Yahoo Sports Fantasy Basketball

  • Officially questionable for Game 1
    Embiid is questionable for Game 1 of the first-round series against the Knicks on Saturday due to left knee injury recovery.

    Advice: Embiid appeared in five of the final seven regular-season matchups, averaging 30.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks in 30.6 minutes, after returning from a 29-game absence at the beginning of April. He also posted 23 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and a steal in 38 minutes during Philadelphia's Play-In victory over Miami on Wednesday. Embiid will likely be a regular on the injury report throughout the postseason, but barring a setback or new injury, it'd be surprising if the reigning MVP missed time. Rotowire.com Today, 11:35 am
     
  • Kidd: Dereck Lively ‘trending in right direction’
    Dereck Lively II (right knee) is “trending in the right direction” to play in Game 1 against the Clippers on Sunday.

    Advice: Livwly missed the final couple of weeks of the regular season, but there is a chance that he is available to play in Game 1 against the Clippers. If he does return to the rotation, he will play an important role off the bench and split minutes with Daniel Gafford and Maxi Kleber down low. Rotoworld Today, 10:22 am
     
  • On track to play Sunday
    Coach Jason Kidd said Friday that Lively (knee) is trending in the right direction and is on track to play in Sunday's Game 1 against the Clippers, Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News reports.

    Advice: Lively missed the final eight regular-season games due to a right knee sprain but returned to full practices this week and has avoided a setback thus far. If available, the rookie will likely handle a backup role behind Daniel Gafford, but Lively has proven to be an excellent fit in Dallas and should still play around 20 minutes per game in the playoffs. Rotowire.com Today, 10:19 am
     
  • Zach Collins (right shoulder) to undergo surgery
    Zach Collins will undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder but should be ready for the start of the 2024-25 season.

    Advice: Collins injured his shoulder early in the third quarter of Sunday’s win over the Pistons and will need his fifth surgery since entering the NBA. One of the previous four was to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder back in 2019, with the other three being on his left ankle. The expectation is that Collins will be healthy for the start of next season, which is unlikely to impact his fantasy value. With Victor Wembanyama firmly entrenched as the starting center, Collins was most valuable on nights when the French phenom did not play due to injury. Rotoworld Yesterday, 4:04 pm
     
  • Will undergo shoulder surgery
    The Spurs announced Thursday that Collins suffered a torn labrum in the regular-season finale against the Pistons on April 14 and will undergo surgery in the offseason, Nick Moyle of The San Antonio Express News reports.

    Advice: Collins will undergo shoulder surgery in the coming days, and even though a specific date has not been determined yet, the Spurs expect the veteran big man to fully recover for the start of the 2024-25 season. He averaged 11.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 0.8 blocks per game across 69 appearances this year, which included a career-high 29 starts. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 12:45 pm
     
  • Iffy for Friday
    Drummond (ankle) is questionable for Friday's Play-In Game against Miami.

    Advice: Drummond returned to action for Wednesday's Play-In Game against Atlanta after missing the final three games of the regular season due to a sprained left ankle. He tallied four points (2-4 FG), four rebounds, three blocks and one steal in 11 minutes in the Bulls' 131-116 win. Though he's listed as questionable heading into Friday's contest, Drummond will most likely be available to serve as the Bulls' backup center in a win-or-go-home game for both teams. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 11:46 am
     
  • Plays big minutes in Play-In win
    Embiid logged 23 points (6-17 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 9-10 FT), 15 rebounds, five assists and one steal over 38 minutes during Wednesday's 105-104 Play-In Game victory over Miami.

    Advice: Embiid had a complicated matchup against Bam Adebayo, arguably one of the best defensive centers in the NBA, and even though Embiid's efficiency was subpar, he still led Philadelphia 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. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 7:26 am
     
  • Double-double in loss Wednesday
    Adebayo posted 10 points (5-9 FG, 0-2 3Pt), 12 rebounds, one assist and two blocks across 31 minutes during Wednesday's 105-104 Play-In Game loss to the 76ers.

    Advice: 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 though the Heat lost. 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 matching up against Nikola Vucevic, who's not as talented as Embiid on the defensive end of the court. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 7:18 am
     
  • Records double-double in win
    Vucevic notched 24 points (11-21 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 12 rebounds and two assists in 37 minutes during Wednesday's 131-116 Play-In Game victory over the Hawks.

    Advice: 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. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 3:37 am