Washington

Wizards

While Riley returned to the Wizards’ lineup on Thursday after missing Tuesday’s loss to the Pistons, Johnson has been a fixture in the starting five since the All-Star break. If either sits on Saturday, Justin Champagnie may return to the rotation after not playing on Thursday.

Saturday’s game will be the third that Young has missed since suffering a quad contusion during Monday’s loss to the Warriors. Bub Carrington should remain in the starting lineup, and he is worth rostering while Young is out.

Black will miss a fifth consecutive game on Saturday. While the continued absence does not affect his fantasy value, as Black should not be rostered, more minutes have been available to Jamir Watkins off the bench.

He hasn’t been on the radar of fantasy managers this season, and for good reason, given his lackluster production. However, the rookie’s defensive activity makes him capable of having games like Thursday, where he can do a little bit of everything. Watkins played 27 minutes against the Pistons, matching his season-high in steals and recording a new high in blocks. Add in the rebounds and assists, and this was a solid performance as far as category leagues are concerned. However, this does not make Watkins a player worth adding.

While coming off the bench limits Vukčević’s fantasy upside, he’s scored in double figures in four of his last five appearances. And the third-year center has two 20-point games during this stretch, including Thursday’s loss to the Pistons. Vukčević made all three of his three-point attempts and missed just one shot from the field overall in his 18 minutes. Starter Alex Sarr (two points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocks) played 21 minutes and shot 1-of-12 from the field. If there comes a point when the Wizards shut down Sarr, Vukčević could benefit.

Johnson has been a fixture in the Wizards’ starting lineup since the team’s final game before the All-Star break, but fantasy managers have seldom reaped the rewards. The final stat line on Thursday was lean beyond the points tally, and Johnson’s value since the All-Star break is outside of the top-300. While the opportunity places Johnson on some radars, the juice may not be worth the squeeze at this point in his career.

After consecutive 21-point outings, Riley was limited to 15 points on Thursday. Of the ten games he’s played in March, the rookie has reached double figures in seven. While Riley’s fantasy value since the All-Star break has been low, he’s one of the players whose minutes should not be an issue during the final weeks of the fantasy season. Riley’s a better option for dynasty leagues than redrafts at this stage in his career, which is the case for most rookies.

Sarr will be back in the lineup after missing Washington’s last two games, one with a hamstring injury and one with a toe injury. Anthony Gill started on Tuesday but should return to playing a reserve role with Sarr back.

Coulibaly will remain sidelined for a second straight game with this heel injury. Originally, it was just the second leg of a back-to-back, but another absence is more concerning. Justin Champagnie should be in line for another start.

Sarr has missed the Wizards’ last two games with hamstring and toe injuries. While Julian Reese started Monday’s loss to the Warriors, Anthony Gill was the replacement on Tuesday against Detroit. Tristan Vukčević has played limited minutes off the bench, eliminating most of his streaming value.