NOP 115, UTA 105: Collier Powers Through for 44 ESPN FP
Maya Chen
UX Designer · Golden State Warriors fan
Pelicans Depth Saves the Day in Utah, But This Game Exposed the Jazz's Injury Crisis
Final: Pelicans 115, Jazz 105
The Pelicans rolled into Salt Lake City without their star power and still walked out with a W. Meanwhile, the Jazz got absolutely decimated by the injury bug. This wasn't some thrilling matchup, but it tells you everything you need to know about roster construction and why you should be paying attention to the waiver wire right now.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isaiah Collier | 44.0 | 42.1 | 21/3/7 | 11.0/2.5/7.3 | +10.0 |
| Saddiq Bey | 39.0 | 41.0 | 24/5/6 | 17.4/5.8/2.6 | +6.6 |
| Jeremiah Fears | 35.0 | 39.7 | 18/11/5 | 13.1/3.8/3.2 | +4.9 |
| Herbert Jones | 40.0 | 38.1 | 17/8/7 | 9.1/3.6/2.9 | +7.9 |
| Ace Bailey | 32.0 | 35.6 | 13/8/2 | 11.9/4.1/1.7 | +1.1 |
| Karlo Matković | 36.0 | 30.7 | 8/6/5 | 5.3/3.4/0.8 | +2.7 |
| Bryce McGowens | 32.0 | 28.8 | 18/4/2 | 8.3/2.1/1.5 | +9.7 |
| Elijah Harkless | 33.0 | 28.1 | 14/3/5 | 4.0/1.3/1.9 | +10.0 |
| Kyle Filipowski | 19.0 | 25.7 | 12/6/1 | 10.0/6.6/2.1 | +2.0 |
| Keyonte George | 23.0 | 25.4 | 17/2/4 | 23.6/3.9/6.5 | -6.6 |
The Pelicans Did More With Less
Look at New Orleans' performance and you see a well-oiled machine. Saddiq Bey led the way with 41.0 Yahoo FP off 24 points, and he was +6.6 from his season average. That's the kind of consistency you want from a wing when you're missing your usual stars.
But the real story is the depth step-up. Jeremiah Fears went absolutely OFF with 39.7 Yahoo FP, dropping 18 points and 11 rebounds. That's 7.2 rebounds above his season average, which doesn't happen by accident. He was in the perfect position to feast against a shorthanded Jazz roster. Herbert Jones also contributed 38.1 Yahoo FP with 17/8/7, tacking on 4.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists above his norms. The Pelicans aren't relying on one guy to carry them. That's championship DNA.
Bryce McGowens chipped in 28.8 Yahoo FP with 18 points and went 4-for-6 from deep. If you're looking at the waiver wire, McGowens is the kind of role player who can give you 20+ minutes when everyone stays healthy. He's not a league-winner, but he's a solid streamer.
Utah's Problem: Everyone's Out
This is where it gets brutal for Jazz fantasy managers. Lauri Markkanen, Jusuf Nurkić, Walker Kessler, Jaren Jackson Jr., Vince Williams Jr., Trey Murphy III, Dejounte Murray, Svi Mykhailiuk. All DNP. That's your entire rotation in street clothes.
What you get instead is a group that looked lost. Isaiah Collier put up 42.1 Yahoo FP with 21/3/7, which on the surface looks decent. But he also took 15 shots to get there, and his shooting splits (7-15 FG, 0-for from three) tell you he was forcing things. This is what happens when you don't have any other weapons on the floor. He's a backup point guard being asked to create for five guys who normally don't play this many minutes. Don't panic and pick him up. He's a fill-in for when the Jazz are healthy again.
Keyonte George actually had a down night relative to his season average. 25.4 Yahoo FP with 17 points is solid normally, but he's a 23.6 PPG guy on the season. The guy went 4-for-11 and only played 23 minutes. That's the Jazz basically punting the game by the fourth quarter, which makes sense given the roster situation.
The Waiver Move Nobody's Talking About
Ace Bailey is trending up for a reason. He pulled in 35.6 Yahoo FP tonight with 13/8/2 from the bench, and yeah, he went 4-for-16 from the field, but he drained three threes and chipped in 8 boards off the bench in 29 minutes. He's only +0.9% in ownership at 31.4%, which means he's still available in a lot of leagues. In a season where Jazz players are dropping like flies, Bailey's playing time is only going up. Add him in 12+ team leagues if he's still on waivers.
Elijah Harkless popped for 28.1 Yahoo FP with 14/3/5 and went 5-for-9. He's a +10.0 from his season average. This is the kind of game that happens when a deep bench guy gets rotation minutes, so I wouldn't get too excited. But if the Jazz injuries linger, he's a name to monitor.
Reality Check
The Pelicans proved they can win without Dejounte or Trey Murphy. That's actually great news if you own any of their non-star players because it means bench depth translates to minutes and production. The Jazz proved the opposite, which is going to crater the value of any guard you were betting on getting 20+ minutes once everyone gets healthy again.
This one's straightforward: grab Ace Bailey off waivers if you can, don't panic on your Jazz holdings, and remember that depth wins playoff games in fantasy. The Pelicans just reminded you why.