The Islanders are back home for a back-to-back, starting with what will hopefully be a vengeance match against the Los Angeles Kings. Coach Patrick Roy has made some line adjustments, putting newcomer Brayden Schenn with Mathew Barzal instead of with Calum Ritchie, the center who his arrival bumped to the wing.
Personally, it’s the Palat-Schenn combo I’d be breaking up as neither exactly brings the speed that they brought a decade ago. But we’ll see how this goes; Schenn has lots of experience with high-end talents and he can be the defensive conscience that allows a guy like Barzal to push forward.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - MARCH 12: Paolo Banchero #5 of the Orlando Magic attempts a layup as Bilal Coulibaly #0 of the Washington Wizards defends in the second half at the Kia Center on March 12, 2026 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Now that’s more like. The Wizards fell behind the Orlando Magic by as much as 19 points in the second, roared back with a +15 fourth quarter to send the game to overtime, briefly took a one-point lead in the extra period, and still brought home the loss they needed. Now that’s a quality tank loss.
For my money, the best part of this game was 21-year-old Bilal Coulibaly taking over Washington’s offense late. In just 6:41 of playing time in the fourth, he shot 5-9 from the floor (including a banked-in three from the wing) to score 13 points. He finished the game with 29 — a new career high.
Bilal Coulibaly took over the team’s offense in the fourth quarter, leading a Wizards comeback that sent the game to overtime. | NBAE via Getty Images
Now, the offensive takeover was creaky at times. That banked in three was lucky, and Orlando defenders made him convert some very difficult shots.
And yet, the takeover was something I’ve wanted to see since they traded up a spot to draft him. In a close game the players wanted to win, Coulibaly tried to dominate and mostly succeeded. Orlando couldn’t keep him out of the paint when he committed to driving.
Maybe the creaky, clunky experience last night will lead to a smooth and confident takeover in the future.
Maybe.
At least we got a taste of hope last night.
Back to reality, it’s still in Washington’s best interest to keep on losing. They’ve lost 10 in a row to move into third worst behind the Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings. The Pacers are currently on an 11-game skid. The Kings — a franchise as committed to getting things wrong as the Wizards — have won four of their last six. The race to the bottom is real.
Thoughts & Observations
Trae Young is a truly abysmal defender. I’ve known this, as has everyone else who’s watched him play over the course of his career. Seeing it up close again has been…well…a tough reminder. I mean, I’m used to seeing terrible perimeter defense from guys wearing Wizards uniforms. Young is a whole new thing — I haven’t seen defense this ineffective since Isaiah Thomas was starting.
When the Magic saw Young between them and the basket, they drove right at him and mostly got layup line opportunities. He seemed to try to take a charge once, though I suspect he just couldn’t get out of the way fast enough.
We’ve probably all seen highlights of Draymond Green having wrecking ball defensive possessions where he moves around the floor blowing up the opponent attempts to run offense. In the first quarter (possession ending around 6:57), Young had the opposite of that. He matadored dribble penetration that produced a paint touch, peel switched onto a cutter, who he fouled.
Sure sign that I’m a curmudgeon — watching Tre Johnson turn down a semi-open three-point attempt to drive in and toss up a floater annoys me. For all but a few — and Johnson is not among the few — floaters are crummy shots. Necessary at times, but only as a last resort. Just. Drive. To. The. Basket.
The Wizards coaching staff has done a great job all season designing halfcourt set plays. They ran a beautiful one to start the second quarter — Tristan Vukcevic set a back screen at the three-point line for Justin Champagnie, who came wide open on his cut to the rim. Unfortunately, it was Bub Carrington making the lob pass, and he’s terrible at throwing lobs. Champagnie could barely tip the ball, and the Wizards failed to score.
Too many injuries in this one. Sharife Cooper took a hard fall for the Wizards and didn’t return. Jonathan Isaac sprained his left knee after leaping for an alley-00p. Jalen Suggs banged knees, took a hard fall on that knee, and then took another hard fall going for a block. Orlando needs him healthy.
I had many notes last night about Suggs and his teammates picking on Young. Suggs especially.
Orlando’s broadcast team made a big deal of saying Vukcevic’s name correctly. Only problem? They got it wrong. Every time. For the record, it’s pronounced Vook-sevitch. Not Vook…chevitch.
Leaky Black has been a problematic defender in his (brief) stint with the Wizards, and he had some rough possessions last night. He also had some good possessions — the first one I’ve seen from him since he arrived in Washington.
I continue to think Paolo Banchero is mightily overrated. Black, Coulibaly, and Anthony Gill repeatedly forced him to take fading midrange twos — exactly the shots NBA defenses want to give up. And he’s not good at shooting them.
Speaking of Wizards coaches designing good set pieces, the sideline out of bounds play with 18 seconds left was great. They slalomed Coulibaly through a couple screens, which forced Orlando to switch Banchero onto Coulibaly and put Tristan da Silva in weakside help position. Banchero was out of position on the catch, and Coulibaly attacked fast. da Silva came to help, and Coulibaly dropped a pass to Black for a dunk. Great design and execution.
If the goal was to win, the Wizards coaches blundered when they didn’t foul on what turned out to be Orlando’s final possession of overtime. They let the Magic run the clock to about six seconds, and then failed to even get a shot up when they got the ball back. If.
Four Factors
Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball — shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).
The four factors are measured by:
eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)
OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)
TOV% (turnover percentage — turnovers divided by possessions)
FTM/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)
FOUR FACTORS
WIZARDS
MAGIC
LGAVG
eFG%
52.4%
54.5%
54.3%
OREB%
25.5%
23.9%
26.0%
TOV%
13.1%
11.3%
12.7%
FTM/FGA
0.200
0.270
0.208
PACE
104
99.3
ORTG
114
118
115.4
Stats & Metrics
PPA is my overall production metric, which credits players for things they do that help a team win (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defending) and dings them for things that hurt (missed shots, turnovers, bad defense, fouls).
PPA is a per possession metric designed for larger data sets. In small sample sizes, the numbers can get weird. In PPA, 100 is average, higher is better and replacement level is 45. For a single game, replacement level isn’t much use, and I reiterate the caution about small samples sometimes producing weird results.
POSS is the number of possessions each player was on the floor in this game.
ORTG = offensive rating, which is points produced per individual possessions x 100. League average so far this season is listed in the Four Factors table above. Points produced is not the same as points scored. It includes the value of assists and offensive rebounds, as well as sharing credit when receiving an assist.
USG = offensive usage rate. Average is 20%. Median so far this season is 17.7%.
ORTG and USG are versions of stats created by former Wizards assistant coach Dean Oliver and modified by me. ORTG is an efficiency measure that accounts for the value of shooting, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. USG includes shooting from the floor and free throw line, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers.
+PTS = “Plus Points” is a measure of the points gained or lost by each player based on their efficiency in this game compared to league average efficiency on the same number of possessions. A player with an offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) of 100 who uses 20 possessions would produce 20 points. If the league average efficiency is 115, the league — on average — would produced 23.0 points in the same 20 possessions. So, the player in this hypothetical would have a +PTS score of -3.0.
Players are sorted by total production in the game.
The Dodgers' Blake Snell throws during a workout at Camelback Ranch last month. (Mike Christy / Getty Images)
Unable to ramp up through the first month of spring training because of lingering shoulder soreness, Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell took a step toward readiness Thursday, throwing his first bullpen session.
Two hours before Thursday night's Cactus League game, Snell threw off the mound in front of a group of reporters and fans at Camelback Ranch. Snell threw 15 pitches — all fastballs — sitting between 87 to 89 mph.
“I feel good,” Snell said after his bullpen. “I was very excited to throw off the mound again and pitch. I’ve been looking forward to this for a while. This being like the first one where I actually could have the catcher down. I was still limited to what I could throw. I was throwing 87 to 89 [mph]. It felt effortless, easy, could command the ball, so [I’m] happy with that. [I’m] just happy to continue to grow and get better.”
The two-time Cy Young Award winner says he’s targeting an April return, and that he’s hoping to get back faster than initially expected.
“I want to pitch in April,” Snell said. “That’s my goal. So, I’ve kind of been the one pushing it, and they’re being more cautious. I think we’re just talking a little back and forth, but I think them seeing me throw a pen today, hopefully that just gives them more confidence to keep it going. I think we won’t really know until I throw a live [batting practice], I think that’s when we’ll really know. How do I recover from that? How do I feel? And then that will be like, ‘OK, let’s get him into games.’ That’s what I would envision. I’m not the front office or Dave, but that’s what I would think.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, however, isn’t ready to give a timetable for Snell’s return.
“I think honestly, to think about when he’s going to come back, we’re just a ways away from even really having that conversation,” Roberts said, noting that six weeks is "the floor" when you also account for a potential rehab assignment.
Thanks to the depth of their pitching staff, the Dodgers can afford to be patient with building up Snell. Right-handers Emmet Sheehan and River Ryan, along with left-hander Justin Wrobleski, are all possibilities for starting assignments early in the season.
