Michael Carter-Williams Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

The Magic will be getting healthier after being super shorthanded the last few games, as they prepare to take on the Washington Wizards. A few players were struck with a non-COVID illness, but MCW and Birch are good to go after missing the last three games with the illness. Anthony is officially available to return after missing 25 games due to a rib injury. The Magic are one of the worst teams in the league after trading away their best players, but there was still value to be had since they had so few bodies. With these three players coming back, the Magic will have a muddied rotation. The point guard position will likely have MCW starting, with Anthony coming off the bench and Chasson Randle possibly out of the rotation. With Birch back, Wendell Carter Jr. will likely lose heavy minutes as he will have to split the center minutes. Overall, the Magic will have more players than they have the last few games, and are not as good values as they had been recently.

Another day, another shorthanded Magic team. As they prepare to take on the Denver Nuggets, they will only have 9 available bodies, which is actually one more than they had yesterday. Porter Jr. was ruled out with a foot injury, Mane was ruled out with a hamstring injury, and MCW was ruled out with a non-COVID illness. Khem Birch missed the last game due to an illness, but is available to play, along with Mo Bamba, who was limited to only eleven minutes last game and left as well for an illness. We've been able to notice a few trends as the Magic have had some of these players out regularly. Chasson Randle should get the start at point guard again, and will be backed up by RJ Hampton; both will share the floor as well, as Randle played 32 minutes yesterday and Hampton played 30. The center position will be the most crowded with Birch back; he'll likely start, with Wendell Carter Jr. backing him up. Mo Bamba is another option for center, but with both Birch and Carter playing, Bamba may not get that many minutes (unless Birch plays with him which is possible but not for more than a few minutes). With Porter Jr. out, expect more minutes at the wing for James Ennis, Dwayne Bacon, Chuma Okeke, and Terrence Ross. Bacon and Ennis each played 36 minutes yesterday, and should be in line for at least 30 again with the Magic still shorthanded. The Nuggets are currently big favorites, and after seeing the Magic lose by 46 to the Jazz yesterday, it's difficult to project many points for the Magic. Still, minutes are king, and with only nine available bodies, they will have to go somewhere; Bacon, Okeke, Ennis, and Randle are likely to play the most.

The Magic will be down to only eight healthy bodies as they take on the Utah Jazz. Of the five Magic who were listed questionable earlier, four were ruled out, while Terrence Ross will be available to play through his injury. With Birch out, Wendell Carter Jr should take over at center and play the majority of the minutes, backed up by Mo Bamba. With MCW and Mane out, Chasson Randle will likely start at point guard, being backed up by RJ Hampton. With Porter Jr. out, the wing minutes will stick with James Ennis, Dwayne Bacon, and Chuma Okeke, along with Ross. The top plays are likely to be a combination of players. Okeke's minutes are most secure, as he has averaged 32 minutes even as the Magic had more injuries. Bacon is also likely to continue play the lion's share of minutes, and Ross should too as long as there's no lingering effects from his injury.

Despite not being listed on the injury report earlier in the day, Carter-Williams was listed as out due to a non-COVID illness and will miss the Magic's game against the New Orleans Pelicans. With Karim Mane ruled out earlier in the day due to a hamstring injury, Chasson Randle looks to be the only true point guard on the team and should get the start. Dwayne Bacon and Terrence Ross will also help handle the ball when Randle is on the bench. R.J. Hampton should also get more minutes, but overall the Magic will still likely play 10 players, and other than Randle, nobody should get a major boost up in minutes.

Carter-Williams was never listed on the Magic's injury report, but he reportedly won't start in Friday's matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers due to an illness. There hasn't been any confirmation that Carter-Williams will be unavailable in tonight's contest, but the fact that he was unable to start certainly isn't a promising sign. Orlando is also still without Terrence Ross because of a sore right knee, and since Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr., Gary Harris, and RJ Hampton won’t be available to make their Magic debuts following yesterday’s trade deadline, they will have just eight available players, one of them being Mo Bamba, who has played more than 14 minutes on just two occasions over the entire season. This will likely thrust Khem Birch into the large majority of available center minutes, whereas Dwayne Bacon, Chasson Randle, James Ennis, and Chuma Okeke should see plenty of additional minutes and usage this evening.

Carter-Williams and Ennis will each be making their return against the Boston Celtics. MCW missed two games with an illness, while Ennis missed eight with a calf injury. Mo Bamba was ruled out due to a hamstring and toe injury, leaving Khem Birch as the backup center behind Nikola Vucevic. Terrence Ross is also out for the Magic for his third game in a row. Carter-Williams will rejoin the starting lineup, pushing Chasson Randle to the bench, while Ennis will fight for wing minutes and should play some with Ross's absence.

Carter-Williams and Ross have officially been downgraded from questionable and won't play in Friday's matchup against the Brooklyn Nets due to their respective ailments, while Evan Fournier will be available to play following his original probable designation on the Magic's injury report with a strained left groin. Their absences will enable Chasson Randle to join the starting lineup once again, and he should have a relatively stable minute floor in the upper-20s with some combination of Fournier or Aaron Gordon likely to assume the backup point guard duties when he's off the floor. As for Gordon, he logged over 30 minutes for the first time since returning from a near two-month absence following the All-Star break n Thursday's loss, so it remains to be seen just how much playing time he's allowed to see on the second night of a back-to-back set with the medical and coaching staffs clearly trying to manage his return from an ankle injury.

Gordon and Fournier have officially been upgraded from questionable and will start in Thursday's matchup against the New York Knicks, while Ross will join Carter-Williams on the Magic's inactive list for tonight's contest after it was previously reported he would attempt to play. Their absences will enable Chasson Randle to join the starting lineup, and he should have a relatively stable minute floor in the upper-20s with some combination of Gordon and Fournier likely to assume the backup point guard duties when he's off the floor. As for Gordon, he was limited to just 14 minutes in his return from a near two-month absence following the All-Star break, so it remains to be seen just how much playing time he's allowed to see with the medical and coaching staffs clearly trying to manage his return from the aforementioned ankle injury.

Evan Fournier (back spasms) will not play Saturday. His absence will shift Michael Carter-Williams into the starting lineup, giving MCW DFS viability on a shorter Saturday slate. Fournier is very involved in Orlando's offense, so look for a combination of Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Markelle Fultz to potentially see slight upticks in usage/shot attempts. The Magic will get Terrence Ross back, and he could very well push for 30 minutes and see an uptick in his production, making him one of the stronger GPP targets in the mid-range.