KJ

Martin

There goes Week 1 for fantasy managers who have George rostered. After sitting out Wednesday’s loss to Milwaukee, he’ll miss games in Toronto (Friday) and Indiana (Sunday) before being re-evaluated early next week. KJ Martin started against the Bucks but provided little value, with Caleb Martin logging 37 minutes off the bench. Managers looking for a deep-league streamer would be better served adding Caleb than KJ, with Kelly Oubre Jr. taking priority over both.

The 76ers clearly needed more offense during their 124-109 loss to the Bucks. Tyrese Maxey scored an inefficient team-high 25 points while Kelly Oubre chipped in with 21 of his own. George’s return will surely cut down KJ Martin’s minutes significantly.

Martin is rostered in less than 1% of Yahoo leagues, and Wednesday’s performance will not change that. He offered minimal value as a starter, and it’s clear that Nick Nurse views Caleb Martin as a more palatable option, even if he’s coming off the bench. If Caleb is available in your league, strongly consider adding him. Unfortunately, based on Wednesday’s showing, KJ is unlikely to offer reliable streaming value.

With Paul George sidelined after hyperextending his knee in their previous game, Martin started in his place, which is noteworthy. George isn’t expected to play in back-to-backs, which means that Martin may start at least 20% of Philly’s games this season. That will give him plenty of opportunities to provide fantasy value, and he was able to produce decent numbers in just 26 minutes in this game. Martin isn’t worth drafting, but he’s worth considering as a streaming option.

Martin logged just 12.4 minutes per tilt across 60 appearances for the Clippers and Sixers last season, and he’s not expected to make a major impact for Philly in 2024-25.

Martin will be back in the mix to play on Wednesday but isn’t likely to impact fantasy basketball much given the role he usually slots into when Philadelphia’s veteran wings are healthy.

Martin appears set to return from a three-game hiatus on Wednesday. The 76ers wing isn’t likely to play a significant role with Tobias Harris, Kelly Oubre, and Nic Batum healthy, though.

Martin missed Philadelphia’s last three games of the regular season, and his absence did not significantly impact fantasy basketball. Should he miss Wednesday’s game, that will also be the case for DFS tournaments. Ricky Council IV can absorb the minutes that would have gone to Martin.

Melton and Martin will join Joel Embiid on the sidelines for Sunday’s regular-season finale, but their absences will be less impactful. Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., Buddy Hield, Kyle Lowry, and Cameron Payne are available on the perimeter. At the same time, Ricky Council IV could absorb the limited minutes that Martin would have received.

The 76ers have plenty to play for on Sunday. Depending on the results of multiple games, Philadelphia can finish fifth to eighth in the Eastern Conference standings. The team could decide on the fly how to handle the playing time for Embiid, Martin, and Melton, with the reigning MVP being the most impactful player for active fantasy leagues.