Wendell

Carter Jr.

After coming off the bench in the series’ first two games, Carter returned to the starting lineup ahead of Game 3 and remained in that role. Sunday’s series decider was his best game of the seven, with WCJ recording series-highs in points and steals. Beginning the season with a Yahoo ADP of 104.5, Carter’s value was again hampered by injuries. He appeared in 55 games this season and has surpassed six just once in his three full seasons in Orlando. Carter has two seasons remaining on his contract. Still, the injury history makes it difficult to trust him entirely in most fantasy leagues, especially when he failed to crack the top 150 in 8- and 9-cat formats.

Gary Harris missed Game 6 due to injury, which led to Isaac moving into the starting lineup. With this setup, Orlando became the first time in NBA playoff history to start four players listed at 6-foot-10 or taller (Isaac, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, and Wendell Carter Jr.). While the former lottery pick failed to score, he did tie for the team lead in rebounds in just 23 minutes of action. Carter, who also grabbed nine boards, accounted for 11 points, two assists, one steal, one block, and one 3-pointer. Game 7 of this series will be played on Sunday in Cleveland.

Carter moved into the starting lineup after coming off the bench in the series’ first two games. He did not offer much production, but having more size in the middle helped Orlando keep Jarrett Allen (eight rebounds) off the boards. With Carter starting, Jonathan Isaac returned to the bench, and he chipped in with eight points, two rebounds, one steal, one block, and two 3-pointers in 16 minutes. Game 4 is on Saturday, with Cleveland holding a 2-1 lead.

Wendell Carter Jr. will start at center after backing up Jonathan Isaac in Games 1 and 2. Orlando is reverting to its usual regular-season lineup in hopes of securing a home win against the Cavaliers in Game 3.

Isaac’s final stat line wasn’t elite, but it was solid for a player making his third start of the season. Also, he had to deal with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, which isn’t easy for traditional bigs, much less a slender combo forward like Isaac. Despite those two combining to grab 29 rebounds, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley did not do much to alter his approach, with reserves Wendell Carter Jr. (three points, two rebounds, and one 3-pointer) and Moritz Wagner (10 points, five rebounds, and one steal) combining to play 28 minutes. Isaac should again approach 30 minutes when the Magic face Cleveland in Game 2 on Monday.

Carter is available after back spams limited him to four minutes on Friday. However, he will come off the bench, with Jonathan Isaac receiving the starting nod. Moritz Wagner and Goga Bitadze will take hits to their respective values, with the latter likely falling out of the rotation entirely.

Carter was limited to four minutes in Friday’s loss to Philadelphia, with his exit leading to more minutes for Moritz Wagner and Goga Bitadze. While Bitadze has been the replacement in the starting lineup when Carter sits, Wagner also has solid fantasy value when that happens.

Wendell Carter Jr. exited early in this game with back spasms, which allowed for Goga Bitadze to start the second half in his place. However, it was Wagner that ended up stepping up statistically. He has has multiple big games off the bench this season, though he hasn’t contributed enough value consistently to be worth keeping around in standard leagues. He’ll continue to be an important bench piece for them, especially as they enter the postseason. If WCJ is forced to miss any games moving forward, Bitadze and Wagner will split the minutes at center. We’ll see if he’s back for the finale against the Bucks on Sunday.

Carter played four minutes in the first quarter before exiting and returning to the locker room. Moritz Wagner and Goga Bitadze will handle the backup center minutes if WCJ cannot return.

Carter Jr. hasn’t been effective in 9-cat leagues for most of the season because he simply hasn’t been rebounding the ball as well. His 7.2 boards per game are his fewest since his rookie season. However, he recorded his third straight double-double on Wednesday, which is his longest streak of the season. He has provided fifth-round value over the past week, which mostly comes from his rebounding numbers. It’ll be important for him to continue to control the glass moving forward if they want to make noise in the East. He will look to keep it up against Charlotte on Friday.