Will Richard tallies 15 points vs. Portland

Lendeborg has been Golden State’s best player through the first week of the season, and his 31/12/6 line on Monday led to an upset road win over the Nuggets. If Lendeborg is forced to sit out against Minnesota, Will Richard and Georges Niang could see more run, but neither carry much streaming appeal for fantasy hoops.

With Stephen Curry and Brandin Podziemski sitting out the second game of Golden State’s back-to-back, Williams and Will Richard (11 points, one assist, two steals, one block and three three-pointers) were inserted into the starting lineup on Saturday. After shooting 4-of-17 in Golden State’s first two games, Williams was much more efficient against the Suns. His fantasy value will depend on the schedule going forward, and the Warriors end their four-game Week 2 with another back-to-back.

Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski and Draymond Green are all unavailable after starting Friday’s loss to the Grizzlies. They’ve been replaced in the starting lineup by Williams, Richard and Santos. Given the absences, all three are worth streaming in deep leagues, while Yaxel Lendeborg should already be rostered in standard leagues.

No surprise here as Curry said after Friday’s loss to the Grizzlies that he probably wouldn’t play against the Suns Saturday. With Brandin Podziemski also out, De’Anthony Melton and Will Richard could start and see significant minutes.

In his third season with Dallas, Williams enjoyed the most productive campaign of his career behind averages of 13 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.2 “stocks.” He’ll offer depth to a Warriors team that surprisingly stood pat during free agency, and Williams will compete for backup guard minutes with the likes of De’Anthony Melton and Will Richard.

Richard looked on Friday like someone who’d logged legitimate NBA minutes before. He shot the ball efficiently, did some nice secondary playmaking, and was active defensively with his hands. But one of the most important takeaways from the contest was how productive Richard was from beyond the arc. He shot 4-of-5 from deep, which is big, considering the 33.5 percent of three-pointers he made last season as a rookie. If he can remain consistent from the three-point line, Richard should be able to find a bigger role next season on a team that currently has limited backcourt depth.

Richard is good to go for Sunday’s regular-season finale. With the Warriors locked into the No. 10 seed in the West, the rookie wing may play extended minutes if his back holds up.

While both were available for Friday’s loss to the Kings, Richard was limited to three minutes off the bench while Green started and logged 24. If Richard can’t play, his minutes can be absorbed by the Warriors’ other perimeter reserves, such as De’Anthony Melton and Pat Spencer. A void left by Green would be more challenging to fill, with Gary Payton II being one of the options.

Richard missed Thursday’s game against the Lakers, but he’s set to return after a one-game absence. The 23-year-old guard figures to have his typical reserve role.

Golden State may be done some additional role players, which means De’Anthony Melton and Brandin Podziemski will need to step up and handle expanded workloads.