X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Fantasy Basketball Risers and Fallers for NBA Week 17

JT Rosales looks at fantasy basketball risers and fallers for Week 17 of the NBA season. These can be lineup sleepers and busts for your fantasy NBA teams.

Throughout the season, players get hot and see an increased role while others struggle and fight to stay relevant. Experienced fantasy players know this happens every year.

In this weekly column, we’ll showcase those who have taken important steps forward and those who have taken steps back.

These are the risers and fallers in the top-100 heading into Week 17 of the NBA season.

Upgrade To VIP: Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Jamie Calandro and Dan Palyo lead the RotoBaller team in 2024-25 with exclusive DFS picks, Prop picks and more. Gain VIP access to our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS Cheat Sheets and VIP Chat Rooms. Go Premium, Win More!

 

Post-Week 16 Fantasy Basketball Risers

RISER - Andrew Wiggins (G/F, MIN)

Since Zach LaVine (torn ACL) was announced out for the duration of the season, Andrew Wiggins has seen a noticeable bump in offensive efficiency in his past five games. The former first-overall pick is averaging 27.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.6 blocks and 1.4 threes on 52.0 percent from the field on 20.0 attempts. That’s pretty tasty numbers. The Wolves have the likes of Brandon Rush and Shabazz Muhammad to replace LaVine’s 18.9 points and 2.6 threes. Both players are capable of offensive bursts, but Wiggins will be relied on heavier as he becomes the first, second and third perimeter option on offense. As a Canadian, I tip my toque to you, Mr. Wiggins. Sorry.

RISER - Nikola Jokic (C, DEN)

I can’t get enough of this guy. Let’s take a minute to remember that Nikola Jokic was dropped in leagues due to a start that had him looking like this season’s fantasy bust. If you were able to snag him off the wire for free, then kudos to you champ. Last week, Jokic went into the Garden and dropped a career-high 40 points, adding nine rebounds, five assists, two steals and 2 treys. Fantasy gold. On the season, he’s returning top-15 value with real potential to break into the top-10. Jusuf Nurkic was also shipped late in the week, so Denver’s made it extremely clear who they’re putting their chips on moving forward. To think, Jokic was taken in the second round in his draft is insane. To be fair, the 2015 draft class has been one of the best to date. There’s nothing to do here, but reap the rewards ‘til the end of the season.

RISER - George Hill (G, UTA)

When George Hill’s able to suit-up, he’s been a solid contributor across the board with season averages of 17.9 points, 3.5 boards, 4.1 assists, 1.0 steals, 2.0 threes and 1.4 turnovers on 48.3 percent from the field and 79.7 percent from the line. It’s been his ability to stay in the lineup that has been the issue for Hill most of the season. Hill had a rest day last week, but with Utah wanting a top seed and looking like the favorites to win the Northwest, Quinn Snyder shouldn’t be shy in using his top point guard here on in. Still, the chances he misses a few games nearing fantasy playoffs is a decent bet. A sell-high is justified. He’s returned top-30 value in his last five games, so don’t give him up for just anything.

 

Post-Week 16 Fantasy Basketball Fallers

FALLER - Jabari Parker (F, MIL)

Last week, Jabari Parker tore his left ACL, ending his season. What’s worse is that this was the same knee that held him out of his rookie season. This dampens his brilliant breakout campaign with averages of 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.3 triples on 49.0 percent from the field on 16.0 attempts. That was good enough for top-60 value in 9-cat, with potential to break into the top-50. His timetable to return is 12 months, which really hurts his dynasty and keeper league outlook. He’s an obvious drop in re-draft leagues, but Milwaukee is sure to be cautious with his return next season, so how should we approach the long game with Jabari? There’s more questions than answers here.

FALLER - Reggie Jackson (G, DET)

Reggie Jackson has had a rough February, only returning top-250 value with averages 8.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.7 threes on 31.8 percent from the field in 24.6 minutes. He looks a bit hobbled, so it could be the knee tendinitis flaring up, which kept him out for the first month or so of the season. It also doesn’t help when Ish Smith has upped his play as well. Rest of season, I don’t see Ish as a serious threat to take R-Jax’s job, but in the short-term it’ll sting. The timing also stinks because we’re winding down the playoffs. For Jackson owners, you’ll have to hold unless you could salvage some value for him. I hope we don’t find out the knees are in worse shape than we thought.

FALLER - Greg Monroe (C, MIL)

Jason Kidd is at it again. I blame myself for thinking that Greg Monroe would be able to hold down a 25-plus minute role. He’s the best big Milwaukee has, but Kidd still refuses to unleash for at least a solid bench role. For February, he’s only seeing 20.7 minutes per game and averaging 10.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.5 blocks. On top of this, he’s only putting up 7.0 shots per game. Like most players in the league, his production is boosted with additional minutes. Still, when Monroe could see 20-29 minutes per game, he’s putting up averages of 13.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.5 blocks on 55.4 percent from the field on 10.0 attempts. That’s a decent boost from his 11-19 averages. He’s putting up top-80 value on the season, but it’s been a pretty bumpy ride. You can continue to hold, but if Kidd goes into another high minute Monroe cycle, I’d look for immediate buyers.


By popular demand, RotoBaller has aggregated all of our fantasy basketball NBA waiver wire pickups into a running list of NBA waiver options, so bookmark the page and check back often for updates.



POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Sauce Gardner

Agrees to $120.4 Million Contract Extension
Marvin Mims Jr.

