Kira Lewis Jr. Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

Brandon Ingram, Kira Lewis Jr. will play Friday, but Lonzo Ball has been ruled out. This could lead to Isaiah Thomas drawing a start at PG, with Lewis likely staying in his bench role. It is possible Lewis sees some extra run with Ball out, but not enough to make him a recommended DFS target on Friday. With Ingram back, Zion's usage should dip mildly, but he's still the lone elite target on the NOP side. Steven Adams should have his hands full with Joel Embiid, but the fact that his presence may be needed a bit more tonight than usual also does throw him onto the GPP radar. Ingram could take on a little more playmaking with Lonzo out, as Ball had been the team's main creator of late.

After missing the front end of a back-to-back, Ingram and Lewis Jr. will miss the second half as the Pelicans take on the Brooklyn Nets. Ingram will miss his fifth straight game with a toe injury, while Lewis Jr. will miss his third with a calf injury. Josh Hart and Nickeil Alexander-Walker both remain out, so the Pelicans will look to add reinforcements. James Johnson should continue to start, while Naji Marshall should play heavy minutes off the bench to help fill in for Ingram. With Lewis Jr. out, Isaiah Thomas should continue to take the backup guard minutes; he played 25 in his debut yesterday. From a production standpoint, Ingram’s absence is huge, and CourtIQ shows some drastic splits. With Ingram off the floor, Lonzo averages a whopping 1.45 FPM, up from a 1.04 FPM in a 156 minute split. Although the bulk of these minutes came the last two games, the numbers make sense as Lonzo’s usage is 25%, up from 20%; with no Ingram, Lonzo shoots more. Zion Williamson also sees a big bump, averaging 1.42 FPM, up from his 1.29 average. IT could end up being a good play at cheap salary as well, but this should be Lonzo and Zion leading the way for sure.

The Pels will welcome Zion back with how shorthanded they still are – in addition to Ingram’s absence, New Orleans will also be without Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Josh Hart and Kira Lewis Jr., which will likely result in another healthy minute allotment for Lonzo Ball even with Isaiah Thomas now in the fold. It’s not expected that Williamson will be on any sort of strict minutes allotment, so he’s absolutely on the GPP radar as the unquestioned alpha in the Pelicans offense.

The Pelicans injuries were the biggest on the slate, and coach Stan Van Gundy cleared that up for us pregame as the Pelicans take on the Houston Rockets. Although Lonzo was upgraded to available and will play after missing seven games with a hip injury, Ingram and Zion were downgraded from questionable due to their respective thumb and toe injuries, while Kira Lewis was downgraded from doubtful due to a calf injury. Coach Van Gundy mentioned pregame that he only has three guards (Lonzo, Eric Bledsoe, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker), and that Lonzo won't be on a minutes restriction, so he should be all systems go. As for the forwards, with Ingram and Zion out, it should be James Johnson, Naji Marshall, and Wes Iwundu playing the bulk of the minutes; Josh Hart is still out so the production will be there. There isn't a huge split with Ingram and Zion both out since they both play so many minutes, but the production should flow for all of the Pelicans guards, with NAW and Lonzo in particular great plays. Johnson and Iwundu also will be able to benefit, as they are at cheap prices and still will be forced to play minutes for the shorthanded Pelicans.