Injury Report

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Boston Celtics @ Charlotte Hornets

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET

DraftKings Lines

BOS -10.5 (-520), CHA +10.5 (+390)
Game Total 232

Key Storylines

Maintenance Plan?: Only 25 minutes for Jrue Holiday on Wednesday in a game that included overtime. Holiday is averaging just below 30 minutes per game on the season, and while it is important to remember that it’s still very early, it would not be surprising to see the Celtics continue to monitor Holiday’s minutes throughout the campaign. There is no need for the team to push heavy minutes into their veterans such as Holiday and Horford. Make sure to keep an eye on what the Celtics decide to do with Jrue in their upcoming back-to-back to get a better idea of what to expect as the season continues. Payton Pritchard has been playing really well to start the year and is worth picking up in standard formats at the moment, and would get a boost whenever Holiday is unavailable.

Looking Fresh: The Hornets are looking like a completely different team under new head coach Charles Lee. They are playing at a much higher pace than in previous seasons. This is great news for fantasy managers with Hornets’ players on their rosters, as they can expect a lot of high-scoring affairs throughout the year involving the Hornets.

Stream of the Game

Payton Pritchard is the player to grab in all formats especially considering the fact that Friday’s game is the first leg of a back-to-back for the Celtics.

Alternatives: Grant Williams, Sam Hauser (deeper formats only).

Orlando Magic @ Cleveland Cavaliers

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET

DraftKings Lines

ORL +8 (+270),  CLE -8 (-340)
Game Total 217

Key Storylines

Banged Up: Paolo Banchero has been diagnosed with a torn right oblique and will be re-evaluated in four-to-six weeks. A tough blow for the Magic and for fantasy managers with Banchero on their rosters, especially after his hot start to the year. Franz Wagner has also appeared on the injury report for Friday’s contest and has been cleared from his questionable tag, though he has looked poor playing through the illness this week. This will open up a ton of usage on the Magic,  which will likely be split among multiple players on the team. Jalen Suggs is the first name that comes to mind, with Anthony Black next in line. We might even get to see Cole Anthony out there to provide an offensive spark. It will also be interesting to see what Jonathan Isaac’s role would look like should the Magic be down multiple starters.

Ballin’: Jarrett Allen is currently ranked inside the top-10 in per game value in 9-cat formats, anchored by his ridiculously strong FG%: Allen is shooting a whopping 79% from the field on 8.6 attempts per game. There were some concerns surrounding Allen heading into the season, but it seems that head coach Kenny Atkinson has found the right formula for playing the two bigs together in Allen and Evan Mobley, putting to bed the concerns regarding Allen’s minutes.

Stream of the Game

Anthony Black will provide assists and has now recorded at least one block over his last four games and could be looking at more usage without Banchero moving forward, making him an intriguing add past Friday in deeper formats.

Alternatives: Caris LeVert, Dean Wade.

New York Knicks @ Detroit Pistons

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET

DraftKings Lines

NYK -6.5 (-278), DET +6.5 (+225)
Game Total 218.5

Key Storylines

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