NBA Player News

Head coach Taylor Jenkins hasn’t always turned to Pippen to start when Ja Morant is out of the lineup, but he did on Friday. Though it didn’t result in a win for the Grizzlies, it was a strong performance for Pippen. He was able to contribute value across the board while maintaining efficiency as the starting point guard. He had been playing well as a reserve entering this game, so perhaps the starting nod was Jenkins’ way of rewarding him. He’s provided third-round value over the past two weeks, mostly because he has averaged 5.1 assists and 2.4 steals during that stretch.

Grimes took Monday night off after posting a 26/5/6 line in Sunday’s loss to Atlanta, but he’s been putting the Sixers on his back for the last month. In that span, Grimes comfortably leads his team in scoring with 24.9 points per game to go with 4.5 assists, 4.5 boards, 3.2 triples and 1.9 steals. He’s been a top 40 fantasy option over the last 14 games, and there’s no reason to think his hot streak will end any time soon.

Due to a concussion and a head injury, Walker has missed six of Philadelphia’s last seven games. A sprained neck will sideline him for Wednesday’s game against the Wizards, leaving the 76ers light on players on the wing. Ricky Council IV and recent signing Marcus Bagley will play increased minutes, with the former in the starting lineup. Council is worthy of streaming consideration in deep leagues.

McDermott was a late scratch for Monday’s loss to the Celtics, as he was absent from the initial injury report. His availability does not impact fantasy basketball, as the veteran forward is not guaranteed rotation minutes when he is healthy.

Monk and Carter missed Monday’s loss to the Celtics, with the former’s absence opening up a place in the starting lineup. Keon Ellis filled the void, playing 37 minutes, while Markelle Fultz logged 11 as the backup. Ellis will return to the bench if Monk can play, while Carter’s availability does not significantly impact fantasy basketball.

According to Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer, Beal is progressing in his recovery from a strained hamstring. However, he has not done any 5-on-5 work, so the Suns’ guard will not play on Wednesday. Collin Gillespie has filled the void in the starting lineup, but he’s been more valuable to Phoenix than to fantasy managers. Also, Ryan Dunn’s fantasy ceiling has been raised, making him worth a look in deep leagues.

Gill didn’t play against the Raptors but did eclipse 20 minutes in three of his team’s previous four games. It’s likely that Justin Champagnie will get a lot of burn on Wednesday if Gill joins the Wizards’ growing list of inactive forwards.

Smart has missed a several games with finger and illness issues in March. His absence will likely give AJ Johnson a chance to get a heavy workload off the bench against Philadelphia.

Washington is still managing Middleton carefully in a down year following a pair of ankle surgeries. George has shown some flashes, but tweaked his ankle after just two minutes his last time out. Justin Champagnie will likely have a featured role against Philadelphia with both wings ruled out.

Wallace and Wiggins are new additions to the injury report. Isaiah Joe, Alex Caruso, and Kenrich Williams will be among the players most likely to get spot starts if Wallace and Wiggins are ruled out.

Davis is out after returning for one game against the Nets while Martin is set to miss his sixth straight game. Naji Marshall has a clear path to start and ramp up his minutes against the Knicks on Tuesday with both these forwards out of commission.