"We still need him to pitch, and I know he understands that," Roberts said of Snell. "But we do have the luxury of trying to err on the side of caution. ... We are certainly better when he's pitching for us, when he's active."
Snell, for his part, is thankful to be throwing again without shoulder pain.
“The whole offseason, I mean, every throw kind of hurt,” Snell said. “It was just every throw, I could feel my shoulder. It was just cranky and I couldn’t get it going. And I thought I was doing everything I needed to, and I believe I was, and ultimately, I’m feeling better.”
Yoshinobu Yamamoto to depart from WBC early, rejoin Dodgers
Yoshinobu Yamamoto participates in Team Japan's World Baseball Classic practice session in Tokyo last week. (Hiro Komae / Associated Press)
Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto is gearing up to make his biggest start since last year’s Fall Classic, as he will take the rubber for Team Japan in its battle with Team Venezuela in Saturday night’s World Baseball Classic quarterfinal.
Roberts revealed Thursday that it will be Yamamoto’s final appearance in the WBC, and sometime after Saturday’s game, he will return to Phoenix for the remainder of Dodgers camp.
“The thought is and the conversations we’ve had is that he’ll make this start and then come back and join us,” Roberts said.
BRADENTON, FL - FEBRUARY 18: Hunter Barco #45 of the Pittsburgh Pirates poses for a photo during the Pittsburgh Pirates photo day at Pirate City on Wednesday, February 18, 2026 in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are fleshing out what their roster is going to look like when the regular season rolls around, and one pitcher could find himself on the final roster after Spring Training. Lefty Hunter Barco might be on the outside looking in right now, but he could end up being the last man in the rotation before too long.
First of all, Barco is currently the only left-handed starter on Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster. Now while that alone won’t be enough for him to crack a spot on the roster, it does add a lot of value to a group that is lacking a lefty. Barco saw some time out of the bullpen in 2025 and was a great set up man, but even just that small sample size would suggest that he’s too talented to be relegated to pitching in relief long term. The 25-year-old has looked like a bonafide starter in his three years in the Minor Leagues, and 2026 may finally be when he gets to put those talents to use in Pittsburgh full time.
Hunter Barco (MLB No. 96) spins three hitless frames in his second outing of the spring for the @Pirates:
Barco was also able to add three pitches to his arsenal this offseason. The former Florida Gator added a sweeper, sinker and a changeup to his repertoire to go along with his four-seam fastball, slider and splitter. That’s a heck of a workload to take on in one offseason, especially for a player fighting for a big league roster spot but to this point Barco has impressed. In Spring Training Barco has nine strikeouts across 7.1 innings pitched. In his three appearances (two starts) he has an ERA of 3.68 with one win on his record.
2025 was a huge breakout year for Barco. Despite being drafted 44th overall in 2022, Barco’s professional career was derailed early after being out in 2023 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Although it took some time for him to finally get on the field, once he did it was very strong especially considering the injury history. Last season between Altoona and Indianapolis, Barco posted a 2.81 ERA across 99 innings. He finished the season with a 4-1 record in the minors with 116 strikeouts.
Considering Barco only had a three pitch mix a season ago those marks are pretty impressive. Now with the added pitches in his bag he’s primed to have a big 2026. Right now veteran José Urquidy is projected to have that final spot in the Pirates’ rotation, but Barco is having a significantly better Spring and could also impress in the upcoming Spring Breakout Series. Barco will need to work on some control issues that come with his atypical delivery, as he walked 49 batters last season. Still though his funky delivery is part of what makes him so affective on the mound, and even if he doesn’t start his season in Pittsburgh, there’s a very good chance he sees some significant time in the majors at some point this year.
For those still alive in their head-to-head fantasy leagues, the waiver wire is front-of-mind right now. Deciding who to drop to open up streaming spots is a challenge in itself, but knowing which players to target could ultimately make or break your season. As we move through what is commonly viewed as silly season, the waiver wire is the place to be, providing managers with bargain players who could be about to ascend in the NBA fantasy rankings. And remember, never assume a player is rostered. It always pays to double-check, just in case they have been overlooked.
Identifying players who are benefiting from expanded roles–whether it's an offensive threat delivering points and threes or a defensive-minded player boosting your blocks and steals–is vital as you navigate the season.
Let's dive into nine key NBA sleepers whose current stats suggest they are poised for significant value and are currently rostered in fewer than 40% of Yahoo leagues.
Yahoo High Score Leagues
Cameron Payne, Philadelphia 76ers (21% rostered)
With Tyrese Maxey set to miss at least three weeks with a finger injury, Payne all of a sudden becomes a viable fantasy asset. Adding to the injury woes in Philadelphia, Kelly Oubre has also been ruled out for at least two weeks with an elbow injury, joining Joel Embiid and Paul George as long-term absentees. Although Payne is coming off the bench, it does appear as though he is going to play meaningful minutes, at least in any game that is moderately competitive. Look for him to flirt with 30 fantasy points per game for the foreseeable future.
Gui Santos, Golden State Warriors (32% rostered)
Despite his recent performances, Santos still remains available in far too many leagues. With Steph Curry having been ruled out for at least another 10 days, there is no reason to think Santos can't maintain his current role. He has now scored at least 30 fantasy points in 13 of his past 14 games, delivering meaningful contributions on both ends of the floor. Although this is typically less of a factor when it comes to points-based formats, it does provide managers with a level of assuredness, given his floor is relatively safe across all leagues. If, for some reason, he is still floating around on your waiver wire, that should be rectified at once.
Danny Wolf, Brooklyn Nets (7% rostered)
Although Wolf has been far from consistent, adding him is likely a preemptive move, given the trajectory in Brooklyn. Day'Ron Sharpe was recently ruled out for the remainder of the season due to finger surgery, removing another obstacle for Wolf in terms of playing time. He has now played at least 28 minutes in three straight games, moving into the starting lineup in his most recent appearance. The production is going to be spotty for the next few games, meaning he does come with an element of risk. However, assuming he ends up with a 30-minute per-night role, it makes sense to get ahead of things where possible.
Standard 9-Category Leagues
Tre Jones, Chicago Bulls (23% rostered)
Although the Bulls have been all but eliminated from the playoff race, it appears as though the rotation could somewhat resemble what might be considered a 'typical' one. Since returning from a hamstring injury, Jones has slowly crept back to starter-level minutes, logging at least 30 in three straight games. During that time, he has averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 assists and 1.0 steals in 32.4 minutes per game, putting him inside the top 90. Assuming he can maintain a similar role moving forward, Jones is someone who should be rostered in most leagues, particularly for those seeking guard stats, as well as an efficient scorer from the guard position.
Ajay Mitchell, Oklahoma City Thunder (25% rostered)
Mitchell has seemingly earned himself a sizeable spot in the rotation for Oklahoma City, having played at least 29 minutes in each of the past two games, fresh off a long-term abdominal injury. In those two games, he has averaged 19.5 points, 4.5 assists, 0.5 steals and 1.0 three-pointers, good enough for top 70 value in standard category formats. When we examine his season thus far, it's safe to assume that his defensive production should improve moving forward, in line with his 1.4 steals per game. Although there are several mouths to feed for the Thunder, Mitchell makes sense as a pickup in most formats for anyone needing points and steals, with some upside in assists.
Derrick Jones, Los Angeles Clippers (19% rostered)
Jones is in the midst of one of his best stretches of the season, playing a key role for a team looking to win as many games as possible. He has scored double digits in five straight games, while also providing above-average defensive contributions. In seven appearances over the past two weeks, he has managed to put up top 75 value in standard nine-category leagues, averaging 13.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.4 three-pointers and 2.5 combined steals and blocks, all while shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 84.2 percent from the line. While his ceiling is somewhat limited, Jones' importance to his team cannot be overstated. No matter your build, Jones certainly wouldn't look out of place on most rosters, at least for now.
Standard Points Leagues
Brice Sensabaugh, Utah Jazz (20% rostered)
It's been an up-and-down season for Sensabaugh; that much is true. However, he has managed to find some consistency over the past few weeks, having scored double digits in 10 of his past 13 games. His past three appearances have yielded 47, 35 and 32 fantasy points, putting him firmly on the radar as a must-roster player. Keyonte George suffered a hamstring injury during Wednesday's loss to the Knicks, potentially opening up a few more minutes for Sensabaugh. Factoring in the direction of the team and the path to playing time, Sensabaugh makes for a worthwhile risk across most points-based formats.
Nique Clifford, Sacramento Kings (23% rostered)
Consistency also remains an issue for Clifford, although his biggest challenge at this point is his shooting. For those in points leagues, percentages are not a concern, making Clifford's appeal a little more enticing. When projecting his ROS value, the biggest positive appears to be his role, having logged at least 30 minutes in six of his past seven games, including two in which he played upwards of 40 minutes. Sacramento seems comfortable throwing him out there in most situations, providing managers with a sense of certainty moving forward.
