Payton Pritchard (sprained right knee) said he's "a little over 50 percent” in his rehab.
Pritchard was hurt on Jan. 22 but fortunately it was a Grade 1 MCL sprain, and it sounds like he could return in early- to mid-February. His defensive energy alone should ensure him a spot in the rotation, but his fantasy outlook is dim now that Kemba Walker is back in the mix for Boston's deep backcourt.
Jimmy Butler (COVID-protocol) is listed as questionable for Saturday's game vs the Kings.
Butler almost returned to action on Thursday but was held out yet again. Saturday could be the day especially with Goran Dragic (groin) already ruled out.
Tyler Herro (neck spasms) is questionable to play vs. the Kings on Saturday.
Herro missed seven straight games with his neck injury, but looked great in his return on Thursday with 19 points, 10 boards and five assists in 32 minutes. Presumably his addition to the injury report is a simple precaution, but we should know more after Miami's shootaround on Saturday.
Avery Bradley (right knee contusion) is questionable vs. the Kings on Saturday.
Bradley had just returned from an extended absence with COVID-19 when he banged his knee in Wednesday's game. The Heat have been snake-bitten with DNPs this season, but they're unlikely to play their oft-injured veteran at less than 100 percent even if they do need healthy bodies in the rotation.
Andre Iguodala (neck spasms) is questionable for Saturday's game vs. the Kings.
Iguodala sat out Thursday's game and there's no way to know if that was a mere precaution for the 37-year-old swingman, or whether it's a legit injury that could cost him more games. He's nothing more than a low-end steals specialist this season, even when he's fully healthy.
Moe Harkless (left thigh contusion) won't play vs. the Kings on Saturday.
That's four straight DNPs for Harkless. He's being ruled out a day in advance, too, which suggests KZ Okpala could earn a few more starts before Harkless if ready to return.
Rui Hachimura will start vs. the Hawks on Friday.
Hachimura hasn't played since Jan. 11 but he'll earn "good minutes," according to coach Scott Brooks. He'll likely be on a mild restriction, according to Brooks, but that shouldn't have a major impact since Hachimura is averaging a modest 27.7 minutes this season. He's safe to deploy in season-long lineups, but DFS managers may want to see him reclaim conditioning before rolling the dice.
Kevin Porter Jr. has been assigned to the NBA G League, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon.
The Rockets want to ease 20-year-old KPJ into their system which seems like the right call. They have a handful of wings already with Victor Oladipo, Jae'Sean Tate, Eric Gordon, David Nwaba and more. Porter Jr. could develop his game in the G League and get called up when the time is right.
Onyeka Okongwu (Achilles soreness) has been removed from the injury report.
The rookie has a very bright future but isn't in the rotation right now with John Collins and Clint Capela thriving alongside each other defensively. If you're rebuilding in a dynasty league, Okongwu is a player you should be after.
Paul George is no longer on the injury report due to healthy and safety protocols.
George and Kawhi Leonard were supposed to miss at least a week but are back after just two DNPs. They should see their normal workload vs. the Magic on Friday so make other arrangements if you've been streaming Luke Kennard, Reggie Jackson and Terance Mann.
Lonzo Ball (right ankle) is a game-time call vs. the Bucks on Friday.
Ball said he tweaked his ankle chasing Bradley Beal around a screen. He'll warm up tonight and then make a decision after. If Ball can't go, look for Nickeil Alexander-Walker to be a popular streamer vs. the Bucks.
Norvel Pelle (not with team) will not make his debut vs. the Thunder on Friday.
Pelle is an elite shot blocker and gives the Nets some much needed rim protection, but deep-league fantasy managers can take a wait-and-see approach here until we know what his workload will be behind DeAndre Jordan.
Pistons coach Dwane Casey had high praise for Isaiah Stewart.
