Franz

Wagner

After practicing in full on Tuesday, Wagner announced his intention to play against Atlanta, and now it’s official. Orlando will have their full starting unit to open the year, and Wagner should see a full workload in his usual starting spot.

Wagner has been dealing with a right shoulder injury since the preseason finale on October 16, but he’s trending in the right direction ahead of the season opener. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on his status ahead of tip-off.

Wagner exited Friday’s preseason finale against the Heat in the third quarter with right shoulder soreness. He was limited to light work in Sunday’s practice, and the Magic will continue to evaluate Wagner leading into Wednesday’s opener against the Hawks. If Franz can’t play, Tristan da Silva is the likely replacement in the starting lineup.

Wagner started the third quarter of Friday’s preseason finale but exited with a sore right shoulder. He stayed on the bench with his teammates, so the injury likely won’t sideline him for Orlando’s regular-season opener on October 21. If he does miss time, Tristan da Silva is the likely replacement in the starting lineup.

Wagner played limited minutes in Orlando’s first two preseason games, but he was unleashed in this one. Through three preseason games, he now has 18 assists, and even with Jalen Suggs (illness) in the lineup, Wagner was still the primary playmaker. Wagner’s career high for assists per game is 4.7, but that mark dropped to just 3.3 last season. If Sean Sweeney opts to utilize him as a playmaker more, and he is able to stay healthy, Wagner can be a fantasy stud.

Wagner was unable to settle into a groove during his preseason debut, but he managed to shift seamlessly into facilitator mode, dishing out a team-high seven assists. The 25-year-old forward was limited to a career-low 34 games last year due to a severe high ankle sprain. It’s relatively easy to write off last season’s injuries as an outlier given his previous history, which makes him an interesting rebound candidate as a fourth-round range selection in fantasy drafts this fall.

Wagner left Game 4 after playing 24 minutes with a calf injury and hasn’t played since. He’s now set to miss Game 7. The tides turned without him in the series as the Magic are in the process of blowing a 3-1 lead to the Pistons. Jamal Cain started Game 6 in Wagner’s place, but had just three points in 20 minutes while Anthony Black had eight points in 34 minutes off the bench.

During the regular season, Black was usually the replacement in the Magic starting lineup when the team was down a perimeter starter. However, that was not the case for Game 5, as Franz Wagner was out with a strained calf. Jamal Cain (five points, four rebounds and one assist), who had some good moments in Games 3 and 4 defending Cade Cunningham, received the nod but offered limited value in 45 minutes. Black, who totaled 22 points in the first four games of the series, played 39 minutes and had a good night at the office. We’ll see if Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley decides to start Black if Wagner remains out for Game 6 on Friday.

Wagner was not expected to be available for Game 5, and he is now officially out. Anthony Black is the most likely replacement in the starting lineup, but there will also be additional playing time for Tristan da Silva and Jamal Cain as the Magic look to close out the Pistons. Wagner does not have a return timeline, so he may be down for multiple games.

Wagner is still officially listed as questionable with a right calf strain. It’s not looking good for the 24-year-old forward’s availability, though. Wagner missed shootaround Wednesday morning and Banchero told reporters the team doesn’t expect him to play. Jamal Cain, Anthony Black and Tristan da Silva are all candidates to pick up minutes with Wagner expected to be out.