Austin Daye got 18 minutes of run with Charlie Villanueva (personal) out on Tuesday, and unsurprisingly hit 4-of-6 shots from the field (2-of-2 from downtown) on his way to 12 points, one rebound, and not much else.

He has now hit 18-of-37 (49%) of his 3-balls, and John Kuester gets roasted on a daily basis by anybody covering the team for his inability to find time for the early MIP candidate. We understand if you don't have space, but he's a solid roster stash knowing the Pistons will likely move their vets and go young as the losses mount -- even if it is months too late.

Austin Daye is not expected to return to the Pistons' rotation this week.

The Pistons are going to need girth as they have Dwight Howard and the Magic on the schedule twice this week. Daye hasn't played more than seven minutes since Nov. 17, turning his talent into fantasy waiver-wire fodder.

Pistons coach John Kuester explained Austin Daye's recent DNP-CDs by saying it's difficult to find minutes for more than 10 players.

When Jason Maxiell has started, Daye hasn't gotten off the pine. However, Kuester has no problem finding minutes for a creaky Tracy McGrady. It's a poor decision by the Pistons to stunt their young talent's growth, but there's nothing fantasy owners can do. For now, Daye is waiver-wire fodder in most formats.

Austin Daye got another DNP-CD on Tuesday, as the Pistons fell by the score of 88-84 against the Mavs.

What John Kuester and Joe Dumars are doing to this team is criminal, and we'd love to find out what the master plan is -- but we don't think there is one. Daye is a walking mismatch that belongs on the court, but can only be held onto as a roster stash, for obvious reasons.

After Austin Daye picked up a DNP-CD on Sunday, Pistons beat writer Dave Pemberton wrote, "There is no reason [Daye] should not leave the bench for a Pistons team clearly in rebuild mode (even if they won't admit it)."

Amen. Daye was benched in favor of Jason Maxiell for matchup purposes, and Detroit did win the game, but we're not sure why he couldn't even crack the rotation. Pemberton goes on to call Daye "a matchup nightmare...He's a 6-11 guy that can handle the ball and shoot the 3 (51.7 percent this season)." If you can afford to keep him stashed away, it should pay off when (or if) Daye routinely plays starters minutes.

Austin Daye picked up another DNP-CD against the Wizards on Sunday, benched in favor of Jason Maxiell.

Daye's situation is precarious at best -- he can't effectively contain big PFs and the Pistons are set at SF (as long as Tayshaun Prince is around). Perhaps all fantasy owners need to know is that he has yet to play 27+ minutes in a game this season.

Austin Daye had 12 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and a 3-pointer in 23 minutes of Wednesday's home loss to the Lakers.

The Pistons are a mess, but Daye is a guy you'll want to continue to monitor closely. He's not worth starting in most leagues, but could easily see a boost in production if the Pistons ever make a trade or commit to developing their young talent. But for now, Daye probably belongs on waiver wires in leagues smaller than 14-team leagues.

Austin Daye is starting for the Pistons on Wednesday.

This is news after he was benched at the end of the Golden State game, when the Pistons clearly needed a 3-point shooter on the court.

Austin Daye started at power forward on Monday and tied the franchise record for consecutive 3-pointers made with 10 before finally missing one, and finished with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting (including two threes) to go with three rebounds and three assists.

Yes, this is a good outing in terms of his fantasy outlook, but before the game John Kuester said he would be rotating his starters at the PF position. We love Daye's talent, but Kuester is killing him -- with the Pistons needing a three in the waning moments, he benched the guy who made the third most consecutive 3s in NBA history.

Austin Daye will start at PF against the Warriors on Monday due to matchups.

This makes sense against a smaller Warriors squad, but the bad news for all involved is that John Keuster says the lineup is going to vary from game to game. If you're looking for a spot-starter, Daye could be worth a look in this type of ballgame.

Austin Daye went from starting for the Pistons to receiving a DNP-CD on Sunday.

It's possible that Daye was the victim of a poor matchup, as Sacramento boasts considerable size and depth in their frontcourt. He's been ineffective as a starting PF, however, and given this demotion fantasy owners should feel free to cut him for a promising FA.

Pistons president Joe Dumars had nothing but compliments when asked about forward Austin Daye.

"He just kind of got moved to [power forward] and we've asked him to go out there and battle guys where he's giving up 40, 50 pounds," said Dumars. "He's never blinked an eye. Really liked him in the summer. Really liked him in training camp. Really liked him during the preseason. He's been good during the start of the regular season, but we still are very encouraged by this young player." Daye has been inconsistent thus far, but clearly he has a bright future in Detroit.

Austin Daye showed signs of life against the Blazers on Tuesday, scoring 15 points on 4-of-5 shooting (3-of-3 from downtown) with eight rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block in 23 minutes.

Ironically, him and Charlie Villanueva were both singled out for their effort tonight, and they are battling for the same minutes. It's clear that the young guys need to play in Detroit, and while this showing puts Daye back in the roster-stash category, he's not going to be consistent until some dudes get traded.

Austin Daye started but played just 16 minutes on Sunday, scoring nine points with two rebounds and an assist while picking up five fouls.

If you were deciding whether to cut bait on Daye before the game, Sunday's effort should make that decision easier.

Austin Daye disappointed owners once again on Friday, playing just 18 minutes and scoring eight points on 3-of-6 shooting with two rebounds, no assists, and one steal.

This game may not be the best measuring stick with all of the drama surrounding the Pistons, including the fact that they needed a win more than they needed to develop a guy like Daye, but that's too many excuses for his body of work. He may go off at some point, but the time to wait around is probably over.

Austin Daye had a encouraging game on Tuesday against the Celtics, scoring 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting (including a three) with six rebounds and no assists in 26 minutes.

His main competition for minutes, Charlie Villanueva, played through an ankle injury and scored 17 points with seven rebounds on Tuesday. Daye showed us enough to Tuesday to give him another chance, but he's on a pretty short leash. The Pistons travel to Atlanta to play the Hawks on Wednesday.

Coach John Kuester said that Austin Daye will still get most of his minutes at power forward Tuesday night even though Richard Hamilton (foot) is questionable.

So far, the Daye experiment at power forward has been a disaster. He's averaging just 5.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 3-pointers in the first three games. But with Hamilton and Charlie Villanueva (ankle) iffy for tonight, we'd give Daye one more chance. If he doesn't produce, owners can safely cut bait.

Austin Daye continued to disappoint the believers on Saturday, scoring just five points on 2-of-6 shooting (including a three) with six rebounds and no assists, steals, or blocks in 17 minutes.

It's easy to get excited when a player of his talent and versatility gets going during the preseason, but for whatever reason it hasn't translated into success. His future is bright in Detroit, but he has morphed into a roster stash only for those that can afford to hang on to him.

Austin Daye hit just 2-of-11 shots in 25 minutes to finish with two 3-pointers, six points and four rebounds.

We still like him and think he'll eventually get into a groove, but his potential is somewhat limited in a mess of a rotation in Detroit. If you need to cut your last-round pick to get a hot free agent, do it.

Austin Daye started at power forward, but managed just four points and three rebounds on 2-of-8 shooting in 21 minutes Wednesday.

The good news is that he was a late draft pick, meaning it's not the end of the world if he does this nightly. We doubt that he will, but the fact that Charlie Villanueva (14 points, three boards, four 3-pointers) and Jason Maxiell (11 points, six boards) keep getting big minutes off the bench, Daye's minutes may be less than ideal. Don't do anything drastic, as this was just one game. But hope that things go better in the next one.