3 weeks agoWashington Wizards forward/center
Alexandre Sarr (back) has been ruled out for Saturday's contest against Denver. He was already iffy for the game after the team gave him a questionable designation on the injury report. Sarr's injury gives
Jonas Valanciunas another opportunity to start, and we might have another
Marvin Bagley III sighting on the Wizards' frontcourt. On Thursday, he came out of nowhere to produce a solid line as a starter versus Dallas, recording 16 points, eight rebounds, and two steals.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Washington Wizards
3 weeks agoDenver Nuggets guard/forward
Christian Braun (quadriceps) has been upgraded from probable to available ahead of tip-off against Washington on Saturday. A right quadriceps contusion isn't enough to keep Braun off the court. On Saturday, he also gets an opportunity to play a larger role, as two of Denver's starters --
Jamal Murray (hamstring) and
Aaron Gordon (calf) -- will be missing from the lineup. Braun is enjoying a fine campaign with averages of 15.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.3 steals.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Bennett Durando
3 weeks agoDenver Nuggets forward
Aaron Gordon (calf) will not be available for Saturday's clash against Washington. He was downgraded from probable to questionable earlier in the day, and Denver has now ruled Gordon out. The Nuggets begin a back-to-back with Saturday's outing, so it's possible Gordon can make a quick return on Sunday versus Atlanta. We should see
Peyton Watson run with the starters against the Wizards with Gordon unavailable. The young forward has averaged 12.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 11 previous starts this season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Bennett Durando
3 weeks agoDenver Nuggets point guard
Jamal Murray (hamstring) will not play in Saturday's matchup against Washington. He has been ruled out after landing on the initial injury report with a questionable tag. Murray's absence will be a big boost for
Russell Westbrook's fantasy stock. He's set to move to the starting lineup, where Westbrook has recorded 18.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 2.0 steals this season. This is also a very favorable matchup for Westbrook, as Washington has given up the second-most fantasy points to opposing point guards throughout the season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Bennett Durando
3 weeks agoOrlando Magic forward
Franz Wagner (oblique) has been ruled out indefinitely. He suffered a torn right oblique in Friday's 102-94 loss to Philadelphia. Wagner recorded his third consecutive 30-point outing on Friday and has carried the Magic offense during
Paolo Banchero's (oblique) absence. Orlando also lost Banchero to a torn oblique at the end of October. The team plans to re-evaluate Wagner in four weeks. With the Magic's two best scorers now out of the lineup, the rest of the group will have to step it up big time.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and
Tristan Da Silva have had limited offensive roles so far but may be asked to contribute more going forward.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Orlando Magic
3 weeks agoNew York Knicks center
Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) is questionable for Saturday's matchup against the Pistons. KAT has had an amazing first season with the Knicks, averaging 25.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, and shooting 45.0% from deep. He's battling a knee issue, so if doesn't play versus Detroit,
Precious Achiuwa, who made his 2024-25 campaign debut in Thursday's win over the Hornets, could enter the starting lineup. However, Achiuwa likely won't see much more than the 12 minutes he logged on Thursday night, meaning
Jericho Sims may get more action, although not enough to justify his presence in fantasy lineups.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
3 weeks agoNew York Knicks guard
Jalen Brunson (back) is questionable heading into Saturday's meeting with the Detroit Pistons. The former Maverick is coming off one of his best showings of the 2024-25 campaign, amassing 24 points and shooting 5-for-6 from behind the arc. But if the back contusion keeps him off the floor on Saturday night,
Miles McBride will likely slide into the starting lineup and would be in line for a significant uptick in fantasy production, even more so if
Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) doesn't suit up.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
3 weeks agoDenver Nuggets guard
Jamal Murray (hamstring) is questionable for Saturday's game against the Washington Wizards. The veteran most recently logged 42 minutes in Thursday's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, logging 42 minutes and finishing with 19 points. Murray wasn't at shootaround on Saturday, and with the Nuggets also playing the Hawks on Sunday, the team may give him a night off to rest his inflamed hamstring. If that happens,
Russell Westbrook, who averaged 18 points, six assists, five boards, and two steals in three games without Murray this season, is a lock for any fantasy lineup.
