Lloyd Pierce says De'Andre Hunter (left knee) will play on Friday night against the Nets, per Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com
Hunter returns to the starting lineup Friday night as the Hawks take on the Nets in what could be another high-scoring affair. Last time out, Hunter filled up the stat sheet in 33 minutes, posting 11 points, eight boards, three dimes, one steal and three triples. He should be in your starting lineup in deeper leagues.
Mike Scott (bruised left knee) is probable for Saturday's game vs. the Hornets.
Scott's availability shouldn't impact fantasy rosters either way, at least while Dwight Howard and Joel Embiid are healthy.
Dario Saric (right quad) has been ruled out vs the Nuggets on Saturday night.
Saric (quad) is dealing with soreness so the Suns are likely playing it safe here. He played Tuesday against the Pelicans and had a decent regular season debut with 10 points and four boards. Jae Crowder and Cameron Johnson should benefit from Saric's absence as both have been playing well as of late.
Abdel Nader (concussion) won't play vs. Denver on Friday.
Nader hasn't played yet this season and that's unlikely to change whenever he clears the league's concussion protocol.
Nassir Little won't play against the Warriors on Saturday due to health and safety protocols.
“For me, I was on the worst part of the spectrum, the hard end of the disease,” Little said. “I didn’t have to go to the hospital or be on a ventilator, but I went through it bad. It hit me really bad. For about seven to 10 days, I was just really miserable.” Little registered his first negative test on Dec. 22 after battling covid for a couple weeks. And while he's out Saturday night, his return is near. Derrick Jones Jr., Carmelo Anthony and Rodney Hood should be in line for minutes against the Dubs.
Dennis Smith Jr. (left quad) and Frank Ntilikina (sprained knee) will remain out for Saturday's game vs. Indiana.
Neither player is on the fantasy radar, especially with Austin Rivers healthy and Alec Burks and Immaneul Quickley nearing a return.
Immanuel Quickley (sore hip) is questionable for Saturday vs. the Knicks.
“Each day he’s done quite a bit more, more contact, that sort of thing,” coach Tom Thibodeau said on Thursday. “He’s not quite there so we felt let’s wait another day or two and see what it looks like.” Quickley has impressed in limited minutes and he's talented enough to carve out a big role once he's cleared, so he's definitely on our watch lists.
Maxi Kleber (right ankle sprain) has been upgraded to probable for Friday vs. the Heat.
He was previously listed as questionable but the ankle likely responded well overnight. Kleber should reprise his usual role of minutes in the low 20s and is more of a deep-league asset.
De'Andre Hunter (left knee soreness) is now probable for Friday vs. the Nets.
Hunter was previously listed as questionable. Danilo Gallinari (right ankle sprain) is out, so Hunter and Cam Reddish are both looking at solid workloads this evening. It also makes sense for the Hawks to use both these guys to slow down Kevin Durant. Hunter has been an 11th-round value in 9-cat so far despite playing 31.4 minutes per game, so his upside isn't the greatest.
Tomas Satoransky (medical protocols) will not play on Friday vs. the Bucks.
Lauri Markkanen, Ryan Arcidiacano and Chandler Hutchison are also quarantined and will not be available. Coby White had 16 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and three triples in 40 minutes on Thursday and will be asked to take on a heavy workload once again.
Ryan Arcidiacono (health and safety protocol) is out for Friday vs. the Bucks.
He's the third-string PG when available and is miles off the fantasy radar.
Chandler Hutchison (health and safety protocols) is out for Friday vs. the Bucks.
He's going to really struggle to find minutes with Otto Porter and Patrick Williams playing so well. Hutchison is not on the fantasy radar.
Marcus Morris (sore right knee) will not play on Friday vs. the Jazz.
Morris has yet to play this season despite being cleared for practice earlier this week. The Clippers are obviously taking their sweet time and there's not enough upside here to warrant a stash.
Javonte Green (health and safety protocols) is out for Friday vs. Detroit.
Green has played a total of 25 minutes in just two appearances. Coach Brad Stevens likes the energy he brings but it doesn't translate to much fantasy value.
Jahlil Okafor (sprained right ankle) is probable for Friday vs. Boston.
He played 15 and 18 minutes in his first two games of the season before sitting out the last two. Okafor could reprise his usual role off the bench, but obviously doesn't offer much in fantasy with this workload.
Raptors coach Nick Nurse said Pascal Siakam was held out of Thursday's game because of a "discipline thing for an internal matter."
In case you missed it, the Raptors were upset with Siakam when he stormed off the court and went straight back to the locker room after fouling out on Tuesday. “Pascal accepted the action [the team] chose to take,” a source of Raptors reporter Josh Lewenberg said, "but he was obviously disappointed not to be out there with his teammates." Siakam is fully expected to be back in the lineup on Saturday.
John Wall, who was sidelined for more than two years with injuries, said he feels "amazing."
His play on Thursday night backed up that comment with Wall scoring 22 points on 8-of-20 shooting with two triples, six rebounds, nine dimes, one steal, one block and five turnovers in 37 minutes. Coach Stephen Silas was impressed and is excited to see how the chemistry between Wall and James Harden grows. “They haven’t been together, and we’re still trying to figure it out — who has it and who’s playing off the ball some,” Silas said. “They’re kind of figuring it out on their own with my help. That relationship has to grow and get better and better.”
Rudy Gobert double-doubled in Thursday's loss to the Suns with 18 points, 14 rebounds, one steal, one block and one turnover in 34 minutes.
"It's really early in the season. We're 2-2," said Gobert after the loss. "We play a very good team tomorrow. Big game and another opportunity to come out and do what we do and get a win." The Jazz have stumbled out the gates this year, but it hasn't been to the fault of Gobert, who is flirting with top-20 value behind averages of 17.0 points, 14.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 blocks and 2.0 turnovers per game on 75.7% shooting from the field and 60% from the stripe. Look for him to have another big stat line on Friday vs. the Clippers.
Deandre Ayton was held to just four points on 2-of-8 shooting in Thursday's win over the Jazz.
Ayton added nine rebounds, three assists, one steal, two blocks and one turnover in his 28 minutes of floor time, but he's just had a tough time getting going this season. Through the first five games, Ayton has contributed measly averages of 10.0 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.2 turnovers per contest on 47.7% shooting from the field and 58.3% from the stripe (career-low), which has only been good enough for late-round value. His usage has also dropped off a cliff, as he's currently working with a career-low 17.4 usage rate, so there's a good amount to be concerned about right now.
Mikal Bridges hit 6-of-9 shots for 16 points, four triples, six rebounds, two steals and one block across 37 minutes on Thursday.
Bridges has finally secured a spot in the starting lineup in Phoenix and he looks all set up for a major breakout season in Year-3. Through the first five games, Bridges has been pumping out top-20 value behind averages of 15.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.8 triples, 1.0 steal, 1.4 swats and he's yet to commit a single turnover. Congrats if you snatched him up towards the later rounds on draft day.