Julian

Champagnie

Johnson is poised to return to San Antonio’s lineup after three games on the sidelines, and his return could mean fewer minutes for the likes of Malaki Branham and Julian Champagnie.

Mamukelashvili moved into the starting lineup on Friday due to Cedi Osman sitting with a sprained ankle, and he performed well. The former Seton Hall standout was one of seven Spurs in double figures and recorded a full stat line. Also shining for San Antonio was Julian Champagnie, who tallied 15 points, four rebounds, four assists, one steal, a career-high four blocks, and two 3-pointers in 38 minutes. Given the absences, he’s an even better fantasy play than Mamukelashvili for Sunday’s game against the Spurs.

Johnson missed their last game with a tummy ache, but he should return to playing his usual role off the bench on Friday. Julian Champagnie and Malaki Branham will both lose out on a few minutes with Johnson back in the lineup.

Johnson is a late addition to Tuesday’s injury report, and if he’s unable to go, Julian Champagnie and Malaki Branham could pick up some additional playing time in his absence.

Champagnie was one of the Spurs who took advantage of Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama being sidelined, establishing a new season-high point total. All eight shot attempts came from beyond the arc, and he knocked down five of them. The 17 points matched Champagnie’s total in his four prior appearances, so this performance departed from the norm. Fantasy managers can afford to look elsewhere for streaming options if Vassell and Wembanyama remain sidelined for Monday’s home game against the Warriors.

While fantasy managers want to see more from Branham beyond the points and 3-pointers, he played well in Houston despite moving back to the bench. Julian Champagnie (ankle) returned after a one-game absence but only played 10 minutes, with Branham benefitting. The 20 points were a season-high for Branham, who is rostered in five percent of Yahoo leagues and ranked just outside the top 150 in 9-cat formats over the past two weeks. While there isn’t a need to add Branham right now, deep-league managers should track his minutes in the short term.

Champagnie missed Sunday’s win over Indiana, which led to Malaki Branham being moved into the starting lineup. Branham’s fantasy profile takes a significant hit with Champagnie back in action, but he could have added value during the “silly season.” The lingering question for the Spurs is whether or not Victor Wembanyama will play, as he remains a game-time decision.

Champagnie sat out Sunday’s win over Indiana, with Malaki Branham replacing him in the starting lineup. Branham played well, which could be enough to earn him another start if Champagnie remains sidelined. With an eye toward the “silly season,” Branham could be a player of increased value as the Spurs continue their rebuild.

While Keldon Johnson is the logical choice to replace Champagnie in the starting unit, he has been the sixth man since December, and Gregg Popovich may opt to keep him there. If that is the case, either Cedi Osman or Malaki Branham will move into the starting unit in place of Champagnie and have upside as a streaming option.

Johnson sat out Wednesday against Orlando, and Cedi Osman saw 28 minutes off the bench. Julian Champagnie continued his run in the starting five, but he logged 20 unproductive minutes. Both Champagnie and Osman could see expanded roles with Johnson out of action, but Collins could also absorb some of Johnson’s minutes if he’s ultimately made available.