NBA Player News

While the Magic could not hand Cleveland its first loss of the season, da Silva’s play was positive. Seeing his first meaningful action as a pro, the first-round pick out of Colorado contributed 17 points in 20 minutes off the bench. Da Silva has the size and defensive skill set needed to help Orlando, especially with Paolo Banchero (oblique) sidelined, and he showed off his shooting skills on Friday. The rookie isn’t a must-add right now, but adding da Silva to your watch lists would be a good idea.

Jerome sat out Tuesday’s win over the Wizards, a blowout that included Darius Garland exiting with a head injury. However, with Garland absent from the injury report for Thursday, Jerome will be in his usual backup role if cleared. Caris LeVert may spend more time on the ball if Jerome remains sidelined, and the Cavs can also stagger the minutes of starters Garland and Donovan Mitchell.

During Tuesday’s win over the Wizards, Garland was injured when he collided with Jonas Valanciunas. His absence from the initial injury report means he’s been given a clean bill of health for Thursday night. Ty Jerome, questionable with an illness, would have been next in line if Garland could not play.

Gordon flirted with a double-double his last time out and is on track to play in a second straight contest after returning from injury. He logged 33 minutes against the Warriors and there’s been no indication that he can’t handle a similar workload against Cleveland.

Wednesday’s game will be the fifth Brown missed due to his back injury. His absence will not impact fantasy basketball, as he’s been on the back end of the Clippers’ rotation when healthy.

According to Law Murray of The Athletic, Mann fractured his finger during Tuesday’s win over Portland and is expected to be sidelined for an extended period. With Norman Powell (hamstring) also sitting out Wednesday’s game, Amir Coffey is the player fantasy managers should target. Jordan Miller is a risky play in this spot, but more minutes will also be available to him.

Wednesday’s game will be the third straight on the sideline for Porter, whose absence frees up additional minutes for Amir Coffey. Also, Jordan Miller has moved into the rotation recently but is unlikely to be a reliable streamer in this spot.

Powell is back out of the rotation after lighting it up with 30 points in 25 minutes his last time out. Amir Coffey and Nic Batum will be among the wings asked to step up during his absence.

Williamson has been out since early November, and it was announced that he’d be sidelined indefinitely. He’ll go another two weeks before the Pelicans evaluate his hamstring and determine the next steps in his recovery process. Trey Murphy and Yves Missi are of greater importance to the Pelicans, with Williamson sidelined, and both should be rostered wherever they are available.

After missing eight of nine games in November with a back issue, Hawkins returned to make three appearances before he was sidelined again. He’ll miss at least one more week of action before the Pelicans evaluate his progress. Hawkins’ absence doesn’t significantly impact fantasy basketball, but it does leave a team light on bench options shorthanded.

Alvarado has been sidelined since early November, and he’s unlikely to return until just before Christmas. The good news for the Pelicans is that the recent returns of Dejounte Murray and CJ McCollum have bolstered their depth on the perimeter. Those two will continue to handle most of the playmaking responsibilities, with Brandon Boston Jr. coming off the bench.