Charlotte Hornets DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (calf) will be re-evaluated in two weeks because of a left calf strain. The 23-year-old has had an MVP-caliber season, averaging a career-high 31.3 points with 6.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds. Unfortunately, Ball will miss more time after appearing in only 58 games in the previous two seasons. With Tre Mann (back) dealing with disc irritation, Vasilije Micic, who averaged 11.8 points and 6.3 assists in 21 starts last season, is worth considering for streaming purposes. Of course, Brandon Miller should pick up a lot of the surplus scoring opportunities caused by Ball's absence, at least until Miles Bridges (knee) is back on the floor.

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (calf) won't suit up for Friday's matchup versus the New York Knicks. The 35-year-old has been a scoring machine of late, most recently amassing 32 points in Wednesday's loss to the Miami Heat. He's currently dealing with calf soreness. Hopefully, it's nothing serious and Ball will be back on the floor for the meeting against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. With Tre Mann (back) and Miles Bridges (knee) out, Brandon Miller should see a surge in production. Vasilije Micic will remain with the first-five and is worth streaming in all fantasy formats.

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (knee) has resumed on-court activity. He missed a fourth consecutive game on Wednesday versus Miami due to a bone bruise on his right knee and remains without a timetable for his return, but this signals a significant step in the right direction for Bridges. Tidjane Salaun has played a bigger role in the Hornets rotation without Bridges, even logging 30-plus minutes in back-to-back games. Charlotte has lost a number of bodies to injuries, so Bridges might get heavy usage straight away once he's back in the lineup. The 26-year-old has averaged 16.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 30.1 minutes this season.

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (wrist) is available ahead of Wednesday's game against the Miami Heat. As expected, Ball will be ready to go after being listed as probable on the injury report. This is great news for fantasy managers as Ball has been playing at an unbelievable level lately. He has scored 35 points or more over each of his last three games. He figures to see his normal workload on Wednesday, so fantasy managers better make sure to get Ball in their ahead of tip-off.

Charlotte Hornets centers Mark Williams (foot) and Nick Richards (ribs) have both been sent to the team's G League affiliate on a rehab assignment. They will be practicing with the Greensboro Swarm on Monday, but don't have a specific timetable for their return to the Hornets. Williams has been out since early December of last season while Richards hasn't played since November 1 of this season. Both big men would regularly get minutes when back in the lineup, with Williams having the higher ceiling based on his play early on.