Golden State

Warriors

With De’Anthony Melton sidelined due to an ACL sprain, Lindy Waters III got the starting nod in his place. However, Waters didn’t return for the second half because of his own knee injury, which allowed Podz to start the third quarter in his place. If both Waters and Melton remain sidelined moving forward, Podz should be part of the starting lineup, even if he had fallen out of the core rotation. If he was dropped in your league, it may be time to pick him back up, assuming he starts in their next game on Monday, with a four-game week coming up.

Hield has really quieted down after a monster start to the season, but he played well in this game. This was their first game since De’Anthony Melton was diagnosed with a sprained ACL, and Hield’s minutes jumped from 21 to 30. That’s more on par with his role early this season, when Melton was out of the lineup and Buddy was putting up big numbers. Lindy Waters III, who started in place of Melton, exited early from this game with a left knee injury. If they’re down two players at that position, Hield should continue to play extra minutes and should get back to his early season production.

Steve Kerr’s rotations have been incredibly frustrating for fantasy managers this season. Curry only played 26 minutes in this game, and Kerr still didn’t put him back in at the end when the game started getting close. Steph entered the night playing just 29.1 minutes per game, which would be the lowest mark of his career, excluding the two that were incredibly limited by injuries. This game may have not truly been in danger at the end, but Curry’s limited minutes overall have been frustrating. Still, he has once again been among the elite contributors in fantasy hoops, and that is something that Steve Kerr can’t take away from us.

Waters injured his knee when he landed awkwardly after attempting to block a layup attempt. While he did limp back to the locker room under his own power, the Warriors guard was not on the bench to begin the third quarter. He finishes with eight points, one assist, one block, and two 3-pointers in 11 minutes. Brandin Podziemski started the third quarter in Waters’ place.

While Anderson is listed as active for Friday’s game, that doesn’t guarantee he’ll play. Slo-Mo was a late scratch for Tuesday’s win over the Mavericks, with nothing being announced until just before tip-off. And even if he does see action against the Grizzlies, Anderson is unlikely to get the minutes needed to impact fantasy basketball.

It seemed like Steve Kerr had a lineup that he was comfortable with before De’Anthony Melton’s injury. Waters will get the first crack as the starter in his place, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he made changes over the next few games. Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski should see extra minutes off the bench.

A late scratch for Tuesday’s win over the Mavericks, Anderson appears on course to play Friday night. While he hasn’t offered much fantasy value this season, De’Anthony Melton (knee) being sidelined will free up minutes within the rotation. There isn’t much need to add Anderson but keep an eye on his minutes/production.

If Melton didn’t have bad luck regarding injuries, he’d have none. The Warriors guard is back on the sideline and will undergo further testing on his knee before a timeline is determined. Unless the recovery is miraculously quick, there’s no need to hold onto Melton. His absence opens up a spot in the starting lineup, and there are multiple options at Steve Kerr’s disposal. Gary Payton II, Brandin Podziemski, and Buddy Hield are among the possibilities that could be asked to fill the void. Managers considering dropping Podziemski should hold for now, as he could figure prominently in the rotation with Melton sidelined.

Green was efficient scoring 11 points on six shots. He drained 2-of-4 attempts from behind the 3-point line and made 3-of-4 free throws. Green also contributed in the other areas of the game the way he typically does on his way to completely filling the stat sheet. He’s not a big scorer at this point of his career, but the contributions across all those categories is what keeps him fantasy relevant. The Warriors have only one more game this week against the Grizzlies on Friday.

The Warriors bench wasn’t getting it done for the most part Tuesday. Buddy Hield, Brandin Podziemski and Kevon Looney were -21, -19 and -9 respectively. Kuminga was a lone bright spot in this one. He had 16 points on 11 shots and made 2-of-5 3-point attempts. Kuminga was -3 in 27 minutes, but gave the Warriors some much needed offense while Curry was off the floor.