Houston Rockets DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason will rejoin the starting lineup on Thursday against the New Orleans Pelicans. He will take the place of Jabari Smith Jr., who is coming off a couple of quiet performances as a starter. Despite moving to the bench on Tuesday against the Indiana Pacers, Eason recorded an impressive double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. He has averaged 13.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and 2.2 steals in six starts this season. Amen Thompson, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun complete Houston's starting lineup against the Pelicans.

Rockets guard Fred VanVleet will miss his third straight game on Thursday due to an ankle injury. He missed 11 games in February with the same issue and returned for one game on March 1 against the Kings. He played 35 minutes but only had three points to go with five assists and five rebounds. While he has been out, Amen Thompson has stepped up and become a fantasy force, and with FVV still sidelined, he'll continue to be very involved in a favorable matchup Thursday against the Pelicans. Reed Sheppard has gotten more minutes in the last two games for the Rockets and could stay more involved than Aaron Holiday as a backup point guard.

Houston Rockets center Steven Adams (ankle) will be in the lineup on Monday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The big man was listed on the injury report due to left ankle soreness but has been upgraded from questionable to available. Adams' availability is great news for Houston since starting center Alperen Sengun (back) will not be playing against the Thunder. However, Jock Landale has been named the starter in Sengun's absence, meaning Adams likely won't deliver much for fantasy teams.

Houston Rockets guard/forward Dillon Brooks (knee) will not be in the lineup on Monday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He has been downgraded from questionable to out as Brooks has not recovered from a right knee contusion. He joins Fred VanVleet (ankle), Amen Thompson (shoulder), and Alperen Sengun (back) on the sidelines, leaving the Rockets extremely short-handed for Monday's contest. Jabari Smith Jr., Cam Whitmore, and Aaron Holiday are expected to take on expanded roles in the game. This is the first game of a back-to-back set, so it's possible that Houston could have most of its missing pieces back for Tuesday's matchup against the Indiana Pacers.

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (back) will not play in Monday's matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He is battling back soreness, and the team has downgraded Sengun from questionable to out. At the same time, Steven Adams (ankle) has been upgraded to available, so he will help to fill the void left by Sengun's absence, along with Jock Landale, who has been named a starter for the contest. Jabari Smith Jr. will likely also help to fill some of the minutes at center.