Zeke

Nnaji

Jones will miss a fifth consecutive game as he continues to recover from a strained right hamstring. Given the number of names on the Nuggets’ injury report, Zeke Nnaji may find himself playing rotation minutes on Friday.

Nnaji will be back following a two-game absence. However, with the rest of the rotation healthy, he will only play a small role, if he sees the floor at all.

Nnaji has missed the Nuggets’ last two games with a sprained left hip. While his return would give the Nuggets another option in the frontcourt, Nnaji has not been a consistent member of the rotation when healthy.

Nnaji’s continued absence does not affect fantasy basketball, as he is not guaranteed to be in the Nuggets’ rotation when healthy.

Nnaji exited early on Sunday after taking on extra minutes with Aaron Gordon (calf) sidelined, and that hip injury will keep him out against Utah. Gordon is back, so Nnaji likely wouldn’t have seen the floor if he was available.

Nnaji, who picked up a few additional minutes due to Aaron Gordon (calf) being out, played just eight minutes in Sunday’s victory. A hip impingement led to Nnaji being shut down for the rest of the night. The Nuggets play two games in Week 23, with the first scheduled for Wednesday. Nnaji’s absence is unlikely to affect fantasy basketball, especially if Gordon is available.

At long last, the Nuggets will have their preferred starting five on the court. Johnson (ankle) and Gordon (hamstring) are back from injury and will start, but both are under minutes restrictions. Julian Strawther and Zeke Nnaji have returned to the bench after starting Thursday’s win over the Lakers.

Sidelined since January 23 with a strained right hamstring, Gordon is officially available to return on Friday. His minutes will be limited at the start, so fantasy managers are unlikely to receive full value when slotting him into lineups. If Gordon starts on Friday, he’ll push Zeke Nnaji to the bench.

With Cameron Johnson (ankle) sidelined for a second straight game, it was Nnaji that got the starting nod after Jonas Valanciunas did in Johnson’s first absence. However, he didn’t contribute much in the box score during his 24 minutes on the floor. This was the first leg of a back-to-back, so Johnson could return to take on the Knicks on Friday. Whether he does or not, Nnaji won’t be worth streaming despite the role increase.

The Nuggets are once again without Cameron Johnson, but they’re going a bit younger to fill the void this time around. Nnaji moves into the starting lineup, replacing Jonas Valančiūnas. Denver’s other four starters are unchanged.