Houston

Rockets

Having made multiple three-pointers in four straight games, Smith’s 19 points were the most for him since dropping 32 in a January 18 win over the Pelicans. Since that performance, the 6-foot-10 forward has been a fifth-round player in eight-cat formats. In nine-cat formats, Smith has been a top-100 player this season, exceeding his Yahoo! ADP (115). The Rockets play four games in Week 16, starting with the Pacers on Monday.

Şengün’s percentages were poor, but those with him on their fantasy rosters received good value in the rebound and assist categories. For the first time since mid-December, the Rockets’ center has reached double digits in rebounds in three consecutive games. As for the shooting, Şengün will look to clean that up on Monday when the Rockets visit the Pacers. That’s the first of four games the Rockets are scheduled to play during Week 16.

Thompson was excellent on Saturday as the Rockets held off the Mavericks. He’s scored at least 21 points in two of his last three appearances, and the nine assists recorded against Dallas equaled the athletic wing’s total in his previous two outings. Over the past month, Thompson has averaged nearly 19 points per game, which is one reason he has been a top-40 player during this stretch. The Rockets begin a four-game Week 16 on Monday against the Pacers.

DFS sat out the second leg of Houston’s back-to-back, but he’ll be back to take on Dallas. He’ll fill out the backup minutes at power forward, which means Jae’sean Tate will lose out on minutes.

Eason missed Thursday’s game, which was the second night of a back-to-back. He’ll be back against Dallas, and he has been starting, which means Josh Okogie will head back to the bench after recording a double-double as a starter.

Smith entered the league as a high-caliber defensive prospect, but that hasn’t led to many defensive stats during his career. Those numbers are slightly up this year, but he still hasn’t been effective. However, in this game, he was able to make a massive impact on that end. He set a new career high for blocks and matched his season high for steals. That hasn’t been the norm for him, and managers shouldn’t expect that to continue moving forward. Still, it was an excellent night for him.

In his return to Atlanta, Capela was able to have a solid night in 18 minutes off the bench. He hasn’t been great in his first season back in Houston, but with Steven Adams (ankle) set to miss the rest of the season, Capela will be the primary center option off the bench moving forward. That isn’t going to result in much value in standard leagues, but if Alperen Şengün ends up missing any time, Capela could hold value as a streamer.

Durant gas been on fire recently, and he was able to have another strong scoring performance in this game. This was his fourth 30-point game in his last five appearances, and he shot better than 50 percent in three of those. Durant remains one of the best players in fantasy basketball and has provided top-15 value in nine-category leagues over the past two months. He should remain hot against the Mavericks on Saturday to wrap up this week.

The lone change to the Rockets’ starting lineup for Thursday night is Okogie, who replaces Tari Eason for the second night of Houston’s back-to-back. With Dorian Finney-Smith also out, Okogie may play a bit more than he usually would, raising his fantasy ceiling slightly. He still is not someone worth rostering in most leagues.

Şengün was a game-time decision for Thursday’s game due to a sprained right ankle, but he’s good to go. He’ll take on his usual role as the starting center, with Clint Capela missing out on a potential increase to his playing time.