Chicago Bulls DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball (injury management) won't play on Friday versus the Milwaukee Bucks. Due to a knee injury, Ball appeared in his first contest in over two years in Wednesday's opener against the Pelicans. He looked better than expected, amassing five points, four assists, and two boards in 14 minutes of work. With Chicago also playing on Saturday versus OKC, the 26-year-old will likely be back in the lineup for that one. As far as the contest with Milwaukee is concerned, Ayo Dosunmu and Talen Horton-Tucker are the favorites to absorb the minutes caused by Ball's absence.

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.

Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Huerter (shoulder) has a chance to play in Thursday's meeting with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He's been working his way back from shoulder surgery. However, head coach Mike Brown said after Tuesday's practice that Huerter "looks good," adding, "he doesn't look like he's missed a beat." Brown also indicated the 26-year-old would "probably" start if he's cleared to play. Fantasy managers can consider Huerter a starting option if that's the case. If he doesn't suit up, Keon Ellis, who averaged 8.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 40.4% shooting from deep in 21 starts last season, would be worth streaming in deep category formats.

Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball (knee) will suit up for Wednesday's season opener versus the New Orleans Pelicans. After being sidelined with knee injuries, Ball saw action in the preseason for the first time since January 2022. The 26-year-old will most likely see minute restrictions despite playing well during the preseason. With limits in place for now, Ball will not make much of an impact in fantasy, as he will consistently play less than 20 minutes per contest.

Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams (ankle) was able to practice on Monday. He exited Chicago's preseason finale against Cleveland with an ankle injury, but it looks like it wasn't anything serious. Williams also battled a wrist injury during the preseason. However, as of right now, Williams should be expected to be in the lineup for Wednesday's season opener against New Orleans. The 23-year-old is set to begin the campaign as a starter, and fantasy managers could get some decent value out of him. Last season, Williams averaged 11.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.9 steals in 30 games as a member of the first unit.