Keldon

Johnson

Devin Vassell has already been ruled out for Tuesday’s game. That would give Keldon Johnson increased fantasy value if he can suit up. Johnson missed his first game of the season Saturday against the Warriors, but is on track to return Tuesday.

Johnson will miss a game for the first time this season, and his absence frees up minutes for some of San Antonio’s reserves to claim. Malaki Branham and Sandro Mamukelashvili may play additional minutes, but neither is worth streaming in most leagues.

Johnson has been a late-round player in standard leagues this season, but a potential absence would be more impactful if Devin Vassell (knee) remained sidelined. Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley may pick up additional minutes off the bench, but neither would be worth streaming.

Due to a sore knee, Vassell will miss a second straight game. His absence boosts Keldon Johnson’s fantasy value due to the Spurs’ need for more production. He can be a bit of a wild card due to inconsistent production outside of points and rebounds, but Johnson is worth the risk on a four-game night.

Johnson went without a steal or a block, but otherwise had a big night Tuesday. He came off the bench and had 22 points on 15 shots in 29 minutes. Johnson knocked down 6-of-12 attempts from behind the 3-point line and both of his free throw attempts. He hadn’t had more than three 3-pointers in any game this season entering play Tuesday. While he scored 22 points, he’s merely averaging 11.9 points per game this year. The Spurs are back in action on Thursday against the Jazz.

Johnson’s overall stat line will undoubtedly play in category leagues, as he filled the line in a one-point defeat. The problem is that nights like this have been few and far between for the Spurs forward. Johnson entered Saturday with seven steals and one blocked shot, with the November 6 loss to Houston being the only game in which he recorded at least one steal and one block. So, while Saturday’s defensive production was encouraging, fantasy managers should not expect it to become the norm.

A double-digit scorer in five straight games, Johnson remains ranked outside the top 150 in 9-cat per-game value. The most significant issue for him has been the assists and defensive production, with Johnson averaging 1.0 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.1 blocks. Coming off the bench doesn’t give him much margin for error, so the defensive stats need to be there for Johnson to be viable in standard leagues.

Saturday was just what the doctor ordered for Johnson, who struggled in San Antonio’s first five games. He averaged 10.2 points per game on 34.6% shooting in those outings. When a player doesn’t bring much to the table in the other counting stats, inefficient scoring is even more detrimental to their fantasy value. Hopefully, Johnson can use Saturday’s performance as a springboard.

While Johnson has rarely been more than a late-round fantasy player during his NBA career, the start to this season has been incredibly disappointing. Thursday was his second game in double figures, and he’s shooting just 34.6% from the field. Combine that with Johnson’s limited assist and defensive production, and it isn’t difficult to see why he’s ranked outside the top 200. Unfortunately, things could worsen once Devin Vassell (foot) is cleared to return.

Johnson gave the Spurs solid production off the bench in Saturday’s victory, and the seven rebounds shouldn’t be overlooked, either. However, he still doesn’t offer enough output in the other categories to merit being rostered in standard leagues. Johnson is rostered in 27% of Yahoo leagues, which is a fair number.