Wayne Ellington Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

LeBron James (knee) will be a game-time decision for Saturday's game against the Washington Wizards, while Wenyen Gabriel and Talen Horton-Tucker will be available. Wayne Ellington (illness) will remain out. Obviously the biggest piece of news is that we still don't know if LeBron is playing tonight. He has only missed one game due to this recent ailment despite being listed as questionable for every game since making his return. If he were to be ruled out Russell Westbrook would become a great play as well as multiple value options opening up for the Lakers. Gabriel will be available and will be a great value option if he draws the start again like he did last night. THT will be available off the bench but does not project well enough to garner strong consideration in DFS at this time. With Ellington once again out, Avery Bradley and D.J. Augustin should handle the bulk of the backup guard minutes for the Lakers. Stay tuned as we wait on LeBron's status and have pivots ready.

Carmelo Anthony (illness) and Wayne Ellington (illness) both out on Friday. With THT also out, the Lakers are short on wing players. Malik Monk may be forced to take on more of the offensive duties now, while role players like Austin Reaves and Stanley Johnson may be asked to help score more than usual.

As of now, Ellington has been listed out for Tuesday's matchup against the Houston Rockets due to a non-COVID related illness, and he becomes the seventh Lakers roster player to be unavailable for tonight's contest. In his absence, Avery Bradley should rejoin the rotation and potentially start following his DNP-CD in the previous game, but the remainder of Ellington's vacated minutes could be absorbed by multiple members in the second unit like Malik Monk, Carmelo Anthony, or Stanley Johnson this evening.

With LeBron out of the lineup, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook both immediately become elite high-end plays with more responsibility falling in their lap. Malik Monk is another potential beneficiary in terms of minutes on the wing. Both Dwight Howard and Wayne Ellington are probable tonight, although it's not a given that Ellington will play even when active. If the Lakers start small - which may be a little less likely with no LeBron - Dwight would be competing with DeAndre Jordan for bench minutes at the five. His path to playing time is clearer if Jordan starts.

The Pistons will have another day with half their roster, as they prepare to play the Chicago Bulls. The Pistons will have at most 10 healthy bodies, as Joseph, Plumlee, Diallo, Josh Jackson, and Ellington will all miss today's game. Grant is listed as questionable with a knee injury, and if he ended up sitting would leave the Pistons with only nine bodies. We've seen this before where the Pistons have half their roster, and know who the usual winners are. Killian Hayes will likely start at point guard, while Isaiah Stewart will start at center for Plumlee. Frank Jackson should start at shooting guard, while Saddiq Bey and Grant (if he plays) round out the starting lineup. The wings are where the Pistons are most shorthanded, so if Grant sits, it should be as many minutes as Bey, Frank Jackson, and Deividas Siryvidis (who played 24 yesterday, a season high) could handle. Coach Casey talked up Siryvidis pre-game, so there's a chance his role grows, with or without Grant.

Joseph and Ellington will both start for the Pistons, as they were both questionable but will be viable. Killian Hayes and Frank Jackson move back to the bench and are out of consideration now that Grant and Plumlee are back. Joseph and Ellington are tough to prioritize despite their start, as Grant and Plumlee will soak up much more production than the Pistons are used to.

Ellington was not listed with the inactives Thursday, so he should be considered "active" to play against the Memphis Grizzlies. He was listed as probable, so this does make sense, despite the team not ultimately ruling him. He'll be coming off the bench, so even if he does play, he's tough to prioritize with the volatility surrounding his minutes.