Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe (groin) has been ruled out with groin soreness on Friday. After a dreadful 62-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, it looks like Sharpe will get the night off. He's had some rough shooting nights lately, which coincided with two losses by a total of 90 points. His last contest was cut short after playing 21 minutes, and that groin injury is what's bothering him in the second half of their back-to-back. Matisse Thybulle is the likely beneficiary from Sharpe's absence, but he produces a mixed bag of results whenever he gets added minutes. Kris Murray may also see some opportunities, but he wouldn't be a trustworthy streamer either.

Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton (knee) is considered doubtful again on Friday as he continues to deal with right knee tendinitis. Ayton hasn't played since December 23 and there hasn't been any word on when he'll be able to return yet. He continues to draw doubtful tags and then gets downgraded to out as expected. Duop Reath will likely continue to take over the open minutes while Jabari Walker (knee) is set to return and should see some added opportunities as well. Fantasy managers will have to stay tuned for more updates on Ayton as everyone has to wait to hear a more in-depth report on his knee.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Trey Murphy III (knee) has been upgraded from questionable to probable against the Denver Nuggets on Friday. Ever since the 23-year-old returned from an injury that kept him out at the beginning of the season, he's been an important piece of the Pelicans' bench squad. He's been fantasy-relevant in deep leagues and can even be viable in 12-team leagues depending on the format. He's averaging 13.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.7 made threes while receiving 26.0 minutes per game. The possibility of him getting more minutes in this contest against the Nuggets doesn't seem likely now that the three starters previously listed questionable are all now probable.

New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (ankle) has gone from questionable to probable on Friday along with four other key players for the team. They'll be taking on the defending champs and they're looking to stay afloat in the top six of the West. McCollum has only had to miss one game since his extended absence back in November. In that span, McCollum has averaged 19.1 points, 4.8 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 1.6 turnovers, and 3.6 made threes per game. More of the same can be expected since most of the team is healthy for this contest, so everyone should be returning to their usual roles and minutes.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (Achilles) has been listed as probable on Friday and should be taking the court to play against the Denver Nuggets. Ingram is one of four key players that was upgraded from questionable to probable. CJ McCollum (ankle), Zion Williamson (quad), and Trey Murphy III (knee) are all expected to play as well. That means key reserves Jose Alvarado, Naji Marshall, and Dyson Daniels will not be getting extra opportunities. Ingram is a must-start player whenever healthy, so managers can deploy him into lineups regardless of the league format.