Craig

Porter Jr.

Jerome will miss a game for the first time this season, freeing up point guard minutes behind starter Darius Garland. Craig Porter Jr. may move into the rotation while fellow reserve Caris LeVert spends a little more time on the ball. While LeVert is worth having in deeper leagues, Porter is a risky streaming play since Garland is available.

Jerome has had a fantastic season for the Cavs thus far, and he has yet to miss a game to this point. If he is forced to sit out of this one, Caris LeVert and Craig Porter Jr. should be the primary ball handlers off the bench.

Garland and LeVert will join Sam Merrill, Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade on the Cavaliers’ injury report for the second leg of a back-to-back set. Cleveland is a heavy favorite, and the team is likely giving Garland and Co. some extra time off. Garland’s injury shouldn’t be considered serious. Craig Porter Jr. and Ty Jerome are expected to see increased run in Garland’s absence.

While available for Saturday’s game, Porter is not guaranteed rotation minutes due to Ty Jerome serving as the backup point guard. There’s no need to consider rostering Porter currently.

Porter’s playing time has been limited when available, with Ty Jerome claiming the backup point guard job. Porter’s potential availability will not impact fantasy basketball.

Porter and Tyson will not be available for Friday’s game, and their absences will not impact fantasy basketball.

Porter’s potential absence will not impact fantasy basketball, as Ty Jerome has overtaken him as the backup point guard. And the values of both players depend on starter Darius Garland’s availability.

Porter Jr. has only played a few minutes in each game, so his absence in this one won’t impact their rotation. If there are garbage time minutes because the game gets out of hand, someone else will fill the void.

Cleveland played Thursday’s game without Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, resulting in Jerome being inserted into the starting lineup. The experienced backup missed most of last season due to a right ankle injury, with his absence being most impactful when the Cavaliers were also without Mitchell and Garland. That led to Craig Porter Jr. (14 points, four assists, one steal, one block, and two 3-pointers in 24 minutes) being an occasionally credible streaming asset, but there may only be room for one in this season’s rotation.

Porter has not appeared in a game since Cleveland’s regular-season finale, and his absence has not impacted the rotation. That remains the case for Game 5, with the Cavaliers trailing three games to one.