Kyshawn George takes offensive load without AJ

Dybantsa will miss a second straight game due to a sprained left ankle, but the Wizards play the second leg of a back-to-back set on Saturday against the Bulls, which will give the rookie a quick turnaround to make his regular-season debut. Dybantsa could replace Bilal Coulibaly or Kyshawn George in the starting five when he finally gets back on the court.

Bilal Coulibaly will take the starting spot of AJ Dybantsa who rolled his ankle in the final pre-season game against the Pelicans. Bilal is worth a stream spot in redraft leagues if he’s available.

Kyshawn George is an instrumental part of this starting lineup. With his ability to shoot, defend, and handle the ball, he will be a very good role player this season. He won’t shoot as efficiently as he did every night, but he should still be a solid bet outside the top 100.

Fantasy-wise, George has been Washington’s most valuable young wing over the last two seasons. That shouldn’t change in 2026-27, as he’s expected to start alongside Trae Young and AJ Dybantsa on the perimeter. George shot the ball well on Monday night, and playing alongside a playmaker like Young should raise his fantasy ceiling in 2026-27.

In the aftermath of his exit from Sacramento, DeRozan was considered to be a player likely headed to a team with postseason ambitions. Miami, Cleveland and Denver have all expressed interest since the veteran wing hit free agency, and now Washington has reportedly worked its way into the mix. Given the number of young wings on the Wizards’ roster, adding DeRozan would create even more of a logjam, potentially limiting the short-term fantasy potential of a Kyshawn George or Will Riley.

Dybantsa entered the 2025-26 season as one of the top prospects in this draft class, and his lone season at BYU did no harm to that status. The 6-foot-9 wing averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.4 three-pointers last season, earning consensus first-team All-America honors. Dybantsa shot 51.0 percent from the field, 33.1 percent from three and 77.4 percent from the foul line. An excellent athlete who can score on all three levels and provide some playmaking, Dybantsa needs to become a more consistent three-point shooter. That said, he projects to be a franchise cornerstone for years to come. He’ll join a core in Washington that features young studs Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson and Kyshawn George, as well as veteran stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis. Dybantsa should start from day one and be a strong scoring option.

George has missed 16 game since suffering a Grade 2 UCL tear in his left elbow on March 2, so the Wizards’ announcement that he’s officially out for the rest of the season isn’t a surprise. The 22-year-old forward is expected to make a full recovery ahead of the 2026-27 season.

George has a Grade 2 distal UCL tear in his left elbow and will be treated “conservatively,” according to the team. The 22-year-old forward will be re-evaluated in one week. It’s up in the air whether George will return before the end of the season at this point.

George injured his left elbow during Monday’s loss to the Rockets, and he was initially diagnosed with a sprain. Further evaluations revealed a partially torn UCL, and the second-year wing will be re-evaluated in three weeks. While there is a chance that George returns for the final week of the fantasy season in standard Yahoo! leagues, he would likely be under a minutes limit if so. For those who held off on adding Will Riley, now is the time to do so.

George will miss a second straight game after spraining his left elbow during Monday’s loss to the Rockets. Will Riley replaced him in the lineup for Tuesday’s loss to the Magic and is likely to retain that role. Riley should be rostered in 14-team leagues given his silly-season potential.