Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire: Tristian Vukcevic and Justin Champagnie flourish for the Wizards

NBC Sports

27-03-2025

For fantasy managers, seeking out low-rostered value at this point in the season can either be invigorating or painful. More often than that, teams focused on the draft lottery and developing their young players. The Wizards certainly qualify, and two players stood out during their win in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Tristan Vukcevic (12%) played 23 minutes off the bench, finishing with 17 points, six rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks. Over the past two weeks, he has offered top-75 value in nine-cat formats, averaging 13.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.3 blocks and 1.7 three-pointers per game. The other low-rostered Wizard to play well on Wednesday was Justin Champagnie (11%), who started due to the absences of Khris Middleton and Kyshawn George.
Champagnie took advantage of his 22 minutes, finishing with 18 points, 10 rebounds, one assist, one steal and four three-pointers. Over the past two weeks, he has been a top-100 player in nine-cat formats. Like Vukcevic, Champagnie does not need to log heavy minutes to offer tangible fantasy value. Also, the Wizards are low enough in the standings that there should not be too much damage to their draft lottery chances if the team goes on a run.
Let's look at a few more of Wednesday's low-rostered standouts:
SF Justin Edwards (36%), Philadelphia 76ers
A fifth-round player in eight-cat formats over the past two weeks, Edwards continues to offer solid value. The rookie wing finished Wednesday's loss to the Wizards with 19 points, 10 rebounds, one assist, five steals and one three-pointer in 36 minutes. With Paul George done for the season and Kelly Oubre Jr. still out, now is an excellent time to add Edwards. And Philadelphia's upcoming schedule is solid, as they'll play two more games during Week 21. The lone concern would be the 76ers sitting Edwards for one of those contests, as the team has a Saturday/Sunday back-to-back. However, the rookie may be one of the players the team is willing to use for both games.
PF/C Al Horford (31%), Boston Celtics
The Celtics played Wednesday's game in Phoenix without Jayson Tatum, who was sidelined by a sprained ankle. That opened up a place in the starting lineup for Horford, who rose to the challenge in Boston's 30-point victory. Horford shot 5-of-10 from the field and 4-of-4 from the foul line, finishing with 16 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, one steal, two blocks and two three-pointers. Over the past two weeks, he has offered top-100 value in nine-cat formats. That isn't great, but it would be good enough if Tatum is not back for Saturday's game in San Antonio.
C Orlando Robinson (10%), Toronto Raptors
With Jakob Poeltl resting, Robinson made his first start since March 10 on Wednesday. And the Raptors center was outstanding in Brooklyn, finishing with 23 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, one block and one three-pointer in just 24 minutes. While it was effectively a timeshare between Robinson and Jonathan Mogbo (16/7/5/1/1 in 24 minutes), the former proved more valuable on Wednesday. That said, Mogbo (two percent rostered) should remain on the deep-league radar as the Raptors complete their season.
SF/PF Peyton Watson (7%), Denver Nuggets
While Aaron Gordon's return to the Nuggets' lineup consigned Watson to the bench on Wednesday, he still logged 34 minutes in a win over the Bucks. Shooting 6-of-8 from the field, he tallied 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three blocked shots. With Gordon only playing 19 minutes on Wednesday, Watson may pick up additional playing time, especially if the starter's lower body injuries remain problematic.
PG Ryan Rollins (1%), Milwaukee Bucks
Rollins was removed from the Bucks' starting lineup for Wednesday's game, with Kevin Porter Jr. (11 percent) stepping in. The change may have benefitted Rollins, as he finished the loss to Denver with 17 points, one rebound, three assists, two steals and two three-pointers in just 18 minutes. As much of a fantasy liability as Rollins has been this season, Damian Lillard's calf issue means there is still room for him to have an impact. And the Bucks still have two games on their schedule for Week 21, starting with the Knicks on Friday.
PG Tyler Kolek (0%), New York Knicks
Kolek has recorded 24 assists in his last three games with only one turnover. The rookie guard doesn't offer much value as a scorer, but Tom Thibodeau may be forced to play him more out of necessity. Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride are already out due to injury, and Cameron Payne sprained his ankle during the first half of Wednesday's loss to the Clippers. As a result, Kolek played 18 minutes off the bench. The Knicks still have games against the Bucks and Trail Blazers on their Week 21 schedule, so watch for the injury report.