Kris Murray

Portland is without Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams III and Yang Hansen due to injury. Interim head coach Tiago Splitter has decided to go small to begin Thursday's game, with Murray moving into the starting lineup. The other change is Sharpe, who returns to the lineup at the expense of Sidy Cissoko.

The last time Clingan was unavailable, Kris Murray got the start in his place. That may not be an optimal strategy against Jalen Duren and Detroit, but it could happen. The other option would likely be Duop Reath, though Robert Williams will play an important role off the bench regardless.

Murray will be back after missing Wednesday's game against Cleveland. However, Donovan Clingan (leg) is out. Murray started in place of Clingan the last time he missed a game, which could happen again. Regardless, Murray should at least see a bump in minutes.

Murray did not play in Wednesday's win over the Cavaliers, resulting in more playing time for Caleb Love. The rookie guard played 27 minutes on Wednesday and scored 20 points. If Murray remains out, Love would be worth a roll of the dice in extremely deep leagues.

Murray's production does not affect fantasy basketball when he's available. His absence will free up some minutes for Caleb Love and Rayan Rupert, with the former offering a higher offensive ceiling. However, neither player is worth streaming as Portland will have its expected starting five available.