Rudy Gobert DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (back) has been ruled out for Thursday's meeting with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The French giant is battling back spasms, with the team downgrading his status from questionable to out. Naz Reid already benefits from Julius Randle's (groin) absence and will now get a further boost. The likes of Joe Ingles and Luka Garza may also see more action due to Gobert's absence. However, they should be seen as risky fantasy plays.

Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (back) appeared on the team's injury report for Thursday night's Western Conference showdown against the Thunder. The Timberwolves played a tough game against Milwaukee on Wednesday night, and Gobert had 20 points and 14 rebounds in 38 minutes. The 32-year-old Frenchman has played all 55 of the Timberwolves' games this season, averaging 11.0 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 blocked shots in 33.3 minutes per game. Anthony Edwards (hip) is also questionable, and with Julius Randle (groin) already out, the Timberwolves could be extremely short-handed against the Thunder. If Gobert is out, Naz Reid and Luke Garza would likely carry most of the work at center

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (ankle) will now play on Monday after originally being listed as questionable for their game against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Timberwolves PR announced that he'll be starting which means Naz Reid will take a hit to his fantasy value since he'll be coming off of the bench again. Gobert remains a must-start in all fantasy formats, especially for teams looking for big-man stats as he's posted 17 double-doubles so far along with 26 games of at least 10 boards.