Wendell Carter, Orlando Magic (35% rostered)
Sure, Carter isn't the most appealing fantasy player. However, as a starting center on a team looking to make a push, he should certainly be rostered in far more leagues. Looking at his recent production, while not eye-opening, he has certainly done more than enough to be rostered. He has scored double digits in four of the past five games, averaging 33.2 fantasy points per game during that span. He flirted with 50 fantasy points during Thursday's overtime win against the Wizards, an effort that could see fantasy managers sit up and take notice.
The NHL resumed play on Feb. 25 after taking about three weeks off for the Winter Olympic break, and up until Thursday, 31 of 32 teams had won at least one game over that span.
The only winless squad? The Toronto Maple Leafs.
Even the Seattle Seahawks, who last played in Super Bowl LX more than a month ago, had won a game more recently than Toronto.
The Leafs finally won Thursday night when they defeated the Anaheim Ducks 6-4 to end an eight-game losing streak. But the positive result will do nothing to quell the frustration of fans in Toronto.
The 2025-26 season has been an unmitigated disaster for the Leafs. They entered the campaign with expectations of extending their playoff appearance streak to a league-best nine seasons. But not only will Toronto miss the playoffs, it might not even get the chance to make its own first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
That’s because the pick is owned by the rival Boston Bruins as a result of the Brandon Carlo trade from March of 2025. The B’s got the Leafs’ 2026 first-rounder (top-five protected), a 2026 fourth-rounder (via Flyers) and young center Fraser Minten in exchange for Carlo.
Here are the full conditions of the 2026 first-round pick from Toronto, per PuckPedia:
“Top 5 protected, slides to 2027. The 2027 pick goes to Philadelphia (as part of Laughton trade) if it is outside the top 10, which converts this pick to Boston to a 2028 unprotected 1st Round Pick. If this Pick slides to 2027 and is in the top 10, TOR can either transfer it to BOS to satisfy this trade and then give PHI the 2028 unprotected, or transfer it to PHI and give BOS the 2028 unprotected 1st Round Pick.”
The TL;DR explanation that fans need to know right now is the pick is top-five protected in 2026, and based on the current standings and projections, there’s a good chance the pick conveys to the Bruins this year.
The Bruins have gone 2-0-0 vs. the Leafs this season and might get their first-round pick, too.
If the Leafs finish with the seventh- or eighth-worst record, they’d have less than a 14 percent chance of jumping into one of the top two picks in the NHL Draft Lottery in May and keeping their pick. The Maple Leafs do have a chance to finish in the bottom-five of the league standings and keep their pick. It’s not inconceivable, especially when you consider they have the eighth-toughest remaining schedule, per Tankathon.
That said, unless the Maple Leafs continue to lose games at a rapid pace, combined with teams below them in the standings improving a bit, we could be looking at another top-10 pick going from Toronto to Boston.
Fans will remember the Phil Kessell trade from 2009 that resulted in the Bruins getting two first-rounders from the Maple Leafs that ended up being the No. 2 overall selection (Tyler Seguin) in 2010 and the No. 9 overall selection (Dougie Hamilton) in 2011.
History is likely to repeat itself for these Original Six rivals.
This lottery pick would be a huge boost to the Bruins as they continue their retool. The Bruins’ prospect pool is stronger than it’s been in a long time, with Boston College stars James Hagens (No. 7 overall, 2025) and Dean Letourneau (No. 25 overall, 2024) headlining the group. Boston also has an impressive stash of draft picks, including four first-rounders in the next two drafts and three fourth-rounders in 2026.
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Adding another high-end prospect in what should be a strong 2026 draft would bolster the Bruins’ future and give them a chance to develop another franchise cornerstone player.
The B’s could be in the unusual spot of reaching the postseason and having a lottery pick. But they need the Leafs to do their part. If history is any indication, Toronto will come through for Boston.
It’s one thing to fire Matt McMahon, whose awful tenure at LSU has been surpassed only by the depth of apathy among a once loud and engaged fan base, and pay him $10 million to not coach.
It’s quite another, apparently, to shell out $5 million to get Will Wade — hang on, we’ll get to that stupidity — out of his contract at NC State.
If you’re willing to spend $10 million to change the fortunes of your basketball program, which has lost 30 SEC games in the past two seasons, how could you not be willing to peel off more Benjamins for the guy you want?
Now, to the guy LSU apparently wants: Will flippin' Wade.
That’s right, Mr. Strong Ass Offer is the coach the passionate and persistent LSU fan base wants returning to the fold. The last time Wade was in Baton Rouge, he left after back-to-back NCAAA Tournament appearances.
And, you know, after leaving a three-year NCAA probation in his wake for allegedly paying players before it was now hip to do so (see: “strong ass offer” to a recruit caught on FBI wiretaps).
He was also given a two-year show cause order from the NCAA, which is essentially an order that publicly outs you as a next-level cheater.
But Wade got players to LSU. Wade won big. Wade got to the tournament.
And besides, we’re paying players now, baby!
A quick reminder to the good folks at LSU: Wade is a cheater. A next-level cheater.
If you don’t think he’ll find a way to cheat again to gain an advantage, you’re the same person who thinks Brian Kelly is going to willingly reduce his massive buyout to get back in football somewhere else.
Wade is a helluva coach, and the obvious temptation is there. He was happy at LSU, he knew whom to schmooze and how to keep everyone happy in a football-mad state.
McNeese took a chance on Wade a year after his removal from LSU — with his show cause order intact — and after sitting 10 games as part of an NCAA suspension, he led the Cowboys to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.
Wade then left this season for NC State, which also wasn’t concerned about Wade’s checkered past, and — I know this is going to shock you — has the Wolfpack a near-lock for the NCAA Tournament.
That’s five NCAA tournaments over the past five seasons he has coached. And if we forget the pandemic season (how could we not?), it’s six NCAAs in six seasons — and eight in 11 non-pandemic seasons (two at VCU).
Bottom line: Dude can coach.
So it’s easy to see why LSU wants Wade back in the fold, easy to understand after the Maravich Assembly Center has looked like a cavernous hole the past two seasons.
They want to win, and they want the P-Mac rocking again.
All it’s going to cost is $15 million.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.
There’s an old rule in hiring: Don’t repeat your last mistake.
Syracuse basketball tried going the former player and unproven head coach route when it hired Adrian Autry from the Jim Boeheim tree. It failed. Syracuse fired Autry this week, ending a bad tenure that produced three straight unsatisfactory seasons.
It’s not Gerry McNamara’s fault the Orange flopped under Autry, and yet it probably doesn't help McNamara’s chance of getting the job.
McNamara’s jersey hangs in the rafters at the JMA Wireless Dome, and he’s got Siena headed to the NCAA Tournament in his second year coaching the Saints. That’s one more NCAA bid than the Orange achieved the past five seasons.
And, still, better options exist. More proven options, certainly.
Saint Louis’ Josh Schertz, not McNamara, would be the home-run hire for a proud but battered program that’s withered in this pay-for-play era, the continuation of a downward slide that began after Syracuse betrayed the Big East in favor of the ACC.
“This is one of the most storied programs in college basketball,” retiring athletic director John Wildhack said after firing Autry, “and we intend to hire a proven winner who will build on that legacy.”
Wildhack is a lame duck, but he should know that being a “storied program” matters less than ever. Money trumps tradition, and Boeheim says whomever replaces Autry requires more financial support to build the roster.
“If you don't have enough resources, that puts you behind," Boeheim said on the ACC Network.
No argument, but although Boeheim exonerated Autry from any responsibility for the results of the past three seasons and instead blamed Syracuse’s players, the reality is this was a total-system failure.
To fix it, try hiring someone who’s fixed every program he’s ever coached.
Schertz would fit that mold.
Syracuse says it wants 'a proven winner.' Sounds like Josh Schertz
First, Schertz coached in Division II Final Fours. Then, he positioned Indiana State for NCAA Tournament consideration in 2024 with the most exciting Sycamores team in more than a decade, if not since the Hick from French Lick. The selection committee snubbed Schertz’s Sycamores. So, they took their show to the NIT, where they reached the finals.
Now, he’s resurrected SLU in just two seasons. The Billikens have credentials good enough that surely the committee can’t ignore them, no matter what goes down in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Never mind the blender of hype and scrutiny Miami (Ohio) received the past few weeks, because SLU is the mid-major with Sweet 16 potential.
Schertz is no Syracuse alumnus, but he’s a career winner who also just happens to be a Yankees fan from Brooklyn, New York.
Syracuse could hire McNamara, or it could target a coach who builds rosters full of guys who shoot like McNamara. Schertz’s teams fill it up from 3-point range.
“I want people to watch us play and say, ‘Man, I want to come back and see more,’" Schertz said in an interview after SLU hired him. "(The offense) is very fast-paced. … It’s a style of play where guys play for one another and unselfishly."
"It’s something where, when people give us a chance, they’ll get hooked," he added.
If you’re wondering, Syracuse ranked 17th in the 18-team ACC in 3-point percentage this season. It ranked last in free-throw percentage.
