3 days agoDallas Mavericks guard
Luka Doncic (heel) is available ahead of Monday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Doncic will make his return to the court after missing each of the last two games due to a left heel contusion. There is no word on Doncic being limited, so fantasy managers should expect him to have a full workload on Monday. The return of Doncic should shift
Spencer Dinwiddie back to the bench. The move back to the bench will probably mean the end to most of Dinwiddie's streaming appeal.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Kevin Gray Jr.
3 days agoAtlanta Hawks guard/forward
Bogdan Bogdanovic (lower leg) will not suit up for Monday's matchup against Minnesota. Entering Monday, he was already listed as questionable for the contest, so it's not unexpected that Bogdanovic exits the lineup once again. The Serbian veteran has been limited to only 14 appearances this season, averaging 11.3 points in 25.4 minutes.
De'Andre Hunter should get extra scoring opportunities off the bench on Monday, with
Vit Krejci and
Garrison Mathews potentially soaking in some of Bogdanovic's minutes.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Atlanta Hawks
3 days agoAccording to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, Houston Rockets forward
Dillon Brooks (ankle) won't play against the Hornets due to right ankle soreness. Brooks is a late scratch, as he wasn't listed on Monday's team injury report earlier.
Amen Thompson could be a serviceable fantasy option with Brooks sidelined, as he will likely see more opportunities. The 21-year-old is averaging 11.8 points and 6.8 rebounds across 28 outings this season.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: Jonathan Feigen
3 days agoAtlanta Hawks point guard
Trae Young (heel) will be active against Minnesota on Monday. He returns from a one-game absence after missing Saturday's matchup against Memphis with a heel problem. The Hawks star has been a double-double machine throughout the season, averaging 21.6 points and a league-high 12.2 assists. However, Monday's game could be one of the most challenging matchups of the season for Young, as the Timberwolves give up the third-fewest fantasy points in the league to point guards.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Atlanta Hawks
3 days agoChicago Bulls forward
Torrey Craig (Achilles) is available ahead of Monday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Craig will make his way back to the court after missing each of the last eight games. His return is good timing with the Bulls being shorthanded for Monday's game. Both
Josh Giddey (ankle) and
Lonzo Ball (illness) are out, so Craig might see additional run. The veteran forward is only averaging 11 minutes per game this season. He might see a few more minutes on Monday, but he's not a recommended streaming option on Monday's busy slate.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: KC Johnson
3 days agoChicago Bulls guard
Josh Giddey (ankle) has been ruled out ahead of Monday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks. This marks the third game in a row that Giddey has been forced to miss due to a right ankle sprain. Fellow guard
Lonzo Ball (illness) is also sidelined which means the Bulls are going to be shorthanded at the guard spot.
Ayo Dosunmu,
Coby White, and
Talen Horton-Tucker should all see increased run with Giddey on the sideline. Both Dosunmu and White should be solid fantasy options for Monday's slate.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: KC Johnson
3 days agoHouston Rockets forward
Tari Eason (leg) will not be available for a third straight contest on Monday against Charlotte. He's out for lower leg injury management purposes. Eason has offered valuable bench production for the Rockets throughout the season, averaging 11.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.9 steals in 22.8 minutes.
