Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox has missed the team's last 16 games due to ankle injury, but he could make his return from next week.

Per James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area, Fox is targeting to play against the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday. If he won't be able to suit up, he is looking at Saturday's showdown with the Memphis Grizzlies as the next possible return option.

Fox sustained an ankle injury during practice on Dec. 11, ahead of their showdown with the Portland Trail Blazers. According to reports back then, it was a Grade 3 sprain — which put him in a 3-4 week timetable.

It has been a month since the injury, and Fox sure looks on track to return sooner rather than later.

In the nine games he played in before sustaining the injury, the speedy guard was averaging 18.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists while shooting 43.0 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from deep and 71.0 percent from the free-throw line.

Fox's return should be a huge boost to the rising Kings, who have won three straight games against the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder before falling down to the New York Knicks on Friday.

The Kings recently got Marvin Bagley III back, so having Fox in the upcoming week would give them a legitimate chance of fighting for a playoff spot. They are only half a game behind the Thunder and Phoenix Suns, who occupy the seventh and eighth seed respectively.