Houston

Rockets

Unsurprisingly, Adams will once again sit out the second night of a back-to-back. Jock Landale will fill out the backup center minutes, but with Alperen Sengun healthy, he won’t play enough to impact fantasy basketball.

Bench sidekicks Thompson and Tari Eason were outstanding on Friday, with the latter putting up 22 points in 22 minutes. As for the former, he recorded a complete stat line and is ranked just outside the top 100 in 9-cat formats over the last two weeks. Thompson may be ranked outside the top 150 for the season, but the defensive value makes him well worth the risk.

The Rockets are ranked eighth in the NBA in bench points per game, thanks primarily to the play of Eason and Amen Thompson. Both shined on Friday, with the former averaging one point per minute and the latter posting a double-double and complete stat line. Eason is ranked just outside the top 30 in 9-cat formats, and his skill set is such that there should not be much of a drop-off as the season progresses. He should be rostered in far more than 55% of Yahoo leagues.

Sengun has tallied eight rebounds or more in 10 of the 12 games he’s played in November, providing top 40 per-game value over the last three weeks. That’s slightly better than the Rockets center’s season-long value, so it’s fair to say things are going according to plan for those who managed to roster Sengun. Houston hosts Portland again on Saturday in their final game of Week 5.

By now, category league managers should understand that Green will put them in a position where they have to concede field goal percentage. Counting Friday, he’s shot 40% or worse from the field in 10 of his 12 games in November, a significant reason why Green’s ranked outside the top 200 over the last three weeks. However, punting that category makes him a 12th-round player. Unlike a box of chocolates, you know what you’re getting with Green in fantasy basketball.

After scoring nine points on 3-of-18 shooting in Houston’s first two games of the week, Brooks was apparently saving his makes for the Emirates NBA Cup. He torched Portland on Friday, shooting nearly 67% from the field overall and 6-of-8 from beyond the arc. Not only did Brooks establish a new season-high in points, but this was also his first game with at least 20 points. Nights like Friday have not been the norm; fantasy managers should be mindful of that.

Smith Jr. struggled in his last two games with four and 10 points, but was able to put that behind him as he cruised to 23 points as the Rockets beat the Pacers by 17. He was +19 in 30 minutes, made 3-of-5 attempts from behind the 3-point line as well as all four of his free throw attempts. Smith Jr. has been inconsistent and will need to string together more performances like this if he’s going to have a good season in fantasy.

VanVleet played 35 minutes in the 17-point win. He wasn’t particularly efficient with 18 points on 14 shots, but made 4-of-8 attempts from behind the 3-point line. It was his fourth straight game with at least 18 points, showing that he’s over his slow start to the season. Houston will take on Portland in their next game on Friday.

Sengun was efficient with 31 points on 19 shots. He got to the free throw line eight times and made six attempts. Sengun was +4 in 28 minutes in the lopsided win. He didn’t have a block in this game, but continues to post career-high rebounding numbers. This was his first game with at least 30 points this year. The Rockets will be back on the floor Friday against the Trail Blazers.

Whitmore is available, but this is unlikely to impact fantasy basketball. He hasn’t been in the rotation and has even spent some time in the G League recently. There’s no need to roster Whitmore in redraft leagues.