Jaylen Brown out, Kemba Walker available Wednesday vs. Grizzlies [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Jan. 22, 1:44 p.m. — Walker is available to play vs. the Grizzlies. So with Brown out and Walker good to go, I still think Smart is going to be a popular play. At $5,700 on DraftKings, Smart should see 25-30 minutes and if Boston pulls away from Memphis, garbage time is in play.

UPDATE: Jan. 22, 11:50 a.m. — Jaylen Brown has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game vs. the Grizzlies. Brown had been dealing with a thumb sprain, but now it appears his ankle is the issue. Kemba Walker remains probable to return, but we don’t have confirmation on his status yet.

With Brown sidelined again, Marcus Smart should start in the back court and is a decent value option.

UPDATE: Jan. 21, 2:26 p.m. — Kemba Walker is probable while Jaylen Brown is questionable for Wednesday’s game vs. the Memphis Grizzlies.

Both guards were back in the lineup Monday on MLK Day in a blowout win over the Lakers at home. Walker and Brown each scored 20 points in the win and played north of 30 minutes, which is a great sign. Marcus Smart went back to his bench role, playing 27 minutes. He was unproductive though without the usage, scoring nine points with four assists and three boards. Kemba should be fine moving forward and play against Memphis. Brown is more of a question mark.

UPDATE: Jan. 20, 8:06 p.m. — A sigh of relief. After a brief trip to the locker room, Walker appears okay to return to the game. This injury is something to keep an eye on and it might impact his performance against the Lakers.

UPDATE: Jan. 20, 8:01 p.m. — Some bad news for the Celtics. Walker was forced to go to the locker room with what appeared to be a knee injury. He seemed to be favoring his left knee, which is the same one that forced him to miss Saturday’s game.

UPDATE: Jan. 20, 11:56 a.m. — Both Walker and Brown will be available to play vs. the Lakers. Walker has been dealing with a sore knee, while Brown has a thumb sprain that has kept him out. For now, it sounds like both will play but we’d like official confirmation on Walker (though I think we’re safe to use both in lineups).

Fantasy basketball analysis: Celtics Gs Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown

With both expected to be back, Marcus Smart gets a big downgrade in DFS. He was on track to be a trendy chalk play in the starting lineup after dropping 37 in Saturday’s loss to the Suns. Now he’ll go back to the bench and shouldn’t see nearly as much usage as over the weekend. Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward are also less appealing in DFS, particularly when you account for the Lakers getting AD back and L.A. being a top 10 defense.

Boston Celtics starting guards Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown are both questionable to play on Martin Luther King Jr. Day against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.

Walker and Brown were both missing from Saturday’s game vs. the Suns — it was Brown’s second game out and Kemba’s first with these particular injuries. Brown’s thumb didn’t have any tears after he received an MRI, but it’s still swollen enough to hold him out. Walker popped up as questionable Saturday and was later ruled out.

Fantasy basketball analysis: Boston Celtics G Marcus Smart

The Celtics may be reeling a bit and coming off a bad loss to the Suns at home, but damn was it fun to watch Smart chuck all game, right? With Walker and Brown out, Smart led the Celtics with 27 points, taking an absurd 22 three-point attempts, draining 11 of them somehow.

Gordon Hayward and Jayson Tatum were less effective, but both played over 39 minutes. Smart finished with 33 minutes and the rest of the rotation was very spread out. That was something Brad Stevens could get away with against Phoenix, but against LeBron James and the Lakers? I don’t know. If Walker and Brown are out again, Smart is probably an OK chalk play again, but L.A. plays much better defense than the Suns. We’ve got a lot of games on the MLK Day slate, so perhaps it’d be better looking elsewhere for DFS than the Celts.