Despite the Knicks securing the third seed in the East on Friday, McBride played 30 minutes as Josh Hart’s replacement in the starting lineup in Brooklyn. He had a good afternoon for fantasy managers in active leagues, providing solid value in points, rebounds, assists, steals and three-pointers. McBride’s role will be different when the playoffs begin next weekend, but his scoring ability will be critical off the bench.

The Knicks are down two starters for Thursday’s game, which could be a first-round preview. Josh Hart and OG Anunoby are out, and they’ve been replaced in the lineup by McBride and Achiuwa. While both players are worth streaming in deep leagues, McBride offers a higher fantasy ceiling.

Sunday’s game will be McBride’s first since March 20, while Payne played rotation minutes off the bench in Saturday’s win over the Hawks. The Knicks will have their full point guard rotation against the Suns, as starter Jalen Brunson is also available. His presence means that McBride and Payne will provide limited fantasy value coming off the bench.

McBride has missed eight games with a groin injury but has a chance to return against Phoenix. He will back up Jalen Brunson if he’s active, so fantasy managers should expect his ceiling to be lower than it was during his stint as a starter.