James Ennis (right calf/hamstring) has been ruled out for Saturday's game vs. the Wizards.
This will be Ennis' second straight game on the sidelines, and he also missed the entire preseason. It's unclear how close he is, but hamstring injuries can be tricky, so this could be an extended absence. Dwyane Bacon will continue to start in his absence, but he's not worth rostering in the vast majority of leagues.
Derrick White (left toe surgery) will not play on Saturday vs. the Raptors.
We're still waiting for a proper update from the Spurs because we haven't heard anything since coach Gregg Popovich said White "isn't likely to return for weeks" back on Dec. 15th. Fantasy managers shouldn't be expecting White back until some point in January.
Matthew Dellavedova (concussion) will not play on Saturday vs. Detroit.
We're not going to post another blurb about Dellavedova until he makes progress with the concussion, but his absence is irrelevant in fantasy hoops.
Austin Rivers (sore right groin) will not play on Saturday vs. the 76ers.
The Knicks continue to rule him out a day in advance of games. He was able to do a little bit more during Thursday's practice, so maybe we see him return next week. With the lack of firepower in New York, Rivers has a shot at low-end fantasy value this season.
Omari Spellman (sore right knee) will not play on Saturday vs. Philly.
He doesn't have a timetable yet and isn't projected for rotation minutes.
Giannis Antetokounmpo notched 15 points, 13 rebounds,
four assists and two turnovers in a decisive
Giannis Antetokounmpo notched 15 points with 13 rebounds,
four assists and two turnovers in a decisive
Giannis Antetokounmpo notched 15 points with 13 rebounds, four assists and two turnovers in a decisive 138-99 win over the Warriors on Christmas Day.
Giannis went 6-of-8 from the line in the season opener, missing one in the clutch which could’ve prevented the loss to Boston. Those same issues popped up today with Giannis only hitting 7-of-15 from the charity stripe. This is a reminder that if you truly want to optimize Giannis in a category league you’re going to want to punt FT% -- he was the No. 1 player in standard leagues last season in punt-FT% builds, but only 22nd with it factored in. He'll get the Knicks on Sunday and they don't really have an answer for Giannis on the defensive end.
Donte DiVincenzo was excellent in 20 minutes vs. the Warriors on Christmas Day, scoring 13 points with four rebounds, two steals and three triples.
We're not worried about the low minutes here as the Bucks won by 39 points -- no starter played more than 27. We're only two games in but Donte looks like a steal at his ADP as he's on pace for top-60 9-category numbers of 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 3.0 triples. And "steal" is a fitting word as Donte was among the league leaders in steal rate last season.
D.J. Augustin (left calf) made his debut for the Bucks on Christmas day, scoring 13 points with one assist and three triples in 13 minutes.
He was actually the 10th man in the rotation tonight but maybe that changes once he gets his legs under him. Still, it was clear from the start that the move from Orlando to Milwaukee was going to be rough for his fantasy value, despite the hot shooting this evening.
Andrew Wiggins had another rough showing vs. the Bucks on Christmas Day, hitting 6-of-18 shots for 12 points with six rebounds and one steal in 25 minutes.
Yikes. This is another tough blow for Wiggins after going 25% from the field in the opener. This is certainly going to draw some criticism from the media but coach Steve Kerr was preaching patience after the opener and we'd expect more of the same, as it's not like the Warriors have other options right now. "Twelve games last year is a much better sample size and I think, over the course of this year, he’s going to prove to be a very good wing player with length and defensive versatility," Kerr said. "That’s a role that we need. He will fit in fine and play better.” Wiggins and Kelly Oubre are both ice cold but we expect some positive regression soon as they'll have another playmaker back in the lineup this weekend with Draymond Green expected back.
Robert Williams (illness) has been ruled out for Friday's game vs. the Nets.
There has been zero indication that this is related to COVID-19 and he's likely day-to-day since he carried a questionable tag before this update. Williams' absence slightly raises the floor of both Tristan Thompson and Daniel Theis.
Eric Bledsoe had a game to forget on Friday, shooting 2-of-10 from the field to score five points with five turnovers in 33 minutes.
