Jeremy

Sochan

Wembanyama has missed San Antonio’s last two games, and a different player has replaced him in the starting lineup for each. Jeremy Sochan started on Thursday, and Zach Collins received the nod on Friday. Collins was ejected from Friday’s loss to the Kings during the first half, meaning fantasy managers missed out on any potential streaming value.

The Spurs are again without Victor Wembanyama, who has been ruled out due to a back injury. However, they aren’t going small as they did in Thursday’s loss to the Bulls. Collins will start, with Jeremy Sochan heading to the bench. Despite the demotion, Sochan is worth rostering, while Collins has streaming value as a starter.

Wembanyama will miss a second straight game with a back injury. Jeremy Sochan was his replacement in the starting lineup on Thursday and should remain in that role. Zach Collins and Keldon Johnson will play more minutes off the bench, but Sochan is the player fantasy managers need to target.

Wemby will sit out a second straight game after missing the first leg of San Antonio’s back-to-back on Thursday. Jeremy Sochan started in his place in that one, and he might get the nod again if the Spurs decide to play small ball against the Kings. Zach Collins and Keldon Johnson are in line for additional minutes with Wemby and Vassell out of action.

In just his second game back after missing a month with a fractured left thumb, Sochan was able to return to the starting lineup. However, he did so as a fill-in for Victor Wembanyama, who was sidelined with some back soreness. Sochan got to start at center, which allowed him to record his second straight double-double and set a new season-high for rebounds. Sochan is still available in 47% of Yahoo leagues, but he should be rostered everywhere at this point, especially if this back issue continues to plague Wemby.

With Victor Wembanyama sidelined for this game with a back issue, Sochan will make his return to the starting unit after coming off the bench in his return on Tuesday. It’s unclear if he’ll remain in the starting lineup when Wemby is back, but he’ll get to play center for this game and should be in for a productive night.

Tuesday’s game was Sochan’s first since November 4, and he didn’t show many signs of rust outside of the poor foul shooting. He only needed 22 minutes to record a double-double and complete his stat line, an encouraging effort from the Spurs forward. The question is how long Sochan will remain in a reserve role. There’s no guarantee that he’s moved into the starting five, especially with the Spurs continuing to bring Devin Vassell off the bench.

Sochan is available to play for the first time since November 4, adding to the Spurs’ options at the forward positions. How much he’ll play on Tuesday is unknown, but Sochan’s availability will impact Stephon Castle (who’s been starting for him) and Julian Champagnie the most.

Sochan has been sidelined for nearly a month, but he is expected to make his return to the lineup for this game. Stephon Castle entered the starting lineup when Sochan went down, but it will likely be Julian Champagnie that is pushed out of the starting lineup.

Sochan is closing in on a return to action, but Sunday will not be the day. Julian Champagnie should remain in the starting lineup, where he’s offered deep-league value on most nights. Rostered in 18% of Yahoo leagues, Champagnie is ranked just outside the top 100 in 9-cat value.