T.J.

McConnell

Nembhard will be good to go after a one-game absence against Washington on Friday. Ben Sheppard started in his place, but he’ll head back to the bench with Nembhard back. T.J. McConnell should still fill out the backup point guard minutes, so he shouldn’t be impacted much.

Nembhard missed Friday’s game against the Wizards with a quad contusion. Ben Sheppard moved into the starting lineup in his absence, but T.J. McConnell out-produced him with 14 points and eight assists in 19 minutes. Expect a similar setup for the Pacers if Nembhard is ruled out again.

McConnell didn’t get the starting nod with Andrew Nembhard (quad) sidelined, but he was still able to make a strong contribution off the bench. He led the team in assists and scored in double figures for a fifth straight game. He is rostered in just 19 percent of Yahoo! leagues but has provided fifth-round value during this stretch. If Nembhard remains out against the Bulls on Saturday, McConnell should see a nice boost in value once again, especially if the game is closer.

Sheppard and Huff will enter the starting unit in place of Andrew Nembhard (quad) and Isaiah Jackson. Sheppard will get the nod instead of T.J. McConnell, though McConnell should still see a bump in minutes. Huff will replace Jackson as the starting center, though both should continue to split the minutes down low.

Nembhard will miss the first leg of this back-to-back, which will open up the starting spot at point guard. T.J. McConnell should slide into the role, which will make him a high-priority option as long as Nembhard is unavailable. Ben Sheppard may also pick up a few extra minutes.

Nembhard is dealing with a right quad contusion, and Friday’s game is the first of two in as many nights for the Pacers. If he’s unable to play, T.J. McConnell’s fantasy ceiling will rise, even if he remains in a reserve role. Ben Sheppard may pick up additional minutes in this scenario, but he has not been productive enough to be worth the risk in fantasy leagues.

Despite coming off the bench, McConnell can still be of value to fantasy managers, especially those competing in deeper leagues. The points, rebounds and assists were solid on Wednesday, and he’s ranked just outside the top-150 in nine-cat formats over the past two weeks. McConnell is worth rostering in deeper leagues, especially while the Pacers are willing to play their veterans in a season that has already gone off the rails.

Given the amount of time McConnell missed with a strained right hamstring, it’s unsurprising that he was on a minutes restriction Tuesday night. However, he only played 11 minutes and did not see any action after halftime. Those who stashed McConnell in an IL+ slot should remain patient, as his production in the 11 minutes he did play was promising. Given the current state of the Pacers roster, it isn’t difficult to envision McConnell providing quality fantasy value once he’s freed from any restrictions.

McConnell is set for his first action of the 2025-26 season, providing the Pacers with needed depth at point guard. He’ll back up Andrew Nembhard, but McConnell does not need starters’ minutes to provide tangible fantasy value. He’ll have value once allowed to play his regular minutes.

Peter was initially questionable for Sunday’s loss to the Warriors, playing six minutes off the bench. Even if he’s available on Tuesday, the rookie guard will be in for a similar workload since Andrew Nembhard is healthy. And if T.J. McConnell (hamstring) plays, Peter may be in for a DNP-CD.