Dennis Schroder Draws Start For Season Opener Tuesday

Los Angeles Lakers point guard Dennis Schroder (ankle) has been given the thumbs up to play in Tuesday's game versus the Clippers and will draw the start at point guard. Schroder is expected to share ball-handling duties with LeBron James in the first unit, although the new member of the Lakers has been vocal about... Read More

Kevin Porter Jr. Headlines Cavs Bench Players Out Wednesday

The Cleveland Cavaliers' second unit will be severely short-handed during Wednesday's season opener versus Charlotte as shooting guard/small forward Kevin Porter Jr. (personal) and point guards Matthew Dellavedova (concussion) and Dante Exum (hip) will all miss the contest. Darius Garland and Collin Sexton will be the team's only active point guards, meaning that the duo... Read More

Ben McLemore Will Sit Out At Least Wednesday’s Contest

Houston Rockets shooting guard/small forward Ben McLemore has been ruled out for Wednesday's season opener against Oklahoma City. McLemore is self-isolating under the league's COVID-19 protocols, making his return to action uncertain. His absence should give Eric Gordon an uptick in potential usage among the second unit, while Danuel House Jr. could also absorb some looks... Read More

Norman Powell Draws Questionable Tag For Wednesday’s Game

Toronto Raptors shooting guard/small forward Norman Powell is questionable to play in Wednesday's contest versus the Pelicans because he is set to undergo further COVID-19 testing before tip-off. Fantasy managers can prepare for this to be a continuous cycle for most of the regular season, with little knowledge able to be gleaned as to Powell's status... Read More

Clint Capela Unlikely To Play In Wednesday’s Season Opener

Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela (Achilles) is listed as doubtful to play Wednesday versus the Bulls as he continues to battle Achilles soreness. The Hawks are set to be fraughtfully thin at the center spot if Capela cannot play with Onyeka Okongwu (foot) listed as out, leaving Bruno Fernando to draw a likely start at... Read More

Kevin Love Will Miss Wednesday’s Season Opener

Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love (Achilles, calf) has been ruled out for Wednesday's season opener against Charlotte. Love has been banged up during the preseason, with Larry Nance Jr. and Cedi Osman as the likely favorites to enter the starting five in his place. With Love not around to help clean up the glass,... Read More

Rajon Rondo, Kris Dunn Ruled Out For Wednesday’s Game

Atlanta Hawks point guards Rajon Rondo (personal) and Kris Dunn (knee) have been listed as out for Wednesday's contest against Chicago, leaving Trae Young to likely receive a lion's share of the minutes at the point guard spot. The defensive-minded duo of Rondo and Dunn were added in the off-season as both PG depth and... Read More

Chicago Lists Patrick Williams As Probable Starter Wednesday

Chicago Bulls small/power forward Patrick Williams took first-team reps during Tuesday's practice and has since been listed as a starter among the team's game notes for Wednesday's contest versus Atlanta. Williams was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and has quickly ascended the depth chart due to his impressive athleticism.... Read More

Spencer Dinwiddie Starts Tuesday; Caris Levert Leads Bench Unit

Brooklyn Nets point/shooting guard Spencer Dinwiddie will start at the two-guard spot for Tuesday's season opener versus Golden State with Caris Levert set to come off the bench. The move stays in line with how head coach Steve Nash had been deploying his group during the preseason, but is a pivot away from years past... Read More

Russell Westbrook Faces No Minutes Cap Wednesday

Washington Wizards point guard Russell Westbrook will be a full-go for Wednesday's game versus Philadelphia and will not face a minutes ceiling. Westbrook isn't scheduled to play in back-to-backs to begin the year, which is set to cloud his season-long fantasy appeal as soon as the first weekend. But for Opening Night, Westbrook will be... Read More

James Wiseman Draws Start In First NBA Game Tuesday

Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman will be tabbed as the team's starting center Tuesday against Brooklyn despite not having logged a minute of preseason action. The plan calls for Wiseman to play in spurts of minutes in the frontcourt, so it's unlikely that he receives a massive minutes allotment, but that shouldn't limit his... Read More

FanDuel NBA DFS Lineup Picks (12/22/20): Daily Fantasy Basketball Advice

In many ways, it feels as if the Lakers just wrapped up their 2020 NBA Finals victory over the Heat days ago. For other teams -- namely teams playing meaningful games somewhere outside the bubble -- it’s felt like eons. Now, we’re back. The ‘20-21 NBA season kicks off Tuesday with a splendid two-game tilt,... Read More

Broncos Defense Not Expected To Get Von Miller Back In 2020

Denver Broncos linebacker/defensive end Von Miller (ankle) had been holding out hope that he could return for the final two games of the 2020 season, but head coach Vic Fangio was "not optimistic" about that possibility as of Monday. Miller has not yet returned to practice after having undergone surgery to correct damage done to... Read More

Buffalo Not Overly Worried About Stefon Diggs’ Foot Ailment

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs (foot) exited Saturday's win over Denver due to a foot injury, one that head coach Sean McDermott deemed "not overly worrisome" as of Monday. The team does plan to still monitor Diggs when he returns to practice Wednesday, but with two additional days of rest, it sounds as if... Read More

