New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (oblique) will play on Sunday against Phoenix. He's missed the Pels' previous five games because of an oblique strain. However, with Zion Williamson (finger) also cleared for the pivotal matchup versus the Suns, Larry Nance Jr. and Dyson Daniels will likely get fewer minutes, lowering their DFS ceilings.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (oblique) won't play on Friday versus San Antonio, marking his fifth consecutive absence. There's a chance the 25-year-old could miss at least a few more games moving ahead. Fortunately, the Pelicans recently got Dyson Daniels back in the lineup. Daniels had his best game since returning from a lengthy layoff because of knee surgery, amassing 16 points and two steals on Wednesday against Orlando, making him a viable DFS option for Friday, but even more so if Zion Williamson (finger) isn't available.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (oblique) won't suit up for Wednesday's clash with the Orlando Magic. He's been out the last three games with an oblique strain, so his next chance to play will be on Friday against the Spurs. However, it doesn't sound like things are moving in a positive direction, meaning he could miss at least a few more contests. Nonetheless, Dyson Daniels, who logged 25 minutes and amassed nine points, five assists, and two steals on Monday against the Suns, has value potential in deep DFS tournament formats, especially if he gets more action in his third game back since knee surgery.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (oblique) will remain sidelined ahead of Monday's game against the Phoenix Suns. This marks the third game in a row that Alvarado has missed due to an oblique strain. His absence has resulted in Dyson Daniels getting more playing time in the rotation. Daniels played 11 minutes on Saturday, so he probably won't see enough minutes to warrant using in fantasy formats.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (oblique) is out on Saturday against the Celtics. This will be his second consecutive absence because of a strained oblique. Alvarado has taken a step back from a production standpoint since last season, averaging 6.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.1 steals. He's also had issues staying on the floor due to various ailments. With that said, CJ McCollum will handle most of the work at the one spot versus Boston, with Jordan Hawkins picking up a few minutes in relief. However, Hawkins scored only two points in 15 minutes in Thursday's win over the Bucks, so he'll be hard to trust for fantasy purposes.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (oblique) has been ruled out in the first official injury report for the Saturday matchup against the Boston Celtics. The 25-year-old was also unable to play against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, so there may be some extended time that he's going to miss. CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy III have taken over starting backcourt duties and Jordan Hawkins is likely to get more opportunities off of the bench. The former two should be the ones getting more attention in DFS lineups since Hawkins' minutes are inconsistent right now.

New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jose Alvarado (hip) has been tagged as questionable for Thursday's game against Milwaukee. He had to exit Tuesday's clash with OKC due to a hip problem, and the same ailment might keep him off the court entirely on Thursday. Alvarado's potential absence could help Jordan Hawkins re-emerge in the rotation. The rookie is a good three-point threat but doesn't offer much else to fantasy managers.

According to Chris Haynes of TNT, New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado will get a three-game suspension. During Friday's matchup between the Pelicans and Heat, several players from both clubs were involved in a scuffle, resulting in the league also handing down suspensions to Jimmy Butler, Naji Marshall, Thomas Bryant, and Nikola Jovic. With this in mind, Butler's one-game suspension will be the one felt most by fantasy managers. However, with CJ McCollum (ankle) sidelined for Sunday's matchup against Chicago, Alvarado was in line to benefit from a production standpoint. But now, Jordan Hawkins, averaging 17.3 points and 1.1 steals in 10 starts this season, is worth streaming in all fantasy setups.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado was involved in a scuffle in Friday's game against Miami and was ejected from the contest early in the fourth quarter. After the teams clashed on the court following Kevin Love's foul on Zion Williamson, Alvarado got into a physical altercation with Miami's reserve big Thomas Bryant. The defensive specialist even tried to climb on the scorers' table during the scuffle. There are definitely fines coming from the incident, and Alvarado is in danger of receiving a suspension. His absence would be quite a blow for the Pelicans' backcourt after CJ McCollum (ankle) exited Friday's contest with an injury.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (illness) is currently listed as questionable for Wednesday's game against the Golden State Warriors. Alvarado sat out on Sunday because of the issue, but hopefully he's feeling better now. His return would mean that Dyson Daniels would see a reduced role in the rotation. He wasn't an ideal streaming option anyway, but he won't have much value at all if Alvarado is cleared to play.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (ankle) will play in Saturday's meeting with the Chicago Bulls. The 25-year-old missed the start of the season before making his 2023-24 debut in mid-November. He was gradually ramping up his minutes. However, he sat out Friday's loss to the Spurs because of a sprained ankle. Nevertheless, with CJ McCollum getting the night off to rest, Alvarado should see some action, although likely not enough to be trusted for fantasy lineups.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (ankle) seemed to have tweaked his ankle again during their game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. The good news was that he came back in later and was able to play, but he's now listed as questionable for their game on Friday against the San Antonio Spurs. If he's unable to suit up, Jordan Hawkins and Dyson Daniels will likely see some more minutes unless Trey Murphy III (knee) is upgraded from questionable.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (ankle) hasn't played since February of last season but is trending in the right direction to make his season debut. The 25-year-old has been dealing with a very bad ankle sprain and is currently listed as questionable for the team's game on Monday against the Sacramento Kings. Alvarado was a solid fantasy option in deeper leagues for both assists and steals while also knocking down threes. He averaged 9.0 points, 3.0 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.4 threes per contest last year.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (ankle) hasn't played since February, so being upgraded to doubtful is bigger news than it normally would be for anyone else. The 25-year-old has been an important piece to the Pelicans' bench and has been a solid contributor in deeper leagues with his threes, points, assists, and steal totals. Though he may not return in this game, when he does return to the court, it will likely mean fewer minutes for Dyson Daniels, Jordan Hawkins, and Kira Lewis Jr.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (knee) is expected to miss an extended period of time. Alvarado suffered a right ankle sprain during an offseason workout. He was re-evaluated on Monday and the organization decided to shut down Alvarado for the next two weeks. That means, the 25-year-old will miss at least the first two weeks of the regular season. The Pelicans are likely to use a committee approach to fill the void. Dyson Daniels and Larry Nance Jr. have the best chance to produce in his absence, assuming both players are given extended minutes.

