NBA Player News

Gravett has been a decent source of assists over the past few weeks with Cole Anthony (ankle), Markelle Fultz (knee), and Jalen Suggs (thumb) out. Tim Frazier started at point guard last game with Gravett in protocols, but Gravett should return to the starting lineup when he’s cleared. He’s a stretch DFS play as a starter.

Landale, who played 19 minutes off the bench in Wednesday’s win over the Magic, is dealing with a broken nose. He’ll take on his usual responsibilities as Onyeka Okongwu’s backup, which limits the veteran center’s fantasy value.

The Lakers waived Knecht, the 17th overall pick in the 2024 draft, on Monday after two underwhelming seasons in Los Angeles. He certainly had his moments with the Lakers, but inconsistent offensive production and defensive struggles led to the 6-foot-6 wing ultimately falling out of the rotation. While Knecht may not get the minutes to impact fantasy basketball in New York, the two-way deal gives him a chance to work his way back into the NBA full-time. To free up a spot for Knecht, the Knicks reportedly plan to waive Kevin McCullar Jr.

Swain and Hawkins are on track to play Friday afternoon after sitting out Wednesday’s season-opening loss to the Raptors. Swain’s availability may push Jaylin Sellers out of the rotation after he logged 14 minutes off the bench in Toronto. Sellers and Hawkins are on two-way contracts, which limits how often the Bulls can activate them for games.

The 76ers were the only team with a four-game Week 1, which will conclude with a Saturday-Sunday back-to-back. Embiid sitting out one game of a back-to-back, especially this early in the season, is not a surprise. The only issue is that he didn’t reveal which game he’ll miss, with the 76ers hosting Milwaukee on Saturday and Detroit on Sunday. Given the strength of those teams, the Bucks may be the team that misses out on having to deal with “The Process.” Adem Bona or Jabari Walker could get a spot start, and LeBron James may spend a little more time at center as a small-ball alternative.

DeRozan was used in a reserve role on Thursday, and that’s likely how he’ll be used on nights when the Nuggets are healthy. More importantly, he got 28 minutes in his Nuggets debut. DeRozan’s issues on Thursday: foul shooting and turnovers. In addition to missing three of six from the charity stripe, DeRozan recorded five turnovers. He’s averaged more than 2.5 turnovers per game once in his NBA career, so fantasy managers shouldn’t worry about Thursday’s number.

A notoriously poor perimeter shooter for most of his NBA career, Gordon has worked hard in recent years to change that. A 41 percent three-point shooter over his last two seasons, the Nuggets forward hit 3-of-4 from distance on Thursday. By comparison, the other starters shot a combined 3-of-15 from beyond the arc against the Thunder. No one should expect Gordon to challenge Stephen Curry, but his perimeter shot is no longer a liability.

Johnson played 11 minutes in Thursday’s opener before a right ankle injury ended his night just before halftime. Officially, the veteran wing was questionable for the second half, but he never returned. Alpha Diallo (4/2/3/1) started the second half and played 22 minutes. If Nuggets head coach David Adelman prefers to keep DeMar DeRozan in the sixth man role, Diallo could start Saturday’s game against the Pelicans if Johnson can’t play.

While injuries played a role last season, Braun’s scoring average dropped by more than three points compared to his 2024-25 output. Unfortunately, the Nuggets guard got off to a slow start on Thursday, shooting 3-of-10 from the field. Braun was active on the glass, but the overall production was disappointing.

Murray shot 2-of-9 from the field in the first half of Thursday’s season opener. Unfortunately for fantasy managers who likely believed that things couldn’t get worse in the second half, they did. Murray scored just one point after halftime and recorded more turnovers (four) than field-goal attempts (two). With the Nuggets playing just two games during Week 1, fantasy managers will hope to see Murray rebound on Saturday against the Pelicans.

Neither MVP winner in Thursday’s game played well in the first half. The difference was that while Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander turned things around in the second half, Jokić could not. The Thunder big men deserve credit for their defense, but “The Joker” couldn’t find a rhythm. He and the Nuggets will look to bounce back when they host the Pelicans on Saturday.