Boston Celtics DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Boston Celtics guard/forward Jaylen Brown didn't appear on the injury report heading into their first game fresh off of the All-Star break. Brown and the Celtics will take on a battered and bruised Chicago Bulls team on Thursday. This presents a great matchup for fantasy managers who have a lot of stock in the Celtics as their whole typical rotation is expected to be good to go for this one. Brown was able to participate in the dunk contest and All-Star game this past weekend, so it seems his shoulder issue from last week should be a thing of the past. He'll be a must-start player as he remains in the starting five with the usual faces.

Chicago Bulls forward Torrey Craig (knee) suffered a right knee sprain while training during the All-Star break. He will be re-evaluated in a few weeks. However, the veteran could be sidelined longer. Craig has averaged 6.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.1 assists with the Bulls this season. Unfortunately, he'll now be on the shelf for the second time this year, missing over a month because of a foot injury. Craig was also starting to get enough minutes to make him a relevant fantasy option in deeper formats. But now that he is out for the foreseeable future, he can be dropped from all fantasy rosters.

Boston Celtics guard/forward Jaylen Brown (shoulder) finished as the third-highest scorer of this year's All-Star Game in Indianapolis on Sunday, producing 36 points in 22 minutes off the bench for the Eastern squad in a 211-186 win. Brown missed the final game ahead of the All-Star break with a shoulder issue, but he took part in Saturday's dunk contest and didn't appear to be limited in any way on Sunday either, hitting 15-for-23 from the field and 6-for-12 from outside. Brown's form has been shaky lately, as he's averaged only 16.0 points for the month, but Sunday's performance should be a good confidence booster for him ahead of the final couple of months of the season.

Boston Celtics forward/center Kristaps Porzingis was limited to only 16 minutes of action against Brooklyn on Wednesday due to a left ankle injury. However, he isn't expected to miss any time, with the big man himself admitting postgame that it wasn't a serious issue and he was available to return to the game. Boston elected to keep Porzingis out of action in the second half after jumping to a massive 66-32 lead in the first 24 minutes. After getting rested versus the Nets on Tuesday, Porzingis had a very productive outing in the limited minutes with 15 points, five rebounds, one block, and three triples. He now gets to give his ankle plenty of rest until the next game, which is scheduled for Feb. 22 against Chicago.

Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (back) is off the team's injury report ahead of Wednesday's contest versus the Brooklyn Nets. A lower back contusion forced Porzingis from Sunday's win over the Miami Heat late, and he missed Tuesday's victory over the Brooklyn Nets, but he'll be available for Boston's final game before the All-Star break. The Celtics will hold out Al Horford (toe) due to a sprained left big toe, but he and Porzingis have alternated appearances on back to-back sets all year long. The Latvian All-Star has been a second-round fantasy value in nine-category leagues during his debut season in Beantown, banking 20.4 points on 52.9% shooting from the field, 7.0 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, and 1.8 threes per game. Make sure Porzingis is in all season-long lineups despite a tough matchup against a Nets squad that ranks ninth in opponent field-goal percentage (46.9%).