Moritz

Wagner

Used primarily as a reserve, Bitadze is not in a great spot to provide consistent fantasy value. However, Moritz Wagner (knee) is expected to miss the start of the regular season, and starter Wendell Carter Jr. surpassing 60 games played twice in his first seven seasons, there may be streaming opportunities for Goga. He isn’t a player worth drafting, but he should remain on the radar of managers willing to select Carter in their drafts.

While the Magic may be able to get Jalen Suggs back from his knee injury by opening night, Wagner is “further away” in his recovery process, according to general manager Jeff Weltman. Wagner suffered a torn left ACL just before Christmas, leaving the Magic light on post depth. Starter Wendell Carter Jr. and backup Goga Bitadze are healthy going into training camp, and the Magic added Orlando Robinson on a two-way contract. Wagner was not going to be a draftable player in most fantasy leagues if healthy, but there may have been moments when he offered streaming value based on Carter’s injury history.

Wagner tore his ACL in December, and he’ll miss time to start the 2025-26 season. Before suffering the injury, he averaged career highs in points (12.9), rebounds (4.9) and three-point percentage (36) in just 18.8 minutes per game. Once he returns, he’ll likely take on a similar role as a microwave scorer and spacer off the bench.

Wagner tore the ACL in his left knee just before Christmas, robbing the Magic of a player who was among the most productive reserves in the NBA at that time. Boasting an 18-12 record at the time of his injury, the Magic finished the regular season 41-41 and were eliminated by two-seed Boston in the first round of the playoffs. While Wagner did not provide specifics regarding his recovery process, he aims to be cleared in time for the start of next season. “That’s part of the rehab — you go day-by-day, you figure it out, but, of course, that’s what I’m working toward,” Wagner told the Orlando Sentinel when asked about his availability for the beginning of the 2025-26 season. “I’m pretty positive-minded toward that.” Wagner has a team option for next season and has expressed a desire to return to Orlando. Fantasy-wise, he’s been most impactful as a streamer when the Magic were without starting center Wendell Carter Jr.

The injuries continue to pile up for Orlando. Wagner exited early from Saturday night’s game because of the knee injury, and he will be sidelined for the rest of the season. Goga Bitadze and Wendell Carter Jr. will fill out extra minutes at center, giving both of them a strong boost in fantasy value.

Wagner played two minutes before injuring his knee with 2:33 remaining in the first quarter. He has since been ruled out for the rest of the game, and the Magic reserve will undergo further evaluation. Orlando is also without Wendell Carter Jr., who was ejected during the second quarter. Thus, Goga Bitadze must log heavy minutes during the second half.

Few basketball fans, if any, projected matchups between Wagner and Karl-Anthony Towns to be “must-see TV” before the season began. But they have been, with both players producing highlights and quality stat lines in the teams’ two meetings. Wagner went off for a career-high 32 points on Sunday, playing 25 minutes off the bench. Rostered in 27% of Yahoo leagues, he’s worth adding with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner sidelined with torn oblique muscles.

Despite getting beaten soundly by the Knicks, the Magic advanced to the East quarterfinals of the NBA Cup, and Wagner had something to do with that. The 20 points were a season-high, and this was also his first double-double of the season. With Goga Bitadze sitting out Tuesday’s game with a sprained ankle, Wagner will be worth a look in more leagues if Goga misses more time.

On multiple occasions, Wagner has provided solid value off the bench since the Magic lost Wendell Carter Jr. to plantar fasciitis. Monday was another one of those nights, as he finished two rebounds shy of a double-double and shot 70% from the field. Goga Bitadze (six points, four rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block in 22 minutes) remains the superior streamer, but Wagner should not be overlooked in spots where Bitadze is off the board.

WCJ has missed their last 11 games, but there is a chance that he is back in the mix on Monday. If that happens, Goga Bitadze will be pushed to the bench and lose most of his streaming value, while Moritz Wagner will lose out on some minutes as well.