Magic head coach Steve Clifford says Cole Anthony, Dwayne Bacon and Michael Carter-Williams will play more on Thursday with Terrence Ross out.
Ross is sidelined with a hamstring injury that he fought through in Tuesday's game. It's unclear how long he'll be out for. Of the group expected to play more minutes, Anthony may be the most worth taking a look at. Bacon has also been moved to the starting lineup, coming off 18-point (9-of-10 shooting), eight-rebound showing against the Thunder.
Josh Okogie (left hamstring strain) will not play on Friday vs. the Wizards.
This will be his second straight game on the shelf and it's not a good sign that he's getting ruled out well in advance. Jarrett Culver could get another start, but even though he had a hot start to the season, he posted a dud on Tuesday vs. the Clippers with zero points on 0-of-10 shooting, 10 rebounds, one steal and one block. Juancho Hernangomez and Jake Layman were limited to minutes in the teens in that same game and didn't do anything of note.
Karl-Anthony Towns (wrist) won't play on Friday against the Wizards.
Naz Reid has started in his place, and in two games, is averaging 11 points (9-of-19 shooting, including 2-of-6 from deep), four rebounds, 2.5 assists and a steal in 24 minutes. Look for that level of production to continue.
Rajon Rondo (left knee soreness) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Nets.
Rondo played 16 minutes in Wednesday's loss to the Nets, failing to score but he did dish out six assists. His absence opens up a few minutes for Brandon Goodwin, who was a DNP-CD the last time out. He isn't worth grabbing off of the waiver wire in any league.
Grayson Allen (left ankle sprain) is doubtful for Friday vs. Charlotte.
After playing well in the bubble, Allen has been brutal to start this season, hitting 21% from the field and 18% from beyond the arc. De'Anthony Melton (health and safety protocols) is still out, so this could be a chance for Desmond Bane to show what he can do. Bane looked solid vs. the Celtics on Wednesday, scoring 16 points with four rebounds, two steals and three triples in 32 minutes.
Abdel Nader is still in concussion protocol and will not play Thursday vs. Utah.
Nader didn't offer much in the way of fantasy value when healthy, so nothing changes in that regard with this update.
Jalen Smith (sprained left ankle) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Jazz.
Smith's absence has freed up a few minutes for Frank Kaminsky, as the Suns aren't all that deep behind starting center Deandre Ayton. But Kaminsky isn't worth rostering, regardless of league format.
Derrick Favors (right knee soreness) is listed as probable for Thursday's game against the Suns.
Favors played 11 minutes off the bench in Monday's win over the Thunder, and he's looking at a similar workload for Thursday's game. He won't get enough playing time to merit being rostered, regardless of league format.
Chandler Hutchison (health and safety protocols) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Wizards.
Hutchison played just six minutes in Tuesday's win over the Wizards, and now he's been ruled out for health and safety protocol reasons. Hutchison wasn't a player worth rostering when healthy, so this news doesn't chance much on that end. It is unknown how much time he will miss, and his minutes will likely be absorbed by Otto Porter Jr. and Garrett Temple.
Tyler Herro said on Thursday that he isn't focused on whether he's asked to play on or off the ball.
Herro was used off the ball more in Wednesday's win over Milwaukee, and all he did was establish a new career-high in rebounds (15) while also scoring 21 points. He began the season spending the majority of his time at the point, in order to get alleviate some of the pressure on Goran Dragic. Going back to his more customary off-ball role paid dividends for Herro on Wednesday, even if he isn't too concerned about what position he plays. "Whatever coach says is what's going on," Herro said. "Honestly, I don't really tell the difference whether I'm on the ball or off teh ball because I think it is positionless. I think I just got my rhythm back. I honestly don't think it has anything to do with point guard or shooting guard."
Jalen McDaniels played 16 minutes in Wednesday's win over Dallas, scoring 10 points (4-of-5 FGs, 1-of-1 FTs) with one rebound and one 3-pointer.
Three nights after playing just four minutes in a win over Brooklyn, McDaniels' minutes quadrupled Wednesday night. While he took advantage of the opportunity with regard to his point total, the second-year forward was also responsible for four turnovers. Cody Zeller being sidelined due to injury has opened up additional minutes in the frontcourt, which is good news for McDaniels. But it isn't enough to make him a relevant player in any fantasy format at this point.
