LeBron James, who hasn’t been with the Lakers this week because of “personal reasons,” will miss Friday’s game in Minnesota against the Timberwolves.

Thursday, the team listed him as “out” with left foot soreness, an issue that popped up last week after the Lakers played the Miami Heat. James sat out the team’s win Sunday against Portland.

“For us, we have to be cognizant as we play more and more games, just the cumulative effect of playing a lot minutes,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said after practice Wednesday. “And Sunday, being banged up with the foot thing, it felt like a good opportunity for him to get some rest.”

James had called playing all 82 games “a goal” on multiple occasions, though Redick acknowledged that might not be the best for the Lakers or James.

In 23 games this season, he’s averaged 23 points, 8.0 rebounds and 9.1 assists.

The Lakers, though, are on track for Austin Reaves to make his return after missing five games with a pelvic bruise, the result of a hard fall in the Lakers’ loss to Oklahoma City.

The Lakers play again Sunday against Memphis, which would mean a full week of rest for James. If he misses that game against the Grizzlies, the Lakers are off until the following Thursday — a span that would mean nearly a two-week break between games.

Working the waiver wire is pivotal to succeeding in fantasy basketball. With so many games, injuries and endless shifts in rotations throughout the marathon campaign, we’ll need to source stats from free agency to maximize our imaginary rosters.

A willingness to entertain competition for the final few spots on your fantasy hoops roster can prove rewarding. When curating this fluid collective of statistical contributors, it helps to consider your end-of-the-bench players in direct competition with the talent floating in free agency.

The goal of this weekly series is to identify players at each position widely available in free agency in ESPN leagues. Some are specialists capable of helping in one or two categories, while others deliver more diverse and important statistical offerings. In the breakdowns below, I’ve listed players at each position in order of priority, rather than roster percentage, in ESPN men’s basketball leagues.

Point Guard

Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic (rostered in 10.9% of ESPN Leagues): Fittingly similar to his father — former NBA point guard Greg Anthony — in that he’s a famously streaky scorer, Anthony is enjoying one of those heat-check periods. The combo guard has been hitting from deep and driving the lane at will on a team that’s getting healthier. You won’t get traditional point guard passing results but scoring and steals are still valuable.

Spencer Dinwiddie, SG, Dallas Mavericks (10.8%): While his ceiling isn’t as impressive when he’s playing alongside Kyrie Irving, the absence of Luka Doncic still provides enough usage overflow to accommodate some impressive fantasy lines from this combo guard. Simply put, the team needs Dinwiddie’s playmaking in the wake of losing one of the league’s true gravitational forces.

Lonzo Ball, Chicago Bulls (10.8%): It’s undeniably cool to see Ball regaining trust in the team’s offensive system and, most notably, playing big minutes in recent games. The basketball public was wondering if we’d ever see Ball thrive on the NBA hardwood again, so this is rewarding. Likely still just a stash in deeper leagues, it’s worth noting Ball brings atypically good steal, block and assist rates to the floor for a depth piece.

Isaiah Collier, Utah Jazz (1.4%): The Jazz have recently turned to Collier for offensive creation while the team deals with a series of backcourt injuries. This is likely just an interim run for Collier, but it could also empower him down the road if deals are made and more playing time is available again.

Shooting Guard

Donte DiVincenzo, PG, Minnesota Timberwolves (49.5%): The Villanova product is starting to produce at a pace reminiscent of last season’s offensive opus with the Knicks. Confidence in his shot has returned, as has the dynamic playmaking with the second unit. DiVincenzo can help you in all formats.

Shaedon Sharpe, SF, Portland Trail Blazers (44.5%): Here’s the thing about scoring-dependent players such as Sharpe; it’s quite fun when they are scoring. Sharpe, mind you, has averaged 19.5 PPG in his last 10 games. There is even a leap in passing production, adding a dimension to his game many weren’t sure existed.

Tim Hardaway Jr., Detroit Pistons (4.6%): A proven bench scorer who flirted with Sixth Man of the Year value in recent seasons with the Mavericks, Hardaway is finding his rhythm as a shooting specialist on a surprisingly competent Detroit team.

Small Forward

Jaime Jaquez Jr., SG, Miami Heat (43.9%): Jimmy Butler mentored Jaquez last season, even including the rookie in a television campaign. As Butler’s role changed, Jaquez has become a versatile two-way wing with awesome opportunity rates. No, he’s not going to deliver Butler’s unique efficiency and value, but there is reason to believe Jacquez is a winning fantasy option going forward.

