New Orleans

Pelicans

Back in the Pelicans’ lineup after sitting out Wednesday’s win over the Jazz, Murphy played 34 minutes against the Timberwolves. While he did record four of his five assists in the second half, the Pelicans’ forward also attempted just one shot. Given Murphy’s importance to the team offensively, that can’t happen. Murphy’s return pushed Herb Jones (zero points, four rebounds), who had a frustrating night and fouled out in 14 minutes.

At first glance, Bey’s 17 points might suggest a good night overall. However, he scored 12 of those points in the fourth quarter, shooting 3-of-4 from the field and 3-of-3 from the foul line. Bey didn’t provide much value in the first three quarters, which hurt the overall field-goal percentage. The fourth quarter allowed those rostering Bey to salvage some value, and he remains a player who should be rostered in some 12-team leagues.

Williamson has six games with 22 points or more this season, but he hasn’t reached that mark in three straight outings. Friday’s showing was disappointing, as the Pelicans forward’s 13 points were a season low. The rebounds, assists and steals were solid, but fantasy managers are looking for more at this stage of Williamson’s career. He’ll look to finish the week on a high note when the Pelicans visit the Clippers on Sunday.

The good news for fantasy managers rostering Fears is that his production hasn’t suffered in the two games that Dejounte Murray has played since rejoining the team. Against the Jazz and Timberwolves, the second-year guard totaled 43 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and four steals while shooting 15-of-32 from the field. Murray (7/2/4/1/1 with one three-pointer) played 35 minutes while Fears played 36, so playing time won’t be an issue for the latter. The question hanging over the Pelicans is whether they’ll look to move Murray, as it would free up even more room for Fears to grow as a lead guard.

Matković was hot to begin Friday’s game, shooting 6-of-10 from the field and scoring 16 points in the first quarter. Unfortunately, that was the high point for the Pelicans center, who struggled with foul trouble and played a total of eight minutes in the final three quarters. With Yves Missi (knee) out, Matković is worth streaming in deep leagues until that changes. The Pelicans play one more game this week, visiting the Clippers on Sunday.

Murphy is back after missing Wednesday’s win over the Jazz. His return means Herb Jones will come off the bench in the Pelicans’ only change to their starting five.

Murphy was given a probable designation on Thursday afternoon, so this latest update isn’t a surprise. Expect Murphy to steal some playing time from Herb Jones and Saddiq Bey.

Murphy sat out Wednesday’s win over Utah, but he’s poised to return following a one-game absence. Herb Jones and Saddiq Bey could see their roles reduced with Murphy back in action.

Derik Queen got going in the fourth quarter and he helped get the Pelicans back in this game after the Jazz went on a big run. It is still telling that Queen is coming off the bench for Karlo Matkovic because of the defense. However, there’s no doubt that Derik Queen is a very talented offensive player. If Murphy misses the next game, Queen might be worth a stream in redraft leagues depending on your league settings.

In his return to the starting lineup, he produced like he did before. He got you steals which is the main benefit to having Murray on your roster. He got you a lot of free throws and hit them, which is a major plus. He led the team in minutes with 44 of them which will be something to monitor as Mosley did play him over Herb Jones to start the season.