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.

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (back) has picked up a questionable tag for Friday's matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers. In their last game on Wednesday, Bridges clocked 34 minutes on the court and posted 17 points, six assists, five rebounds, and one steal. If he's unable to suit up for this one, Cody Martin (probable - groin) should see some extra time, and new addition Josh Okogie could see some big opportunities. Okogie could even turn into a long-term option for a lot of leagues since he'll likely see more minutes than recent seasons with the Phoenix Suns.

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (wrist) popped up on the injury report as questionable for Friday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers. He's dealing with a right wrist sprain at the moment and could come down to a game-time decision. Through 40 games, the Hornets are just 11-29, so they could opt to go the cautious route given Ball's injury history so far. If he doesn't suit up, Nick Smith Jr. and Vasilije Micic are both solid streaming options. The former has averaged 11.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.4 threes per contest over the last seven games when he started to receive regular playing time.

Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond (toe) started in the 35-point loss to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday and will head right back to the sidelines on Friday. The Sixers listed him with toe injury management which is what kept him out for a stretch of six games before playing two of the last three. With Joel Embiid (knee) remaining sidelined as well, Guerschon Yabusele remains the best streaming option as he's averaged 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.6 threes per game. Adem Bona would only be an option in very deep leagues.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Caris LeVert (wrist) remains on the injury report and is considered questionable due to a right wrist sprain. He's missed the team's last two games as they move into a back-to-back starting Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers. If there were a time to be cautious, it would be against the Sixers so he could play against the Rockets on Saturday. So, if he does have to miss one more game, Ty Jerome would be the best streaming option after dropping 18 points, four rebounds, and three steals in their last game against the Rockets.