The Thunder open their Week 19 schedule with a back-to-back against the Bulls and Knicks, so it’s unsurprising that some key players will sit out the former for injury management reasons. Gilgeous-Alexander’s absence makes Cason Wallace a more attractive fantasy option in shallow formats, while Jared McCain will be worth a look in some 14-team leagues.

Giannis is good to go for Monday’s game, which will be his first since January 23. During his pregame availability, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said that he expects the former league MVP to be under a minutes restriction, but did not provide an exact number. Giannis’s return means that Kyle Kuzma will come off the bench.

Acquired from the Hawks in early January, Young has been rehabbing knee and quad injuries that he suffered early in the season. While his return to action would push Bub Carrington to the bench, Young will be limited to 17-20 minutes on Thursday. Between the time that he’s missed and Washington’s need to hold onto its first-round pick, which is top-8 protected, it wouldn’t make much sense for Young to play heavy minutes between now and the end of the season.

Giannis last played on January 23, so he’ll surely face a minutes restriction in his first game back in over a month. Antetokounmpo’s return should mean less run for Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis, but managers rostering Kuz or Portis shouldn’t drop them immediately.

While Curry is making progress in his recovery from a right knee issue, described as “runner’s knee,” the Warriors guard said during an interview on Saturday that he has not yet begun on-court work. The reported timeline means that the door is still open for Curry to return to action before the fantasy playoffs conclude, so he should continue to be stashed in IL slots. Gui Santos, who recently earned a standard contract worth $15 million over three years, is worth rostering while Curry sits, as is De’Anthony Melton.

After going winless in February, the worst month in franchise history, Giddey and the Bulls ended their 11-game skid with a blowout of the Bucks. Chicago went on a 27-0 run during the third and fourth quarters, and Milwaukee scored just eight points in the final frame. Giddey made some history during the win, recording his eighth triple-double of the season. That’s the most that he has recorded in a season, and the guard is up to 15 as a Bull, tied with Scottie Pippen for second on the all-time list. (Michael Jordan had 28.) The Bulls play three games in Week 19, starting with the Thunder on Tuesday.

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.

It was reported last week that Garland, who injured his right great toe while with the Cavaliers, was targeting Monday for his Clippers’ debut. Haynes’ report is further confirmation of this, with Garland having already been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Pelicans. Given the time that he’s missed, the point guard will likely be under a minutes restriction for his first few games back.

Injured during Thursday’s win over the Heat, Embiid has been diagnosed with a strained right oblique. He’ll miss at least three games before being re-evaluated, starting with Sunday’s game against the Celtics. When Embiid has been out, the 76ers have started Andre Drummond, with Adem Bona remaining in the backup center role. Look for that to be the case on Sunday.

Back in the lineup after an illness forced his early exit from Wednesday’s win over the Celtics, Murray still didn’t look his best physically on Friday. However, he still put up 39 points, the most in a game for the Nuggets’ guard since he hit that number in a February 4 loss to the Knicks. And the schedule won’t get any easier, as Sunday’s game against the Timberwolves is the first of two in as many games for Murray and the Nuggets.