Ryan

Kalkbrenner

On the heels of an 18-rebound explosion earlier this week, Diabaté posted his second consecutive double-double, pulling down a game-high 13 boards. The 23-year-old center isn’t much of a scoring threat since his game is mostly limited to around the rim, but he’s making an impact for fantasy purposes as an elite rebounder, averaging 12 boards over his last four games. He’ll be a relevant fantasy option in deeper fantasy formats until rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner (elbow) is ready to return.

Kalkbrenner will miss a third straight game as he recovers from a sprained left elbow. With Mason Plumlee also out, the Hornets will rely on Moussa Diabaté to fill the void, and he should be streamed wherever possible.

Diabaté was perfect from the floor and recorded a double-double by the conclusion first half of this one, finishing with a season-high 18 rebounds in an impressive fantasy effort. The Hornets outscored the Wizards 64-44 in the second half to pull away for a relatively easy win after struggling to get things going in the early stages of the contest. The 23-year-old big man, who drew his second straight start in place of an injured Ryan Kalkbrenner (elbow) isn’t much of a scoring threat but he’s averaging 10.3 rebounds over his last four games. He makes sense as a temporary streaming option in deeper fantasy formats.

Kalkbrenner will miss a second straight game. Mason Plumlee started in his place on Monday, but he is sidelined for this game with a groin injury. Moussa Diabaté should start and fill most of the minutes at center.

Mason Plumlee (groin) is out, so if Kalkbrenner is unable to go, Moussa Diabaté should earn a spot start, making him worthy of streaming on Tuesday’s busy slate.

The Hornets are without Ryan Kalkbrenner (elbow) for Monday’s game, opening up a spot in the starting lineup. However, it’s Plumlee who receives the starting nod rather than Moussa Diabaté. Getting to start raises Plumlee’s ceiling, but he remains a risky play regardless of league size/format.

With Kalkbrenner sidelined due to a sprained elbow, Moussa Diabaté should be in line for a spot start, with Mason Plumlee absorbing backup center minutes.

Kalkbrenner is dealing with a sprained left elbow. The 7-foot-1 center is right-handed, however, so that may factor into whether he can play on Monday. Moussa Diabaté is the likely replacement in the starting lineup if Kalkbrenner cannot play, with Mason Plumlee picking up rotation minutes off the bench.

Diabaté has been hobbled by a sore right knee, most recently sitting out Sunday’s loss to the Nuggets. Mason Plumlee played rotation minutes off the bench, serving as Ryan Kalkbrenner’s backup. If Diabaté can play on Friday, Plumlee will likely fall out of the rotation entirely.

Against the Knicks on Wednesday, Hornets coach Charles Lee made the switch to bump Kalkbrenner to the bench and start Moussa Diabaté. That only lasted one game and was likely to have a better matchup against Karl-Anthony Towns. Kalkbrenner returned to the starting lineup for this game and played 26 minutes while Diabaté logged 16 minutes. Kalkbrenner should start most of Charlotte’s games for the rest of the season.