3 weeks agoUtah Jazz guard
Isaiah Collier (hamstring) has officially been diagnosed with a hamstring strain and will miss at least 10 days. According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, the 10-day mark is when the team will re-evaluate how he feels and determine if he needs to miss any more time. That timeline means that he'll have to miss the season opener against the Memphis Grizzlies, but has a shot to return to the court for their second game against the Golden State Warriors. Collier is still a depth option at the moment, but the rookie has the chance to raise his spot on the depth chart throughout the season.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Tony Jones
3 weeks agoThe San Antonio Spurs have traded for
Jalen McDaniels and a second-round pick from the Sacramento Kings, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. The Spurs then waived McDaniels to maintain flexibility with their roster and cap space down the road. This move helped the Spurs gain some more draft capital and also allowed the Kings to navigate through some salary and luxury tax hoops after acquiring
DeMar DeRozan. McDaniels will now look to latch on to another roster before the regular season kicks off.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Shams Charania
3 weeks agoGolden State Warriors guard
Brandin Podziemski (nose) was forced to leave Sunday night's preseason game after taking a hit from teammate
Trayce Jackson-Davis. On Monday, it was confirmed that the second-year guard suffered a broken nose. Brett Siegel reports that Podziemski will be fitted for a face mask and is not expected to miss the start of the regular season. Despite
Buddy Hield and
De'Anthony Melton coming in to help alleviate the loss of
Klay Thompson, Podziemski is set to take on a bigger role than last season. The 21-year-old averaged 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.2 threes per game in his rookie year.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Brett Siegel
3 weeks agoPhiladelphia 76ers center
Joel Embiid has been notorious for going into the playoffs with some sort of injury year after year. He suffered fractured orbital bones in his face twice, knee injuries twice, and last season tried to return from yet another knee injury while dealing with Bell's Palsy. During media day, Embiid said that when the team was bounced from the postseason, he texted general manager Daryl Morey and told him they needed to do whatever it took to keep him healthy for the playoffs. He added, "If I had to guess, I would probably never play back-to-backs the rest of my career." This sentiment has been reiterated often over the last few seasons, but it looks like it may finally come to fruition now that Embiid is more serious about it. If that allows him to be healthier throughout the entire year, it may end up increasing his fantasy value as well.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Tim Bontemps
3 weeks agoHouston Rockets guard
Fred VanVleet signed a three-year deal with the team during the off-season in 2023 after spending seven seasons with the Toronto Raptors. When he got to Houston, they were showing that they were ready to move forward with their younger core but also wanted to start winning. So, VanVleet came in to play the veteran role to bring his younger teammates along. In an interview with the Houston Chronicle, he said "I didn't come here to be a rental." VanVleet also stated he came to Houston for a long-term home and has a great relationship with all of his teammates. He has one more guaranteed season in his contract before a team option in 2025-26. With a $44.8 million price tag in that option year, the 30-year-old might have some negotiating to do if he remains in Houston while they try to retain their young core at the same time.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Jonathan Feigen
3 weeks agoLos Angeles Lakers forward
Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) missed the last couple of months of last season due to foot injuries. He then underwent surgeries on both feet in May and has been rehabbing since then. Head coach JJ Redick said that "He's following our ramp-up protocol," and "he has not done any contact work." On top of that, he said that Vanderbilt hasn't even participated in non-contact drills in training camp or preseason so far. While Redick and the Lakers are "hopeful" that he returns for the start of the regular season, there's no official timetable for Vanderbilt's return.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Khobi Price
3 weeks agoChicago Bulls guard
Lonzo Ball (knee) has missed the last two and a half seasons due to multiple surgeries on his left knee, which rendered him unable to climb stairs, let alone play basketball for a while. According to Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic, the team and Ball are targeting Wednesday's preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves as his first game back. His minutes will likely be monitored, and he'll be eased back into the rotation as the season goes on since this will be his first game since January of 2022.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Darnell Mayberry
3 weeks agoMinnesota Timberwolves forward
Julius Randle (shoulder) won't suit up for Sunday's preseason matchup against the New York Knicks. It would be nice to see Randle get into action against his former team, but it won't happen here. Randle is still recovering from surgery on his shoulder from January. His timetable remains unclear, but the hope is that Randle is ready to go by the beginning of the regular season. In the meantime,
