Pelicans Shake Up Starting Five, Promote Jeremiah Fears Alongside Zion and Murray

The New Orleans Pelicans are officially rolling out a starting five of Jeremiah Fears, Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy III, Zion Williamson, and Yves Missi for Friday night's road game against the Utah Jazz.

Seeing Fears in the starting lineup might send casual fans scrambling for a roster sheet, but anyone paying attention knows exactly why he got the promotion. The second-year guard just torched the nets for a career-high 28 points on 5-of-6 shooting from deep in 26 minutes of action.

"Underdog NBA tweeted: 'Lineup alert: Pelicans will start Fears, Murray, Murphy III, Williamson, Missi on Friday.'"

For fantasy managers and prop bettors, this backcourt shift completely changes the math. Murray is no longer operating as a solo act, which means the usage rates are going to get weird as Fears steps into a primary scoring role alongside Zion Williamson.

Murray is already doing his part to make this retooled roster work. He dropped 23 points, seven assists, and three blocks in a tight 123-120 opening-night loss to the Indiana Pacers, looking every bit like the guy he was before his Achilles tear.

Down low, the Pelicans are relying on Yves Missi, who is currently yanking down 14 rebounds a game, and Trey Murphy III, who is miraculously healthy after a 2025-26 season that read like a medical textbook.

New Orleans won a miserable 26 games last year and desperately needs to prove this core can actually compete in the Western Conference. Throwing a scorching-hot young guard into the starting five is the exact kind of high-variance swing a rebuilding team has to take.

We will find out quickly if this group can actually defend anyone when they tip off in Utah. If Fears keeps shooting like a created player and Murray stays healthy, the Pelicans might actually be worth your time again.