Dean Wade DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (ankle) has been sidelined since November 17 with an ankle issue, and it looked like he would miss Tuesday's game as well. However, he was upgraded to questionable and could be ready to rejoin the Cavs' bench. He was in Cleveland's second unit for his last six games, producing 3.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while playing 19.7 minutes per game. While he has been out, Isaac Okoro and Georges Niang have played expanded roles, and they will have their roles reduced when Wade returns. All three have struggled to produce many impact games, though, when the Cavs are at full strength.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (ankle) will not take the floor on Tuesday versus Boston. He will miss his third game of the season after spraining his left ankle against Charlotte over the weekend. Wade's fantasy impact is minimal, with the 27-year-old averaging 5.5 points and 4.2 rebounds, but he's been a valuable member of the rotation and certainly will be missed as Cleveland tries to defend its unbeaten record against the defending champs. Wade's absence opens up around 20 minutes of action. Georges Niang, Caris LeVert (knee), Isaac Okoro (ankle), and Sam Merrill (ankle) can all potentially benefit from his absence, but the latter three are battling injuries themselves and might join Wade on the sidelines Tuesday.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (illness) will miss his second consecutive game on Wednesday night when the Cavaliers face off against the New Orleans Pelicans. Wade missed Monday night's win against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday dealing with the same illness. Wade's averaged 6.9 PPG and 4.4 RPG this season. Wade's absence shouldn't scare Cleveland much given his minimal production and a matchup against a weakened New Orleans Pelicans team. Expect Isaac Okoro to start in his place as was the case on Monday night. Okoro is averaging 5.0 PPG this season. Though shooting 46.7% from three is appealing, his minimal volume in Cleveland's offense means there are better options available to fantasy managers on the waiver wire.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (illness) won't play on Monday versus Milwaukee. Wade has been starting in place of the injured Max Strus (ankle). However, he's averaged only 6.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals this season. With Caris LeVert (knee) also out, Isaac Okoro will move into the starting lineup and be worth adding to fantasy lineups. The same can be said for Sam Merrill, who had 17 points in 22 minutes off the bench on Saturday against the Bucks, the first of back-to-back contests between the clubs.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade will start in Wednesday's meeting with the Raptors. Max Strus (ankle) will be sidelined for at least four weeks, so Wade will do his best to fill the void in the lineup. Unfortunately, the 27-year-old averaged only 6.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 32 starts last season. With that in mind, fantasy managers shouldn't consider him a trustworthy option versus Toronto. Instead, Caris LeVert could exceed offensive expectations and is worth streaming, even though he'll come off the bench.