1 week agoCharlotte Hornets forward
Josh Green (Achilles) won't play on Wednesday versus the Rockets. The 23-year-old is battling Achilles soreness and was initially listed as questionable. However, he won't be available, so his next chance to suit up will be on Friday versus Atlanta. Without Green in the mix,
Cody Martin will likely take his spot in the rotation. The 2019 No. 36 overall pick was decent in 22 starts last season, averaging 7.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.0 steals, giving him value to fantasy managers in deeper formats.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Charlotte Hornets PR
1 week agoBrooklyn Nets utility man
Ben Simmons will start in Wednesday's matchup versus the Hawks.
Nicolas Claxton (hamstring) will suit up. However, head coach Jordi Fernandez indicated he would be on a minutes restriction. Simmons struggled last season. Yet, there's no denying his triple-double upside, so he could easily surpass his fantasy expectations now that he's in the starting lineup.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Brooklyn Nets
1 week agoCleveland Cavaliers forward
Dean Wade will start in Wednesday's meeting with the Raptors.
Max Strus (ankle) will be sidelined for at least four weeks, so Wade will do his best to fill the void in the lineup. Unfortunately, the 27-year-old averaged only 6.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 32 starts last season. With that in mind, fantasy managers shouldn't consider him a trustworthy option versus Toronto. Instead,
Caris LeVert could exceed offensive expectations and is worth streaming, even though he'll come off the bench.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Chris Fedor
1 week agoPhiladelphia 76ers' guard
Eric Gordon will start Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks. The veteran signed a one-year deal with the 76ers in the off-season after spending last season in Phoenix, where he averaged 8.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists across 68 games. As the season progresses, the 35-year-old will provide a three-point scoring threat off the bench but will likely not be much of a fantasy factor.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: Keith Pompey
1 week agoNew Orleans Pelicans forward
Dejounte Murray (personal) has been upgraded from questionable to probable for Wednesday's meeting with the Chicago Bulls. He was away from the team due to a personal matter, although he was spotted at shootaround on Wednesday and is currently warming up. Of course, anything can change, but it appears fantasy managers will have him in the lineup for opening night. With
Zion Williamson (illness) out, Murray could exceed his fantasy expectations, especially on the scoring end.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Madeline Adams
1 week agoBrooklyn Nets center
Nicolas Claxton (hamstring) will play fewer minutes than usual in Wednesday's matchup versus the Hawks. The 25-year-old missed the entire preseason with a hamstring injury, so head coach Jordi Fernandez wants to play it safe. Still, Claxton is worth starting in all fantasy setups, even with a cap on his minutes. But with
Day'Ron Sharpe (hamstring) sidelined,
Noah Clowney could spend more time in the middle. There's also a chance the Nets go small, with
Dorian Finney-Smith and
Ben Simmons handling things underneath the basket.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Brian Lewis
1 week agoNew Orleans Pelicans forward
Zion Williamson (illness) won't play against the Bulls on Wednesday. The 24-year-old has been under the weather, so fantasy managers already felt things were moving in this direction. However, he missed shootaround on Wednesday, which further solidified he wouldn't be good to go. Without Williamson in the lineup,
Javonte Green may roll with the first five. But
Dejounte Murray (personal), assuming he plays,
Brandon Ingram, and
CJ McCollum will likely benefit the most.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: New Orleans Pelicans
1 week agoMilwaukee Bucks forward
Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) will suit up for Wednesday's matchup with the 76ers. He has a case of Tendinitis. However, the veteran was listed as probable, so there wasn't much concern regarding his availability. With
Khris Middleton (ankles) still sidelined, Antetokounmpo and
Damian Lillard should see even more looks at the basket. Fantasy managers already know he's a must-start. Yet, Antetokounmpo's fantasy potential is greater without Middleton on the floor.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Eric Nehm
1 week agoPhiladelphia 76ers center
Andre Drummond will start on Wednesday night versus Milwaukee.
Joel Embiid (knee) won't suit up for at least three games, so Drummond may see plenty of time in the middle for the foreseeable future. The 31-year-old was dominant in 10 starts with the Bulls last season, averaging 14.1 points, 17.9 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and 1.1 steals. As a result, Drummond should be featured in any fantasy lineup imaginable. There's also room for
Guerschon Yabusele to get involved enough to warrant starting consideration in deeper fantasy setups.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Keith Pompey
1 week agoOklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced on Wednesday that the Thunder had exercised their fourth-year contract option on guard/forward
Jalen Williams (ankle). Williams started all 72 games he suited up for last season, averaging 19.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.13 steals in 31.3 minutes per contest. The 23-year-old has been named to the NBA Rising Stars team in the last two seasons, and he should be a force in fantasy for many years to come. Williams is listed as questionable for Thursday's regular-season opener versus Denver due to a left ankle sprain, but he has been practicing.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: Jalen Williams
1 week agoOn Wednesday, Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced they had exercised their fourth-year contract option on forward
Ousmane Dieng. Dieng has played 72 games in the past two seasons and averaged 4.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 13 minutes per contest. The 21-year-old had an excellent season in the G League in 2024 as he helped the Blue win their first Championship and was named G League Finals MVP.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: Brandon Rahbar
1 week agoOn Wednesday, Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced that the team had exercised its fourth-year contract option on forward/center
Chet Holmgren. Last season, he received NBA All-Rookie First Team honors as he started 82 games. He also finished second in Rookie of the Year voting after averaging 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.3 blocks in 29.4 minutes. The 22-year-old quietly filled the stat sheet last season, and he will also make a significant impact in fantasy for this year's campaign.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: Brandon Rahbar
1 week agoBoston Celtics small forward
Sam Hauser is listed as questionable for Thursday night's game against the Washington Wizards with lower-back pain. Hauser was able to log 24 minutes in Tuesday night's thrashing of the New York Knicks and put up 10 points while going 2-for-7 from deep. Those numbers are in line with what Hauser produced off the bench for Boston last season and aren't fully a beneficiary of garbage time. If Hauser is ruled out for Thursday's game, expect
Xavier Tillman Sr. to get a bit more shooting volume at the forward position, though his scoring threats are more likely to happen in the interior rather than from deep. It's possible that
Payton Pritchard may see more of an uptick in three-point attempts to make up for Hauser's absence if he is indeed ruled out. Fantasy managers should target Pritchard over Tillman if there's a choice between the two.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
1 week agoSacramento Kings shooting guard
Kevin Huerter (shoulder) has been cleared to return from his shoulder injury and will play in the Kings' season opener on Thursday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Huerter was sidelined with the injury for the last 15 games of the 2023-2024 season and will be a welcome return to the Kings' lineup. Head coach Mike Brown noted the other day that the 26-year-old would "probably" start if he was able to return, meaning he may still hold his normal fantasy value that managers have grown accustomed to. His role may be affected, though, by both the acquisition of
DeMar DeRozan and the departure of
Harrison Barnes. Given Huerter's value is generally dependent on his three-point shooting, fantasy managers should still expect him to get up his usual amount of threes to replace Barnes' volume. DeRozan generally doesn't do much of his damage from behind the arc, so fantasy managers should not worry about Huerter losing volume to him.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: Brett Siegel
1
week
agoThe
NBA
is
likely
to
investigate
the
Philadelphia
76ers
later
this
week
in
regards
to
Joel
Embiid's
player
participation.
The
Sixers
rested
their
star
center
all
preseason
and
plan
to
sit
him
for
at
least
the
first
three
games
of
the
regular
season,
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