October 14, 2025
Los Angeles Lakers guard
Marcus Smart (Achilles) is expected to make his team debut in Tuesday's preseason contest against the Phoenix Suns, ESPN's Dave McMenamin reports. Smart has dealt with an Achilles issue during training camp and also battled an illness last week, but the veteran is now good to go. The Lakers will likely ease him into action and limit Smart's playing time. Smart is projected to start out the season as a member of the second unit, but
LeBron James' (sciatica) absence could give him an increased workload.
--Taavi PailkSource: Dave McMenamin
October 14, 2025
Golden State Warriors forward
Jimmy Butler III (ankle) won't be in the lineup on Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers, Anthony Slater of The Athletic reports. The veteran star was initially expected to play, but he's dealing with an ankle issue and will receive some extra rest on Tuesday. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr hopes that Butler III can recover in time for Friday's preseason finale against the Los Angeles Clippers. Next week, Butler III will start his first full season in San Francisco, with high expectations on his shoulders as his two-year, $121 million contract extension kicks in. During his 30-game spell with the Warriors last season, Butler III struggled with his shooting, averaging 17.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.7 steals in 32.7 minutes.
--Taavi PailkSource: Anthony Slater
October 14, 2025
Utah Jazz forward
Lauri Markkanen (wrist) made his 2025 preseason debut in Monday's 114-101 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. The Finnish star notched 10 points in 18 minutes, shooting 4-for-9 from the field. Three of his misses came from downtown as Markkanen failed to make a single three-point attempt. He also tallied four rebounds, three assists, and one steal. Markkanen had missed the previous preseason contests due to a wrist problem. Utah closes out its preseason schedule on Thursday against the Portland Trail Blazers, giving Markkanen one more opportunity to shake off some rust before the regular season begins. The same applies to
Kyle Filipowski (back), who also made his preseason debut against Dallas.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
October 14, 2025
Miami Heat forward/center
Bam Adebayo (knee) sat out most of the second half of Monday's preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks. The team announced that Adebayo had sustained a right knee contusion. Before exiting, Adebayo put up 13 points and had nine rebounds with three assists in 19 minutes. After a trip to the locker room, Adebayo cheered on his team from the bench, indicating that the injury doesn't seem serious. It's possible he might have even continued playing if it had been an important game. Still, ideally, a player would want to be fully healthy with a week to go before the regular-season opener. Miami begins the action on Oct. 22 against the Orlando Magic.
--Taavi PailkSource: Miami Heat
October 13, 2025
San Antonio Spurs guard
Stephon Castle (knee) is set to suit up and start for Monday's preseason matchup against the Indiana Pacers, according to Alex Golden of the 'Setting the Pace' podcast. The 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year has remained sidelined after he banged his knee in practice one week ago. After a successful first NBA campaign, Castle will have to compete for backcourt minutes with rookie guard
Dylan Harper, who averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game while shooting .484 from the floor and .333 from beyond the arc during his lone collegiate season at Rutgers.
--Andrew LennoxSource: Alex Golden
October 13, 2025
ESPN's Dave McMenamin reports that Los Angeles Lakers guard
Luka Doncic (rest) is expected to play in Tuesday's preseason game against the Phoenix Suns. Doncic has competed as a full participant throughout Lakers training camp and is all set to make his first preseason debut. Barring any setbacks, fantasy managers should anticipate that the 26-year-old star guard will be ready to go for the Lakers' regular season opener on October 21st against the Warriors.
--Andrew LennoxSource: Dave McMenamin
October 13, 2025
Portland Trail Blazers forward
Toumani Camara (knee) was held out of practice on Monday due to knee soreness, per Sean Highkin of Rip City Radio 620 Portland. Camara is now deemed questionable for Tuesday's preseason matchup with the Golden State Warriors. Despite the setback, the 25-year-old is still expected to be available on October 22nd for the team's regular-season opener against the Timberwolves. Last season, Camara provided strong all-around production, averaging 11.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.5 steals during 32.7 minutes per contest across 78 appearances.
--Andrew LennoxSource: Sean Highkin
October 13, 2025
K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network reports on Monday that Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan doesn't expect guard
Coby White (calf) to suit up during the preseason but anticipates him to be ready for Opening Night. White is close to full recovery after dealing with a calf strain. Fantasy managers should expect the 25-year-old to have a solid upcoming season after he averaged 24.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists after the All-Star break during the 2024-25 campaign.