Jae'Sean Tate and
Cam Whitmore have entered the rotation during Eason's absence, though they provide very little from a fantasy perspective.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
3 days agoCleveland Cavaliers forward
Dean Wade (knee) will not be available for Monday's contest against Utah. He's troubled by a sore right knee and has been downgraded from questionable to out. Wade's absence will open a spot in the starting unit for
Sam Merrill (quadriceps), who has been upgraded from questionable to available. However, Merrill has posted unspectacular numbers throughout the campaign, even during his previous lone start, so he's not somebody fantasy managers should rush to grab.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Chris Fedor
3 days agoChicago Bulls guard
Lonzo Ball (illness) has been ruled out ahead of Monday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Ball is feeling under the weather so he'll sit this one out, but hopefully this will only be a one-game absence. The Bulls are going to be shorthanded at the guard spot with
Josh Giddey (ankle) also sidelined for this game. That means,
Ayo Dosunmu,
Coby White, and
Talen Horton-Tucker will all see additional run on Monday. The next chance for Ball to play will be Thursday versus the Atlanta Hawks. Fantasy managers should consider Dosunmu and White as strong fantasy options for Monday's slate.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: KC Johnson
3 days agoCleveland Cavaliers guard/forward
Max Strus (ankle) will play against Utah on Monday. He's off the injury report after sitting out Saturday's meeting with Philadelphia. Following an ankle injury, Strus made his season debut Friday night, so seeing him sit out Saturday's contest wasn't surprising. Strus posted nine points with two assists in 19 minutes against Milwaukee in Friday's matchup. His production will likely stay limited for a while, and Strus will continue to come off the bench on Monday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
3 days agoDenver Nuggets guard
Jamal Murray (ankle) is listed as questionable for Monday night's game against the Phoenix Suns. Murray is dealing with a right ankle sprain but hasn't missed a game in two weeks. Given the Nuggets are on the second leg of a back-to-back tonight, with a Christmas Day rematch against these same Suns on deck, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Nuggets rest their start point guard. Murray has been turning it up his last four games, averaging 24.8 PPG while shooting 39.3% from three. If he's unable to go tonight, expect
Russell Westbrook to slide into the starting lineup. Westbrook has been volatile as a starter, putting up 18 more points in three starts while failing to score 10 or more points in the other three. The veteran has put up 10 assists in three of those starts, though, and will be a viable fantasy options because of that if Murray is unable to go.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: NBA Injury Report
3 days agoAccording to Philip Rossman-Reich of OrlandoMagicDaily.com, Orlando Magic guard
Jalen Suggs (ankle) is available to suit up against the Celtics. Suggs is having a solid season, averaging career-highs in points (16.0), rebounds (4.2), assists (3.9), and steals (1.5). The 23-year-old suffered an ankle injury in Thursday's loss to the Thunder and didn't play on Saturday against the Heat. With
Franz Wagner (oblique),
Paolo Banchero (oblique), and
Moritz Wagner (knee) sidelined, the Magic are desperate to get Suggs back in the lineup. He will have plenty of scoring opportunities against the Celtics with so many of his teammates out of action.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: Philip Rossman-Reich
3 days agoCleveland Cavaliers guard/forward
Sam Merrill (quadriceps) will play on Monday against Utah. A quadriceps injury limited Merrill to only eight minutes of action last time out against Philadelphia, but he's been cleared for action after carrying a questionable tag entering Monday. Merrill will make his second start of the campaign, filling in for
Dean Wade (knee). He's been logging 20 minutes regularly thus far but might have to settle for a lesser role once
Max Strus finds his feet.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Chris Fedor
3 days agoPhiladelphia 76ers guard
Tyrese Maxey (illness) is officially active for Monday night's game against the San Antonio Spurs. Maxey is dealing with an illness but will be able to fight through it. The 24-year-old has been fantastic for the Sixers this season, averaging 25.1 PPG and 5.0 APG while helping to keep Philadelphia somewhat afloat during
Joel Embiid's absences with his knee issues. He should have a decent matchup against San Antonio, who's averaging the third most three-pointers to point guards this season. Maxey has made at least four three pointers in each of his last three games with at least 10 attempts per game. Maxey is a must start in all fantasy formats.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: Philadelphia 76ers
3 days agoAccording to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Miami Heat forward
Jimmy Butler (illness) will miss Monday's game against the Brooklyn Nets due to a stomach illness. This illness also took him out of the Heat's last game on Saturday. With the 35-year-old sidelined, the starting five should stay the same as Saturday.
Dru Smith and
Duncan Robinson could be decent options in deeper fantasy leagues. Smith scored 14 points and four rebounds, while Robinson added 10 points, four rebounds, and three assists against the Magic.
--Andrew Lennox - RotoBallerSource: Ira Winderman
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