October 21, 2025
San Antonio Spurs guard
De'Aaron Fox (hamstring) won't suit up for Wednesday's season opener against the Dallas Mavericks. Fox has been dealing with a right hamstring strain since late September and also underwent surgery on his left pinkie finger back in March. The veteran guard will likely return to the floor in early November if he continues to progress without setbacks. With Fox sidelined to start the season, rookie
Dylan Harper could see increased playing time, while
Stephon Castle should have plenty of scoring opportunities in the backcourt.
--Andrew LennoxSource: NBA Injury Report
October 21, 2025
New Orleans Pelicans center
Kevon Looney (knee) won't be available to suit up for the team's season opener against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. Looney has been out of action due to a proximal tibiofibular ligament sprain in his left knee and could be out for two more weeks. The 29-year-old had been working through knee pain, and he will likely have to wait until November to make his debut with his new team. Looney agreed to a two-year, $16 million deal with the Pelicans in June after 10 seasons with the Warriors. While he is sidelined, rookie big man
Derik Queen could see an expanded role backing up projected starting center,
Yves Missi.
--Andrew LennoxSource: NBA Injury Report
October 21, 2025
Dallas Mavericks center
Daniel Gafford (ankle) is listed as doubtful ahead of Wednesday's game against the Spurs. Head coach Jason Kidd indicated on Tuesday morning that Gafford was questionable. However, his designation on the injury reports suggests he won't be out there for the opener. With
Anthony Davis and
Dereck Lively II likely to see most of the work underneath the rim, there's a chance
P.J. Washington also spends time at the four and five spots throughout the contest. If so,
Naji Marshall could receive a bump in minutes. Still, Marshall has been a streaky scorer during his career, making him a risky fantasy option for managers in any format.
--Dennis ClausenSource: NBA Injury Report
October 21, 2025
Cleveland Cavaliers point guard
Darius Garland (toe) is unavailable for Wednesday's season opener against the New York Knicks. Garland underwent offseason toe surgery and is close to returning, but he will be sidelined for at least the season opener. While the 25-year-old is unavailable,
Lonzo Ball will likely get the nod to start, while
Donovan Mitchell will likely see an abundant amount of scoring opportunities. Mitchell posted averages of 29.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.8 assists in games without Garland in Cleveland.
--Andrew LennoxSource: NBA Injury Report
October 21, 2025
Miami Heat center
Kel'el Ware (ankle) is questionable for Wednesday's meeting in Orlando. The 21-year-old averaged 9.3 points, 7.4 boards, and 1.1 blocks last season and is projected to take a leap in his sophomore campaign. However, he rolled his ankle at the end of Tuesday's practice, putting his availability for the opener in jeopardy. With an 82-game schedule on tap, head coach Erik Spoelstra could play it safe by giving him the night off. If that's the case,
Bam Adebayo may slide over to the five spot, with
Nikola Jovic or
Andrew Wiggins in line to enter the starting lineup.
--Dennis ClausenSource: Anthony Chiang
October 21, 2025
New York Knicks forward
OG Anunoby (ankle) is listed as probable heading into Wednesday's opener against the Cavs. The injury report doesn't look good for New York, with the Knicks already ruling out
Mitchell Robinson (ankle) and
Josh Hart (back). To make matters worse,
Karl-Anthony Towns (quadriceps) is questionable. Anunoby is coming off a fantastic season, averaging a career-high 18.0 points with 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.5 steals. If he's available, he's certainly a must-start in any fantasy format. The 28-year-old would also be in line to smash DFS projections, even more so if KAT can't suit up. However, if Anunoby suffers a setback along the way and can't get out there on Wednesday,
Guerschon Yabusele and
Miles McBride could see a bump in production.
--Dennis ClausenSource: NBA In
October 21, 2025
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, New York Knicks center
Mitchell Robinson (rest) will be unavailable for Wednesday's season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 27-year-old big man is expected to be load-managed throughout the regular season after missing most of the 2024-25 campaign recovering from two ankle surgeries. When active, Robinson averaged 5.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 17.1 minutes per game across 17 contests. Fantasy managers should approach with caution, as he has appeared in just 48 total games over the past two regular seasons.
--Andrew LennoxSource: Shams Charania
October 21, 2025
New York Knicks center
Karl-Anthony Towns (quadriceps) is questionable for Wednesday's opener versus the Cleveland Cavaliers. It's been known KAT is dealing with this issue, although it's unknown if it will keep him out for the first game of the 2025 campaign.
