Vasilije

Micic

Ball is back after sitting out Friday’s loss to the 76ers, Charlotte’s second game in as many nights. His return means Vasilije Micic will come off the bench, limiting his fantasy potential.

Friday’s game was the second in as many nights for the Hornets, resulting in LaMelo Ball sitting and Micic moving into the starting lineup. He played well against the team that selected him in the second round of the 2014- NBA Draft, leading the Hornets with 20 points on 50% shooting and dishing out four assists. The Hornets don’t play again until Monday, so fantasy managers can drop Micic to free up a roster spot for the final two days of Week 8.

The Hornets have made three changes to their starting lineup, two of which were due to injury. Micic and Richards will start with LaMelo Ball and Mark Williams sidelined, while Martin moves into the starting lineup and pushes Seth Curry to the bench. All three spot starters are worth streaming since only three games are on Friday’s schedule.

Charlotte played Thursday, so it’s not surprising that Ball is getting a day off on the second leg of a back-to-back set. Miller sat out Thursday, so he’ll miss a second straight contest. Vasilije Micic and Seth Curry are the most likely candidates to replace Ball and Miller in the starting five, though Cody Martin should see a bump in playing time as well.

Miller has been ruled out after scoring just 12 points in his last outing against the 76ers. That performance brought his streak of games with at least 20 points to an end at 12. The second-year wing could be replaced by Vasilije Micic in the starting lineup.

As with Mark Williams and Nick Richards when they returned from their respective injuries, the Hornets took a conservative approach to Ball’s playing time. The Hornets’ point guard played 26 minutes, and while the shots weren’t falling, he provided solid value in the rebound, assist, and steal categories. Vasilije Micic, who filled in while Ball was sidelined, played 15 minutes off the bench and went scoreless with one rebound and five assists. Charlotte plays a Thursday/Friday back-to-back, so there may be another opportunity for Micic to provide streaming value if Ball is given an injury management day.

Ball is back in the Hornets’ lineup after a seven-game absence, with his return pushing Vasilije Micic to the bench. While the Hornets did not announce any restrictions for their star point guard, Ball may not be asked to take on a full workload in his first game back. Micic is not worth holding onto in most leagues when LaMelo is active.

Mann hasn’t played since the Hornet’s overtime win against the Pistons on Nov. 21. Vasilije Micic will likely continue to be a key part of the rotation while Mann recovers.

LaMelo Ball’s absence has not boosted Micic’s fantasy value as much as some hoped, but he’s played enough to merit being rostered in deep leagues. He finished Sunday’s win one assist shy of a double-double, but turnovers have been the most significant issue. As a 10th-round player in 8-cat formats over the past week, Micic is well outside the top 150 in 9-cat. He had five more turnovers on Sunday, but the overall production made up for that issue.

Micic dished out a season-high 12 assists on Thursday, finishing the loss one shy of his career-high. Rostered in 12% of Yahoo leagues, he’s provided 12th-round value in 8-cat formats over the last two weeks. That isn’t great value, but it’s good enough to justify Micic being rostered in more leagues until LaMelo Ball returns.