Darius

Garland

Garland was as efficient as one could be inside the arc, shooting 6-of-6 on two-point shots, but his 0-of-11 shooting from deep left him completely unimpactful from behind the line. Yet, even with the shooting struggles, Garland was one of the Cavaliers’ highest scorers on the evening and concluded with a share of the most assists. Surely, fantasy managers will want more production from Garland going forward, but they must remain patient in the early stages of the season as he continues to work his way back from offseason toe surgery.

Friday’s game is the first of two in as many nights for the Cavaliers, who host the Warriors on Saturday. Garland’s absence opens up a spot in the starting lineup, which Lonzo Ball could fill since he’s available. He’s worth streaming in deep leagues when given this role, but the fantasy ceiling is limited.

Mitchell has scored at least 30 points in 13 games this season, including three of his last four. The Cavaliers guard once again did most of the heavy lifting offensively, as Darius Garland (6/3/4/0/1 with one three-pointer) shot 2-of-13 from the field. Mitchell had a tough night from deep, shooting 3-of-13 on three-pointers, but the two-point production salvaged the overall field-goal percentage. Cleveland hosts San Antonio on Friday.

Garland did not play in Monday’s win over the Pacers, which moved Dean Wade into the starting lineup. Wade should head back to the bench, with Jaylon Tyson continuing to start. The second-year wing has played well this season, most recently scoring 27 points on Monday.

With Darius Garland unavailable, Mitchell took on more of the playmaking responsibilities on Monday. That did not keep him from seeking his own shot, as the Cavaliers star put up 27 and finished with his first 40-point game of the season. Mitchell and Jaylon Tyson combined to score 70 of Cleveland’s 135 points, more than compensating for the absences of Garland and Jarrett Allen. So far, Mitchell has provided first-round per-game value in eight-cat formats, and he isn’t far away from doing the same in nine-cat.

Garland logged 31 minutes in Sunday’s loss to the Celtics, but he’ll sit out the second leg of Cleveland’s back-to-back set. With Lonzo Ball (illness) and Sam Merrill (hand) also out, expect Craig Porter Jr. and Tyrese Proctor to see increased run. Donovan Mitchell should be in line for monster usage, while Jaylon Tyson could get also get a bump in usage.

Garland was back in the lineup after sitting out the second leg of Cleveland’s back-to-back on Monday. He set a new season high for minutes (33) and assists, which led to his first double-double of the season. Garland has only played six games this year, which isn’t a lot of time to get on track. As he logs more minutes, he’ll continue to see his production improve.

The Cavaliers will start their preferred five on Friday, with Garland, Hunter and Allen back in the fold. Their returns push Lonzo Ball, Jaylon Tyson and Larry Nance Jr. to the bench, although Allen’s minutes may be restricted due to the amount of time he’s missed.

Garland did not play in Monday’s loss to the Raptors, as it was Cleveland’s second game in as many nights. While Lonzo Ball struggled with his shot, the fact that he played 35 minutes is more important. He’ll head back to the bench since Garland is available.

Porter has missed Cleveland’s last two games with a strained left hamstring. While his absence may not impact fantasy basketball by itself, it does leave the Cavaliers down an option in the backcourt. Darius Garland will be available after sitting out Monday’s loss to the Raptors for injury management reasons, so Cleveland should be fine regarding perimeter depth.