Mitchell Robinson (ankle) has already been ruled out, so another absence at the five spot wouldn't be an ideal scenario for head coach Mike Brown in his debut with the team. At any rate, if Towns can't get on the floor,
Guerschon Yabusele, who averaged 11.3 points and 6.2 rebounds in 43 starts for the Sixers last season, would be worth considering for streaming purposes. He will be in line for even more work if
OG Anunoby (ankle), who is probable, suffers a setback heading into opening tip.
--Dennis ClausenSource: NBA Injury Report
October 21, 2025
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, New York Knicks forward
Josh Hart (back) will be sidelined for Wednesday's season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Hart continues to deal with a lingering back issue that kept him sidelined for most of the preseason.
Mitchell Robinson (rest) has also been ruled out for the contest. New York will likely rely upon
Jordan Clarkson for extra scoring, while
Miles McBride and
Guerschon Yabusele could also see extra minutes on the floor. Hart is coming off a solid 2024-25 campaign, posting averages of 13.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game, making him a valuable fantasy option once he is healthy.
--Andrew LennoxSource: Shams Charania
October 21, 2025
Boston Celtics guard
Jaylen Brown (hamstring) is questionable for Boston's season-opening matchup with the 76ers. He strained his hamstring in the final game of the preseason but has been able to put in consecutive full practices. He said he's feeling great now but is taking it one day at a time. which is a great sign for his potential availability. He's trending towards being available, but since he's questionable and the team is sure to be careful with him, you'll want to check back before tip-off before plugging him into any lineups. If he is out,
Anfernee Simons and
Josh Minott would be the top candidates to pick up more work in his absence.
--Zach ThompsonSource: NBA Injury Report
October 21, 2025
Houston Rockets forward
Tari Eason appears to be lined up to be a restricted free agent next offseason, according to ESPN's Shams Charania, who reports that the rookie did not sign his rookie extension before Monday's deadline. When healthy, the Bucket from the Bayou has shown a high ceiling, but he has battled a leg injury that has limited him from playing back-to-backs. This year, he's expected to be a key part of Houston's bench rotation after averaging 12.0 points and 6.4 rebounds last year. He'll definitely be a name to watch on the market next year if he can play his way into a bigger role in his fourth year with the Rockets.
--Zach ThompsonSource: Shams Charania
October 21, 2025
According to Michael Scotto of USA Today, Los Angeles Lakers forward/center
Maxi Kleber (oblique) will be re-evaluated in two weeks after suffering a left oblique strain. The veteran big man joins
LeBron James (back) on the sidelines to open the 2025-26 campaign. Kleber was expected to provide veteran leadership coming off the bench, but his latest setback could limit his early-season minutes. Once healthy, the 33-year-old will likely struggle to earn consistent minutes and is expected to make only a minimal fantasy impact this season.
--Andrew LennoxSource: Michael Scotto
October 21, 2025
Houston Rockets forward
Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle) will miss Tuesday's matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He's recovering from an offseason ankle procedure and doesn't have a set timetable for his return. Houston snapped up Finney-Smith on a four-year, $53 million contract in the summer, indicating that the team values him quite highly. Once he is healthy, Finney-Smith is expected to have a regular role in the rotation. In the meantime,
Tari Eason may see increased playing time off the bench, with veteran
Jeff Green also a candidate to fill some of the vacant minutes.
--Taavi PailkSource: NBA Injury Report
October 21, 2025
Oklahoma City Thunder shooting guard
Isaiah Joe (knee) will miss Tuesday's season-opening matchup against the Houston Rockets. He has failed to shake off a knee injury, which Joe sustained during the preseason. With Joe on the shelf, the Thunder are forced to start the season without a skilled three-point sniper. Last season, Joe sank 41.2 percent of his three-point shots on 6.3 attempts per game, averaging a career-high 10.2 points. Joe's absence means that players like
Alex Caruso,
Cason Wallace, and
Aaron Wiggins will have a chance to step up and contribute more against Houston.
--Taavi PailkSource: NBA Injury Report
October 21, 2025
Oklahoma City Thunder guard/forward
Alex Caruso (ankle) is not on the injury report ahead of Tuesday's season opener against the Houston Rockets. The defensive specialist appeared to have injured his ankle in the Thunder's preseason finale against the Denver Nuggets last week, but he has fully recovered for Tuesday. Due to
Isaiah Joe's (knee) absence, Caruso could pick up additional minutes on Tuesday. However, he is clearly a much valuable player in real life than he is in fantasy hoops.
--Taavi PailkSource: NBA Injury Report
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