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
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

NBA Heat Check - Surging Players in Week 7

Hey folks, it's time for another new basketball feature on RotoBaller.

Today we'll be taking a look at some players who have been on fire over the last week and try to make a guess about how much of that is just a hot streak and how much of it is real.  Then we'll make a guess at what's realistic fair value in trade for our star.

Let's dive in and take a look at some surging players in Week 7.

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!

 

NBA Heat Check

Pau Gasol, PF/C, San Antonio Spurs

As an aging but talented veteran on the Spurs, Pau Gasol’s minutes are always at risk of being managed. But he’s been reliable as ever and seems to have gotten himself into a good groove this season. He averaged only 9.4 points per game through the first 10 games of the season, and then 13.3 through the next 11 games. Even without Kawhi Leonard in the lineup this year, his 19.3% usage rate has remained relatively stable from his rate of 21.3% last season. His field goal attempts have also only marginally decreased from 9.4 last year to 8.5 this year, but he’s taking more threes, meaning he’s able to score more with less shot attempts.

Nevertheless, it’s unlikely that his points will continue trending upward. It’s almost never a good idea to bet on increased production from a veteran that’s on the wrong side of 35 years old, unless he’s a vegan like Tom Brady. Pau averaged 12.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks last year, and his numbers this year are almost identical at 11.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks. His numbers might dip below or rise above these averages, but he’ll always trend back towards them. This explains his poor start and now upward swing. Especially with Kawhi Leonard seemingly getting healthier, a good trade target might be Courtney Lee for those in need of guards.

 

Lou Williams, PG/SG, Los Angeles Clippers

Drake once rapped that he was a “six man like Lou Will.” But the former Sixth Man of the Year has found himself catching fire in the starting five, with 42 points against the Lakers on Monday night. In that 2014-2015 season with Toronto when Lou won the award, he had a 27.0% usage rate. Through 19 games this year, it’s been 27.8%. He’ll continue getting his fair share of touches, especially with Blake Griffin sidelined for up to two months with a knee injury. Even with the volume, he’s shooting the second highest field goal percentage of his career, at 45.6%. It’s not a coincidence that his 42.5% three-point attempt rate is his lowest since 2011-2012. As long as he continues taking closer shots, his field goal percentage will be sustainable.

But he’s not just a percentages guy--he’s also scoring 18.6 points a game. The last time he did that was through 58 games with the Lakers last season. His scoring ability isn’t a fluke and is one of his fantasy strengths. Lou’s assists per game, however, will likely take a dip with Austin Rivers’ minutes trending up and with Milos Teodisic on his way back within the month. In all other categories, he’s showing no signs of slowing down. But if you need stats in other categories, Thaddeus Young or Nikola Vucevic would be good trade targets.

 

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG, Los Angeles Lakers

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is playing the most efficient basketball of his five-year career, with career highs in field goal percentage and three-point percentage. Over the last four games, he’s scored a jaw-dropping 22.8 points while shooting 46.4% from the field. His rebounding has been especially noteworthy at 5.3 per game, exactly two more than last year. Tack on career highs in assists and steals, and baby, we’ve got a stew going.

This is his first season with the Lakers and it looks like the change of scenery is serving him well. The Lakers are a young team that enjoys running the floor and it shows--they’re leading the league in pace this season. Caldwell-Pope is a big part of their young core and he’s playing almost 35 minutes per game. He’ll undoubtedly have plenty of opportunities to make plays going forward and rack up counting stats. But he’s shooting a career high 50.2% of his attempts from beyond the arc. He’s young and improving, so there’s reason to be cautiously optimistic that he continues hitting them at a career high 35.4%. But this is a stat to keep an eye on since he’s shooting threes with such volume. If you want to trade him, Harrison Barnes might be a more proven player whose owner is willing to trade for Caldwell-Pope’s upside.

 

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis

 

NBA DFS Premium Subscription

Get a free trial of our powerful NBA Premium Tools. Our famous DFS Cheat Sheets, and NBA Lineup Optimizer & Generator with daily matchup projections.

Win more. Try the most advanced lineup optimizer in daily fantasy basketball.

