Fantasy Basketball Injury Report
Player News
Colts coach Shane Steichen said Anthony Richardson suffered a shoulder injury and will not participate in minicamp next week.
Richardson aggravated the AC joint in his throwing shoulder, which he had surgery on in 2023. Per Steichen, he won’t undergo surgery at this time. Steichen said he expects Richardson back “at some point” in training camp. It’s a nightmare scenario for the young passer. On top of the obvious risk that the injury becomes a long-term issue, Richardson missing crucial reps in the offseason will put him behind the eight ball to win the starting job. All signs have pointed to his competition with Daniel Jones being a legitimate one and now the latter will get more time to win over the coaches. Jones has to be considered the favorite to start Week 1 at this point, making Richardson undraftable in most fantasy formats.
John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports the Suns “100 percent” don’t want Bradley Beal to return.
Gambadoro described Beal as “untradable” and relayed that the Suns could be stuck with the 31-year-old shooting guard if he doesn’t accept a buyout this offseason. Phoenix is a team in transition with another new coach and Kevin Durant seemingly on the move. Gambadoro also reported that the Suns haven’t had any discussions about trading Durant recently, contradicting a recent report in the Athletic.
FOX NFL’s Jordan Schultz reports it “remains to be seen” if Terry McLaurin will attend mandatory minicamp.
Per Schultz, McLaurin is “frustrated with the lack of progress on a long-term deal.” McLaurin originally showed up at voluntary OTAs but abruptly left, putting his discontent with the situation on full display. He is now entering a contract year and little progress has been made on getting him a new deal. Coming off a 13-touchdown season that saw him form an instant connection with rookie passer Jayden Daniels, McLaurin has more than earned an extension of some kind. Whether the Commanders can meet his demands is up in the air. Deebo Samuel will get more work with Daniels for as long as McLaurin remains away from the team, giving him a chance at usurping McLaurin as the team’s top receiving option. Likely facing some amount of touchdown regression already, McLaurin is becoming an increasingly risky fantasy pick.
Lions coach Dan Campbell named Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Jameson Williams as players who have stood out this spring.
Campbell giving props to his starters is nothing new. The Williams drumbeat has been marching onward all offseason and has no end in sight. Jahmyr Gibbs is one of the most electric backs in the NFL. It’s no suprise he’s standing out in padless practices. The most interesting name of the bunch, outside of a handful of defenders Campebll also shouted out, is LaPorta. The third-year tight end took a step back in 2024, going from 86 receptions for 889 yards as a rookie to 60 grabs for 726 yards and three fewer touchdowns. LaPorta got a slow start to the year and was then hampered by ankle and shoulder injuries. After making noise in early offseason practices, it’s safe to assume this is the healthiest he has been since his rookie season. Even if LaPorta’s target volume is capped by the surrounding talent in Detroit, his involvement as a red zone weapon alone keeps him in the middle of the TE1 mix.
White Sox optioned RHP Caleb Freeman to Triple-A Charlotte.
Freeman allowed two runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings with the White Sox this season. After pitching a scoreless inning on Wednesday, the White Sox may have just been looking for a fresh arm for the bullpen.
White Sox recalled RHP Owen White from Triple-A Charlotte.
White has made nine starts in Triple-A this season, posting a 5.24 ERA with just 36 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings. The Rangers did use him as a long reliever last season, so it’s possible that White could fill the same role in Chicago, but we’ll have to see what their plans are for him in the coming days.