San Antonio

Spurs

San Antonio’s starting guards struggled on Sunday, with Fox and Stephon Castle (13/4/4/1 with one three-pointer) shooting a combined 8-of-23 from the field. The former was responsible for six assists, so all wasn’t lost for Fox managers, but they were certainly hoping to get more out of him offensively. The seven points were the fewest in a game for him since December 23, when Fox matched his season-low with six points in a win over the Thunder. Fox and Castle will look to bounce back on Tuesday in Philadelphia.

Vassell has picked up his production recently, having scored at least 14 points in four consecutive games. He’s made at least three three-pointers in each, shooting a combined 19-of-33 from beyond the arc. Add in the rebounds and assists, and Sunday’s performance was a good one from Vassell to end Week 18. The Spurs open a four-game Week 19 on Tuesday against the 76ers.

Wemby recorded his fourth double-double in six post-break games on Sunday, but the Knicks were able to limit his dominance. While he did make seven of his ten two-point attempts, Wembanyama shot 1-of-7 from beyond the arc, sinking his overall field-goal percentage. However, with the double-double and blocked shots, fantasy managers don’t have much to complain about regarding Wemby’s final stat line. The Spurs play four games in Week 19, starting with the 76ers on Tuesday.

Plumlee, who was injured before signing with the Spurs, remains out as he continues to improve his conditioning. The veteran center’s continued absence does not affect fantasy basketball.

Plumlee’s 10-day contract was up, and the Spurs rewarded him with a deal to remain with the team for the rest of the season. He’ll serve as a depth option for San Antonio, and it will take injuries to Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet for Plumlee to see significant playing time.

Foul trouble was an issue for Wemby on Thursday, but it didn’t matter much as the Spurs jumped the Nets early and never relinquished control. Given how well he played against the Knicks on New Year’s Eve, putting up 31 points and 13 rebounds before leaving with a left knee injury, it would be unsurprising if Wembanyama rebounded from Thursday’s effort in a big way when the Spurs visit MSG on Sunday.

Initially questionable for Thursday’s game with a hip injury, Castle logged 25 minutes in the Spurs’ 126-110 victory. He didn’t have a great night shooting the basketball, but the reigning Rookie of the Year was responsible for only one turnover. Since recording six in a February 7 win over the Kings, Castle has been responsible for three turnovers or fewer in six of his last seven appearances.

Having grown up in Brooklyn and attended St. John’s, Champagnie put on a show for the home folks on Thursday. Shooting 6-of-9 from beyond the arc, the 26 points were one less than his total in San Antonio’s prior two games. Since moving into the starting lineup on New Year’s Eve, Champagnie has been close to a top-75 player in nine-cat formats, according to Basketball Monster. He’s still rostered in 16 percent of Yahoo! leagues, and now may be a good time for more deep-league managers to hop onto the bandwagon. After Sunday’s game against the Knicks, Champagnie and the Spurs play four games in Week 19.

Johnson was initially questionable for the second leg of this back-to-back, but he will be good to go. He has yet to miss a game this season and will continue to fill a large reserve role.

Castle was initially listed as questionable for the second leg of this back-to-back, but he will be good to go against Brooklyn. He logged 28 minutes in Wednesday’s win and should see a similar role in this game.