Gorgui Dieng came off the bench for 14 points, eight boards, one assist and two blocks in 22 minutes on Friday, making 5-of-9 shots including a pair of 3-pointers.
Dieng was coming off a 17-point game vs. the Celtics on Wednesday, and he continues to give Memphis solid minutes at center behind Jonas Valanciunas. The veteran is quietly averaging 8.5 points, 3.5 boards, 1.3 triples, 0.8 steals and 0.8 blocks, but he's not viable in most fantasy settings with his minutes typically hovering in the teens.
Will Barton will start Friday's game in place of Michael Porter Jr. (contact tracing).
Barton is joined by Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Paul Millsap and Nikola Jokic. There are more minutes available for both Barton and Millsap, of course, while JaMychal Green will also pick up some minutes in his season debut off the bench. Porter Jr. is day-to-day as he goes through the league's contact tracing protocols.
Derrick Favors (right knee soreness) is available for Friday's game vs. the Clippers.
So we guess the Jazz are just going to keep listing him as probable. Favors is averaging under 15 minutes per game and is not worth rostering in standard leagues.
Eric Paschall (right knee soreness) is available vs. Portland on Friday.
The bad news is that Draymond Green is also available for the first time this season, throwing another roadblock between Paschall and fantasy relevance.
JaMychal Green (left calf) is available for Friday vs. the Suns.
This will be his season debut and it's unclear if he'll have restrictions. Michael Porter Jr. is out due to contact tracing, so Green's debut is good timing. We still don't view him as anything other than a deep-league fantasy option, and we expect Will Barton and Paul Millsap to benefit the most from MPJ's absence.
Jimmy Butler (anke) will play on Friday against the Mavs after missing the last couple games.
Butler was initially listed as probable for Friday's game but will be suiting up for the Heat who are coming off a win over the Bucks on Wednesday. Get him in your lineups if he isn't already.
LeBron James (ankle) will play vs. the Spurs on Friday, as expected.
LBJ keeps playing through his ankle ailment, so deploy him as usual tonight.
Brandon Clarke will start Friday's game vs. the Hornets.
Clarke shot just 4-of-13 from the field on Wednesday, but he's picking up momentum after a slow start this season. Grayson Allen is out tonight with an ankle injury and we've yet to see Memphis at full strength, but it's still encouraging that Clarke would get the start next to Jonas Valanciunas and Kyle Anderson. Fire him up everywhere you roster him.
Saddiq Bey is in the starting lineup against the Celtics on Friday night in place of Blake Griffin (concussion).
Bey will make his second career start for the Pistons, something that we'll see often as Griffin will likely be held out of back-to-backs all season.
Grayson Allen (left ankle sprain) has been ruled out vs. Charlotte on Friday.
Allen has four starts under his belt early in the 2020-21 season, but he's failed to capitalize with averages of 4.8 points on 21.1% shooting, 2.8 boards, 2.5 assists and 0.8 threes. He's likely to get bumped from the starting unit whenever Justise Winslow (left hip) returns, though Winslow's timetable remains shrouded in uncertainty. Desmond Bane is also a threat to Allen's starting job, and assuredly there are better fantasy options on your waiver wire.
Chandler Hutchison recently tested positive for COVID-19, according to Bulls coach Billy Donovan.
Hutchison tested positive while the Bulls were in D.C. to play the Wizards on Tuesday. Due to the league's health and safety protocols, they've already ruled out Tomas Satoransky, Ryan Arcidiacono and Lauri Markkanen for Friday's game, so it'll be all hands on deck for Chicago.
Nassir Little won't play against the Warriors on Friday due to health and safety protocols.
“For me, I was on the worst part of the spectrum, the hard end of the disease,” Little said. “I didn’t have to go to the hospital or be on a ventilator, but I went through it bad. It hit me really bad. For about seven to 10 days, I was just really miserable.” Little registered his first negative test on Dec. 22 after battling covid for a couple weeks. And while he's out Friday night, his return is near. Derrick Jones Jr., Carmelo Anthony and Rodney Hood should be in line for minutes against the Dubs.
Dario Saric (right quad) has been ruled out vs the Nuggets on Friday night.
Saric (quad) is dealing with soreness so the Suns are likely playing it safe here. He played Tuesday against the Pelicans and had a decent regular season debut with 10 points and four boards. Jae Crowder and Cameron Johnson should benefit from Saric's absence as both have been playing well as of late.
LaMarcus Aldridge (left knee soreness) will not play against the Lakers on Friday night, per Paul Garcia of Project Spurs.
Aldridge will miss his second straight game as he deals with left knee soreness, and Gregg Popovich says the team is taking the injury day-to-day for now. Jakob Poeltl will likely start again, though he finished with just eight points and seven rebounds on Wednesday and doesn't add much fantasy intrigue unless you're in deeper leagues.
Josh Okogie (left hamstring strain) has been ruled out vs the Wizards on Friday night.
Okogie will miss his third straight game as he continues to heal a left hamstring strain. Jarrett Culver will likely getting the starting nod again, but he failed to score on Tuesday against the Clippers, so proceed with caution. If Anthony Edwards is still available in your league, grab him ASAP because he could provide a spark to a Timberwolves team dealing with multiple injuries.
Jimmy Butler (right ankle) is warming up with the intention of playing on Friday.
Butler was already listed as probable for this game, so barring a late setback he should be in the lineup vs. Dallas. If you're deploying him in DFS or a roto league with games-played limits, it can't hurt to confirm his status prior to tip-off.
Maxi Kleber (right ankle sprain) is available to play vs. Miami on Friday.
Kleber progressed from questionable to probable to available in the course of one day, and nothing suggests he'll be limited tonight. He's averaging a modest 21.2 minutes per game, though, and is barely helping managers in 9-cat leagues and deep points leagues.
Isaac Okoro (sprained left foot) is listed 'out' for Saturday's game vs. the Hawks.
The Cavs are once again without Kevin Love (calf), Matthew Dellavedova (concussion), Kevin Porter Jr. (personal) and Dylan Windler (hand). That leaves the starting backcourt with a massive workload, as usual, while also shifting Cedi Osman and Larry Nance into more prominent roles. Okoro keeps being ruled out a day in advance, so it doesn't sound like he's on the verge of playing.
Derrick Favors (right knee soreness) is listed as probable to play on Friday night against the Clippers.
Friday's game is the end of a back-to-back for the Jazz, so it wouldn't be surprising if Favors is held out or plays less than he did Thursday. He logged 14 minutes vs the Suns, finishing with 10 points, five rebounds, an assist and a block.
Kevin Porter Jr. remains out indefinitely for personal reasons.
The Cavs haven't provided detail, so all we know is that KPJ missed the beginning of training camp, sat out preseason and hasn't been on the active roster this regular season. If we do hear that he's nearing a return, though, he'll be worth considering as a pickup. Until then, focus your waiver-wire energy elsewhere. We'll stop updating him until something changes.