Utah

Jazz

Clarkson was downgraded to doubtful earlier in the day and has now officially been ruled out. Isaiah Collier and Johnny Juzang should take on larger roles off the bench in place of Clarkson, though neither player should be seen as an appealing option. Collin Sexton and Keyonte George should also play extra minutes.

Clarkson’s appearance on the injury report is concerning, as he missed two games earlier this season due to a similar injury. If he cannot play on Thursday, fellow reserves Isaiah Collier and Johnny Juzang may absorb some of the available minutes, and starter Collin Sexton can also take some. Neither Collier nor Juzang needs to be rostered in most leagues.

Thursday’s game is the sixth that Kessler will miss due to hip bursitis. John Collins will remain the starter for the foreseeable future, which has boosted his fantasy value. As for streaming options, deep league managers can consider Kyle Filipowski, while Drew Eubanks is unlikely to get the opportunities needed to impact fantasy basketball.

Undrafted after finishing last season at the University of Memphis, Jones was with the 76ers’ summer league team. While the odds of having an impact with the rebuilding Jazz are better than what they would have been in Philadelphia, Jones is unlikely to merit being rostered in fantasy leagues.

Although the Jazz lost Tuesday’s game, they should be encouraged by George having one of his best games of the season. He was efficient on offense as a scorer and creator, shooting over 50% from the field and committing just one turnover. The issue for fantasy managers is that nights like Tuesday have been rare for George, who’s still shooting below 37% from the field. Hopefully, he can clean that up as the season progresses.

Rostered in 50% of Yahoo leagues, Clarkson has been a top 100 player over the past two weeks. He’s averaged 18.0 points per game, with the scoring increase minimizing the impact of Clarkson shooting 40.6% from the field. Given the season-long value, JC’s recent run of individual success should not change how he’s viewed in fantasy basketball. He remains a late-round player in standard leagues.

Despite being ranked outside the top 150 in 9-cat formats, Sexton remains rostered in over 80% of Yahoo leagues. He’ll figure prominently in the Jazz offensive attack as a starter, so there isn’t too much risk in rostering Sexton. The issue is the lack of defensive production; punt steals and blocks, and Sexton is an 11th-round player. He’s never been known as a lockdown defender, so there’s no reason for fantasy managers to expect this to change anytime soon.

Markkanen has shot 50% or better from the field in five straight games. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, the production has not increased as much as they’d like. Markkanen’s averaging 11.0 shots per game in November, two fewer than his number in October. That may not seem like much, but a player of his caliber should be the unquestioned primary scoring option. Markkanen is ranked fourth on the Jazz in shots per game for the season.

Kessler will miss a fifth consecutive game, meaning John Collins stays in the starting lineup. Collins is providing top-50 fantasy value and is already rostered in over 90% of Yahoo leagues. Managers seeking a streamer should consider Kyle Filipowski, who recently replaced Cody Williams in the starting lineup.

Clarkson led the Jazz in scoring for the third time this season on Sunday, with 21 points, the most he’s scored in a game since October 29 (21 vs. Sacramento). Rostered in 48% of Yahoo leagues, he’s been a 7th-round player in 9-cat formats over the last two weeks. The season-long value remains low, with Clarkson being a “schedule play” in standard leagues instead of someone who has to be rostered.