DeMar DeRozan went 7-of-12 from the field and 8-of-10 from the line on his way to 23 points in a loss to the Lakers on Wednesday.
DeRozan added one 3-pointer, five rebounds, six dimes, one steal, one block and two turnovers while he was out there, and he's having another early-round season, thus smashing his draft day ADP. Through the first four games of the year, DeRozan has put in averages of 21.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.0 3-pointer, 1.0 steal, 0.8 swats and just 1.8 turnovers per game on 49.1% shooting from the field and 87.5% from the line. Congrats if you snagged him at a deflated price on draft day.
Jakob Poeltl failed to block a single shot in a spot-start on Wednesday, but he still finished with an okay line of eight points, seven rebounds, one assist and one steal over 24 minutes.
It wasn't the worst line, but a few blocks would have made it a lot better. LaMarcus Aldridge is just day-to-day with some knee soreness, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him return for Friday's rematch, which would shift Poeltl back to the second unit. Poeltl isn't worth a roster spot in most leagues.
Robert Covington hit 3-of-4 shots and two 3-pointers for eight points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 25 minutes of Wednesday's blowout loss to the Clippers.
RoCo just can't seem to get it going and had five fouls tonight, but at least came through with a steal, a block and a couple 3-pointers. He's yet to score in double digits this season and while it may be tempting to drop him, just keep in mind he's still trying to figure out his role with his new team and he averaged 11.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.6 steals, 2.2 blocks and 2.4 3-pointers with the Rockets last season, where he had to deal with James Harden having the ball in his hands constantly. RoCo still has plenty of time to turn it around but there's no doubt that it's been a rough ride.
Keldon Johnson was held to just seven points on 3-of-9 shooting Wednesday, to go with three rebounds, one 3-pointer, three assists and two turnovers in a loss to the Lakers.
Johnson was on a roll through the first three games of the season, but he ran into a wall against Anthony Davis and the championship Lakers tonight. He has a tough series of games coming up with a rematch with the Lakers, followed by the Jazz and Clippers, so it'll be interesting to see how he bounces back after tonight's disappointing stat line. Given how good he was to start the season, we'll give him a long leash if he struggles over the next few games.
Derrick Jones Jr. hit 2-of-6 shots and a 3-pointer for six points, three rebounds and a steal in 35 minutes of Wednesday's blowout loss to the Clippers.
Airplane Mode hasn't scored more than nine points in a game this season despite getting a ton of minutes and while he has hit some triples and blocked some shots, you can probably do better off your waiver wire. He has plenty of time to right the ship, but the Blazers don't appear to be anxious to run plays for him any time soon.
Rudy Gay was quiet in Wednesday's loss to the Lakers, scoring just eight points on 3-of-10 shooting to go with two triples, three rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 25 minutes off the bench.
Gay put up 20 shots on Sunday, but he was back with his minimal usage tonight, and inconsistency will likely be a trend for the 34-year-old forward. For now, it's looking like his value will be limited to deep leagues.
Jusuf Nurkic hit 2-of-4 shots for four points, four rebounds and two blocks in Wednesday's ugly 128-105 loss to the Clippers.
This was the first game this season Nurkic didn't hit double digits in either scoring or rebounds and he just wasn't feeling it in a game dominated by the Clippers. He'll bounce back and be fine, so don't do anything rash with him if he's on your roster. It was just one game.
Damian Lillard hit just 3-of-14 shots and missed all eight of his 3-point attempts on Wednesday, but salvaged his fantasy line by hitting 14-of-15 free throws for 20 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal.
The Clippers blew the Blazers out of the gym and only C.J. McCollum looked like himself in this one. Lillard hit 4-of-12 shots for nine points in the opener and then bounced back with back-to-back 30-point games. He'll be fine and has a fun matchup with Stephen Curry on New Years Day at 10:30 p.m.
Carmelo Anthony returned from a COVID protocols absence and hit 3-of-5 shots and 9-of-10 free throws for 15 points, five rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes.
He's back and ready to go but isn't a great fantasy option unless you're in a deeper league.