Houston Rockets DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

According to Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle, Houston Rockets forwardTari Eason(leg) will be out of the lineup for Monday's matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder due to left lower leg injury management. With Eason sidelined, Jabari Smith will likely be in the starting lineup and take on extra minutes. Smith was on the floor for 20 minutes on Saturday against the Kings, posting five points, seven assists, and one block.

Houston Rockets point guardFred VanVleet(ankle) won't play on Monday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. VanVleet returned on Saturday after sitting out 11 straight games due to a right ankle strain. He played in 35 minutes, but it appears that he had re-injured his ankle. The 31-year-old could potentially be back in action on Tuesday versus the Pacers. Amen Thompson (shoulder) will be back at point guard while VanVleet is on the shelf. However, Thompson is currently questionable for Monday's contest as he is dealing with soreness in his right shoulder.

Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason (leg) is considered questionable on Monday for the big-time matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The team may keep him out for injury management reasons after his lower leg kept him out of a big chunk of games earlier this season. Dillon Brooks (knee), Amen Thompson (shoulder), and Alperen Sengun (back) are all questionable too, so if Eason does play, he should get plenty of minutes. On the other hand, Jabari Smith Jr. would see a big uptick in minutes. Then, the other open minutes would potentially be split by Cam Whitmore, Jock Landale, and maybe even Jeff Green. Smith was the only one to play in their last game and registered five points, seven rebounds, and one block.

Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (knee) has been listed as questionable for the Monday night matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a knee contusion. Brooks was able to clock 30 minutes on the court in their last game on Saturday, but he's now one of three starters considered questionable while Fred VanVleet (ankle) has been ruled out. If Brooks is unable to suit up, Jabari Smith Jr. may move into the starting five while Cam Whitmore could see some minutes after getting a DNP-CD in their last game. Smith registered five points, seven rebounds, and one block on Saturday against the Sacramento Kings.

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (back) is dealing with some lower-back soreness, which caused the team to list him as questionable for Monday's matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He just posted 30 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and one block across 37 minutes against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, so the big man may have experienced some post-game issues if it has lingered into Monday. If he's unable to play, Steven Adams (ankle) is also considered questionable, so that would leave Jabari Smith Jr. and Jock Landale as the next two up. Both could be considered for a one-game streaming option, especially for fantasy managers in need of some big-man stats.