Pelicans 133, Grizzlies 127: Jaren Jackson Jr. posts 57.9 fantasy points
Kwame Asante
Junior Accountant ยท Oklahoma City Thunder fan
Saddiq Bey Went Absolutely Nuclear, But Don't Sleep on Memphis's Bench Army
New Orleans scraped past Memphis 133-127 in a game that looked a lot closer than it should've. The Pelicans won, yeah, but the real story here is Saddiq Bey turning into a cheat code while the Grizzlies got absolutely carried by role players stepping up in a massive way. This is the kind of game that breaks fantasy rosters in half.
Tonight's Top Performers
| Player | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | vs Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaren Jackson Jr. | 57.9 | 26/12/3/1/4 | 18.7/5.5/1.9 | +7.3 pts, +6.5 reb |
| Zion Williamson | 51.2 | 24/11/4/2/1 | 21.9/5.7/3.4 | +2.1 pts, +5.3 reb |
| Saddiq Bey | 49.8 | 36/4/4/1/0 | 15.2/5.6/2.2 | +20.8 pts, -1.6 reb |
| Trey Murphy III | 48.1 | 32/3/3/3/0 | 22.0/6.0/3.6 | +10.0 pts |
| Cam Spencer | 44.5 | 21/5/11/0/1 | 11.8/2.7/5.4 | +9.2 pts, +5.6 ast |
| Jock Landale | 44.2 | 24/11/2/1/1 | 11.3/6.4/1.7 | +12.7 pts, +4.6 reb |
The Winners
Saddiq Bey absolutely cooked Memphis. Thirty-six points on perfect free throw shooting (4-4) and a ridiculous 13-20 from the field. That's 20.8 points above his season average. This wasn't a fluke either, not completely anyway. Bey's been hovering around 15 per game, so him going off to 36 is a significant jump, but he's shown this capability all season. He's trending up in minutes (31 tonight) and is clearly a guy the Pelicans trust in crunch time. If you own him, ride this wave. If you don't, start looking at getting him in trades.
Jaren Jackson Jr. went absolutely mental for Memphis. Twenty-six points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks. That's 57.9 Yahoo points off his 18.7 season average, plus 6.5 boards. He was efficient too (7-18 FG isn't pretty, but 10-11 from the line saves it). JJJ is a legit top-40 guy when he's healthy and engaged. Tonight proved he can carry a game.
Jock Landale is the underrated story here. Twenty-four points on 11-18 shooting with 11 rebounds. That's a +12.7 point game compared to his season average. He went absolutely off. Thirty-one minutes, too, which means he's getting real run. The Grizzlies are clearly leaning on him more than expected.
The Letdowns
Trey Murphy III had 32 points, which sounds amazing until you realize that's only 10 above his 22-point season average. He's supposed to be a 22-point guy, and tonight he was just a slightly better version of that. For a guy getting 36 minutes, he needed more. The defense side was there (3 steals), but he was a bit inefficient (9-15 from the field, 12-12 from line). He's fine, not a panic, but this wasn't the explosion you'd hoped for.
Herbert Jones was absolutely dire. Zero points on 0-3 shooting in 24 minutes. That's a guy who's supposed to be a defensive anchor and didn't show up offensively at all. Normally you'd live with that for the defense plus assists, but he only had 5 assists and 2 steals. All-Defensive caliber players (he made All-Defense second team last year) don't disappear like this. He's still a hold because defensive stats will bounce back, but tonight was rough.
The Trends
Memphis is running a completely different offense than usual. With their primary guys getting rest or playing limited minutes, the entire spotlight shifted to bench players. Cam Spencer went absolutely bonkers with 11 assists on only 27 minutes, which is basically elite point guard minutes. That's +5.6 assists above his average. The team had to go to these guys, and they stepped up massively.
Zion's 33 minutes of work is standard, but he pulled down 11 rebounds. That's not his usual game. He's averaging 5.7, so grabbing 11 suggests New Orleans was crashing the glass hard in this one.
The Moves
Add Jock Landale immediately. The man just put up a 44.2 point fantasy night. He's averaging 11.3 points and 6.4 rebounds, but he's clearly getting more opportunities now. Thirty-one minutes is real run for a backup big in 2026. Check waiver priority or bid if needed. He's only going to trend up from here.
Trade for Saddiq Bey if you can afford it. Thirty-six points is a statement game, and while it's a spike, the trajectory is upward. He's in a Pelicans offense that actually uses him. Send a mid-tier asset his way before everyone else realizes he's been unlocked.
Drop Santi Aldama without hesitation. He drew a complete DNP tonight. That's a massive red flag in the minutes game. He's averaging 14 points and 6.7 rebounds, so you know he's got talent, but if he's not getting on court in a close game, the Grizzlies have clearly moved on from him. The waiver wire pickup rate dropped 1%, which means league managers are already jumping ship.
Next Up
Memphis needs to figure out their rotation fast. If they're going to lean on Landale and Spencer as core pieces, that's a massive shift from the start of the season. Jaren Jackson Jr. proved he can still be a carry guy. Watch to see if this becomes a pattern or a one-off.
New Orleans just got a reminder that when Saddiq Bey is locked in, they're extremely dangerous. Zion's rebounding grab-rate is worth monitoring too. That could be part of their new identity if it sticks.