Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (ankle) has been tagged as questionable against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. The 24-year-old wing hasn't played in the team's last four games while he tends to a sprained right ankle, and he may be forced to miss a fifth. He'll likely test it out during shootaround and warmup to see if he can fully give it a go. Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin have joined the starting five in his absence and have both contributed some solid stat lines. Nembhard would be the more likely candidate to move to the bench once Nesmith returns, but for now, they're both solid fantasy plays regardless of the league or format.

Indiana Pacers forward Doug McDermott (calf) will miss his second consecutive game after officially being ruled out for their game on Friday night. "Dougie McBuckets" has seen very inconsistent playing time since joining the Pacers after the trade deadline. His time on the court depends on both matchups and the health of the rest of the team's frontcourt. So, as he misses some time, there isn't much of a shakeup in the rotation for guys who wouldn't be getting minutes. Obi Toppin has been getting some more time off of the bench, and Ben Sheppard has been playing a bit as well, especially with Aaron Nesmith (questionable - ankle) still on the mend.

Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (nose) has been deemed available for their contest against the Boston Celtics on Friday. The rookie big man is still dealing with lingering effects from a nasal fracture that kept him out of seven consecutive games. He continues to play lately, however, as he's appeared in the team's last five games but has seen fewer minutes. With the arrival of P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford, Lively's taken a hit in terms of playing time, but it also allows him some time to grow instead of being thrown into the fire every time. Lively has been a great source of blocks lately, but his scoring and rebound totals have been way down.

Detroit Pistons guard Marcus Sasser (knee) has been ruled out for his fourth consecutive game ahead of their Friday night matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The rookie is dealing with a knee contusion right now and it's been severe enough to hold him out for over a week now. His minutes have been inconsistent already, so the rotation isn't going to see a huge shakeup with him out. So far, Quentin Grimes has been seeing around 20 minutes a night off of the bench while Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey have been taking the lion's share of minutes with the starting five. Sasser's next chance to suit up will be Sunday against the Orlando Magic.

Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis (Achilles) is available ahead of Thursday's game against the Washington Wizards. As expected, Davis is active after being listed as probable ahead of this game. It's the second game of a back-to-back set, which led some to think that Davis might sit out for rest purposes. However, Davis is active and expected to fulfill his normal role in the rotation. Fantasy managers should double check their lineups to make sure Davis isn't on the bench.