Jarrett

Allen

Allen put together a monster double-double effort in his return to Cleveland’s lineup after missing Sunday’s loss to the Pistons due to illness. The 27-year-old big man came up just shy of his sixth 20-point performance of the season as he played a season-high 33 minutes against Indiana’s lackluster frontcourt. He’s delivered eighth-round fantasy value this season, averaging 13.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.8 blocks through 26 games.

Upgraded from questionable to probable earlier Tuesday, Allen is officially available for Cleveland’s matchup with the Pacers. His return means that Sam Merrill will be bumped to the bench, with his already-low fantasy ceiling taking a hit.

Allen sat out Sunday and was replaced by Sam Merrill in the starting five. Merrill will likely retreat to the bench with Allen expected to play, and Wade could see a bump in playing time with Jaylon Tyson (illness) listed as questionable.

Allen missed Sunday’s loss to the Pistons with an illness. Sam Merrill started in his place and had 15 points. Allen is questionable for Tuesday’s game with an illness, but has plenty of time to recover before tip-off against the Pacers.

Jarrett Allen’s absence on Sunday led to Merrill returning to the starting lineup after coming off the bench in his previous two appearances. The Cavaliers’ guard did what was expected, offering solid three-point value while also tallying a few rebounds and assists. With Jaylon Tyson (6/7/3/1/2 with one three-pointer) ahead of Merrill in the pecking order, the sharpshooter’s fantasy value is limited when the Cavaliers are whole.

Allen was initially questionable for Sunday’s game, and his absence opens up a spot in the Cavaliers’ starting lineup. With Dean Wade also out, the Cavaliers may turn to De’Andre Hunter or Nae’Qwan Tomlin to fill the resulting void. Also, Evan Mobley shifts from power forward to center.

Allen has not missed a game since December 14, as he was returning from multiple finger injuries. With Sam Merrill and Dean Wade both questionable for Sunday’s game, the Cavaliers may once again look to Jaylon Tyson to step in as a starter. The second-year wing’s production has been good enough to merit being rostered in some 12-team formats.

Allen hadn’t even scored 20 points in his last 12 games, but dropped 27 points in the victory over the Spurs on Monday. It’s the most points Allen has had in a game since scoring 30 on November 12 against the Heat. He rose to the challenge against the Spurs and center Victor Wembanyama, adding 10 rebounds as well. The Cavaliers will be back in action Wednesday against the Suns for the second game of a four-game week.

For the first time since Nov. 12, Allen finished with a double-double. It has been a rough season for him, and a finger injury that forced him to miss nine games didn’t help. Allen is typically the epitome of consistency, but that hasn’t been the case so far this season. He’ll look to build off this while Evan Mobley (calf) is sidelined, which will hopefully help his get back on track and get back to being a reliable fantasy option.

After playing 22 minutes in his first game back from a finger injury on Sunday, Allen logged 28 minutes against the Bulls and was more productive overall. With Evan Mobley (calf) out for a few weeks, there should be more room for Allen to operate in the post. However, he attempted only nine shots against the Bulls, and the volume could prove problematic. With Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland commanding the ball, Allen’s ceiling isn’t as high since he rarely looks to do anything scoring-wise from outside of 15 feet.