Derrick Williams Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

James, Irving, and Love will all be rested and won't play in tonight's game against the Los Angeles Clippers despite never appearing on the Cavaliers' injury report at any point throughout the day. Unfortunately for those that rostered any member of the big three on the main slate, this news first broke just minutes after lock. This Cavaliers will roll with a starting lineup of Deron Williams, J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye, and Tristan Thompson, which obviously means that Shumpert will, in fact, play after previously being considered questionable. Additionally, Derrick Williams will be available to play off the bench after missing one game with a quad contusion. Any time the big three sit for rest, a case can be made for rostering any member of the newly assembled starting five, and tonight is no different, though the last time LeBron, Irving, and Love sat out, no player on Cleveland so more than 28 minutes of action.

Williams is dealing with a right quad contusion, which will keep him out of action against the Jazz. With Kevin Love back, neither Williams nor Channing Frye have anything resembling DFS viability. Frye figures to act as the primary back-up behind Love tonight, who will be on a minutes restriction in his first game back.

Williams will reportedly be available to play in tonight's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder after recently signing a 10-day contract with Cleveland. This news normally wouldn't be pertinent information, but the big three of LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving are all expected to be rested this evening, though we are still awaiting official confirmation from the team. It would be difficult to imagine Williams playing more than 15 minutes in his debut but his presence is certainly noteworthy considering he will likely siphon some frontcourt minutes away from Channing Frye, Richard Jefferson, and James Jones.

Babbitt will not play in tonight's game against the Los Angeles Clippers due to an illness. Derrick Williams will replace him in the starting lineup at power forward, while Hassan Whiteside will also make his return from an eye injury. Despite the starting nod, Williams is unlikely to see a substantial boost in play time, and James Johnson, along with Willie Reed, will likely absorb a majority of the minutes vacated by Babbitt. With Josh Richardson already ruled out, Wayne Ellington is expected to be inserted into the Heat starting lineup at shooting guard, while Rodney McGruder will remain at small forward. Dion Waiters will still likely come off the bench, as he is currently limited by a minutes restriction while working his way back from injury.

Dragic will play in tonight's game against the Charlotte Hornets after a one-game absence due to back spasms. Dragic has been confirmed in the starting lineup and will be joined by Luke Babbitt, sending Rodney McGruder and Derrick Williams back to the bench to resume reserve roles. Dragic obviously carries some risk this evening and needs to be reserved to tournament use only if considering him as a option, as his back troubles can can flare up at any time. There has yet to be any official news on a possible minutes restriction, but it would be safe to assume that the Miami coaching will monitor his status throughout the game.

Williams and McGruder will start at power forward and shooting guard for Josh McRoberts and Wayne Ellington in tonight's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. With Ellington and McGruder available to play this evening, Josh Richardson will start at point guard in place of the injured Goran Dragic. However, Tyler Johnson, despite coming off the bench, will arguably be the largest beneficiary of Dragic's. As far as members of the Heat's starting lineup, Justise Winslow and Hassan Whiteside see the largest usage rate differentials of 5.7% and 4.3%, respectively, with Dragic off the court this season. Whiteside has the toughest individual matchup out of the aforementioned players, meaning he is best reserved as a tournament target given his price tag across the industry, while Winslow, Johnson, and Richardson are viable in any format.

Williams will play in tonight's game against the Portland Trail Blazers after being listed as questionable on the Heat's injury report with a back injury, but is not fantasy viable in a diminished role with this rotation. Luke Babbitt has already been ruled out after being listed as questionable with a strained right hip flexor, although he will dress in case of an emergency with the Heat being so shorthanded already. Speaking of, Justise Winslow, Dion Waiters, and Josh Richardson did not travel with the team to Portland and were ruled out in advance of Saturday's contest. Wayne Ellington, Rodney McGruder, and James "Neck Tat" Johnson are the primary beneficiaries of Miami's injury situation and are the main value options to target.

Derrick Williams got the surprise start in place of Luke Babbitt. It had been announced earlier in the day that Babbitt would continue to start but was changed. It is unlikely that most people were able to get Williams in their lineups before lock but he could be used in the later slates. Williams is actually not a good option and his start is good news for LaMarcus Aldridge. If you are playing in the later slates, try to to get Aldridge in.