Justin

Champagnie

Monday’s game will be the second missed by Middleton and the fourth by George. Their absences have freed up places in the starting lineup for Justin Champagnie and AJ Johnson, with the former being the player worth targeting in deep leagues.

George sustained his ankle injury in Monday’s matchup with Toronto, and it will cost him a second straight game. Middleton’s continued absence isn’t a surprise, given the veteran’s recent injury history. While both players are sidelined, Justin Champagnie should see a substantial uptick in playing time.

Thursday’s game will be the second that Smart and George have missed with their respective injuries, and the latter’s absence is more impactful on fantasy basketball. Justin Champagnie filled in for George in Wednesday’s win over the 76ers and should remain in the starting lineup, making him a streamable player in deep leagues. As for Smart, his continued absence means more playing time for AJ Johnson, who will likely come off the bench with Khris Middleton returning from a one-game absence.

Champagnie stepped in for the injured Kyshawn George and acquitted himself well in Philadelphia. He recorded his third double-double of the season, and the 18 points are the most Champagnie has scored in a game since December 28. Rostered in 11 percent of Yahoo! leagues, he has offered top 100 value in nine-cat formats over the past two weeks. Champagnie will be worth a look in more leagues if George remains out with his sprained ankle.

While it was initially reported that Colby Jones would move into the starting lineup, the Wizards announced that Johnson would be the starter shortly after. He and Champagnie step in for Khris Middleton and Kyshawn George, who are out due to injury. Johnson and Champagnie are worth streaming for this matchup, while Jones misses out on a boost to his fantasy value.

Gill didn’t play against the Raptors but did eclipse 20 minutes in three of his Washington’s previous four games. It’s likely that Justin Champagnie will get a lot of burn on Wednesday if Gill joins the Wizards’ growing list of inactive forwards.

Washington is still managing Middleton carefully in a down year following a pair of ankle surgeries. George has shown some flashes but tweaked his ankle after just two minutes his last time out. Justin Champagnie will likely have a featured role against Philadelphia with both wings ruled out.

George injured his left ankle during the first quarter of Monday’s game, exiting after two minutes of action. His departure frees up additional minutes for Justin Champagnie and AJ Johnson, with the former offering a higher fantasy ceiling if George misses time.

Middleton is back after sitting out Saturday’s loss to the Knicks. However, his return does not mean Carrington will head to the bench. Instead, Justin Champagnie will be used in a reserve role, which lowers his fantasy ceiling. However, he will remain in the rotation and play enough minutes to be streamed in deeper leagues.

AJ Johnson, Bub Carrington and Tristan Vukcevic all started against the Jazz on Wednesday, but Champagnie will return to the starting unit to better match up with Orlando, and George and Middleton will also be back from injury. Johnson, Carrington and Vukcevic should still play significant roles off the bench.