NBA Player News

While Flagg recorded a complete stat line in Portland, he struggled to provide consistent scoring. There were brief periods when he showed why he currently leads all rookies in scoring, but Flagg could not get untracked. And the shooting struggles may have led him to attempt only three shots in the fourth quarter, all misses. With Anthony Davis out due to a groin injury, there’s room for Flagg to be more assertive offensively, and the Mavericks need him to be. He’ll look to bounce back when the Mavericks host Philadelphia on Thursday.

While Grant did travel with the team for Friday’s game, he is not ready to return to game action. Kris Murray has been the replacement in the starting lineup and will retain that role until Grant is cleared to play. He is worth streaming in deep leagues.

Diabaté sprained his right wrist during Wednesday’s loss to the Warriors but returned after getting taped up. With Ryan Kalkbrenner and Mason Plumlee out, the latter for six weeks, the Hornets will be in a tough spot if Diabaté can’t play. PJ Hall and Tidjane Salaün have played rotation minutes recently, and that would remain the case on Friday.

Kalkbrenner will miss a sixth straight game as he continues to recover from a sprained left elbow. With Moussa Diabaté (wrist) listed as questionable, the Hornets may have to lean heavily on PJ Hall and Tidjane Salaün on Friday.

Bridges was held out of Wednesday’s loss to the Warriors, with Collin Sexton playing 27 minutes as his replacement in the starting lineup. Look for Sexton to head to the bench if Bridges plays, and it appears more likely than not that he will.

With Valančiūnas saying in the aftermath of Wednesday’s win over the Raptors that he felt a “pop” in his right calf, he may be looking at an extended absence. Nikola Jokić (knee) will be re-evaluated in four weeks, while Aaron Gordon (hamstring) is not ready to return from his injury. That leaves DaRon Holmes and Zeke Nnaji, with the former playing 22 minutes off the bench in Toronto while the latter was a DNP-CD.

The Nets are down three starters for their first game of 2026, with Egor Dëmin, Terance Mann and Michael Porter Jr. out due to injury. Powell, Williams and Wolf move into the starting lineup, with the latter offering the highest streaming ceiling of the three.

Despite originally being questionable for Thursday’s game, Sengun will begin the new year in the Rockets’ lineup. His return from a two-game absence will move Steven Adams back to the bench. Sengun is averaging 22.7/9.4/6.8 splits this season and has been one of the better centers from a fantasy basketball perspective. He’ll join Kevin Durant, Tari Eason, Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. in the starting lineup.

Queen, who moved into the Pelicans’ starting lineup in mid-November and has not left, has been diagnosed with a left quad contusion. If he’s able to play on Friday, there will be more minutes available to Yves Missi and Kevon Looney.

Jones has missed the Pelicans’ last five games with a sprained ankle. Saddiq Bey is the player whose value may take the most significant hit if Jones can play. Bey remained in the starting lineup after Zion Williamson’s return, but he may be pushed to the bench if Jones is cleared.

Bey, a fixture in the Pelicans’ starting lineup since late November, is dealing with a sore right hip. Bryce McGowens, who has been inactive for the last two games, could be activated if Bey doesn’t play. He would not be a must-stream player in that spot.