Fantasy News

Shines off bench Wednesday It was widely known that Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey were going to carry the Sixers in this matchup against the Heat, but the truth is that Philadelphia wouldn't have gotten the win hadn't it been for Batum's impressive effort off the bench. The 20-point output was a season-high mark for the veteran, and even though his role is not going to change drastically in the first-round matchup against New York, he should continue to see decent minutes on a regular basis. Perhaps surprisingly, he went scoreless in the four times he faced the Knicks during the regular season.

Leads Sixers to win Wednesday Embiid had a complicated matchup against Bam Adebayo, arguably one of the best defensive centers in The Association, and even though his efficiency was subpar, he still led Philadephia in scoring while coming through with a clutch performance from the charity stripe. Embiid should be in line for a productive first-round series against the Knicks, and even though he only faced them once in the regular season, he delivered a 30-point, 10-rebound, three-block performance on Jan. 5.

Scores 19 in win over Miami Maxey had a rough night from three-point range, but he still salvaged his stat line by sniffing the 20-point mark and dishing out six assists. Maxey is expected to play a prominent role on offense in the first-round matchup against the Knicks, and it's worth noting he averaged 26.3 points per game in three games vs. New York during the regular season.

Decent stat line in loss Jaquez looked good despite coming off the bench and was one of Miami's top contributors on offense. He's widely expected to move into the starting lineup for Friday's matchup against the Bulls due to the absence of Jimmy Butler (knee), and that would translate into an uptick in his usage rate.

Double-double in loss Wednesday Adebayo wasn't as involved as expected on the offensive end of the court, as he had to deal with a tough matchup against Joel Embiid, but he still found a way to finish with a double-double even if the Heat came up short of winning. Knowing the Heat will be without Jimmy Butler (knee) for Friday's game against the Bulls, Adebayo should experience an uptick in usage rate and volume while dealing with the matchup of Nikola Vucevic, who's nowhere near as good as Embiid on the defensive end of the court.

Leads Heat in scoring in loss Herro might have needed 27 shots to score 25 shots, but the uptick in usage rate happened since Jimmy Butler suffered a knee injury in the first quarter, which limited him considerably, and Bam Adebayo had a rough matchup with Joel Embiid. Herro has reached the 20-point mark in four of his last six outings, and considering Butler will miss Friday's win-or-go-home matchup against the Bulls, he should be in line for another heavy usage rate vs. Chicago.

Facing multi-week absence Butler sustained the injury in the final minute of the first quarter, and while he remained in the game, he was clearly operating at well below full strength and ultimately finished with 19 points (5-18 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 7-8 FT), five assists, five steals and four rebounds in 40 minutes. The Heat will send Butler in for an MRI on Thursday before providing an updated diagnosis of his injury, but the 34-year-old looks safe to count out for Friday's Play-In Tournament matchup with the Bulls, and quite likely, the first round of the playoffs if Miami should advance. Jaime Jaquez has regularly picked up starts when Butler missed time during the regular season, and the rookie first-rounder, as well as Haywood Highsmith and Caleb Martin, could all benefit from added minutes Friday.

Posts 21 points in final game Bogdanovic jumped in and out of the starting lineup this season but still managed an average of 30.4 minutes per game, a career-best for the veteran. The sharpshooter saw a modest decline in his three-point percentage this season, averaging only 37.4 percent beyond the arc. He ended the season ranked fifth in the league with 651 three-pointers. Bogdanovic is in the midst of a four-year deal with the Hawks and he's expected to remain with the team.

Ends season with 30-point effort Despite dealing with an extended absence from Trae Young, Murray kept the team afloat and squeaked into the Play-In Bracket. Despite the disappointing end, Murray put together the best campaign of his seven-year career, averaging 22.5 points, 6.4 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals during his second year with the Hawks. While Young will almost certainly be headed elsewhere, Murray is locked into a contract with the Hawks and should continue to be a focal point of the offense next season.

Finishes season with 22 points Young may have played his last game in an Atlanta uniform Wednesday night. Young will definitely test the market after a disappointing end to the 2023-24 season, and it seems to be foregone conclusion that he'll be headed elsewhere. The Hawks went 12-11 during Young's most recent absence, proving that the current roster can play break-even ball without him. Young's departure will free up considerable cap space, and with Dejounte Murray locked into a deal, the Hawks may look for a capable off-the-ball guard to complement him.

Flirts with double-double in win DeRozan put together another successful season during his third season with the Bulls. Perhaps the biggest feather in DeRozan's cap is his attendance record, as he's played at least 74 games per season over three years in Chicago. The veteran will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, and the Bulls will probably make a competitive offer unless another team presents an irresistible package. For the time being, DeRozan's focus will be on advancing with a win against Miami.

Records double-double in win Although Coby White's heroics headlined the game, the most interesting positional battle occurred inside, where Vucevic and Clint Capela went toe-to-toe. Although Capela out-rebounded Vucevic, the Chicago big man displayed his ability to stretch the floor, forcing Capela to play further out. The result was a vulnerable interior defense for the Hawks, and the rest of the team took advantage with productive slashes to the basket. Things won't get any easier for Vucevic in the next game, as he'll face Bam Adebayo in a battle for the eighth seed.

Scores career-high 42 points White enjoyed a career night during the elimination game and led the Bulls in scoring by a wide margin. The fight for the eighth seed seems like a lost cause with the Boson Celtics looming as the eventual opponent, but few teams could have beaten the Bulls Wednesday night, galvanized by White's stellar evening. His stat line is a reminder that White should be considered as a favorite to win Most Improved Player honors.

