Julian

Phillips

Williams has missed the last eight games with a quad injury, with February 12 being the last time he’s played. His continued absence will mean more rotation minutes for Julian Phillips, which does not impact fantasy basketball.

Williams will miss an eighth-straight game. In his absence, Julian Phillips should continue to see increased run.

Huerter is part of a lengthy list of absentees for the Bulls on Tuesday, with Josh Giddey and Lonzo Ball among the others who will not play. Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips are two rotation players who should see more action due to the injuries, but neither is worth the streaming risk in most fantasy leagues.

Buzelis got off to an excellent start on Saturday, shooting 4-of-5 from the field and tallying 10 points, three rebounds, one blocked shot and two three-pointers in seven first-quarter minutes. Unfortunately, the rookie could not do much in the final three periods, and the solid play of Kevin Huerter may have been a factor. “Red Velvet” played 30 minutes off the bench, tallying 14 points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals and four three-pointers. While there’s nothing wrong with Buzelis and the other Bulls youngsters having to earn their minutes, days like Saturday are a concern for fantasy managers hoping to see a lot of him and Julian Phillips (nine points, three rebounds, one assist, two steals, one block and three three-pointers in 24 minutes) the rest of the way.

Williams will not be available for Chicago’s first game out of the All-Star break. His absence coincides with Lonzo Ball’s return to action, and he should absorb some of the minutes that would have gone to Williams. Matas Buzelis, who moved into the starting lineup before the break, and Julian Phillips can also play more.

Smith is back after sitting out Sunday’s game against Detroit. His return means the Bulls will have a legitimate backup center after going small when Nikola Vucevic needed a break against the Pistons. Matas Buzelis and Julian Phillips will lose playing time, with the latter potentially falling out of the rotation entirely.

LaVine popped up on the injury report Friday with an illness less than two hours before the game against the Hornets. That likely puts the 29-year-old shooting guard on the wrong side of questionable. With his availability in jeopardy, Julian Phillips could be in line for more minutes if LaVine is ruled out.

Even though he has gotten a few starts this season, Phillips hasn’t been able to make an impact in fantasy basketball. However, he was able to provide some scoring off the bench in this game. In what ended up being an ugly loss for Chicago, Phillips was one of the few bright spots. However, he didn’t do enough to really impact fantasy basketball. He had a decent performance, but he isn’t a player to consider streaming at this point. If Chicago pulls the plug on the season and sells at the deadline, there could be minutes that open up for Phillips late in the season.

Craig’s continued absence should open up a few extra minutes for Matas Buzelis and Julian Phillips, but there won’t be much of a fantasy impact from Craig being out of the lineup.

LaVine is back after sitting out Monday’s win over the Hornets. His return means Julian Phillips heads back to the bench, where he offers little fantasy value. There’s no need to roster Phillips in fantasy leagues.