Washington

Wizards

Johnson was one of four players to score 14 points for Washington in this game, but his came efficiently in just 20 minutes. He has been hovering around 20 minutes since returning from a six-game absence with an ankle injury. This was a strong performance, but his role may be limited the rest of the way, limiting his fantasy upside.

The rookie made his third ever start in place of Kyshawn George, who was sidelined with a left knee contusion. Riley set a new career high for rebounds, which led to the first double-double of his career. The rookie has had some productive outings throughout the year and should continue to play a large role for the remainder of the season, giving him plenty of upside as a silly season target.

Young and Sarr were re-evaluated this week, and neither player is particularly close to a return to game action. And in the case of the former, he has yet to make his Wizards’ debut. As a result, fantasy managers are left to stash Young and Sarr in IL slots, while the absences make Bub Carrington and Tristan Vukčević more valuable in fantasy leagues.

The Wizards won’t have Kyshawn George for Thursday’s game, as he is out with a left knee contusion. Riley, who tallied 18 points in Tuesday’s loss to the Hawks, moves into the starting lineup. The rookie wing is a player who should be rostered throughout the silly season, whether he starts or comes off the bench.

Vukčević missed Tuesday’s game against the Hornets but will be back in action against the Hawks. Over the last two weeks, he’s averaging 10.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 2.0 steals in just under 20 minutes per game.

George is battling a knee contusion that has kept his minutes down since the start of the month. With the Wizards not feeling much pressure to win games, they are not going to stress one of their young players more than they feel is necessary. The last time George missed a game, Justin Champagnie started but Sharife Cooper also played 27 minutes.

With Alex Sarr (hamstring) sidelined, Vukčević has been the starting center when healthy. If he’s unable to go on Thursday, the Wizards will likely turn to Anthony Gill. He would only be worth a look as a deep-league streamer due to Washington’s lack of healthy frontcourt options. There would also be more minutes available to Jamir Watkins.

George, who has a left knee contusion, played 21 minutes in Tuesday’s loss to the Hawks. If he’s unable to play in Thursday’s rematch, the Wizards would have a void to fill in the starting lineup. Justin Champagnie is the most likely replacement, and he would be worth streaming if allowed to start.

The rookie had some excellent performances prior to the All-Star break, but he had struggled recently. However, he was one of the few bright spots in a blowout loss. Riley should be one of the premier silly season options over the final seven weeks of the season, though it may come inconsistently in the near future. Still, he proved in this game that he is worthy of being stashed.

It was a rough shooting night for Carrington, but he was productive in other areas to make up for it. He set a new season high for rebounds, though he had one of his lowest-scoring outings of the season. Year two hasn’t been kind to Carrington, and while he should continue to play big minutes down the stretch of this season, he hasn’t been productive enough for managers to be optimistic about his future.