Jakob

Poeltl

Poeltl is set to miss his second game of the month on Thursday. Chris Boucher and Kelly Olynyk will get chances to contribute more in the aftermath.

Poeltl injured his groin when he planted his foot on defense in the second half against the Bulls Monday. He ended up doing the splits, almost as if there was a wet spot on the floor. Poeltl headed to the locker room and was quickly ruled out so he could be down for at least another game or two in the future.

Poeltl will start after coming off the bench in Thursday’s game against Miami when he was initially believed to be a late scratch. Bruno Fernando heads to the bench and is not worth rostering in fantasy leagues. Also of note is Barrett remaining in the role of primary playmaker while Mogbo makes another start for the injured Scottie Barnes.

Poeltl checked in just two minutes into the game. Barring a change, he should play his typical role for the remainder of this game. The managers that were upset about Poeltl being a late scratch can now rejoice.

A few minutes after tipoff was scheduled Toronto has added Poeltl to the injury report as doubtful. They’re technically not ruling out the possibility that Poeltl plays off the bench, but the odds are low. Fernando will start, with Kelly Olynyk seeing extra minutes off the bench. However, the change happened after lineups would have locked, which means there isn’t anything fantasy managers can do.

In addition to scoring at least 20 points in a game for the seventh time this season, Poeltl racked up a season-high seven assists. After sitting out Thursday’s loss to Oklahoma City with an illness, he looked perfectly fine and played 33 minutes against Dallas’ two-headed monster of Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. Poeltl has provided top 50 value in 8- and 9-cat formats, significantly exceeding his Yahoo ADP (93).

Initially questionable for Saturday’s game, Poeltl is available to play after a one-game absence. He’ll occupy his usual place in the starting lineup, meaning fewer minutes for Chris Boucher and Jonathan Mogbo. Poeltl’s return also means Bruno Fernando drops from the starting lineup and may be out of the rotation entirely.

Poeltl was also questionable on Thursday against the Thunder and ended up sitting out. Jonathan Mogbo and Chris Boucher both saw more minutes in Poeltl’s absence with Mogbo scoring 17 points in 23 minutes. Bruno Fernando also entered the rotation, but only scored four points in the blowout loss.

Poeltl was initially questionable for Thursday’s game but has been ruled out. His absence frees up minutes for Chris Boucher and Jonathan Mogbo, the former offering a higher fantasy upside. Bruno Fernando may also enter the rotation but is not worth the streaming risk in most leagues.

Poeltl has been excellent this season, so it would be a real shame if he were to miss Thursday’s matchup with Oklahoma City. Chris Boucher has the most upside of potential fill-ins if Poeltl can’t go, but wouldn’t be a recommended streamer in that event.