NBA Player News

Charlotte declined Thor’s fourth-year option in late June, and the unrestricted free agent has found a new home. Cleveland has one of the strongest frontcourt rotations in the Association, so minutes will be hard to come by for the South Sudanese big man. Thor logged just 12.4 minutes per game for the Hornets a season ago, and he won’t be on the fantasy radar in 2024-25.

Monday’s game against the Bucks will be the sixth that Risacher has missed with a bone contusion in his left knee. With the team’s update, he’ll miss at least another three games before being re-evaluated. Vit Krejčí has been Risacher’s replacement in the starting lineup, and that should not change.

Counting Monday’s game against the Bucks, Porziņǵis has missed Atlanta’s last six games with left Achilles tendinitis. His continued absence means more rotation minutes for Mouhamed Gueye, who has served as the primary backup to Onyeka Okongwu. Recent signing Christian Koloko may also get some run, but neither he nor Gueye is in a position to affect fantasy basketball.

The good news for Murray-Boyles and the Raptors is that X-rays on the thumb, which he aggravated during Sunday’s loss to the Lakers, came back negative. The rookie forward initially injured the thumb during a game against the Heat just before Christmas. With Jakob Poeltl (back) also out, the Raptors will have to rely on Sandro Mamukelashvili if Murray-Boyles misses time, with Jonathan Mogbo picking up rotation minutes off the bench.

Sensabaugh is a new addition to the Jazz injury report. He’s been on a heater recently, scoring 95 points in Utah’s last three games. If Sensabaugh can’t play, there will be more opportunities for Cody Williams and Taylor Hendricks. However, neither has been productive enough to merit being streamed.

Quickley returned to the Raptors’ lineup after missing two games, playing 29 minutes. The scoring was modest, but the seven assists were a nice tally after he failed to record any in Toronto’s January 12 loss to the 76ers. Quickley has been a top-100 player in eight-cat formats, and that production level should be relatively easy for him to maintain for the rest of the season.

Ingram didn’t shoot as well as he’s capable of in Sunday’s defeat, but he did provide fantasy managers with a complete stat line to end Week 13. Over the past two weeks, the Raptors’ wing has offered third-round value in eight-cat formats, two rounds better than his season-long value. The Raptors play four road games in Week 14, starting with a back-to-back against the Warriors and Kings.

The Raptors have decimated by injuries recently, and the frontcourt is a significant concern. Already playing without Jakob Poeltl (back), Toronto lost Collin Murray-Boyles (thumb) during the third quarter of Sunday’s game. That put even more on Mamukelashvili’s shoulders, and he finished with a solid stat line. There’s hope that Poeltl returns during Toronto’s road trip, but if he and Murray-Boyles aren’t available, Mamu will be worth the streaming risk.

Barnes has scored at least 22 points in three straight and four of his last five appearances, providing reliable offensive value. However, defensive production has decreased recently, which is why his season-long value has slipped out of the first round in 12-team, eight-cat formats. That said, Barnes is still averaging 2.7 “stocks” per game for the season, so fantasy managers should not be too concerned about the recent decrease in production in steals and blocks.

After playing 32 minutes in Saturday’s loss to the Trail Blazers, James logged 32 more on Sunday. It says a lot for the 41-year-old that he was able to play in all five of the Lakers’ Week 13 games, providing consistent fantasy value to managers who have him rostered. Over the past two weeks, James has offered top-5 per-game value in eight-cat formats according to Basketball Monster. The Lakers play three games in Week 14 without a back-to-back, which should get James a little more rest after a busy Week 13.

Dončić was back in the Lakers’ lineup after missing Saturday’s loss to the Trail Blazers. While efficiency was a concern, as evidenced by the poor field-goal percentage and turnovers (four), that’s the norm when it comes to Dončić’s fantasy value. However, a relatively inefficient Dončić is better than not having him at all. The Lakers play three games in Week 14 with no back-to-backs, which should bode well for Luka’s availability.