Alex

Caruso

Caruso will return from a four-game absence, where he will play a role off the bench on the wing. In a game with extra stakes due to the NBA Cup, Caruso could end up seeing a bump in minutes. However, with how deep OKC is, he has been difficult to rely on for fantasy production this season.

Caruso will miss a fourth straight game with a right quad contusion. His absence leaves additional minutes for Aaron Wiggins, who is worth picking up in deep leagues due to the Thunder also missing other rotation players.

Friday’s game will be the third that Caruso has missed since suffering a right quad contusion. While his absence does not affect the starting lineup, it does free up additional minutes for multiple wings, including Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins.

This will be a second straight absence for Caruso, and with Luguentz Dort sidelined as well, Isaiah Joe, Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins and Ajay Mitchell will all see a bump in minutes. Mitchell led that group of four in minutes with 29 on Sunday.

With Caruso out, Isaiah Joe and Cason Wallace could see an uptick in playing time. Aaron Wiggins is making his return following a lengthy absence, and he could see some additional run as well.

Caruso’s fantasy production hasn’t replicated how effective he is on the floor, but his second-highest minutes total of the year (24) allowed him to have a decent night in this one. He still didn’t do much scoring, but he was able to contribute decent value in other categories. Still, his role has been too inconsistent for him to be worth rostering in most formats.

Wiggins has missed Oklahoma City’s last seven games, freeing up additional minutes for the other reserves. Ajay Mitchell, Isaiah Joe and Alex Caruso have benefited the most, especially with Jalen Williams also out due to injury.

Caruso exited Saturday’s matchup with the Hornets early with the hand injury, but it won’t cost him any time. Expect him to handle a similar workload.

Caruso exited Saturday’s win over the Hornets with a sore right hand and did not return. As a result, Ajay Mitchell played 31 minutes off the bench and could be in for a similar workload if Caruso cannot play against the Pelicans.

Caruso was only able to play about two minutes before injuring his hand, which ended his night early. Ajay Mitchell and Isaiah Joe should take on extra minutes in this game with Caruso unavailable off the bench.