Welcome to Fantasy Vibe Check, your place to discuss the highs, lows and headaches of the NBA and fantasy basketball.

Check out who I’m swinging with and let me know in the comments @DanTitus about what draws you to fantasy basketball.

😵‍💫 I’m angry that Franz Wagner will miss the time

Franz Wagner’s rise to the NBA ranks is one of the most valuable picks in fantasy and one of the best developments in the game. He was a top-10 player in 9-cat leagues and a top-20 player in points leagues this season – a clear favorite for Most Improved Player honors after being the best in nearly every category Gone was to show career numbers. Seeing him suffer an oblique injury while playing at a pure NBA level is objectively shitty. What’s even more annoying is that he suffered the same oblique injury that sidelined Paolo Banchero for the last 23 games.

The silver lining? Banchero told Marc J. Spears that he plans to return around Christmas. The team will only be without its two best players for a few weeks. In the meantime, we can expect to see a lot of Jalen Suggs and Goga Bitadze. Suggs and Bitadze had a usage rate of 33% and 26% respectively last game, so that was just a taste of what to expect. Suggs is already on the general roster, but Bitadze should be added across all leagues (34% on the roster). Meanwhile, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (25%) is a good streaming option in 12+ leagues.

With it being NBA Cup week, Wendell Carter Jr (29%), Anthony Black (5%) and Cole Anthony (8%) are options if you’re looking for more production on a lighter Tuesday slate. However, I would prefer fringe Bucks players like Gary Trent Jr. (8%) over them because the Bucks win and advance for me. Still, Wagner’s injury opens up more options for everyone until Banchero returns.

The Magic have built one of the best defensive units in basketball, so this will be an important move for role players to improve IRL and Fantasy with their two stars sidelined.

🫣 When it comes to Scottie Barnes, I’m cautiously optimistic

Just as I was getting over my Franz saltiness, Scottie Barnes suffered an ankle injury midway through the third quarter of Monday night’s game against the Knicks. Barnes accidentally stepped on Karl-Anthony Towns’ foot on the rebound and looked like he was in significant pain.

At one point he limped to the locker room alone but did not return to the game.

Barnes missed 11 games earlier this year with a fractured eye socket, making that ankle injury increasingly frustrating. However, Raptors HC Darko Rajaković said that Barnes’ x-rays were negative and that he would get more pictures on Tuesday. Getting clean x-rays is a promising start, so we are awaiting the results and expected timeline for his return.

While Barnes is sidelined, RJ Barrett will become more of a point forward again with more opportunities available to Gradey Dick (48%), Kelly Olynyk (20%), Davion Mitchell (4%) and Ochai Agbaji (20%). With a rating of 4%, Davion Mitchell is an underrated fantasy author. In 11 games without Barnes this season, Mitchell averaged 8.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.1 steals over 31 minutes per game.

😁 I’m looking forward to the Emirates NBA Cup

I’m looking forward to the start of the NBA Cup on Tuesday evening. Without the Wagner injury, we would have had eight entertaining, star-studded teams competing for the championship this season. The Magic can fight back, but stopping Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard without their top players is a tall order. Still, there are the Knicks, Hawks, Bucks and Magic in the East and the Rockets, Warriors, Thunder and Mavericks in the West.

Must-see matchup: (4) MAVERICKS AT (1) THUNDER – TUESDAY, 9:30 PM ET (TNT)

OKC has the best record in the Western Conference and dominated for most of the season, leading the NBA in point differential per game (+11.9) and defensive rating. SGA and Jalen Williams are playing at an All-NBA level and Isaiah Hartenstein hasn’t missed a beat since returning from his thumb injury. Dallas’ record is disappointing, but they have suffered some tough losses. Luka Dončić and Kyrie, as well as the health of the supporting cast, are on the rise, making Dallas a real threat to win the NBA Cup.

If you think OKC will move on, grab players like Lu Dort (22%) and Cason Wallace (10%). If you like Dallas, Spencer Dinwiddie (14%) and Quentin Grimes (8%) are your best choices, but I don’t love them.

Must-see matchup: (3) WARRIORS AT (2) ROCKETS – WEDNESDAY, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

The Warriors defeated the Rockets on December 5, extending their consecutive winning streak against Houston to 15 games. The Rockets have not beaten the Warriors since February 20, 2020. I think the series ends here and we’ll see how the Rockets move forward. Featuring two top-five defensemen and some electrifying basket scorers with insane athleticism, this matchup won’t disappoint.

Tari Eason, who is 48% on the roster, is still recovering from a concussion, but if he is active on Wednesday, make sure he is not available for waivers. For Warriors with less than 50% roster strength, Buddy Hield (45%), Kevon Looney (7%) and Gary Payton II (1%) are options if you believe the Warriors will reach the semifinals.