Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has been suspended for three games following an altercation with a columnist. Embiid shoved the reporter for comments about Embiid's deceased brother and young son. The two of them were separated and no one was hurt. It's worth noting that Embiid won't begin his suspension until he's medically cleared to play. Embiid has yet to play this season due to left knee injury management. The big man has been criticized for missing time without a legitimate injury or health issue. Embiid appears to be close to getting back on the court, but now faces another obstacle with this suspension. Andre Drummond will continue seeing increased playing time until Embiid is ready to play.

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (knee) is listed as out for Monday night's game against the Phoenix Suns. His status comes as no surprise given Philadelphia's extra-cautious approach with the 30-year-old's health. Embiid's recovery from a knee injury sustained in January 2024 has taken much longer than anticipated to fully recover from, leading to the extra cautious approach that resulted in a $100,000 fine for the organization. It's also led to intense criticism from the Philadelphia media which sparked an altercation between Embiid and a reporter in the locker room after Saturday night's loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. While Embiid's timeline to the court has yet to be released, Philadelphia desperately needs the former MVP's dominating presence to return. Until then, fantasy managers should target Andre Drummond for a center who will bring tremendous value from a rebounding perspective.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (knee) is expected to play in Monday's meeting with the Phoenix Suns. The 34-year-old has yet to debut with his new club. Fortunately, George appears ready to get back on the floor. He averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists last season with the Clippers. Under normal circumstances, Paul would be considered a lock for fantasy lineups. While that is still true in most cases, he could see fewer minutes than usual versus the Suns. However, George should still get enough work to lower the ceiling of Caleb Martin.

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (knee) has yet to play this season. As a result, tensions have been high in recent interactions between the media and some members of the team. However, it reached a boiling point on Saturday after the Sixers loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, with ESPN's Shams Charania reporting that Embiid got into an "altercation" with Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes. The 2023 MVP confronted Hayes, reportedly taking issue with a recent column that made mention of Embiid's deceased brother while also referencing his son. As expected, it didn't sit well with Embiid, resulting a verbal confrontation followed by the multi-time All-Star allegedly "shoving" Hayes before both were eventually separated. The league has already launched an investigation, although it's unknown if Embiid will be punished for the incident.

Philadelphia 76ers guard/forward Paul George (knee) will have to sit out at least one more game on Saturday as the team has officially ruled him out against the Memphis Grizzlies. George spoke to the media on Friday and said that the last thing to do is get his cardio back up to speed, and then he should be able to return to the floor. He and Joel Embiid (knee) both participated in scrimmages on Friday as well, so they're trending in the right direction. For now, Kelly Oubre Jr., Caleb Martin, and Andre Drummond will see increased usage and are the best streaming options until they return.