Gorgui Dieng Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

Gorgui Dieng (illness) available on Friday. There's no DFS impact here with Clint Capela also back.

After missing the last four games due to a shoulder injury, Dieng was upgraded from questionable to available and will play against the Portland Trail Blazers. Dieng will compete with Drew Eubanks for the backup center minutes behind Jakob Poetl, but likely won't play enough to make an impact on this DFS slate.

Lonnie Walker is available to play Friday, while Gorgui Dieng will be inactive. Walker’s return should eat mildly into the playing time of Derrick White, Devin Vassell and Patty Mills, although it’s likely Walker’s court time is limited given that he’s missed an extended period of time. With Dieng out of action, Drew Eubanks should take on the backup center duties.

Lonnie Walker is available to play Friday, while Gorgui Dieng will be inactive. Walker's return should eat mildly into the playing time of Derrick White, Devin Vassell and Patty Mills, although it's likely Walker's court time is limited given that he's missed an extended period of time. With Dieng out of action, Drew Eubanks should take on the backup center duties.

After not being listed on any injury report all day, Murray was a late scratch due to foot soreness and will miss the Spurs game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Dieng was upgraded to available despite a shoulder injury that cost him the last two games. With Murray out for the game, the biggest winner is by far DeMar DeRozan. In 405 minutes with Murray and traded LaMarcus Aldridge off the floor, DeRozan averages 1.34 FPM, up from his usual 1.14 average per CourtIQ. There hasn't been a starting lineup announced yet, but it's likely Devin Vassell that jumps into the lineup, with Derrick White handling the ball more as well. Murray's absence will open up some minutes for the Spurs bench mob, but it's like DeRozan gets the biggest benefit while the Spurs split up Murray's production amongst five or six players. As for Dieng, he should take a role as the backup center, pushing Drew Eubanks out of the rotation while likely taking a minute or two away from Jakob Poetl.

The Spurs will continue to miss some key depth, as they play their second game in two nights against the Atlanta Hawks. Lonnie will miss his sixth straight with a wrist injury, Lyles will miss his fifth straight with an ankle injury, and Bates-Diop his eleventh straight with a hamstring injury. Dieng made his debut last night, but only was able to play six minutes due to a shoulder injury he suffered during the game. With Dieng out, Jakob Poetl should continue to start at the center, with Drew Eubanks picking up a few extra minutes off the bench without Dieng. As for Lonnie, his absence means more minutes for Patty Mills and Devin Vassell, although the Spurs production should continue to flow through DeMar DeRozan and Dejounte Murray.

Towns has officially been listed as questionable for Saturday's matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks due to a concussion, while Dieng remains away from the team dealing with a personal matter and will miss his second consecutive games. In their absences, Taj Gibson received the starting nod at center, and he was stellar from a fantasy perspective in 31 minutes of action in Friday's win. On the other hand, Dario Saric was limited to 24 minutes or fewer in favor of Luol Deng for a second straight contest, despite starting on both occasions, though he continues to be efficient when on the court and has exceeded his salary-based expectations over that same span. Towns has only missed one game all season, so there isn’t a tremendous sample size with him off the court. However, in that time, Derrick Rose and Andrew Wiggins have been the clear beneficiaries, as they each own at least a +5.6% usage rate differential and experience a minimum of a +0.26 increase to their per minute fantasy production in the aforementioned scenario.