Six games in the NBA on Friday, led off by the Pacers hosting the Timberwolves. Jeff Teague continues to struggle with injuries and could miss another game. Tyus Jones has moved into the starting lineup and played well, contributing both assists and steals with regularity. There are constant calls for Jones to have a larger role for the Timberwolves and even once Teague returns, the coaching staff may elect to take it easy on the veteran. Jones is one of a number of players who could be considered on what is a low volume day. Adam King covers the fringe players as well as the injuries to consider when setting your lineups.
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Fantasy Basketball Daily Forecaster
Key Injuries
- Robert Covington – Timberwolves (ankle – out)
- Jeff Teague – Timberwolves (knee – questionable)
- Domantas Sabonis – Pacers (ankle – out)
- Tyreke Evans – Pacers (illness – questionable)
- DeMarcus Cousins – Warriors (rest – available)
- Tristan Thompson – Cavaliers (knee – out)
- DeAndre Jordan – Knicks (ankle – out)
- Mario Hezonja – Knicks (leg – out)
- Hassan Whiteside – Heat (hip – questionable)
- James Johnson – Heat (shoulder – questionable)
- Kenneth Faried – Rockets (hip – questionable)
- Joel Embiid – 76ers (knee – out)
- Boban Marjanovic – 76ers (knee – out)
- Ricky Rubio – Jazz (hamstring – questionable)
- Trey Lyles – Nuggets (hamstring – out)
Potential Pickups
- Tyus Jones – Timberwolves
Potential Streamers
- Josh Okogie – Timberwolves (steals)
- Wesley Matthews – Pacers (three-pointers)
- Kyle O’Quinn – Pacers (Sabonis injury)
- Ante Zizic – Cavaliers (rebounds)
- Allonzo Trier – Knicks (points)
- Damyean Dotson – Knicks (points, three-pointers)
- Dion Waiters – Heat (points, three-pointers)
- Gerald Green – Rockets (three-pointers)
- Jonah Bolden – 76ers (Embiid injury)
- Nerlens Noel – Thunder (blocks)
- Raul Neto – Jazz (Rubio injury)
- Malik Beasley – Nuggets (points, three-pointers)
Matchups for Thursday, Feb. 28
Timberwolves @ Pacers
Jeff Teague continues to battle injury and is questionable heading into Thursday’s game. In his absence, Tyus Jones has put together a few solid performances. Over his last three games, he has recorded 28 assists and nine steals, both of which are hard categories to find on the waiver wire. It would make sense for the Timberwolves to be extra cautious with Teague, giving hope that Jones can carve out a solid role moving forward.
The Pacers are coming off a tough loss to Dallas on Wednesday, needing to win as many games as they can from here out. Domantas Sabonis is out Thursday which will mean Kyle O’Quinn remains in the rotation. O’Quinn was less than impactful Wednesday but could have a more sizeable role against the size of the Timberwolves.
Warriors @ Magic
The Warriors suffered a final second loss to the Heat on Wednesday but will get DeMarcus Cousins back Thursday after he sat out due to rest. The Magic have been playing well of late and while the Warriors should bounce back, it is certainly a danger game with the Magic having nothing to lose.
The Magic themselves need to keep winning to stay in the playoff hunt. The fantasy value is basically predictable from game to game, much like the Warriors. Terrance Ross had his worst game in some time only two days ago and will look to bounce back in what could be a fast-paced game.
Cavaliers @ Knicks
Kevin Love continues to work his way back from injury and has seen his playing time increase in each of his five games since making his return. He was up to 28 minutes against the Trail Blazers and is a chance to crack the 30 minutes mark in this one.
DeAndre Jordan remains out Thursday, opening up more playing time for Mitchell Robinson. The rookie has been a beast over the past two games, collecting back-to-back double-doubles, while adding a combined 11 blocks. As soon as the playing time becomes a regular thing, his ceiling could reach scary heights. As of right now, he should be rostered in all formats, no matter your team build.
Heat @ Rockets
Hassan Whiteside missed Wednesday’s game due to a hip injury and should be considered questionable heading into Thursday. If Whiteside does indeed miss the game, Bam Adebayo would remain in the starting lineup. Adebayo had 11 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday’s game and should be picked up if he is available in your league.
Kenneth Faried suffered a hip injury in Wednesday’ victory over the Hornets and his status for Thursday remains unclear. His absence Wednesday meant Clint Capela was forced into a bigger role and excelled in just his fourth game back from injury. The blocks still aren’t quite there for Capela but should return sooner rather than later.
76ers @ Thunder
Both Joel Embiid and Boban Marjanovic are going to miss Thursday’s game, meaning Jonah Bolden could be in for a decent game. He has an interesting skill set with the ability to contribute in both steals and blocks as well as three-pointers. His floor spacing could actually help the 76ers and he is certainly worth a speculative pickup in many competitive formats.
Markieff Morris continues to slowly integrate himself into the Thunder’s offense, playing just 14 minutes in his last outing. Morris can have a somewhat fantasy friendly game but is unlikely to see enough court time to have value outside of deep leagues.
Jazz @ Nuggets
Ricky Rubio left Wednesday’s game with a hamstring injury and did not return. He is questionable heading into Thursday but given his injury history, the Jazz may exercise caution. If he is ruled out, Raul Neto could be a sneaky pickup if you need assists.
Gary Harris’ playing time continues to slowly increase, impacting the value of players such as Malik Beasley and Monte Morris. Harris is yet to find any rhythm on either end of the floor but it would appear his role is going to increase nonetheless. Beasley could still have backend value for another game or two but is not really worth holding in standard formats.
Got a question about today’s fantasy basketball fringe report? Hit Adam up on twitter @adamking91 or give a shout out to @Fantrax
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