NBA Player News

Okogie remains sidelined for another game, but this will not impact fantasy basketball. Royce O’Neale and Damion Lee are two players who can give the Suns a lift off the bench, and they’re ahead of Okogie (when healthy) in the pecking order.

Antetokounmpo did not play in Monday’s loss to Cleveland, which dropped the Bucks to 1-6 on the season. During Wednesday’s practice, he was limited to participating in the walkthrough and skeleton (5-on-0) installation portions. If Giannis cannot play on Thursday against the Jazz, Bobby Portis will remain in the starting lineup.

Middleton has yet to appear in a game this season and does not have a timeline for his return. The Bucks forward did not practice on Wednesday, but according to coach Doc Rivers, he will play 3-on-3 ahead of Thursday’s game against the Jazz. Taurean Prince will remain the starter until Middleton is cleared to play.

Markkanen has missed Utah’s last three games, while Collier has yet to make his NBA debut. Going through a full practice doesn’t guarantee anything, but it appears that they’re on track to return to the lineup for Thursday’s game in Milwaukee. Utah is coming off their first win of the season on Monday night, and the added reinforcements will give them a better chance of making it two in a row. Collier’s return won’t dramatically impact the backcourt rotation, but Kyle Filipowski will likely return to a reserve role when Markkanen is back in the lineup.

Podziemski left his last outing against the Wizards early and didn’t return. He doesn’t appear to have made a full recovery just yet. Buddy Hield’s value off the bench could remain high if the second-year guard is ultimately ruled out against Boston.

Alvarado has worked well as New Orleans’ fill-in starting point guard. His shooting percentages have dipped in recent outings but his assist and rebounding production has been solid alongside his defensive stats. There are no other clear point guards, so Brandon Ingram could need to be more ball dominant on Wednesday.

Kuzma is set to miss his fourth consecutive contest and there’s no time table for his return. The Wizards have inserted Kyshawn George into the starting lineup in a corresponding move and the rookie has thrived in a larger role.

Ball unexpectedly popped up on the injury report after a poor showing against the Timberwolves his last time out. He hasn’t missed a game this season, but Tre Mann could thrive if given the chance to step into the starting lineup.

Lively appears set to miss his second game of the season. Daniel Gafford will take on the bulk of the work at center. While he didn’t do much with Lively’s first missed contest he can put up impressive numbers in a featured role.

Hachimura isn’t in the best shape after posting a 20-point double-double his last time out. Los Angeles is short on longer wings, so Dalton Knecht or Max Christie could have to step into the starting lineup if Hachimura is ruled out.

Huerter has missed Sacramento’s last two games, with Doug McDermott (at TOR) and Keon Ellis (at MIA) filling the resulting void. Of the two, Ellis offers higher streaming value should Huerter remain sidelined. Also of note was McDermott being a DNP-CD for the win over Miami, which is even more reason to leave him on the waiver wire.