Keldon

Johnson

After scoring 25 points in a February 4 win over the Thunder, Johnson totaled 26 points in the three games that followed. He was far more impactful against the Warriors, providing excellent value in his 29 minutes. Over the past two weeks, Johnson has been ranked outside the top-200, mainly due to a lack of production outside of points and rebounds. That’s been the case for most of this season, limiting him to a deep-league option in category leagues.

After totaling 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting in the Spurs’ prior two games, Johnson had one of his most productive nights of the season. The 25 points were the most in a game for him since January 7, when he scored 27 in a win over the Lakers. While Johnson has value in points leagues, his category-league value takes a hit because his production outside of points and rebounds is limited. Wednesday was a good night for the veteran forward, but it doesn’t change much in terms of his fantasy outlook.

Johnson’s inconsistent scoring recently has negatively affected his fantasy value, especially given his limited defensive production. He’s reached double figures in three of his last six games, but Thursday’s stat line was solid. While there have been more opportunities with Devin Vassell out of the lineup, Johnson’s game will not have a significant impact in category leagues. There’s no need to consider streaming him in 12-team leagues.

Kornet has been battling left adductor tightness but has continued to play around 20 minutes a game. This will be his first missed game since December 5th. Bismack Biyombo could move into the rotation, but the Spurs may be able to get by with going small and playing Harrison Barnes or Keldon Johnson more minutes.

Having totaled 16 points on 5-of-14 shooting in his previous two appearances, Johnson needed a good Saturday night. He answered the call, providing needed production off the bench to help the Spurs avoid losing a game they led by as much as 25. Over the past two weeks, Johnson has offered 11th-round value in eight-cat formats, and that’s with lackluster assist and steals production. While he has a limited fantasy ceiling, Johnson’s floor is solid.

While his category league value is limited due to lackluster defensive production, Johnson is capable of coming through with the occasional big scoring night. The 27 points he scored against the Lakers were the most in a game for the Spurs forward since December 27, when he hit that number in a loss to the Jazz. Even with Johnson averaging 15.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, he has only offered 12th-round value in eight-cat formats over the past two weeks.

Johnson only needed 25 minutes to produce one of his best stat lines of the season. While he was not in the starting lineup, the Spurs not having De’Aaron Fox may have opened up a little more offense for Johnson. Rostered in 14 percent of Yahoo! leagues, the veteran forward has been an 11th-round player in eight-cat formats over the past two weeks. Johnson’s fantasy ceiling remains limited, but he may be worth a look if Fox isn’t back for Monday’s game against the Cavaliers.

Johnson was the unexpected X-factor in a highly-anticipated showdown between a pair of Western Conference heavyweights, draining a season-high five three-pointers to surpass the 20-point mark for the first time since November 30. The 26-year-old is a bit of an afterthought for San Antonio on most nights but he’s played over 20 minutes in seven of 10 games since the start of December.

Bryant is a late addition to the injury report, and if he is unavailable for the NBA Cup quarterfinal matchup, Keldon Johnson and Jeremy Sochan would each likely take on a few extra minutes. However, that won’t make much of an impact on the Spurs’ rotation.

A fixture in the Spurs’ starting lineup since Stephon Castle was lost to a hip injury, Champagnie struggled with his shot on Sunday. He was 2-of-9 from beyond the arc, dropping to 9-of-24 over the last three games. The good news for the few managers streaming Champagnie is that he recorded his first double-double of the season, leading all players with 12 rebounds. Those looking for someone capable of compensating for Castle’s absence are better off with Keldon Johnson, even with his issues in category league formats. He finished Sunday’s defeat with 14 points, six rebounds, two assists, one steal and two three-pointers in 24 minutes.