Indiana

Pacers

Siakam remains the top option on the Pacers as they navigate this season without Tyrese Haliburton. The 31-year-old power forward has expanded his game to include three-point shooting and knocked down five threes against the Bulls on Friday. The Pacers are off for the rest of the weekend and have three games on the schedule in Week 8.

Sheppard suffered a strained left calf during Wednesday’s loss to the Nuggets and will miss some time. How long he’ll be out has not been made public by the Pacers, but his absence does not affect fantasy basketball. However, it may mean that Jarace Walker returns to the starting five after playing 22 minutes off the bench on Wednesday.

Siakam remains a solid scorer as he’s averaging 24.1 points per game this year, though his overall fantasy value hasn’t lived up to preseason expectations. The 31-year-old power forward was drafted in the third-round, but is providing seventh-round value so far this year. Siakam also comes with the risk of being shut down on a struggling Pacers team that’s going through a rebuilding year.

Due to a sprained left ankle, Furphy has not appeared in a game since November 3. While Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said that the second-year wing will be available for Wednesday’s game, fantasy managers should not interpret that as a guarantee that he’ll see the minutes needed to affect fantasy basketball. Leave Furphy on the waiver wire.

Huff has reached double figures in five straight, with Monday’s point total being his highest since November 19 (season-high 20 vs. Charlotte). He’s been the starting center the last three games, with Isaiah Jackson (6/3/0/1/2 in 16 minutes) being pushed to the bench. While iJax is the Pacers’ former first-round pick, Huff has been more consistently productive, and he’s received more opportunities as a result.

Nembhard surpassed the 20-point mark for the first time in five games on Monday. In fact, after scoring 32 points in the Pacers’ November 21 loss to Cleveland, he shot 11-of-34 from the field in the following three games. Before the season, Nembhard was a player whom many fantasy managers believed could safely provide top-100 value. Unfortunately, an early-season injury put him on the shelf for a few weeks, stunting his progress.

With the Cavaliers regaining control of Monday’s game early in the fourth quarter, Siakam lost out on a few minutes due to Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle pulling the plug. Given how many games the Pacers have lost, this has to be a frustrating season for Siakam and, by extension, those who have him on their fantasy rosters. Having entered the season with a third-round Yahoo! ADP, he’s ranked outside the top-75 in eight- and nine-cat formats. And with Indiana being 4-17, buying low comes with the risk of “Spicy P” being shut down later in the season, as the Pacers regained control of their 2026 first-round pick via a June trade with the Pelicans.

After playing 20 minutes off the bench in Saturday’s win over the Bulls, Walker is back in the Pacers’ starting lineup. He replaces Ben Sheppard, who will play rotation minutes off the bench. Walker offers a higher fantasy ceiling than Sheppard, but inconsistent offensive production has been an issue for the former lottery pick.

Jackson was bumped to the bench for Friday’s game, and he wasn’t effective in that role. However, he was able to make a large impact in this one. Both Pacers bigs had success, as Jay Huff, who started at center, contributed 14 points, four blocks and four triples. Chicago allows a lot of paint points, so this was a favorable matchup, but it was still good to see both centers turn in strong stat lines. However, this is likely a one-time thing and not the start of a productive run for both.

Following a one-game absence with a quad injury, Nembhard was back to take on Chicago. He immediately returned to the starting unit, which pushed Jarace Walker to the bench and limited him to 20 minutes. As expected, Nembhard is averaging career highs in points, assists and three-pointers with Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) out for the season. This wasn’t a standout game, but it was good to see him log 32 minutes after an absence.