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Louzada

Louzada has struggled to make much of an impact in the NBA, only making it through a total of 12 games since 2020. He might be able to snag a training camp deal somewhere, but he’s firming off the radar in fantasy hoops.

The Blazers have a whopping 11 guys listed as out for Sunday’s finale, and with the way things have been going, don’t be surprised if one of these guys the majority of people have never heard of goes off out of nowhere. Louzada and Perry will get the first starts of their careers, but Williams, Johnson and Greg Brown (who will come off the bench) are the only somewhat proven guys in this list. Proceed with plenty of caution as the Blazers try to lose their last game of a forgettable season.

Eubanks has been as close to a reliable fantasy option as the Blazers have had since the front office decided to rev up the tank. His sitting on Sunday would free up additional minutes for Reggie Perry and Didi Louzada, with one of those two moving into the starting lineup. Perry would be the better streaming option of the two, but neither choice is great as far as fantasy is concerned.

Better late than never, right? He’ll make his Portland debut against his former team as well, making it a bit sweeter, but the chances of him carving out a meaningful role in the Blazers’ final seven games seem slim to none.

It looks like Louzada will make his Blazers debut on Wednesday, and ironically enough, it will come against his old team, the New Orleans Pelicans. The Blazers need all the help they can get right now but for fantasy managers, Louzada is not worth rostering at the moment.

Louzada is progressing well in his rehabilitation from surgery on February 4 to address the torn meniscus in his left knee. He is in the final stages of his return to play protocol and should return to the lineup soon, the team stated. Even when he does, he is not a fantasy target.

After starting the season 1-12, the Pelicans are now in the playoff hunt and just dealt for one of the most established scorers in the league. McCollum should immediately step into a starting role alongside Devonte’ Graham in the backcourt and should still get plenty of scoring opportunities. McCollum is heading to a situation where he can compete in the playoffs, while Portland is making the direction of their team clear.

Louzada is still out indefinitely with a knee injury, but even when he gets healthy, it likely won’t be in time to make an impact in fantasy hoops this season.

This won’t have an impact as far as fantasy is concerned, as Louzada was already ruled out due to a torn meniscus in his left knee. What the protocol issue will do is keep Louzada from continuing with his rehab, as the rookie forward will now be quarantined away from the team.

Louzada, who agreed to a multi-year deal with the Pelicans last spring, has not played much this season. He was handed a 25-game suspension in mid-November after testing positive for two banned substances, and now he’s dealing with a torn meniscus. Even when he’s healthy, Louzada won’t be in a position to provide anything in the way of fantasy value.