Zion

Williamson

Zion has taken major strides this season, and it has helped in fantasy hoops. Unfortunately, this was the third game this season that he failed to record a steal, which has been a strength for him, and he had his worst night at the free throw line this season, though he has improved overall this year. He made up for it by matching his season high for both three-pointers and blocks. Despite the lack of team success, Zion continues to fill up the box score.

With one less high usage player in the fold for the Pelicans, Zion Williamson is going to have more pressure to bring the Pelicans to wins. They need him to be the star and his value and role is relatively secure. He could be in line for some big-time games as the most talented offensive player on the team.

There have been two changes to the starting lineup from the past game against the Nets. Saddiq Bey is starting in place of Dejounte Murray who is reportedly not playing for the Pelicans again, and DeAndre Jordan will replace Karlo Matković in the starting lineup.

Zion Williamson was the only player on the team that could do anything consistently against Nets in this one. It’s great he got to the line as much as he did and he hit most of them. Outside of him, they couldn’t score consistently which isn’t great for getting wins. The Pelicans’ next opportunity to play will be against the Pelicans on Friday.

Zion Williamson will return to the stating lineup and Saddiq Bey will head to the bench. Saddiq is still a good points streamer with no Trey Murphy available in Wednesday’s game.

Williamson did not play in Monday’s loss to the Warriors, with Saddiq Bey replacing him in the starting lineup. Zion’s return means that Bey will come off the bench.

The Pelicans will be without two of their top four scorers on Monday, as Williamson has joined Trey Murphy (knee) on the shelf. Saddiq Bey’s role will take on added importance, whether he moves into the starting lineup or not.

Williamson produced excellent percentages in his final game of the week, much to the delight of those rostering him in category leagues. Unfortunately, the production outside of the points and percentages was pretty lean in the Pelicans’ 139-123 defeat. That said, over three weeks, Williamson’s production has exceeded his ADP (69) by a safe distance. The hope is that he can avoid the extended absence that has been a common occurrence throughout his NBA career.

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.

Williamson only scored 15 points against the Hawks on Saturday, which was a season low. However, that came with a season low for shot attempts as well, which can be attributed to the lopsided score. Williamson bounced back in this game with his first double-double of the season, and the Pelicans have now won three games in a row. Williamson has been an incredible source of steals this season, with this game being the first that he didn’t record at least two swipes. He’ll look to keep it going against the Jazz on Wednesday.