Robert Williams, Jaylen Brown probable Monday vs. Rockets

Update: Williams and Jaylen Brown are probable for Monday’s game against the Rockets. Both would be welcome additions for a Celtics team hoping to get a winning streak started.

Update: Williams missed Friday’s game and will now also miss Saturday’s game with a knee injury.

Update: Williams is out for Friday’s game, but Schroder is available for the Celtics.

Update: Williams and PG Dennis Schroder are game-time decisions Friday against the Lakers. Brown remains out but could return as soon as Saturday against the Thunder according to head coach Ime Udoka.

Boston Celtics C Robert Williams and G Jaylen Brown will not play in Wednesday’s game vs. the Atlanta Hawks. Williams is dealing with knee soreness and coach Ime Udoka said that it’s not expected to be a long-term thing. Brown remains sidelined due to a hamstring injury but is ramping up activity.

Williams had entered the game questionable to play and was ruled out in the early afternoon before tip-off later Wednesday night. He was forced to leave early against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night and did not return, only playing 13 minutes with no points.

Fantasy basketball impact

Expect the Celtics to use more Grant Williams with Time Lord sidelined. We should see the Celtics use a smaller lineup with Jayson Tatum at PF and Al Horford at C against the Hawks. Williams could start in the front court or Josh Richardson could play on the wing. Either way, Grant Williams and Richardson should see plenty of time against Atlanta. Romeo Langford and/or Aaron Nesmith figure to see an uptick as well.

All four of Richardson, Grant Williams, Nesmith and Langford are $3,300 or cheaper on DraftKings for Wednesday’s slate. All four will make for decent value options, though I’d lean Grant Williams and J-Rich. Even Dennis Schroder ($6,500) and Marcus Smart ($5,300) are good GPP plays.

Betting impact

The Celtics are getting 4.5 points on the road vs. ATL. Boston will have a tough time dealing with Clint Capela and John Collins, but the Hawks also have a few injuries to consider. De’Andre Hunter is out long-term, while Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter are both banged up. The Celtics can still hang around in this game, though ATL has won two in a row with some momentum. I’d still lean on Celtics and the points in this one despite the loss of Time Lord.

The over/under is 216 and that feels like a high number given the bodies this game could be missing. Trae Young would need to go bonkers for the Hawks but most of the game scripts feel like they’d play out for the under. The Hawks could blow the Celtics out and Boston would struggle to put up the necessary points. The other side is the game is competitive but tight with the Celtics clamping down on Young on defense.