1 week agoWashington Wizards forward/center
Alexandre Sarr (calf) hopes to be available when the team kicks off its 2024-25 campaign by hosting the defending-champion Boston Celtics on Thursday. He's nursing calf soreness, which forced Sarr to miss Washington's final two preseason games. Sarr looked in good form during the preseason before dropping out of the lineup. He averaged 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks while shooting 54 percent from three-point range with 3.4 attempts. The 19-year-old would become a very popular man among fantasy managers if he manages to post similar numbers during the regular season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Varun Shankar
1 week agoMemphis Grizzlies guard/forward
Vince Williams Jr. (shin) has been ruled out for the start of the season. According to Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins, Williams Jr. is "a couple of weeks away" from being ready to play. The 24-year-old is recovering from a shin stress reaction. Once he's healthy again, Williams Jr. will be leading the second unit. He did most of his damage as a starter last year, so Williams Jr.'s fantasy stock will be lower in 2024-25 unless Memphis starts losing its key guys to injuries again.
Jake LaRavia and
John Konchar should handle Williams Jr.'s minutes until he's ready to return. Neither player is a good fantasy option.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Damichael Cole
1 week agoMemphis Grizzlies shooting guard
Luke Kennard (foot) has been ruled out for at least the first week of the 2024-25 regular season by head coach Taylor Jenkins. Kennard is battling foot soreness sustained during preseason action last week. Memphis has three games scheduled for the first week, starting with a matchup against Utah on Wednesday.
John Konchar could see more time on the court in Kennard's absence, although the Grizzlies have their regular backcourt healthy for the start of the season, leaving the bench guys with few opportunities to make an impact.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Damichael Cole
1 week agoChicago Bulls forward
Patrick Williams (ankle) was able to practice on Monday. He exited Chicago's preseason finale against Cleveland with an ankle injury, but it looks like it wasn't anything serious. Williams also battled a wrist injury during the preseason. However, as of right now, Williams should be expected to be in the lineup for Wednesday's season opener against New Orleans. The 23-year-old is set to begin the campaign as a starter, and fantasy managers could get some decent value out of him. Last season, Williams averaged 11.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.9 steals in 30 games as a member of the first unit.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: K.C. Johnson
1 week agoBrooklyn Nets center
Nicolas Claxton (hamstring) is trending in the right direction and is expected to play in Wednesday's season opener against Atlanta. Claxton missed the preseason due to a hamstring issue but has had a chance to rehab the injury for a few weeks now and should be good to go on Wednesday. Claxton averaged 10.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks against the Hawks a season ago and could have even more fun on Wednesday night, as Atlanta's bigs have been troubled by health issues.
Clint Capela (ankle) was hurt near the end of preseason, and
Onyeka Okongwu missed most of the preseason action while recovering from a toe procedure, making only one 16-minute appearance.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: C.J. Holmes
1 week agoLos Angeles Lakers power forward
Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) isn't ready to play in Tuesday's season opener against the Timberwolves. After having procedures done on both feet in May, there was hope a week ago that Vanderbilt would be ready for the start of the regular season, but he still needs more time to recover. He will sit out at least the first five games before being re-evaluated. This is a bitter blow for Vanderbilt after he already missed most of last season because of health issues. Due to his absence,
Rui Hachimura has had an opportunity to lock down a starting role. He posted 15.4 points and 4.8 rebounds as a starter last season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
1 week agoLos Angeles Lakers center
Christian Koloko (illness) will sit out Tuesday's season opener against Minnesota. Following a bout with blood clots, Koloko isn't yet ready to play. The Cameroonian big man was brought in on a two-way contract last month. He adds an extra frontcourt option to the Lakers but isn't expected to play a big role for the team, and it appears likely that Koloko will spend most of the campaign in the G League.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
2 weeks agoDallas Mavericks guard
Jaden Hardy agreed to a three-year, $18 million contract extension with the team. The 22-year-old has spent his first two seasons in the league with the Mavs, averaging 7.9 points and shooting 37.9% from behind the arc. Although Hardy gives Dallas a reliable bench option, he'll likely have a tough time entering any fantasy lineups this season. However, if
Luka Doncic or