Naz Reid will see a boost in fantasy value. Reid is expected to come off the bench this season, but proven himself to be a viable option in that role.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Stefan Bondy
3 weeks agoSacramento Kings guard
Malik Monk (personal) is cleared to return to action for Sunday's preseason matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers. Monk is back in the mix after missing one game due to personal reasons. It's unclear whether or not Monk is going to be in the starting five to begin the season. Right now, it seems likely that
Keon Ellis is the starting shooting guard with
Kevin Huerter and Monk being the primary backup guards. Monk averaged 15.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists across 26.0 minutes per game in 72 games last season. Monk has enough shooting upside to give him late-round fantasy value.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: James Ham
3 weeks agoSacramento Kings guard
Kevin Huerter (shoulder) has been ruled out for the upcoming preseason contest against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. Huerter continues to work his way back from a season-ending shoulder injury. The good news is that he was cleared for full-contact activity on Friday. However, the Kings are going to continue easing him back into action. It's unclear if Huerter is going to play at all during the preseason. The organization is hopeful he'll be ready for Opening Night. Otherwise,
Keon Ellis figures to start at shooting guard, which would give him increased fantasy value. When healthy, Huerter appears to be a better fantasy option than Ellis due to his ability to shoot from distance.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: James Ham
3 weeks agoPhiladelphia 76ers center
Joel Embiid (knee) won't play in any of the remaining preseason contests. The superstar big man was evaluated by doctors on Thursday. It sounds like Embiid is making good progress, but the team is going to play it safe and hold him out of all preseason action. Embiid has been an elite fantasy option throughout the years, but the biggest problem has been keeping him on the court. It sounds like the team is prioritizing keeping Embiid healthy for the playoffs, which could mean plenty of maintenance days during the season. Despite that, the 2023 MVP is an elite fantasy option even if he only plays around 60 games. While he's out,
Andre Drummond will likely see more run in the rotation.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Tim Bontemps
3 weeks agoNew York Knicks guard
Miles McBride (illness) is available ahead of Sunday's preseason matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. This is good news after McBride sat out of Wednesday's exhibition contest due to a minor illness. His return should mean less playing time for
Tyler Kolek on Sunday. McBride averaged 8.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists across 19.5 minutes per game in 68 games last season for the Knicks. He figures to have a similar role in the rotation this season which should provide deep league value.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Stefan Bondy
3 weeks agoCharlotte Hornets forward
Mark Williams (foot) is no longer in a walking boot. The 2022 No. 15 overall pick suffered a strained tendon in his left foot during a workout and missed training camp. He will continue to rehab and will be re-evaluated before the beginning of the 2024-25 campaign. Williams was nearly a double-double producer last season. However, he appeared in only 19 games before a season-ending back injury put him on the shelf. While Williams has talent, his inability to stay healthy will continue to compromise his fantasy stock moving ahead. With that in mind,
Nick Richards, averaging 10.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 51 starts last season, will hold things down in the middle until Williams can get back on the floor.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Charlotte Hornets
3 weeks agoMiami Heat forward
Jimmy Butler intends "to play as many games as possible" this season. "I don't need to put a number on the amount of games that I play," said Butler after Saturday's practice. "I know the more games that I play, the more opportunities that my squad has of winning. I do know that." There's no question Butler is one of the most talented players in the National Basketball Association. However, he's struggled to stay healthy, logging 65 games or fewer each season since 2016-17, his last with the Bulls. It's important to note the veteran is looking for a new contract, which may give him plenty of incentive to stay on the floor this season. But if he can remain healthy, Butler is at least a top-25 fantasy option.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Anthony Chiang
3 weeks agoSacramento Kings guard
Kevin Huerter (shoulder) was cleared for full-contact work. The 26-year-old had the best season of his career in 2022-23, his first in Sacramento, averaging 15.2 points and shooting 40.2% from deep. However, he averaged only 10.2 points in 2023-24 and sustained a season-ending shoulder injury, resulting in a procedure in April. Huerter still has a chance of overtaking
Keon Ellis for the starting job at the two spot. Still, it will be tough for him to be a consistent fantasy producer, regardless of his role, considering the Kings have
De'Aaron Fox,
DeMar DeRozan, and
Domantas Sabonis as the primary scoring options. At any rate, Huerter has a few more hurdles to clear, although he should be ready to play soon.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Jason Anderson
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