Fantasy Sports (original) (raw)

Eric Samulski discusses five trending starting pitchers and how interested we should be for fantasy baseball.

• Eric Samulski,

Rotoworld Player News Headlines

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  Ortiz broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth with his sixth homer of the year. Four of those six have come in his last six games, as he’s raised his OPS from .492 on June 6 and .541 on June 23 to .579 now. Ortiz had been particularly hopeless with the bases loaded prior to today, going just 2-for-25, with both hits being singles, over the course of his career.
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  Burger make his return to Texas’ lineup for Wednesday’s showdown against the Orioles after wrapping up a lightning-quick minor league rehab assignment that lasted exactly one game. The 29-year-old slugger, who wound up requiring only a minimum injured list stint with a mild oblique strain, has underwhelmed this season in his Rangers debut, but there’s still plenty of time for him to turn things around in the second half.
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  This certainly qualifies as an unexpected development. Jung has been mired in a prolonged slump at the dish for the last few weeks, hitting .164 (19-for-116) with one homer and 16 RBI over his last 30 games. He’s struggled to a lackluster .237/.283/.366 slash line with just eight homers and 35 RBI over 75 games this season. He’ll get a chance to reset at the Triple-A level and work on things out of the spotlight. It’ll likely be some combination of Josh Smith and Ezequiel Duran taking over at the hot corner.
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  Bichette will remain on the bench for the third consecutive contest after being scratched from Monday’s lineup with right knee discomfort. The 27-year-old impending free agent remains day-to-day for now and is not expected to undergo any additional testing. It’ll be Ernie Clement taking over at shortstop on Wednesday night in his absence.
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  Ober has been shelled in his last few outings, and it’s possible the hip was a major culprit. He’ll be out through at least the All-Star break, but it seems likely he’ll need a rehab assignment and then return to the rotation at some point near the end of July — assuming no setbacks, of course.
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  According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, Schwellenbach felt soreness in his right elbow after his 12-strikeout effort against the Phillies on Saturday, and the scan revealed the fracture. The 25-year-old will obviously be out for longer than the minimum two-week stint, and it’s possible — if not likely — that he threw his last pitch in 2025. There should be an update on his status and his rehab program in the coming days. This is a bummer.
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  Díaz had a scorching hot month of June, hitting .400/.469/.610 in 100 at-bats with five home runs and 13 RBI. He’s looking to keep that going in June, and is now up to 14 home runs and 49 RBI on the season. The power numbers will never be elite due to his contact profile, but there’s nothing to complain about with Díaz’s results this summer.
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  Verdugo is booted from the roster to make room for the reinstatement of Jurickson Profar. He struggled mightily in his time with Atlanta with a slash of .239/.296/.289 batting line with zero home runs over 56 games. If Verdugo goes unclaimed, he’ll be eligible to hit the free-agent market.
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  Greene, 25, faced five hitters and told reporters after the outing that he felt “great.” The right-hander is dealing with a Grade 1 groin strain while also dealing with soreness in his back, so the Reds are taking the necessary precautions for their staff ace. It seems very likely that Greene returns shortly after the All-Star break but there’s no timetable just yet.
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  Wilson was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup with hamstring soreness and will now miss Wednesday’s game as well. There is no word yet on how long the rookie will be sidelined, but he did miss time with a hamstring injury last year immediately after making his MLB debut, so perhaps soft tissue injuries are a concern for him. Max Schuemann will start at shortstop and bat ninth on Wednesday.

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NFL

Josh Jacobs led the way for Green Bay in 2024, leaving fantasy drafters who bet on Jordan Love and the passing game in the dust. Love is poised for a 2025 rebound while Jacobs remains an RB1.

The principal players have all returned. Does losing Ben Johnson blunt things for the Lions in fantasy football?

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MLB

A look at the top fantasy baseball prospects who can help fantasy rosters in 2025 and beyond.

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Quinn Priester, Masataka Yoshida and Randy Rodriguez make their Top 300 debuts.

The Astros continue their climb and the Mets are crashing out.

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NBA

Going over a big news week for the WNBA as well as the matchups to watch around the league.

Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper headline the 2025 dynasty rookie rankings for fantasy basketball.

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While some talented players did not hear their names called in this week’s draft, many of them soon found their NBA homes.

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WNBA

The WNBA announced its plans to add three more expansion teams by 2030. A prominent player questioned the league’s choice of markets.

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Brad Thomas and Vaughn Dalzell place their bets for the upcoming Liberty vs. Sparks match, which could be a bounce back for the Liberty. If you plan on taking Liberty, make sure to bet under for Sparks’ Kelsey Plum.

Trysta Krick and Drew Dinsick break down the upcoming Aces vs. Fever matchup, explaining why the game can be a “letdown spot” for an Indiana squad riding high after winning the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup.

Natasha Howard had 16 points, 12 rebounds and four assists on Tuesday night as the Indiana Fever defeated the Minnesota Lynx 74-59 in the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup final.

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