No coach will win if his team can’t put the ball in the hole, I can promise you that.
And, anymore, it’s also difficult to win big without a bundle of cash.
Jim Boeheim to Syracuse basketball: Pony up
Syracuse would need to pay up if it hopes to lure Schertz out of Saint Louis. Just as importantly, it’d need to show Schertz it’s able to pony up for his roster.
Syracuse reportedly spent about $8 million on its roster this season. That’s enough to expect better performance than Autry’s final team supplied, but it’s not enough to expect a return of Syracuse’s good ol’ days.
"You have to look at (the investment)," Boeheim said on the ACC Network.
You could call this Syracuse freefall the righteous comeuppance for the Orange’s role in the unraveling of the old Big East Conference, but this goes deeper than karma.
Never short-change the influence of money.
The Orange became bruised after jilting the Big East for the ACC, but they turned rotten in this pay-for-play era.
The knee-jerk reaction would be to target McNamara. If money is the problem, wouldn’t a program legend like McNamara ignite the donor class? Then you remember Autry himself played for the Orange.
Hiring a famous alumnus is no magic wand. Ask Georgetown and St. John’s, two of Syracuse’s former Big East brethren, about that. Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin were legendary players and bad coaches.
McNamara is showing promise as a coach. He’s undeniably been a good hire for Siena, but with Syracuse in such dire straits, wouldn’t it be wiser to go with someone more proven? Syracuse would have a hard time landing anyone who’s won more than Schertz’s nearly 78% clip across the D-I and D-II levels.
And, remember that old hiring principle? If the last guy fails, do something different next time.
The Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham has placed himself firmly in the MVP conversation this year.Photograph: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
In Detroit, the black-eyed Susan grows along lonely highways and in vacant lots. It pushes through gravel and broken glass. It survives heat that cracks the earth and winters that freeze it solid. When the wind bends its stem, it cracks back in place.
Its petals are a grungy yellow, the shade of anxiety, orbiting a bruised center. Black-eyed, signaling it can take a punch. It’s the kind of flower Pistons legend Dennis Rodman would wear in his hair. Hard to kill. Just like the Detroit Pistons.
It was the perfect symbol during their bleak three-season stretch (2021-24). They finished the 2023-24 season 14-68, the worst record in franchise history. They went winless for an entire calendar month. They lost a record-setting 28 games in a row, and Monty Williams, hired to stabilize a rebuild, lasted only one season before being run out of town. The organization hit bottom with an 82-game public elegy.
To understand what happened next, remember what Detroit was at their apex.
At the start of the century, the Pistons were the kings of the East in late May and early June. The 2004 championship team beat a Lakers roster built on Hall-of-Fame star power: Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton and Karl Malone.
The Pistons beat them with defense and collective force: five fingers forming an iron fist. The only roughnecks to dethrone Shaq and Kobe in the Finals.
After the ‘04 title, they whiffed on young players, while their No 2 pick in the ‘03 draft, Darko Miličić, continued to haunt their chances of winning a second chip. Detroit made the playoffs twice between 2011 and 2023 and were swept both times. Their three title banners continued to collect dust.
Cade Cunningham was taken first overall in 2021. Then, a series of consecutive No 5 picks that brought in defensive demons: Jaden Ivey in 2022. Ausar Thompson in 2023. Ron Holland in 2024. It was clear Detroit had individual talent, but not the leadership to make them a team. After Williams was fired, JB Bickerstaff took over the team in the summer of 2024. While head coach in Cleveland, he remembered the games against Detroit as two teams battling in the mud over a knife. The Pistons played hard. They just couldn’t finish.
For Bickerstaff’s first training camp, he had to burn the loss out of their pores. Bickerstaff believed Detroit could anchor themselves in defense and toughness the way earlier eras had, but within the modern game. That approach aligned with Trajan Langdon, who took over basketball operations in 2024. Langdon valued structure and consistency. He had played in a disciplined system at Duke and worked in the San Antonio Spurs front office.
Langdon’s first question was about Cunningham. After years of losing and coaching changes, did he still believe in Detroit? Reflecting on that 28-game losing streak, he revealed how differently he sees the game: “When we had that streak, we were talking championship, believe it or not … To be where we are now is cool. But it’s just a step in this process. We have a long way to go.”
Cunningham was raised in Arlington, Texas – concrete, beige, unromantic. He learned early how to build something out of nothing.
Some pieces were already in place. Jalen Duren was a powerful interior presence who could rebound and finish in pick-and-rolls. Isaiah Stewart brought energy and defensive versatility. Thompson showed tricked-out defensive instincts as a rookie, capable of guarding multiple positions and applying full-court pressure. The defensive potential was obvious from the jump.
Langdon knew his kinetic young core needed veteran guidance. So he began adding vets who didn’t need to be taught professional habits. In the season following the 14-win collapse, Detroit won 44 games and returned to the playoffs. But the defense! After ranking near the bottom of the league in defensive efficiency, the Pistons clawed, snarled and gnashed into the top tier. Midway through the 2024-25 season, Detroit rose to second in defensive rating. This off-season, Langdon added Duncan Robinson, Caris LeVert and Javonte Green, while seeing huge growth from Daniss Jenkins and Paul Reed.
As the NBA moved forward, the Pistons embraced the physicality of the past. They send waves of players who embrace contact and contest everything, like piranha stripping you down to bone.
They currently stand atop the Eastern Conference as the projected No 1 seed. Cunningham has cemented his place as the best guard in the East. No one else can match his combination of defense, IQ, size and table-setting. This season, he’s a top-three MVP candidate, averaging 25.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists. He leads the league in total assists (508), and his on-off numbers quantify the assault. With Cunningham on the floor, Detroit outscores teams by 10.2 points per 100 possessions, a plus-7.2 on/off swing. The Pistons can imbibe their enemies before strangling them with their own weaknesses.
As Cunningham’s pick-and-roll partner, the 6ft 10in, 250lb Duren is producing 18.5 points and 10.8 rebounds a night on 63.4% shooting. Almost everything he does happens at the rim. His 7.3 field goals per game are mostly dunks, placing him among the league’s leaders in two-point makes. Nearly all his attempts come inside 10 feet – meaning the last thing defenders see are his pearly whites before the ball gets shoved through the cylinder.
The Pistons clear 60 points in the paint per game and have topped 70 on multiple occasions during their midseason surge. Duren’s rim finishing and offensive rebounding are central drivers. But like every great Pistons team of the past, their weakness lies in shooting. They’re 22nd in three-point percentage (34.9%), 27th in attempts (31.8), and 28th in makes (11.1) per game.
Pistons fans have seen it repeatedly: 6-of-31 in Denver, 7-of-36 against San Antonio, 6-of-27 against Cleveland. When sniper Duncan Robinson doesn’t have it, the offense has no other release valve. Now Cunningham sees two and three bodies at the nail, and the half-court bogs down into contested pull-ups or late-clock bailouts. Detroit can win the possession game, but in the playoffs, that inability to consistently generate and convert volume threes can cause an upset.
The mid-season trade of Ivey for Kevin Huerter raised their floor but lowered their ceiling. Now, when Cade has an inefficient night, the Pistons don’t have a reliable secondary shot-creator to stabilize from the perimeter.
And that brings us back to Bickerstaff. His regular-season résumé has been strong at 343–342 overall (.501) and an excellent 88–52 (.629) in Detroit so far – but his playoff history raises legitimate questions. He owns a 9–19 postseason record (.321), including a 2–4 mark in his first postseason in Detroit last year. Most notably, he was outcoached by Tom Thibodeau in back-to-back postseasons with the Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons.
Like the Pistons these past few years, the black-eyed Susan gets stepped on as soon as it breaks through the soil. As long as the stem holds, it survives. Detroit has survived three of the worst seasons in NBA history. Now they’re looking to get their lick back.
Inside the locker room, the phrase “New Bad Boys” circulates – a nod to the championship brutality of the early 1990s. Sometimes that edge spills over. On 9 February against the Charlotte Hornets, it did.
Duren and Charlotte’s Moussa Diabaté met beneath the rim, breath to breath – first a shove, then a swing. Bodies flooded the lane. Miles Bridges doubled back toward the scrum. Then Isaiah Stewart – “Beef Stew,” Detroit’s resident enforcer – came flying off the bench and into the chaos, as if summoned by the franchise’s ghosts.
Because in that instant, time spiraled. In its unraveling, Stewart’s punch no longer belonged just to him. It was Rodman’s, Bill Laimbeer’s, Ben Wallace’s. Dozens of Pistons players smashing through time and into the mouth of their opponents. In the same way, the team’s name is stitched into their jerseys; their identity is etched in the marrow of the players who bear it.
Just like the Malice at the Palace two decades prior, suspensions were handed down. Stewart got seven games, mainly for leaving the bench to fight, and of course, his reputation. Duren received a two-game suspension for initiating the scrap. Even with their two biggest dogs out, the Pistons’ rise continues.
