D'Angelo

Russell

Reaves has missed the Lakers’ last two games, and there is a chance that he makes it a third straight absence against Miami. D’Angelo Russell played well as a starter in place of Reaves in their last game and should have a large workload again if Reaves remains sidelined.

After missing their last game, Russell was back in the lineup for this one. With Austin Reaves still sidelined, Russell was able to get the starting nod in this one, and he took advantage of the opportunity. It has been a frustrating season for D’Lo, but with both Anthony Davis and LeBron James struggling, he stepped up. It wasn’t enough to make this a close game, but it was encouraging to see Russell set a new season-high for scoring. He has put together a few strong performances recently, so hopefully he can maintain this momentum.

The Lakers are again without Austin Reaves, who will miss a second straight game due to a pelvic contusion. Russell is back after not playing in Utah on Sunday and will start, bumping Gabe Vincent to the bench. D’Lo has struggled coming off the bench; hopefully, the lineup change adds to his fantasy value.

Reaves will miss another game, with Gabe Vincent having started in his place in the last one. However, with D’Angelo Russell back for this one, Vincent will be pushed back to the bench.

Both guards will be available after missing the Lakers’ previous game on Sunday. With Russell back, Gabe Vincent will likely be pushed back to the bench, though all three will likely play significant roles with Austin Reaves sidelined once again.

Russell is on track to return following a one-game absence, and he should handle a normal workload off the bench against his former team.

The Lakers will be down three rotation guards on Sunday, with Russell, Reddish, and Austin Reaves all sidelined. The absences will mean more minutes for Gabe Vincent and Max Christie; neither qualifies as a reliable streaming option. Then again, the Lakers are shorthanded to the point where Vincent could emerge on Sunday.

Russell’s fantasy value has decreased recently due to a move to the bench. If illness results in D’Lo sitting out Sunday’s game, more minutes would be available to Gabe Vincent. However, Vincent would not have much streaming value in most leagues.

Russell has struggled all season, but his numbers have dropped off even more in his move to the bench. He played well in his first game following his demotion, but this was his highest-scoring game since then. Russell has ranked outside the top-200 since becoming the team’s sixth man, and even his good games haven’t been great for fantasy managers. He’s still rostered in 84% of Yahoo leagues, and it’s difficult to drop a player that was selected in the middle rounds. However, the production has been nowhere near his ADP, and there isn’t much hope for a turnaround.

Due to Cam Reddish joining Rui Hachimura on the sideline, Christie made his first start of the season on Saturday. While the numbers weren’t good, his effort kept him on the floor for 30 minutes, while D’Angelo Russell (seven points, one rebound, five assists, one steal, and one 3-pointer) played 21. There’s no need to stream Christie, while Russell managers will have a difficult decision ahead of Week 5: hold with the hope that he’ll play is way back into the starting lineup, or cut bait.