New Orleans

Pelicans

Bey nailed four triples and chipped in six rebounds and three assists while leading his team in the scoring department. Bey showed no signs of rust after missing all of the 2024-25 campaign. and he could provide a scoring spark off the bench for New Orleans this season.

Zion provided a solid performance in Friday’s preseason opener before turning in a strong, well-rounded showing on Saturday. Though he only logged 15 minutes, Williamson made noticeable contributions on both ends of the court. So long as he can stay healthy, he should be able to rack up valuable stats for fantasy managers in a number of categories in 2025-26.

Alvarado played 12 minutes off the bench before going down with the injury, accounting for one rebound and four assists. He’ll be re-evaluated once the Pelicans, who played two games in Melbourne, return to New Orleans. Rookie Jeremiah Fears started Saturday’s 127-92 victory and looked more comfortable than he did in his preseason debut two days prior. In 24 minutes, the lottery pick accounted for 12 points, one rebound, three assists and one three-pointer. With Dejounte Murray (Achilles) still sidelined, Fears will have a more critical role within the rotation if Alvarado’s injury is serious.

Friday’s exhibition opener was not Fears’ official “welcome to the NBA” moment, but the rookie struggled with his shot and turnovers in Melbourne. The lottery pick missed all six of his three-point attempts and committed five turnovers in his 22 minutes off the bench. No Dejounte Murray (Achilles) may give Fears additional room to earn early rotation minutes, but the Pelicans don’t lack bench depth on the perimeter, either. Jose Alvarado (11/3/1/1 with three three-pointers) remains the backup point guard, and former first-round pick Jordan Hawkins (11/5/2 with one three-pointer) is looking to make a more significant impact in his third NBA season. That makes it difficult to expect Fears to be much more than a late-round flier in standard league drafts.

After starting 67 of the 73 games he played as a rookie, Missi came off the bench in Friday’s preseason opener with Kevon Looney getting the start. Is this something that would hold once the regular season begins? If so, that would be an issue for fantasy managers considering Missi, especially with the Pelicans trading up to draft Derik Queen in June’s draft. Missi did play more minutes than Looney (three points, three rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot) on Friday, logging 20 minutes to the veteran’s 18. But this is something to watch throughout the preseason, and Queen’s eventual full return from wrist surgery will be another variable in the competition for rotation minutes.

If there’s a player on the Pelicans roster who fantasy managers appear high on, it’s Murphy, as his ADP is comfortably within the top 50. He’s coming off the best season of his NBA career, having established career-best averages in points, rebounds and assists. The lone negative for Murphy in fantasy basketball was that he only played in 53 games due to a torn labrum that ended his season in March. If he can remain healthy, Murphy can provide top-50 value, but he’s failed to hit the 60 games played mark each of the last two seasons.

Poole made his unofficial Pelicans debut on Friday, starting and playing 20 minutes in the team’s preseason victory in Australia. With Dejounte Murray (Achilles) sidelined, Poole stands to have the ball in his hands quite often to serve as an on-ball playmaker. However, that’s also the case for Zion Williamson (five assists, two turnovers), who led the Pelicans in assists on Friday and offered a slightly better assist-to-turnover ratio than Poole (four assists, three turnovers). Murray’s absence does raise Poole’s fantasy ceiling, but fantasy managers also have to consider that he’s adjusting to a new team.

With Dejounte Murray (Achilles) still sidelined, Williamson will have additional opportunities to serve as a primary playmaker within the Pelicans’ offense. He looked sharp in his 16 minutes on the court on Friday, leading the team in assists while committing just two turnovers. Of course, talent has never been the concern regarding Williamson’s fantasy value; availability has. He only appeared in 30 games last season and has surpassed 60 appearances twice in his first six seasons. The availability concerns may push Zion down some draft boards, despite appearing slimmer than he has in years past.

Queen’s limitation after undergoing left wrist surgery in July is unsurprising, as he was given a timeline of 12 weeks (to be re-evaluated) in the aftermath. The first-round pick isn’t due to be re-evaluated until mid-October, but he has been able to do some non-contact work in the Pelicans’ early practices. “He’s stepping into some of our drills,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “He can do some of that. But we won’t rush him. When he’s ready, we’ll get the heads-up… and he’ll be able to step in and have more contact.” Yves Missi served as the starting center last season and should retain that role, especially with Queen not being a lock to be available when the regular season begins.