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
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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
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1 week agoUtah Jazz shooting guard
Johnny Juzang (thumb) has been ruled out for the Jazz's season opener on Wednesday against the Memphis Grizzlies. Juzang has a right thumb sprain and the team has not given a potential return date yet. The 23-year-old performed well from deep during the preseason, shooting over 50% from three. However, he was still likely to find himself outside of the Jazz's rotation. His absence will likely go unnoticed for Utah fans. Fantasy managers looking for depth at the guard position may want to consider
Svi Mykhailiuk who came over from Boston this offseason. Mykhailiuk's output wasn't inspiring off Boston's bench but he did shoot 38.9% from three. During the preseason the 27-year-old averaged 12.5 PPG on 9.5 FGA while averaging two threes made per game. He is much more likely to have a significant fantasy impact than Juzang once Juzang is back and healthy.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: Sarah Todd
1 week agoUtah Jazz point guard
Isaiah Collier (hamstring) has been ruled out for the Jazz's season opener on Wednesday against the Memphis Grizzlies. Collier's absence isn't a surprise as the rookie was diagnosed with a hamstring strain last week and was expected to miss at least 10 days. Fantasy managers should expect his debut to happen no sooner than Monday when the Jazz travel to Dallas to play the Mavericks. Collier was drafted with the 29th overall pick out of USC where he averaged 16.3 PPG and 4.3 APG for the Trojans. Collier missing time shouldn't change much for the Jazz as he was slated to come off the bench for Utah. Expect veteran
Patty Mills to take his place as the backup point guard for Utah. Mills' production over the last four seasons has dropped off and he likely will not be a reliable fantasy option for those looking to fill Collier's place.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: Sarah Todd
1 week agoMinnesota Timberwolves center
Rudy Gobert signed a three-year, $110 million extension Monday, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. As part of the move, Gobert declined his $46.6 million player option for 2025-2026 and the extension will start with the 2025-2026 season, keeping him in Minnesota through 2028. The 32-year-old is entering his third season with Minnesota as their starting center and will have to get used to playing alongside the newly acquired
Julius Randle after Minnesota traded Karl Anthony-Towns to the New York Knicks. Gobert has averaged 13.7 points per game and 12.3 rebounds coming into Tuesday night's season opener, making him a reliable option around the rim. In his first game after signing his new extension, Gobert scored 13 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the Timberwolves' 110-103 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He will continue to be a reliable fantasy option in Minnesota's offensive system for the coming years, especially for fantasy managers in need of rebound production.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: Shams Charania
1 week agoPortland Trail Blazers center
Robert Williams III (hamstring) will be unavailable on Wednesday when the team starts its 2024-25 campaign against Golden State. The injury-prone big man is rehabbing a Grade 1 hamstring strain he suffered in training camp. Williams III was initially ruled out for two weeks, but it's taking him longer to get into game shape.
Donovan Clingan should get more playing time due to Williams III's absence. However, the seven-foot-three rookie may not be used much on Wednesday against the dynamic Warriors, who don't have a traditional big man in their starting lineup.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
1 week agoNew Orleans Pelicans guard/forward
Trey Murphy III (hamstring) will remain on the sidelines for Wednesday's season opener against Chicago. He was given a three-week timeline for his return when Murphy III strained his right hamstring at the start of October. Unfortunately, Wednesday's game comes too soon for him to be ready to play. According to The Athletic's Will Guillory, Murphy III said on Tuesday that he's "making steady progress with his rehab." New Orleans' jack of all trades has started jogging but isn't yet clear for printing or physical contact. It looks like Murphy III might still be a couple of weeks away from playing.
Herbert Jones and three-point bomber
Jordan Hawkins should be the biggest beneficiaries of Murphy III's absence.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Will Guillory
1 week agoCharlotte Hornets guard/forward
Josh Green (Achilles) is considered questionable to play on Wednesday against Houston. He's been nursing an Achilles injury for a couple of weeks, landing on the injury report ahead of the season opener. Green is penciled in to start at the small forward position for the Hornets this season. His absence would open the door for
Cody Martin to jump into the starting lineup. When healthy, Martin can be a productive player. He has averaged 8.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals as a starter for his career.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
1 week agoAtlanta Hawks center
Clint Capela (ankle) has been given the green light to play in Wednesday's season opener against Brooklyn. Capela sustained an ankle injury late in preseason, but he isn't on the injury report ahead of Wednesday's game. Capela averaged a double-double against the Nets last season with 10.3 points and 10.8 rebounds. He also recorded 2.3 blocks across four head-to-head meetings. The Swiss big man will share the center minutes with
Onyeka Okongwu for another campaign. Okongwu logged 7.0 points and 9.5 rebounds against Brooklyn last term.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
1 week agoBrooklyn Nets forward
Bojan Bogdanovic (foot) will not be available for Wednesday's season opener versus Atlanta. We will miss out on the battle of the Bogdanovics, with the Nets forward still nursing a foot injury. Bogdanovic reportedly hasn't even been cleared for five-on-five contact, so it might take a while until he's ready to make his season debut. The Croatian veteran will be a good secondary scoring option off the bench for the Nets this season. With him out,
Jalen Wilson and
Keon Johnson have a chance to see more minutes in the rotation. However, they likely still won't make a big enough contribution to warrant fantasy consideration.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
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