Houston Rockets guards Tari Eason and Reed Sheppard will move into the starting five ahead of Friday's Game 3 against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Rockets will be without Kevin Durant (ankle), which is a huge blow to this team that is already down 2-0 in the series. With that being said, Houston will shake it up and shift Josh Okogie to the bench with one of Eason or Sheppard taking his spot in the starting unit. Sheppard dropped 17 points and eight assists during Saturday's Game 1 loss. He was quiet on Tuesday, but could be an interesting DFS option without Durant on the court. Eason probably has less overall upside, but is a more consistent option ahead of Friday's slate. Both players will need to pick it up offensively without Durant available on Friday.

Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker won the NBA's Most Improved Player award on Friday. A well-deserved win for Alexander-Walker, who posted an impressive 2025-2026 season. During the regular season, Alexander-Walker averaged 20.8 points, 1.3 steals, and 3.2 three-pointers across 33.4 minutes per game. The 27-year-old has bounced around since entering the league in 2019, but appears to have found a home in Atlanta. His excellent play is a key reason as to why the Hawks made the postseason. He put together top-five value at his position this season and has certainly raised his fantasy value heading into the 2026-2027 campaign.

Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley (hamstring) will miss the entire first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Quickley hasn't been able to suit up at all this series after suffering a hamstring injury during the regular-season finale. He suffered a setback during his rehab process and he won't be available at all during the first round. This is a major blow to the Raptors, who are already down in the series. The continued absence of Quickley should mean that Jamal Snead and Ja'Kobe Walter will see larger workloads for the rest of the series. Neither player is a great option, but Snead is the better choice between the two right now. If the Raptors do advance to the next round, fantasy managers should check back to see if Quickley will be available for that series.

Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (ankle) has been officially ruled out ahead of Friday's Game 3 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Durant missed Game 1 due to a right knee issue, but was back on the court for Game 2. Unfortunately, Durant suffered a left ankle sprain during Tuesday's loss. The Rockets are already down 2-0 in the series and will have a tough hill to climb without Durant on Friday. The expectation is that Reed Sheppard will move into the starting five. He was scoreless across 11 minutes of action on Tuesday, but his value will increase without Durant on the court. Tari Eason and Jae'Sean Tate are candidates to see more time on the court as well. Out of the bunch, Eason seems to be the most trustworthy DFS option in Durant's absence. Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun will be asked to do the heavy lifting on Friday.