The Cleveland Cavaliers are still atop the Eastern Conference with a five-game lead over the Celtics even though they’ve lost back-to-back games this week. They finish a back-to-back on Saturday night with a home game against the Rockets, and they could be getting a big boost since they listed Evan Mobley ($8,500) as questionable on the injury report. Mobley has missed the last four games with a calf strain.
Mobley has been one of the keys to the Cavs’ success this season. The big man from USC has broken out with 18.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.4 blocked shots per game in his 38 appearances while playing 30.2 minutes per contest with a 23.1% usage rate that ranks third on the team.
In Mobley’s absence, Donovan Mitchell ($8,400) and Darius Garland ($7,700) carried more of the offense while Jarrett Allen ($7,100) also got more work down low. Max Strus ($4,200) has also been a good value play for fantasy basketball while Dean Wade (knee) has continued to play major minutes as well. Wade is out for Saturday’s game after hurting his knee on Friday, so if Mobley isn’t quite ready to return, Strus and Georges Niang ($3,600) will probably pick up most of his minutes.
Mobley’s return could come at a great time for the Cavs as they welcome in the Rockets, who beat them on Wednesday in a close and entertaining matchup in Houston. The Cavs will look to avenge that defeat in the rematch Saturday, and getting Mobley back would make that a much easier task. Stay tuned for more updates to Mobley’s status as we approach the game’s 7:30 p.m. ET tip-off.