As of early March, Detroit run the East. Two years earlier, they had been synonymous with losing. Like the black-eyed Susans that grow through broken glass, the Pistons took the punch, spat blood-soaked teeth and kept standing. Now, it’s Detroit’s turn to hit back.
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz won the toss Friday and elected to field against Pakistan in the second one-day cricket international.
Bangladesh leads the three-match after fast bowler Nahid Rana skittled Pakistan for 114 with a career-best figures of 5-24 in a resounding eight-wicket win on Wednesday.
While Bangladesh retained the same playing XI, Pakistan made one change.
Pakistan gave another chance to its inexperienced batters despite Sahibzada Farhan, Shamyl Hussain, Maaz Sadaqat and Abdul Samad, who were all on ODI debut in the first game, struggling to cope with the pace of Rana and off-spin of Mehidy.
Pakistan recalled fast bowler Haris Rauf in place of leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed in a hope the wicket will suit the fast bowlers more.
___
Lineups:
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Maaz Sadaqat, Shamyl Hussain, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Hussain Talat, Abdul Samad, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Mohammad Wasim, Haris Rauf.
Chicago Blackhawks (25-29-11, in the Central Division) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (30-22-14, in the Pacific Division)
Paradise, Nevada; Saturday, 10 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: The Vegas Golden Knights host the Chicago Blackhawks after Pavel Dorofeyev's two-goal game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Golden Knights' 6-2 win.
Vegas has a 15-10-7 record in home games and a 30-22-14 record overall. The Golden Knights are 29-6-8 when scoring at least three goals.
Chicago has a 25-29-11 record overall and a 12-14-6 record in road games. The Blackhawks have a -32 scoring differential, with 172 total goals scored and 204 conceded.
Saturday's game is the third time these teams meet this season. The Blackhawks won the previous meeting 3-2 in overtime. Tyler Bertuzzi scored three goals in the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jack Eichel has 24 goals and 50 assists for the Golden Knights. Dorofeyev has seven goals and five assists over the past 10 games.
Connor Bedard has 27 goals and 34 assists for the Blackhawks. Ryan Donato has scored three goals and added three assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Golden Knights: 4-6-0, averaging 2.9 goals, five assists, 4.2 penalties and 9.9 penalty minutes while giving up three goals per game.
Blackhawks: 4-4-2, averaging 2.7 goals, 4.8 assists, 2.9 penalties and 5.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game.
INJURIES: Golden Knights: None listed.
Blackhawks: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Now that the real-life hockey deals have been completed, it's time to turn our attention back to the fantasy hockey stretch run. Time to solidify your lineups for the playoffs with new recruits. While trade deadlines have elapsed in most formats, the waiver wire route is always open. And it's always free.
With that in mind, here are a few players who can be of service.
(Rostered rates as of Mar. 13)
Forwards
Pavel Zacha, BOS (Yahoo: 32%)
Zacha continues to display strong offensive skills and consistency with 45 points overall, which has him on pace to approach — if not break — his previous high of 59. He's already eclipsed his peak on the power play with seven PPGs and 17 PPPs while working well as Boston's No. 2 center between Viktor Arvidsson and Casey Mittelstadt. Zacha potted a hat-trick on Sunday on four shots and is primed to maintain this success the rest of the way to help the Bruins get into the playoffs.
Alexis Lafreniere, NYR (Yahoo: 30%)
Lafreniere also found the back of the net three times on Tuesday during a run in which he's managed nine goals, six assists and 25 shots through 10 games. He's clearly clicking alongside Mika Zibanejad and Gabe Perreault in all attacking situations while taking on more roles. As the Rangers look to the future, Lafreniere should keep receiving plenty of opportunities to excel. Add him ASAP.
Anze Kopitar, L.A. (Yahoo: 28%)
Linemate upgrades can do wonders for a player's stat line. Take Artemi Panarin's LA debut at the end of February and how it's already benefited Kopitar. The goal and four assists across the last eight appearances may not look like anything special, but consider the fact that he only posted 22 points from the previous 41. The Kings are hanging around the Wild Card spots, so you know Kopitar will give it his all to get them back into the postseason before retiring.
Jimmy Snuggerud, STL (Yahoo: 18%)
Saying Snuggerud has been hot the last six weeks would be an understatement. Eight goals, 11 assists, 37 shots and 18 hits over 14 games on a 17:27 average with the last four multipoint efforts. Snuggerud is locked in on the Blues' lead trio and power play among the likes of Robert Thomas and Dylan Holloway. Don't shy away from someone just because they're on a weaker offensive side. Take Snuggerud before others beat you to him.
Brayden Schenn, NYI (Yahoo: 16%)
Schenn closed out his St. Louis account with a three-assist performance in Seattle. He assumed a decent role with the club over the years, yet recent man-advantage totals were underwhelming. Schenn has joined the Isles and is already on a top PP that boasts Matthew Schaefer, Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat. He also centers the second even-strength line next to Barzal and Ondrej Palat while logging 17-plus minutes from both outings, along with a helper, six shots, three hits and 13 faceoff wins. The upside alone deserves more coverage.
Jason Zucker, BUF (Yahoo: 11%)
When available, Zucker has been playing like the forward who tallied 64 points with the Wild back in 2017-18. He's been healthy the last two months following a second significant stint on the sidelines and has responded by registering 11 goals, seven assists, five PPPs and 53 shots as part of Buffalo's top-six and first PP. Even at 34, Zucker is a known commodity within an elite attack.
Yegor Chinakhov, PIT (Yahoo: 8%)
Chinakhov was surplus on a talented Columbus frontline while not earning many minutes, so he was shipped to the Pens near the end of December. And since that transaction, he's rung up 19 points and 65 shots. Chinakhov originally got paired with Evgeni Malkin, though has recently moved onto the lead line and man-advantage in the spot vacated by Sidney Crosby. And even when the captain comes back, Chinakhov should remain in the fantasy discussion.
Conor Garland, CLS (Yahoo: 8%)
We've already brought up a couple of players who've moved locations, so let's suggest another example of someone who hasn't wasted any time fitting into their new surroundings. Garland struggled on an anemic Vancouver offense before getting traded to the Blue Jackets. And while no scoring came during the debut, he delivered a pair of goals in back-to-back matchups while firing a combined nine pucks on net. As long as Garland sticks within the upper half of the depth chart, he's good enough to fit in your roster.
Defensemen
Ivan Provorov, CLS (Yahoo: 17%)
Provorov has been on a mini-March scoring spurt with two goals and four assists in seven games alongside 14 shots and 13 blocks on a 24:29 average. And even though two of those points came on the top power play while Zach Werenski was sidelined, he's still been active as part of Columbus's backup man-advantage while continuing as a lead penalty killer and reliable overall contributor.
Tony DeAngelo, NYI (Yahoo: 14%)
The last two months have been pretty solid for DeAngelo as he's racked up 18 points and 58 shots through his last 24 contests. There's not much in the rest of the output, yet he's improved his skill at getting in front of opponents' pucks. And any blueliner who's found the scoresheet from six of the last seven — or one who previously topped 50 points twice during their career — should not be available in more than 85% of Yahoo leagues.
Rasmus Sandin, WAS (Yahoo: 11%)
Sandin's recent production boost may have coincided with John Carlson's injury and subsequent departure, though the stats are encouraging. Since Feb. 25, the Swede has notched a goal, three assists, 11 shots, 14 hits and 15 blocks. Sandin has also seen more time on PP2, where he supplied a helper last week. He should be able to maintain this type of production based on additional ice time and responsibilities.
It's been a strange season for Rinzel as he came in as one of the Blackhawks' leading defenders before struggling and eventually getting demoted. After accumulating 14 points across 23 AHL appearances, he returned to Chicago and has since registered two goals, two assists and 23 shots on nearly 22 minutes a night — including 2:56 on the man-advantage. Rinzel offers significant fantasy potential if favorably positioned, so it's probably best to monitor his situation before adding him.
Goaltenders
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF (Yahoo: 45%)
The Sabres continue to pile on the wins as they lead the Atlantic Division. You may have heard about their 8-7 slug fest against Tampa on Sunday where Luukkonen came out on top while allowing all seven goals. And while his 2026 numbers aren't spectacular (2.97 GAA, .904 save percentage), he's still gone 8-3-1. You really can't go wrong with either Buffalo netminder, as Alex Lyon has recorded four consecutive victories, but he's already appeared here twice this season — the second one right before the Olympic break — while it's been three months since UPL was last mentioned.
James Reimer, OTT (Yahoo: 3%)
Linus Ullmark has dominated the Ottawa outings since returning at the end of January, starting eight of 11. That hasn't left a lot of work for Reimer, though he's looked solid with wins during the last two — including a shutout Monday at Vancouver. Streaming goalies can be key in fantasy for the final few weeks, and the Sens list three upcoming back-to-backs (Mar. 14/15, 18/19, 23/24) where Reimer will probably receive the more favorable matchups.
On Sunday, March 8th I entered my first official salary cap draft of the 2025 fantasy baseball season – a $150 Online Auction Championship at the NFBC.
