NBA

Butler will miss a second straight game, and the In-Season Tournament doesn’t appear to be enough of a reason for Butler to play through the pain. Jaime Jaquez Jr. should get another start in place of Butler, which will make him an appealing streaming option. Caleb Martin will likely also be relied on to play a larger role after he scored 22 points off the bench in their last game.

Carter Jr. was given a timeline of at least three weeks about three and a half weeks ago. He’s getting closer to a return and participating in parts of practice is a step in the right direction. Goga Bitadze should continue to start at center until WCJ is back, but he will lose all streaming value when Carter Jr. returns.

Garuba is on a two-way contract and has yet to see the floor for the Warriors this season. His absence won’t impact fantasy basketball.

Thomas was initially listed as doubtful for this game, so his continued absence isn’t surprising. He shouldn’t be out much longer, but Lonnie Walker should continue to play a large role off the bench in his place. Claxton’s return from a one-game absence will push Royce O’Neale back to the bench and reduce Day’Ron Sharpe’s minutes, which will take away the little streaming value that he held.

LaMelo was initially listed as doubtful, which normally is an indication that a player won’t miss much time. However, Charlotte hasn’t been good about giving clear timelines, so until they give an official diagnosis, we won’t know how long LaMelo will be sidelined. Brandon Miller should return to the starting unit, with Terry Rozier sliding over to point guard. Bouknight will make his season debut, but it is unlikely that he plays enough minutes to warrant consideration in fantasy basketball.

McCollum hasn’t played since November 4th, but reports indicated that McCollum was targeting a return on Wednesday or Friday, so this lines up with that report. He may have his minutes limited in his first game back, but it won’t be long before he’s back in full. When that happens, Dyson Daniels will lose the majority of his streaming value. He’ll still be a solid role player, but he won’t see enough minutes to be worth keeping around.

With James Harden and Paul George struggling and Terance Mann not offering much production, Westbrook gave the Clippers quality minutes off the bench. Since the arrival of Harden and his decision to volunteer to come off the bench, Westbrook’s fantasy value has slipped. Over the last two weeks, Westbrook is ranked 245th in 9-car per-game value by Basketball Monster, averaging 9.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.0 3-pointers in 22.9 minutes. Fantasy managers who still have Westbrook rostered (84% Yahoo) could have a difficult decision to make in the coming days, especially with the Clippers playing three more games in Week 6.

Zubac recorded his first 20-point double-double since the season open, holding his own against Nuggets fill-in starter DeAndre Jordan. Zubac has taken the biggest hit of any of the Clippers in the aftermath of the James Harden trade as far as fantasy value is concerned, as he’s ranked outside the top 150 in 9-cat per-game value. And there have been times post-trade in which the Clippers have closed with a small lineup, relegating Zubac to the bench. He should be a hold in most leagues due to his place within the rotation, but fantasy managers may need to temper their expectations.

Leonard wasn’t his most efficient self on Monday, but he still had a better offensive night than teammates James Harden (11/2/4/1 with three 3-pointers) and Paul George (6/8/4/1/1). Harden and PG-13 combined to shoot 5-of-20 from the field, a big reason why the Clippers lost to a Nuggets team playing without Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokic. Leonard’s 31 points are the most he’s scored in a game since Harden made his Clippers debut on November 6, and his first 30-point game since November 1 against the Lakers. Ranked just outside the top 25 in 9-cat per-game value for the season, Leonard has been a top 20 player over the last two weeks. The Clippers play three more games in Week 6, beginning with Wednesday’s matchup with the Kings in Sacramento.

Holiday may not have excelled on the level that Reggie Jackson or DeAndre Jordan did, but his contributions shouldn’t be overlooked. This was the first game in which he’s hit double figures in points, and the timing was great. Michael Porter Jr. (8/10/3 with two 3-pointers) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (12/3/2/1) combined to shoot 6-of-27 from the field, performances that would be a “death sentence” on most nights for a team playing without three starters. But that wasn’t the case for Denver, which picked up a huge victory on Monday. Holiday’s streaming value moving forward will depend on the availability of Aaron Gordon, who has missed Denver’s last two games.