Portland Trail Blazers DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons (knee) has been listed as questionable for Thursday's clash with the Knicks. Portland's leading scorer put in a monster performance with 36 points in 43 minutes against Atlanta on Wednesday and might sit out the second leg of a back-to-back. Scoot Henderson was back on the bench Wednesday, seeing only 17 minutes, and he will definitely have a bigger part to play on Thursday if Simons is out. Dalano Banton could get a few extra shifts as well, although this is a tough matchup for the Trail Blazers against a top defensive team.

Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton put in a dominant performance against Atlanta on Wednesday, scoring a season-high 33 points and grabbing 19 rebounds in a 106-102 win. He shot 15-for-20 from the field during a busy 41-minute night and completed his line with one assist, one steal, and one block. Ayton has sleepwalked through most of his first campaign in Portland, but he's looked great since returning to the lineup from his most recent injury. Across three games, Ayton has produced 28.3 points while gobbling up 17.3 rebounds. He faces a big test next against the Knicks, who are giving up the second-fewest points and rebounds in the league to centers.

Portland Trail Blazers forward Jabari Walker (hip) was out for a fourth consecutive game on Wednesday versus Atlanta, but he is expected to make a return soon. Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups said Walker is getting closer and won't be out too much longer. These are encouraging words from Billups, but Thursday's matchup against the Knicks likely still comes too soon for Walker, who's averaging 8.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in 22.1 minutes for his sophomore campaign. Following Thursday's action, Portland is scheduled to face New Orleans on Saturday, giving Walker a few more days to shake off right hip inflammation.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Ashton Hagans (G League) has been upgraded from questionable to available on Wednesday and could see some playing time against the Atlanta Hawks. The Kentucky product hasn't played in the team's last two games while he's still on a two-way deal, but when he was available, he was receiving north of 18 minutes. The issue with trusting Hagans is that the Trail Blazers have the least predictable rotation out of any team in the league. Hagans would only be a good option in deeper leagues, but fantasy managers shouldn't put too much stock in any of the Blazers outside of Scoot Henderson and Deandre Ayton on Wednesday.

Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (hamstring) has been downgraded from questionable to out on Wednesday night. He's still suffering from a strained hamstring right now and it seems that it wasn't healed enough to give it a go against the short-handed Atlanta Hawks. In good news, the other three players who were listed as questionable have all been upgraded and will play. Kris Murray and Toumani Camara will likely see most of the added opportunities while Dalano Banton and Matisse Thybulle should see some more minutes in the backcourt. This rotation has been notoriously hard to predict, so fantasy managers should proceed with caution.