NBA Player News

Sunday’s game will be the fifth Miller has missed with left hamstring tendinopathy. He has not been in the Clippers’ rotation when healthy, so his continued absence will not impact fantasy basketball.

Adams is back after sitting out Thursday’s win over the Jazz. He’ll handle the backup center responsibilities, while Jock Landale will likely fall out of the rotation. There’s no need to roster Landale, who may re-enter the rotation for Monday’s game against the Lakers.

Sunday’s game is the first of two in as many nights for the Rockets, who visit the Lakers on Monday. That game is of greater importance to the Rockets in the team’s quest for the two-seed in the Western Conference, so Eason will not play against Phoenix. Jabari Smith Jr. should see his playing time increase, but coming off the bench limits his fantasy ceiling.

Sunday’s game will be the seventh Beal has missed with a hamstring injury. Collin Gillespie should remain in the starting lineup, but he has not offered much fantasy value in that role. Ryan Dunn’s fantasy ceiling has been raised, and the rookie is worth a dice roll in deep leagues.

While Bismack Biyombo is available for Saturday’s game, he’s been moved to the bench for matchup reasons. A more athletic defender, Sochan will start opposite Kristaps Porzingis, and the lineup change raises his fantasy ceiling. Biyombo can still offer rebounds and blocks as a reserve, but this is not a great matchup.

Williams left Thursday’s game against the Grizzlies early with a hip injury that he was already dealing with. The 22-year-old power forward was at shootaround Saturday, but was ultimately ruled out for the game against the Pacers. Kenrich Williams and Isaiah Joe are candidates to see additional minutes with J-Dub out.

Caruso left Thursday’s game against the Grizzlies early with a back injury that he’s been dealing with all season. The 31-year-old shooting guard was at shootaround and is available Saturday where he’ll resume his customary reserve role.

Bagley is back after sitting out the Grizzlies’ last two games. While he can provide additional depth off the bench, that isn’t enough to make him a player worth rostering in most fantasy leagues.

Houstan has made at least four three-pointers in four games this season, and he matched his previous high on Saturday with six. Also, he managed to provide some value in the rebound and assist categories. However, Saturday’s performance is insufficient to make Houstan a player worth targeting. He’s been an inconsistent shooter, and the limited production outside of points and triples makes him a difficult player to trust in most fantasy leagues.

Carter has scored 12 points or more in five of his last seven appearances. While this would not be a significant deal for most starters, it is for a player who has battled inconsistency for most of the season. However, even with the increased scoring output, Carter remains a player who cannot be trusted in 12-team leagues. Over the past two weeks, he’s ranked outside the top 200 in eight- and nine-cat formats. Backup Goga Bitadze (12/10/5/1/1 in 18 minutes) has been better, but his overall fantasy value hasn’t been much to brag about. With Orlando’s three-game Week 22 ending on Thursday, there isn’t much to gain from rostering either in standard leagues.

Wagner has scored 20 points or more in seven straight games, his longest streak since late January. The Magic forward has provided sixth-round value in eight-cat formats over the past two weeks, which aligns with most fantasy managers’ expectations for him before the season began. However, Wagner’s season-long value remains within the top 50 in eight- and nine-cat formats. The Magic start a three-game Week 22 on Monday against the Clippers.