New Orleans Pelicans DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Philadelphia 76ers center Mo Bamba (illness) won't be available against the Heat on Thursday. He'll be out for a second consecutive contest with an illness after being initially regarded as questionable for the matchup. With Bamba on the shelf, Paul Reed will be the lone backup to Joel Embiid (knee), who is trending toward playing on Thursday. Embiid was limited to 29 minutes when he returned to the court on Tuesday versus OKC and likely won't have a full workload on Thursday either, giving Reed a chance to produce some low-tier fantasy value. He went close to a double-double against the Thunder with 12 points, nine rebounds, and one block in 19 minutes off the bench.

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green says forward Zion Williamson's (finger) X-rays and scans came back clean. Williamson sustained a left finger contusion in Wednesday's loss to the visiting Orlando Magic and is now considered day-to-day. The 23-year-old slashing superstar will likely be listed as questionable when New Orleans submits their official injury report later on Thursday for Friday's tilt against the San Antonio Spurs. If Williamson needs to miss that one, it would open up a spot in the Pels' starting lineup likely for disruptive defenders Naji Marshall or Dyson Daniels. Trey Murphy III has been the biggest fantasy beneficiary of his prior absences, however, averaging 18.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.8 steals, and 4.0 three-pointers covering six games without Williamson this season.

New Orleans Pelicans forward/center Zion Williamson injured the middle finger of his shooting hand in Wednesday's contest against Orlando. He was hurt in the final few minutes of the second quarter. Williamson was initially able to play through the injury but came out of the game with 7:24 left on the clock in the fourth frame. He logged only 29 minutes in total, posting 15 points, two rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block. The Pelicans return to action on Friday versus San Antonio, and Williamson could miss his 12th game of the season. Naji Marshall and Larry Nance Jr. will have extra fantasy value if that's the case.

Philadelphia 76ers center Mo Bamba (illness) is questionable for Thursday's game against the Miami Heat. The 25-year-old missed Tuesday's contest against the Thunder. Fantasy managers are used to not having Bamba available, as he has missed 23 tilts this season. Joel Embiid (knee), Tyrese Maxey (hip) and Tobias Harris (knee) are also listed as questionable going into Thursday's matchup. If the center is available, Bamba shouldn't factor in fantasy hoops across all formats.

Toronto Raptors guard/forward Bruce Brown (knee) won't take the court on Wednesday against Minnesota. He made an early exit on Tuesday versus the Lakers with a sore right knee and has been downgraded from doubtful to out. Brown joins a lengthy list of absentees on Wednesday, which leaves Toronto with only eight active players. Garrett Temple, Jordan Nwora, and Jalen McDaniels will benefit from Brown's absence, although it's difficult to predict how the rotation will work out for Toronto.