Darius

Garland

Garland finished with just 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting in Thursday’s win over the Spurs, but he bounced back nicely on the second leg of Cleveland’s back-to-back set. Garland and Donovan Mitchell combined for 59 points, but the high scoring totals couldn’t get it done against a Pistons squad missing Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris. Garland is back in action on Sunday against the Clippers.

Garland shouldered more of the scoring workload on Tuesday due to Donovan Mitchell being out. The good news for those with the point guard rostered is that the lineup change did not negatively impact his efficiency. Garland shot over 50 percent from the field and finished with a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Over the past month, he has provided fifth-round value in eight-cat formats. Garland managers’ only concern is the occasional rest day, especially with Cleveland scheduled to play a Thursday/Friday back-to-back.

Garland struggled with his shot on Sunday, but that did not prevent him from recording a complete stat line against the Jazz. Having scored 19 points or less in four straight and five of his last seven outings, the Cavaliers guard has been a fifth-round player in nine-cat formats over the past two weeks. Garland’s game isn’t solely about scoring, so his fantasy value remains high despite the recent downtick in points.

Garland got the rest night against Sacramento on Wednesday, but he will be back to complete a fully healthy lineup for Cleveland against Phoenix. Dean Wade scored 12 points as a starter on Wednesday but will return to playing a role off the bench.

The Cavaliers played Wednesday’s game without Darius Garland, who sat out for rest reasons. Wade was tabbed to fill the void in the starting lineup, and he provided solid value in that role. However, he only played 23 minutes, with Ty Jerome coming off the bench to play 26. He recorded 14 points, one rebound, six assists and one steal and has been more valuable than Wade in fantasy basketball this season. With Garland likely back on Friday against the Suns, Wade’s fantasy value will take a significant hit.

Garland played 32 minutes against the Clippers Tuesday and will get the night off on the second leg of a back-to-back. Ty Jerome could move into the starting lineup in his absence and would be a must-play fantasy option if that’s the case.

Garland scored 30 points with Donovan Mitchell out on Tuesday against the Nets, but only had 20 points against the Grizzlies Friday. The 25-year-old point guard was just one assist shy of a double-double. Garland’s shooting has taken a turn for the worse in March as he’s made just 36 percent of his shots in seven games this month.

With Donovan Mitchell (groin) sidelined, Garland stepped up to carry the offense for Cleveland. He did a lot of his work late in this game to help them complete the comeback. Garland scored 18 points in the fourth quarter, which was as many as the Nets scored as a team in the final frame. Cleveland outscored them 31-18 in the fourth to give them their 15th-straight victory. Mitchell will likely see more scheduled rest nights as the season winds down, which will be more opportunities for Garland to shine. However, Garland may see rest nights as well.

Wednesday night, Garland hit double digits in assists for the sixth time this season and first since February 2. However, the issue for him has been his shooting, especially since the All-Star break. Garland is shooting 34 percent from the field, 14 points below his mark for the season (48.1). While his season-long fantasy value remains strong, managers need Garland to turn the shooting around heading into the playoff weeks.

Garland struggled from inside the arc on Tuesday, making two of his 11 attempts. He was far more accurate from deep, shooting 5-of-11 from three. Overall, shooting has been an issue for Garland since the break. Ranked just outside the top 150 in nine-cat formats, he’s made 32.9 percent of his attempts from the field. Fantasy managers need Garland to turn things around with the playoffs either underway or on the horizon in most leagues.