Fantasy basketball waiver pickups: Stirtz, Mara rising (Nov 7)
Add Bennett Stirtz in deep leagues, and add Aday Mara and Nolan Traore while they're still under half rostered. Look at trading away Ryan Rollins and Ivica Zubac, because their minutes dropped hard. Value is a player's average fantasy value (FV) over his last 5 games, and the change compares it with his earlier games this season.
My read: Stirtz's rise looks the most real, because he played 22 minutes or more in 4 of his last 5 games.
Risers to act on
| Player | Team | Value | Change | Rostered | Call |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bennett Stirtz | OKC | 21.75 | +6.30 | 3% | Deep add |
| Jeremiah Fears | NOP | 25.88 | +6.17 | 63% likely rostered | Trade target |
| Nolan Traore | BKN | 24.52 | +5.84 | 20% | Add |
| Karlo Matković | NOP | 23.38 | +5.00 | 23% | Add |
| Aday Mara | OKC | 22.94 | +4.97 | 43% | Add |
| Kyshawn George | WAS | 27.47 | +4.63 | 79% likely rostered | Trade target |
| Quenton Jackson | IND | 23.38 | +4.48 | 11% | Deep add |
| Darryn Peterson | UTA | 25.48 | +4.34 | 78% likely rostered | Trade target |
| Duncan Robinson | DET | 26.66 | +4.33 | 58% likely rostered | Trade target |
| Alijah Martin | TOR | 19.26 | +4.29 | under 1% | Deep add |
Bennett Stirtz (OKC, PG, 3% rostered on Yahoo) is up 40.8%. His minutes went from 13.4 to 22.6. Points went from 3.4 to 11.8 and threes from 0.4 to 2.8, so he helps in points and threes. He's a deep add while his minutes hold.
Jeremiah Fears (NOP, PG/SG, 63% rostered on Yahoo) is up 31.3%. His minutes went from 24.6 to 33.6. Assists went from 2.7 to 6.8 and points from 12.2 to 19.4, so he's good for assists and points. He's a trade target before his owner sees the jump.
Nolan Traore (BKN, PG, 20% rostered on Yahoo) is up 31.3%. His minutes went from 20.4 to 26.0. Steals went from 0.8 to 2.2 and threes from 1.0 to 2.6, and he has a season high in his last 5. Add him for steals and threes.
Karlo Matković (NOP, PF/C, 23% rostered on Yahoo) is up 27.2%. His minutes went from 13.8 to 22.8. Points went from 5.5 to 13.6 and threes from 0.6 to 2.6, which is rare for a big. Add him for threes from a center spot.
Aday Mara (OKC, C, 43% rostered on Yahoo) is up 27.7%. His minutes went from 16.0 to 23.6, and rebounds went from 4.2 to 7.6. Free throws dropped from 75.0% to 44.4%, so he hurts FT%. Add him for rebounds and blocks if you can carry the free throws.
Kyshawn George (WAS, SG/SF/PF, 79% rostered on Yahoo) is up 20.3%. His minutes went from 30.3 to 34.6. Threes went from 1.4 to 3.6 and points from 15.3 to 21.2, and turnovers fell from 3.2 to 2.0. He's a trade target for threes.
Quenton Jackson (IND, PG/SG, 11% rostered on Yahoo) is up 23.7%. His minutes went from 18.4 to 24.4. Points went from 7.1 to 15.0 and rebounds from 2.2 to 5.0. He's a deep add for points.
Darryn Peterson (UTA, SG, 78% rostered on Yahoo) is up 20.5%. Assists went from 2.5 to 5.0, threes from 1.0 to 2.2 and blocks from 0.3 to 1.4. Turnovers also went up, from 0.5 to 2.0. He's a trade target for assists and threes.
Duncan Robinson (DET, SG/SF, 58% rostered on Yahoo) is up 19.4%. His minutes went from 28.0 to 32.0. Steals went from 0.7 to 2.4 and free throws from 78.2% to 88.2%. He's a trade target for steals and free throws.
Alijah Martin (TOR, under 1% rostered on Yahoo) is up 28.7%. His minutes went from 5.7 to 13.4, and points went from 2.1 to 9.0. His minutes swing a lot from game to game. He's a deep add only in very deep leagues.
