New Orleans

Pelicans

Poole has been out since early November with a quad injury. The 26-year-old point guard is nearing a return given his questionable listing for Thursday’s game against the Blazers. Jose Alvarado will continue to serve as the backup point guard if Poole is ultimately ruled out again.

Monday’s game was the first for Jones since November 21, as a strained calf had sidelined him. While he was limited to 26 minutes in his first game back, the Pelicans wing was productive. Jones is rostered in 22 percent of Yahoo! leagues, and he’s worth adding in some 12-team leagues with Zion Williamson (adductor) out. Bryce McGowens, who was starting for Jones, played 24 minutes off the bench on Monday, finishing with eight points, one rebound, two assists and one three-pointer.

Murphy has scored at least 30 points in four games this season, more than halfway to his total in 2024-25 (seven). The Pelicans forward has been the team’s most valuable fantasy option this season, and by a wide margin. Murphy is providing top-25 per-game value in eight- and nine-cat formats; no other Pelicans currently ranks within the top-100 of either, according to Basketball Monster. The Pelicans play two more games in Week 8, starting with the Trail Blazers on Thursday.

While the fact that the Pelicans paid a high price for the right to draft Queen remains a talking point, on Monday night, fans saw why the front office took that plunge. The rookie center scored a career-high 33 points and recorded his first triple-double, becoming the fifth rookie in the last 30 years to record a 30-point triple-double. The other four were Stephen Curry, Blake Griffin (two times), Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. Also, Queen is the eighth player to account for at least 33 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and four blocked shots in a game since the league began recording blocked shots. New Orleans ran a lot of its offense through Queen, and that approach only raises his ceiling, especially with Zion Williamson (adductor) out.

Jones is available to make his first appearance since November 21. His return means that Bryce McGowens will head to the bench, with Saddiq Bey continuing to start due to Zion Williamson’s absence. McGowens will not be worth rostering, even if Jones’ playing time is restricted.

Jones last appeared in a game on November 21, resulting in Saddiq Bey replacing him in the starting lineup. With Zion Williamson currently out, Bey will likely remain a starter even if Jones plays on Monday. That makes Bryce McGowens the player most likely to be dropped from the starting lineup. While McGowens has enjoyed some positive moments recently, his place within the rotation does not affect fantasy basketball.

Murphy did most of his damage in the second half of a one-sided affair, notching 14 of his team-high 25 points in the late stages of the contest, but it counts the same for fantasy managers. The 25-year-old has performed at a second-round level for fantasy purposes this season, averaging 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.2 blocks through 22 games. The Pelicans are back in action on Monday when they face the Spurs to open a three-game week that also includes matchups against the Trail Blazers and Bulls.

After a two-game absence, Missi is available to play on Saturday. His return likely means that Karlo Matković will head to the bench, but this does not affect fantasy basketball. As a starter, Missi is worth streaming in deep leagues while the Pelicans remain without Zion Williamson.

Missi has missed the Pelicans’ last two games, which has allowed Karlo Matkovic to fill out the reserve center minutes. If Missi remains out, Matkovic will maintain that role, but that hasn’t yielded him enough time to be worth rostering in standard leagues.

Poole hasn’t played since Nov. 5, and there’s no real timeline for when he’ll be back. Jose Alvarado will remain the backup point guard, where he has been a solid reserve, but he hasn’t been consistent enough to be worth streaming in standard leagues.