“The kid is just scratching the surface of learning the nuances of the game, of the screen-and-roll game,” Casey said. “He’s got a nice touch around the free-throw line. Soon he’ll be moving out; next year this time, he’ll be moving out to the 3-point line, and that’s really going to help his game, where he is right now in his career." Casey also described Stewart as a "ball of energy" and said it wouldn't be long before he has a larger role in the offense. He's averaging 5.1 points, 5.9 boards and 1.0 blocks in 18.2 minutes over the last to weeks and is worth monitoring in deeper leagues as he gets more involved.
Deni Avdija (health and safety protocols) will not play on Friday vs. Atlanta.
The rookie has been out since Jan. 11th but should be back any day now. With the Bradley Beal trade rumors ramping up after a slow start to the season for Washington, Avdija does have some stash appeal in deeper leagues.
Nets head coach Steve Nash said he would like to reduce the workloads of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden.
Harden leads the NBA with 38.5 minutes per game, Durant is third with 36.8 and Kyrie is at 35.7. “Long term, I don’t like it. I would err on the side of saying it’s not sustainable,” Nash said. “But at the same time, we are where we are right now with a little bit of a depth or a second-unit synchronicity [issue]. We’re kind of caught in between. But that’s a problem that we are trying to solve and thinking of different ways to solve it.”
James Wiseman came off the bench and played just 19 minutes on Thursday and hit 2-of-9 shots for five points, six rebounds, one assist, one steal and one 3-pointer in an ugly 114-93 loss to the Suns.
The Warriors shot just 38 percent in the game and hit 11-of-38 3-pointers (29 percent), helping the Suns snap a three-game losing streak. The Warriors haven't had a three-game winning streak this season, own a 10-9 record and are currently on the outside looking in for the playoffs. Wiseman is supposedly heading back into the starting lineup at some point so we'd recommend holding onto him if you can. He's still going to be one of the top rookies this season and could really take off once he gets back in the starting five. This game was a disaster on both ends of the floor and Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins and Eric Paschall were the only Warriors to show up.
Jae Crowder made another start on Thursday and hit 4-of-8 shots and two 3-pointers for 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists and a steal in a 114-93 blowout win over the Warriors.
Crowder has been starting with Devin Booker (hamstring) and Dario Saric (COVID-protocol) out and while we don't know how long it will last, he's averaging 18 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 4.0 3-pointers over his last three games. His run could come to a halt at any time, but Crowder looks like a decent flier right now and is available in 59 percent of Yahoo! leagues.
Mikal Bridges, who hit 3-of-13 shots for seven points on Wednesday, bounced back on Thursday with 20 points, one rebound, five assists, two steals, a block and a 3-pointer on 6-of-10 shooting in 32 minutes.
Bridges had been quiet over his last couple games but returned to form tonight against the defenseless Warriors. And with Devin Booker (hamstring) and Dario Saric (COVID-protocol) out, he should continue to flourish for the Suns.
Frank Kaminsky came off the bench to hit 4-of-9 shots, a 3-pointer and 3-of-4 free throws for 12 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists and a steal in 25 minutes of Thursday's blowout win over the Warriors.
The points, boards and assists were all season highs and he was helped by the absence of Dario Saric (COVID-protocol), as well as the lopsided score. He made some incredible shots and easily played his best game of the season, but hadn't scored more than eight points in his previous eight games and didn't have more than five rebounds in any of those games. In short, we need to see him do it again before getting anywhere near excited about Kaminsky's fantasy potential. And Saric is due back on Saturday, which won't help Frank the Tank's cause.
Abdel Nader came off the bench and hit 6-of-15 shots and two 3-pointers for a season-high 16 points, five rebounds and three assists in 25 minutes of Thursday's easy win over the Warriors to help the Suns snap a three-game losing streak.
Nader had 12 points, three boards, a steal, a block and two 3-pointers in just 19 minutes on Wednesday and played a quiet 30 minutes in his previous game. He's getting extra run with Devin Booker (hamstring) out but part of tonight's success was due to the lopsided score. He might be worth a DFS flier as long as Booker is out, but you'd have to be in a pretty deep season-long league to pick him up right now.