Jordan

Poole

Vukcevic will join Poole and Holmes on the sidelines after he suited up for their last game, which should allow Anthony Gill to return to the starting unit. Deni Avdija will take on the point guard duties once again after finishing with 24 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in their last game.

Poole and Holmes were questionable ahead of Friday’s loss to the Bulls, with both being declared out. The Wizards have nothing to play for in their season finale, so active league managers should set their rosters with the expectation that Poole and Holmes won’t play much if available. Jared Butler is worth adding to lineups, especially if Poole sits, while Tristan Vukcevic will be a valuable option in the frontcourt as long as he’s available.

Poole and Holmes were initially questionable for Friday’s game. Regarding the latter, his absence will leave Tristan Vukcevic in the starting lineup. As for Poole, Jared Butler has the most to gain regarding playing time and opportunities to serve as the lead guard.

While Poole has been a fixture in the starting lineup since Tyus Jones suffered a back injury, Holmes has missed Washington’s last seven games. Rookie Tristan Vukcevic has benefitted the most from Holmes’ absence, with Omoruyi remaining in a reserve role. If Poole cannot play, Jared Butler would have the most to gain among Washington’s reserve guards.

Washington got off to a hot start in this game and quickly raced out to a 19-5 lead, with Poole scoring eight points in the first five minutes. The lead didn’t last long, but Poole was still able to finish with a solid stat line. He has now scored at least 20 points in four straight games, which is his longest streak this season. The Poole that we were hoping to get when we drafted him has finally arrived, it’s just long past when most managers needed him. Hopefully this is the player that we will get to start next season.

Poole has been phenomenal over the last week, and the Poole party continued Sunday. Despite his team suffering its 64th loss of the season, Poole’s individual performance was strong once again. Over his last five, Poole has averaged 23.2 points, 3.9 boards, 9.4 dimes, 1.4 steals and 3.4 triples over his last five. It’s been a most disappointing season for Poole in his first year with Washington, but if you stuck with him through championship week, you were handsomely rewarded.

Other than the outcome, the only negative for Poole was his shooting splits (40/30/50). He finished one assist shy of a double-double, and only two turnovers countered the nine dimes. Over the past two weeks, Poole has provided top-75 per-game value in 9-cat formats and top 50 in 8-cat. He has played well since Tyus Jones (back) went down, and the improved play could help some fantasy managers win their leagues. Poole and the Wizards end Week 23 with a road game against Toronto on Sunday, and the Raptors end their 15-game losing streak with a win over the Bucks on Friday.

Coming off a win over the Bucks on Tuesday night where Poole dished out 13 assists, he made more of a scoring impact in this one. Aside from only scoring seven against the Pistons last week, Poole has had a strong stretch recently. He has provided fifth round value over the past two weeks, which is much closer to his ADP of 50.9 in Yahoo leagues. It may be a result of him shifting to point guard with Tyus Jones (back) sidelined, and there is certainly a chance that this continues for the final week and a half of the season.

While he was responsible for four turnovers, Poole continues to perform well as the Wizards’ starting point guard. Over the past two weeks, he has provided 6th-round per-game value in 8-cat formats. Poole’s fantasy value is considerably lower in 9-cat formats due primarily to an average of 3.3 turnovers per game. Fantasy managers who were left disappointed by Poole’s play for most of this season have benefitted from Tyus Jones (back) being sidelined, as his absence has made JP a potential difference-maker during the fantasy playoff weeks. Washington plays four games during Week 23.

Jones hasn’t suited up since March 14 and still needs time to recover from injury. His absence has fueled Jordan Poole’s return to the starting lineup. Poole and Corey Kispert should continue to dominate Washington’s backcourt minutes until Jones is healthy again. Kispert has scored at least 15 points in six straight contests and is rostered in 28% of Yahoo leagues. He could provide fantasy managers with valuable outside shooting in his current role.