Semi Ojeleye started at the four on Friday vs. the Wizards, scoring eight points on 3-of-7 shooting with five rebounds, one assist and two triples in 27 minutes.
The stat line probably didn't do him justice here because he was excellent on both ends. The Celtics are without Tristan Thompson (medical protocols), Grant Williams (medical protocols) and Robert Williams (COVID-19) for at least a week, and Ojeleye and Daniel Theis are the only remaining big men on the regular-season roster -- Ojeleye has played 94% of his minutes as a four this season and 4% as a small-ball center. He has never been known as a stat stuffer though with a career per-36 line of 8.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.6 triples, but his shot does look cleaner and he looks more comfortable on drives. He's only worth a short-term look in very deep leagues.
Jeff Teague (ankle) returned from a two-game absence on Friday vs. the Wizards, scoring four points on 2-of-6 shots with three rebounds, two assists, one steal and two turnovers in 15 minutes.
It’s nice to see Teague back but his window for fantasy relevancy is closing fast -- Kemba Walker (knee) was just cleared to resume practicing. If you’re still holding Teague in your fantasy league, you should be looking to move on if you haven’t already -- he entered tonight averaging just 7.4 points, 2.7 assists, 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.0 triples on 33% from the field. Plus, Payton Pritchard is making a case for even more of Teague's minutes. Pritchard finished with 11 points, two assists, two rebounds, two steals and three triples in 23 minutes.
Elfrid Payton shot just 4-of-16 from the field on Friday, but he went 7-of-8 from the line to score 16 points with six rebounds and one assist in 31 minutes.
Frank Ntilikina has missed five straight games with a sprained right knee, but at this point it's hard to see anyone dislodging Payton. Immanuel Quickley is likely the nearest competition, but the rookie shot 1-of-9 tonight with two dimes and a steal in 17 minutes. As long as New York is winning (five wins in their past seven games), coach Tom Thibodeau is unlikely to tamper with Payton as a starter.
Daniel Theis slid over to center on Friday vs. the Wizards and finished with 10 points (4-of-7 FGs, 1-of-3 FTs), six rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block and one triple in 29 minutes.
Tristan Thompson (medical protocols), Grant Williams (medical protocols) and Robert Williams (COVID-19) are all under quarantine for a minimum of one week, setting up Theis for a big boost in the short term. He has been nothing short of a disappointment this season after a 7th-round finish in 9-cat in 2019-20, but is available in over half of Yahoo Leagues and should get the job done for fantasy managers while the Celtics are so thin up front. Tonight was a great start and a reminder of what he can do with a larger role.
Kevin Knox (left knee soreness) had nine points, four rebounds and one steal in 22 minutes on Friday, shooting 3-of-9 with all of his makes beyond the arc.
Knox's bruised right hand wasn't on the injury report, but his sore left knee left him with yet another 'probable' tag prior to tip-off. He's earning steady minutes in the 15-25 range but is nowhere near turning that playing time in fantasy value.
Reggie Bullock (sore left knee) finished Friday's 101-89 home loss with six points on 3-of-8 shooting, seven rebounds and one steal in 24 minutes.
Alec Burks' ongoing absence with a sprained left ankle has opened minutes in the Knicks' rotation, and should continue to do so for a while since Burks is still wearing a walking boot. Bullock scratches a 3-and-D itch for coach Tom Thibodeau, but does almost nothing to entice fantasy GMs to roster him.
Nerlens Noel (left ankle sprain, left knee soreness) returned to action vs. the Thunder on Friday, going scoreless with one rebound, one steal and two blocks in 11 minutes.
If Noel had ambitions of beating his former OKC team, he came up well short in a 101-89 home loss. He recently shot down rumors that he was dissatisfied in New York, writing on Twitter, "People sit on twitter making things up and talking noise. Trust me, I love being a Knick and am excited about what we are building here." Regardless of his satisfaction level, he's a fringe fantasy play for defensive stats while Mitchell Robinson (six points, five boards, three blocks, two steals) is controlling the center spot.
Jalen Brunson (health and safety protocols) is out for Saturday vs. the Magic.
Josh Richardson (health and safety protocols) is also out, but the Mavs will be getting Trey Burke back from illness. Burke is worth a look as a streaming option with the Mavs expected to be very thin in the backcourt.
Dorian Finney-Smith (health and safety protocols) will not play vs. the Magic on Saturday.
A player on the Mavericks has tested positive, and two others have been quarantined for exposure despite testing negative. Finney-Smith will be joined on the sidelines for Saturday's game by Trey Burke and Josh Richardson, and all three guys are likely to miss more time as they go through the league's medical protocols.
Norman Powell will start vs. the Kings on Saturday in place of Kyle Lowry (personal).
Fred VanVleet picks up more point guard duties in Lowry's absence, and Powell gets a chance to gain momentum after a truly sluggish start to his 2020-21 campaign. Lowry should be day-to-day, though, so there's no obvious reason to grab Norm off the waiver wire in standard settings.
Trey Burke (illness) is probable for Saturday vs. the Magic.
Jalen Brunson (health and safety protocols) will be out, and Josh Richardson (health and safety protocols) will be as well. Burke can be a sneaky good fantasy asset when the minutes are there, so he's on the radar as a streamer.
Derrick Favors (knee soreness) is available vs. the Bucks on Friday.
The Jazz continue to list him as probable but fantasy managers can steer clear anyways as he's only getting the scraps behind Rudy Gobert this season with no minutes as a four.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (sprained left ankle) will not play vs. the Bulls on Friday.
That's four straight DNPs for Caldwell-Pope, whose absence shifts minutes to Kyle Kuzma, Wes Matthews and Alex Caruso. He was initially questionable for this game, at least, so he's trending in the right direction.
Evan Fournier (back spasms) has been ruled out on Friday vs Rockets.
Fournier has yet to play since the calendar hit 2021, but considering he was a game-time decision, he will likely return soon and that could be Saturday when the Magic play the Mavs. Though nothing is certain yet. James Ennis will be starting in Fournier's place Friday.
Semi Ojeleye will start for the Celtics on Friday.
Ojeleye joins a starting five alongside Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Daniel Theis. He's been nowhere near fantasy value in 16.1 minutes per game this season, and even tonight's spot start isn't likely to catapult him to fantasy relevance.
J.J. Redick (right knee contusion) will play Friday vs. the Hornets.
Redick comes in averaging 6.1 points on 27.3% shooting this season, so he has an uphill battle to reclaim fantasy value.
Josh Jackson is back in the starting lineup on Friday after an ankle injury held him out of two games.
Jackson will look to pick up where he left off as he had scored in double figures in four straight games before rolling his ankle last weekend. He's averaging 15.5 points and 4.5 boards in six games for the Pistons.
Cole Anthony is starting Friday's game in place of Markelle Fultz (torn ACL), as expected.
This was the expectation all along, especially with Michael Carter-Williams out with a sprained foot. Anthony's shooting has been disqualifying for value in most 12-team formats, but the opportunity is enormous and he at least deserves a roster spot while he tries to work out the kinks offensively.
Evan Fournier (back spasms) is a game-time decision on Friday.
Fournier will go through a pregame shooting routine before determining whether he can play, so DFS managers are forewarned. Gary Clark should start and play 30+ minutes if Fournier isn't able to suit up.
Josh Okogie (left hamstring) has been ruled out for Saturday's game vs the Spurs.
Okogie will miss another game with a left hamstring strain. Jarrett Culver and Jarred Vanderbilt will look to up their production in Okogie's absence.