News: Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut will be out for two to four weeks with a left leg injury. General manager John Hammond said late Thursday that Bogut suffered a leg strain and contusion in Wednesday's 99-85 win against New Jersey. Bogut scored 21 points and 11 rebounds before leaving the game in late in the fourth quarter. An MRI revealed the injury on Thursday.
Analysis: The 24-year-old Bogut, now in his fifth season, is averaging 16.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He is very productive as a No. 1 caliber center when healthy, but injuries have plagued him throughout his NBA career. He is well worth stashing in all leagues. Dan Gadzuric and Francisco Elson will see a boost in playing time at center and Hakim Warrick could see a major boost at power forward for the Bucks along with Ersan Ilyasova.
News: The Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that Pacers F Troy Murphy will return to the Pacers lineup Friday night after missing his last six games due to a back problem. He is listed as the starting power forward in the given projected starting lineup.
Analysis: Murphy's Fantasy owners in weekly leagues should use the weekend to see how ready he'll be to activate for Week 5 (Nov. 23-29). Barring any setbacks, Murphy is a player you'll likely want to activate in all leagues. The Pacers are slated for three games.
News: The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that Michael Redd is still out for "a few more games" due to a patella injury. General manager John Hammond said it's realistic to think Redd could be available in time for Wednesday's game at New Orleans, the third game on the Bucks' upcoming four-game road swing. "We expect Michael back within the next two or three games," Hammond said.
Analysis: Redd was able to take part in non-contact practice Thursday, but is still going to miss another couple of games. It appears Fantasy owners won't be able to count on him for a full week in Fantasy Week 5 (Nov. 23-29), but he could still be available to play three games. He's a gamble, but is such an elite scorer that he could be worth the risk.
News: The Miami Herald reports that Udonis Haslem (shoulder) is still considered questionable for Friday's game in Toronto. Haslem missed Wednesday's game.
Analysis: Haslem is no longer a starter for the Heat, but he has averaged nearly a double-double off the bench. He remains worth using as a No. 4 forward in Fantasy, when healthy. Consider healthier alternatives in daily lineup leagues.
News: ESPNDallas.com is reporting that Shawn Marion will not play Friday night against the Sacramento Kings, but that he is hoping to return for the team's next game Tuesday against Golden State. "Hopefully one more game and I'll be good," Marion said after the team's morning shootaround Friday. "It's feeling better, but it still hurts."
Analysis: Marion sprained his left ankle in the opening moments of Monday's win against the Milwaukee Bucks and didn't return for the second half. He sat out Wednesday's win against the San Antonio Spurs. He should still be considered a mild injury risk for the upcoming scoring period, but the fact the Mavericks have four games sure helps his chances.
News: The Charlotte Observer reports that it appears Tyson Chandler will not play Friday night against Milwaukee, though Chandler said there's a "slight" chance he could play if he wakes up from an afternoon nap feeling dramatically better.
Analysis: The report added that Chandler is sounding as if the goal is to play Sunday versus the Pacers. The Bobcats have not yet announced a starter in his place, but the report added that it depends on what the Bucks, who are without Andrew Bogut, do at center. It could be Nazr Mohammed against a conventional center like Dan Gadzuric or it could be Boris Diaw against a small lineup if the team goes with a Hakim Warrick or Ersan Ilyasova at center. Chandler has been dreadful in Fantasy and is active in just 20 percent of CBSSports.com leagues.
News: The Los Angeles Times reports that Andrew Bynum suffered a jammed right ankle in Thursday's game against the Bulls. He is considered day to day, but expects to play in the team's next game Sunday against Oklahoma City.
Analysis: Bynum had 11 points and 8 rebounds in just 24 minutes Thursday and did not seem to be overly affected by the return of Pau Gasol. However, Gasol's return should have an impact on his overall numbers as it's unlikely he will be able to maintain his current averages of 19.4 points and 11.4 rebounds. He remains a No. 1 center, but temper expectations. The injury does not appear to be much of a concern at this point.
News: Nets G Devin Harris (groin) announced Thursday night that he would come off the bench Saturday against New York on his official Twitter feed. Harris has not played since Oct. 30.
