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Fantasy Basketball Risers and Fallers for NBA Week 21

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.

Now, starting from this week I'll be taking over this column for a great fantasy basketball expert and fellow RotoBaller writer, JT Rosales. I hope I can at least fill one of his shoes with both my feet, give you guys some relevant fantasy info and help you do well in your leagues.

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!

All three of our risers for this week are ranked in the top-11 for the last 7 days in my H2H 10-cat (double-doubles) league, and in the top-12 for the last 14 days. That's no fluke!

On the other hand, our fallers have a high ceiling and their current fall in production shouldn't worry their owners too much, but it still warrants caution.

These are the risers and fallers in the top-100 midway into Week 21 of the NBA season.

 

Mid-Week 21 Fantasy Basketball Risers

RISER - Paul George (F, IND) - Owww yeahhh! PG13 is back! He is ranked outside of the top-25 on the season, but it doesn't feel like it for the last week or two. In his previous seven games he has averaged 28.3 points with 3.6 3-pointers on 54.5% from the field and 96.7% from the stripe, 8.4 boards, 3.3 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.1 blocks and 3.7 turnovers in 36 minutes a game. He even double-doubled in four of those games, for all of us who're keeping track. His surge did coincide with Myles Turner's mini-slump, but I don't think that Myles coming out of it will have much effect on George. If his owners managed to claw their way into the playoffs with their first round pick producing on a third round level for most of the year, they have to be ecstatic to have their star back at just the right time!

RISER - Ricky Rubio (G, MIN)Ricky Rubio is another player who was feeling under the weather in the beginning of the season, but is making it rain now! Ever since the trade rumors stopped with the deadline, and maybe even a little bit before then, he has been killing it. He's been averaging a double-double for over a month now, but he has been especially good lately. It all started with a triple-double against the Spurs and continued into his next five for averages of 18.3 PTS with 1.5 3PM on 48.1 FG% and 90.0 FT%, 5.2 REB, 11.5 AST, 1.7 STL, no blocks and 2.7 TO in 35 minutes per outing. I really hope you didn't drop him during his ice-cold November rain.

RISER - Marvin Williams (F, CHA) – Marvin's teammates have been injured more often than not, making him work really hard for his paycheck. First Cody Zeller was out. Then Frank Kaminsky. And when it finally looked like the Hornets will be at full strength, and Marvin might get a chance to take a breather, Nicolas Batum went down. His heavy workload hasn't affected his efficiency and his fantasy game has increasingly flourished along with the rise of playing time. In the last 14 days Charlotte has played seven times and Williams has 12.9 points with 0.9 threes on 50.0 field goal percentage and 88.9 free throw percentage, 11.6 boards, 3.1 dimes 0.6 steals, 1.3 blocks and 0.9 turnovers in 37 minutes per game. Not too shabby for a guy who was picked as the 104th pick on average. He is probable to continue to impress for his owners who definitely hit a jackpot.

Mid-Week 21 Fantasy Basketball Fallers

FALLER - Serge Ibaka (F/C, TOR) – From a Riser to a Faller in a matter of days, Ibaka has really left his owner's scratching their heads. First it was a pretty common opinion that he will have a drop off with the Raptors following his mid-February trade. He proved everyone who taught so wrong and made those who bought low on him at that time easy winners. Then everybody was sure he will keep filling it, especially when Kyle Lowry went down. He will have to step up, won't he? He proved everyone wrong again and has slumped hard in his last three getting a modest 9.3 PTS with 0.8 3PM on 36.8 FG% and no misses in two attempts from the line, 4.8 REB, 0.8 AST, no steals, 1.8 BLK and 2.8 TO in 29 minutes per game. The blocks are the only silver lining in Ibaka's dark, dark cloud. His owners can only hope that a ray of sunshine makes it's way through soon.

FALLER - Kristaps Porzingis (F/C, NY) – Now don't get me wrong, Porzingis hasn't been THAT bad when he's on the court, and has been insane on the blocking front, leading the NBA by far with 4.7 a game in the last 7 days. The problem is that he was scheduled to play only two games in the first week of the default fantasy playoffs. First of those two games saw him score 11 points on 5-of-17 shooting, no attempts from the line, one three-pointer, three rebounds, three assists, one steal, three blocks and two turnovers. But he injured his thigh and left early after only 24 minutes on court in that game. The injury caused him to miss the second and last game the Knicks had this week. If you're in a tough matchup, the Zinger didn't help you much.

