Toronto Raptors DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic called center Jakob Poeltl (ankle) day-to-day after the big man was a partial participant in practice on Wednesday. Poeltl still hasn't been cleared for contact and has to get his conditioning back after missing a few weeks with an ankle sprain. Sidelined for eight straight games with the injury, Poeltl's next chance to return to game action arrives on Friday when the Raptors host the Los Angeles Clippers. Toronto has dropped seven of these past eight contests without the versatile Austrian center. Jontay Porter has operated as the formal starter at the five, with Thaddeus Young and Chris Boucher forming a three-man committee approach in the middle from the bench in Poeltl's stead.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (Achilles) is expected to play on Monday after he was listed as probable. The veteran wing missed the team's last matchup with the Dallas Mavericks, but he'll at least play them this time around. Ingram, who has dealt with several injury issues in the past, has only missed three games so far this year. He's seen a slight decrease in stats and usage this season which is in large part due to Zion Williamson being healthier. While they've contributed to more team success, it hasn't equated to more fantasy success at the moment. Either way, he's still a must-start player as he sits inside the top 80 in nine-category leagues.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (Achilles) has been ruled out ahead of Saturday's game against the Dallas Mavericks. The Pelicans are going to be extremely shorthanded for this game. It's the second game of a back-to-back set, so hopefully these players will return after the day off. In the meantime, Herbert Jones should see a spike in usage with the Pelicans shorthanded on players. Also, Jose Alvarado, Dyson Daniels, and Naji Marshall should see more action on Saturday.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (Achilles) has been listed as probable on Friday and should be taking the court to play against the Denver Nuggets. Ingram is one of four key players that was upgraded from questionable to probable. CJ McCollum (ankle), Zion Williamson (quad), and Trey Murphy III (knee) are all expected to play as well. That means key reserves Jose Alvarado, Naji Marshall, and Dyson Daniels will not be getting extra opportunities. Ingram is a must-start player whenever healthy, so managers can deploy him into lineups regardless of the league format.

The Toronto Raptors announced on Tuesday that center Jakob Poeltl (ankle) will miss at least two weeks with a sprained left ankle, and he will be re-evaluated from there but is considered out indefinitely. Poeltl battled through the injury in Sunday's win over the Golden State Warriors, but it sounds as if he could be sidelined for greater than two weeks. The 28-year-old Austrian big man is hurting fantasy managers with his 53.2% shooting from the foul line, but he leads the Association's qualifiers in field-goal percentage (68.5%) and is supplying 10.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 blocks in 26.5 minutes through 36 games in 2023-24. The Raptors are short on depth down low, leaving Pascal Siakam with more minutes in the middle. Chris Boucher should also play a greater role off Toronto's bench, with more usage likely coming for Dennis Schroder and Gary Trent Jr. in small-ball lineups.