San Antonio

Spurs

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.

Tuesday’s game will be the fifth Vassell has missed due to his knee injury. While he is progressing, the Spurs wing is still not allowed to play both ends of back-to-backs. Julian Champagnie will see his fantasy value take a hit once Vassell returns.

Barnes has been rolling since shooting 1-of-6 from the field and scoring four points in a November 16 loss to the Mavericks. He’s scored 20 or more in three straight, providing 3rd-round per-game value over the last week. Barnes’ season-long fantasy value remains low, but he’s on a heater right now.

Castle’s 19 points weren’t a season-high (23), but Saturday may have been his best all-around performance thus far. In addition to the offensive production, he was tasked with defending Stephen Curry for extended periods and held his own, with the Warriors star shooting 5-of-16 from the field. While the fantasy value remains low, Castle is a player whose popularity in fantasy circles will only grow as the season progresses.

Before Saturday’s game, Spurs acting coach Mitch Johnson said the team would be conservative with Wembanyama’s minutes. They must have liked what they saw early on, as the phenom played 34 minutes in his first game back from a knee contusion. Wembanyama’s accuracy may have been off, but the overall stat line was good, especially the nine assists. San Antonio plays three games in Week 6, beginning with the Jazz on 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.

Wembanyama is officially available for Saturday’s game. However, acting Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said the team will be “conservative” with Wemby’s minutes. Therefore, Zach Collins should not be considered an automatic “drop” where he’s being streamed.

Wemby has missed the Spurs’ last three games, but he is expected to be back in the lineup against the Warriors. That will return Zach Collins to his usual role off the bench, while Charles Bassey will likely be pushed out of the main rotation.

An MRI indicated that Vassell has a knee contusion that is similar to Victor Wembanyama’s, so there is chance that Vassell remains out for another game after this one. Malaki Branham should continue to play extra minutes off the bench, but he isn’t worth streaming.

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.