Portland Trail Blazers DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Portland Trail Blazers guard/forward Matisse Thybulle (ankle) is questionable for Monday's game against Houston. He's played in only one of the last five games and is dealing with a right ankle issue. Thybulle's injury has left Portland without a defensive expert, who averages 1.8 steals per game. Rayan Rupert's role has grown during Thybulle's absence, but he's yet to make a mark in fantasy basketball. Dalano Banton also had a chance to eat up extra minutes if Thybulle remains out on Monday, although this is going to be a difficult matchup for Portland against a streaking team that boasts a strong defense.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons (knee) has received a questionable tag against the Houston Rockets for their Monday night contest. Simons was forced to miss the team's last game against the Denver Nuggets due to tendinitis in his left knee. Now that he's questionable, this may leave the team to take the cautionary side and allow him to sit one more game to make sure he's healthy. The rotation has been a revolving door and the team is battling for a top pick in the next NBA Draft. Fantasy managers will want a backup plan and Scoot Henderson will likely be the one to receive the most playing time in Simons' absence.

Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (hamstring) has been listed as doubtful again for Monday night. He continues to deal with a strained hamstring which has caused him to miss seven games so far. There remains no reason to rush him back to the floor since the Blazers are looking to get another top pick in next year's NBA Draft, so they'll likely err on the side of caution for the rest of the season. The Blazers' rotation hasn't been set in stone for most of the year after a lot of injury issues, but it looks like Kris Murray and Toumani Camara will be the biggest benefactors while Grant misses more time.

Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton (elbow) is questionable for Monday's matchup with Houston. He's missed Portland's previous two games with an elbow issue. However, Ayton has already sat out enough time this season, so fantasy managers are used to it by this point. With that said, if he isn't back in the lineup on Monday evening, Duop Reath, coming off a 24-point, eight-rebound, two-block outing on Saturday versus Denver, is worth streaming in any fantasy format.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons (knee) is scheduled to undergo an MRI this weekend, according to head coach Chauncey Billups. This news comes after Simons was forced to exit early during Friday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers. He'll sit out of Saturday's contest versus the Denver Nuggets. The assumption is that Simons will undergo the MRI on Sunday. The Blazers are likely going to be extremely cautious here with their young guard. Rayan Rupert will start in his place on Saturday, but he hasn't done anything with the extra minutes. Fantasy managers will have to check back on Sunday for another update on Simons.