Linaz Kleiz, James Johnson, and Aaron Gray will all start on Friday against the Nuggets.

Jose Calderon and DeMar DeRozan are starting in the backcourt, as expected. It appears Dwane Casey isn't ready to let Amir Johnson out of his doghouse, and as we said in the Dose the only way for Kleiza and Johnson to both hold value long-term was if the Raptors trended toward a small lineup. This would be the first step.

Linas Kleiza hit 8-of-16 shots and four 3-pointers on his way to a season-high 25 points, five rebounds and a steal in 33 minutes on Wednesday.

The big news is that Andrea Bargnani suffered another calf injury tonight and could miss time. Kleiza had 16 points on Sunday, broke out tonight and could see a ton of minutes off the bench with Bargnani likely sidelined. If you've got a player you want to drop, Kleiza looks like a nice option off the wire.

Linas Kleiza had a nice line on Sunday, scoring 16 points to go along with four rebounds, three assists and two 3-pointers.

Kleiza is someone to monitor, as he has always had the ability to score and could overtake James Johnson in the starting five. Still, he hadn't played more than 18 minutes in a game this season, and we will need to see a few more of these performances before getting too excited. Johnson had seven points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks on Sunday.

Raptors coach Dwane Casey has suggested potential changes to his starting lineup as soon as Wednesday, and Linas Kleiza is a candidate to start at small forward.

This is far from guaranteed, as James Johnson is also a candidate to start ahead of Kleiza. Furthermore, it's possible that Rasual Butler hangs onto his job a few games longer. Either way, Kleiza and Johnson are only legitimate considerations in deeper formats, as they're likely to cancel each other out regardless of who's starting.

Linas Kleiza returned to action from a knee injury and had 10 points, three rebounds and an assist on 3-of-6 shooting Wednesday.

He's not worth owning yet in most leagues, but could be once he's fully healthy. And if he plays well, he could easily end up replacing Rasual Butler as the starting SF in Toronto.

Linas Kleiza (knee surgery) is active for Wednesday night's game.

Kleiza is plenty capable of scoring when healthy, but he's likely to be brought along slowly as he joins a crowded SG/SF rotation in Toronto. For now he should only be on the radar in deeper fantasy leagues.

Linas Kleiza has gone to Colorado to consult the doctors who operated on his right knee last February before he returns to the Raptors' active list.

Beat writer Doug Smith surmises that Friday's home game vs. the Pacers seems like the earliest possible return date for Kleiza.

Linas Kleiza (knee surgery) missed another game on Saturday.

Kleiza is on the verge of returning and could be activated for the Raptors on Tuesday or Wednesday. Given the competition for minutes among Toronto's swingmen, however, we don't recommend picking him up in fantasyland.

Linas Kleiza (knee surgery) is close to returning and could make his debut on Saturday in Philadelphia.

The Raptors seem set in their wing rotations, and Kleiza should be left untouched in fantasy leagues unless he somehow earns a hefty share of minutes.

Raptors head coach Dwane Casey has said that Linas Kleiza (knee) will not be available for Friday night's game vs. the Nets.

Kleiza seems to be very close to a return for the Raps, but he is still awaiting final clearance from the medical staff before he can make it back into game action.

Linas Kleiza (knee surgery) has been cleared to play, but no timetable has been set for him to join the active roster.

Kleiza had microfracture surgery in February of 2011, and he was previously hoping to re-join the Raptors right around mid-January. Kleiza will look to earn minutes in the rotation at small forward upon his return, but he'll have to work himself into game shape.

Raptors head coach Dwane Casey has said Linas Kleiza is making progress on his recovery from microfracture surgery on his knee and is taking part in practice.

It sounds like Kleiza is getting closer to a playing, but there is still no timetable set on when he can return to action. Rasual Butler will continue to start for the Raptors at SF.

The Raptors are listing Linas Kleiza as day-to-day.

Kleiza is recovering from microfracture surgery and was previously hopeful to return by mid-January. He appears to be on track to meet that timetable, and owners should see what his playing time looks like when he's healthy as the Raptors are starting Rasual Butler at small forward.

Linas Kleiza is hoping to return from knee surgery in mid-January.

"My timetable is mid January or earlier," Kleiza said. "Everything is going good so far. The knee is good. It feels good. I'm putting a lot of work in. We'll see how it goes." There are other reports that suggest he could still need a couple months to return. Ignore him on draft night, as James Johnson looks like a good bet to start at SF for the Raps.

Linas Kleiza has denied a report that he's close to joining Lietuvos Rytas in Lithuania.

There were rumors that he was on the verge of joining the team, but coming off of microfracture surgery in February, the timing of such a move would be rather strange. Kleiza said that he's focused on his future in Toronto with the Raptors.

According to LithuaniaBasketball.com, Linas Kleiza is "on the verge" of joining Lietuvos Rytas in Lithuania.

He would be teammates with Toronto draft pick Jonas Valanciunas. Kleiza is still recovering from microfracture surgery, and after undergoing the procedure in February was given a timetable of 9-12 months for recovery.

Linas Kleiza, who had offseason microfracture knee surgery, remains in the good graces of Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo.

The detail came out in a discussion about whether Toronto would waive any players under a new CBA that included amnesty. In addition to having Colangelo's support, Raptors writer Ryan Wolstat notes that Kleiza is good friends with prized draft pick Jonas Valanciunas, and his salary ($13.8 million over three years) isn't onerous.

Linas Kleiza underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee Wednesday and is out for the season.

Kleiza's 2011-12 season is in jeopardy as well since typical recovery time from this surgery is 9-12 months. But at age 26, Kleiza should be able to make a full recovery a la Amare Stoudemire. In the meantime, this news locks Sonny Weems in as the starting small forward for the foreseeable future. Weems is averaging 11.1 points and 3.5 rebounds in 21 starts this season.

Linas Kleiza (knee) is "not close" to a return, according to coach Jay Triano.

Kleiza's absence has allowed Julian Wright to step into a significant role. Wright has started five of the last six games, averaging 7.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 30 minutes a night.

Linas Kleiza (knee) will not play in Wednesday's game against the Sixers.

This will mark the fifth game Kleiza has missed in the last six contests. Julian Wright figures to start again for the decimated Raptors.