Nate

Williams

Williams played five games with Portland last season after going undrafted out of Buffalo. He helped the Blazers’ tanking agenda, which allowed them to land Scoot Henderson. He’ll head to Houston, where he’ll likely spend the majority of his time either in the G-League or keeping the bench nice and toasty, if he makes their final roster.

Undrafted out of Buffalo, Williams camped with the Jazz last season before being waived in mid-October. Signed by Portland in April, he appeared in five games for the Trail Blazers, averaging 10.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.6 3-pointers in 25.4 minutes.

Despite being cleared to play in Thursday’s game, Knox was replaced in the starting lineup by rookie John Butler Jr. While he didn’t score as much as the former Knicks’ first-round pick, Butler did record a full line, finishing with 12 points, two rebounds, four assists, two steals, three blocks, and two 3-pointers in 37 minutes. Thursday’s performance was a good one for Knox, who’s still looking to establish himself as a pro, but there are no guarantees for Portland’s last two games, given how the injury report has been handled. Fantasy managers should expect to see the aforementioned Butler play plenty over the weekend, and the same can be said for Jeenathan Williams (16/5/4 in 32 minutes).

Thybulle did not play in Tuesday’s loss to Memphis and appears on track to miss another game. Jeenathan Williams was thrust into the starting lineup on Tuesday, and that will likely be the case Thursday night as well. While he did accumulate three steals and two blocks, Williams isn’t worth adding in most fantasy leagues.

Reddish has missed Portland’s last four games with the lumbar issue, and he was initially questionable for the last two. His continued absence would mean more minutes for Jeenathan Williams and Shaquille Harrison, with the latter being a decent deep-league option despite coming off the bench.

With Matisse Thybulle and Trendon Watford out due to injury, Knox and Williams move into the starting lineup. While Knox can be a risky play in fantasy basketball, he’s worth the risk, given how shorthanded the Trail Blazers will be. However, the fantasy “star” for this group is Sharpe.

The Buffalo product looks poised to make his NBA debut thanks to a litany of Portland injuries, but there’s no telling how many minutes he’ll see or how he’ll perform. Guys like this are the true embodiment of “silly season,” and if your fantasy league plays during the final week, you’ve got to be prepared for anything. Keep an eye on Williams in this one.

The Blazers had to waive Ryan Arcidiacono in order to make room for Williams. Portland is embracing the tank at this point, so Williams should play a large role over their final five games of the season. He averaged 14.4 points in the G-League this season, so he could provide enough value to be worth streaming in standard leagues that are still going.