San Antonio

Spurs

One day removed from scoring 32 points in a loss to the Thunder, Castle is on the injury report with a sprained left thumb. Julian Champagnie could see an increase in minutes if the rookie cannot play. Due to his third-quarter ejection, Champagnie only played 11 minutes on Sunday.

Vassell has scored 15 points or more in consecutive games for the first time in nearly a month. While the fantasy value since the All-Star break has been poor, the Spurs wing has been a 12th-round player over the past week. Vassell’s decreased defensive production has been a factor, but he has recorded a steal and a blocked shot in two straight games. If Vassell can increase the defensive numbers, his fantasy value should improve despite the inconsistent scoring.

A double-digit scorer in three of his last four games, Sochan has emerged as the only Spurs power forward or center worth rostering with Victor Wembanyama done for the season. Since the All-Star break, he has provided 12th-round value in eight- and nine-cat formats. Bismack Biyombo (two points, four rebounds and two assists) only played 18 minutes despite starting, as the Spurs have been willing to employ smaller lineups due to Sochan’s improved play.

Castle was sensational on Sunday, finishing one point shy of his season high. The rookie guard shot over 50 percent from the field against the Thunder and grabbed eight rebounds. The lone negative for Castle was the turnover count, as he was responsible for four, but the positives outweighed that deficiency. He’s scored 22 points or more in three straight games and has been an 11th-round player in eight- and nine-cat formats over the past week. Despite coming off the bench, Castle will play plenty for the rest of the season.

Fox didn’t necessarily have a terrible Sunday night, but fantasy managers likely hoped for a more robust stat line. While he has been a top-50 player since the All-Star break, it’s fair to wonder if having two point guards on the floor for significant stretches limits the fantasy ceilings of Fox and Chris Paul. CP3 played 28 minutes on Sunday, finishing with six points, three rebounds, six assists, one block and two three-pointers. Managers who have Fox rostered should not lose any sleep over his Sunday night, but he boasts a lower fantasy ceiling in this current lineup.

Champagnie and Oklahoma City’s Kenrich Williams got into an altercation with about three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, both were ejected for their roles in the fracas, as was Thunder starting guard Luguentz Dort. Champagnie played 11 minutes before receiving his marching orders, finishing with eight points, two assists and two three-pointers.

Bassey is set to miss his fourth-straight game with a left knee bone bruise. Bismack Biyombo will likely continue starting at center for the Spurs.

Rostered in 34 percent of Yahoo! leagues, Johnson’s fantasy value has increased slightly since the All-Star break. The Spurs forward has provided 10th-round value in nine-cat formats since the break, approaching the top-100. Johnson finished Saturday’s victory with a complete stat line, the first he’s recorded since January 13. While his improved play is unlikely to push Johnson into the starting lineup, he deserves a longer look in standard leagues with Victor Wembanyama done for the season.

For the third time this season, Castle has scored 20 points or more in consecutive games. And he was efficient in getting his numbers on Saturday, shooting 50 percent from the field and only committing one turnover in his 32 minutes on the court. Rostered in 34 percent of Yahoo! leagues, Castle has provided 12th-round value in eight-cat formats over the past month. The Spurs haven’t pulled the plug on this season, and with good reason, as they’re still looking to empower De’Aaron Fox as the point guard of the future. However, as he’s shown in recent games, Castle won’t need a shift to tanking to provide value.

While Vassell’s shooting has not improved much, as he’s made just 37.7 percent of his attempts over the past week, he’s scored 20 points in two of his last three outings. The culprit for the Spurs wing on Saturday was the three-point line, as Vassell shot 2-of-9. He made 70 percent of his two-point attempts, offsetting a poor run from a distance. Over the past month, Vassell has averaged 1.5 three-pointers per game on 25.7 percent shooting. When well over one-third of your attempts are three-pointers, a cold streak will have a more significant impact.