RJ Barrett

While Walter entered Thursday having started four of Toronto's previous five games due to RJ Barrett's knee injury, he hadn't taken advantage of the opportunity. The one double-digit scoring effort in that run occurred in the game that the second-year guard did not start, and he averaged 6.6 points on 36.4 percent shooting. There were no such issues for Walter against the Lakers, as he tallied a season-high point total. One game doesn't make Walter trustworthy in most fantasy leagues, but Thursday was a step in the right direction.

Barrett has already been ruled out for a fifth straight game on Tuesday, which means Ja'Kobe Walter will continue to start in his place. Barrett is reportedly improving and remains "day-to-day", but his next chance to suit up will be against the Lakers on Thursday.

Dick exited early on Wednesday, but that won't keep him sidelined against Charlotte. With RJ Barrett still sidelined, Dick should see a bump in minutes, and Ja'Kobe Walter, who played 32 minutes after Dick's early exit, will likely see his minutes decrease from that game, but he'll still play more than he typically does. However, neither will be reliable streaming options in standard leagues.

Walter was replaced in the starting lineup by Collin Murray-Boyles (zero points and one rebound in eight minutes), but the change did not have a negative impact on his playing time. Walter, who replaced CMB in the lineup to begin the third quarter, played a season-high 32 minutes. While he isn't a must-roster player, injuries to RJ Barrett and Gradey Dick add some appeal to Walter in deep leagues, especially with one of Toronto's final two games of Week 6 being against the struggling Hornets.

Gradey fell hard on his back late in the first quarter, forcing his head to snap back and hit the court. After some time in the bench area just before the start of the second, he went back to the locker room to be evaluated, and the Raptors have ruled Gradey out for the rest of the night. His absence likely means more minutes for Ja'Kobe Walter, especially with RJ Barrett (knee) out for at least one week.