Monta Ellis Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections
Lance Stephenson passes physical, officially a member of the Pacers; expected to play on Sunday
Lance Stephenson is an official member of the Pacers and is expected to play against the Cavs on Sunday. With the Pacers dealing with a bunch of injuries to their reserves, Stephenson will likely start in a reserve role. In his previous tenure with the Pacers, Stephenson started at SG, so there is a chance that he affects Monta Ellis directly. We'll have to wait and see how the rotation shakes out before recommending him in anything outside of low dollar GPPs.
Rodney Stuckey (sore left knee) questionable for Tuesday
Stuckey was expected to take on a larger role with Glenn Robinson III out but is now questionable due to a sore knee. C.J. Miles moved back to the bench with Monta Ellis starting last night and will likely have to fill in Stuckey's role if he is out. Stuckey was not a major contributor and Miles also underperformed in his new role. Aaron Brooks has seen a slight uptick in minutes over the last four games but is still not seeing enough minutes to make a significant impact.
Monta Ellis will start ahead of C.J. Miles tonight
Ellis will be inserted into the Pacers starting lineup for tonight's game against the Philadelphia 76ers, which will send C.J. Miles back to the bench to assume a reserve role. Ellis finally eclipsed the 30-minute plateau and started the second half in Friday's loss to the Denver Nuggets, so it's realistic to expect him to continue seeing that type of playing time, or slightly more, as the full-time starter. Ellis' usage with the starting unit will surely take a hit, but the expected minute bump will more than cancel that out. His price remains extremely affordable across the industry, making Ellis viable in all formats at a typically shallow shooting guard position.
Rodney Stuckey, Kevin Seraphin officially ruled out for Friday
No surprises here, as this was thought to be the case as of last night. Lavoy Allen will pick up a few extra minutes behind Thaddeus Young, while a combination of Monta Ellis, Glenn Robinson, C.J. Miles and potentially Joe Young will eat up what's left behind by Stuckey. There aren't any real DFS implications here, but it's worth noting that Miles has been starting at the SG spot and is seeing around 30 minutes per contest in that role. While his usage likely won't be as high as it would be with the second unit, that type of court time makes him a viable minimum priced GPP punt.
Kevin Seraphin (sore left knee) ruled out for tonight; Monta Ellis and Aaron Brooks remain probable
Seraphin will not play in tonight's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a sore left knee. Seraphin's playing time has been minimal and sporadic in recent games, so his absence will not affect the frontcourt rotation in any way. Additionally, Monta Ellis and Aaron Brooks remain probable and are fully expected to play. With Rodney Stuckey still sidelined, both guards will continue to see a slight bump in minutes off the bench behind Jeff Teague and C.J. Miles.
Monta Ellis no longer under a minutes restriction
Ellis reportedly won't be limited by a minutes restriction for tonight's game against the Brooklyn Nets after previously being limited to 20 minutes or less in each of the last four games. However, Pacers' head coach Nate McMillan told reporters that Ellis wasn't on a minutes restriction in Tuesday's win over the Detroit Pistons, in which he only saw 20 minutes off the bench. Ellis may see a few more minutes off the bench this evening, but he shouldn't be expected to approach anywhere near the 30-minute plateau sans his "minute restriction".
Monta Ellis (ankle) will play tonight
Ellis will not play in tonight's game against the Orlando Magic after previously being listed as questionable on the Pacers' injury report with a sprained left ankle. Ellis had recently returned from an eight-game absence due to a groin injury and played just a combined 31 minutes off the bench in the last two games. With Rodney Stuckey already ruled out in advance of tonight's contest, Jeff Teague still remains an intriguing tournament option despite Ellis' limited presence in the rotation, though his projected fantasy outlook and ceiling certainly take a decent hit with Ellis active.
Monta Ellis (ankle) questionable for Sunday; Rodney Stuckey (hamstring) ruled out
Ellis has officially been listed as questionable on the Pacers' injury report for tomorrow night's game against the Orlando Magic due to a sprained left ankle. Ellis had recently returned from an eight-game absence due to a groin injury and played just 13 minutes off the bench Friday. With Rodney Stuckey already ruled out in advance of Sunday's contest, Jeff Teague would become an intriguing option should Ellis be ruled out, as he owns a 2.1% usage rate differential (26.3%) with the duo of Ellis and Stuckey off the court this season.
Monta Ellis (groin) will play off the bench tonight; Glenn Robinson III to remain in the starting lineup
Ellis will play in tonight's game against the Washington Wizards after previously being listed as questionable on the Pacers' injury report with a sore right groin that forced him to miss eight consecutive games. Glenn Robinson will remain in the starting lineup at shooting guard for the next few games, meaning that Ellis will come off the bench as he is eased back into game action. With Rodney Stuckey already ruled out, it's realistic to assume that Ellis will assume Stuckey's normal role off the bench, putting him in the ballpark of a 20-minute expectation this evening.
Monta Ellis (groin) listed as questionable for tomorrow; Rodney Stuckey (hamstring) ruled out
Ellis has missed the past eight games due to a groin injury and is listed as questionable for tomorrow's game against the Wizards. If Ellis does return, there is a chance that he would return to the starting lineup, replacing Glenn Robinson III. Rodney Stuckey returned last night after missing five games but injured his hamstring again. There is not timetable for Stuckey's return.