It's funny that every year at the NBA Draft, once the end of the guaranteed money and live appearances arrives at the end of the first round, everybody tunes out and refers to the 60th pick as "Mr. Irrelevant." That's not very accurate though, is it?Speaking historically, the title of "Mr. Irrelevant" could just as easily be applied to each pick in the draft, as organizations differ greatly in their evaluation of talent and their own needs, particularly in a year without the NCAA tournament. The nickname just doesn't reflect how basketball works anymore. Executives strategically stockpile second-round draft picks for the less burdensome financial obligations, and organizations in rebuilding mode get super creative to field a respectable team on a budget.Particularly in the NBA where worldwide talent is plentiful and positional lines continue to fade, the opportunity is everything: in the right situation, the right under-the-radar player can make an immediate, poignant statement. With professional development leagues for 16-18-year-olds, an ever-expanding set of domestic/international opportunities due to the sheer growth of basketball, and widespread NIL rights for college athletes, players of all levels and localities are starting to get their due exposure and now have enough freedom to hone their skills in a place, and at a pace, that fits best with their path to the NBA. 

Introduction

I am inherently skeptical and distrusting of scouting from the high school level to pre-Draft. That's why in this annual article, I tend to favor overlooked college players (love the mid-majors/non-power conferences) with either well-rounded, polished games or specific statistical specialties.We are going to discuss a handful of 2023 second-round picks and undrafted free agent signees who, given their individual skillsets and circumstances, warrant the attention of Fantasy Basketball Managers as potential high-impact rookies for the 2023-24 campaign who can quietly be acquired on clearance once they start showing signs of emergence.As I will frequently emphasize and reiterate: in 2023, there is very little difference between the vast majority of second-round draft picks and undrafted free agents--it always all comes down to the skillsets they possess, their capacity for growth, and the situations they've landed in.Seasons will be made and broken with early identification of the diamond-in-the-rough rookies. I used to list out the many examples from the past season in this introduction portion, but we are now in a beautiful era where there are just too many to count. There is also very little separating the featured players below and those dubbed "Honorable Mentions"--so put in the work and keep an eye out throughout the regular season for who is receiving and seizing their opportunities. 

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New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (ankle) has suffered an injury during a workout over the weekend. The 25-year-old was beginning to ramp up his basketball activities after missing the FIBA World Cup due to a leg injury. Now, his availability is uncertain for training camp. The Pelicans first preseason game is on Oct. 10, so Alvarado does have time to heal up before the beginning of the season. Last season, Alvarado averaged 9.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 21.5 minutes per game through 61 contests with the Pelicans. The expectation is that he'll have a similar role once again, assuming he's healthy for the beginning of the season.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (leg) will miss the FIBA World Cup next month due to a leg injury. The Pelicans didn't give the point guard permission to play for Puerto Rico because of the stress reaction in his tibia that forced him to miss the end of last season. They performed an MRI last week and found that his leg still isn't fully healed so he will have to sit out of the international action in August.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (leg) has officially been ruled out of the team's game on Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he's expected to miss at least one more week of action if they do end up making it through the play-in tournament. Alvarado has been cleared for on-court activities, but he hasn't seen game action since Feb. 27. This opens up the door for Dyson Daniels and Josh Richardson to get some meaningful minutes in a win-or-go-home situation.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (leg) will remain sidelined on Monday as the team has already officially ruled him out. He's been dealing with a right tibial stress reaction and will miss the matchup against the Sacramento Kings. The 24-year-old will now have missed his third consecutive game. Dyson Daniels and Kira Lewis Jr. will see some more opportunities as Josh Richardson (personal) is also out. Both of Daniels and Lewis would only be relevant to stream in deeper leagues.