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 […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 10 (2024-2025): December 30 - January 5

Happy Holidays, my fantasy basketball friends, and welcome back to another edition of my weekly waiver wire column! We ring in the new year in only a few days, but the fantasy basketball season has been going strong for over two months. We're approaching the season's mid-point, and you're likely now starting to see what […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 9 (2024-2025): December 23 - December 29

The holiday season is in full swing and the NBA returns to a pretty normal schedule except for a full day off for all teams on Tuesday (Christmas Eve). We get five televised games on Christmas Day and then a solid number of games for the remainder of the week. We kick off the week […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 8 (2024-2025): December 16 - December 22

We took last week off as the in-season tournament has broken up the schedule in a big way. Most leagues extended Week 7 through last week and are starting Week 8 today. We have another break in the schedule on Tuesday as the championship is being played. However, that game's statistics will not count for […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 7 (2024-2025): December 2 - December 8

Week 7 is upon us and it's the last full week of games before the in-season tournament. Some leagues may lump this week and next week together into one scoring period, so check your league settings to be sure. For today, I am just covering one calendar week as usual, and next week we can […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 6 (2024-2025): November 25 - December 1

We turn the calendar to December by the time that Week 6 wraps up! This week features a pretty condensed schedule with most of the action taking place on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. There are no games on Thanksgiving and only a handful on Tuesday/Saturday, so plan accordingly! Injuries continue to pile up across […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 5 (2024-2025): November 18 - November 24

The NBA season is a month long already and I hope you find your team in decent repair. The injury bug has already forced managers to fill up their IR slots in a hurry and go running to the waiver wire to find help filling out their rosters. My stance on injuries is pretty straightforward. […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 4 (2024-2025): November 11 - November 17

Happy Veterans' Day, everyone, and a special thank you to all of you who have served our great nation! This week, we have several NBA veterans who are worthy of being added off waivers as they have been thrust into larger roles due to injuries and a lot of young players who are starting to […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 3 (2024-2025): November 4 - November 10

We are already two weeks into the season and the injury bug has hit several big names. Joel Embiid has yet to play a game and neither has Kawhi Leonard. Paolo Banchero and Scottie Barnes joined the long-term injury list and the opportunities for lesser-known players across the league have been many as a result. […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 2 (2024-2025): October 28 - November 3

The first week is in the books and I hope that things turned out well for you with a good start in your leagues. I also hope you read this column last week because we hit on several good plays for Week 1 and identified some undrafted players who will likely be on rosters for […]

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 1 (2024-2025): October 22 - October 27

The NBA season tips off tomorrow and you have probably completed your drafts unless you happen to be in one of those leagues that drafts the night before the season. Either way, it's great to have NBA basketball back in our lives and I am thrilled to be able to bring you my favorite weekly […]