New Orleans Pelicans DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson won't play on Saturday against the Dallas Mavericks. Williamson entered Friday's loss to the Denver Nuggets with a right quad contusion, so he wasn't a lock to play. However, he was in the lineup and finished a game-high 30 points. But with the Pelicans playing the second of a back-to-back, the 23-year-old will get a night off to rest. That said, Brandon Ingram (Achilles), CJ McCollum (ankle), and Trey Murphy III (knee) are questionable, so others could be forced to step up on Saturday night, meaning guys like Herbert Jones, Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels, and Jose Alvarado could see plenty of interest from fantasy managers for their streaming potential.

Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray (hamstring) is questionable for Saturday's matchup against the Washington Wizards. Murray was questionable heading into Wednesday's overtime win over the Philadelphia 76ers because of right hamstring tightness. However, his left hamstring is now giving him trouble, although it's hard to imagine it costing him a game. But these things happen, so if Murray can't suit up for this one, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Trent Forrest might move into the starting lineup. Either way, Bogdanovic and Forrest will benefit, regardless of their role. At the same time, Murray's absence will mean even more scoring chances for Trae Young and Jalen Johnson, specifically.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Trey Murphy III (knee) has been upgraded from questionable to probable against the Denver Nuggets on Friday. Ever since the 23-year-old returned from an injury that kept him out at the beginning of the season, he's been an important piece of the Pelicans' bench squad. He's been fantasy-relevant in deep leagues and can even be viable in 12-team leagues depending on the format. He's averaging 13.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.7 made threes while receiving 26.0 minutes per game. The possibility of him getting more minutes in this contest against the Nuggets doesn't seem likely now that the three starters previously listed questionable are all now probable.

New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (ankle) has gone from questionable to probable on Friday along with four other key players for the team. They'll be taking on the defending champs and they're looking to stay afloat in the top six of the West. McCollum has only had to miss one game since his extended absence back in November. In that span, McCollum has averaged 19.1 points, 4.8 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 1.6 turnovers, and 3.6 made threes per game. More of the same can be expected since most of the team is healthy for this contest, so everyone should be returning to their usual roles and minutes.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (quad) was able to play through his right quad contusion during their 36-point win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday and it looks like he'll be able to play again on Friday against the Denver Nuggets. Williamson hasn't exactly given the type of production that everyone expected so far this year, but he's at least staying healthier than he has in recent years. Right now, Williamson is ranked 159 in nine-category leagues according to Basketball Monster. His field goal percentage and point totals have been high, but everything else has been either average or worse.