NOP 138, WAS 118: Bey Tops Scoring Fest
Jake Morrison
Computer Science Student ยท Dallas Mavericks fan
Pelicans Wire the Wizards in Blowout, Saddiq Bey Breaks Out
New Orleans just showed Washington how deep their roster runs, dropping 138 on the Wizards in a game that was never close. For fantasy purposes, this was a multi-layer story: role clarity on the Pelicans side, some solid performances that don't move the needle much, and one guy who absolutely needs your attention.
Top Performers
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saddiq Bey | 41.0 | 44.0 | 23/10/2 | 17.5/5.8/2.5 | +5.5 |
| Trey Murphy III | 45.0 | 39.0 | 24/5/4 | 22.0/5.6/3.8 | +2.0 |
| Jeremiah Fears | 40.0 | 38.5 | 18/5/7 | 13.2/3.7/3.3 | +4.8 |
| Dejounte Murray | 34.0 | 33.2 | 19/6/2 | 16.0/5.3/5.3 | +3.0 |
| Trae Young | 32.0 | 29.8 | 17/4/8 | 18.5/1.8/8.6 | -1.5 |
| Derik Queen | 31.0 | 27.3 | 13/4/5 | 11.9/7.1/3.9 | +1.1 |
| Julian Reese | 25.0 | 27.3 | 5/9/3 | 8.5/10.3/2.0 | -3.5 |
| Tre Johnson | 29.0 | 25.3 | 20/4/1 | 12.6/2.8/2.0 | +7.4 |
| Zion Williamson | 25.0 | 23.9 | 20/2/1 | 21.5/5.9/3.4 | -1.5 |
| Leaky Black | 21.0 | 20.8 | 10/4/2 | 9.5/5.8/1.0 | +0.5 |
The Bey Breakout You Need to Know About
Saddiq Bey went OFF for 44 Yahoo points (23/10/2 on 9-17 shooting) and this wasn't some garbage time thing. He got 29 minutes and was legit productive, finishing 5.5 points above his season average while also grabbing 4.2 extra boards. This is the kind of performance that screams "role clarity" to me.
Here's why this matters: Bey wasn't some league-wide add after the game. He's sitting at around 40% ownership across the industry. That means half of competitive leagues are sleeping on him. If the Pelicans keep running games like this where he gets 29+ minutes and the offense flows through him, we're looking at a really solid depth piece going forward. Add him if you're in a 14+ team league or need frontcourt depth. Even in 12-team leagues, he's a sneaky grab off waivers.
The High Volume Guys: Slight Overdrafts but Not Disasters
Trey Murphy III put up 39 Yahoo points with 24 points and 4 threes, but he was only 2 points above his average. That's the difference between a "wow, nice game" and a "THIS GUY IS COOKING" moment. He's reliable but not suddenly breakout material. Keep him where he's at.
Jeremiah Fears is interesting because he outperformed by 4.8 points, mostly on the assists side (7 dimes vs his 3.3 average). 38.5 Yahoo on 24 minutes is solid. But let's be real, he's a backup guard in a blowout. The minutes bump is due to the score getting out of hand. Don't overreact here.
The Wizards Side Was Rough But Had Flashes
Tre Johnson was legitimately good for a rebuilding team. +7.4 points above his average with 20 points and 4 threes on 7-13 shooting. That's legit volume and efficiency. He's still a prospect play in deeper leagues, but his shooting form looks consistent. Keep grinding with him if you drafted him.
Trae Young threw 8 dimes but only played 17 minutes because, frankly, the game was over by halftime. 29.8 Yahoo points sounds decent but he was actually 1.5 below his average because he only scored 17. In a blowout loss where the other team is up 20 by the third quarter, there's nothing to worry about. This is noise.
Julian Reese got 25 minutes but flopped stat-wise (27.3 Yahoo, but -3.5 vs his average). 5 points and 9 boards sounds fine on paper, but he shot 1-4 from the field and didn't impact the assists or steals. He's still a solid floor play for rebounding but this wasn't his night.
The Zion Question Mark
Zion Williamson scored 20 points but only grabbed 2 boards, which is weird for a dude who averages 5.9. He was down 1.5 on his season average despite scoring close to his typical 21.5 ppg. The rebounding drought is worth monitoring. When your elite scoring guy isn't crashing the glass, something's off. Could be game script (blowout so less rebounding opportunities), could be conditioning, could be scheme. Watch the tape on this one before overreacting, but it's a yellow flag if it happens again.
Bottom Line
New Orleans just reminded us why they can compete. Saddiq Bey is your main waiver wire target out of this game. Everyone else was pretty much on script. The Wizards got cooked, and there's nothing there worth pivoting your whole strategy around.
If you own Bey and he was sitting on your bench, start him next game. If he's available in your league, add him now before someone else does. That's your only real move from this one.