Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton (ankle) is expected to play on Thursday against the Pelicans. The veteran was sidelined for over a month because of a sprained ankle. However, he's been back in the lineup in four of Milwaukee's previous five games. Middleton has had a few solid showings since his return. But he scored only 12 points in Tuesday's double-overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. At any rate, his fantasy ceiling is still higher than most. Yet, the 32-year-old is not as consistent as he used to be.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (knee) might return before the end of the regular season. Wojnarowski stated that it's not a matter of "if" but "when," while adding the team hopes to get him back with at least a few games left before the postseason begins. The 30-year-old averaged a career-high 35.3 points with 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.8 blocks before going down with a knee injury at the end of January. Of course, it could take him a few games to get back up to speed. However, Embiid's presence will immediately mean less work for Mo Bamba and Paul Reed, who have seen an uptick in production while the reigning MVP has been sidelined.

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (ankle) remains out for Wednesday's matchup with Phoenix. This will be there veteran's third consecutive absence after tweaking his ankle during a recent meeting with the New York Knicks. With that said, his next chance to return will be Friday against Minnesota. However, Reggie Jackson, coming off a 15-point performance on Monday versus Memphis, will remain a worthwhile DFS option.

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (ribs) has shaken off a questionable tag and will be in the lineup on Wednesday against Detroit. Health issues have limited Gobert to only three outings across the last seven games, but he will make his third consecutive appearance on Wednesday. The French giant should have a good game against a mediocre rebounding team that allows centers to shoot 59.2 percent from the field. Gobert bagged 19 points and 16 rebounds against the Pistons in this season's first head-to-head matchup in January.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (ankle) will play on Wednesday versus the Memphis Grizzlies. James didn't suit up for Tuesday's double-overtime win over the Bucks because of his nagging ankle injury. However, the Lakers need him healthy for the postseason, so he got a night off for the first half of back-to-back contests. The 39-year-old has averaged 24.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 3.0 steals in two meetings with Memphis this season. Yet, with Anthony Davis (knee) sidelined, James could be more productive.

Los Angeles Lakers forward/center Anthony Davis (knee) will sit out Wednesday's game against Memphis. This should come as a surprise to no one after Davis put in a mammoth of an effort across a career-high 52 minutes in a double-overtime win against Milwaukee on Tuesday. Jaxson Hayes will pick up his fourth start of the year in Davis' stead. He's averaged 10.0 points and 7.7 rebounds in the role and should do well against a weak Memphis squad that has the league's third-lowest rebounding rate.

New York Knicks guard/forward Alec Burks (shoulder) will miss a second consecutive game on Wednesday versus Toronto. There was initially hope of him returning when the team listed him as questionable for the game, but Burks has now been downgraded to out. Burks' absence leaves the Knicks without a good scoring option off the bench. He's averaged around 15 minutes a night in the Big Apple, and Bojan Bogdanovic will have a chance to get some extra action off the Knicks bench without Burks.

Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray (back) will play in Wednesday's matchup against Portland. He landed on the initial injury report with a sore back and a questionable designation, but the 2022 All-Star has now been cleared to play. Murray has been a beast for fantasy managers throughout the month, averaging 25.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 9.3 assists, 2.3 steals, and 3.8 three-point makes. He's already faced the Trail Blazers once in March, and Murray went off for 40 points in the contest. A similar performance on Wednesday isn't out of the question, with Trae Young (finger) and Jalen Johnson (ankle) still absent and Murray getting a lot of shots because of it.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (hamstring) is expected to play on Thursday in New Orleans. The multi-time MVP has been plagued by left hamstring tendinopathy over the last few weeks. However, the injury appears to be getting better, considering he logged 46 minutes in Tuesday's double-overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. But Milwaukee has a few relatively easy matchups on the horizon, meaning he may get a night off heading toward the postseason. With that in mind, Antetokounmpo amassed 30 points, 12 boards, and two blocks against the Pelicans the first time these clubs met earlier in the season, keeping him on the radar for DFS managers on Thursday night.

Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (hamstring) will sit out a ninth consecutive game on Wednesday against the Hawks. He continues to recover from a hamstring strain, and it doesn't look like Grant is close to returning. Jabari Walker, Kris Murray, and Toumani Camara all have opportunities to fill bigger roles with Grant out. The three have played well, but all have issues with inconsistency, which makes it hard to trust them on a nightly basis in fantasy basketball.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (ankle) is expected to be available for Wednesday's meeting with the Memphis Grizzlies. After missing Tuesday's overtime thriller against the Milwaukee Bucks because of left ankle soreness, James is set to return on the second night of LA's back-to-back. Expect the 39-year-old future Hall of Famer to handle his usual workload in a soft matchup with the 24-48 Grizzlies. Across 13 appearances since the All-Star break, James is averaging 27.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 7.2 dimes, 1.0 steals, and 2.3 three-pointers and could take on even more playmaking duties if Anthony Davis (knee) is ruled out after playing 52 minutes on Tuesday.

Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (shoulder) participated in practice on Wednesday. Holiday has missed Boston's last five games with a shoulder injury, but his activity at Wednesday's session is encouraging for his status for Thursday's game against the Atlanta Hawks. The first-place Celtics will submit their official injury report later on Wednesday, and the two-way veteran guard should be tentatively deemed questionable at worst ahead of time. The sharpshooting Payton Pritchard has enjoyed quite a hot run as a fantasy streamer, averaging 17.7 points, 7.7 dimes, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.2 threes on 45.2% shooting from downtown across his past six showings (two starts), but he would revert to the second unit if Holiday returns. Atlanta carries the third-worst defensive efficiency rating (116.8) in the Association during 2023-24.

Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (finger) is questionable for Wednesday's game against Denver. The veteran star sprained a finger near the end of Monday's 104-102 loss to San Antonio and could be out of action for the first time this month. Eric Gordon and Royce O'Neale should take care of most of Beal's minutes if he can't play, with Grayson Allen in a position to get a few more shots. He was anonymous in back-to-back games against the Spurs but is having an impressive month overall, with 15.8 points averaged on 48.5 percent shooting from three-point range. However, snipers like Allen and Gordon might struggle in a matchup against a team like the Nuggets, who allow the second-fewest three-point makes in the league.

Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic (ankle) might have to skip Wednesday's battle against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. He tweaked his right ankle against the Spurs on Monday and has been listed as questionable on the injury report. Drew Eubanks will be asked to step up in a big way if Nurkic isn't able to go on Wednesday. He will find himself in a really tough matchup but should be able to improve on his season averages in a bigger role. Eubanks has posted 5.3 points and 4.3 rebounds across 15.7 minutes for the campaign.

Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray (knee) is questionable for Wednesday's meeting with the Suns. The Canadian star has sat out two games with a knee issue and might have to miss three games on the bounce for the first time since an 11-game absence in November. Reggie Jackson has filled the shoes of Murray well, averaging 19.0 points, 6.5 assists, and 1.5 steals over the past two games in the starting unit. Only Detroit gives up more points per 48 minutes to point guards than Phoenix, so we should see another good performance from Jackson if Murray can't return on Wednesday.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (back, hip) is probable for Wednesday's big Western Conference clash against Phoenix. The reigning Finals MVP is dealing with a couple of health issues right now, and he missed one game last week, but Jokic is trending toward playing on Wednesday. Jokic has averaged a triple-double against the Suns this season and is currently enjoying his second-best scoring month of the campaign. The Serbian superstar has produced 27.8 points in 11 March outings, along with 12.2 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 1.5 steals.

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (rib) is questionable for Wednesday's game with the Pistons due to a sprained rib on his left side. The big man has competed in the last two Timberwolves contests, but he missed three consecutive games before with the rib injury. Minnesota's Anthony Edwards (finger) is also questionable. Naz Reid has stepped up his game when Gobert has been sidelined recently, posting 20 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks against Golden State on Sunday.

Philadelphia 76ers guard/forward Kelly Oubre Jr. (shoulder) is considered questionable for Wednesday's clash with the Los Angeles Clippers. He didn't play in Monday's loss to Sacramento because of shoulder soreness. As a result, Nicolas Batum slid into the starting lineup. However, Batum was held scoreless, so he'll be hard to trust from a fantasy standpoint if Oubre misses another contest. Instead, Buddy Hield, who also had a rough showing, has a much higher fantasy upside.

Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl (hand) is doing light on-court work in practice but is still not cleared for contact. Still not using his surgically-repaired left hand, Poeltl's return to the floor is not imminent. The 23-49 Raptors have dropped 11 games in a row, so managers stashing the 28-year-old Austrian big man shouldn't be planning to have him available later during the fantasy playoffs. Playmaking center Kelly Olynyk has started each of Toronto's latest 11 matchups, providing 13.7 points, 5.5 boards, 5.5 assists, 1.1 triples, and 2.2 combined steals plus blocks but is hurting nine-category players with 3.4 turnovers per game across this period. He'll be a much better bet in points leagues the rest of the way, but Olynyk will next face a vaunted New York Knicks defense that's permitting the fewest FanDuel points to enemy centers.

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (illness) missed shootaround on Tuesday morning, but he's probable to play versus the Golden State Warriors. Dealing with a non-COVID illness, Butler is still expected to play in a good spot against a Warriors defense giving up the ninth-most DraftKings points to opposing small forwards. Across 13 appearances since the All-Star Break, the 34-year-old two-way superstar is pouring in 21.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.7 swipes, and 0.9 three-pointers per contest. With Tyler Herro (foot) still on the shelf, Butler will continue absorbing additional usage and playmaking responsibilities and remains a set-and-forget fantasy option across all formats.