Last Updated on January 17, 2025 1:21 pm by Keston Paul | Published: January 17, 2025

Injury Report

To stay up-to-date on all of the injury news with up-to-the-minute updates, make sure to check out our LIVE Injury Report!

Orlando Magic @ Boston Celtics

Game Time: 07:00 pm ET

DraftKings Lines

ORL +14.5 (+700), BOS -14.5 (-1100)
Game Total: 213

Key Storylines

WCJ: Wendell Carter Jr.’s fantasy value has fluctuated quite a bit this season due to the number of injuries the Magic have had to face to players such as Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Mo Wagner. Now with Gaga Bitadze out with a concussion, Carter is back in the starting lineup and can be rostered in standard formats at least until Bitadze is back. Jonathan Isaac is another name to keep a close eye on while Bitadze is out, but is likely better suited for deeper formats only.

Mid-Season Slump: The Celtics are not playing their best basketball at the moment. Their performance vs. the Raptors on Wednesday was sub-standard to say the least. Derrick White continues to be in a shooting slump. Jaylen Brown is the 171st-ranked player in per-game value in 9-cat formats over the last two weeks, while Jayson Tatum ranks 71st. Fantasy managers will need to weather the storm, with the positive being that with the Celtics losing games, it will reduce the risk of them sitting players down the stretch of the season as the team will be in a close battle for seeding.

Stream of the Game

The previously mentioned Wendell Carter Jr. is the priority for this game should he be available.

Alternatives: Jonathan Isaac, Sam Hauser. Anthony Black and Tristan da Silva (deeper formats).

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Minnesota Timberwolves @ New York Knicks

Game Time:  7:30 pm ET

DraftKings Lines

MIN +5 (+160), NY -5 (-192)
Game Total: 218

Key Storylines

Father Time Is Undefeated: Mike Conley’s relegation to the second unit has nullified his fantasy value. Conley might deliver a strong game with triples and assists once every other game, but his minutes are trending down and we are seeing the Wolves move away from him more and more. Head coach Chris Finch runs a very tight rotation, but unless we see Conley play 25-plus minutes on a consistent basis, he really should only be streamed in as a desperation assists streamer late in the week in H2H leagues.

However, Donte DiVincenzo is out on Friday, so Conley could very well get that chance to start again, at least for this one.

Town’s Status: Karl-Anthony Towns is currently dealing with a hand injury. The good news is that Towns will not require surgery, although the swelling on his hand will need to be monitored. The Knicks have decided to start Jericho Sims whenever Towns is unavailable, and should Towns be out on Friday, Sims will be the likely starter again with Precious Achiuwa getting most of the minutes at the five coming off the bench.

Stream of the Game

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Gabriel Pérez-Grill

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