For those that are not familiar, it’s a 15-team format that utilizes 23 roster spots – 14 hitters (2 Catchers, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, Corner Infield, Middle Infield, 5 OF and Utility) and 9 pitchers. Each team is given $260 to spend during the salary cap draft and the entire 23-man starting roster must be filled out during the salary cap draft. There is then a seven-round reserve draft afterwards. In addition to competing for league prizes in this 15-team league, there is also an overall component in which this team will be competing against all other leagues for overall prizes as well.
Over the years in this space and in our draft guide I have already delved deeply into basic strategy for salary cap drafts, but for this article I wanted to give readers a deeper insight into my personal process for these types of drafts. In fact, I’m writing up this first section the day before the draft.
⚾️ Coming soon: MLB returns to NBC and Peacock in 2026! In addition to becoming the exclusive home of Sunday Night Baseball, NBC Sports will broadcast MLB Sunday Leadoff, “Opening Day” and Labor Day primetime games, the first round of the MLB Draft, the entire Wild Card round of the postseason, and much more.
Let me start out by saying that I’m not the type of drafter who has dollar values for every particular player that will be available in the draft and who goes into the draft simply looking for discounts and to accumulate as much “value” as I possibly can. I’m someone who believes strongly in getting my guys, and I’m willing to go down fighting with the players that I think are the best options on the board. Entering this draft, or any draft for that matter, I usually start with about 25% of the player pool crossed off my board and around another 25% that I’d only really be interested in at a steep discount.
Now historically, I skew slightly more towards pitching, usually devoting around 59% of my budget on the hitting side ($140) and 41% ($120) on the pitching side. That strategy hasn’t worked out well for me in recent years though and I wanted to try to mix things up in this one. For me personally, I’m usually better at identifying and finding viable pitching options in the middle and late rounds than I am finding impact hitters – especially power bats. So I asked myself, what if I devoted an unreasonable amount of my budget towards offense and absolutely dominated the power categories while competing in speed and batting average as well – and then just tried to make the pitching work?
The idea intrigued me. If you’re going to build a team that’s going to absolutely dominate in power, you’re going to want to have a few of the sluggers that are projected to lead the league in home runs. Your Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh types. So what if we went out and tried to get all three? Remember, this is a salary cap draft, not a standard snake draft. The whole player pool is available to you. You can try any wacky strategy that you want. So I dove in a bit deeper. Looking at average auction values over the past few weeks, I looked at the maximum bids that each of those players had gone for – and budgeted those into my pre-draft plan. For Ohtani, that was $53 ($48 AAV), for Judge it was $53 ($48 AAV) and for Raleigh it was $32 ($29 AAV). Assuming we would need to go to the max to get them, that would be $138 of our $260 on just three players, but it would be three players who would provide an unimaginable base in power while also delivering a smattering of speed, terrific counting stats and a strong batting average.
From there, I started to plan out what other players I would want to add to that strong offensive base. It’s no secret that Brice Turang has been a target of mine in every draft that I have done this year. Second base is an incredibly weak position overall and I think he’s going to have a monster five-category season. His contributions in batting average and stolen bases in particular would gel really well with that top three. His max mid over that same time frame was $24 (AAV $21), so let’s pencil that in.
Do you know who else would deliver five-category production with a major emphasis on batting average and stolen bases while filling another infield position? Trea Turner. His maximum bid during that stretch was $29 (AAV $26), so we’ll add that to the draft plan as well.
If we could get those five bats at those maximum bids, that would take us to $191 and leave us with just $69 to fill out the remaining nine spots on offense and our nine pitching spots. That’s not ideal, but we can also assume that we won’t need to get all five of those at their maximum bids. If we can get them closer to their combined AAV of $171, that would give us an extra $20 to play with and make the experiment much more intriguing.
Staying with the hypothetical for now though. There’s one other player on offense that’s kind of a must-have for me right now and that’s Kazuma Okamoto. I think he’s extremely undervalued in both standard snake and salary cap drafts. He also fills a shallow position that doesn’t have may other options that I like. He has gone for a max of $12, which likely prices him out for me unless I’m able to get him closer to his AAV of $7. We’ll budget $7 for now and adjust from there.
Budgeting $1 for every available spot around those six, we’re looking at devoting $206 of our $260 on offense, leaving just $54 on the pitching side, keeping in mind we’re hoping to gain back somewhere in the range of $15 based on discounts that we can secure those hitters for off of their maximum bids.
If we only have $54 to start with on the pitching side though, some sacrifices are obviously going to have to be made. The easy one is closers. We’re not going to be able to compete for the top options there and are going to have to go the speculative route. Trying to get two guys for $1-$3 each is probably the best case scenario there and then we’ll have to attack the category through FAAB throughout the season. It’s not the way that I like to build my teams normally, but we don’t really have an option if going with this extreme build on offense.
I would also still like an ace on my staff. It’s crazy to try to shop in the Tarik Skubal or Paul Skenes range, as the rest of the staff would be woefully underfunded if trying to do that. I’m a huge believer in Yoshinobu Yamamoto though and I still feel like he’s being discounted relative to the top of the pitching market. His maximum bid during this stretch has been $29 with an AAV of $26. I’d love to try to get him at or near that AAV, and may even extend to that max depending on whether or not we have landed any discounts before then. Let’s work with that $26 number though and go from there.
If we’re just going to have one ace at the top of the staff, we’re going to need at least two additional quality arms that we think can outperform industry projections and expectations and help to solidify this group. We can’t miss on these guys, because the rest of the staff behind them is going to be basically $1 arms. There are two names specifically that I’m very high on this year that I think fit in here perfectly. Drew Rasmussen and Trevor Rogers. Rasmussen has an AAV of $12 with a max of $15. Rogers has an AAV of $9 with a max of $15. We’re not going to be able to go to $15 for both of them, but could probably make it work if we can get them close to their AAV. We’re going to budget with that and adjust as necessary if we’re able to secure discounts on offense.
If the prices in the pitching market soar and we’re unable to get Rasmussen and/or Rogers, we’re going to have to fall back to other options in the same price range that we like but are not quite as high on. For me that’s Kevin Gausman, Michael King, MacKenzie Gore, Shota Imanaga, Tatsuya Imai and Robbie Ray. If I wind up with two from that group it’s fine, I just won’t like the staff as a whole as much as I would if getting Rasmussen or Rogers – or ideally both. We’re also going to budget $1 for Justin Verlander, as he’s a top target of mine and should be easy to secure at that price, as long as I wait for the right time. If someone clicks him to $2 and I need to go $3, that would be a disaster.
Adding in the AAV’s that we’re trying to get Rasmussen and Rogers at, we’re going to have to put the budget for the speculative closers at $1 to make it work – at least initially. We can add back there as well when/if we get any discounts. So here’s what the draft plan looks like heading into the draft:
C
$32
Cal Raleigh
C
$1
1B
$1
2B
$24
Brice Turang
3B
$7
Kazuma Okamoto
SS
$29
Trea Turner
CI
$1
MI
$1
OF
$53
Aaron Judge
OF
$1
OF
$1
OF
$1
OF
$1
UTIL
$53
Shohei Ohtani
$206
SP
$26
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
SP
$12
Drew Rasmussen
SP
$9
Trevor Rogers
SP
$1
SP
$1
SP
$1
SP
$1
Justin Verlander
RP
$2
Speculative Closer
RP
$1
Speculative Closer
$54
$260
Honestly, I’m very intrigued by the possibilities here. I genuinely feel like the bones of this team would be good enough to make it competitive overall with strong in-season FAAB work. Of course, this plan could fall apart very quickly, especially if we’re unable to get any of the arms that we’re looking for at the prices that we’re hoping to see – or if we get a lot of pushback on offense and have to go to the previous max or beyond to land those core five bats. Let’s see how it unfolds!
It actually took me a little bit of time to get into the action, as most of the first round of nominations were lesser players and didn’t factor into my draft plan at all. It wasn’t until near the end of the first round that Aaron Judge came up for nomination. I knew that he was an integral part of this plan and that I needed to get him at all costs – hoping to not go beyond the $53 that I had in the budget for him. Needless to say, I was thrilled when I clicked the bidding to $48 and heard crickets from the rest of the room. Starting off with a $5 discount gave me the confidence to think that this plan could actually work. I didn’t re-distribute that $5 initially but knew that I had it in my pocket.
A couple of picks later, Shohei Ohtani was nominated. We went into it the same way that we did for Judge, willing to go to $53 but hopeful that we would be able to get him for less. Imagine our shock and dismay when we only needed to go to $47 to get the job done. Two superstar hitters secured at a total of $11 less than we had budgeted. We were off and running.
Shortly after that, our expected ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto was nominated. We weren’t as confident about this one. The Dodgers’ right-hander had gone as high as $29 in recent salary cap drafts but we were hoping to keep it around his AAV of $27 instead. If we had to go to $28 or $29 – or even $30 – we would probably do so based on the savings that we got from Judge and Ohtani, but we’d really like to use those savings elsewhere if possible.
