2025 Fantasy Basketball Breakouts: Super Sophomores

What do the Spurs, Thunder, and Pistons all have in common? They all have a young core of players in place and have made some savvy moves through the draft and trades, building impressive organizational depth. The youth movement is on full display so far in the 2025 NBA season, and there is no shortage […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 9 (2025): 12/15 -12/21

It's another wonky week in terms of the NBA schedule as the first half of Week 9 is still impacted by the NBA Cup Final on Tuesday. There's also the biggest imbalance in the schedule in terms of games played by each team, as just three teams play four games, while another 13 teams play […]

2025 Fantasy Basketball Third Year Breakouts and Busts

The NBA is becoming a young man's league. Rookies are playing more than ever before, and while every young player faces a different set of expectations (based on where they were drafted), many are expected to start showing the promise of becoming a rotational player for their respective teams within the first three years of […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 8 (2025): 12/8-12/14

Welcome to Week 8 of the fantasy basketball schedule - also known as "that super weird week that is all jacked up because of the in-season tournament." Yes, the NBA Emirates Cup quarterfinals and semifinals will be played on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday, so we have quite the strange schedule and a very small number […]

The Fantasy Basketball Cut List - Who to Drop or Hold After Week 6

After taking Thanksgiving week off - a week where we had fewer NBA games than usual - I'm bringing the Cut List back with some fresh names to consider dropping. I'll also revisit some players who we've discussed already this season who simply aren't worth rostering in standard formats. Every league is different, and certain […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 7 (2025): 12/1-12/7

After a lighter week of games over the holiday, the NBA schedule is absolutely loaded up this week with 22 teams playing four times and perhaps the most balanced allotment of games across every day. We get at least five games every day, making for some very valuable schedules for streaming on those days that […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 6 (2025): 11/24-11/30

We get a bit of an abbreviated schedule this week with only two games on Tuesday and an entire day off on Thursday for Thanksgiving. I know the league usually takes Thanksgiving off, but what do they expect us to do all day - watch football? If the NFL can start playing games on Christmas […]

The Fantasy Basketball Cut List - Who to Drop or Hold After Week 4

Welcome back to this week's edition of the Fantasy Basketball Cut List. We are closing in on the first month of the season, and we've already been pretty busy, cutting a lot of dead weight from our rosters and adding players who offer more upside. This week, we will review our first month of cut […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 5 (2025): 11/17-11/23

As the first month of the NBA season comes to a close this week, we are seeing the return of some players who have been sitting out since the season began (like Coby White), while other troublesome injuries to superstars continue to linger (Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, Jalen Green). Young players are emerging, including an […]

The Fantasy Basketball Cut List - Who to Drop or Hold After Week 3

Some of my cut list targets last week took it personally, especially CJ McCollum, who snapped back to life with two 25-point outings and a 42-point game in overtime. I'm not reading too much into that production or feeling bad about that recommendation; I think his outlook for the long term remains the same. Anfernee […]

2025 Fantasy Basketball Risers and Fallers: Usage and PIE Rates

It's only been about three weeks since the NBA season began. Still, I really don't think it's too early to start trying to identify some trends that are emerging for players' advanced statistics when compared to their performance last season. We went into our drafts with a specific vision of how players would be used […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 4 (2025): 11/10-11/16

Whether you are in first place or dead last in the standings means very little right now, as it's been only three weeks of the fantasy basketball season. If you're leading the pack, don't rest on your laurels! And if you're bringing up the rear, don't panic and make any desperation trades or drops! Let's […]

The Fantasy Basketball Cut List - Who to Drop or Hold After Week 2

Welcome back to the second installment of the Fantasy Basketball Cut List. The decision to cut a player from your team isn't always an easy one, so I'm here to help you make those tough calls and keep your roster stocked with as many healthy and productive players as possible. We are only a few […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 3 (2025): 11/3 to 11/9

We are still very early in the season, so the balancing act between being aggressive and picking up players off the wire without dropping players who have long-term upside is a tough one. Luckily for you, I started a new piece called the Fantasy Basketball Cut List that will accompany this one a bit later […]