FALLER - Giannis Antetokounmpo (almost every position, MIL) – In the light of Giannis getting PF eligibility in Yahoo leagues, he's decided to celebrate by limiting his limitless contribution to a moderate top-75 value in the last seven days. His owners, including your's truly, didn't see that coming. He has been leading the Bucks in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks for the course of the entire season, but has been the leader of his team only in points over that period, and that's with just 18.3 PTS, well below his season average of 23.0. He is still very useful with 5.5 REB, 5.3 AST, 1.5 STL and 1.0 BLK, but his owners were expecting him to annihilate their opponents, so these type of lines from the Alphabet are sort of a let-down. Let us hope that the Greek Freak gets back to his usual ways in time to save our Fantasy Freak behinds.


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.



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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Gabriel Landeskog

a "Full Go" for the Season
Samuel Girard

Avalanche Hope to Have Samuel Girard Available for Start of Season
Mackenzie Blackwood

Out Week-to-Week
Alex Tuch

Day-to-Day With Undisclosed Injury
Jordan Greenway

to Sit Out Training Camp
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Considered Day-to-Day
Simon Edvinsson

to Miss a Couple of Weeks
Mikael Backlund

Signs Two-Year Extension
Connor Ingram

to Be Waived by Mammoth
Zach Hyman

Misses Start of Training Camp
Nick Paul

Out Until November
Kris Letang

Cleared for Training Camp
David Pastrnak

Out for Start of Training Camp
Matthew Tkachuk

Expected to Be Out Until December
NBA

Trevelin Queen Joins Chinese Team
Damian Lillard

Not Rushing His Return
NBA

Keon Johnson Waived by Nets
Justin Verlander

Plans to Pitch in 2026
Junior Caminero

Day-to-Day With Back Tightness
Will Smith

Won't Return When First Eligible
Tyler Soderstrom

Returns to A's Lineup
Tyler Warren

Sidelined on Wednesday with Toe Injury
Jaylen Waddle

Questionable for Week 3 Against Buffalo
Joe Burrow

Bengals Not Closing the Door on Joe Burrow Returning This Year
CFB

LaNorris Sellers to Play Against Missouri?
Kyle Tucker

Progress has "Plateaued"
Isaac Paredes

has "Outside Chance" to Return This Weekend
CFB

Kaidon Salter Expected To Start for Colorado on Saturday
Willson Contreras

Goes on 10-Day Injured List, Done for Season
Justin Fields

Ruled Out for Week 3 Due to Concussion
Jayden Reed

Out Indefinitely After Foot and Shoulder Surgery
Washington Commanders

Preston Smith Signs With Commanders
Trey Jemison III

Joins Knicks on Two-Way Contract
Kevin McCullar Jr.

Signs New Two-Way Deal With Knicks
Matt Ryan

Returns to Knicks on Exhibit 10 Contract
New York Knicks

Alex Len Signs Exhibit 9 Deal With Knicks
Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Expected to Take on Larger Offensive Role With Hawks
Thomas Sorber

Undergoes Surgery
Dominic Canzone

Has Five-Hit, Three-Homer Game Tuesday
Cal Raleigh

Sets Single-Season Home Run Record for a Switch-Hitter
Jayden Reed

Undergoes Clavicle and Foot Surgeries, Out for Foreseeable Future
Bo Bichette

to Miss Rest of Regular Season
Zach Neto

Placed on 10-Day Injured List With Hand Injury
Yordan Alvarez

Out on Tuesday, Dealing With "Significant" Ankle Sprain
Aaron Jones Sr.

Vikings Place Aaron Jones Sr. on Injured Reserve With Hamstring Injury
CFB

Diego Pavia Refutes Report of Seeking Seventh Collegiate Season
Christian Kirk

Expected to Return in Week 3
CFB

Diego Pavia Seeking Another Year of Eligibility
Tarik Skubal

on Track to Start Thursday
CFB

Kevorian Barnes Questionable Against SMU
Bo Bichette

has Short-Term Knee Injury, Could Return for Postseason
Tosan Evbuomwan

Joins Knicks
NBA

Kai Jones Links Up With EuroLeague Team
Bismack Biyombo

Returns to Spurs
Bones Hyland

Rejoins Timberwolves
Kobe Bufkin

Moves to Brooklyn
Trey Yesavage

Sets Franchise Strikeout Record On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

To Receive MRI For Sprained Left Ankle On Tuesday
Willson Contreras

Exits Early Monday With Right-Biceps Tightness
Yordan Alvarez

Exits With Ankle Sprain
Brock Bowers

Officially Active on Monday Night
Jauan Jennings

Day-to-Day With Ankle Injury
Logan O'Hoppe

Activated Off Seven-Day Injured List
CBJ

Denton Mateychuk Dealing With Groin Issue
Bo Horvat

Fine for Training Camp
Kirby Dach

on Track to Be Ready for Opening Night
Jose Altuve

Returns Against Rangers
J.J. McCarthy

Expected to Miss 2-4 Weeks With High-Ankle Sprain
J.J. McCarthy

Likely Out for Week 3 With High-Ankle Sprain
Jean Silva

Gets Finished For The First Time In His Career
Aaron Jones Sr.

