Fantasy News

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  Malcolm Brogdon

  PG, Indiana Pacers

  Malcolm Brogdon (sore right hand) participated in all of the drills during Monday's practice and is likely to play Monday night against the Clippers.

  His injury was never too serious and they exercised caution last night against a weak Knicks team. He'll be back against much stiffer competition tonight vs. the Clippers, who should remain competitive even without Kawhi Leonard in the lineup. Brogdon's cooled down a bit after his hot start, due in part to a litany of injuries, but he was never going to fall too far down the rankings since his hot start included a career-low FG% which he has since corrected. Fire him up to night and don't fret too much about Victor Oladipo's eventual return. Brogdon is set up to continue to be the Pacers' best player for the duration of the season, barring injury.

  Source: Jeremiah Johnson on Twitter

  December 9, 2019, 1:37 pm

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  Deandre Ayton

  C, Phoenix Suns

  The Suns have a plan to "ease back" Deandre Ayton into game action upon his return from a 25-game suspension.

  No explicit mention of a minutes restriction was made, but that's the implication here despite the fact that Ayton has been allowed to practice with the team to keep up his conditioning during the suspension. The expectation, given how well they've played without him, is that Aron Baynes will retain a large role when Ayton returns, and the possibility of playing them together was also floated. Of course, that would be disastrous and it's unlikely that the Suns pursue extended runs with two-center lineups given how well they've played with small lineups. Still, this is a reminder for those of you who have been staring at Ayton at the top of the player rankings for over a month that his ceiling may be hard-capped by the presence of Baynes.

  Source: AZ Central

  December 9, 2019, 1:04 pm

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  Nikola Vucevic

  C, Orlando Magic

  Nikola Vucevic (right ankle sprain) has progressed to on-court shooting drills, but his timetable remains unclear.

  Vucevic initially suffered the injury on November 20, so he's nearing the three-week mark in his rehab. He given an official timetable of at least four weeks but some contradicting information popped up that he could return sooner. The Magic will likely announce a re-evaluation soon, so stay tuned. Those reports that came out a few days after his injury about his return coming "sooner rather than later" turned out to be a bunch of malarkey and this injury figures to keep Vuc out of action for the foreseeable future. Mo Bamba and Khem Birch will hold down the C spot in the mean time, but they won't do it well enough to be considered as anything more than block and rebound streamers.

  Source: Joshua Robbins on Twitter

  December 9, 2019, 12:58 pm

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  Mike Conley

  PG, Utah Jazz

  Mike Conley (left hamstring strain) will miss a 3rd straight game Monday night against the Thunder.

  Kudos to the Jazz for treating a lower-body soft tissue injury with the seriousness that it deserves. The odds of reinjury for hamstring strains are high, so while this may be frustrating if you have Conley on your team, this is how you'd prefer a team manage his injury and it bodes well for long-term availability this season. At this rate, Conley's slump may bleed into the new year, but he's a useful fantasy player once you get over the diminished early-season returns. Patience is warranted.

  Source: Erik Walden on Twitter

  December 9, 2019, 12:49 pm

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  Marcus Smart

  PG, Boston Celtics

  Marcus Smart (eye infection) may be out for Monday night's game against the Cavs.

  Smart has dealt with a bruised abdomen, the flu, an ankle sprain, a jammed finger and now an eye infection within the last 2.5 weeks. He's earned a day off against the lowly Cavs, but stay tuned to our news feed to confirm his absence before making any lineup decisions. Smart will be fine.

  Source: Celtics on Twitter

  December 9, 2019, 12:40 pm

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  Malik Beasley

  SG, Denver Nuggets

  The Athletic's Shams Charania reports that the Nuggets have been taking calls from other teams doing "due diligence" on SG Malik Beasley.

  Beasley has been a frequent subject of the rumor mill this season, in part due to a rocky offseason in which he was punched by a former NFL player, his impending free agency and his unclear role in the Nuggets' rotation. That said, Beasley proved that he could be a valuable piece for a winning team last year, putting up 50/50/90 shooting splits as a starter last year and generally outplaying every other wing in Denver. This season, he's been relegated to a bench role. It's hard to say what Beasley would fetch on the market and the Nuggets' priority would be to try to shed some depth, so Beasley might find himself in another minutes logjam no matter where he goes, but he's a player to monitor as one of the most efficient scorers in the league last year.

  Source: The Athletic

  December 9, 2019, 12:36 pm

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  Gordon Hayward

  SF, Boston Celtics

  Gordon Hayward (fractured left hand) went through practice to day and intends to play on Monday against the Cavs.

  Hayward makes a sudden return, but don't rely on him for fantasy just yet. He recently said that his extended participation in games will depend on his ability to tolerate pain in is hand and that he expects his injury to bother him for the rest of the season. Since this was an upper body injury, the presumption is that Hayward was able to stay in shape and that no minutes restrictions will be placed on him upon his return, but given the C's depth and play of late, we may not see the early-season top 40 version of Hayward right out of the gate.

  Source: Celtics on Twitter

  December 9, 2019, 12:17 pm

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  Kawhi Leonard

  SF, Los Angeles Clippers

  Coach Doc Rivers said that one of his two stars, either Kawhi Leonard or Paul George, would rest against the Pacers on Monday, but the expectation is that the former will be taking the day off.

  It makes sense, since Paul George would likely appreciate a chance to play against his up-and-coming former team. As for Leonard, you get what you bargained for and you should expect more maintenance throughout the season. That said, Kawhi has been incredible this season and could get even better when he actually starts hitting his two-pointers at his career rate.

  Source: Jovan Buha on Twitter

  December 9, 2019, 12:12 pm