Herbert

Jones

With Murray unavailable for Thursday’s win over the Kings, Herb Jones moved into the starting lineup. However, the change most affected Jeremiah Fears, who served as the primary point guard and had one of the best all-around games of his young NBA career. Murray’s return should push Jones to the bench.

With Dejounte Murray (personal) unavailable for this game, Jones started for the first time this season and made a big impact. The box score numbers didn’t pop, though the two steals didn’t come as a surprise. However, they outscored the Kings by 27 points during his 32 minutes, with nobody else on the Pelicans posting a plus/minus in double figures. Jones hasn’t played a large enough role to be worth rostering in fantasy basketball, but he was able to take advantage of the opportunity in this game.

With Dejounte Murray (personal) sidelined for this game, Jones will step into the starting unit. His role this season has been minimal, but he should benefit from the expanded opportunity in this game. However, this may just be a one-game boost. The other change to the starting unit is Matković replacing DeAndre Jordan, which will make this Matković’s first start.

Murray wasn’t initially on the injury report, but there is no reason to speculate on a possible trade here. Head coach Jamahl Mosley said his absence is due to the birth of his son. Jeremiah Fears should slide over to the primary point guard role, with Herb Jones likely stepping in as a starter.

Poole injured his ankle against the Nuggets on Wednesday, and given the quick turnaround, he’ll sit out the second leg of the back-to-back set. In his absence, Herb Jones and Benn Mathurin could take on expanded roles.

Bey and Jones will remain out for the Pelicans’ final game of the season. Jordan Poole and Micah Peavy have moved into the starting lineup, with the former being the superior option for those in active fantasy leagues.

Bey and Jones will join the rest of New Orleans’ regular starters and Karlo Matković (back) on the bench, as the Pels will have to turn to Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen, Jordan Hawkins and Micah Peavy to shoulder the load.

Despite being healthy, Jones was held out of Tuesday’s win over the Jazz. Jeremiah Fears moved into the lineup and had the best game of his rookie season, as he dropped 40 points. Fears may be the safer option for fantasy managers in active leagues, as the Pelicans have little incentive to play their proven veterans.

Initially questionable due to illness, Hawkins is available. With the Pelicans planning to hold out Herb Jones, Hawkins should play rotation minutes against the Jazz.

Williamson, Saddiq Bey and Herb Jones are all expected to sit out Tuesday’s game despite not being on the injury report. They will be in uniform, likely making this a “break in case of emergency” situation for them. Rookies Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen should see their usage rates skyrocket due to the absences.