Is LeBron James Playing Today? (Latest Injury Updates and News for Lakers vs. Trail Blazers on Jan. 22)

The Los Angeles Lakers are back in action on Sunday night as they face the Portland Trail Blazers at 9 p.m. ET. One player's status to keep an eye on ahead of tip-off is LeBron James, who fought through a lingering ankle issue to play on Friday.

LeBron James Injury Update (1/22/2023)

James finds himself in the same situation he has for over a week now as he is listed as questionable to play with an ankle injury. The veteran All-Star was listed as questionable on Friday before going on to play 37 minutes in an exciting win for LA, so there seems to be no real cause for concern here.

Keep in mind the Lakers also have a back-to-back coming up on Tuesday and Wednesday. That gives the coaching staff a perfect opportunity to give their leader a night off from the action. Every victory is crucial considering LA currently checks in 1.5 games back for the final play-in spot in the West.

James is averaging over 29.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists for the second straight season. It's vital for the Lakers to have him out on the court tonight considering Anthony Davis is still not ready to make his return from a foot injury. That is expected to come within the next week or two, though.

LeBron James Fantasy Outlook and Prop Bets Today

Oddsmakers certainly don't expect James to slow down. He's set at over/unders of 33.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists, per FanDuel Sportsbook's NBA odds. Playing with the ball in his hands on every possession, I like James to dish out at least 8 assists for the fifth time in his last six games.

With his latest string of big games, James is an expensive FanDuel DFS play at $11,200. There's no denying that he is worth the hefty price tag considering he is the Lakers' main source of both scoring and rebounding. He 's also set to play a Trail Blazers team that ranks outside the top 15 NBA teams in defensive efficiency. James should be motivated to keep helping his squad climb in the standings.

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

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