New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray (personal) will play on Wednesday against Chicago. He was away while dealing with a personal matter. However, the veteran was at shootaround on Wednesday and warmed up with the team, so fantasy managers had a feeling he'd be out there. Without Zion Williamson (illness) available, Murray could surge versus the Bulls. He'll also be a popular DFS option.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (knee) will suit up for Wednesday's matchup against the Bulls. He's been plagued by a right knee contusion and was listed as questionable. Fortunately, he's good to go. The Pelicans could certainly use him, considering the team will be without Zion Williamson (illness). As a result, Alvarado may see more minutes from off the bench, making him a viable fantasy option in any format.

Brooklyn Nets utility man Ben Simmons will start in Wednesday's matchup versus the Hawks. Nicolas Claxton (hamstring) will suit up. However, head coach Jordi Fernandez indicated he would be on a minutes restriction. Simmons struggled last season. Yet, there's no denying his triple-double upside, so he could easily surpass his fantasy expectations now that he's in the starting lineup.

Charlotte Hornets forward Josh Green (Achilles) won't play on Wednesday versus the Rockets. The 23-year-old is battling Achilles soreness and was initially listed as questionable. However, he won't be available, so his next chance to suit up will be on Friday versus Atlanta. Without Green in the mix, Cody Martin will likely take his spot in the rotation. The 2019 No. 36 overall pick was decent in 22 starts last season, averaging 7.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.0 steals, giving him value to fantasy managers in deeper formats.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade will start in Wednesday's meeting with the Raptors. Max Strus (ankle) will be sidelined for at least four weeks, so Wade will do his best to fill the void in the lineup. Unfortunately, the 27-year-old averaged only 6.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 32 starts last season. With that in mind, fantasy managers shouldn't consider him a trustworthy option versus Toronto. Instead, Caris LeVert could exceed offensive expectations and is worth streaming, even though he'll come off the bench.

Philadelphia 76ers' guard Eric Gordon will start Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks. The veteran signed a one-year deal with the 76ers in the off-season after spending last season in Phoenix, where he averaged 8.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists across 68 games. As the season progresses, the 35-year-old will provide a three-point scoring threat off the bench but will likely not be much of a fantasy factor.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Dejounte Murray (personal) has been upgraded from questionable to probable for Wednesday's meeting with the Chicago Bulls. He was away from the team due to a personal matter, although he was spotted at shootaround on Wednesday and is currently warming up. Of course, anything can change, but it appears fantasy managers will have him in the lineup for opening night. With Zion Williamson (illness) out, Murray could exceed his fantasy expectations, especially on the scoring end.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (illness) won't play against the Bulls on Wednesday. The 24-year-old has been under the weather, so fantasy managers already felt things were moving in this direction. However, he missed shootaround on Wednesday, which further solidified he wouldn't be good to go. Without Williamson in the lineup, Javonte Green may roll with the first five. But Dejounte Murray (personal), assuming he plays, Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum will likely benefit the most.

Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton (hamstring) will play fewer minutes than usual in Wednesday's matchup versus the Hawks. The 25-year-old missed the entire preseason with a hamstring injury, so head coach Jordi Fernandez wants to play it safe. Still, Claxton is worth starting in all fantasy setups, even with a cap on his minutes. But with Day'Ron Sharpe (hamstring) sidelined, Noah Clowney could spend more time in the middle. There's also a chance the Nets go small, with Dorian Finney-Smith and Ben Simmons handling things underneath the basket.

Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond will start on Wednesday night versus Milwaukee. Joel Embiid (knee) won't suit up for at least three games, so Drummond may see plenty of time in the middle for the foreseeable future. The 31-year-old was dominant in 10 starts with the Bulls last season, averaging 14.1 points, 17.9 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and 1.1 steals. As a result, Drummond should be featured in any fantasy lineup imaginable. There's also room for Guerschon Yabusele to get involved enough to warrant starting consideration in deeper fantasy setups.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) will suit up for Wednesday's matchup with the 76ers. He has a case of Tendinitis. However, the veteran was listed as probable, so there wasn't much concern regarding his availability. With Khris Middleton (ankles) still sidelined, Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard should see even more looks at the basket. Fantasy managers already know he's a must-start. Yet, Antetokounmpo's fantasy potential is greater without Middleton on the floor.

Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced on Wednesday that the Thunder had exercised their fourth-year contract option on guard/forward Jalen Williams (ankle). Williams started all 72 games he suited up for last season, averaging 19.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.13 steals in 31.3 minutes per contest. The 23-year-old has been named to the NBA Rising Stars team in the last two seasons, and he should be a force in fantasy for many years to come. Williams is listed as questionable for Thursday's regular-season opener versus Denver due to a left ankle sprain, but he has been practicing.

On Wednesday, Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced they had exercised their fourth-year contract option on forward Ousmane Dieng. Dieng has played 72 games in the past two seasons and averaged 4.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 13 minutes per contest. The 21-year-old had an excellent season in the G League in 2024 as he helped the Blue win their first Championship and was named G League Finals MVP.

