Klay

Thompson

While Thompson’s absence does not affect fantasy basketball, Gafford’s absence means Marvin Bagley III will remain in the starting lineup. Bagley is worth streaming as long as he’s allowed to start.

After sitting out Thursday’s win over the Grizzlies, Thompson returned on Friday and played 16 minutes in a loss to the Cavaliers. Sunday’s rematch is the first of two games in as many nights for the Mavericks, so the veteran guard is likely to miss at least one.

Thompson will return for the second leg of Dallas’ back-to-back set after resting on Thursday. He could be in line for some additional run with P.J. Washington (ankle) doubtful, but Thompson’s production has been hit-or-miss for most of the 2025-26 campaign.

As expected, Thompson will miss the first leg of this back-to-back, though he should return to play the Cavaliers on Friday. Caleb Martin should take on extra minutes off the bench, though he isn’t a strong fantasy option.

Thompson is on track to sit out Thursday’s game. His availability does not significantly affect fantasy basketball, but it does free up minutes for Caleb Martin. Martin is not a player who needs to be streamed when he is not in the starting lineup.

Thompson has had some excellent games recently, though he did struggle in Toronto on Sunday. However, he has knocked down 18 three-pointers over his last four games and averaged 17.3 points in 23.1 minutes per game during that stretch. This has been a nice stretch for one of the best shooters in league history, but he hasn’t played a large enough role this season for him to be worth picking up off the waiver wire.

Outside of the points and three-pointers, Thompson’s stat line was incredibly lean. That said, those who are still rostering the veteran wing do so explicitly for the points and triples. Thompson is a deep-league option at best, and that’s if he isn’t down at some point before the end of the regular season.

Thompson is good to go after initially being questionable with an adductor injury. This will be the first time that the veteran wing has been available for both games of a back-to-back since mid-January.

Thompson had a big night in Orlando, hitting a season-high seven three-pointers on 12 attempts. The 24 points were two shy of his season-high, with the Mavericks’ wing recording his first 20-point game since January 17. Thompson played 26 minutes on Thursday, and it’s not guaranteed he’ll be available for Friday’s game against the Celtics. If Klay sits, AJ Johnson could re-enter the rotation after picking up a DNP-CD on Thursday.

Thompson is back after a one-game absence. While his return likely means fewer minutes for AJ Johnson, this change to the Mavericks’ rotation does not affect fantasy basketball.