Xavier

Tillman

Kalkbrenner was scratched with an illness minutes before Wednesday’s win over the Kings. The 24-year-old is set to return Saturday against the Spurs, pushing Xavier Tillman Sr. out of the rotation after he had two points in 14 minutes as the backup center against the Kings.

Kalkbrenner was a late scratch for Wednesday’s win over the Kings, with the Hornets announcing just before tipoff that he would not play. His return would push Xavier Tillman Sr. out of the rotation after he served as the backup center on Wednesday.

Acquired from the Celtics on Thursday, Tillman has yet to join his new team. Upon arrival, he’ll give the Hornets another option in the frontcourt, but he’s unlikely to get the run needed to affect fantasy basketball.

Salaün’s availability does not affect fantasy basketball, as he is not guaranteed to be part of the Hornets’ rotation. And the rotation got a bit more crowded with the team’s acquisition of Xavier Tillman Sr. from the Celtics.

The goal of this transaction was for the Celtics to get out of the luxury tax. Tillman was out of the Celtics’ rotation for most of this season, averaging 7.9 minutes per game in 14 appearances. His fantasy outlook won’t change in Charlotte.

White and Queta are available after sitting out Sunday’s win over the Cavaliers. Their returns mean that Sam Hauser and Xavier Tillman head back to the bench, but only Hauser is guaranteed to play rotation minutes. Boston’s other three starters are unchanged.

Queta missed Sunday’s game, which was the second of a back-to-back. That allowed Xavier Tillman to slide into the starting lineup, where he was relatively unproductive in 30 minutes of action. Tillman will be pushed to a reserve role with Queta back, which will eliminate the streaming value he held.

With Neemias Queta and Derrick White sidelined, Hauser and Tillman will slide into the starting lineup. Luka Garza started in place of Queta on Wednesday, but it will be Tillman that gets the nod for this game. Hauser should be a reliable source of three-pointers with the minutes boost.

Queta sprained his left ankle during the first quarter of Sunday’s win over the Magic and did not return. His absence gave John Minott and Chris Boucher more minutes, but Wednesday’s matchup may lead to additional playing time for Luka Garza or Xavier Tillman. Of the four, Minott offers the highest fantasy ceiling.

Tillman will be back after a one-game absence, which shouldn’t have much of an impact on Boston’s rotation. Tillman’s role has been minimal this season. Neemias Queta will continue to start at center, with Luka Garza filling out most of the reserve minutes.