NBA Player News

The Suns have made two changes to the quintet that started Tuesday’s win over the Spurs, one of which was prompted by an injury. O’Neale will replace Kevin Durant, while Plumlee will replace rookie Oso Ighodaro. O’Neale has deep-league streaming value, while Plumlee may be in a timeshare with Ighodaro.

The Bulls are without multiple rotation players, including starter Ayo Dosunmu. Terry will replace him in the starting lineup, giving him a shot at achieving fantasy relevance in the short term. However, he’s only worth streaming consideration in deep leagues, and the same can be said for Talen Horton-Tucker.

Murphy and Green are good to go for Thursday’s game, with the former’s status being more important to fantasy managers. Murphy will be an offensive focal point for the Pelicans, who remain without Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson. Green will be in the rotation but is not worth rostering in most fantasy leagues.

Some considered Friday’s home game a potential return date for Leonard, but that was ambitious. Not only will he sit out the matchup with the Warriors, but Leonard will remain in California to practice with the Clippers’ G League affiliate and not travel for the upcoming road trip. The Clippers play three road games in four days, beginning with Monday’s game in New Orleans, meaning there wouldn’t be much time for Leonard to practice.

Coulibaly and Sarr are back after sitting out Monday’s loss to the Thunder. Their returns mean Malcolm Brogdon and Jonas Valanciunas will come off the bench. While the latter will retain standard league fantasy value, the former is a deep-league option with his return to the bench.

A late scratch for Monday’s loss to the Knicks, Shead will miss a second consecutive game for the Raptors. With Ja’Kobe Walter out, Jamison Battle and Davion Mitchell should play more minutes off the bench.

Wade did not play in Monday’s win over the Jazz, and the Cavaliers were also without Isaac Okoro. Sam Merrill started and hit six 3-pointers, and if Wade cannot play, he is worth streaming.

Walter averages 20 minutes per game this season as a 20-year-old rookie. While he could see his role grow as the season goes along, he’s still a member of the Raptors bench rotation. Jamison battle could see more minutes with Walter out Thursday, though he’s not worth streaming.

Gordon injured his calf during Wednesday’s loss to the Suns, and it’s the same one he injured in early November. That particular strain cost Gordon three-plus weeks of game time, as he did not return until December 1. Peyton Watson is the likely replacement in the starting lineup, and he should be streamed wherever available.

Murray returned from a one-game absence Wednesday and didn’t play particularly well against the Suns. He was 4-of-10 from the field with 13 points and six assists. Murray will look to bounce back against the Cavaliers Friday.

Lillard will miss a fourth consecutive game, with the last two due to an illness. Ryan Rollins has been the starter and is worth streaming in deep leagues. Also worth a look in deeper formats is AJ Green, whose minutes have increased with Lillard sidelined.