Bulls coach Billy Donovan said that he's "optimistic" that Otto Porter Jr. (back spasms) will be available for Friday's game against the Thunder.
Porter played just six minutes in last Friday's loss to the Lakers, and he was held out of Sunday's game against the Clippers. With the team's midweek game against the Celtics postponed due to Boston's COVID-19 issues, it's possible that Porter will miss just one game before returning to action. His fantasy impact may be minimal, however, as Lauri Markkanen (health and safety protocols) has been cleared to return.
Reggie Bullock (right hip soreness) is listed as questionable for Friday's game against the Cavaliers.
Bullock's perimeter shooting ability is sorely missed, as the Knicks have struggled offensively for significant stretches. Austin Rivers has filled the resulting void in the starting lineup, but after playing well to begin his season he has also struggled. Given New York's lack of consistent shooters, Bullock will be worthy of consideration in deeper leagues once he's cleared to play.
Alec Burks (left ankle sprain) is listed as doubtful for Friday's game against the Cavaliers.
Burks has been sidelined since late-December, and it appears likely that he will miss at least one more game. His absence means that RJ Barrett and Austin Rivers will continue to log heavy minutes on the perimeter, with rookie Immanuel Quickley secure in his role as Elfrid Payton's backup. Rivers is a better choice than Barrett for fantasy managers in need of a perimeter contributor.
Tristan Thompson and Grant Williams (health and safety protocols) are no longer listed on the Celtics' injury report.
Both had to quarantine for seven days due to an exposure to COVID-19, and their absences from the injury report is a positive sign. It appears likely that Thompson and Williams will be available for Friday's game against the Magic. Neither is a great fantasy option in standard leagues, but both will be credible members of the Celtics rotation.
Grant Williams (health and safety protocols) is no longer listed on the Celtics' injury report.
Williams and Tristan Thompson were among the players who had to quarantine for seven days, with Robert Williams being another. Grant and Tristan are no longer listed on the report, so they should be available to play in Friday's game against the Magic. The former's versatility gives him a slightly better chance of having an impact fantasy-wise, but don't expect big numbers from either.
Semi Ojeleye and Javonte Green (health and safety protocols) are listed as questionable for Friday's game against the Magic.
Just as Ojeleye managed to work his way into the rotation, the Celtics had to shut things down due to COVID-19 issues. He's worth a look in deeper leagues once cleared, as Boston could be without Jayson Tatum (who tested positive for COVID-19) for a little while longer. Green is further down in the pecking order, so he shouldn't be considered for any league.
Carsen Edwards (health and safety protocols) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Magic.
Edwards wasn't a great fantasy option even when available to play, so this news isn't going to have much of an impact. If anything, it means that Payton Pritchard will have one less person to potentially share reserve minutes with.
Keita Bates-Diop (upper respiratory infection) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Rockets.
Bates-Diop is on a two-way deal, and he isn't part of the rotation when healthy. Thursday's injury won't have any kind of impact when it comes to fantasy basketball.
Goga Bitadze (right ankle sprain) is listed as doubtful for Thursday's game against the Blazers.
Bitazde suffered a Grade 2 sprain of his right ankle during the preseason, and he has not appeared in a game since. His being listed as doubtful is a step in the right direction, but he's a ways off from having the kind of impact that would make him a viable fantasy option in any format.
Brian Bowen (partial tear, left groin) is listed as doubtful for Thursday's game against the Blazers.
Bowen wasn't expected to be a rotation player when healthy, so his return won't have any kind of impact when it comes to fantasy basketball.
Jalen Lecque (left ankle sprain) is listed as doubtful for Thursday's game against the Blazers.
Lecque has been sidelined since early January, and he appears to be making progress in his recovery. That being said, he wasn't a rotation before the ankle injury, so don't expect anything to change on that front once he's cleared to return.
Obi Toppin (right calf strain) was a full participant in Thursday's practice.
Toppin, who had been sidelined since the season opener, played 57 seconds in his return to action Wednesday night. His being able to go through a full practice session on Thursday bodes well for the rookie moving forward. We'll see if this means more minutes for Toppin Friday night when the Knicks visit Cleveland.
The Rockets have waived Bruno Caboclo.
Houston needed to free up a roster spot in order to complete the James Harden deal, as the team received Victor Oladipo and Taurean Prince. Caboclo proved to be the odd man out.
