Devin Vassell

Castle is back in the Spurs' lineup after missing nine games, resulting in Julian Champagnie heading back to the bench. Castle's minutes may be restricted, so Champagnie will undoubtedly play rotation minutes. Also, Kornet has been upgraded from questionable to available after missing Friday's loss to the Cavaliers with a sprained ankle.

Vassell hasn't been able to pour in the points consistently this year, but he's still more than capable. He's taken on more offensive responsibility lately, and he has scored at least 20 points in four of his last six games. His seven triples in this game matched his season high. Vassell's production is down this year, but he has stepped up with Stephon Castle (hip) and Victor Wembanyama (calf) sidelined. As long as they're out, he should continue to receive a boost in production.

While Vassell's season-long fantasy value places him outside the top-100 in eight-cat formats, he has been close to a top-50 player over the past two weeks. De'Aaron Fox has been the biggest beneficiary of the absences of Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, but Vassell isn't far behind. And while injuries to key players are never a good thing, those absences may have given Vassell the boost he needed after a slow start to the season.

Vassell generated 35 points (12-17 FG, 7-9 3Pt, 4-4 FT), three rebounds, two assists and one steal across 31 minutes of Friday's 139-136 win over the Nuggets.

Vassell was San Antonio's second-best scorer on Wednesday, finishing as one of two Spurs to reach the 20-point mark. He found his scoring production by way of effective three-point shooting, while also being efficient inside the arc. The scoring total tied a season high and marked the seventh straight game having scored in double figures. Vassell's only other area of impact from a fantasy basketball standpoint came as a rebounder.