Last Updated on November 19, 2025 2:04 am by Mike Passador | Published: November 19, 2025

The big story from Tuesday was the return of LeBron James, who made his season debut after missing the first 14 games of the season due to sciatica on his right side. The Lakers went 10-4 without him, and the rest of the league probably isn’t in love with the team sitting pretty in the standings without James. He wasn’t great individually, scoring only 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting and 1-of-4 free throws, but did collect 12 assists and two 3-pointers and — most crucially — played 30 minutes. That’s a fantastic first workload of the campaign and while James looked winded at times, that’s pretty close to no minutes restriction at all. The Lakers might hit a few bumps while they fold LeBron back into the offense (and it will get harder than games against the Jazz… but not this week) but it’s going to be scary if everything clicks. Deandre Ayton had 20 points with 14 boards, Austin Reaves had 26 points and Luka Doncic went for 37-5-10, so James’ presence didn’t exactly limit anyone else’s fantasy stock.

As one star returned, a couple more exited.

Ja Morant will be reevaluated in two weeks after suffering a calf strain and it’s going to make life very hard for the rest of the Grizzlies — especially the front office. But that’s another story for another day. Vince Williams Jr. stepped into the starting five and Cam Spencer had a nice game off the bench, but it’s going to be tough sledding with the entire PG rotation out of the lineup. The guy you might be most worried about is Jaren Jackson Jr., who was a suboptimal version of himself the last time Morant was out of the lineup for an extended stretch, and that’s not even accounting for the fact that he just hasn’t looked like vintage JJJ very often this season to begin with.

Elsewhere, Doc Rivers dropped some news that Giannis Antetokounmpo would miss a couple weeks with his groin strain. That’s awful news for a Bucks offense that goes from first to worst as soon as Giannis leaves the floor. Kyle Kuzma’s starting spot should be secure now but we would look to either Gary Trent Jr. or Bobby Portis to start in Antetokounmpo’s absence. There may not be another 12-team pickup here but Portis’ history makes him the most compelling play if you have a choice.

It has been a bad few days for injuries around the league, but there were still plenty of positives hitting our screens last night. Let’s get to it and take a closer look at Wednesday.

Top Pickups

This is the “general must-add” section regardless of the slate. If these players are being overlooked and remain chilling on the waiver wire, consider adding them to your squad.

Wendell Carter Jr (35%)

Carter has crept into the top-100 so far this year. His defensive stats have ticked up just enough to make him more than a hollow double-double threat and there isn’t a ton of competition in the Orlando frontcourt for him. Carter doesn’t have much sizzle but he starts every night, fills a steady role and will have more room to rebound while Paolo Banchero is on the shelf. He should be scooped up by any team in need of help at center. He had 17 points, 12 rebounds, a steal and a 3-pointer last night.

LeBron James (100%)

Just making sure you’re awake.

Vince Williams Jr. (10%)

Want full access to our Daily Fantasy Basketball Cheat Sheet with Pickups, Slate Notes & Streamers? You’ll need to have an Ethos 360, All-Sport or NBA FantasyPass membership. Click here to learn more and sign up! Premium Access Required  

Join the SportsEthos team! Fill out an application by clicking here!