Los Angeles Clippers guard Reggie Jackson (Achilles) is listed as doubtful for Friday's game against the Houston Rockets. He has been playing well heading into the postseason, so the Clippers will give him the night off here. The Clippers will rest a handful of their players here against the tanking Rockets. Luke Kennard, Rajon Rondo, and possibly Yogi Ferrell will benefit in the absence of Jackson. Rondo could be a sneaky DFS option with extended minutes on Friday.
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke (thigh) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Sacramento Kings. He has been playing really well lately, but the Grizzlies will let him rest for this game. He'll likely be back out there for an important matchup against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. In the meantime, Xavier Tillman should be worth a look as a streaming choice without Clarke available.
Denver Nuggets guard Monte Morris has been removed from the injury report ahead of Friday's game against the Detroit Pistons. He sat out of Thursday's game for rest purposes, but will return here with Aaron Gordon and Facundo Campazzo resting in this one. He should have fairly solid streaming appeal with the Nuggets deciding to give a few of their players the night off against the tanking Pistons.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and forwards Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green will be sidelined for Friday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans. None of these players are dealing with injuries, but Golden State wants to play it safe with the playoffs starting next week. This game is basically meaningless for the Warriors, so they won't risk their top players suffering an injury. Nico Mannion, Kent Bazemore and Juan Toscano-Anderson should get heavy minutes and be favorable options in DFS contests.
Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley (hamstring) has been upgraded to probable for Friday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He has missed each of the last nine games, but it sounds like Conley is finally ready to get back on the court. Fantasy managers can expect Conley to have a minutes limit upon his return. Georges Niang and Joe Ingles won't have as much streaming appeal with Conley back on the court.
Philadelphia 76ers center Dwight Howard has been suspended for one game after receiving his 16th technical foul of the season. Howard got into a heated confrontation with veteran Udonis Haslem during Thursday's game against the Miami Heat. Haslen received a double technical and an ejection, while Howard was served a one-game suspension for his 16th technical foul of the season. Mike Scott should be asked to soak up the extra playing time during Friday's game versus the Orlando Magic. Joel Embiid should be an attractive DFS option since he'll likely see more minutes as well in Howard's absence.
New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose (ankle) is expected to suit up for Saturday's game against the Charlotte Hornets. Head coach Tom Thibodeau hinted that Rose's ankle injury was minor and they gave him a rest day on Thursday. To be fair, Rose played a season-high 39 minutes during Tuesday's game, while suffering an ankle injury. Alec Burks, Reggie Bullock, and Immanuel Quickley will see less minutes and touches with Rose likely returning on Saturday.
Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon (groin) is not expected to suit up for the final two games of the regular season. He suffered a groin injury right after the All-Star break and hasn't been able to suit up since then. The team has no incentive to play Gordon at this point, while they tank for draft position. Expect guys like Jae'sean Tate and Khyri Thomas to continue getting significant playing time. Both of them have some streaming appeal in the final two games of the regular season for Houston.
Houston Rockets forward Khyri Thomas is reportedly signing a multi-year extension with the organization. He signed a 10-day deal with the team last week, but has played his way into their long term plans. Thomas is averaging 16.3 points, 5.0 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and 0.8 blocks in 30.8 minutes in four games. It's the end of the season on a tanking team, so his stats should be taken with a grain of salt. This is also an extremely small sample size for Thomas. Despite that, he should see significant minutes over the final few games, which will make him an interesting DFS option. Although, it's unlikely he gets this kind of playing time in Houston next season.
Dallas Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber (Achilles) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Toronto Raptors. He had missed four straight games before returning on Tuesday. However, it sounds like the Mavs want to cautious with their young forward here following a back-to-back set on Wednesday. Willie Cauley-Stein and Dwight Powell will be asked to soak up minutes in the absence of Kleber. Neither of them are worth a look in DFS contests.
