Houston Rockets

Houston Rockets guard/forward Dillon Brooks (oblique) will miss his seventh consecutive game on Monday as he's been ruled out again while dealing with a right oblique strain. Brooks suffered this injury back on December 26 in a game against the Indiana Pacers and hasn't been able to play since. In that span, the Rockets have gone 3-3 so far and have a noticeable gap in their defense. Brooks has been a solid contributor in deeper fantasy leagues despite seeing his numbers drop in scoring this year. While he's been on the sidelines, Jae'Sean Tate has taken over the starting spot and Jeff Green has seen a big chunk of playing time off of the bench. Cam Whitmore has seen some added minutes as well, but the former two names have been better streaming options thus far.

Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason (leg) was originally listed as questionable on Friday morning, but has since been downgraded and will not play against the Minnesota Timberwolves. This is going to be his second consecutive absence while he manages left lower leg soreness. His injury doesn't seem to be too severe since he's received questionable tags and only has been downgraded on the day of the game. So, hopefully, this will be his last missed game, but that means Amen Thompson, Jeff Green, and Cam Whitmore should keep receiving extra minutes off the bench. Thompson seems to get the most minutes so far, so he seems to be the top streaming option of the three.

Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (oblique) has been ruled out on Friday and will miss his fifth game in a row while dealing with a right oblique strain. The defensive specialist has been one of those players whose impact is felt beyond the box score this season. His scoring output and assist numbers may have both decreased, but his efficiency has gotten better and he's helped the Rockets get to a 17-15 record while he takes on the hardest defensive assignment on the other team. While he remains on the sidelines, Jae'Sean Tate should stay in the starting lineup while he receives around 30 minutes a night. Jeff Green and Cam Whitmore have seen some extra minutes as well, but Tate would be the most consistent streaming option to choose.

Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason (leg) has been downgraded from questionable to out on Wednesday versus the Brooklyn Nets due to left lower leg soreness. The Rockets have been fairly selective with Eason's off days following his preseason stress reaction, considering Wednesday is neither the first nor second night of a back-to-back. Eason should be back in the lineup on Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he might not be available when Houston concludes a seven-game homestand on Saturday. Though Eason remains relatively raw offensively, fantasy managers in nine-category leagues should put up with his routine maintenance. In just 21.8 minutes per night, the 22-year-old disruptive defender is manufacturing 9.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.3 combined steals and blocks per game. More minutes will be available for Jae'Sean Tate and Amen Thompson against the Nets.

Houston Rockets guard/forward Dillon Brooks (oblique) will sit out a fourth consecutive game on Wednesday versus Brooklyn. Brooks doesn't have a clear timetable for his return, but Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has said that the defensive pest isn't dealing with a long-term issue. Jae'Sean Tate has joined the starters in Brooks' absence. Following a couple of below-par performances, Tate hit his stride with a 16-point effort across 26 minutes last time out against Detroit, and a meeting with another defensively-challenged team appears to be a solid spot for him to turn in a good performance.