On Wednesday, Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced that the team had exercised its fourth-year contract option on forward/center Chet Holmgren. Last season, he received NBA All-Rookie First Team honors as he started 82 games. He also finished second in Rookie of the Year voting after averaging 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.3 blocks in 29.4 minutes. The 22-year-old quietly filled the stat sheet last season, and he will also make a significant impact in fantasy for this year's campaign.

Boston Celtics small forward Sam Hauser is listed as questionable for tomorrow night's game against the Washington Wizards with lower back pain. Hauser was able to log 24 minutes in Tuesday night's thrashing of the New York Knicks and put up 10 points while going two-for-seven from deep. Those numbers are in line with what Hauser produced off the bench for Boston last season and aren't fully a beneficiary of garbage time. If Hauser is ruled out for tomorrow night's game, expect Xavier Tillman Sr. to get a bit more shooting volume at the forward position, though his scoring threats are more likely to happen in the interior rather than from deep. It's possible that Payton Pritchard may see more of an uptick in three point attempts to make up for Hauser's absence if he is indeed ruled out. Fantasy managers should target Pritchard over Tillman Sr. if there's a choice between the two.

The NBA is likely to investigate the Philadelphia 76ers later this week in regards to Joel Embiid's player participation. The Sixers rested their star center all preseason and plan to sit him for at least the first three games of the regular season, putting his potential season debut to be next Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons. It's generally a standard for the league to investigate teams any time a start player misses a nationally televised game as Wednesday's home opener against the Bucks will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. From Philadelphia's perspective, their plan is to keep Embiid healthy for the postseason. The big man has been nursing his left knee after tearing his meniscus in late January and is incredibly important to the Sixers' success. While Embiid rests his knee, Andre Drummond will be starting in his place. Drummond should be able to grab a significant amount of rebounds after averaging nine rebounds per game for the Chicago Bulls last season. Drummond will be a very solid fantasy option until Embiid returns to the lineup.

Sacramento Kings shooting guard Kevin Huerter (shoulder) has been cleared to return from his shoulder injury and will play in the Kings' season opener on Thursday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Huerter was sidelined with the injury for the last 15 games of the 2023-2024 season and will be a welcome return to the Kings' lineup. Head coach Mike Brown noted the other day that the 26-year-old would "probably" start if he was able to return, meaning he may still hold his normal fantasy value that managers have grown accustomed to. His role may be affected, though, by both the acquisition of DeMar DeRozan and the departure of Harrison Barnes. Given Huerter's value is generally dependent on his three-point shooting, fantasy managers should still expect him to get up his usual amount of threes to replace Barnes' volume. DeRozan generally doesn't do much of his damage from behind the arc, so fantasy managers should not worry about Huerter losing volume to him.

Utah Jazz point guard Isaiah Collier (hamstring) has been ruled out for the Jazz's season opener on Wednesday against the Memphis Grizzlies. Collier's absence isn't a surprise as the rookie was diagnosed with a hamstring strain last week and was expected to miss at least 10 days. Fantasy managers should expect his debut to happen no sooner than Monday when the Jazz travel to Dallas to play the Mavericks. Collier was drafted with the 29th overall pick out of USC where he averaged 16.3 PPG and 4.3 APG for the Trojans. Collier missing time shouldn't change much for the Jazz as he was slated to come off the bench for Utah. Expect veteran Patty Mills to take his place as the backup point guard for Utah. Mills' production over the last four seasons has dropped off and he likely will not be a reliable fantasy option for those looking to fill Collier's place.

Utah Jazz shooting guard Johnny Juzang (thumb) has been ruled out for the Jazz's season opener on Wednesday against the Memphis Grizzlies. Juzang has a right thumb sprain and the team has not given a potential return date yet. The 23-year-old performed well from deep during the preseason, shooting over 50% from three. However, he was still likely to find himself outside of the Jazz's rotation. His absence will likely go unnoticed for Utah fans. Fantasy managers looking for depth at the guard position may want to consider Svi Mykhailiuk who came over from Boston this offseason. Mykhailiuk's output wasn't inspiring off Boston's bench but he did shoot 38.9% from three. During the preseason the 27-year-old averaged 12.5 PPG on 9.5 FGA while averaging two threes made per game. He is much more likely to have a significant fantasy impact than Juzang once Juzang is back and healthy.

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert signed a three-year $110 million extension Monday according to ESPN's Shams Charania. As part of the move, Gobert declined his $46.6 million player option for 2025-2026 as the extension will start with the 2025-2026 season, keeping him in Minnesota through 2028. The 32-year-old is entering his third season with Minnesota as their starting center and will have to get used to playing alongside the newly acquired Julius Randle after Minnesota traded Karl Anthony-Towns to the New York Knicks. Gobert has averaged 13.7 PPG and 12.3 RPG coming into Tuesday night's season opener, making him a reliable option around the rim. In his first game after signing his new extension, Gobert scored 13 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the Timberwolves' 110-103 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He will continue to be a reliable fantasy option in Minnesota's offensive system for the coming years, especially for fantasy managers in need of rebound production.