Dealing with ankle injury Caruso missed portions of the first half after a collision with Andre Drummond. While he managed to return to the game, he was subbed out with 9:43 to play in the third quarter and didn't check back in. Caruso's status is certainly up in the air for Friday's matchup with Miami and is worth monitoring ahead of the contest. If he ends up sitting, Javonte Green, Torrey Craig and Dalen Terry are candidates for more minutes.

Dealing with possible MCL injury Butler finished out Wednesday's Play-In Tournament game against the 76ers despite sporting a limp in his right leg. While he was reported to be undergoing an MRI on Thursday, Butler's injury could be more serious than initially expected. If it ends up being an MCL injury, it's highly unlikely that Butler will be able to play in Friday's Play-In elimination game. In that scenario, Jaime Jaquez, Haywood Highsmith and Caleb Martin would likely see more minutes.

Checks back in Caruso took a brief trip to the locker room late in the first quarter after colliding with Andre Drummond. However, he's checked back into the contest and should be good to go.

Undergoing MRI on knee Butler appeared to tweak his knee late in the first quarter after being fouled but remained in the game at less than 100 percent, sporting a noticeable limp at times. Butler was seen wearing a protective knee sleeve post-game and will have more testing done Thursday. The Heat will play in a win-or-go-home matchup Friday night, giving Butler very little time to heal. We should know more about the severity of the injury once the MRI results come back.

Exits game Andre Drummond stepped on Caruso's foot in transition and ran over Caruso at half-court. Caruso quickly removed himself from the game and limped back to the locker room. He should be considered questionable to return.

Set to play against Atlanta Drummond has been upgraded from questionable to available Wednesday after missing Chicago's previous three contests with a left ankle sprain. Drummond is averaging 9.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 18.5 minutes across his previous 10 appearances.

Headed to bench Wednesday Green started in Chicago's regular-season finale with the Bulls resting some of their main guys, but he'll return to a reserve role Wednesday, so his minutes and value will dip.

Back to bench for Play-In Fernando drew the start in Game 82 of the regular season but he'll retreat to the second unit with Clint Capela (rest) back in action. While it's assumed Atlanta will trim down their rotation, Fernando should see upwards of 20 minutes Wednesday.

Set to play against Chicago Capela will return to action Wednesday after sitting out Atlanta's regular-season finale for rest purposes. The 29-year-old big man should reclaim his starting spot from Bruno Fernando. Capela is averaging 12.0 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.8 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals in 28.6 minutes across his past 10 appearances.

Full go Wednesday Dosunmu missed the last four games of the regular season with a right quad contusion, but he's been given the green light for Wednesday's Play-In game. He should be expected to slot back into the starting shooting guard role. Dosunmu made 27 consecutive starts before sustaining the injury, averaging 16.9 points, 4.9 assists and 3.4 rebounds during that stretch.

Coming off bench Wednesday Despite starting in his last 17 outings, Robinson will come off the bench against Philadelphia after missing Miami's previous four contests with a back injury. Robinson is averaging 9.8 points, 1.3 assists and 1.2 rebounds in 21.4 minutes across his last 10 appearances coming off the bench.

Back to bench With Joel Embiid (knee) sidelined, Bamba drew a spot start during the regular-season finale and posted four points, six rebounds and two blocks in 18 minutes during a 107-86 win over Brooklyn. Across 40 appearances off the bench this season, Bamba has averaged 3.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 10.3 minutes per game.

Good to go against Miami As expected, Embiid has been upgraded from questionable to available Tuesday despite dealing with a left knee injury. The superstar big man tallied 29 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 33 minutes during his only other appearance against Miami this season.

Available for Wednesday Martin will return from a three-game absence and will likely be working with minutes in the teens. He's not the most attractive fantasy option.

Diagnosed with Achilles injury While the Thunder are expected to release a return timetable in the coming months, Sarr's injury could continue to affect him during the 2024-25 campaign. Sarr split time between the NBA and G League this season as a two-way player and is ineligible for the Thunder's postseason run.

Expected to play Wednesday Martin is still being listed as "questionable" on the injury report, but he was able to get through shootaround, so it looks like he'll be out there barring a setback during warmups. However, he'll likely only be operating with minutes in the teens, so he's not a great target in fantasy hoops.

Good to go against Philadelphia Robinson will return to action Wednesday after missing Miami's last four contests to end the regular season while dealing with left facet syndrome. Robinson is averaging 10.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 26.7 minutes across his last 10 appearances.

Expected to play Wednesday Embiid got through shootaround without issue, but the 76ers' medical staff would like him to get through his pregame routine before officially clearing him. However, it seems very likely that he'll be out there, so he's a reasonable target in daily fantasy leagues.

Returns to practice Gordon missed Phoenix's regular-season finale due to a migraine. However, the veteran guard's return to practice is a good sign of his availability for Saturday's Game 1 against Minnesota.

Doesn’t practice, unlikely to play Wade carved out a substantial role when the Cavaliers dealt with multiple injuries, mainly to Evan Mobley, earlier in the season, but he hasn't played since March 8 due to a knee injury. In Wade's likely absence, Georges Niang and Marcus Morris are candidates for a few extra minutes off the bench.

Still not practicing, status TBD Lillard has been dealing with the injuries for the last three weeks and missed four of the Bucks' final nine regular-season games. The superstar sharpshooter said Tuesday he won't be 100 percent for the postseason but added that no one is at this point in the campaign. Coach Doc Rivers said tests on Lillard's lower body returned clean but added that he still wanted to give his point guard "a little more rest."

Not cleared for 5-on-5 Leonard missed the final eight regular-season games due to right knee inflammation but returned to practice Monday, albeit in a limited fashion. His official status for Sunday's Game 1 against the Mavericks won't be known until Saturday afternoon, but Lue said he's preparing as if Leonard will be available to start the postseason.