Kyrie Irving miss time during the 2024-25 campaign, which will likely happen, Hardy has streaming potential.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Shams Charania
2 weeks agoAccording to ESPN's Shams Charania, Denver Nuggets forward
Aaron Gordon agreed to a four-year, $133 million contract extension with the club. The deal includes a player option in 2028-29. There were questions when this would happen. However, the team made the deal on the eve of the start of the NBA season. The 29-year-old has been instrumental to the Nuggets' success over the years, most recently averaging 13.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 2023-24. As long as Gordon remains healthy, he'll see more than enough minutes to be at least a top-50 fantasy asset at the position in points leagues. But his shooting from behind the arc will compromise his desirability in category formats.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Shams Charania
2 weeks agoThe Pistons picked up the third-year team option on guard
Marcus Sasser on Monday. The 24-year-old had a decent rookie campaign in 2023-24, averaging 8.3 points and 3.3 assists (13.1 points and 4.7 assists in 11 starts). While he'll come off the bench, there is potential for some starts this season, considering
Cade Cunningham has had issues staying healthy over the years. For now, Sasser shouldn't be viewed as anything more than a dynasty stash.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Coty Davis
2 weeks agoThe Pistons picked up the third-year team option on forward
Ausar Thompson (illness) on Monday. Thompson, selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, averaged 8.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals. However, he shot a rough 18.6% from behind the arc. Even worse, a blood clot ended his season abruptly. As of now, it's hard to justify Thompson taking up a spot on fantasy rosters, considering he is without a timetable regarding his return. Still, he's worth monitoring. But until he returns, the team could look to
Tim Hardaway Jr. and
Simone Fontecchio to fill the void in the lineup, with the latter having a higher ceiling for fantasy managers.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Coty Davis
2 weeks agoThe Pistons exercised the fourth-year option on center
Jalen Duren on Monday. The 20-year-old averaged a double-double last season (13.8 points, 11.6 rebounds). He also significantly improved his free-throw percentage from his rookie campaign. While the franchise sees potential in Duren, he hasn't logged more than 67 games in each of his first two seasons in the National Basketball Association. Fantasy managers should keep that in mind, although he'll be a consistent fantasy performer whenever he's on the floor during the 2024-25 campaign.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Detroit Pistons
2 weeks agoThe Pistons exercised the fourth-year option for guard
Jaden Ivey on Monday. The 22-year-old is coming off a rough season, where he spent some time coming off the bench. However, he wasn't horrible, averaging 15.4 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.4 rebounds. But fantasy managers have plenty of reasons to be optimistic about Ivey's potential heading into the 2024-25 campaign, considering he's been routinely praised by new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. He's also missed only 13 games during his NBA career, which is another positive for fantasy managers. That said, Ivey's three-point percentage needs work. The same is true for his free-throw percentage. Yet, the upside is there, so fantasy managers could easily see Ivey surpass his ADP expectations this year.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Pistons PR
2 weeks agoAccording to ESPN's Bobby Marks, the Rockets and center
Alperen Sengun agreed to a five-year, $185 million contract extension. There were questions if and when this would get done. However, it appears Houston made it a priority to extend Sengun on the same day the team also rewarded
Jalen Green with a new deal. The 2021 No. 16 overall pick had easily the best season of his career in 2023-24, averaging 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.2 steals. He's not the most proficient shot-blocker, something for category managers to consider. Sengun also logged only 63 games last season, so he'll need to stay on the floor more often throughout the 2024-25 campaign. If the 22-year-old can stay healthy, he has All-Star potential.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Bobby Marks
2 weeks agoPhoenix Suns guard
Grayson Allen (Achilles) is still working his way back from an Achilles injury and his status for the team's season opener is in doubt. The good news is that Allen said to Gerald Bourguet that he was able "to do everything" in practice on Monday and he's hopefully to be ready for their first game on Wednesday. Allen has been an important rotational piece for this team as a three-and-D type of player. Last season, he averaged 13.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.7 threes, and 1.3 turnovers while shooting a red-hot 46.1% from beyond the arc.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Gerald Bourguet
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