Sign Up Now!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Garrett Crochet8 mins ago

Agrees To Six-Year Extension With The Red Sox
Scoot Henderson15 mins ago

Unavailable Tuesday
Deandre Ayton20 mins ago

Out Against Hawks
AJ Green29 mins ago

May Miss Another Game Tuesday
Thomas Harrington33 mins ago

Making MLB Debut On Tuesday
Kyle Lowry34 mins ago

Picks Up A Questionable Tag
Tyrese Maxey39 mins ago

Remains Out Against Knicks
Quentin Grimes47 mins ago

Good To Go Tuesday
Teoscar Hernández1 hour ago

Teoscar Hernandez Goes Deep On Monday
Gavin Sheets1 hour ago

Tallies Four RBI In Monday's Victory
Wilmer Flores1 hour ago

Hits Home Run, Tallies Four RBI In Victory
Dansby Swanson2 hours ago

Goes Deep Again On Monday
Christian McGowan2 hours ago

Undergoes Tommy John Surgery
Kumar Rocker2 hours ago

Allows Six Runs In Season Debut
Jacob Wilson2 hours ago

Launches First MLB Home Run
Casey DeSmith2 hours ago

Sharp In Monday's Victory
Mason Marchment2 hours ago

Tallies Two Helpers On Monday
Adam Klapka2 hours ago

Tallies Two Points In Shootout Victory
Ivan Fedotov3 hours ago

Sharp Against Nashville
Matvei Michkov3 hours ago

Continues Hot Stretch On Monday
Luke Hughes3 hours ago

Scores Goal, Adds Assist In Victory
Andrés Giménez3 hours ago

Andres Gimenez Homers, Steals A Base On Monday
Lars Nootbaar3 hours ago

Homers On Monday
Brant Hurter3 hours ago

Picks Up Save On Monday
Otto Lopez3 hours ago

Homers In Loss To Mets
James Wood3 hours ago

Homers Monday
David Peterson3 hours ago

Strikes Out Nine In Win Over Marlins
Pete Alonso4 hours ago

Hits A Grand Slam On Monday
Matt McLain4 hours ago

Homers On Monday
Brady Singer4 hours ago

Strikes Out Eight On Monday
Elly De La Cruz4 hours ago

Homers Twice, Drives In Seven
Jackson Jobe8 hours ago

Inefficient In First Career Start Monday
Tyler Glasnow8 hours ago

Fans Eight, Earns Win In Monday Debut
Sam Stevens11 hours ago

Enjoyed Nice Result In Houston
PGA12 hours ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Ochai Agbaji12 hours ago

Resting On Tuesday
RJ Barrett12 hours ago

To Be Rested Tuesday Night
Immanuel Quickley12 hours ago

Returning To Action Against Bulls
Jakob Poeltl12 hours ago

Available On Tuesday
Jonathan Kuminga12 hours ago

Uncertain For Tuesday's Game
Christian Braun12 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Meeting With Timberwolves
Aaron Gordon12 hours ago

Tagged As Questionable For Tuesday
Jamal Murray12 hours ago

Iffy For Tuesday
LeBron James13 hours ago

Ready To Play Against Rockets
Nikola Jokić13 hours ago

Nikola Jokic Expected To Play Against Timberwolves
Trae Young13 hours ago

Likely To Face Portland
Bradley Beal13 hours ago

Could Return On Tuesday
Giannis Antetokounmpo13 hours ago

Probable For Tuesday's Action
CJ McCollum13 hours ago

Shut Down For The Rest Of The Season
Denny McCarthy13 hours ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Zion Williamson13 hours ago

Won't Play Again This Season
Brian Harman14 hours ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ilya Samsonov15 hours ago

Nursing An Upper-Body Injury
Tomas Hertl16 hours ago

To Sit Out At Least One More Week
Garnet Hathaway16 hours ago

Rejoins Flyers Lineup
Erik Johnson16 hours ago

Available Monday
Rasmus Ristolainen16 hours ago

Not Expected To Return This Season
Ryan Preece16 hours ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
Colton Sissons16 hours ago

Likely Out For Rest Of The Season
NASCAR16 hours ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Jonathan Marchessault16 hours ago

Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury
Todd Gilliland16 hours ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno16 hours ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg17 hours ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober17 hours ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres17 hours ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall17 hours ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
Denver Broncos17 hours ago

Denver To Take A Running Back In The Draft
CJ Vergara17 hours ago

Gets Submitted
Ryan Fox17 hours ago

Showing Improvement Heading Into The Valero Texas Open
Édgar Cháirez17 hours ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Courtland Sutton17 hours ago

