Taurean

Prince

Prince isn’t a must-roster player, but the 3-pointers and steals keep him on the radar in extremely deep leagues. He’ll have opportunities to be productive until Khris Middleton (ankles) returns, but Prince should be considered little more than a player worth streaming on light game nights.

Not only did Prince establish a new season-high with 23 points, but this was also his first 20-point game since October 29, 2023. Days like this have not been the norm for the Bucks forward, but the absences of Khris Middleton and Damian Lillard mean there are opportunities for Prince to step up. He’s worth a look in deep leagues until Middleton is a full go, and there remains no timeline for a return for Khris.

Ryan Rollins (shoulder) joins Lillard and Portis on the injury report, and the Bucks will be sorely shorthanded against Charlotte. AJ Green and Delon Wright should continue to hold things down in Milwaukee’s backcourt, and Taurean Prince and Pat Connaughton could see more playing time with Portis presumably sidelined.

While Middleton is progressing in his recovery, he still isn’t ready to play in games. Taurean Prince will remain in the starting lineup, making him worthy of streaming consideration in deep leagues.

Prince admirably filled the void in the starting lineup left by the injured Khris Middleton (ankles) on Wednesday night. He was highly accurate when allowed to shoot, and the rebound and assist production was adequate. Prince is rostered in just 2% of Yahoo leagues and is worth streaming in deeper formats until Middleton is cleared to return.

Prince will likely complete a starting lineup of Damian Lillard, Gary Trent Jr., Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez for this game. Giannis hasn’t officially been cleared, but he has been on the injury report as probable with this knee injury. Prince won’t provide much value outside of 3-pointers in 9-cat leagues, but he will be a long-term starter, which may make him worth a stream in deeper leagues.

Trent injured his elbow on a Jalen Duren screen, heading back to the locker room and eventually being ruled out for the remainder of Sunday’s preseason opener. With Khris Middleton working his way back from offseason surgeries on both ankles, Trent’s fantasy value would have been boosted for the start of the regular season. However, Sunday’s elbow injury changes things, shifting the focus to Taurean Prince (five points, five rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and one 3-pointer in 16 minutes).

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported in mid-July that Middleton underwent surgery on both of his ankles. While he is, according to Haynes, making progress in his recovery, the Bucks wing still has not been cleared for 5-on-5 activities. Injuries in recent years have diminished Middleton’s fantasy value, and Saturday’s update does not help matters. Taurean Prince, who appears on track to start regardless of Middleton’s status, and Gary Trent Jr. become players worth taking a late-round flier on, especially in deeper leagues.

Prince was effective last season, appearing in 78 games (49 starts) for the Lakers. In those appearances, he averaged 8.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals, and 1.8 3-pointers in 27.0 minutes. Prince shot nearly 40% from beyond the arc, and his arrival gives the Bucks another 3-and-D wing to plug into the rotation.

Reddish is still battling back from an ankle sprain and is set to miss a sixth consecutive game. Taurean Prince will likely continue to dominate the Lakers’ reserve wing minutes.