Yahoo Sports Fantasy Basketball

Player Notes

  • Trae Young posts 22/10 double-double in loss
    Trae Young struggled on Wednesday but finished with 22 points (4-of-12 FGs, 11-of-13 FTs), two rebounds, 10 assists, three triples and six turnovers against the Bulls.

    Advice: Despite previously being undefeated in the Play-In Tournament, the magic ran out for Trae and the Hawks in this one. This was their third straight appearance in the Play-In after making the Eastern Conference Finals before that. While Young was able to come away with a 20-point double-double, his inefficient shooting and turnovers certainly weren’t pretty. He was a team-worst -27 in 43 minutes, which means they outscored Chicago by 12 points in his five minutes on the bench. There had already been plenty of rumors suggesting that Atlanta could trae Young this summer, and after a performance like this, those rumors will certainly heat up. Rotoworld Yesterday, 9:36 pm
  • 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 Yesterday, 9:32 pm
  • Dejounte Murray leads Hawks with 30/7/6/2 in loss
    Dejounte Murray led Atlanta with 30 points (11-of-21 FGs), seven rebounds, six assists, two steals and three triples in a 131-116 loss to Chicago on Wednesday.

    Advice: While his counterpart in the backcourt struggled in this game, Murray was able to turn in an excellent performance. He had a big first half and entered the break with 23 points. He hit a quick three to open the second half, but he wasn’t able to do much scoring after that. With Murray having an excellent game while Trae Young struggled, rumors will heat up quickly. There had already been plenty suggesting that Atlanta will move on from one of them, and a failed attempt to make the playoffs will not convince anyone that this team deserves another run. One way or another, Murray should be the sole point guard option on his team next year, which will be excellent for his fantasy production. Rotoworld Yesterday, 9:28 pm
  • Woj: Alex Caruso has ‘significant’ foot sprain
    Alex Caruso suffered a “significant” right foot sprain during Wednesday’s Play-In matchup with the Hawks, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

    Advice: Caruso briefly exited from Wednesday’s game before returning to play more. He ended up exiting early and only played 17 total minutes in the win. Wojnarowski also added that White’s status is “in doubt”, so if he can’t suit up against the Heat on Friday, Javonte Green will likely start in his place. He logged 22 minutes against Atlanta and finished with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists. Rotoworld Yesterday, 9:23 pm
  • Coby White drops 42 points in win over Hawks
    Coby White led Chicago with 42 points (15-of-21 FGs, 9-of-10 FTs), nine rebounds, six assists, two steals and three triples in a 131-116 win over Atlanta on Wednesday.

    Advice: White may not win the league’s Most Improved Player award, but after a breakout season, he went nuclear in their first game of the postseason. The Play-In Tournament doesn’t technically count towards a player’s stats, but this would have been a career-high for points for White, and he did it with ridiculous efficiency. It has been an incredible year for White, but they’ll need one more big game out of him to make it to the playoffs. They’ll travel to play the Heat with a chance to take on the Celtics in the first round on the line. Rotoworld Yesterday, 9:21 pm
  • DeMar DeRozan pours in 22/6/9/1/1 line vs. Atlanta
    DeMar DeRozan posted a full line on Wednesday with 22 points (10-of-19 FGs), six rebounds, nine assists, one steal, one block and one triple against the Hawks.

    Advice: DeRozan wasn’t the star of the show, but he was able to have an effective night statistically across the board. The Hawks really didn’t have any answers for Chicago’s offense, and DeRozan was no exception. He logged 44 minutes in this game, and he will likely take on a large role once again when they head to Miami to play on Friday. Alex Caruso suffered a foot sprain in this game, and he isn’t expected to play against the Heat, which just means that DeRozan will have to step up even more if they want to make it to the playoffs. Rotoworld Yesterday, 9:18 pm
  • Nikola Vucevic turns in 24/12 double-double
    Nikola Vucevic recorded a double-double on Wednesday with 24 points (11-of-21 FGs), 12 rebounds, two assists and one triple against the Hawks.

    Advice: Vooch closed out the regular season with three straight 20-point games, and he was able to keep that up to open up the postseason. He only scored five points when they played Atlanta earlier this month, but he was far more effective in this one. With the win, they’ll head to Miami to face a Heat team that may be without Jimmy Butler after he suffered a knee injury on Wednesday. They haven’t played Miami since December, but Vucevic scored less than 20 in three of their four matchups this year. If they’re able to walk away with another win, they’ll take on Boston in the first round. Rotoworld Yesterday, 9:15 pm
  • Dealing with possible MCL injury
    Butler is feared to have sustained an MCL injury in his right knee, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

    Advice: 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. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 8:10 pm
  • Nicolas Batum scores season-high 20 with 6 triples
    Nicolas Batum provided a boost off the bench with 20 points (7-of-12 FGs), five rebounds, one block and six triples against the Heat on Wednesday.

    Advice: Batum hasn’t been much more than a veteran rotation piece that can come away with some defensive stats and threes this season, but he stepped up in the biggest way possible in this game. He made a big play late with a block on a 3-point attempt from Tyler Herro, and he was able to set new season-highs with 20 points and six 3-pointers. He has started some this season, though he will continue to come off the bench as long as the team is fully healthy. It’s unlikely, but he’ll look to keep the heroics going against New York. Rotoworld Yesterday, 8:06 pm