NOP 129, DAL 111: Marshall (54) Edges III (46) ESPN FP
Jake Morrison
Computer Science Student · Dallas Mavericks fan
Pelicans Survive Mavs Collapse, But the Real Story is Naji Marshall Breaking the Internet
Okay so that was absolutely NOT how I wanted to see my Mavs play today. New Orleans 129, Dallas 111, and honestly the final score flatters us. This game had all the makings of a get-right spot and instead we got humbled at home. But here's the thing, fantasy-wise? This is actually a pretty interesting lesson in volume, efficiency, and why sometimes the losing team produces the fantasy monsters.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naji Marshall | 54.0 | 52.1 | 32/8/7 | 15.3/4.8/3.2 | +16.7 |
| Cooper Flagg | 46.0 | 46.4 | 21/7/8 | 20.2/6.6/4.5 | +0.8 |
| Trey Murphy III | 46.0 | 42.9 | 17/7/7 | 21.9/5.7/3.9 | -4.9 |
| Saddiq Bey | 36.0 | 36.7 | 23/6/3 | 17.2/5.7/2.5 | +5.8 |
| Yves Missi | 36.0 | 36.5 | 4/10/5 | 5.5/5.6/1.2 | -1.5 |
| Zion Williamson | 40.0 | 35.3 | 27/4/1 | 21.5/5.8/3.3 | +5.5 |
| Jeremiah Fears | 32.0 | 31.7 | 17/6/5 | 13.1/3.7/3.2 | +3.9 |
| P.J. Washington | 36.0 | 30.9 | 18/7/1 | 14.0/7.0/1.9 | +4.0 |
| Karlo Matković | 34.0 | 29.5 | 13/10/1 | 5.6/3.6/0.9 | +7.4 |
| Derik Queen | 28.0 | 26.2 | 9/6/2 | 11.5/7.0/3.8 | -2.5 |
The Naji Marshall Situation is Actually Insane
Look, Naji Marshall put up 52.1 Yahoo points on 32/8/7. That's a +16.7 difference from his season average. We're talking 12-24 from the field (50%), 6-8 from free throw (75%), and got his fingerprints all over the offense with 7 assists. This wasn't some random garbage time explosion either, dude played 32 minutes and was legitimately the best player on the court for most of this game.
Here's what kills me though: he's averaging 15.3 points per game. That's fine, it's solid role player stuff. But tonight he went off in a way that suggests maybe the Pelicans are running more offense through him, or maybe Dallas' perimeter defense just completely collapsed (spoiler, it did). The question is whether this is a one-off or a sign of a role increase. If it's the latter, Marshall becomes a sneaky league-winner type add in deeper leagues. Right now 5.6% of ESPN leagues own him. If he puts up three more games like this, that number jumps to 30% real quick.
Zion Did What Zion Does Best
Zion Williamson going for 27/4/1 on 11-13 shooting is basically a masterclass in modern efficiency. The dude gets 5 more points than his average and does it in just 28 minutes of work. That's +5.5 in the scoring column alone, and he converted 5 of 9 free throws, which matters way more than people think in Yahoo scoring.
What's funny is his assist total was super low (only 1), which suggests the Pelicans were just using him as a finisher rather than a playmaker tonight. That's actually beautiful for fantasy purposes because it means he's getting clean looks at the rim and not burning possessions trying to create. If New Orleans keeps running this system, Zion becomes an absolute anchor for your frontcourt.
The Flagg-Marshall Combo Kept Dallas in It
Cooper Flagg went 21/7/8 with those 2 steals. That's basically at his season average with the assists bump, so he was reliable but not explosive. P.J. Washington hit 4 threes and put up 18 points on solid efficiency (7-13). These guys actually played well, which makes the loss even more frustrating from a Mavs perspective. We had contributions across the board and still got rolled.
The issue was that the rest of the roster just couldn't generate enough offense to keep pace with New Orleans' scoring barrage. That's not a fantasy story, that's just a bad team loss, but it matters because it might mean we see role changes or rotation adjustments next game.
The Bench Catastrophe
Honestly, the Mavericks bench was cooked. Max Christie went 4-7 from three for 12 points (12.7 is his average, so pretty neutral), but literally nobody else stepped up. Ryan Nembhard had 6 assists which is good, but his scoring was nonexistent (1-8 from the field). Marvin Bagley III got 9/9 in 18 minutes before watching the rest of the game from the sidelines. That's interesting because Bagley started showing out and then just disappeared from the rotation. Getting dropped 0.3% in ownership is fair given the circumstances.
The Missi Anomaly
Here's a random one: Yves Missi put up 36.5 Yahoo points on 4 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks in 28 minutes. The dude barely scored but absolutely dominated the glass and the paint. That's actually really valuable in defensive-heavy fantasy builds, especially if you're in a league where blocks matter. He hit every single shot attempt (literally 1-4 from the field is trash, but when you're getting 10 boards and 5 blocks, the volume elsewhere carries it). If Missi is available in your league, this is the kind of game that reminds you why he matters in certain formats.
The Real Talk
The Pelicans are looking scary right now. Saddiq Bey (23 points), Trey Murphy III (17 points, 7 assists), and Zion all clicking at the same time is not a recipe for success for opposing fantasy teams. The fact that even role guys like Jeremiah Fears (17 points) and Karlo Matković (13/10 in just 19 minutes) are producing means New Orleans is hitting on all cylinders.
For my Mavs fans, this one stung. But fantasy-wise, the players that matter performed. It's just that New Orleans performed harder. Add Naji Marshall if he's still available in your league, because that performance looks less like an outlier and more like a role expansion. Watch Yves Missi if you're thin on blocks. And yeah, Marvin Bagley is getting some drops, so if you own him, might be time to see what's available on waivers.