Chet

Holmgren

Due to a case of the flu, Holmgren will miss a second consecutive game. Isaiah Joe was productive in 35 minutes as a starter in Saturday’s win over the Warriors, and he should retain that role while Holmgren sits.

Holmgren is dealing with the flu, which sidelined him for Saturday’s win over the Warriors. Isaiah Joe moved into the starting lineup, accounting for 18 points, four rebounds, three assists and two three-pointers in 35 minutes. He would take on a similar role if Holmgren can’t return on Monday.

Holmgren is out with an illness, which leaves the Thunder severely shorthanded against the Warriors on Saturday. Oklahoma City will be missing Holmgren as well as Isaiah Hartenstein, Jalen Williams and Alex Caruso. Jaylin Williams is worth streaming with Holmgren and Hartenstein out.

Holmgren started Wednesday’s game hot, scoring 14 points in the first quarter and finishing the half with 22 points and six three-pointers. The six triples matched his career-high. While Holmgren received more attention from the Knicks in the second half, the final line was excellent, aside from the lack of defensive production. The Thunder don’t play again until Saturday when they host the Warriors.

Hartenstein is not at the point where he’s allowed to play both games of back-to-backs, so the decision to sit him on Tuesday was likely done with Wednesday’s game against the Knicks in mind. Chet Holmgren will be available against Chicago, so he’ll pick up some of the slack. Hartenstein’s absence also means more playing time for Jaylin Williams, who is worthy of streaming consideration.

While Holmgren didn’t set the scoreboard on fire with his 19-point effort, Sunday’s victory was his highest-scoring game since dropping 20 in a January 27 win over the Pelicans. Even better for fantasy managers is that he shot the ball well against the Mavericks while also recording a complete stat line. With Chet having sat out one game of the Thunder’s most recent back-to-back, that could also be the case for Oklahoma City’s games against Chicago (Tuesday) and New York (Wednesday) to begin Week 19.

With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander back in the Thunder lineup, Holmgren’s scoring opportunities took a hit on Friday. However, there’s more than one way to affect a game. Holmgren was outstanding on the glass, as he recorded his first 20-rebound game, while also blocking three shots. The lone concern for Sunday’s game against the Mavericks is that Oklahoma City gets up big early, as that would likely mean fewer minutes for Holmgren and the other starters.

The big news for Oklahoma City is that Gilgeous-Alexander makes his return from an abdominal strain that sidelined him for nine games. His return means that Isaiah Joe will come off the bench. Also, with Holmgren and Hartenstein back after sitting out Wednesday’s loss to the Pistons, Aaron Wiggins and Jaylin Williams come off the bench.

Holmgren sat out against Detroit, which was the second night of a back-to-back. He’ll return to take on Denver, as will Isaiah Hartenstein (calf), which means Jaylin Williams and Aaron Wiggins will head to the bench after they started against the Pistons.

Due to Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein being out, Williams was inserted into the Thunder starting lineup for the ninth time this season. And he took full advantage of the opportunity, putting up a career-high 30 points and his third double-double of the season. Wednesday’s game was the second in as many nights for the Thunder, so fantasy managers will need to consider that when evaluating JayWill for the rest of Week 18. However, if Holmgren or Hartenstein can’t play in Friday’s game against the Nuggets, Williams will be worth a long look in deep leagues.