Stephen Curry Is Expected to Play Through an Ankle Sprain as the Warriors, Hornets and 76ers Open the Season Short-Handed

Stephen Curry tweaked his right ankle at the Warriors' open practice on Sunday, and Steve Kerr said Monday that he expects Curry to play Wednesday night when Golden State opens its season against the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Kerr said Curry practiced fully and called him fine, though the team lists the injury as a right ankle sprain and had not formally cleared him as of Tuesday. Behind Curry, the Warriors' injury list is long: Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody and Kristaps Porzingis are out, Brandin Podziemski is questionable with back soreness and Charles Bassey is day to day with knee tendinitis.

Golden State is not alone. Across Tuesday's opening tripleheader and Wednesday's 11-game slate, a handful of rotation players are sitting or uncertain, and several of those absences open minutes worth chasing in fantasy.

The Opening-Week Injury Board

The statuses below reflect team reports and beat coverage through Tuesday. Designations can change before tip-off, so check the official report shortly before lock.

Philadelphia has also ruled out Ariel Hukporti, who is done for the season with a torn right Achilles, along with Dominick Barlow and Tacko Fall. None of the 76ers' five starters are on the report for Tuesday's game at Madison Square Garden. Boston listed only Carter, and The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn reported that Carter has been diagnosed with mononucleosis. Detroit listed Taurean Prince as questionable for personal reasons. On the Lakers' side, Collin Sexton has reportedly not been officially cleared for Wednesday, so his status may not be settled until close to tip.

Golden State: Thin at Every Position Except Point Guard

Curry playing is the headline, but the more important fantasy detail is how few healthy bodies the Warriors have behind him. With Butler, Moody and Porzingis all out and Podziemski uncertain, Golden State is relying on Yaxel Lendeborg in the starting lineup and on Al Horford in a bench role that Kerr has already signaled. If Bassey's knee also keeps him out, the Warriors become a small team by necessity rather than by choice.

For fantasy purposes, that concentrates usage. Curry's shot volume should be near the top of his range on a night when the second and third options are diminished, and Kerr's description of a full practice suggests no planned minutes limit. Start him with confidence in all formats. If Podziemski sits, his rebounding and secondary playmaking get spread across Lendeborg, Horford and the wings, with Horford the most stable streaming option because his role on the glass grows when the frontcourt is short.

Podziemski is the name to watch in daily leagues. Golden State just signed him to a five-year, $110 million extension, and there is no incentive to push a back issue in game one of 82. Treat him as a true coin flip until the Warriors update his status Wednesday afternoon.

San Antonio and Philadelphia: Tuesday Night Ripples

Harris strained his left calf in training camp and missed the entire preseason, and Mitch Johnson said early in October that the Spurs would not rush him. Reports Monday indicated he will not play Tuesday against Oklahoma City. His absence keeps the power forward minutes with the group that handled them during the preseason, with Julian Champagnie, Keldon Johnson and Harrison Barnes the most likely beneficiaries. Champagnie is the preferred fantasy add of that trio because his three-point volume gives him a stable floor in category leagues.

Simons has been dealing with his right hamstring since early in camp and missed preseason games against Brooklyn and Boston. He was a full practice participant at one point, and Nick Nurse said the team hoped to have him before the opener. If he sits, the 76ers' bench scoring thins out against a Knicks team celebrating its championship, and the minutes tilt toward Philadelphia's starters. Simons is a hold in standard leagues; the hamstring is a nagging problem rather than a long-term one, but it is the kind that can recur, which argues against starting him in weekly lineup leagues until he has a clean game behind him.

Charlotte: Brandon Miller's Usage Spike Starts Now

The Hornets open at Brooklyn on Wednesday without Knueppel and White, and coach Charles Lee said Sunday there was still no timeline for either. Lee did describe both as progressing, and the team's next two games, Friday against Atlanta and Saturday against Miami on the back end of a home back-to-back, are reportedly the realistic return windows. Grant Williams, injured during the same stretch of offseason work as Knueppel, is also being re-evaluated during the first week.

That leaves Brandon Miller, freshly signed to a five-year, $209 million extension, as the clear first option. Charlotte already traded LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges this offseason, so the Hornets' early-season offense will run through Miller to an extreme degree. He is a must-start in every format this week. The remaining guard minutes are the streaming opportunity; any Charlotte ball handler starting in White's place deserves a look in deeper leagues for the first two games, then becomes a drop candidate once White returns.

The Verdexed Angle

The market treats Lakers-Warriors as a comfortable home game for Los Angeles, and the injury list explains why. A Curry who plays through an ankle sprain with limited support is a high-usage, high-variance proposition: his individual numbers can be big even in a loss, which matters more for player props and DFS than for the side. The Warriors' lack of size against a Lakers roster with a far cleaner injury report is the matchup detail that most supports the home team.

For Spurs-Thunder on Tuesday, Harris being out is a minor depth hit rather than a market mover. San Antonio's rotation was built to function without him through the preseason. Verdexed's predictions page at /nba/predictions carries the model view for both games and the full Wednesday slate, updated as statuses change.

What's Next

The Warriors will issue their final report Wednesday afternoon, with Podziemski and Bassey the two decisions that matter. Charlotte's re-evaluations of Knueppel, White and Williams come during the first week, which makes Friday and Saturday the dates to watch. In Philadelphia, a Simons scratch on Tuesday would make his status for the rest of the week a running question.

The actionable takeaway: start Curry and Miller everywhere, add Champagnie in deeper category leagues while Harris is out, keep Podziemski and Simons on rosters but out of locked weekly lineups until they play, and use Horford as a short-term frontcourt stream while Golden State is this thin.