Unlikely to Play in Week 3 Due to Hamstring Injury
Diego Lopes

Returns To The Win Column
Jayden Daniels

' Week 3 Status in Doubt
Rob Font

Outclassed In The Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
David Martinez

Wins His Second UFC Fight
Jared Gordon

Suffers Brutal TKO Loss At Noche UFC 3
Rafa Garcia

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Brian Thomas Jr.

Dealing with Wrist Injury
Dustin Stoltzfus

Drops A Decision At Noche UFC 3
Kelvin Gastelum

Gets Back In The Win Column
Diego Ferreira

Suffers Second-Round TKO
Alexander Hernandez

Extends His Win Streak With A Brutal TKO
Quang Le

Suffers First-Round Knockout
Santiago Luna

Shines In His UFC Debut
Christopher Bell

Earns his First Bristol Cup Series Victory
Alex Bowman

Falls Short of Advancing Through Cup Series Playoffs
Chase Briscoe

Collects his Third Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Ryan Blaney

Strong Top-Five Bristol Performance Advances him to the Playoffs
Corey Heim

Earns his First Career Cup Series Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Leads Greece to Bronze Medal
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Drops 28 Points in EuroBasket Finals
CFB

Indiana's Lee Beebe Jr. Out for Season with Knee Injury
Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder Named EuroBasket MVP
Bryce Eldridge

Giants to Promote Bryce Eldridge
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Progressing in Recovery
Jonathan Kuminga

Receives New Offer From Warriors
Kenneth Walker III

Bounces Back with Big Week 2 Performance
Bijan Robinson

Rushes for 143 Yards in Week 2
Justin Fields

Currently in Concussion Protocol
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Calling Around to Available Free-Agent Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow

to Undergo Surgery, Out at Least Three Months
Emil Heineman

Aiming to Take the "Next Step" This Season
Braeden Cootes

Good to Go for Camp
Ivan Fedotov

Blue Jackets Acquire Ivan Fedotov From Flyers
Quentin Grimes

Still Not Close to a New Contract Agreement
Joel Embiid

"Looking Slender, Spry and in Positive Spirits"
Ty Gibbs

Has Arguably his Best Career Drive, but Only Finishes 10th
Chase Elliott

Despite Crashing Out at Bristol, Chase Elliott Advances to Round of 12
Austin Dillon

Misses Round of 12 After Extremely Mediocre Bristol Run
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Fails to Advance to Round of 12
Josh Berry

Finishes Last in All Three Round of 16 Races to Fail to Advance
CFB

Ryan Williams Explodes In Return To Field
CFB

Drew Allar Plays Mediocre Game In Blowout Win
CFB

LaNorris Sellers Exits Game In Blowout Loss
CFB

DJ Lagway Tosses Five Interceptions In Loss
CFB

Garrett Nussmeier Plays Game Manager in Saturday's Win
CFB

CJ Carr Remains Poised In Narrow Loss
CFB

John Mateer Leads Oklahoma In Rout
CFB

Arch Manning Struggles Against UTEP
CFB

Jeremiah Smith Impresses In Win
CFB

Sam Leavitt Shines As Arizona State Rebounds From Week 2 Loss
Ivan Demidov

Turning Heads in Rookie Camp
Chris Buescher

May have Another Solid Run at Bristol
Kyle Busch

Should DFS Managers Roster Kyle Busch at Bristol?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Too Risky to Consider Rostering at Bristol?
Michael McDowell

Could be A Solid Value Option For Bristol DFS Lineups
Chase Elliott

Probably Won't Factor in for Bristol Win
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Not as Strong at Bristol as Other Short Tracks
Alex Bowman

Needs to Win to Make Round of 12
Ross Chastain

has Never Led at Bristol but Has Been Pretty Consistent
Austin Dillon

Richmond Speed Unlikely to Carry Over to Bristol
Josh Berry

Might Run Well at Bristol, but Almost Certainly Won't Win to Advance
Justin Haley

Bristol One of Justin Haley's Few Recent Bright Spots
CFB

Austin Simmons Listed As Game-Time Decision Against Arkansas
CFB

Nico Iamaleava Struggles In Fourth Straight Loss
CFB

Antonio Williams Out Against Georgia Tech
CFB

CJ Bailey Flashes Again in Win Over Wake Forest
CFB

Jaxson Moi a Game-Time Decision for Tennessee on Saturday
Jean Silva

A Favorite At Noche UFC 3
Diego Lopes

Set For Noche UFC 3 Main Event
Rob Font

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
David Martinez

Set For Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
Rafa Garcia

An Underdog At Noche UFC 3
Jared Gordon

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Dustin Stoltzfus

Looks To Return To The Win Column
Kelvin Gastelum

In Dire Need Of Victory
Diego Ferreira

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column

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