Jamal

Shead

Shead was on track to play in Monday’s game, but his knee flared up during pregame warmups. His absence will not impact fantasy basketball, but it does mean more playing time for fellow reserve Davion Mitchell.

Mitchell missed their last game, which allowed rookie Jamal Shead to log 26 minutes off the bench. Shead should still play a large role if Mitchell is out again, but he won’t be productive enough to be worth streaming in.

A few hours after Mitchell was announced as questionable for Thursday’s game, he has been officially ruled out. With Scottie Barnes returning from a sprained ankle, Mitchell’s absence will have a minimal impact on fantasy basketball. Jamal Shead may pick up a few more minutes, but he is not worth streaming in this spot.

RJ Barrett has already been ruled out for this game, and if Mitchell joins him, Toronto will be down their top four playmakers for this game. Rookie Jamal Shead will likely get a chance at extended minutes and potentially see the first start of his career if Mitchell is out.

Mitchell has been added to the Raptors’ injury report after being absent from the initial release. With Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett available, “Off Night” has not offered reliable streaming value recently, even with Immanuel Quickley sidelined. If Mitchell cannot play, rookie Jamal Shead should pick up a few additional minutes off the bench.

Barnes will miss his first game of the season, while Quickley will miss a fourth straight after suffering the pelvic injury in Toronto’s season opener. With both Barnes and Quickley sidelined, Davion Mitchell, Jamal Shead and Chris Boucher are all candidates for increased run.

Shead had a great four-year run with Houston, culminating in the best campaign of his collegiate career in 2023-24. Shead’s calling card is defense, and he was named the 2022-23 AAC Defensive Player of the Year. He followed that up by winning Big 12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the only player in Conference history to earn both in the same season. As a senior, Shead averaged 12.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 2.2 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.2 triples. His shooting splits of 40.9 / 30.9 / 77.9 won’t do him any favors at the next level, but his elite playmaking and defense could earn him rotational minutes from Day 1. This pick originally belonged to the Kings, but it was sent to the Raptors along with Davion Mitchell. Now, they’ve added a player that has a lot of similar qualities. He may be a solid rotation piece, but he may not play enough early on to have much fantasy appeal.