5 days agoNew Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi (illness) will return from a two-game absence on Friday versus the Memphis Grizzlies. He is back in the fold after recovering from a non-COVID illness. Missi will resume his duties as New Orleans' starting center. The 20-year-old Baylor product has experienced ups and downs during his rookie campaign, but he is averaging nearly a double-double with 9.1 points and 8.2 rebounds. Missi has slightly boosted his numbers in matchups against the Grizzlies, going for 11.0 points and 10.0 rebounds with 3.0 blocks.Source: NBA Injury Report
5 days agoNew Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray (elbow) has been upgraded to available for Friday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Murray will continue to play through an elbow injury. Possibly due to the injury, Murray has struggled to score efficiently lately, but he has continued to play big minutes and should do so again on Friday night. With Ja Morant (illness) sidelined, Murray will have fewer defensive responsibilities, allowing him to conserve energy that should benefit him on offense.Source: NBA Injury Report
5 days agoMemphis Grizzlies forward/center Santi Aldama (illness) will come out of the lineup for Friday's meeting with the New Orleans Pelicans. The Spaniard exited Wednesday's contest against the Charlotte Hornets early due to an illness and still isn't feeling well enough to play. It remains uncertain whether Aldama will recover quickly enough to be available on Saturday against the Utah Jazz. With Aldama out, Brandon Clarke, Jay Huff, and GG Jackson II will provide frontcourt depth. However, these three players have not delivered consistent fantasy value in 2024-25.Source: Damichael Cole
5 days agoMemphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant (illness) will miss Friday's action against the New Orleans Pelicans. He is feeling under the weather and has been downgraded from questionable to out. Scotty Pippen Jr. has regularly stepped in for Morant throughout the season and is set for another start. His numbers usually receive a significant boost when he joins the first unit, as Pippen Jr. has averaged 13.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.6 steals while starting.Source: Damichael Cole
5 days agoPortland Trail Blazers forward Kris Murray (chest) is set to play on Friday against the Charlotte Hornets. He recently suffered a chest contusion. However, Murray managed to play through the injury on Thursday against the Orlando Magic and is ready for action again on Friday after ditching a questionable tag. In Thursday's blowout victory over Orlando, Murray recorded six points and three rebounds in 12 minutes. He serves as an additional option off the bench for the Trail Blazers but does not provide any value for fantasy managers.Source: Casey Holdahl
5 days agoPortland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara (illness) has been listed as available for Friday's contest against the Charlotte Hornets. He initially had a probable designation on the injury report due to an illness. Camara returned from a one-game absence with a strong performance on Thursday against the Orlando Magic, producing a full line with 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and two steals. However, his recent efforts also include two games with zero points, which shows that the 24-year-old can be very inconsistent.Source: Casey Holdahl
5 days agoPortland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons (back) will be active for Friday's game against the Charlotte Hornets. He has been upgraded from probable to available despite dealing with back soreness. Simons is aiming for his third consecutive game with 20-plus points. He has broken out of a slump in impressive fashion, making nine three-pointers over the past two games. Charlotte allows the seventh-most three-point attempts in the league, giving Simons a good opportunity to keep building momentum.Source: Casey Holdahl
5 days agoPortland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (ankle) will return to the lineup as a starter on Friday against the Charlotte Hornets. Deandre Ayton (knee) and Robert Williams III (hand) are both out for the contest, so we should see plenty of Clingan in action. Jabari Walker and Duop Reath will provide backup at the center position. In his previous eight career starts, Clingan has averaged 8.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks in 22.9 minutes.Source: Casey Holdahl
5 days agoMinnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (illness) is questionable for Saturday's matchup with the Nuggets. The 23-year-old hardly appears on the injury report. It's also rare that he misses time. But Edwards is not feeling well, so he's in danger of missing his first game of the 2024-25 campaign. If he's not out there against Denver, Mike Conley, Jaden McDaniels, and Julius Randle will likely benefit on the scoring end. The same can be said for Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who would presumably enter the starting lineup.Source: Dane Moore
5 days agoCleveland Cavaliers guard/forward Caris LeVert (wrist) is not yet ready to return to the lineup on Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers. The team has downgraded him from questionable to out, marking his third consecutive absence. His next chance to return will be on Saturday against the Houston Rockets. The rest of the Cavaliers bench will continue to absorb LeVert's minutes, with Ty Jerome being the most attractive fantasy option.Source: Chris Fedor
5 days agoCharlotte Hornets guard Seth Curry (ankle) will miss Friday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers. He has been downgraded from questionable to out as Curry nurses an ankle sprain. Although Curry has not played a significant role with the Hornets, the team will miss his three-point shooting, which could help open up the floor. Friday marks the beginning of a back-to-back for Charlotte, so Curry may miss multiple games in quick succession.Source: Rod Boone
5 days agoSacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (thumb) is uncertain to suit up on Saturday versus the New York Knicks. He has only missed just three games this season. However, the 27-year-old is in danger of missing this one because of a right thumb sprain. If Fox isn't available, Malik Monk will presumably handle the duties at the one. In addition, Monk averaged a team-high 23.7 points in games without Fox on the floor during the 2024-25 campaign, enhancing his value for fantasy managers.Source: NBA Injury Report
5 days agoCharlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (back) will not suit up on Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers. He has been ruled out for the game after being initially considered questionable. Bridges' exit from the lineup gives Cody Martin and Josh Okogie a chance to play expanded roles. Charlotte will also be without LaMelo Ball (wrist), leaving the team without two of its top three scorers. This will open up many additional scoring opportunities for the rest of the crew.Source: Charlotte Hornets
5 days agoCharlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (wrist) will not play against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday. He picked up a questionable tag on the initial injury report and has been ruled out of the contest ahead of tip-off. Ball's absence should allow Vasilije Micic to shine again. The former EuroLeague star has made 11 starts with Ball out this season, averaging 11.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists. Portland allows the fourth-most fantasy points to point guards, so this is also a fantastic matchup for Micic.Source: Charlotte Hornets
5 days agoPortland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons (back) is considered probable for Friday's game against the Charlotte Hornets despite being listed with back soreness. The seventh-year combo guard is in the middle of a down year compared to the last couple of seasons, but he's been healthier so far. In 40 appearances, he averaged 18.3 points, 4.9 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.0 threes per game which makes him a solid late-draft type of value across all fantasy formats. Most of the backcourt is healthy for this game, so Simons might not see as many opportunities which explains the small dip in usage rate compared to the last two seasons.Source: NBA Injury Report