This wound up being the biggest surprise of the draft for me as once the bidding got to $24, everyone simply backed off. Perhaps they were waiting and saving their pitching budgets to fight for Skubal and Skenes. Either way, I couldn’t believe the way that the start of this draft had unfolded in my favor. Not only did I get my desired ace, but I did so at a significant discount.
The next player that was integral for the plan that came up for nomination was Cal Raleigh. Similar to our plan for Judge and Ohtani, we were prepared to go to the previous maximum ($32) to get him but hoping to land closer to his AAV. With that in mind, we were more than happy to secure his services for only $28. Operation crush the baseball was now in full effect.
The next name up that we were concerned with was Trea Turner. The plan had us getting him for $29, so anything around there would have been perfectly fine. Turner, like many players nominated in the first couple of rounds of this draft, got to his AAV that was listed on the site and the bidding stopped. He was ours for $26.
The final piece of the big five clicked into place on offense shortly after that when we nominated Brice Turang. Our budget was starting to dwindle and I wanted to have clarity on where to go at the second base position if I was unable to get Turang. I also had backup options at other positions – namely Freddie Freeman – that I was willing to pivot to if I couldn’t secure Turang. Either way, I needed to know so I didn’t let other contingency plans go by. We didn’t wind up with as steep of a discount on Turang, going $22 which was $1 above his AAV but still $2 below the $24 that we had targeted from his previous max.
Now came the waiting game. This part of the draft was absolutely brutal as we basically had to sit on our hands for the next hour and not compete on any players. We threw a couple of bids in here and there trying to get players at a discount, but we were basically sitting around and waiting for Drew Rasmussen and Trevor Rogers to come up without having to nominate them too early ourselves.
Finally, after nearly 100 players went off the board, Rasmussen was on the block. We knew from our draft plan that he had a previous max of $15 but were hoping to get him closer to his AAV of $12. So there was some frustration when we got to $14 and someone else clicked him up to $15. Not to worry though, as we were happy to tap into those earlier discounts that we secured to get the guy that we had targeted. Thankfully, $16 is all that it took. I don’t like the overpay, but in the end was thrilled to still get the player that I had targeted as my SP2.
The next player up for bid was Rogers. My initial assumption was that he was going to wind up going for a similar bid to Rasmussen after other managers in the league just missed out on the Rays’ right-hander. I was able to breathe a gigantic sigh of relief this time when the bidding stopped at $11. We had now secured each of the top five bats that we targeted and the three SP that we wanted to build this team around. Now all we had to do was fill out the rest with a limited budget.
The next name that we picked up much further down the road wound up being Justin Sterner. He’s someone that I had in mind going in as a potential closer option that could be had for $1 or $2. I didn’t nominate him, so I had to go to $2 but was overjoyed when the bidding stopped right there. At least had a shot at some cheap saves.
I made a play to try to get Robert Garcia, going as high as $6, but couldn’t bring myself to go to $8 and give up what little flexibility that I had in the draft at that point. The only other strong target that we had on offense was Kazuma Okamoto, with his AAV of $7 penciled into the draft plan. Once again we were able to secure an unexpected discount, getting him for just $5. That one got a fist pump.
At this point on offense we still needed to find a second catcher, first baseman, corner infielder, middle infielder and four outfielders. If you’re going to have a weakness somewhere on offense, those aren’t bad positions to need to fill in-season as options on the waiver wire are usually plentiful – especially if you’re streaming bats weekly.
I took a shot at some other bats. Adolis Garcia I went as high as $10 but couldn’t go to $12. Matt McLain I went up to $9 as a middle but couldn’t go to $11. Sal Stewart I went to $8 as a first base option before bowing out. Calen Durbin I also took the bidding to $8 before letting him go for $9.
I tried to get a few more options on the pitching side as well, going to $5 on both Tatsuya Imai and Carlos Rodon before painfully watching them land elsewhere as big discounts at $6.
It wasn’t pretty, but I picked up another speculative closer in Kirby Yates for $3. Not thrilled about it, but if he opens the season with the job it will be worth it. Otherwise, no harm, no foul. I filled my second catcher spot with a $2 Carson Kelly.
By this point, the talent pool was dwindling, and I actually had a decent amount of money remaining compared to the rest of the league. While there wasn’t a lot of talent left in the player pool, it meant that I could at least be competitive in securing what was there. I chose to do my shopping in the outfield, landing some discount power speed options in Ramon Laureano ($6), Jordan Beck ($6) and Mickey Moniak ($5). Not players that I necessarily targeted coming into the draft, but all were still on my board and I think can be solid and capable producers.
That didn’t leave much for the final four spots. We ended up settling on Kyle Manzardo ($2), Colt Keith ($1), Andres Gimenez ($2) and Jesus Sanchez ($1). On the pitching side, we added another speculative closer in Kevin Ginkel ($1), while adding to the rotation with Chad Patrick ($1), Connelly Early ($1) and as expected Justin Verlander ($1).
Here’s the full final team through the salary cap portion of the draft:
Player
$$$
AAV
Delta
C
Cal Raleigh
$28
$29
$1
C
Carson Kelly
$2
$1
($1)
1B
Kyle Manzardo
$2
$4
$2
2B
Brice Turang
$22
$21
($1)
SS
Trea Turner
$26
$26
$0
3B
Kazuma Okamoto
$5
$7
$2
CI
Colt Keith
$1
$2
$1
MI
Andres Gimenez
$2
$2
$0
OF1
Aaron Judge
$48
$48
$0
OF2
Ramon Laureano
$6
$7
$1
OF3
Jordan Beck
$5
$6
$1
OF4
Mickey Moniak
$5
$4
($1)
OF5
Jesus Sanchez
$1
$1
$0
UTIL
Shohei Ohtani
$47
$48
$1
76.92%
14
$200
$206
$6
Player
$$$
AAV
Delta
P1
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
$24
$26
$2
P2
Drew Rasmussen
$16
$12
($4)
P3
Trevor Rogers
$11
$9
($2)
P4
Chad Patrick
$1
$2
$1
P5
Connelly Early
$1
$2
$1
P6
Justin Verlander
$1
$1
$0
P7
Kirby Yates
$3
$2
($1)
P8
Justin Sterner
$2
$1
($1)
P9
Kevin Ginkel
$1
$1
$0
23.08%
9
$60
$56
($4)
Overall, we actually ended up with $2 of profit against AAV while devoting nearly 77% ($200) of our budget toward the hitting side. As far as executing a plan goes, this one wound up going about as smoothly as you can imagine in a salary cap draft. We were able to get all six of our pre-draft targets to build the offense around and were successful in getting all four starting pitchers that we targeted as well. If this team ends up failing, it will be because I targeted the wrong players – which is ultimately how I would prefer to be judged.
There are obviously holes to fill on the edges of the offense and we’re going to need to bolster the backend of the starting rotation while chasing saves all year, but I firmly believe that this team has the bones to compete – not just for league prizes, but to be a contender in the overall competition if things break right for us.
In the supplemental draft portion, here’s what we added to the mix:
SP – Jameson Taillon
SP – Tyler Mahle
2B/3B – Luis Rengifo
SP – Clay Holmes
SP – Nick Martinez
OF – Isaac Collins
SP – Payton Tolle
Basically wanted to add as many quality options to the mix for the rotation to try to maximize starts early in the season and see what shakes out. I also like the addition of Rengifo for flexibility considering how weak we are going in at both the corner and middle spots.
Here’s a quick look around the rest of the league and how their builds turned out:
Team 1
Player
$$$
AAV
Delta
C
Kyle Teel
$9
$9
$0
C
Edgar Quero
$1
$2
$1
1B
Sal Stewart
$9
$9
$0
2B
Ozzie Albies
$8
$9
$1
SS
Geraldo Perdomo
$16
$17
$1
3B
Matt Chapman
$11
$9
($2)
CI
Noelvi Marte
$11
$11
$0
MI
Kevin McGonigle
$2
$2
$0
OF1
Jackson Merrill
$20
$20
$0
OF2
Taylor Ward
$13
$11
($2)
OF3
Dylan Crews
$11
$10
($1)
OF4
Jac Caglianone
$9
$8
($1)
OF5
Colton Cowser
$2
$4
$2
UTIL
Jorge Polanco
$6
$7
$1
49.23%
14
$128
$128
$0
Player
$$$
AAV
Delta
P1
Tarik Skubal
$41
$41
$0
P2
Paul Skenes
$38
$39
$1
P3
Jesus Luzardo
$21
$20
($1)
P4
Logan Henderson
$4
$3
($1)
P5
Hunter Greene
$2
$21
$19
P6
Rhett Lowder
$2
$3
$1
P7
Brady Singer
$1
$2
$1
P8
Daniel Palencia
$18
$17
($1)
P9
Robert Suarez
$5
$4
($1)
50.77%
9
$132
$150
$18
Team 1 went with nearly a 50/50 split between offense and pitching and started that $132 staff by taking the top two names on the board in Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes for a combined $79. Overall it looks like he did well against AAV, but that entire difference is coming from the pre-injury AAV on Hunter Greene. Remove that, and he’s actually -$1 in total. The pitching is going to have to carry the team, as the offense looks a bit light across the board – especially in the stolen base department.