Analysis: Harris is going to make his return Saturday and he said on his Twitter feed that he's going to try to win the NBA 6th Man of the Year award. We don't expect his stay on the bench to be for very long, though. Fantasy owners should count on activating him for Week 5 and can begin to activate him even in daily lineup leagues, though conditioning could be an issue.
News: The Los Angeles Times reports that Marcus Camby says he will play Friday night against Denver. He suffered a lower back bruise Tuesday in New Orleans and played limited minutes Wednesday at Memphis. "I'll definitely be out there . . . and give it a go," said Camby. "It's Denver, my former team. There's no more motivation than that."
Analysis: All signs point to Camby playing Friday. Fantasy owners should always treat Camby, notorious for being injury plagued, as day to day anyway. As long as he is healthy and playing, he remains a great source for rebounds blocks and scoring around 10 points per game.
News: The New York Times and Newsday are reporting that the Knicks have dropped their pursuit of free agent G Allen Iverson. Iverson cleared waivers Thursday after being released by the Grizzlies.
Analysis: Fantasy owners were getting excited over A.I. possibly joining one of the best offensive teams in the NBA, but that seems to be unlikely now. He is still likely to get picked up by another team, but his appeal is not likely to be as high on another team.
News: Against the Bulls on Thursday, Lakers F/C Pau Gasol finally returned from a hamstring injury that had sidelined him for 11 games. He appeared fully healthy in his first appearance since early in the preseason, finishing with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Gasol scored 10 of the Lakers' first 13 points, moving easily on his injured leg while playing 35 minutes. "Definitely, I missed it a lot," said Gasol. "It's so much fun to play with our guys in front of our crowd. I really wasn't expecting to be as effective as I was tonight, but my teammates found me a couple of times and made it easy."
Analysis: Gasol played in just two preseason games before sitting down with a hamstring injury that didn't appear to improve much with rest. He wondered aloud whether his hectic schedule over the past two years -- including a summer with an NBA title run and a tournament MVP award at the European championships in Poland -- had worn down his body. So much for that. Gasol was a first-round pick in most Fantasy leagues, so his return just made someone in your league much, much better. He won't lead the Lakers in scoring, but he should dominate as a sidekick to Kobe Bryant, averaging somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 points and nine rebounds with more assists than the average PF/C. Clearly, you want to get him active in all Fantasy leagues.
News: The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that Kevin Love says the pain from his hand is almost gone. He was able to do some outside shooting Friday and says that full contact practice is likely two weeks away.
Analysis: That would put Love on schedule to return in three weeks more or less and that puts him out through mid December at this point. He averaged 12.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game in the preseason. He averaged 11.1 points and 9.1 rebounds last season and led the NBA in offensive rebounding percentage, the first rookie to do so since Hakeem Olajuwon 24 years ago. Continue to keep tabs on his progress.
News:The Arizona Republic reports that Robin Lopez participated in his first full-contact practice Friday. He has yet to play this season due to a fracture in his foot.
Analysis: Lopez will be a backup upon his return. His limited minutes make him useless in most Fantasy formats and he should remain on waivers in all leagues.
News: The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Anderson Varejao (hip) said after the team's morning shootaround that he would play against the Pacers. Varejao missed Tuesday's game against the Warriors and Wednesday's game at Washington as well.
Analysis: Varejao could see an increased role Friday night with Shaquille O'Neal out of the lineup, but the emergence of J.J. Hickson has cut into his Fantasy appeal. He can be useful during some four-game weeks, but he should remain on waivers in most leagues.
News: The Miami Herald reports that Quentin Richardson (shoulder) is still considered questionable for Friday's game in Toronto. Richardson left in the third quarter Wednesday after landing awkwardly as he secured a defensive rebound.
Analysis: Richardson is not a player who carries a lot of Fantasy appeal despite his role as a starter. He certainly isn't somebody you should take any sort of an injury risk on. He is best saved for use in deeper leagues when he is playing well and facing favorable matchups.
News: The Dallas Morning News reports that Josh Howard (ankle) was asked at his annual charity bowling event Thursday how his rehab was going and he said it is going well. "It's getting better, and I'm going to try to be out there real soon," he said.
Analysis: There isn't too much information to read into there, more like an empty answer from Howard. He said he probably rushed back too fast from off-season surgery but added "at the time, it felt like it was OK." ESPNDallas.com has reported that he will not return until late December.