"No Timeline" On Courtland Sutton Extension
Vince Morales17 hours ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.18 hours ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
New York Jets18 hours ago

Jets To Wait On Contract Extensions For Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner
Saimon Oliveira18 hours ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez18 hours ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Jameson Williams18 hours ago

Detroit To Exercise Jameson Williams' Fifth-Year Option
Kevin Borjas18 hours ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Brandon Aiyuk18 hours ago

49ers Expected To Hold Brandon Aiyuk
Ronaldo Rodríguez18 hours ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Joel Dahmen19 hours ago

Scores Top-20 Finish At Texas Children's Houston Open
Jacob Bridgeman19 hours ago

Had Some Rest Heading Into The Valero
Sami Valimaki19 hours ago

Finishes Fourth At Texas Children's Houston Open
Maverick McNealy19 hours ago

Finishes Tied For 32nd At Texas Children’s Houston Open
Tom Kim19 hours ago

Finishes Tied For 36th At Valspar Championship
Rickie Fowler19 hours ago

Finishes Tied For 52nd At Texas Children’s Houston Open
Bud Cauley19 hours ago

Finishes Tied For Fourth At Valspar Championship
Sam Burns19 hours ago

Misses The Cut At Valspar Championship
Daniel Berger19 hours ago

Finishes Tied For 20th At The PLAYERS Championship
Ludvig Aberg19 hours ago

Misses The Cut At The PLAYERS Championship
Treylon Burks21 hours ago

Unlikely To Be Ready For Training Camp
Keenan Allen21 hours ago

Chargers Not Ruling Out Reuniting With Keenan Allen
Breece Hall21 hours ago

Could Be Part Of Committee In 2025
James Cook21 hours ago

Bills Not Close To Extension With James Cook
Tyreek Hill21 hours ago

Dolphins Planning On Tyreek Hill Being Part Of Their Future
Baltimore Ravens21 hours ago

Ravens Expected To Draft A Kicker
Mark Andrews21 hours ago

Ravens Expect Mark Andrews Back In 2025
Lamar Jackson21 hours ago

Ravens Have Had Early Extension Talks With Lamar Jackson
Christopher Bell22 hours ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott22 hours ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson22 hours ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron23 hours ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano23 hours ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick23 hours ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Joseph Woll1 day ago

Stands Tall On Sunday
UTA1 day ago

Alex Kerfoot Leads The Way In Sunday's Victory
Tristan Jarry1 day ago

Shuts The Door On Ottawa On Sunday
Sebastian Aho1 day ago

Busy In Sunday's Victory
Anze Kopitar1 day ago

Tallies Three Helpers On Sunday
Troy Terry1 day ago

Exits Early On Sunday
Denny Hamlin1 day ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs1 day ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain1 day ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe1 day ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones1 day ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Zach Wilson2 days ago

Still Views Himself As A Starter
New York Giants2 days ago

Victor Dimukeje Signs With Giants
Dallas Cowboys2 days ago

Brian Schottenheimer Optimistic About Deal With Micah Parsons
Lane Hutson2 days ago

Continues Special Campaign With Hat Trick Of Assists
Nick Suzuki2 days ago

Notches Three Points In Sunday's Win
Justin Fields2 days ago

Aaron Glenn Thinks Justin Fields Is Ready To Break Out
Dak Prescott2 days ago

"Doing Great" In Rehab From Hamstring Surgery
Jacksonville Jaguars2 days ago

Fred Johnson Signs With Jacksonville
Tennessee Titans2 days ago

Titans Still Entertaining Calls For No. 1 Overall Pick
Brandon Aiyuk2 days ago

Deadline Coming For Brandon Aiyuk
Josh Berry2 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano2 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece2 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott2 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell2 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney2 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
Steve Erceg4 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno4 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres4 days ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober4 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
Joe Pyfer4 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum4 days ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales4 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.4 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Saimon Oliveira4 days ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
Jhonattan Vegas6 days ago

Not A Good Play At Houston Open
Gary Woodland6 days ago

A Dark-Horse Candidate At Houston Open
Nick Taylor6 days ago

Keep An Eye On Nick Taylor At Houston Open
Mackenzie Hughes6 days ago

Avoid Mackenzie Hughes At Houston Open
Nicolai Hojgaard6 days ago

Looking To Rebound At Houston Open