Chris

Boucher

Queta sprained his left ankle during the first quarter of Sunday’s win over the Magic and did not return. His absence gave John Minott and Chris Boucher more minutes, but Wednesday’s matchup may lead to additional playing time for Luka Garza or Xavier Tillman. Of the four, Minott offers the highest fantasy ceiling.

Queta sprained his ankle during the first quarter of Sunday’s game. While the Celtics announced at halftime that he was questionable to return, the 7-footer never did. To account for his absence, Boston went small for extended periods, with Josh Minott (16/7/1/0/1 with two three-pointers) and Chris Boucher (1/1/1/1/1) being the only interior reserves to play rotation minutes. Boston is off until Wednesday, when it kicks off a three-game Week 6 with a home game against the red-hot Pistons.

Garza is available after sitting out Friday’s loss to the Knicks. His return could result in fewer minutes for Chris Boucher or Xavier Tillman Sr., but none are worth the risk in fantasy leagues until one sets himself apart from the pack.

Garza played six minutes in the first half on Wednesday before exiting with a concussion, and now he’s expected to miss multiple games. Concussions shouldn’t lead to a multi-week absence, but until Garza is back, Neemias Queta, Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman will occupy the center minutes. Garza will likely only take a few minutes away from the aforementioned trio when he returns.

Playing against the Raptors for the first time, Boucher received a warm welcome in Toronto. The return to Canada may have gotten the Montreal native fired up, as he was excellent in 23 minutes of action. After years of unfulfilled fantasy potential, this may be the year when Boucher comes through for those who refused to give up on him. Boston’s frontcourt rotation is anything but settled, which may mean consistent playing time for Boucher. He’s worth taking a late-round flier on.

Wednesday’s game is the preseason opener for the Celtics, so fantasy managers should not read too much into the team’s starting lineup. White and Brown are the expected starters and should see their fantasy ceilings rise due to Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury and the departure of multiple rotation players. As for Hauser, Boucher and Tillman, they’ll be in the mix for rotation minutes throughout the season, but none is guaranteed to be a starter on Opening Night.

The eight-year vet and two-time champ spent the last seven years with the Raptors, departing as the franchise’s all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocks, games and minutes off the bench. With Al Horford unsigned, Boston’s frontcourt rotation currently includes Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman and Luka Garza. Shams reports that Boucher is expected to play a significant role for his new team, and given the state of the depth chart, that’s not hard to believe. As a stretch big who can block shots and hit triples, Boucher is a worthwhile dart throw in the later rounds of 2025-26 fantasy drafts.

Boucher last played on February 26, and he’ll end the season with averages of 10 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 triples in 17.2 minutes per game. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer and could end up leaving Toronto despite being with the team since 2018.

Boucher is a late addition to the injury report, though his status for this game won’t impact Toronto’s rotation. Even when healthy, he hasn’t appeared in a game since February, even with the Raptors tanking in recent weeks.

Wednesday’s game will be the third in four that Poeltl has not played due to injury. His absence has freed up additional minutes for Jonathan Mogbo and Orlando Robinson, with the former starting Sunday’s game against the Nets. As for Boucher, he has not appeared in a game since February 26. While he is technically healthy. Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said it would be unfair to Chris to play him under those circumstances.