Peyton Watson, PF, Denver Nuggets (4.7%): I can admit I gravitate to players who are atypically good at rim protection. The reason is because if a small forward or guard, like say Derrick White of the Boston Celtics, can sustain the block percentage we see from most centers, there is a great deal of added value. Watson has averaged 2.3 blocks over the past week and is up to one per game for the season. With the team needing his efforts as a glue guy, Watson is suddenly a fantasy sleeper.

Power Forward

Trayce Jackson-Davis, C, Golden State Warriors (47.3%): A force on the glass for a team in need of interior impact, Jackson-Davis has become a fixture of the transitioning Warriors roster. You won’t see much stretch shooting or exciting rim protection, but Jackson-Davis is still a notable double-double threat.

Toumani Camara, SF, Portland Trail Blazers (11.5%): Camara has a compelling style of play, doing all the little things that add up to a positive outcome. Camara’s scoring is modest, but his rebounding, steals and blocks are surfacing at rewarding levels for those in deeper leagues.

Jonathan Isaac, Orlando Magic (1.7%): It’s unclear if his recent surge in minutes is an outlier or trend, but it’s exciting to even consider Issac playing more . He is one of the truly special per-minute defenders in the league right now and possibly in the history of the game. Stash him for now, but there is some promise developing.

Center

Dereck Lively II, Dallas Mavericks (44.6%): Relentless rim-running delivers an intriguing two-way center for fantasy managers. Lively has flashed quality passing skills in recent games, but it’s really the rebounding volume and respectable rim protection that drives interest.

Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers (10.3%): A true menace when it comes to swatting shots, Clingan’s uptick in exposure lately speaks to his potential value if the team does trade off high-priced frontcourt pieces.

Special Teams

This section focuses on specialists, players who flash in a singular category and can provide specific value to those in category and roto formats. Nominations are based on which category such players are helpful in and will rotate throughout the season.

3-pointers: DiVincenzo is sixth and Hardaway is seventh in added value via 3-point volume over the past week, per the Player Rater.

Steals: Jaquez is fourth among all players in surplus value in steal production the past week. Camara is just behind him.

Blocks: Only Spurs’ superstar center Victor Wembanyama has more added value via blocks than Watson this past week. Lively and Isaac are also in the top five.

Rebounds: Mason Plumlee can do one thing at a rewarding level; rebound for a small Phoenix rotation. Lively is eighth in added value on the glass this past week.

Assists: Collier showed up as a quality passer when given the chance. Dinwiddie is in the top 10 in added value from passing the past week.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A 22-year-old American amateur making his debut on the European tour upstaged Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and many of the world’s top players at the Dubai Desert Classic for a share of the first-round lead on Thursday.

David Ford, a senior at North Carolina, holed a 40-foot eagle putt at his first hole, ran off five straight birdies midway through the round and signed for a 7-under 65 at Emirates Golf Club.

Ford is a lefty, a triplet, No. 6 in the world amateur rankings and playing outside the United States for the first time. He earned an exemption for the Dubai Desert Classic, one of the most prestigious events on the European tour, as a reward for finishing the autumn section of the collegiate golf schedule at No. 1 in the PGA Tour’s university ranking.

Asked if he was expecting to contend in Dubai, where six of the world’s top 20 are competing, Ford said: “I try to keep my expectations low. I know where my game is at right now and I have got a lot of people around me believing in me, which is really helpful going into this week.

“I just tried to have fun. Just come out here and do the preparation that I do for college events and just keep everything really simple and keep having fun.”

Ford was tied for the lead with Ricardo Gouveia of Portugal and David Micheluzzi of Australia — and five shots clear of defending champion McIlroy, who said he felt “a little uncomfortable” in shooting 70 in his first competitive round of 2025.

The No.3-ranked Northern Irishman was 1 over after eight holes before playing his final 10 holes in 3 under — including a chip-in at No. 7, his 16th hole.

“Definitely not as comfortable as I was in practice and coming in here,” McIlroy said. “But it’s nice to get a card in your hand. It sort of exposes the things that you need to work on.

“I got it around and got it in in a couple under, which is nice, and didn’t put myself out of the tournament, which is the main thing.”

Preston Summerhays, another top American amateur who played at the Walker Cup with Ford in 2023, shot 70 and was alongside McIlroy at 2 under.

Rahm, who plays on the Saudi breakaway LIV Golf circuit, shot 69 on his debut at the tournament. No. 8-ranked Viktor Hovland, who acknowledged this week he was going through a challenging time after tinkering with his swing, shot 75.

Ford, who is planning to turn pro in May, has played three times on the PGA Tour — at the RSM Classic and Barbasol Championship across 2022-23 and the Arnold Palmer Invitational last year.

At Bay Hill, he shot 1-under 71 in his first round but followed it with an 83 to miss the cut.