Impact of Paolo Banchero injury for Magic, fantasy basketball

The Orlando Magic ruled out rookie forward Paolo Banchero for Wednesday night’s game vs. the Dallas Mavericks. Banchero, who is the favorite to win Rookie of the Year this season, is dealing with an ankle injury. Here we’ll break down the fantasy basketball and betting impact of the injury.

Paolo Banchero injury

Fantasy basketball impact

Banchero is the Magic leading scorer with 23.5 points per game. That’s a tough of production the team needs to make up. Orlando should have Banchero back in the lineup sooner rather than later, but in the short-term, where should you turn in fantasy? Fran Wagner figures to get a boost in offensive production. He’s second on the team at 18.1 points per game. The big stats it could boost Wagner in is rebounding. He’s averaging 3.9 boards per game, which is low due to the presence of Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr.

As for more scoring on the perimeter, Jalen Suggs should see a nice boost. There’s a lot of offense to make up and not all of that will go to Wagner. Terrence Ross and Bol Bol are also candidates to see a nice boost in usage/minutes on Wednesday night’s slate. If Banchero remains out, expect those four to see a decent boost overall in the lineup.

Betting impact

If the injury becomes a long-term issue, that’s where this could come into play. Banchero is running away with Rookie of the Year. Any missed time could put a snag in that and open up ROTY for players like Pistons G Jaden Ivey, Pacers G Benny Mathurin and Kings F Keegan Murray. Those three have the best odds behind Banchero. It’s still a long-shot to see Banchero’s odds drop/anyone overtake him unless there’s a long-term injury.