Raul

Neto

Brazil won its opener in comfortable fashion, beating Iran by a 100-59 final score, but it came at a significant cost. Neto played 15 minutes before going down with a serious knee, which was suffered on a drive to the basket. Given the severity of the injury, Neto’s likely looking at a long path to recovery. He agreed to a deal with Fenerbahce earlier this summer, so the Turkish club will likely be in the market for another point guard.

Cleveland has been locked in as the 4th seed in the East for a while, but they still started this game with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. They each played 12 minutes before sitting the rest of the game. That allowed for plenty of other guys to get involved in the box score, and Merrill led the way with 17 points. Raul Neto and Danny Green each added 13 points off the bench, and Robin Lopez was the only other player to score in double figures. None of these guys will play in their next game, which will be at home against New York in their first playoff game without LeBron James since the 1997-98 season.

Garland is on the lengthy list of Cavaliers ruled out for Thursday’s game, with Cleveland now locked into its seed and first-round matchup for the NBA Playoffs. Ricky Rubio and Raul Neto will handle the point guard duties in some capacity in Orlando, making both players worthwhile streamers in leagues that are still active.

Green and Neto were cleared shortly before tipoff. However, neither has been in the rotation on most nights when healthy. This will not impact fantasy basketball.

There’s now a chance that Green and Neto will be available for Friday’s game, but neither is in the rotation on most nights. Fantasy managers can find better options on the waiver wire, especially with 13 games being played on Friday.

Neto has missed their last two games, but even if he’s available to play on Friday, he won’t play enough for him to be worth rostering in any format.

Neto will remain sidelined for a third straight game, and this doesn’t impact fantasy basketball. When healthy, he’s third in the pecking order at the point, behind Darius Garland and Ricky Rubio.

Neto has missed Cleveland’s last two games with a strained hamstring. Even if he’s cleared to play, the veteran point guard is unlikely to get the minutes needed to be of value to fantasy managers. Leave Neto on the waiver wire.

Rubio, who missed Cleveland’s final game before the All-Star break due to illness, will sit out the first game back for injury management reasons. While Raul Neto may pick up some rotation minutes, Caris LeVert will be impacted more by Rubio’s absence. He played 28 minutes in the February 15 loss to the 76ers and spent more time on the ball, which enhanced his fantasy value. LeVert is rostered in 35% of Yahoo leagues. While he has been underwhelming overall, this would be a good time to roll the dice on LeVert.

Rubio’s absence opens the door for Raul Neto to rejoin the rotation, but he isn’t worth adding in any fantasy leagues. In fact, the magnitude of this matchup may result in Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert taking on more playmaking responsibilities whenever Darius Garland needs to rest.