Willie Cauley-Stein Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

Luka Doncic (ankle), Kristaps Porzingis (knee), and Willie Cauley-Stein (personal) have all been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies. With Luka and Kristaps out the Mavericks will be without their top two players in terms of usage rate meaning almost every member of the Mavericks should see an increase in production. Jalen Brunson becomes one of the top options on the slate along with Tim Hardaway Jr., Reggie Bullock, and Maxi Kleber seeing sizable boosts. Both Dwight Powell and Boban Marjanovic could see increased minutes as well with Porzingis's big man minutes vacated.

As expected, THJ gets the start in place of Kleber, as the Mavs roll with the starters that they've had the last few games. WCS gets the start at center; the Mavs have flip flopped between Powell and WCS, and they'll likely split the minutes again.

The Mavs are rolling with WCS at center, over Dwight Powell. Both players have had their minutes flip flop regardless of who's been starting, so it's tough to project, but Cauley-Stein is a viable value piece, while Powell is certainly riskier.

The Mavs are changing up their starting lineup, giving Cauley-Stein the start in place of Dwight Powell. The two of them have had their minutes fluctuate drastically with no Porzingis, but now it's certainly a higher floor for WCS, with him having the opportunity to get upwards of 20 minutes. He produces at a great rate, and should have a higher ceiling as a result. THJ gets the start in place of Maxi Kleber, and should also be a better play, albeit in a tough matchup against the Heat.

Nicolo Melli will likely take Maxi Kleber's starting role when the Mavericks play the Spurs Sunday. Dwight Powell could also see increased minutes as his backup. Willie Cauley-Stein is available tonight and could see some backup big man minutes as well.

After missing the front half of a back-to-back, Doncic is now listed as questionable to make his return against the New Orleans Pelicans. Meanwhile, Porzingis was listed as doubtful due to a knee injury that he has been maintaining all year long. Porzingis played 38 minutes yesterday, so it's likely that he sits out due to rest. If Luka was to play, he would be a phenomenal play; his rates don't increase too much with Porzingis off the floor, but would lead the team in usage and assist rate and has a great matchup against the Pelicans. If Luka were to sit, Jalen Brunson would be one of the top plays of the slate, as he would join the starting lineup and averages 1.08 FPM with Luka and Porzingis off the court per CourtIQ. Dwight Powell will likely join the starting lineup in place of Porzingis, as Willie Cauley-Stein is out due to the health and safety protocols. Nicolo Melli is available to make his team debut, and could play some frontcourt minutes as well.

As expected, Doncic has officially been downgraded from doubtful and won't play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to low back tightness, while Willie Cauley-Stein will be available to play following his originally questionable designation on the Mavericks' injury report with a sprained right thumb. In Doncic’s absence, Jalen Brunson will more than likely receive the starting nod at the point guard position whereas Trey Burke should see an expanded role off the bench after being limited to fewer than 10 minutes in all but one of the previous 10 contests. Unsurprisingly, several players see increases in usage and other underlying rates with Doncic off the court this season, but Brunson paces the team with a 31.2% assist rate, and likewise, Kristaps Porzingis leads the with a 31.8% usage rate in this sample set.

As expected, Kidd-Gilchrist and Cauley-Stein have been upgraded from probable and will be available to play in Wednesday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, while Kristaps Porzingis, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Seth Curry were already ruled out with their respective ailments, the latter slated to miss a third straight contest. In Porzingis’ absence, Maxi Kleber is the overwhelming candidate to join the starting lineup, and he’s managed to record between at least 28 minutes as a starter in the four previous games Porzingis has been sidelined for rest, culminating in a stellar fantasy performance in just over 33 minutes of action in last Monday’s loss. On top of that, Kleber and Luka Doncic both own a minimum of a +1.3% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.10 more fantasy points per minute with Porzingis, Curry, Jalen Brunson, and Dwight Powell off the court this season.

As expected, Doncic has officially been upgraded from probable and will start in Monday’s second leg of a back-to-back set against the Chicago Bulls after missing one game due to a sprained left thumb, while Seth Curry will join Kristaps Porzingis on the inactive list with low back tightness. Doncic will almost certainly reclaim the starting point guard duties from Delon Wright, who was relatively solid for fantasy purposes in 32 minutes of action in Sunday’s win, whereas J.J. Barea essentially just served as the backup point guard and was limited to just under 17 minutes off the bench. In Porzingis’ absence, Maxi Kleber is the overwhelming candidate to join the starting lineup, and he’s managed to record between 28-30 minutes as a starter in the three previous games Porzingis has been sidelined for rest. In fact, Kleber, Doncic, and Tim Hardaway Jr. all own a minimum of a +2.3% increase in usage rate and are averaging at least +0.10 more fantasy points per minute over their normal season-long numbers.