Yahoo Sports Fantasy Basketball

Player Notes

  • 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
  • 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
  • Clint Capela puts up 22/17 double-double vs. Bulls
    Clint Capela recorded a double-double on Wednesday with 22 points (11-of-15 FGs), 17 rebounds and four assists against the Bulls.

    Advice: Capela nearly had a double-double before halftime, and he was able to reach 10 rebounds early in the third quarter. He scored 16 points before the break, but he didn’t get many buckets after that. This was a down year for Capela, as he had his worst field goal percentage since his rookie season, which is a big part of his value in 9-cat leagues. He’ll be on the wrong side of 30 to start next season, and it is hard to imagine him bouncing back. He should continue to be a reliable source of big man stats, but he isn’t as dominant in fantasy as he once was. The emergence of Onyeka Okongwu will only continue to hinder that. Rotoworld Wednesday, 9:32 pm
  • Retreats to bench
    Fernando will come off the bench for Wednesday's Play-In Tournament game against the Bulls, Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

    Advice: Fernando drew the start in the final game of the regular season but he'll retreat to the second unit since Clint Capela (rest) is back in action. While it's assumed Atlanta will trim down their rotation, Fernando should see upwards of 20 minutes Wednesday. Rotowire.com Wednesday, 6:10 pm
  • Back to bench
    Bamba won't start Wednesday's Play-In Game against the Heat.

    Advice: 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. Rotowire.com Wednesday, 3:39 pm
  • Ruptures Achilles in G League game
    The Thunder announced Wednesday that Sarr sustained a ruptured left Achilles' tendon rupture while playing for the G League's Oklahoma City Blue on Monday in the club's 117-100 win over the Maine Celtics in Game 3 of the G League Finals.

    Advice: While the Thunder are expected to release an updated return timetable for Sarr in the coming months, he'll need surgery to address the injury and will likely miss a significant chunk of the 2024-25 season. Sarr split time between the NBA and G League this season as a two-way player and would have been ineligible to compete for the Thunder in the playoffs even if he hadn't suffered the significant injury Monday. Sarr is set to become a restricted free agent this summer. Rotowire.com Wednesday, 3:27 pm