggets play four games during Week 22.

Porter has scored 20 points or more in consecutive games for the second time this month. However, his fantasy value can’t be measured solely by MPJ’s points tally, which is an improvement over what he was as a player earlier in his career. Over the past two weeks, Porter has offered third-round value in eight-cat formats, averaging 18.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.8 blocks and 2.8 three-pointers per game. Unfortunately for Porter managers, the Nuggets don’t play again during Week 21. However, Denver does play four games during Week 22.

Sexton has scored 20 points or more in two straight and three of his last five appearances. However, he did not provide much value outside of points on Friday, shooting 1-of-4 from beyond the arc. Sexton scored while backcourt partner Isaiah Collier did the passing, as the rookie finished with three points, three rebounds, seven assists and one steal in 32 minutes. Sexton will be worth rostering as long as he’s available, but fantasy managers must be ready to pivot if that changes.

Rostered in 29 percent of Yahoo! leagues, Filipowski has offered 11th-round value in eight-cat formats over the past two weeks. While that isn’t excellent fantasy value, the situation in Utah is such that the rookie big is one of the few players who can be relied upon. Filipowski has scored 13 points or more in four straight outings and has hit double figures in rebounds six times since February 28. The Jazz won’t play again during Week 21, but they have four games on the Week 22 schedule.

Walker Kessler did not play in Friday’s game, resulting in Tshiebwe making his first start as a pro. While the second-year center did not have the best night shooting-wise, going 2-of-5 from the field, he did reach double figures in rebounds for the fourth time this season. Depending on Kessler’s availability, Tshiebwe will have more opportunities before the season ends. However, he still isn’t worth the risk in most fantasy leagues.