New Orleans Pelicans

In 20 minutes as a starter, Derrick Favors netted two points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block in the Pelicans' defeat against the Magic, 130-119.

Fantasy Impact: He was relatively quiet in this one and was not able to pick up from his encouraging return. Favors only attempted three field goals, making one, and turned the ball over twice. The expectations for him coming into the season was to be backcourt buddy of Zion Williamson, but with the rookie still to make his debut, that may not be the case anymore. Owners of Favors should monitor what the Pelicans will do, especially if they decide to just throw this season. With his current production and injuries, it is not surprising that Favors is not rostered in many leagues.

In the Pelicans' loss to the Magic on Sunday, Jaxson Hayes finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and one block in 29 minutes off the bench.

Fantasy Impact: The good news for his owners is that he got more playing time compared to Derrick Favors, at least for this game. That may not be the case moving forward as Favors becomes healthier. But owners should still keep a steady eye on Hayes as the Pelicans may consider to give their young guys more opportunities, especially if they are not able to turn this season around. For now, he continues to be a speculative add that can be worth owning for deeper leagues.

Lonzo Ball tallied nine points, five rebounds, six assists, two triples, and one steal in the Pelicans' 130-119 loss against the Magic.

Fantasy Impact: This is now the fifth-straight outing that Ball finished under double-digits in points. He has also been wildly inefficient from the floor this past week, with shooting percentages of 35% from the field and 40% from the line. Expectations were huge for him coming into the season, largely coming from the fact that this is a fresh start for the young guard. But for now, it might be time to consider dropping him.

Josh Hart collected 20 points (7-15 FG, 4-11 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds, two steals and an assist over 31 minutes in the Pelicans’ 130-119 loss to the Magic on Sunday.

Fantasy Impact: Hart racked up his second-highest point total on the season, and his most since Oct. 26. He's seen plenty of run since returning to the lineup on Nov. 27, and Hart has managed 9.3 points, 5.4 boards and 2.3 triples in the month of December, logging 26.7 minutes per contest in the process. He ranks just inside the top-150 in that span, but if he can continue to rebound and stroke it from deep more consistently, he could push for much better value.

JJ Redick managed 23 points (9-16 FG, 5-9 3Pt), three assists, two rebounds and a block over 36 minutes in the Pelicans’ 130-119 loss to the Magic on Sunday.

Fantasy Impact: Redick has been on an offensive tear over his last three games, accounting for nearly 25 points per game in that span, while stroking 11 total threes. He's almost exclusively a points and threes guy due to his weak ancillary stats, but he's done enough to provide top-100 value to fantasy owners this year. As long as he's seeing between 25 and 30 minutes a night, don't expect those returns to diminish.

Brandon Ingram went for 21 points (9-16 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 0-1 FT), six rebounds, six assists and a steal over 27 minutes in the Pelicans’ 130-119 loss to the Magic on Sunday.

Fantasy Impact: Ingram finished with an unusually-full stat line by his recent standards, doing a bit of everything in Sunday's loss. He's now gone for just two total blocks/steals in his last six games, while averaging just over two assists in that span. Despite the deficiencies in those departments, Ingram's scoring, rebounding and three-point shooting have netted his fantasy owners top-30 value over the last two weeks.

Jrue Holiday totaled 29 points (12-20 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 1-2 FT), eight assists, four rebounds, one steal and a block over 40 minutes in the Pelicans’ 130-119 loss to the Magic on Sunday.

Fantasy Impact: It was a stellar performance for the defensive-minded guard, who paced New Orleans in scoring while getting teammates involved and contributing in the blocks/steals column. He recorded his seventh 20-5-5 game on the year, showcasing his all-around abilities, and he continues to put up top-40 numbers, even with a recent cool-down hampering his stats.

Despite multiple reports stating Zion Williamson would return in six-to-eight weeks, he has a longer absence than presumed. Multiple reports have come out stating Zion might not be expected back until January if that. (Source: Will Guillory of The Atheltic )

Fantasy Impact: Williamson's knee seems to be a bigger issue than expected, meaning fans won't get the joy of watching him for a while. He's a nice stash in leagues but owners shouldn't expect him back soon.

Jahlil Okafor got the start on Monday versus the Pistons and finished with nine points, six rebounds, one block, and one assist in 22 minutes of action.

Fantasy Impact: Jaxson Hayes was starting but the Pelicans faced off with Andre Drummond so it made sense to roll with Okafor. Hayes and Okafor are both only bench worthy in deeper leagues.

Kenrich Williams has been ruled out for Thursday's game versus the Suns with an ankle injury. (Source: Daniel Sallerson on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: With Williams out, E'Twaun Moore and Josh Hart will be asked to step in and both are solid options in DFS. Hart is worth adding in season-long leagues if available.

E'Twaun Moore scored 17 points (7-12 FG, 3-6 3PT) with three rebounds, one assist and one block across 21 minutes in Sunday’s 134-109 loss to the Clippers.