The Fantasy Basketball Cut List - Who to Drop or Hold After Week 1

So much of the fantasy space is devoted to telling you which players to add, but who's there to help you decide who to drop? I believe it was Shakespeare who said, "Parting is such sweet sorrow." It's not always easy to let go of a player, especially if you already invested a draft pick […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 2 (2025): 10/27 to 11/2

The first week of NBA action is in the books, but most teams have only played three games so far this season, and many of them are still dealing with preseason injuries and are tinkering with rotations. We want to be aggressive and snap up players with potential, but we also want to be patient […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 1 (2025): 10/21 to 10/26

Fantasy Basketball has returned, and I am back for another season of NBA content here at RotoBaller. I'm "Thunder" Dan Palyo, and I was once awarded the title of Basketball Writer of the Year back in 2021 by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. I'll be your guide this year for working the waiver wire every […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 21 (2024-25): March 24 - March 30

Did you survive the minefield of players resting this week? I'm not sure I did as I won't know until tomorrow if I advance to the next round of the playoffs in several leagues. But the antics of the Wizards and Jazz have not helped us out as both teams have important fantasy players and […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 20 (2024-25): March 17 - March 23

The fantasy basketball playoffs are in full swing for many leagues and even the late-starters are set to begin this week. Frustration with players resting and schedules being tough to predict is mounting and I was a victim of it myself just this week with Utah and the Walker Kessler drama. My best advice is […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 19 (2024-25): March 10 - March 16

For many of you, the playoffs have arrived! There's no use holding onto injured players (without IL spots) when every game matters in H2H matchups! Planning out your moves and making timely adds will be crucial this week, especially with so many teams (both playoff teams and tanking teams) resting players so often. Most leagues […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 18 (2024-25): March 3- March 9

The fantasy basketball playoffs get closer by the day and may even start next week if you are in a league that has moved the start of the playoffs back as early as Week 19. It's do-or-die time, and you need to do whatever it takes to secure that playoff spot! Most leagues have a […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 17 (2024-25): February 24 - March 2

With only a few weeks remaining until the start of the fantasy playoff schedule, every win (and every extra game) matters! This column all season has been focused mainly on weekly adds and long-term pickups, but in the coming weeks, I'll be recommending some short-term streamers as well to help you get the edge in […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 16 (2024-25): February 10 - February 23

Week 16 is a big one as we have the All-Star Break right in the middle of it, and thus, most leagues count the first four days of this week and the last four days of next as all one week for H2H scoring purposes. And once Week 16 finally does wrap up, we have […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 15 (2024-25): February 3 - February 9

If you're like me, you woke up to one of the biggest trades in recent NBA history (Luka for AD) and are still trying to make sense of it. It will likely be the biggest trade of the week, but it won't be the only deal made this week as Thursday's NBA trade deadline looms. […]

League Winners: Second-Half Trade Targets and Stashes - 2025 Fantasy Basketball

Things have not gone as planned for fantasy basketball managers who drafted players like Joel Embiid or Jimmy Butler. But there's plenty of basketball left to be played and it's time to reassess how we view players going forward. If you want to win that fantasy basketball league championship, worry less about where your players […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 14 (2024-25): January 27 - February 2

We flip the calendar to February this week and edge closer to both the All-Star break and the NBA trade deadline. Some of the moves you can make in the next few weeks could greatly impact your team's ability to compete for a fantasy championship in March or April! Most leagues have a weekly moves […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 13 (2024-25): January 20 - January 26

Week 13 starts with eight games on Monday as the NBA celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day. But the back half of the week gets a bit wonky as there are only three games on Friday night, then 14 games on Saturday, and only one game next Sunday. Most leagues have a weekly moves cap, […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 12 (2024-25): January 13 - January 19

We are closing in on the midway point of the basketball season, as most NBA teams will cross the 41-game threshold this week. As injuries pile up, the waiver wire gets thinner every week, but working the wire to maximize games played is still something you should do whenever possible! Most leagues have a weekly […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 11 (2024-2025): January 6 - January 12

We enter January with a snowstorm in the Northeast and a loaded slate of games, with the majority of NBA teams playing four games (the Suns play five!) this week, and we have at least seven games every night this week! Most leagues have a moves cap weekly, and some have season-long caps, too. Always […]