Max

Christie

Anthony Davis may have been the headliner on Saturday, but he received ample help from Christie. The Mavericks guard has scored at least 18 points in three consecutive games, providing third-round fantasy value over the past week. Christie appears well-positioned to hold onto his starting job for the foreseeable future, which makes him worth a look in 14-team leagues. He’s currently rostered in 12 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

One game removed from scoring a season-high 25 points, Christie pumped in 19 more against the 76ers. While his season-long fantasy value has not been good, the Mavericks’ guard has been close to a top-100 player over the past week. Just as encouraging was Christie remaining in the starting lineup despite Anthony Davis’ return, with Daniel Gafford being bumped to the bench. For that reason, Christie will be worth considering for Dallas’ final game of Week 11 on Saturday.

Having scored 14 points in the first half of Monday’s game, Christie went scoreless in the third quarter, shooting 0-of-2 from the field. The Mavericks guard rebounded nicely in the fourth, scoring 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting to help Dallas claw its way back into the game. The 25 points were a season-high for Christie, who matched his previous high with five three-pointers. While starting gives him a higher fantasy ceiling, that’s likely to change once Anthony Davis is cleared to return from a groin injury.

Davis pulled up lame during the second quarter and was substituted immediately. According to the Mavericks, he has been diagnosed with right groin spasms and will not return. Max Christie replaced Davis in the lineup to begin the third quarter, and Dallas will run a Cooper Flagg-heavy offense as they look to come back.

While Williams played 15 minutes off the bench in Tuesday’s win over the Nuggets, Christie was held out due to an illness. The latter’s return will likely result in fewer minutes for Caleb Martin, who logged 25 on Tuesday. None are worth rostering in most fantasy leagues.

This will be a second straight absence for Christie due to this illness. His absence allowed Caleb Martin to enter the rotation. With Christie and Klay Thompson (ankle) sidelined, Martin should play a large reserve role, though there will be better streaming options on a day with 14 games.

Dallas has a number of players on the injury report for the second leg of a back-to-back set. With Christie and Thompson expected to sit this one out, Naji Marshall could be in line for monster usage.

Christie was initially listed as questionable with an illness, but will miss the game against the Pelicans Monday. The 22-year-old guard has played less than 20 minutes in each of his last two game. Christie’s absence won’t significantly impact fantasy basketball.

Christie most recently played 14 minutes in Saturday’s loss to the 76ers. He’ll likely take on a similar workload on Monday if he’s available, and that doesn’t move the needle in fantasy basketball.

Thompson has been off the injury report ahead of the Mavs’ last few games, but there is a chance he is sidelined against Philadelphia. If that happens, Max Christie will see a nice bump in minutes off the bench.