Naji Marshall Downgraded to Doubtful with Illness

Naji Marshall is officially dealing with the mid-week bug, getting downgraded to doubtful for Wednesday's action according to Underdog NBA.

When a guy hits the doubtful tag with an illness in the modern NBA, you can basically go ahead and cross him out of the lineup in permanent marker. It takes a minor medical miracle or an aggressive amount of fluids to flip that status on game day.

"Underdog NBA reported the downgrade to doubtful."

Marshall has been a reliable rotational piece on the wing for the Dallas Mavericks. Losing his defensive energy and spot minutes means the coaching staff has to dig a little deeper into the bench to keep the perimeter rotation afloat.

The NBA illness report is always a complete mystery box. It could be a 24-hour stomach thing that makes you question every life choice, or it could just be the standard seasonal sniffles that require a mandatory day on the couch watching daytime television. Either way, the Mavericks are going to be short-handed.

For the fantasy managers and prop bettors out there, this is your cue to pivot. Marshall's absence opens up a handful of minutes and usage for the rest of the Dallas second unit, which means someone else is going to get a chance to put up some peripheral stats.

Expect the Mavericks to officially rule him out closer to tip-off. If he rests up, he should be back in the mix for their next matchup, assuming whatever bug he caught does not start working its way through the rest of the locker room.