Fantasy Basketball Rankings (2024-25) - Thunder Dan's Draft Guide

We are drawing ever closer to the start of the NBA season and the beginning of my favorite fantasy sport - fantasy hoops! If your league hasn't drafted yet, odds are you are going to be drafting soon! I have been doing some mock drafts with other folks in the industry and digging into my […]

Fantasy Basketball Sleepers: Bounce-Back Draft Targets for 2024-25

The 2024-25 fantasy basketball season is inching closer as the calendar nears October and draft season is upon us. It’s never too early to look to draft prep and one way to gain an edge as a fantasy manager is to identify players who are primed to bounce back after disappointing years.  In 9-category leagues, […]

Fantasy Basketball Late-Round Sleepers: One-Trick Pony Category Specialists to Target in 2024-25

The beginning of the NBA regular season is rapidly approaching. That means it’s time to draft your fantasy basketball teams. It’s important to begin your draft with well-round players. Taking players like Nikola Jokic, Domantas Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox, and Paolo Banchero can set fantasy managers up for success in multiple categories. Those types of players […]

Catcher Risers and Fallers for Dynasty Fantasy Baseball

It's hard to believe that the 2024 fantasy baseball season is in the rearview mirror and we now have to look ahead to 2025. Those who play dynasty leagues always have some eye on the future, but now 2025 is the sole focus. As I've said several times before, there's never a bad time to […]

Anze Kopitar Hits Seventh Career Hat Trick

Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar produced a game-winning performance in Thursday's season opener against Buffalo, scoring all three goals in a 3-1 win. The Kings pulled off a third-period comeback, with Kopitar scoring his seventh career hat trick. He tied the game with an even-strength marker right at the start of the period, hit […]

Macklin Celebrini Notches Two Points In NHL Debut

San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini enjoyed a prolific NHL debut on Thursday, picking up two points in a 5-4 overtime loss to St. Louis. He opened the scoring with seven minutes played and tallied an assist on a Tyler Toffoli goal near the end of the first period. At 18 years and 119 days […]

Aleksander Barkov Under Evaluation For A Lower-Body Injury

Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (lower body) is under evaluation after getting hurt near the end of the game against Ottawa on Thursday. Barkov crashed into the boards when he tried to prevent an empty-net goal. He couldn't put weight on his right leg. The team returns to action on Saturday in a road contest […]

Center: Fantasy Basketball Rankings, Tiers and Analysis for 2024-2025 Drafts

The offseason is over! Fantasy basketball draft season is here, and managers should start identifying their building blocks, targeting sleepers, and avoiding potential busts. Another crucial position in 9-category fantasy basketball leagues is the center position. This position can heavily influence the blocks and rebound categories and is one of the positions that can determine […]

David Fry Smacks Massive Two-Run Homer Late In Game 4

Cleveland Guardians utility man David Fry came up with a clutch pinch-hit, two-run homer in the seventh inning of Game 4 of their ALDS matchup against the Detroit Tigers, leading the team to a 5-4 victory. It was Fry's only at-bat of the game, and he made the most of it. The homer came with […]

Jake Rogers Gets X-Rays On Wrist After Game 4

Detroit Tigers catcher Jake Rogers was seen after Thursday's ALDS game with his left wrist and forearm wrapped. He also underwent x-rays to determine the severity of the injury. Rogers played all nine innings at catcher, but was pinch-hit for in the bottom of the ninth. The Tigers will not have more details until Friday, […]

Dmitri Voronkov Expected To Return By The End Of November

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Dmitri Voronkov (upper body) does not require surgery and is expected to be back by the end of November. Voronkov suffered an upper-body injury in a preseason game last week. The 24-year-old had 34 points (18 goals, 16 assists) in 75 games during his rookie campaign last season. Columbus kicks off […]

Boone Jenner To Miss Most Of Season

Columbus Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner (shoulder) underwent surgery on Wednesday and will be out for 5-6 months. He injured his shoulder in practice last week. The team is hopeful of getting Jenner back before the end of the season, with general manager Don Waddell mentioning Columbus' outdoor game against Detroit on March 1 as […]

Tim Stutzle Will Play In Season Opener

Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle (upper body) is ready to return to the lineup for Thursday's regular-season opener against Florida. He missed Ottawa's preseason finale at the weekend due to an upper-body injury. Stutzle will join forces with Brady Tkachuk and Claude Giroux on the top line and skate on the first power-play unit. The […]

Claude Giroux Ready For Action

Ottawa Senators forward Claude Giroux (personal) will play in Thursday's curtain-raiser against Florida. The veteran has missed some practice time this week due to the birth of his third son. Giroux will slot into the first line and is set to skate with the second power-play unit. He was limited to only one point in […]

Wyatt Johnston Good To Go Thursday

Dallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston (undisclosed) will play against the Nashville Predators on Thursday. He was expected to get healthy in time for the season opener, and the Stars will have a chance to use him. The 21-year-old starts the campaign on the third line but is expected to see usage on the top power-play […]

