NBA Player News

Hartenstein closed Monday's 117-112 victory over the Cavaliers with five points (2-8 FG, 1-2 FT), 14 rebounds, four assists and two steals across 28 minutes.

Hartenstein struggled to find his touch offensively but made his presence felt elsewhere, pulling down seven offensive rebounds while leading both teams in total boards. The veteran center continues to provide fantasy value through his rebounding, passing and defensive contributions, even when his scoring is limited.

Cleveland recalled Diop (knee) from the G League's Cleveland Charge on Monday.

Diop has continued to miss games due to his injury, having yet to make his 2026-27 season debut, even though he would be limited to a depth role when healthy. He's back with the NBA team after spending time with the G League squad, and his status remains uncertain for the time being. However, he could still be expected to make some appearances for the Charge while he builds competitive momentum once his knee is fully healed.

Jokic registered 26 points (10-22 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 4-4 FT), nine rebounds, eight assists, four steals and a block across 35 minutes in Monday's 118-110 loss to the Trail Blazers.

Jokic narrowly missed another triple-double, finishing one rebound and two assists short despite a strong all-around performance. His four steals provided a substantial fantasy boost, helping compensate for relatively inefficient shooting. Jokic remains one of fantasy basketball's most reliable contributors thanks to his exceptional involvement across scoring, rebounding and playmaking, with defensive production offering additional upside. He's averaging 22.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks per game to open the season.

Clingan delivered 17 points (8-16 FG, 1-3 3Pt), 18 rebounds, three assists and four blocks across 32 minutes in Monday's 118-110 win over the Nuggets.

Clingan delivered an outstanding fantasy performance, grabbing nine offensive rebounds while providing elite rim protection against Denver's frontcourt led by none other than Nikola Jokic. Clingan's combination of rebounding volume and shot-blocking makes him an appealing option at center, and even though he's not likely to hover around the 15-point mark on a regular basis, his floor remains very high due to his two-way contributions.

Smith registered 13 points (6-10 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 0-1 FT), seven rebounds and four assists across 28 minutes in Monday's 126-107 loss to the 76ers.

Smith provided efficient interior scoring and useful contributions on the glass while coming close to matching his season-high assist total. This was Smith's fifth double-digit scoring performance this season, and he has also recorded at least seven rebounds five times. His scoring and rebounding will drive his fantasy appeal on a young Chicago roster.

Towns finished with 11 points (4-11 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 16 rebounds and five assists across 35 minutes in Monday's 103-90 win over the Nets.

Towns struggled offensively, failing to score in the first half before finishing with 11 points. However, his 16 rebounds and five assists helped compensate for the disappointing scoring output. Towns continues to provide substantial fantasy value through rebounding and playmaking, and his scoring has been solid for the most part. While this 11-point performance was a season-low mark, he had scored at least 19 points in each of his previous six showings.

Edey provided six points (2-6 FG, 2-2 FT), nine rebounds, one assist and two blocks in 19 minutes before fouling out of Monday's 135-134 overtime loss to New Orleans.

Edey was limited to no more than 20 minutes for the third straight game, providing endless headaches for fantasy managers. It's clear that Memphis is taking a cautious approach when it comes to ramping Edey up, while foul trouble has also been an ongoing concern. He is currently well outside the top 100 through six games, averaging 6.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in just 20.0 minutes per game.

Queen notched 20 points (7-13 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 5-6 FT), seven rebounds, five assists, one block and two steals across 24 minutes during Monday's 135-134 overtime victory over Memphis.

Queen continued to come off the bench, yet put together another intriguing performance. The fact that he has not been inserted into the starting lineup despite an injury to Yves Missi (knee) indicates that the coaching staff is not comfortable playing him more than about 25 minutes on any given night. While this does limit his overall upside, he is doing more than enough in a bench role to be considered a must-roster player.

Matkovic finished Monday's 135-134 overtime win over the Grizzlies with 25 points (9-13 FG, 5-8 3Pt, 2-4 FT), six rebounds, one assist, one block and two steals over 29 minutes.

Matkovic delivered easily his best performance of the season, helping New Orleans to an impressive win over the previously undefeated Memphis. That makes three consecutive starts for Matkovic, during which time he has averaged 15.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.7 three-pointers and 3.0 combined steals and blocks. It appears as though he has secured himself the starting center spot, at least until Yves Missi returns from a knee injury. For now, he is definitely worth a look, even in standard leagues.

Reed racked up 11 points (5-6 FG, 1-2 FT), five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals across 28 minutes during Monday's 124-91 victory over the Hornets.

Reed turned in another strong two-way performance, filling in for the injured Jalen Duren (hamstring). In four appearances over the past week, he has been a top 30 asset in nine-category leagues, averaging 15.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 0.8 three-pointers and 3.0 combined steals and blocks. The eventual return of Duren will certainly impact Reed's production. However, given how well the team has functioned with Reed as the starting center, there is a case to be made for him playing over John Collins, alongside Duren.