NBA Injury Report: Betting, DFS Impact of Jarrett Allen, Elfrid Payton Injuries

There are eight games tonight with a lot of injuries and questionable players. We'll analyze two key situations in this piece: the Brooklyn Nets at the Washington Wizards and the New York Knicks at the New Orleans Pelicans.

Note: The information below is as of 12 p.m. ET. For up-to-the-minute news and analysis, check out our live news feed and follow us on Twitter.

Nets C Jarrett Allen (illness) and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (ankle) are questionable.

Injury background: Allen has missed two consecutive games due to an illness and is once again listed questionable for Friday. Hollis-Jefferson was helped to the locker room during Wednesday's loss after an ankle injury but miraculously returned in the second half. He's officially listed questionable as well.

Tonight's impact: With Caris LeVert out for an extended period of time after suffering a dislocated foot, the Nets offense sputtered in its first game without him. Allen Crabbe has been mired in a shooting slump all season, and he contributed just six points in a starting role that may not last.

Coach Kenny Atkinson was asked about starting Spencer Dinwiddie after practice on Thursday and responded by saying, “Thought about it, we’re thinking about it. I think it’s on the table. We haven’t made a decision." Dinwiddie has excelled in his role as the primary playmaker off the bench, and he's exceeded his FantasyLabs salary-based expectations on DraftKings in five of his last six games.

With Allen absent from the lineup, Ed Davis and Hollis-Jefferson have consumed a majority of the center minutes, with the former drawing the start on Wednesday. However, Davis was limited to just 17 minutes, as the team opted to go small.

He still offers plenty of upside with 1.06 DraftKings points per minute this season and could see extended playing time along with DeMarre Carroll and Kenneth Faried if both Allen and Hollis-Jefferson are out. A thin frontcourt won't do the squad any favors, but the opposing Washington Wizards are one of only two teams in the league with a worse defensive rebound rate than the Nets this season.

Pelicans PG Elfrid Payton (ankle) is questionable, Nikola Mirotic (ankle) isn't currently on the injury report.

Injury background: Payton has missed the previous nine games with a sprained right ankle, but coach Alvin Gentry is optimistic that he can return Friday.

Mirotic hobbled off the court at the end of Wednesday's loss after tweaking the same ankle that sidelined him for the prior two games. He's not currently listed on the injury report, but it's something to monitor in case the injury flares up.

Tonight's impact: With Payton out of the lineup, Wesley Johnson has started at small forward with Jrue Holiday shifting to point guard. The Pelicans have struggled at times without Payton, as Holiday has seen his turnover rate climb to 12.8% over the last nine games. Johnson has been valuable as a starter on the defensive end and carries a positive Net Rating but is a non-factor for DFS with fewer than 15.0 DraftKings points per start.

If Payton is able to return, it's likely that he will be on a minutes limit in his first game back, thus eliminating any tournament upside. Julius Randle would benefit massively if the team plays it safe with Mirotic's ankle, as he averaged 43.6 DraftKings points in his two recent spot starts.

Of course, Anthony Davis remains an option every game he's healthy, while E'Twaun Moore has seen a +3.6% usage rate bump without Mirotic and Payton this season.

The Pelicans draw an exceptional matchup against a Knicks team that possesses one of the worst defenses this season, allowing 112.9 points per 100 possessions. As a lower-owned option in tournaments, Moore stands to benefit from the lack of defense and has produced an absurd 65% true-shooting percentage — the seventh-highest mark among all guards this year.

All that said, the Knicks have lost their last two games by a combined 51 points, and Pelicans starters could see limited playing time as 10.5-point favorites.