Bledsoe had a particularly rough stretch in the second half when his Flagrant-1 foul was quickly followed by a pair of sloppy turnovers. He did hand out six assists, at least, and some growing pains aren't surprising as he adjusts to playing with new teammates. A few more quiet games could prompt GMs to get frustrated, so keep him in mind as a potential trade bargain.
Brandon Ingram scored 28 points during the Pelicans' Christmas Day loss, making 7-of-17 FGs and 10-of-11 FTs with two boards, three assists and four turnovers.
Ingram is coming off an All-Star campaign in 2019-20 and he shows no signs of letting up. Any concern that a healthy Zion Williamson would cut into his workload seem unfounded, with Ingram posting 27.1% usage in the opener and increasing that number in this Christmas Day matchup. Now the Pelicans just need to get more guys involved offensively, as Josh Hart (12 points, nine boards) was the only other player in double digits.
Josh Hart came off the bench on Friday for 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting, grabbing nine rebounds with one steal in 29 minutes of action.
Hart closed the first half with the starting group with Eric Bledsoe and Lonzo Ball alternating stints on the bench. The move helped New Orleans slow Miami's red-hot offense while still generating enough points to cut a 23-point deficit down to 13 at the half, though they ultimately came up short in a 111-98 defeat. Stan Van Gundy used a seven-man rotation for most of this game, and as long as that's the case Hart should get enough run to help fantasy managers in most formats.
Moe Harkless played nine minutes off Miami's bench on Friday, finishing scoreless with two rebounds in a win vs. New Orleans.
Harkless started Miami's opener but he didn't do much in 23 minutes and the result was a 113-107 loss. Erik Spoelstra mixed things up today with Meyers Leonard starting and rookie Precious Achiuwa anchoring the frontcourt minutes off the bench, leaving no room for Harkless or Kelly Olynyk in the rotation -- Harkless only played after Jimmy Butler (ankle stiffness) was ruled out. If you picked up Harkless due to his start in the opener, this is your cue to cut them loose.
Goran Dragic was terrific in 27 minutes Friday, scoring 18 points with nine assists, four steals and two rebounds.
Miami navigated the absence of Jimmy Butler (ankle) in the second half to earn their first win of the season, betting the Pelicans 111-98. Dragic was a big part of the success, helping Miami tie a franchise record with 13 made threes in the first half before leaning on their defense to close the deal. Dragic looks really sharp to begin the season and he's capable of maintaining mid-round value even with minutes in the 24-28 range most nights.
Avery Bradley made his Heat debut on Christmas Day, scoring 12 points (4-of-7 FGs, 2-of-3 FTs) with two 3-pointers, four assists, two rebounds and two steals.
Bradley did his damage in 28 minutes and his defense was Erik Spoelstra praised Bradley's ability to defend three positions, and teammate Duncan Robinson said after the game, "I've never seen someone play defense the way [Bradley] does." He should play a reliable role with Miami's second unit, but fantasy managers can't rely on him for more than a handful of 3-pointers and steals.
Meyers Leonard scored nine points with three 3-pointers, two rebounds and one assist in 20 minutes of action as a starter on Friday.
Leonard was a DNP-CD in Miami's opener, which is a bit surprising since Miami inked him to a two-year, $20 million this offseason. Head coach Erik Spoelstra switched to a bigger lineup for this Christmas Day matchup, with Leonard starting alongside Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro. Although the starting job should be his to lose, there's no reason to think Leonard will have reliable fantasy value in 18-24 minutes per game.
Jimmy Butler (sprained right ankle) will play vs. New Orleans on Friday.
Butler is coming off a brilliant season opener in which he swiped a career-high seven steals to go along with 19 points and seven assists. He's as tough as they come and should play a full allotment of minutes in this matinee game on Christmas afternoon, so feel free to fire him up in DFS.
D.J. Augustin (left calf strain) is expected to play vs. the Warriors on Friday.
According to Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, Augustin "is going to get some minutes, and having a true point [guard] will help set up some second-unit offense." He'll be making his Bucks debut and fantasy GMs should keep expectations low, especially since he's coming off an injury.
Robert Williams (illness) is questionable for Friday's game vs. the Nets.
If the illness forces Williams to sit out, the veteran duo of Tristan Thompson and Daniel Theis should divvy up his minutes between them. Despite phenomenal per-minute blocks, most fantasy GMs won't be impacted by Williams' availability after he played 12 minutes in the opener.