Dennis Smith Jr. (COVID-protocol) is being listed as questionable for Tuesday's game vs. the Nets.
DSJ was traded to the Pistons on Sunday in exchange for Derrick Rose, but the health and safety protocols may delay his Detroit debut. Dwane Casey did say some nice things about Smith Jr. at Monday's presser and said he will "get an opportunity," but we've seen him bungle opportunities with two different teams through his four years in the league, so he's a wait-and-see guy in most formats.
Josh Hart is questionable to play on Tuesday due to lower right back spasms.
If Hart misses his first game of the season, J.J. Redick and Nickeil Alexander-Walker could see an uptick in minutes. Neither are great fantasy options, but Redick could provide a healthy amount of 3-pointers, and Alexader-Walker has had at least one steal in his last six games.
Moe Harkless won't play on Monday against the Knicks with a left thigh contusion.
Harkless will miss his ninth straight game for the Heat. Max Strus and Andre Iguodala should fill in his role, but neither are worth rostering.
Evan Fournier (back) did not practice on Monday.
Fournier missed Saturday's game with the back issue flaring up again, and him not being able to even participate in Monday's practice isn't a great sign regarding his status for Tuesday's game in Portland. If he's out again, Dwayne Bacon could get another start and there will be more playmaking responsibilities for Cole Anthony. Stay tuned.
Michael Carter-Williams (left foot) has been ruled out for Tuesday's game vs. Portland.
MCW was able to participate in Monday's practice, so he is making progress, but Tuesday will mark his 18th straight game on the sidelines. Leave him on the wire.
Noah Vonleh has officially been signed by the Nets and he'll be available to play on Tuesday vs. the Pistons.
It's possible Vonleh could see quality rotation minutes behind DeAndre Jordan, but he'll need to beat out Jeff Green and Norvel Pelle for the playing time. This is a wait-and-see situation in most leagues.
Iman Shumpert (left hamstring strain) has been ruled out for Tuesday's game in Detroit.
Shumpert must have tweaked his hamstring at practice because he's yet to appear in a game for Brooklyn this season. His absence won't have any impact in fantasy hoops.
Michael Carter-Williams (left foot) participated in Monday's practice.
It's unclear at the moment if MCW was a full participant, or a limited one, but he hasn't played since Jan. 4, so he'll likely have some hard minutes restrictions once he is eventually cleared. We don't anticipate him being useful in the vast majority of fantasy leagues.
Dario Saric (left ankle sprain) will not play on Monday vs. the Cavaliers.
Saric hasn't played since Jan. 11, as he tweaked his ankle right after clearing the COVID-19 protocols. Frank Kaminsky will continue to benefit in his absence, but is strictly just a deep-league streamer.
Jae Crowder (right foot soreness) will not play on Monday vs. the Cavaliers.
This will be Jae's third straight game on the sidelines and we haven't heard a timetable yet. With Abdel Nader (ankle) also out, the Suns will continue with their double-big lineup with Frank Kaminsky alongside Deandre Ayton, but he's only worth streaming in very deep leagues. Cameron Johnson is the better option in standard formats for his 3-point upside.
Abdel Nader (left ankle soreness) will not play on Monday vs. the Cavaliers.
Abdel was probable on Sunday vs. Boston but never saw the floor. With Abdel unavailable, Cameron Johnson and Frank Kaminsky will benefit for as long as Jae Crowder (foot) is out.
Alex Caruso is questionable for Monday vs. the Thunder with a right hand strain.
He's coming off one of his best games of the season with 10 points, three boards, two steals and a triple in 26 minutes, and could even see extra minutes tonight if he's cleared since Anthony Davis (Achilles) is sitting out. If Caruso is unable to go, Kentavious Caldwell-Popo and Talen Horton-Tucker are the most likely to absorb his minutes.
Lakers coach Frank Vogel said he's not worried about Marc Gasol's struggles on the offensive end.
“He’s out there to defend and rebound and play-make from the top of the key and sometimes that’s going to mean he’s going to get a couple of good looks at the 3-point line, a few short rolls and some other situations, some post-up on switches and whatnot,” Vogel said. Gasol is only averaging 19.4 minutes per game and is just outside the top-200 in 9-cat with 3.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.2 blocks and 0.5 triples.
Nets head coach Steve Nash has been impressed with Norvel Pelle.
“He’s out of shape a little bit for NBA standards,” Nash said. “You could see him out there. I was proud of him for fighting through, trying to get his legs and his lungs going. He obviously has some instincts blocking shots, which is I think his reputation and why we looked at him. I was proud of the way he conducted himself and worked hard.” An elite shot blocker, Pelle swatted three shots in just 17 minutes on Saturday and the Nets could obviously use all the help they can get on the defensive end. We'll be keeping a close eye on Pelle with DeAndre Jordan struggling.
Kyle Korver said he’s still deciding on whether or not to continue his NBA career.
“I’m not sure. I’ve talked to a few teams about it,” Korver said of a potential return. “Coming out of the bubble, I believe in honoring the game. I believe you honor the season with a good offseason. Coming out of the bubble with the quick turnaround, I didn’t feel I really did that. So I don’t want to cheat the game.” If he does latch onto a contender it sounds like he’ll need to some time to ramp up his conditioning but it would be nice to see one of the best sharpshooters of the last decade back in the NBA. Last season with the Bucks, Korver hit 41.8% from beyond the arc.
D’Angelo Russell had high praise for rookie Jaden McDaniels.
“I think he’s way better than people are realizing,” Russell said. “He knows the game better than people expect. He makes these exciting plays out of nowhere.” While McDaniels didn’t score on Friday vs. the Thunder, he was a +20 on the night and had some great minutes alongside Jarred Vanderbilt, two players who have seen their value in dynasty leagues continue to rise. McDaniels then followed that up with eight points, six rebounds, two assists, one steal and a triple in the rematch on Saturday. While McDaniels isn’t a standard-league pickup for now, his block rate makes him an intriguing prospect once he figures things out on the offensive end.
Anthony Davis (right Achilles tendonosis) is questionable for Monday's game vs. the Thunder.
Davis played 45 minutes on Saturday and there's no reason to think this is a serious ailment. As noted by Lakers writer Harrison Faigen, AD has already been on the injury report with a quad bruise, knee bruise, calf bruise, adductor strain, ankle sprain and ankle bruise -- all on the right side of his body. The Lakers' injury report tends to be useless, in other words, and for now fantays managers should expect to see Davis in uniform as usual.
Mike Muscala (concussion protocol) will not play vs. the Lakers on Monday.
Muscala got elbowed in the head during Saturday's game and it will cost him at least one game as he works his way through the NBA's concussion protocols. Al Horford has been rolling lately and he'll get as many minutes as he can handle in a tough matchup vs. the Lakers, especially with Isaiah Roby (sore right foot) already out of commission. OKC coach Mark Daigneault will have to get creative with his frontcourt rotations.
Isaiah Roby (right foot soreness) won't play vs. the Lakers on Monday.
Mike Muscala is out with a concussion and Aleksej Pokusevski is in the G League, so the Thunder frontcourt consists of Al Horford and Darius Bazley, full stop. Until we get details about Roby's injury we'll consider him day-to-day.
Theo Maledon (health and safety protocols) is listed 'out' for Monday's game vs. the Lakers.
Maledon missed Friday's game due to medical protocols, he was cleared to play Saturday and scored 10 points with six dimes, but he's now being ruled out a day in advance for Monday. Given the league's current protocols, stranger things have happened (see: Kevin Durant). His absence means Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be extra busy, and Hamidou Diallo will also be tasked with creating more offense than usual.