Jimmy Butler, Chris Paul, Jalen Suggs headline NBA injury report for Friday, Jan. 14

There are nine games on the slate for Friday, January 14 in the NBA as we head into Wild Card weekend in the NFL. There seem to be fewer players in health and safety protocols, which has made the injury report a bit easier to digest. There are still a handful of names we’ll be monitoring, including Jimmy Butler and Clint Capela among others. Let’s take a look at the injury report for Friday night.

NBA Injury Report: January 14

Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Hornets

Mo Bamba (toe) OUT
Wendell Carter Jr. (hamstring) OUT
Jalen Suggs (thumb) Will have minutes limit off the bench

Update - Bamba has been ruled out, so look for Mo Wagner and Robin Lopez as replacement bigs in DFS contests.

Suggs returning to the lineup is big news for the Magic, although he’s going to be on a minutes limit off the bench. That likely rules him out as a fantasy and DFS candidate for Friday’s game.

Kelly Oubre Jr. (protocols) OUT

Toronto Raptors vs. Detroit Pistons

Scottie Barnes (knee) Available
Gary Trent Jr. (ankle) OUT

Update - Barnes is starting for the Raptors, so he’s a solid DFS option as mentioned below.

Update - Trent Jr. has been ruled out, so look for VanVleet and Anunoby to be good plays. Barnes is a game-time decision, and Siakam’s DFS ceiling rests highly on Barnes’ final outcome.

Barnes ($6,400) is an interesting tournament option if he’s able to play without restriction. OG Anunoby ($6,500) is also in that conversation. Fred VanVleet ($10,000) and Pascal Siakam ($9,500) are super pricey and this game could be over early. Barnes and OG should play a decent amount of minutes regardless and wouldn’t need to do as much to get us there.

Phoenix Suns vs. Indiana Pacers

Chris Paul (protocols) Available
Cam Johnson (ankle) OUT

Update — Johnson has been ruled out, so that gives us a little bit of value on the PHX side. Jae Crowder ($4,900) becomes a viable option under $5K. He’s coming off 19 points and 35.25 DKFP in his last outing. Expect him to see around 30 minutes in a close game.

Update — Paul is good to go, so Payne doesn’t remain a huge value play. Look for Mikal Bridges to be a bigger factor if Johnson is sidelined.

The big news will be CP3. If he’s cleared of protocols and is able to play (which seems to be the case), then we can get off of Cam Payne ($4,400). If Paul is out, Payne is a top value and Devin Booker ($8,800) becomes a better GPP play.

Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles) OUT
Chris Duarte (personal) TBD
Jeremy Lamb (knee) OUT

Update — So Brogdon won’t be back in the lineup tonight. CP3 is available, so that bodes well for the Suns being more heavily favored. LeVert remains an OK GPP option along with Domantas Sabonis, who is up over $10K. This game shouldn’t have heavy exposure to lineups given the schedule.

If Brogdon is back, we can fire on him at $7,400. That’s very cheap. If he isn’t on a minutes limit, that is. Caris LeVert ($8,300) is interesting even if Brogdon is back. Lineups will get off of him as a result. The Suns are also an easier matchup if CP3 and Cam Johnson sit. So that will help determine if the Pacers core plays are viable.

Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Marcus Smart (thigh) OUT

Shake Milton (back) OUT

Golden State Warriors vs. Chicago Bulls

Klay Thompson (injury management) OUT
Draymond Green (calf) OUT

Andrew Wiggins ($6,200) and Jordan Poole ($5,000) are two players that should interest you against the Bulls. Chicago should be more keyed in on defense. Thompson is out, though. Wiggins and Poole should get more looks and the spread is only 4 points. This also isn’t a terrible spot for Steph ($10,600). He dropped 40 points on the Bulls earlier in the season. Otto Porter ($4,700) would be my favorite value in this group, strictly based on revenge narrative.

Alex Caruso (protocols) OUT
Derrick Jones Jr. (knee) OUT

Caruso is expected to miss at least three more games, so he’s going to be out for Friday’s contest against the Warriors.

Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat

Clint Capela (ankle) OUT
Kevin Huerter (foot) Available
Jalen Johnson (ankle) OUT

Update - It looks like Capela is out, as he’s not in the starting lineup alongside Collins.

Update - Huerter is in, while Johnson has been ruled out. There’s still no word on Capela.

Update - Johnson, who was the natural to step into Reddish’s role, is questionable with an ankle injury. Kevin Knox has been ruled out. Hunter remains a great play in DFS, with Bogdan Bogdanovic ($5,300) being another strong option.

We should be watching the Hawks’ injury report closely. The two players listed above being out would be huge for value. De’Andre Hunter ($3,400) is the player I’m eyeing the most. He’s stupid cheap after returning to the lineup last game. He scored 15 points in 24 minutes. If Huerter is sidelined, Hunter should play around 30 minutes. If Cap is out, John Collins ($7,000) isn’t a bad tourney option.

Jimmy Butler (ankle) Available
Markieff Morris (protocols) OUT
KZ Okpala (wrist) OUT

Butler is on track to play Friday, so this impacts Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and Kyle Lowry for DFS purposes. Look for Butler’s workload to be managed a bit as the forward has dealt with his fair share of injuries this season. He’s probably best left out of DFS lineups until he gets a few games under his belt.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. San Antonio Spurs

Derrick White (protocols) Out
Drew Eubanks (illness) Probable

Dallas Mavericks vs. Memphis Grizzlies

Kristaps Porzingis (protocols) OUT

Houston Rockets vs. Sacramento Kings

Alperen Sengun (ankle) Available

Sengun is apparently good to go Friday, and won’t have a minutes limit. This is big news for the Rockets, who want to get as much information on their rookie center as possible.

Tristan Thompson (illness) OUT
Richaun Holmes (conditioning) OUT