Could be on Track for First 1,000-Yard Season
Jaylen Johnson

Chargers Place Jaylen Johnson on PUP List
Dereck Lively II

Undergoes Right-Foot Surgery Tuesday
Kendrick Bourne

Kayshon Boutte Fighting for Final Spots
Isaiah Collier

Logs a Double-Double in Summer League Action on Monday
DeMario Douglas

Kyle Williams "Locks" for Receiving Corps
Trey Smith

Chiefs, Trey Smith Finalizing Massive Extension
Anthony Richardson Sr.

Colts Expected to Ease Anthony Richardson Sr. Back in
Devin Carter

Posts 17 Points Versus Suns
Bronny James Jr.

Scores 17 Points in Summer League Loss
Terry McLaurin

Undecided on Whether he Will Report to Training Camp
Colston Loveland

Says his Shoulder is 100 Percent
Harrison Ingram

has Impressive Outing Against Jazz
Sam Williams

has Potential to be Elite Edge Rusher
Shemar Stewart

Considering Going Back to College?
Jahmyr Gibbs

Lions Want Jahmyr Gibbs "More Involved" in Passing Game
Jordan Addison

Could be Facing Three-Game Suspension
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Kyle Filipowski

Records 35-Point Double-Double Against Spurs
Kel'el Ware

Dominates Against Celtics
Kon Knueppel

Gets Going Monday
Matas Buzelis

Puts Up 28 Points in Win Over Pacers
Reed Sheppard

Shut Down for Rest of Summer League
Paul George

Undergoes Arthroscopic Knee Surgery
Oneil Cruz

Ties Home Run Derby Distance Record
Cal Raleigh

Wins 2025 Home Run Derby
Najee Harris

Likely to Miss Time at Start of Training Camp
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Collin Morikawa

Misses The Cut at Genesis Scottish Open
Hideki Matsuyama

Finishes Tied For 13th at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Brooks Koepka

Finishes Tied For 32nd at LIV Andalucia
Tommy Fleetwood

Finishes Tied For 34th at Genesis Scottish Open
Jason Day

Misses The Cut at John Deere Classic
Ludvig Aberg

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Cam Taylor-Britt

has Benefited From Addition of Al Golden
Rome Odunze

Could Take Off in Year 2
RJ Harvey

to Get "Significant" Work in Broncos' Passing Game
Jackson Powers-Johnson

More Comfortable Heading into Year 2
Luke McCaffrey

In Line for Larger Role?
Braelon Allen

Jets Viewing Braelon Allen as Long-Term Starter?
Joel Embiid

Participating in Partial Basketball Activities
Victor Wembanyama

Officially Cleared to Return After Blood-Clot Recovery
Mike Williams

Heading to PUP List
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Michael Lorenzen

Royals Put Michael Lorenzen on Injured List With Oblique Strain
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Kel'el Ware

Collects 21 Points in Summer League Loss on Sunday
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Cam Spencer

Contract Being Restructured
Drew Timme

Scores 30 Points in Summer League Loss to Wizards
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Alexandre Sarr

Logs Impressive Outing in Summer League Action on Sunday
Junior Tafa

Unsuccessful in his Light-Heavyweight Debut
Kyle Filipowski

Scores 21 Points in Summer League Loss to Warriors
Cody Williams

Collects 22 Points in Summer League Loss on Sunday
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Tosses Gem Against Giants
Shota Imanaga

Shuts Down Yankees on Sunday
Nathan Eovaldi

Dominant Again in Seventh Win
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Chicago White Sox

Billy Carlson Goes 10th Overall to White Sox
Cincinnati Reds

Steele Hall Selected Ninth by Cincinnati
Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays Select JoJo Parker with Eighth Overall Pick
Boston Celtics

Damian Lillard Drawing Interest from the Celtics
Miami Marlins

Marlins Select Aiva Arquette With Seventh Overall Pick
Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates Select Seth Hernandez with Sixth Overall Pick
Kyle Stowers

Punishes Former Team with Three-Homer Game
St. Louis Cardinals

Cardinals Select Liam Doyle with Fifth Overall Pick
Daniel Gafford

Agrees to Contract Extension with Dallas
Colorado Rockies

Rockies Select Ethan Holliday Fourth Overall
Seattle Mariners

Kade Anderson Selected Third Overall by Seattle
Ha-Seong Kim

X-rays on Ha-Seong Kim's Foot Come Back Negative
Los Angeles Angels

Tyler Bremner Selected Second Overall by Angels in 2025 MLB Draft
Washington Nationals

Nationals Select Eli Willits First Overall
Jake Meyers

to Miss More Than Three Weeks With Calf Injury
Edward Cabrera

Hopeful to Avoid Injured List
Oneil Cruz

Absent on Sunday
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
Erik Karlsson

Open to Move Away From Pittsburgh
Zach Hyman

Hopes to be Ready for Start of Next Season
SJ

Jeff Skinner Joins Sharks on One-Year Contract
Ryan Reaves

Traded to Sharks
Vladislav Kolyachonok

Moves to Dallas
Matt Dumba

Lands in Pittsburgh
Mackie Samoskevich

Re-Signs with Panthers on One-Year Deal
Josh Manson

Inks Two-Year Extension with Avalanche
EDM

Isaac Howard Signs Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract With Oilers
Tallison Teixeira

Set For His First UFC Main Event
Derrick Lewis

Set To Headline UFC Nashville
Gabriel Bonfim

Looks For His Third UFC Win
Stephen Thompson

Returns At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Calvin Kattar

In Dire Need Of Victory
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere A Favorite At UFC Nashville
Nate Landwehr

Aims To Bounce Back
MMA

Austen Lane Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF