Emeka Okafor (knee), Jason Smith (concussion) and Carl Landry (knee) are all out for Friday's game against the Mavericks.

These were all expected absences and the news shouldn't come as a surprise. Chris Kaman and Gustavo Ayon remain locked into big minutes as starters at this time.

Emeka Okafor (knee) is still dealing with swelling and is not close to a return.

"He has swelling," said Monty Williams. Okafor has missed the last eight games straight for the Hornets, but the team will have to continue without him for the foreseeable future. Chris Kaman and Gustavo Ayon will both see all of the action they can handle with Carl Landry (knee) and Jason Smith (concussion) also out of the lineup.

Emeka Okafor (knee), Carl Landry (knee) and Jason Smith (concussion) are all out for both Tuesday and Wednesday.

Chris Kaman and Gustavo Ayon are going to continue to get as much burn as they can handle. We still have no target dates on any of the Hornets' injured big men, although Okafor appeared close prior to the All-Star break. The situation will be shook up even more come mid-March as Kaman is expected to be traded.

Emeka Okafor (knee) is expected to return "soon," and could be back immediately after the All-Star break.

Okafor has been ruled out through the All-Star break but has a good chance to return to action shortly thereafter. We've heard of him being dropped in several formats but with the chance he could be back next week, Okafor should not be on the waiver wire. He is averaging 9.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks on 53.3 percent shooting.

Coach Monty Williams referred to Emeka Okafor's knee injury as "one of those weird deals."

Okafor isn't traveling with the Hornets and won't play until after the All-Star break at the earliest. "I'm not going to get too detailed about that. It is what it is," said Williams when asked about what's wrong with Okafor. The Hornets now have four players sidelined with knee issues: Okafor, Eric Gordon, Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry.

Emeka Okafor (knee) will not play on Wednesday and could be out for a while according to coach Monty Williams, so Chris Kaman and Gustavo Ayon will start in the Hornets frontcourt indefinitely.

Kaman is a must-start player following his big night on Monday, and Ayon becomes a must-add player in 12-team, 8- and 9-cat formats with this news. "From what I've heard it's one of those weird deals," Williams said. "I just heard yesterday he's not going to travel with us and he'll stay at home." The Hornets open a six-game road trip tonight and while Okafor could join them later, they'll be in no hurry to bring him back as they play for ping pong balls. That Williams is in the dark isn't surprising, and it isn't a great sign for Okafor's short-term health.

Emeka Okafor (knee) is questionable for Wednesday.

Okafor didn't play on Monday and is once again considered questionable for Wednesday's game. If he can't suit up once again, Chris Kaman would likely start at center with Gustavo Ayon drawing another start at power forward.

Emeka Okafor (knee) and Chris Kaman (ankle) are both questionable for Monday's game against the Jazz.

This one comes out of nowhere as Okafor hasn't missed a game all year and logged 38 productive minutes against the Blazers on Friday. He's known as one of the league's tough guys, so we wouldn't be surprised to see him gut it out through this soreness. Jason Smith (concussion) and Carl Landry (knee) are both out for the Hornets' ravaged front line, opening up the potential of heavy minutes for Gustavo Ayon.

Emeka Okafor credits his improved offensive game to the work he did during the lockout.

Okafor is shooting 53.6 percent this season as compared to 57.3 in 2010-11, but the veteran has increased his ability to score in different ways. "I just did a lot of work in the offsesaon," Okafor said. Monty Williams acknowledged Okafor isn't afraid to take the 10-15 feet jumper now, something that hadn't been present in his approach previously. Okafor is averaging 9.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 28 minutes per game this season.

Emeka Okafor scored 10 points on 5-of-11 shooting with eight rebounds, two assists, one steal, and three blocks in 33 minutes on Monday.

After a stretch of inconsistency, Okafor has straightened things out a bit and deserves to be owned in 12-team leagues.

Emeka Okafor scored 16 points and hauled in a season-high 17 rebounds (six offensive) on Saturday, but he couldn't prevent the Hornets from losing their seventh consecutive game.

