Simone

Fontecchio

Fontecchio’s continued absence has had a more significant impact on fantasy basketball, opening up a spot in the starting lineup. Troy Brown Jr. and Tosan Evbumonwan have received the nod at various points, but neither has done enough to merit being rostered in fantasy leagues. Grimes has been out since March 13, with Evan Fournier playing rotation minutes off the bench. Managers needing a streamer would be better served with Fournier than Brown or Evbuomwan.

Fontecchio and Grimes will remain sidelined, and it’s unknown when (or if) either will be cleared to play. The absence of the former is more impactful in fantasy basketball, with Troy Brown Jr. replacing him in the starting lineup. Brown has not done enough to merit being streamed, especially with 12 games on the schedule for Wednesday.

Fontecchio will miss a fourth consecutive game due to a toe injury, leaving Troy Brown Jr. in the starting lineup. However, Brown only played 21 minutes in Friday’s loss to the Celtics, and Evan Fournier would be a better streaming option despite coming off the bench.

Fontecchio remains sidelined for a third consecutive game, while Umude injured his ankle during Wednesday’s loss to the Pacers. Evan Fournier and Troy Brown Jr. are two players in line for additional minutes due to the injuries, with the former being the better streaming option in deep leagues.

Detroit already lost Ausar Thompson and Isaiah Stewart for the season, which was announced Wednesday afternoon. They will be incredibly shorthanded for this game and will likely have to turn to Evan Fournier and Chimezie Metu, who they signed to a 10-day deal earlier in the day, to play big minutes.

Both players had already been ruled out for Wednesday’s game, with Stewart suffering this injury on Monday and Thompson having already missed five games. Neither will be available during the final 14 games of Detroit’s season due to these ailments. Simone Fontecchio should start when he is available, though he is questionable to play against Indiana. They recently signed Chimezie Metu to a two-way deal, and he should see minutes when he joins the team. Marcus Sasser, Stanley Umude and Evan Fournier should also see a few extra minutes now that the Pistons will be down two starters for the rest of the season.

Fontecchio was held out of Monday’s loss to Boston, and Stanley Umude replaced him in the starting lineup. Umude’s fantasy value, which was non-existent before the spot start, will return to normal levels if Fontecchio is cleared to play.

Cunningham and Fontecchio will sit out Monday’s game, the Pistons’ second in as many days. Jaden Ivey, Marcus Sasser, and Evan Fournier should all experience boosts to their respective fantasy values, with the former already rostered in 66% of Yahoo leagues. Sasser and Fournier will be easier to find on most waiver wires.

The Pistons are playing the second game of a back-to-back set, so it’s not surprising to see Thompson on the sidelines. Fontecchio’s injury is a new one, and if he’s ultimately unavailable, look for Evan Fournier and Troy Brown Jr. to step into larger roles.

Thompson will miss a fourth straight game, and with Grimes out, Simone Fontecchio should be in line for heavy usage once again. Over his last four, Fontecchio has averaged 20.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 3.5 triples across 35.3 minutes.