Kev Mahserejian offers advice on the Week 7 NBA Waiver Wire and offers his choices for the Top Week 7 Fantasy Basketball Pickups.
(Note: Roster % is as listed for Yahoo! leagues. FAAB bid range is based on a percentage of a fantasy basketball player’s remaining budget.)
Week 7 NBA Waiver Wire: Top Week 7 Fantasy Basketball Pickups
Patrick Williams, SF/PF, Chicago Bulls (10% rostered)
With Wendell Carter Jr. out for the next month due to a quadriceps contusion that was worse than expected, Patrick Williams should be a direct beneficiary. Williams has started every game he’s played this season, but with a chunk at small forward, an unnatural position. The Bulls are not a good team, notably due to the fact that that they start three bigs regularly and are so young.
Williams is versatile and talented, however, that has not translated to much fantasy production (yet). The Bulls have shown a willingness to play him heavy minutes which is a major positive for his prospects moving forward. In three games between Jan. 8 and 15, Williams played just over 35 minutes on average while scoring 12.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2 steals, 1.7 threes, 1.3 assists, and 0.7 blocks with a 54% field goal percentage.
He is EXTREMELY fantasy-viable when playing so much, especially with a negligible free-throw percentage at around 80%.
Williams has been a let-down of late, especially in the Bulls’ most recent game versus the Celtics but just note that Williams missed a game a week before due to illness and was possibly dealing with residual issues afterward given his sporadic PT through the three games. He should back and playing a heavy role in the rotation with four days off due to COVID postponements.
While Thaddeus Young (who is worth an add as well) will see an increase in playing time, Williams is the Bulls’ big to add due to his upside across-the-board.
➕ Patrick Williams FAAB bid range: 10-15% ➕
Week 7 NBA Waiver Wire: Top Week 7 Fantasy Basketball Pickups feature scorching-hot Wayne Ellington, who’s draining three-pointers at an absurd rate. (USA TODAY Sports)
Wayne Ellington, PF, Detroit Pistons (46%)
What the heck is going on here?? Wayne Ellington is drilling from three at an absolutely unsustainable rate, but it is hard to argue against him as an add.
The 33-year old journeyman currently holds the highest three-point percentage in the NBA at 53.2%! This is remarkable on 6.7 attempts from deep per game. Over the past 8 games (of which Ellington started every), he is averaging 17.6 points, 5 made threes, 2.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 0.6 steals per game. This is on a ridiculous 58% FG with 8.4 of 10.1 shots coming from three.
Wayne Ellington has made 44 of 85 three-point shots this season
51.8 percent
Graph showing how Ellington's three-point rate and percentage has changed over his collegiate and NBA career
*make it wayne* pic.twitter.com/62WFPM5HPJ
— chris (@dadgumboxscores) January 28, 2021
(^this graph made prior to Thursday night’s game versus LAL but still cool)
He will absolutely tick back down to the low 40% range in field goal and three-point down the line. But hey, smoke ’em while you got em.
At worst, you benefit from the threes and points in fantasy, even if the field-goal percentage ends up hurting. Feel free to drop Ellington if he does get ice-cold, not as if he helps you much elsewhere.
➕ Wayne Ellington FAAB bid range: 10-15% ➕
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Anfernee Simons, PG/SG, Portland Trail Blazers (10%)
Anfernee Simons and Gary Trent Jr., who was in last week’s waiver piece, have both stepped up recently to carry the load leftover by C.J. McCollum with his absence. McCollum is notably out for at least the next two months, and that is going to require some heavy lifting alongside Damian Lillard.
“It’s kind of me finally saying enough is enough,” Simons said.
Behind the scenes, a change is underway with Blazers’ guard Anfernee Simons. And it all starts with his mind. https://t.co/gIIZl6elva
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) January 29, 2021
Simons is all scoring, no defense so do not expect much asides from points, rebounds, and threes. Over the past three games, the 21-year old Simons is averaging 18.7 points on a 54% field goal percentage with 8.3 of his 13 shots per game coming from three-point land. He has knocked down 13 threes in this span on a 56% rate which is absolutely unsustainable.
This is essentially a back-up option for those that can’t land Ellington. Simons’ role is a lot more volatile given that he could easily get benched for long stretches if he goes cold. The Trail Blazers like him enough but are not in a position to allow for the ebbs and flows of an extremely young, inconsistent player. However, there is definitely upside given Simons’ pedigree, athleticism, and shooting ability.
➕ Anfernee Simons FAAB bid range: 5-8% ➕
Sleeper NBA Waiver-Wire Pickup
Isaiah Roby, PF, Oklahoma City Thunder (6%)
Isaiah Roby has been a nice surprise for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season. While his averages may not seem fantastic on the year, there was a recent stretch of games for the young power forward that left a lasting impression for anyone in need of back-end bench help.
From Jan. 10 to Jan. 25, Roby averaged 24 minutes across eight games of which he started six due to Al Horford’s absence. On a 49% FG, Roby averaged 10.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals, and an 89.5% FT on 2.4 shots per game. Unfortunately, in the Thunder’s most recent outing versus the Phoenix Suns, Roby only managed 10 minutes and hardly recorded much for his stat-line with the team full health in the front-court. Roby is not a must-add sleeper but definitely someone to watch in case one of Al Horford or Darius Bazley misses time.
➕ Isaiah Roby FAAB bid range: 1-5% ➕
Prepare for Week 7 basketball action
After gathering your list of adds for the Week 7 NBA Waiver Wire and your Top Week 7 Fantasy Basketball Pickups, read our full NBA coverage for fantasy basketball and basketball betting tips.