Okafor came into this game averaging just 8.5 points and 8.2 rebounds in 28 minutes per game. He's high on the Hornets' frontcourt pecking order but is too limited offensively to get very excited about -- he's on the upswing, but to date he's offering just 12th-round value in nine-cat leagues.

Emeka Okafor scored eight points on 4-of-9 shooting with 12 rebounds and one block in 26 minutes on Thursday.

Okafor has been inconsistent all year, but after minute concerns crept up this week this result should be enough for most owners to hold or consider an add. We don't expect the consistency to get much better, but his history suggests that he has a decent shot at low-end value.

Emeka Okafor had 16 points, 14 rebounds and zero blocks in Friday's loss, marking just his third double-double of the season, and first in seven games.

Chris Kaman and Carl Landry couldn't hit the broad side of a barn tonight, combining to hit just 1-of-18 shots, which helped Okafor to his nice line tonight. He should still be owned in all leagues, but isn't a must-start fantasy player given Kaman's presence in New Orleans.

Emeka Okafor played 24 minutes against the Nuggets on Monday, scoring four points on 2-of-3 shooting with seven rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block.

Okafor has lost about three minutes per game in playing time over last season (now at 28 mpg), and is averaging 8.0 points, 7.9 boards, 0.7 steals, and 1.8 blocks. He has also seen a 10-point drop over last year's 57.3% field goal percentage and a five-point drop to 51.4% at the line. While those numbers could improve, they could also be indicative of a larger problem rooted in lack of effectiveness.

Emeka Okafor double-doubled against the Suns on Friday, scoring 10 points on 2-of-6 shooting (6-of-10 from the foul line) with 16 rebounds, one assist, and one block in 28 minutes.

Okafor can thank his team's poor shooting for allowing him to get eight offensive rebounds, but this is a line owners can expect for most of the year. Erratic scoring, bad foul shooting, and plenty of rebounds and blocks.

Emeka Okafor had 13 points, six rebounds and blocked five shots in Wednesday's easy win over the Celtics.

Chris Kaman came off the bench for 12 points, nine boards, a steal and three blocks, and the two big men are going to share time all season. But it also looks like both players are worth owning in fantasy, despite Okafor's four-point game on Monday.

Emeka Okafor is getting the night off on Wednesday.

It's a curious move by the Hornets, who won't get the chance to see Okafor and Chris Kaman in the same frontcourt until the regular season. Despite his chronic free throw trouble, Okafor should remain a solid source of rebounds and blocks again this season.

Emeka Okafor is still with the Hornets, but could end up with the Lakers in the aftermath of the Chris Paul trade.

Okafor would be another huge get for the Lakers, and would immediately be the starting power forward. If it happens, the Lakers starting lineup would likely be: PG Chris Paul, SG Kobe Bryant, SF Metta World Peace, PF Emeka Okafor, C Andrew Bynum (or Dwight Howard, if they can pull that one off too).

Emeka Okafor and Carl Landry were outclassed by the Lakers big men in Tuesday's Game 5 loss, as Okafor scored five points on 2-of-3 shooting with five rebounds, two steals, and one block, and Landry had just eight points on 3-of-7 shooting with four rebounds, two steals, and one block.

The Lakers started off using Kobe as a decoy, and focused on banging aggressively down low -- and some even believe the refs swallowed their whistles and let the bigger Lakers manhandle them. Either way, they'll need to toughen up at home for the Hornets to have any chance of making a trip back to Tinsel Town. One piece of advice for Okafor, stay off of You Tube for a week or so (link below).

Emeka Okafor had just four points and two rebounds before fouling out of Sunday's Game 1, which the Hornets won in Los Angeles.

Luckily for the Hornets, Aaron Gray stepped up for 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting, while Pau Gasol was nearly just as invisible as Okafor today. The Hornets will need Okafor to play much better in Game 2, especially since Gray could be done for the series with a severely sprained ankle.