NBA Player News

After scoring 36 points on 14-of-48 shooting in his three games prior, McCollum exploded in Detroit. Recording his first game of 40 points or more since February 13, the veteran guard has met or exceeded that number four times this season. With McCollum being ranked well outside the top 100 in eight- and nine-cat formats over the past two weeks, he needed a day like Sunday to get untracked. Unfortunately, the Pelicans have a small Week 21 slate, with the first of three games scheduled for Monday against the 76ers.

Tatum was back in the Celtics’ lineup after sitting out Wednesday’s win over the Suns, and he made up for lost time with an excellent stat line. Over the past two weeks, the Celtics star has offered top-10 value in eight-cat formats. When Tatum is on the court, fantasy managers don’t worry about much. However, with the Celtics locked into a top-two seed in the East and trailing Cleveland by four games in the loss column, the team may look to get its primary weapons additional time off before the end of the regular season. The Celtics play four games without a back-to-back during Week 22, but that doesn’t guarantee Tatum will be available for each contest.

Johnson has woken up a bit with his play in March as the injury to De’Aaron Fox has opened up some more playing time. The 25-year-old small forward had 23 points on 12 shots including two made three-pointers. Johnson also pulled down six rebounds and dished out three assists in 34 minutes off the bench. He’s in the midst of a hot stretch to end the season and has reliable playing time for a bench player.

Castle had another game where he struggled with his field goal percentage, but ultimately scored over 20 points given the volume he’s being afforded now as a starter. The 20-year-old shooting guard also dished out eight assists. He remains in the conversation for the Rookie of the Year award. San Antonio closes out the week with a matchup against the Warriors Sunday.

Edwards continues to produce for the 76ers, extending his streak of games with at least 17 points to seven. Over the last two weeks, the undrafted rookie has offered fourth-round value in nine-cat formats. Edwards is rostered in 40 percent of Yahoo! leagues, so standard league managers have not been asleep at the wheel. But there are still spots where he can be found. Even with Philadelphia playing three games during Week 22, now is an excellent time for managers competing for league titles to add Edwards.

Before Saturday’s game, it was reported that Andre Drummond (toe) would miss at least another five games. That put him out of play for Week 22, which boosts Bona’s fantasy value. The rookie was very productive against the Heat, recording his second double-double and blocking three shots for the second straight game. Rostered in 12 percent of Yahoo! leagues, Bona has provided top 50 value in eight- and nine-cat formats over the past two weeks. Despite the 76ers playing three games during Week 22, now is the time to add Bona.

With Jeff Dowtin Jr. inactive for two-way contract reasons, Butler returned to the starting lineup on Saturday. His 10 assists were a season-high, and Jared has reached double figures in points in consecutive games for the first time in nearly three weeks. Dowtin can only be active for two more games this season; unless Philadelphia gives him a standard contract, Butler will have more opportunities to start. An 11th-round player in nine-cat formats over the past two weeks, he’s rostered in 18 percent of Yahoo! leagues.