18 Yuta Watanabe SF

Watanabe (ankle) is out for Sunday's finale against the Pacers, Blake Murphy of The Athletic reports.

Watanabe concludes the most productive season of his career. In 50 appearances with the Raptors, the third-year forward averaged 4.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 14.5 minutes.

Watanabe (ankle) is out for Friday's game against Dallas.

As expected, the forward will be absent with a right ankle injury he suffered Thursday against the Bulls. Watanabe should be considered questionable for Sunday's season finale against the Pacers.

Watanabe (ankle) is listed as doubtful for Friday's game against the Mavericks, Josh Lewenberg of TSN reports.

Watanabe departed Thursday night's loss to Chicago with a sprained right ankle, and all signs point to him sitting out the second half of the back-to-back. If that's he case, Toronto will likely have only the minimum eight players available, so expect the likes of Malachi Flynn, Stanley Johnson and DeAndre' Bembry to see huge minutes.

Watanabe (ankle) will not return to Thursday's game against the Bulls.

Watanabe received a rare start Thursday but he had to leave after just nine minutes of action due to the ankle injury. Before leaving , he had gone 0-for-3 from the field for zero points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Watanabe will start Thursday's game against Chicago, Blake Murphy of The Athletic reports.

Watanabe will make his fourth start of the season while the team deals with all sorts of injuries. In two recent starts, Watanabe averaged 8.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 triples and 1.5 steals per game.

Watanabe will move to the bench for Tuesday's game against the Clippers, Blake Murphy of The Athletic reports.

After starting Saturday's loss to Memphis, Watanabe will shift to the bench as Nick Nurse goes with Stanley Johnson at small forward. With most of Toronto's regulars sitting, both Watanabe and Johnson figure to play major roles.

Watanabe is starting Saturday's contest against the Grizzlies.

Watanabe is starting in a second straight appearance with OG Anunoby (calf) still out. Since the start of April, Watanabe has averaged 7.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 19.1 minutes.

Watanabe (ankle) is available Saturday against the Grizzlies, Aaron Rose of SI.com reports.

Watanabe was initially doubtful for the contest but will end up playing despite an ankle injury. Over his past 10 appearances, he's averaged 7.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 20.2 minutes.

Watanabe (ankle) has been upgraded to questionable ahead of Saturday's matchup with the Grizzlies.

Watanabe was originally deemed doubtful but seems to be trending in the right direction. With Kyle Lowry (rest), Fred VanVleet (rest) and OG Anunoby (calf) all sidelined, there should be plenty of playing time not usually available if he ultimately gets cleared to play.

Watanabe (ankle) is doubtful for Saturday's contest against the Grizzlies, Blake Murphy of The Athletic reports.

Ankle soreness will likely prevent Watanabe from playing again. In his presumed absence, Stanley Johnson and DeAndre' Bembry could see more minutes.

Watanabe (ankle) is out for Thursday's contest against the Wizards, Eric Koreen of The Athletic reports.

Watanabe has been a regular part of the Raptors rotation over the past month. He's appeared in 20 straight games and has averaged 6.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 18.1 minutes. While he sits out Thursday, more minutes will be available for DeAndre' Bembry and Stanley Johnson.

The Raptors downgraded Watanabe (ankle) from probable to questionable for Thursday's game against the Wizards, Blake Murphy of The Athletic reports.

Toronto is already expected to be without three other players (Chris Boucher, Paul Watson and OG Anunoby) due to injury, so Watanabe's potential absence would further test the team's depth at forward and on the wing. While making his second start of the season in Tuesday's loss to the Clippers, Watanabe provided six points, six rebounds, two steals and one assist in 30 minutes, but if available Thursday, he'll likely head to the bench with Kyle Lowry (back) returning from a one-game absence.

Watanabe (ankle) is listed as probable against the Wizards on Thursday, Blake Murphy of The Athletic reports.

Watanabe is expected to play Thursday after injuring his ankle Tuesday against the Clippers, a game in which the 26-year-old received a season-high 30 minutes while making his second start of the season. While the forward struggled with his shot, he did manage to grab two steals and an important offensive rebound. Expect Watanabe's minutes to drop back down, as the main reason he got the start was Kyle Lowry's back injury.

Watanabe totaled six points (2-6 FG, 2-5 3Pt), six rebounds, two steals and one assist in 30 minutes Tuesday in the Raptors' 105-100 loss to the Clippers.

Toronto got Fred VanVleet (hip) back from a one-game absence but held out Kyle Lowry (back) on Tuesday, so Watanabe was awarded a start in the backcourt over Malachi Flynn, who had started each of the previous three contests while at least one of VanVleet or Lowry sat out. Watanabe gave the Raptors more size in their starting five, but he didn't offer much from a fantasy standpoint despite getting significant minutes. The Raptors will presumably look to preserve the health of core pieces like Lowry, VanVleet, OG Anunoby (calf), Gary Trent (lower leg) and Pascal Siakam over the final week and a half, so Watanabe should continue to hold down a steady role off the bench or as a spot starter.

Watanabe is starting Tuesday's contest against the Clippers, Blake Murphy of The Athletic reports.

With Kyle Lowry (back) a late scratch, Watanabe will get the nod in what will be his second start of the season. In games where Watanabe has seen at least 15 minutes, he's averaged 7.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 19.2 minutes.

Watanabe signed a standard, two-year NBA contract with the Raptors on Monday.

According to Blake Murphy of The Athletic, Watanabe will earn $321,893 over the remainder of the current season, while the 2021-22 portion of his deal is non-guaranteed. Watanabe had been playing under a two-way deal, but his conversion to a standard contract will open up an extra two-way slot for Toronto. Due to Toronto resting or sitting out multiple key players due to injuries in recent weeks, Watanabe has settled into a stable role on the second unit of late. He's played double-digit minutes in each of the Raptors' last 10 contests, averaging 8.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 three-pointers in 19.8 minutes per game while shooting 60 percent from the field.

Watanabe tallied 21 points (7-11 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 5-5 FT), six rebounds, two assists and one block in 26 minutes during Friday's win over the Magic.

The 26-year-old took advantage of extra minutes and usage with Kyle Lowry (foot), Pascal Siakam (rest), Gary Trent (ankle) and DeAndre' Bembry (hamstring) out of the lineup. Watanabe was averaging just 15.8 minutes over his last 10 games before Friday's 26-minute outing, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect this type of production moving forward. Still, it's possible the third-year forward has earned more playing time even when the aforementioned Raptors return to the lineup.

Watanabe posted 14 points (6-7 FG, 2-2 3Pt), five rebounds, an assist and a steal across 23 minutes in Saturday's 135-115 win over the Cavaliers.

As the game got increasingly out of hand, several role players got an extended run, and Watanabe emerged as one of the most successful contributors. After two seasons with the Grizzlies, his transfer to Toronto this season hasn't resulted in a production boost. He remains a non-factor in fantasy despite Saturday's line, which was Watanabe's first double-digit scoring performance of the season.

Watanabe didn't score (0-1 FG, 0-1 3Pt) during Wednesday's loss to the Thunder.

Watanabe appeared and logged at least seven minutes for a second straight contest; he'd played just once in a span of six matchups prior to Monday's game. With grand totals of four points and five rebounds across these last two contests, he's not moving the fantasy needle.

Watanabe will come off the bench Thursday against the Celtics.

Watanabe got the start Wednesday against the Pistons, but he was ineffective, posting no points and four rebounds in 11 minutes. As a result, he's being replaced in the starting five by Stanley Johnson.