Fallers to act on
| Player | Team | Value | Change | Rostered | Call |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quentin Grimes | LAL | 16.30 | -5.00 | 23% | Drop |
| Joel Embiid | PHI | 22.72 | -4.90 | 98% likely rostered | Hold |
| John Collins | DET | 18.18 | -4.24 | 68% likely rostered | Trade away |
| Toumani Camara | POR | 18.99 | -4.19 | 70% likely rostered | Watch |
| Ryan Rollins | MIL | 19.22 | -4.15 | 86% likely rostered | Trade away |
| Matas Buzelis | CHI | 19.36 | -3.97 | 87% likely rostered | Trade away |
| Jalen Johnson | ATL | 24.63 | -3.81 | 100% likely rostered | Hold |
| Brandon Miller | CHA | 21.82 | -3.76 | 99% likely rostered | Trade away |
| Jaylen Wells | MEM | 18.06 | -3.69 | 21% | Drop |
| Ivica Zubac | IND | 19.35 | -3.58 | 92% likely rostered | Trade away |
Quentin Grimes (LAL, SG/SF, 23% rostered on Yahoo) is down 23.5%. His minutes went from 28.2 to 24.0. Points went from 11.8 to 5.0 and free throws from 84.1% to 54.5%. You can drop him.
Joel Embiid (PHI, C, 98% rostered on Yahoo) is down 17.8%. His minutes held. Points went from 25.3 to 15.6 and threes from 1.3 to 0.0. Hold him, because the minutes are still there.
John Collins (DET, PF/C, 68% rostered on Yahoo) is down 18.9%. His minutes went from 27.8 to 23.2. Points went from 14.0 to 6.0 and threes from 1.6 to 0.0. Trade him away while his name still has value.
Toumani Camara (POR, SF/PF, 70% rostered on Yahoo) is down 18.1%. His minutes held. Steals went from 1.2 to 0.4 and free throws from 75.7% to 50.0%. Watch him for another week.
Ryan Rollins (MIL, PG/SG, 86% rostered on Yahoo) is down 17.7%. His minutes went from 30.8 to 19.6. Points went from 15.8 to 9.2 and threes from 2.3 to 1.0. Trade him away, and check the news.
Matas Buzelis (CHI, SF/PF, 87% rostered on Yahoo) is down 17.0%. His minutes went from 28.1 to 24.8. Rebounds went from 5.7 to 3.8 and blocks from 1.4 to 0.4. Trade him away if you get a fair offer.
Jalen Johnson (ATL, SF/PF, 100% rostered on Yahoo) is down 13.4%. His minutes held. Assists went from 8.5 to 6.2 and rebounds from 10.2 to 8.0. Hold him, because this is a small dip.
Brandon Miller (CHA, SF/PF, 99% rostered on Yahoo) is down 14.7%. His minutes went from 32.0 to 28.2. Field goals went from 40.8% to 31.0% and points from 22.9 to 15.6. Trade him away only for a player you like more.
Jaylen Wells (MEM, SG/SF, 21% rostered on Yahoo) is down 17.0%. Points went from 13.4 to 7.4 and rebounds from 3.8 to 1.6. You can drop him.
Ivica Zubac (IND, C, 92% rostered on Yahoo) is down 15.6%. His minutes went from 30.2 to 20.6. Points went from 14.1 to 7.6 and rebounds from 10.6 to 8.6. Trade him away, and check the news first.
Already rostered
Bridges (+6.98), Curry (+6.89), Dončić (+6.45) and Acuff (+5.96) are 80% or more rostered, so just keep starting them.
Schedule this week
This week ends on Sunday. Brooklyn, Miami, Milwaukee, Minnesota, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Utah each play 4 games and still have one game left. Fears and Matković get one more game with New Orleans.
Fantasy basketball waiver wire: November 7, 2026
The best waiver wire pickups today are Bennett Stirtz, Aday Mara, Nolan Traore, Karlo Matković and Quenton Jackson. Trade targets are Jeremiah Fears, Kyshawn George, Darryn Peterson and Duncan Robinson. Drops are Quentin Grimes and Jaylen Wells, and trade away Ryan Rollins and Ivica Zubac.
See every player on the Players page, or the latest risers and fallers.