William Contreras Played Through Knee Sprain

Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras (knee) was playing through a minor knee sprain during the Wild-Card Series against the New York Mets, according to general manager Matt Arnold. The Brewers revised their Game 3 lineup last week as a result to move Contreras from catcher to the designated hitter spot. In the three-game Wild-Card Series, […]

Jericho Sims Injures Ankle Wednesday

New York Knicks center Jericho Sims played only a couple of minutes on Wednesday against Washington because of an ankle injury. The 25-year-old exited the action without registering any stats. With Mitchell Robinson (ankle) sidelined, Sims has an opportunity to carve out a role in the rotation for the beginning of the season. But he […]

Nazem Kadri Registers Two Assists In Wednesday's Win

Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri had two assists as the team shocked the Vancouver Canucks with a comeback in Wednesday's 6-5 overtime win. The Flames played out an awful first 20 minutes of the new campaign, falling 4-1 behind, but the team found a way to turn things around. Defensemen Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar […]

MLB DFS: DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (10/10/24) - Today's Top Lineups

Happy Thursday, RotoBallers! After Wednesday's all-day baseball bonanza, we know the Mets will be in the NLCS, and the Dodgers-Padres series will go to a deciding Game 5.  In the American League, Detroit and New York are on the brink of reaching the ALCS. They will look to eliminate Cleveland and Kansas City, respectively, in Thursday's […]

Mikko Rantanen Celebrates A Hat Trick On Opening Night

Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen kicked off the new season with his eighth career hat trick, scoring in each period in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to Vegas. Only Jari Kurri (23), Teemu Selanne (22), and Patrik Laine (10) now have more hat tricks in NHL history among Finnish-born players. Rantanen struck twice during even-strength play and […]

2024-2025 Fantasy Basketball Category Studs: Points, Rebounds, And Assists

I truly believe that there are a lot of different pathways to build a winning team in fantasy basketball. Depending on the format of your league, certain players are going to have more or less value, so understanding your league settings and how to draft accordingly is paramount. I don't play in points leagues, but […]

Jack Eichel Dishes Out Four Assists In Season Opener

Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel opened the 2024-25 NHL campaign with a playmaking clinic, finishing an 8-4 victory over Colorado with four assists. Eichel helped both of his linemates, Ivan Barbashev and Mike Stone, on the scoreboard in the first frame, contributed to a Zach Whitecloud goal in the second, and completed the damage […]

Kevin Rooney Exits Early With Injury

Calgary Flames center Kevin Rooney (undisclosed) was injured in Wednesday's season opener against Vancouver. With only seven minutes played in the contest, Rooney took a hard hit from Canucks forward J.T. Miller and exited the game after logging only two shifts as the fourth-line center. The American forward hasn't been very productive offensively in his […]

Today's NHL DFS Lineup Picks for DraftKings, FanDuel (10/10/24)

Welcome, RotoBallers! If you do not know me, my name is Brandon, and I am writing both The First-Serve and The Kick-Off for tennis and soccer. If you have not checked those out, make sure you do! It is the return of the NHL season, which means it's time to sharpen our skills and partake […]

Will Smith Hits Two-Run Home Run On Wednesday

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith collected his first hit of the 2024 postseason in Wednesday's 8-0 win over the Padres, a 432-foot two-run home run in the third inning that gave the Dodgers some breathing room as they went up 5-0 in the game. It would be his only hit of the contest, however, […]

Brandin Podziemski, Kevon Looney Starting On Wednesday

Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski and center Kevon Looney will move into the starting five ahead of Wednesday's preseason matchup against the Sacramento Kings. Head coach Steve Kerr is experimenting with his lineups which is never a bad idea during the preseason. He'll replace De'Anthony Melton and Trayce Jackson-Davis with Podziemski and Looney on […]

Moses Browns Signing With Knicks

The New York Knicks have signed center Moses Brown to an Exhibit 10 deal on Wednesday. The 24-year-old has bounced around quite a bit since his rookie season with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2019. In fact, Brown has played with six different organizations since joining the league. Most recently, Brown played 22 games with […]

Onyeka Okongwu Remains Unavailable

Atlanta Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu (toe) didn't feature in the team's preseason opener against Indiana on Tuesday. The energetic big man underwent a toe procedure in April and appears to be still recovering from it. The Hawks have their next preseason outing scheduled for Monday. Clint Capela will likely be set for a big workload […]

Mo Bamba Out Tuesday Versus Nets

According to Law Murray of The Athletic, Los Angeles Clippers center Mo Bamba (knee) will not suit up against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday. Bamba will miss his second consecutive preseason game, and his participation has been limited during training camp. He spent last season with the 76ers, averaging 4.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 0.7 assists, […]

Zach Collins Unavailable Wednesday Against Orlando

According to ESPN's Michael C. Wright, San Antonio Spurs center Zach Collins (shoulder) will not play in the team's preseason game against the Magic on Wednesday. Despite not suiting up in the preseason, the 26-year-old has been participating in 5-on-5 drills during training camp after having shoulder surgery in April. Last season, Collins averaged 11.2 […]