Last Updated on February 21, 2026 1:05 pm by Mike Passador | Published: February 21, 2026

Friday brought a couple tank-fests, a couple blowouts and one competitive game at the end of the slate that was marred by injury.

The top story of the night is Kawhi Leonard leaving the game with about five minutes to go due to left ankle soreness, and that was less than a quarter after John Collins hit his head flat on the court. The Clippers are already light on offense with Darius Garland not expected to play until March, and any absences there would be significant. Bennedict Mathurin tied his career-high with 38 points on Thursday and poured in 26 more on Friday, so he is clearly going to be a big part of the puzzle either way. How the Clippers navigate a potential absence for Leonard, and to a lesser extent Collins, without James Harden around to carry the mail will have major fantasy ramifications.

The rest of the slate was such a mess that fantasy managers may not have a ton to work with. There were big games, but the trust factor is so low with so many teams these days that you might end up chasing ghosts. The batch of reliable fantasy options is shrinking by the day, so it will be imperative to make sense of small samples as best you can. Hopefully we don’t add the Clippers to the list of unreadable rotations.

Top Pickups

This is the “general must-add” section regardless of the slate. If these players are being overlooked and remain chilling on the waiver wire, consider adding them to your squad.

Brook Lopez (16%)

Lopez put up a vintage line in Friday’s loss to the Lakers with 16 points, 10 rebounds, two steals, three blocks and a 3-pointer in 31 minutes. The Clippers are basically guaranteed at least a Play-In spot by virtue of the bottom of the Western Conference, which means they’re going to keep trying to win games. Lopez played 35 minutes and has not been challenged for playing time by Yanic Konan Niederhauser or Isaiah Jackson, and that won’t change if the team is competitive. Lopez is a lock for 12-team value in that workload and he may be busier than usual with John Collins and Kawhi Leonard getting banged up.

Kyle Filipowski (29%)

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