Leighton Vander Esch Unlikely To Play In Week 16

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (ankle) is highly unlikely to participate in Sunday's game versus Philadelphia due to a sprained ankle that he sustained in Week 15 against San Francisco. Head coach Mike McCarthy believes that it will be a multi-week injury for Vander Esch, which now puts the remainder of his season in... Read More

Randy Bullock Ruled Inactive For Monday’s Game

Cincinnati Bengals kicker Randy Bullock was named as an inactive prior to kickoff Monday against Pittsburgh, paving the way for Austin Seibert to serve as the team's kicker. Bullock has struggled mightily as of late, having made just two of his last five field goal attempts. With six missed kicks on the year (which includes... Read More

Greg Olsen On Track To Return To Action In Week 16

Seattle Seahawks tight end Greg Olsen (foot) is trending toward being active for Sunday's contest against the Rams, provided that he makes it through the week without any setbacks during practice. Olsen sustained a tear in his plantar fascia during Week 11, which seemed destined to end his 2020 season at the least. But the... Read More

Carolina Hopes To Have Christian McCaffrey Practice Wednesday

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey (thigh) has been through the injury gamut in 2020, but that hasn't stopped head coach Matt Rhule from eyeing a possible return to practice Wednesday for the All-Pro rusher. Should the Panthers get their lead back on the field for Wednesday, the plan will be to ramp him up... Read More

Tyler Conklin Notches First Career TD Grab In Week 15

Minnesota Vikings tight end Tyler Conklin logged the first touchdown of his three-year career Sunday against Chicago, a 20-yard score in the fourth quarter. Conklin saw an increase in usage with Kyle Rudolph (foot) out of the mix, as he hauled in three receptions (on four targets) for 57 yards. Having been sparingly used for... Read More

Willie Snead IV Held Without Reception During Win

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Willie Snead IV did not log a catch during Sunday's convincing victory over the Jaguars, the second time this season that he has delivered a goose egg in the catch column. Baltimore had its full allotment of receivers at its disposal in Week 15, as eight different players hauled in a... Read More

Lynn Bowden Jr. Notches Team-High Six Receptions

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. compiled a team-high six receptions during Sunday's win over New England with DeVante Parker (hamstring) and Jakeem Grant Sr. (hamstring) unavailable. Bowden crash landed on the scene last week with a nine-target, seven-reception performance, but despite serving as the Dolphins' No. 1 WR versus the Patriots, was held... Read More

Jakobi Meyers Racks Up Team-High 111 Receiving Yards

New England Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers found himself in a familiar position during Sunday's loss to Miami: racking up receiving yards (111) without a touchdown to show for it. Despite being matched up against a stout Dolphins Defense, Meyers exceeded the 100-yard total for the second time this season. He brought in seven of... Read More

Tyler Lockett Posts Quiet Stat Line During Week 15

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett was kept in check by Washington during his team's win Sunday. Lockett was held without a touchdown catch for the fourth consecutive week, having amassed four receptions (on seven targets) for 34 yards. While leading the team with seven targets is a positive, Lockett has found the end zone... Read More

Marcus Williams Deals With Ankle Sprain After Sunday’s Loss

New Orleans Saints safety Marcus Williams (ankle) sustained a low ankle sprain during Sunday's defeat to the Chiefs, with further tests to come on the ailment Monday. Williams was responsible for two combined tackles and a pass defended versus Kansas City, as the Saints' elite defense wasn't even stout enough to slow Patrick Mahomes. Working... Read More

Philadelphia Plans To Name Week 16 Starting QB On Monday

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts delivered a masterful performance during Sunday's loss to the Cardinals, compiling 399 yards of combined offense to go along with four touchdowns. But that was not enough for head coach Doug Pederson to tab him as the team's starter for Week 16 versus Dallas. Pederson noted that he would likely... Read More

Laviska Shenault Jr. Logs Team-High Six Targets In Week 15

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. followed up his career-high 11-target performance last week by notching a team-best six targets in Sunday's loss to Baltimore. He hauled five of those in for a catch, accruing 43 receiving yards, but was stymied from finding the end zone. After a mid-season lull in passes coming his... Read More

Tre'Quan Smith Sustains Ankle Injury During Sunday’s Loss

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Tre'Quan Smith (ankle) was in line for a sizable uptick in usage during Sunday's defeat to Kansas City due to the absence of Michael Thomas (ankle), but his own ankle ailment sidetracked those plans. Being forced to exit from the game due to the injury, Smith hauled in just one... Read More

DJ Chark Jr. Logs Team-High 53 Receiving Yards In Defeat

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. had a team-best 53 receiving yards on four receptions Sunday against Baltimore, but he was yet again kept out of the end zone. More pressing was that with Gardner Minshew II back under center, Chark saw just five targets, which is tied for his lowest mark since Week... Read More

Quinnen Williams Sustains Concussion During Sunday’s Game

New York Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams (concussion) has been diagnosed with a concussion stemming from Sunday's win over the Rams. Prior to his departure, Williams made four combined tackles -- one of which came for a loss -- in addition to notching his 14th quarterback hit of the year. While he finds himself as... Read More

Clyde Edwards-Helaire Appears To Sustain Leg Injury Sunday

Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (leg) had to be helped to the locker room during Sunday's contest versus New Orleans, appearing to be in considerable pain during the fourth quarter. With the apparent injury coming so late in the contest, there likely won't be a significant update on Edwards-Helaire until after the game.... Read More