Sandro Mamukelashvili

Due to lower back injury management, starting center Jakob Poeltl will not play on Thursday. He's been replaced in the lineup by Mamukelashvili, who is worth rostering in deep leagues even when Poeltl is available. Collin Murray-Boyles will also have added fantasy value, but Mamu is the preferred option.

Thursday's game is the first of two in as many nights for the Raptors, who host the Hornets on Friday. Poeltl's absence opens up a spot in the starting lineup, and this may be a spot where Sandro Mamukelashvili or Collin Murray-Boyles starts. While Jamison Battle was the choice for Sunday's loss to the Knicks, the Lakers' Deandre Ayton spends more time around the basket than New York's Karl-Anthony Towns.

Poeltl was back in the lineup after missing Sunday's loss to the Knicks, pushing Jamison Battle (DNP-CD) to the bench. His return also impacted Sandro Mamukelashvili (6/7/2/0/1), who was limited to 19 minutes off the bench. Poeltl played 26 minutes, which aligns with his average for the season. While he did surpass 30 minutes in the two games before Sunday's night off, Poeltl's playing time will likely hover in the mid-to-high 20s range. While he can still be valuable to fantasy managers, that lowers his ceiling.

Murray-Boyles is back in the Raptors' rotation after missing two games with a sprained right MCL. With Jakob Poeltl (back) not playing, there will be ample minutes available to CMB and Sandro Mamukelashvili, with the latter having scored a season-high 23 points in Friday's win over the Wizards.