Serge Ibaka accounted for 12 points, one 3-pointer, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two turnovers across 26 minutes in Wednesday's win over the Pelicans.
Ibaka doesn't get a ton of attention in fantasy hoops, as he's well past his days of being a top-20 player and shot blocking maestro, but he's been quietly flirting with top-100 value in 9-cat leagues behind averages of 12.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.1 triples, 1.2 swats and 1.3 turnovers per game on 50.8% shooting. Ivica Zubac played through the abdominal injury, but finished with just nine points, seven rebounds, one assist and one turnover in 22 minutes off the bench. Ibaka is the better Clipper big to roster this season.
Lou Williams (hip) saw just nine minutes of floor time in Wednesday's win over New Orleans, finishing with two points, two rebounds and one assist.
Tyronn Lue said that at halftime, Williams made him aware how much his hip was bothering him, and Lue didn't want to chance anything by throwing him back out there for the second half of action. It's possible he'll need to skip Friday's game in Sacramento, which would lead to more minutes for Patrick Beverley. The 34-year-old scoring guard has gotten off to a horrendous start this season, with some of his worst numbers since his sophomore year, so we wouldn't recommend rostering him in most leagues.
J.J. Redick (right hamstring) scored 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting Wednesday, to go with two triples, five rebounds, three assists, one steal and one turnover in 28 minutes off the bench.
Redick had a nice, 23-point, six-triple performance in the regular-season opener, but the 36-year-old shooting guard has been in an awful slump since that game, connecting on just 26.7% of his shot attempts while regularly being held to single digits in the scoring department. He got some extra minutes and more opportunity tonight with Lonzo Ball (knee), Eric Bledsoe (eye) and Zion Williamson (COVID-protocol) all unavailable, but it still wasn’t a great stat line. He belongs on the wire in most leagues.
Brandon Ingram went 8-of-19 from the field and 6-of-6 from the line in Wednesday's loss to the Clippers.
Ingram got off to a brutal start in this one, going 2-of-11 from the floor through the first half of action as he got the full Kawhi Leonard treatment, but he managed to salvage his line a bit after halftime. He added six rebounds, three assists and two blocks in his 38 minutes of floor time, but he also committed an unfortunate four turnovers. This was just the second game of the season Ingram failed to connect on a single 3-pointer, but we'd expect him to get things back on track in the 3-point department on Friday vs. the Lakers.
Jaxson Hayes pulled down a season-high 10 rebounds in Wednesday's loss to the Clippers, adding four points and two assists in 19 minutes off the bench.
Hayes failed to record any defensive stats in this one, and finished just 2-of-6 from the field, but at least he didn't commit any turnovers. He has potential, but as long as Steven Adams is healthy, he won't get the minutes he needs to make an impact in most leagues. Adams finished with 12 points (6-of-7 FG, 0-of-2 FT), six rebounds, five assists, one block and one turnover across 29 minutes in the five-point loss.
Kira Lewis Jr. showed some flashes in 16 minutes off the bench on Wednesday, scoring 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting to go with two triples, two rebounds, one block and one turnover in a loss to the Clippers.
Stan Van Gundy praised Lewis Jr. for his fearless play while he received a season-high 16 minutes off the bench. The kid has potential, and he flashed it tonight with both Lonzo Ball (knee) and Eric Bledsoe (eye) on the sidelines, but neither of those guys are dealing with long-term injuries, so it shouldn’t be long before Lewis Jr. is collecting DNP-CDs on the bench again. He’s more of a stash in dynasty settings.
Patrick Beverley scored 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting Wednesday, to go with three triples, six rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocks and one turnover across 37 minutes in a win over the Pelicans.
In true Patrick Beverley fashion, he even spent some possessions as Brandon Ingram’s primary defender, and he gave him trouble in those matchups. He’s certainly not the most exciting guy to roster, but over the past five games he’s been flirting with top-60 value in 9-cat leagues behind averages of 10.2 points, 2.4 triples, 4.8 boards, 3.8 dimes, 1.0 steal, 1.6 swats and 1.0 turnover per game. The elite shot-blocking numbers won’t continue, but as long as he’s a 30+ minute starter in L.A., he should do enough to warrant some deep league attention.