Fantasy Impact: Moore has scored double figures in two of his last three games off the bench. With the Pelicans slowly getting healthy, he figures to play a small bench role and is not worth holding onto in fantasy. Moore is averaging 11 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists across 12 games this year. The Pelicans next scheduled game is Wednesday, home against the Lakers.

Nicolo Melli went for nine points (3-4 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), five rebounds, three assists and a steal across 21 minutes in the Pelicans' 124-121 win over the Suns on Thursday.

Fantasy Impact: The 28-year-old Italian forward put up a respectable stat line in Thursday's win, highlighted by a pair of triples and a swipe. Seeing his first taste of NBA action this year, Melli has been a quality producer off the bench, particularly as of late. In his last four games, Mellis has gone for 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.8 triples and 1.8 steals across 25.8 minutes per tilt. With Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram back in the lineup, Melli's recent hot streak is likely to cool off, but if you need a three-point streamer, you could do worse in deep leagues. On the season, he's averaging 1.2 triples at 38.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Frank Jackson managed nine points (2-4 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 3-4 FT) and two rebounds across 19 minutes in the Pelicans’ 115-104 win over the Trail Blazers on Tuesday.

Fantasy Impact: Jackson returned from a one-game absence due to a neck injury and came off the bench. He's been a quality scorer on a per-minute basis this season, averaging 10.2 points and 1.4 triples across 17.2 minutes per game. He'll occasionally pop off for some big scoring nights, but Jackson is otherwise a deep-league stash who's only worth playing if backcourt injuries persist for New Orleans.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker contributed 27 points (10-18 FG, 6-9 3 PT, 1-2 FT) four rebounds, and three assists across 30 minutes in Saturday's 109-94 loss to the Heat.

Fantasy Impact: Alexander-Walker scored a career-high 27 points in Saturday's loss. The Pelicans were down multiple players, as he played 30 minutes for the time all season. Alexander-Walker can be used as a streaming option for Sunday's upcoming matchup against the Warriors.

Darius Miller underwent surgery Thursday to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon. The forward is expected to be sidelined for 7-to-8 months. (Source: Malika Andrews on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Miller presumably suffered the injury during a recent workout. There's a chance Miller misses the entire 2019-2020 season. His injury opens up more minutes for Brandon Ingram, Nicolo Melli and Josh Hart.

Stanley Johnson has agreed to a two-year $7.5 million contract with the Toronto Raptors. The 23-year-old has an option on the second year of the deal. (Source: Shams Charania on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: In the wake of the massive loss of Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors made quick work in trying to put some pieces back together, starting with the signing of Johnson. There are certainly minutes to be had now in Toronto, especially when you consider Danny Green was also lost on Saturday, so the former 8th overall pick will have a decent shot at jumpstarting his career in a pretty interesting situation. The Raptors have been a top-five team in defensive rating in each of the past two seasons, so Johnson's abilities on that end of the floor suits their style well and could result in him earning some solid playing time.

PG Elfrid Payton has found a new home in New York, after signing a two-year, $16M deal with the Knicks. Payton split time with the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans last season. (Source: Shams Charania on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: With New Orleans completing a trade for Lonzo Ball, the Pels no longer needed the services of Payton. He now finds himself mired in a PG competition, as the Knicks also have former top-10 picks Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina on the roster. While none of these options are particularly good from three (all have a 3PT% below 32%), Payton does have the highest career average of assists at 6.6 APG. Regardless, until one PG distances himself from the pack, head coach David Fizdale will likely use a rotation that will limit the upside of all three players.

Julius Randle and the Knicks agreed to a three-year, $63 million contract.

Fantasy Impact: Randle should contribute right away for a rebuilding New York Knicks club. He will enter the starting five, pushing Mario Hezonja or Mitchell Robinson to a bench role. He will be one of the main focal points on offense, and should see an increase in usage. Randle averaged 21.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 73 games for the Pelicans last season.

Solomon Hill has been traded along with this year’s No. 57 pick for Atlanta’s No. 8, No. 17, and No. 35 picks. (Source: Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The Hawks made it clear early on that they wanted to move up in the draft using some of their league-high six draft picks. They are now in control to select Jarrett Culver or De’Andre Hunter. The Pelicans cleared up cap space by dealing Hill, and landed two additional first round picks. It’s a win for both sides.

The New Orleans Pelicans have agreed to a deal to trade Anthony Davis to the Lakers for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and three first-round picks – including the No. 4 overall in 2019 Draft. (Source: Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: This is a clear sign that the Lakers are in a win-now mode while they still have LeBron James. Pairing Davis with LeBron doesn't hurt either player's value for fantasy. It remains to be seen what the surrounding cast will look like in the 2019-20 season, but both players should continue to be near the top of draft boards in fantasy. Per agent Rich Paul, Davis plans to go into free agency in 2020, but a potential championship run could certainly play a role in keeping the All-Star in Los Angeles.