Memphis 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.

Memphis 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.

Portland 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.

Portland 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.

Portland 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.

Cleveland 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.

Minnesota 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.

Portland 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 (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.

Charlotte 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.

Sacramento 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.

Charlotte 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.

Charlotte 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.

Portland 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.

Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara (illness) appeared on the injury report with an illness but the team listed him as probable for their Friday night game against the Charlotte Hornets. The 24-year-old has seen a big bump in playing time and has started in all 42 games that he's played in. So far, he's averaging 9.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 threes per game with shooting splits of .427/.337/.726. He's been a solid fantasy start in deeper category leagues, but his consistency hasn't been the best.

Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (ankle) was unable to play on Thursday with an ankle sprain, but he's now listed as probable for the second half of the back-to-back against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. The rookie big man has missed the last five games but posted some solid performances in the three games he played before that. He's played at least 22 minutes in those three games and collected at least 10 rebounds and one block in each one. Clingan serves a solid streaming option for fantasy managers in deeper category leagues.

Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III (hand) has been ruled out of Friday's game against the Charlotte Hornets with a sore hand. He seemingly has some sort of quota where he plays a few games every couple of weeks, and then reverts back to the bench. The Blazers are likely playing it on the safe side to use him as a trade piece at some point, but that frees up some more playing time for Donovan Clingan (ankle), Toumani Camara (illness), Jabari Walker, and Duop Reath. Clingan would fit the best for streaming big man stats while Camara seems to be a solid asset with or without Williams in the lineup. Clingan has posted at least 10 boards and one block in each of his last three games.

Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton (knee) will miss the second half of the team's back-to-back on Friday while he continues to deal with a left knee sprain. The 26-year-old has missed 12 games (will be 13) due to various injuries this season, so Robert Williams III, Donovan Clingan (ankle), and even Duop Reath have all seen some opportunities. Clingan is considered probable in the matchup against the Hornets, while Williams has been ruled out, which moves him into streaming territory. In his last start against the Heat, Clingan dropped eight points, 10 rebounds, one assist, two blocks, and one steal.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo (toe) luckily avoided surgery on his toe and will miss at least three weeks. According to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, the Villanova product will not need surgery and the medical staff will re-evaluate him in that three-week timeline. Unfortunately, DiVincenzo was hitting the best stride of his season right before getting hurt, and the timetable brings him to right around All-Star Weekend. In the meantime, Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker will split the available minutes. Conley would be the more consistent streaming option despite some lower averages with 8.1 points, 4.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game.

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (illness) is suffering from an illness on Friday and has been listed as questionable for their game against the New Orleans Pelicans. It's unclear how severe the illness is, so they'll likely take the time from shootaround to warm-ups and see how he's feeling to decide on his status. If he's unable to give it a go, Scottie Pippen Jr. would step up in the playmaking department while Desmond Bane and Jaylen Wells would take on some more offensive responsibilities in the starting five. Wells received the start in their last game and registered 13 points, three rebounds, and two assists while Pippen has averaged 13.9 points, 5.4 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game when he starts.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray (elbow) is considered probable to face off against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. The veteran combo guard is dealing with elbow bursitis but he's been able to play in the last 26 consecutive games including 45 minutes in their last outing against the Utah Jazz. In that game, he registered 26 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds, and three steals. Murray should continue to be a big part of the offense while they still miss two of their starting five.