Team 2
Player
$$$
AAV
Delta
C
Salvador Perez
$17
$16
($1)
C
Tyler Stephenson
$3
$4
$1
1B
Josh Bell
$1
$2
$1
2B
Marcus Semien
$4
$5
$1
SS
Xander Bogaerts
$6
$7
$1
3B
Josh Jung
$1
$1
$0
CI
Nolan Schanuel
$1
$1
$0
MI
Luisangel Acuna
$1
$2
$1
OF1
Julio Rodriguez
$37
$38
$1
OF2
Pete Crow-Armstrong
$24
$25
$1
OF3
Randy Arozarena
$17
$18
$1
OF4
Jakob Marsee
$11
$14
$3
OF5
Adolis Garcia
$11
$7
($4)
UTIL
Kyle Schwarber
$28
$27
($1)
62.31%
14
$162
$167
$5
Player
$$$
AAV
Delta
P1
George Kirby
$23
$21
($2)
P2
Logan Webb
$23
$23
$0
P3
Framber Valdez
$20
$19
($1)
P4
Jacob Misiorowski
$8
$9
$1
P5
Aaron Nola
$8
$6
($2)
P6
Chris Bassitt
$1
$2
$1
P7
Reynaldo Lopez
$1
$2
$1
P8
Grant Holmes
$1
$1
$0
P9
Kenley Jansen
$13
$13
$0
37.69%
9
$98
$96
($2)
Overall, Team 2 finished with $3 in surplus value against AAV while going with a 62.31%/37.69% split between offense and pitching. That’s a much more standard split than what we saw from myself and Team 1. I really like the top three starting pitchers that he chose to build his staff around, though I would’ve preferred to see him get a second closer to pair with Jansen. The offense obviously is build around a terrific outfield, but man does that infield need work overall. I feel like a couple of those spots are going to be a problem for him throughout the season. I think this team is solid enough that it could compete for league prizes.
Team 3
Player
$$$
AAV
Delta
C
Shea Langeliers
$23
$22
($1)
C
Ben Rice
$22
$21
($1)
1B
Nick Kurtz
$32
$28
($4)
2B
Brandon Lowe
$9
$6
($3)
SS
Konnor Griffin
$12
$10
($2)
3B
Jordan Westburg
$1
$1
$0
CI
Ryan O'Hearn
$6
$3
($3)
MI
Jacob Wilson
$7
$8
$1
OF1
Brent Rooker
$28
$27
($1)
OF2
Cody Bellinger
$19
$18
($1)
OF3
Tyler Soderstrom
$19
$17
($2)
OF4
Jurickson Profar
$1
$7
$6
OF5
Anthony Santander
$1
$1
$0
UTIL
Zack Gelof
$1
$0
($1)
70.43%
14
$181
$169
($12)
Player
$$$
AAV
Delta
P1
Kevin Gausman
$16
$13
($3)
P2
Chase Burns
$15
$16
$1
P3
Sonny Gray
$12
$13
$1
P4
Jack Flaherty
$5
$6
$1
P5
Emilio Pagan
$15
$15
$0
P6
Trevor Megill
$8
$8
$0
P7
Paul Sewald
$3
$1
($2)
P8
Will Vest
$1
$2
$1
P9
Kyle Finnegan
$1
$1
$0
29.57%
9
$76
$75
($1)
While my strategy in this draft was a bit extreme and unconventional, somehow this team usurped what I did to be the most interesting squad in the draft. At first I wasn’t sure what was going on with the offense. I didn’t know if he was just a super fan of the Athletics, or if he was trying to take advantage of them playing in Sutter Health Park once again in 2026 – as he built his offense around Nick Kurtz, Brent Rooker, Shea Langeliers, Tyler Soderstrom, Jacob Wilson and Zack Gelof – taking most of them at a premium. I see that he then added three pirates (Konnor Griffin, Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn) and a pair of Yankees (Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger). He then filled out his offense with injured and/or suspended players in Jordan Westburg, Jurickson Profar and Anthony Santander. I don’t believe he timed out, so perhaps he just wasn’t prepared for the endgame? Either way, he wound up with -$12 against AAV on offense and will need his A’s stack to crush all season to have a shot there. On the pitching side, it’s confusing as well. Started out paying a premium for Kevin Gausman and then landed some solid arms and a pair of closers in Pagan and Megill (maybe). He then finished it with a $3 Paul Sewald and two setup arms from the Tigers in Will Vest and Kyle Finnegan. He also ended up leaving $3 on the table. Perhaps the plan all along was to speculate on saves late, but the rotation depth concerns me. I wouldn’t be surprised if this team winds up near the bottom of the standings.
Team 4
Player
$$$
AAV
Delta
C
William Contreras
$22
$21
($1)
C
J.T. Realmuto
$7
$7
$0
1B
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
$32
$32
$0
2B
Bryson Stott
$7
$10
$3
SS
Gunnar Henderson
$34
$35
$1
3B
Alex Bregman
$12
$12
$0
CI
Andrew Vaughn
$2
$3
$1
MI
Zach McKinstry
$1
$1
$0
OF1
Wyatt Langford
$26
$24
($2)
OF2
Mike Trout
$10
$8
($2)
OF3
Steven Kwan
$9
$9
$0
OF4
Jake McCarthy
$2
$1
($1)
OF5
Dylan Beavers
$1
$1
$0
UTIL
Jordan Walker
$1
$2
$1
63.85%
14
$166
$166
$0
Player
$$$
AAV
Delta
P1
Logan Gilbert
$26
$26
$0
P2
Michael King
$14
$12
($2)
P3
Cam Schlittler
$11
$9
($2)
P4
Kris Bubic
$6
$5
($1)
P5
Andrew Painter
$4
$2
($2)
P6
Mike Burrows
$4
$4
$0
P7
Ryan Weathers
$4
$4
$0
P8
Andres Munoz
$23
$23
$0
P9
Taylor Rogers
$2
$1
($1)
36.15%
9
$94
$86
($8)
This looks like a pretty standard build overall with a 63.85%/36.15% split between offense and pitching. The offense looks solid from top to bottom, and while there are players that I don’t typically target mixed in, there’s a nice balance to it. He had to overpay a bit on the pitching side, giving up $8 against AAV to build his staff, which hurt the overall quality in my opinion. He’s really going to need Cam Schlittler and Kris Bubic to stay healthy and produce strong seasons if he’s going to be competitive. He’ll also need to find a second closer if Taylor Rogers doesn’t win the Twins’ job. A fine squad, at a glance I’d expect him to finish somewhere near the middle of the pack.
Team 5
Player
$$$
AAV
Delta
C
Austin Wells
$5
$5
$0
C
Victor Caratini
$1
$1
$0
1B
Matt Olson
$22
$22
$0
2B
Jose Altuve
$12
$12
$0
SS
Ezequiel Tovar
$7
$8
$1
3B
Maikel Garcia
$22
$22
$0
CI
Austin Riley
$20
$20
$0
MI
Josh Smith
$3
$1
($2)
OF1
Ronald Acuna Jr.
$43
$43
$0
OF2
Jarren Duran
$21
$19
($2)
OF3
Brenton Doyle
$10
$10
$0
OF4
Kerry Carpenter
$3
$5
$2
OF5
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
$1
$1
$0
UTIL
Marcell Ozuna
$4
$1
($3)
66.92%
14
$174
$170
($4)
Player
$$$
AAV
Delta
P1
Max Fried
$23
$23
$0
P2
Zack Wheeler
$11
$12
$1
P3
Edward Cabrera
$10
$8
($2)
P4
Ranger Suarez
$9
$8
($1)
P5
Robbie Ray
$8
$8
$0
P6
Bryce Elder
$1
$1
$0
P7
Michael Wacha
$1
$1
$0
P8
Ryan Walker
$13
$12
($1)
P9
Seranthony Dominguez
$10
$9
($1)
33.08%
9
$86
$82
($4)
Team 5 came out at $8 below AAV in terms of their total team value at the end of the draft while using a traditional 67/33 split between offense and pitching. As a whole, I like the five bats that he chose to build the offense around, with a stack of three big Braves’ bats leading the way (Acuna Jr., Olson and Riley). I’m concerned that there’s just not enough around them though. I like Zack Wheeler as much as the next person, but counting on him to be an SP2 out of the gate might be a stretch. I like that he strengthened his SP3-SP5 though to be able to pick up the slack if Wheeler misses more time than expected or shows significant rust upon his return. This is another team that feels like middle of the pack to me.
(21% rostered)
(32% rostered)
(7% rostered)
(23% rostered)
(25% rostered)
(19% rostered)
(20% rostered)
(23% rostered)
(35% rostered)
Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
