UPDATE: Both Zion Williamson and Dejounte Murray are officially listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game vs. the Bulls.
Zion Williamson ($8,100) missed Tuesday’s practice with an illness ahead of Wednesday’s season opener vs. the Bulls and Pelicans’ HC Willie Green told the media that Williamson will be a game-time decision for the contest. Dejounte Murray ($8,300; personal) will also be a game-time decision.
Williamson has a long history of missing games and him sitting out Wednesday, regardless that is the first game of the season, wouldn’t be shocking. If that ends up being the case, Herbert Jones ($5,500) and Daniel Theis ($4,000) would see all the minutes they can handle for this New Orleans’ team that is thin up front with both Jonas Valanciunas and Larry Nance Jr. departing this summer. Theis produced 0.91 FPTS per minute last season and, if he is starting with Williamson inactive, Theis would be a strong punt to consider for DFS at his low $4,000 salary.
Williamson led the Pelicans in usage last season (29.7%) and if he is sidelined, Brandon Ingram ($7,400) and CJ McCollum ($6,900) will take on larger roles offensively, with the potential for even more usage if Murray is also unavailable. With Williamson off the court last season, Ingram and McCollum’s usage rates rose 4.6 and 3.3 percentage points, respectively. Both Ingram and McCollum would have appeal for DFS if Williamson sits and, on the DraftKings Sportsbook, backing and Ingram and McCollum to exceed their point props would have merit, as well. This is a plus matchup against the Bulls, who ranked 21st in defensive efficiency a year ago.
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