Philadelphia 76ers DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (knee) participated in the Sixers' practice on Thursday and looks like he's progressing, according to head coach Nick Nurse. George suffered a bone bruise in a preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks and has been sidelined from most basketball action since. Philadelphia is likely to be very cautious in their approach to George's health, especially given their extremely cautious approach to teammate Joel Embiid's knee. The 34-year-old was set to have his knee re-evaluated this week, but there has been no update on his knee's overall health since the bone-bruise diagnosis last week. Fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised not to see George play in regular-season action for at least another week or two. In the meantime, Eric Gordon should continue to get starts for Philly, though his fantasy value may not impress much, as the veteran went 1-for-6 for just two points in their season opener against Milwaukee on Wednesday.

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (knee) participated in practice on Thursday and looks like he's progressing, according to head coach Nick Nurse. Embiid has been nursing a left-knee injury he picked up in Golden State in late January that forced him to miss 29 straight regular-season games, though he was able to participate in all six games of Philadelphia's first-round loss to the New York Knicks. The Sixers have taken a very cautious approach with the big man's health this year with a rest-management plan that's causing him to miss the team's first three games of the season, which is now officially being investigated by the NBA as of Thursday. With the current plan, Embiid should be expected to start the season in a game against the Detroit Pistons next Wednesday. Fantasy managers looking for value until then should keep their eyes on Andre Drummond, who grabbed 13 rebounds and scored 10 points on Wednesday night in the season opener. Drummond should provide solid fantasy value for those in need of production at the center position.

Philadelphia 76ers' guard Eric Gordon will start Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks. The veteran signed a one-year deal with the 76ers in the off-season after spending last season in Phoenix, where he averaged 8.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists across 68 games. As the season progresses, the 35-year-old will provide a three-point scoring threat off the bench but will likely not be much of a fantasy factor.

Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond will start on Wednesday night versus Milwaukee. Joel Embiid (knee) won't suit up for at least three games, so Drummond may see plenty of time in the middle for the foreseeable future. The 31-year-old was dominant in 10 starts with the Bulls last season, averaging 14.1 points, 17.9 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and 1.1 steals. As a result, Drummond should be featured in any fantasy lineup imaginable. There's also room for Guerschon Yabusele to get involved enough to warrant starting consideration in deeper fantasy setups.

The NBA is likely to investigate the Philadelphia 76ers later this week in regards to Joel Embiid's player participation. The Sixers rested their star center all preseason and plan to sit him for at least the first three games of the regular season, putting his potential season debut to be next Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons. It's generally a standard for the league to investigate teams any time a start player misses a nationally televised game as Wednesday's home opener against the Bucks will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. From Philadelphia's perspective, their plan is to keep Embiid healthy for the postseason. The big man has been nursing his left knee after tearing his meniscus in late January and is incredibly important to the Sixers' success. While Embiid rests his knee, Andre Drummond will be starting in his place. Drummond should be able to grab a significant amount of rebounds after averaging nine rebounds per game for the Chicago Bulls last season. Drummond will be a very solid fantasy option until Embiid returns to the lineup.