Jaylen

Wells

Williams has been out since November 19, when he suffered a severe ankle sprain during a game against the Nuggets. While he is progressing in his recovery, the third-year wing is still at least three weeks away from being cleared to play. Williams’s and GG Jackson’s absences have opened up opportunities for rookie Jaylen Wells, who has locked down a place in the starting lineup.

Wells’ performance on Thursday is why defensive stats alone can’t be used to gauge a player’s performance on that end of the floor. The rookie wing was given the arduous task of defending Stephen Curry, and he passed the test with flying colors. The Warriors star finished 0-of-7 from the field, scoring just two points. And that assignment didn’t prevent Wells from providing solid offensive production. He isn’t a player who should be rostered in many fantasy leagues, but deep-league managers should watch Wells moving forward.

Kennard is a late addition to the injury report, but he hasn’t played a large enough role this season to impact fantasy basketball. If he is forced to miss this game, his minutes will likely be divided between Marcus Smart, Jaylen Wells and Jake LaRavia, among others. Memphis runs a large enough rotation that Kennard’s absence won’t directly benefit any individual player enough to give them a fantasy boost.

Wells has scored 13 points or more in four of his last five games. Rostered in 10% of Yahoo leagues, the rookie is ranked just outside the top 100 in 9-cat formats over the previous week. Wells is on a two-way contract, which limits him to 50 regular-season appearances. Few, if any, expected him to have the impact he’s had thus far.

On a two-way contract, Wells has been more impactful than anyone outside the Grizzlies organization anticipated before the season began. Of course, injuries made it necessary for the rookie to play, but give Wells credit for being ready for the opportunity. He finished Saturday’s win with a season-high 26 points, and fantasy managers will also welcome the assists and 3-pointers. Memphis plays four games in Week 6, beginning with Portland on Monday.

Friday’s game will be Bane’s first since October 30, so fantasy managers should plan for his minutes to be restricted. In time, his return will impact Jaylen Wells and Santi Aldama the most, with the latter most likely to become irrelevant in fantasy basketball leagues.

Bane, who has not appeared in a game since October 30, is closing in on a return. His availability will impact Jaylen Wells and Santi Aldama the most, as they’ve been used at shooting guard and small forward, respectively. Of the two, Aldama is better equipped to withstand Bane’s return concerning fantasy value.

When Memphis selected Wells with the 39th pick in the draft last summer, they probably weren’t planning on him being part of their starting unit in November. However, the 3-point marksman has played important minutes for them due to the plethora of injuries that they’re facing once again. He had an off-night in Monday’s loss, but he has scored at least 15 in three of his four starts, and the team is 3-1 when he is part of the opening unit. He’s worth streaming in deeper leagues as long as Desmond Bane remains sidelined.

This will be a third straight absence for Konchar, and when you combine that with the other injuries, Memphis will have to rely on Scotty Pippen Jr., Jaylen Wells and Jake LaRavia to continue to play big minutes. Wells should get another start after scoring 15 points in 36 minutes on Saturday.

Due to his quad injury, Konchar is on track to miss a third straight game. With Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart already sidelined, Jaylen Wells, Scotty Pippen Jr., and Jake LaRavia have figured more prominently in the Grizzlies’ rotation. Pippen and Wells are the first two players deep-league managers should seek if looking for streaming value.