Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (back) is still out for Friday's matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Williams continues to sit out as part of his lengthy recovery from a lower back injury, having not been spotted on the floor since Dec. 8. It's been a frustratingly long layoff for fantasy managers, and even though Williams should be deemed doubtful at best to return on Sunday when the 10-36 Hornets host the Indiana Pacers, we would recommend continuing to hang onto the second-year big man in all fantasy leagues for his upside to rack up blocks and rebounds when healthy. Nick Richards will remain Charlotte's starting center and a solid fantasy option in the meantime, and across his latest five games, he's averaging a strong 15.2 points on 75.0% shooting from the floor, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks.

Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward (calf) remains out for Friday's contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder. A strained left calf has kept Hayward off the court since late December, and while his next chance to suit up will come on Sunday versus the visiting Indiana Pacers, he remains without a timetable for a return and should be considered out indefinitely until further notice. 2023 No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller is helping fill Hayward's void by playing top-75 fantasy ball in nine-category leagues over his last eight games, averaging 20.5 points on 48.8% shooting from the field, 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.6 threes since Jan. 19. Though Friday's tilt against the Thunder carries significant blowout risk, Miller should be rostered and started in most season-long leagues while Hayward remains on the shelf.

Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (illness) is available for Friday's tilt versus the Miami Heat. A non-COVID illness made Poole a very late scratch ahead of Wednesday's defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers, but the Wizards have cleared him to play on Friday. The 24-year-old combo guard has only been a borderline fantasy play in nine-category leagues all year long during his first season in D.C., putting up 16.5 points on 41.1% shooting from the field, 3.4 assists, 2.0 threes, and 1.0 steals per game, but it's not a bad matchup against a Heat squad that's struggled to defend opposing guards in 2023-24. Rookie Bilal Coulibaly filled up the box score on Wednesday but will almost certainly revert to Washington's bench on Friday with Poole back in the mix.

Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (nose) is listed as available for Friday's game against the Atlanta Hawks. Beal will continue to play through a nasal fracture and likely don a mask, but it could be compounding on his struggles during his first year in Phoenix. Over his past four outings, the 30-year-old former All-Star is averaging just 13.0 points on 36.4% field-goal shooting, 5.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.0 three-pointers for the Suns and sits outside the top 150 in nine-category fantasy leagues overall. In a favorable matchup against a Hawks team that allowed Luka Doncic to go off for 73 points last Friday, Beal should be started in all season-long settings despite the slump and carries some contrarian DFS appeal.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (groin) has been tagged as questionable for their Friday night contest against the San Antonio Spurs. If he, Larry Nance Jr. (ankle), and Zion Williamson (foot) all end up getting ruled out, the front court could be very thin. As of right now, all three are questionable, so the streaming options for this game are murky, at best, until we get an update before tipoff. Jones wasn't able to play in their last game on Wednesday, so his status seems to truly be up in the air. If he's unable to suit up while Williamson and Nance can't play as well, Trey Murphy III and Dyson Daniels should both be quality streaming options.