Michael Porter Jr.,
Christian Braun, and
Nikola Jokic could also see an uptick in production if Murray isn't out there.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
3 weeks agoAccording to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Golden State Warriors forward
Draymond Green will continue to come off the bench. The 34-year-old missed two games before returning for Friday's loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, finishing with 10 points, nine boards, six assists, and two steals in 26 minutes in a reserve role. Head coach Steve Kerr indicated the move was made to keep Green healthy. At the same time, the team hopes to see more signs of life from
Jonathan Kuminga, who has averaged 15.4 points in seven starts during the 2024-25 campaign. With that in mind, Green should continue to get minutes, so the move may actually work out in his favor, considering he has had issues staying healthy over the years.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Anthony V Slate
3 weeks agoOrlando Magic forward
Paolo Banchero (oblique) has missed the last 20 games. However, the 22-year-old is moving in a positive direction, recently beginning "light movement workouts" while "getting shots up." He was having a stellar year before tearing his oblique back in October, averaging 29.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 34.4% shooting from behind the arc, all the highest of his career. Banchero wants to return before the end of 2024. But it appears he has some hurdles to clear, so fantasy managers shouldn't be as optimistic. In the meantime,
Franz Wagner should continue to benefit from a production standpoint while Banchero is sidelined.
Goga Bitadze may also remain in the starting lineup, with
Wendell Carter Jr. sliding over to the four spot.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Fawzan Amer
3 weeks agoGolden State Warriors guard/forward
Gary Payton II (knee) has received the green light to play on Friday against Minnesota. He has been upgraded from probable to available ahead of tip-off. The defensive specialist will play despite dealing with knee inflammation. The 32-year-old has been limited to 12.5 minutes per game this season, averaging 4.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists. Fantasy managers should have far better options available to them.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
3 weeks agoGolden State Warriors forward
Jonathan Kuminga will make a third consecutive start on Friday versus Minnesota. With
Draymond Green (calf) back in the fold, it looked likely that the 22-year-old would have to relinquish his starting role, but Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has decided to integrate Green back into the team as a member of the second unit. Kuminga is fresh off a career night after racking up 33 points on 13-for-22 shooting in Thursday's 99-93 win against Houston. He has averaged 15.8 points with 4.3 rebounds in six total starts this season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Anthony Slater
3 weeks agoGolden State Warriors forward
Andrew Wiggins (ankle) will play on Friday against Minnesota. This is the second leg of a back-to-back for the Warriors, and Wiggins was initially listed as questionable for the game. However, he's good to go for the meeting with his former team. Wiggins is coming off one of his best offensive outings of the season, as he shot 9-for-15 from the field en route to 23 points in Thursday's 99-93 win over Houston.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Anthony Slater
3 weeks agoUtah Jazz forward
Lauri Markkanen (back) will not suit up for Friday's meeting with Portland. He has been ruled out for low back injury management purposes.
Svi Mykhailiuk will fill in for Markkanen in the starting lineup. This is an interesting move, as the Jazz have so far used the Ukrainian in only four games this season. He's averaged 4.3 points in 12.3 minutes. With Markkanen unavailable,
Brice Sensabaugh and
Johnny Juzang should also have more opportunities to play. The latter has built up momentum ahead of Friday's action by scoring 10-plus points in back-to-back games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Utah Jazz
3 weeks agoGolden State Warriors forward/center
Draymond Green (calf) will return to work on Friday versus Minnesota. The veteran has missed the first two games of the week with a calf issue. Green continues to do a little bit of everything for the Warriors, averaging 8.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.6 assists across his last five appearances. His return on Friday is bad news for
Jonathan Kuminga's fantasy value. He's set to land back on the bench despite going off for a career-high 33 points in Thursday's 99-93 victory over Houston.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Chris Hine
RADIO
