Jonas

Valanciunas

Valanciunas made a big impact in the first half of this game and posted a double-double before the break. Unfortunately, he saw less of a role after halftime and was only able to contribute six points and two boards in the second half. Still, this was a new season-high for rebounds for Valanciunas, who has been a top-100 player despite playing less than 21 minutes per game. He’ll continue to be a reliable source of big man stats, but he can’t be relied on for double-doubles consistently.

J-Val got the start, but played only 23 minutes in the blowout loss. Valanciunas doesn’t need to play much more than 20 minutes to have a good fantasy night, though. He was efficient with 16 points on 11 shots and contributed on defense with five rebounds, two steals and three blocks. The Wizards have the day off Saturday before a date with the Magic on Sunday.

Valanciunas doesn’t need to start or play starters’ minutes to provide reliable fantasy value. Hitting double figures in rebounds for the first time this season, JV’s grabbed at least seven boards in five straight games. Alex Sarr (10 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, and three blocks in 26 minutes) will continue to start, but Valanciunas should be rostered in most leagues.

After getting the start in their last game, Valanciunas returned to playing a reserve role in this one. He ended up having his best game as a Wizard and put up some excellent numbers off the bench. When he signed with Washington, the expectation was that he would start at center, but that hasn’t been the case for the most part. JV is still able to make an impact in a reserve role, but his fantasy upside is far more limited when coming off the bench. Still, this was an impressive performance from him.

Washington will start all three of their first round picks against Atlanta in this game. Kyle Kuzma is sidelined, with George replacing him in the opening lineup. Carrington also returns to the starting unit after Jonas Valanciunas replaced him in their last game.

After starting two rookies during the team’s first two games, Valanciunas will replace Bub Carrington in the opening unit. This will be a bigger lineup that will shift Sarr over to power forward, which was what he reportedly wanted to play when he was drafted. Carrington should still see a large role off the bench, but Poole will be the team’s point guard.

Valanciunas came off the bench in his first official game with the Wizards, backing up lottery pick Alex Sarr. The veteran center made good use of his time on the floor, scoring 18 points and grabbing five rebounds. Fantasy managers know the defensive numbers will be meager, but Valanciunas still has value in deep leagues.

Four days after Wizards coach Brian Keefe said he was unsure if Sarr would be available for Washington’s opener, the rookie is no longer on the injury report. Jonas Valanciunas and Marvin Bagley III made starts during the preseason in Sarr’s absence, and the former is more likely to be impacted regarding fantasy value. While Bagley has deep-league value at best, Valanciunas is worth a look in standard leagues when allowed to start.

The second overall pick in this summer’s draft, Sarr sat out Washington’s final two preseason games with a sore calf. The vacancy in the starting lineup was filled by two players, with Marvin Bagley III filling the void in the first exhibition and Jonas Valanciunas in the second. Of the two, Valanciunas may be the better option for fantasy managers looking for a streamer.

Valanciunas came off the bench on Friday, with Alex Sarr being the lone big on the floor for the Wizards to begin the game. JV took advantage of the foul line, scoring eight of his 12 points from the charity stripe while also putting in a solid shift on the glass. Whether or not Wizards coach Brian Keefe would look to bring Valanciunas off the bench once the games count remains to be seen, but there could come a point during the season when that happens. Sarr finished Friday’s win with seven points, four rebounds, one blocked shot, and two 3-pointers in 21 minutes.