--Andrew LennoxSource: K.C. Johnson
October 13, 2025
According to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Hornets guard Tree Mann (hip) is listed as day-to-day due to soreness in his right hip, putting him in jeopardy of missing Wednesday's preseason matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies. Mann agreed to a three-year, $24 million deal in July to remain with the organization after managing to suit up for just 13 games last season due to a back issue. Before going down, Mann averaged 14.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists across 24.5 minutes per contest. Once the 24-year-old guard is good to go, he will come off the bench and won't see enough action to secure a roster spot across most fantasy formats.
--Andrew LennoxSource: Roderick Boone
October 13, 2025
Los Angeles Lakers small forward
Dalton Knecht has turned heads in training camp, with head coach JJ Redick calling him the team's best offensive performer so far. Knecht's scoring efficiency matched
LeBron James with a 117 offensive rating last season. However, his defensive struggles remain a concern, as evidenced by his 118 defensive rating, one of the worst on the roster. With the Lakers entering their first full season featuring
Luka Doncic and chasing another championship run, Knecht's ability to evolve into a more reliable two-way player could determine how large a role he earns in Redick's rotation.
--Shaun AlbinSource: Dave McMenamin
October 13, 2025
The Milwaukee Bucks have signed forward Alex Antetokounmpo to a two-way contract on Monday, likely in another move to solidify their future with star
Giannis Antetokounmpo. The 24-year-old appeared most recently for Aris B.C. of the Greek Basket League. Antetokounmpo was also formerly a member of the G-League Wisconsin Herd from 2022-24. This most recent Bucks addition won't likely impact the team on the floor this season, but could strengthen the team's bond to their superstar, as they look to extend him this upcoming offseason.
--Shaun AlbinSource: Shams Charania
October 13, 2025
Golden State Warriors guard
Moses Moody (calf) will miss the rest of the preseason due to a calf injury that he suffered during practice. ESPN's Anthony Slater reports that head coach Steve Kerr and the team are hopeful that Moody can return for the season opener. Kerr also said that he's "not too concerned," which comes as good news in the long run. Moody set career highs last season in games started (34), minutes per game (22.3), points per game (9.8), assists per game (1.3), and three-point percentage (.374). After signing a contract extension in October of 2024, Moody looks to be in the team's long-term future plans. He'll likely hold the most value as a streamer throughout the fantasy season whenever
Stephen Curry and/or
Jimmy Butler III are getting rest days. If he's unable to suit up for the first game,
Brandin Podziemski,
Buddy Hield, and
Gary Payton II would likely see some added minutes.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Anthony Slater
October 13, 2025
Miami Heat center
Kel'el Ware seems to be entering quite the pivotal season for both his development and relationship with head coach Erik Spoelstra. After a good rookie season, which saw him finish sixth in Rookie of the Year voting, Spoelstra has issued him a challenge through the preseason. He wants to see Ware consistently impact winning along with his box score. On Sunday, Ware finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds, two steals, and one assist, but ended up with a -12 in plus/minus. Spoelstra did say he was "encouraged" by Ware's preseason so far, and after his performance against the Orlando Magic, Spoelstra added, "He did some impressive things, I love the way he was on the offensive glass, and we'll just continue to work with him." Ware will likely have his place in deeper fantasy leagues, but it won't be surprising if he goes undrafted in smaller leagues until he can prove to Spoelstra that he deserves to get more opportunities.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: Anthony Chiang - Miami Herald
October 13, 2025
Boston Celtics guard
Derrick White was up to his usual all-around heroics in the team's preseason win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. The veteran combo guard finished the game with 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three blocks across 22 minutes while shooting 4-for-9 from the floor and 2-for-7 from three. White has been a huge part of the Celtics' success ever since he came to Boston, and his value for category leagues has been immense. As one of the best guards for rebounding and block numbers, he'll likely be a hot commodity again across all fantasy leagues.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
October 13, 2025
Los Angeles Lakers guard/forward
Austin Reaves put together a very efficient shooting night in the preseason win over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. The 27-year-old finished the game with 21 points on 7-for-10 shooting overall, 2-for-4 from three, and 5-for-6 from the charity stripe. He also contributed three assists, three rebounds, one steal, and one block, but coughed up five turnovers. Reaves should be a good mid-round pickup in both points and category leagues, since he'll likely be asked to be the a top two option a lot of nights. Last season was one of his best yet with averages of 20.2 points, 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game.
--Alex Fischbein - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
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