Ezequiel Tovar's RBI double
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29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Keaton Mitchell "a lot more confident" in knee this year
Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell burst on the scene by averaging more than eight yards per carry as a rookie in 2023, but a torn ACL cut his season short and limited him to seven lackluster appearances last season. There were signs of the old spark in Mitchell's play on Thursday night, however. Mitchell ran for a 22-yard touchdown in the first quarter and he ran nine times for 68 yards overall against the Colts. In the opening statement of his postgame press conference, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Mitchell "made a bunch of plays for us and got after it." Mitchell chalked his success up to a confidence in his health that was missing when he made it back into the lineup last year. "I feel good just coming back from strength and conditioning, OTAs, camp," Mitchell said, via a transcript from the team. Feel a lot better, a lot more confident. So just being more confident in myself and trusting my knee — that it's stronger, and it can do what I need it to do." Derrick Henry remains the top dog in the Ravens backfield and they have Justice Hill and Rasheen Ali back from last year as well, but teams will always make space for dynamic players and continued signs from Mitchell that he's back in that category would add another wrinkle to Baltimore's offense in 2025.
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Fantasy Football: Trying Zero RB in 2025? Here's why it might be a better strategy than you think — if done right
I don't know if Zero RB will be the sharpest fantasy football strategy in 2025. What I do know is that if you deploy it correctly, you can still build a dominant roster while embracing the volatility that historically defines the running back position. In the first four rounds, you could walk away with two elite wide receivers, potentially an elite tight end and a high-end asset at the quarterback position. This approach leans into the reality of today's NFL: So many split backfields, 1A/1B situations and specialized roles for pass-catching backs. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] There is value to be found in deploying this strategy — but you must hit on your other positions, and more importantly, you have to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. That means accepting a running back room that won't look like the Avengers and continually working the waiver wire for that one backup who's a tweaked ankle away from opportunity. Why Go Zero RB in 2025? Running backs play one of the most violent positions in football. Injuries are not the exception — they're the expectation. Sprained ankles, torn ligaments and shared backfields make the RB position incredibly volatile year-to-year. Sure, 2024 gave us a surprise: RBs actually held up. But let's not forget what the data actually says. 2024: The Outlier, Not the Trend According to Scott Connor of DD Fantasy Football, RBs in 2024 averaged slightly more fantasy points than in 2023 — but by less than 0.5%. The real reason they felt more reliable? Availability. In 2024, the top-30 RBs who averaged 12+ points per game also averaged 15.7 games played. For context, similarly productive WRs averaged just 14.4 games. That one extra game (or more) per RB created the illusion of a running back renaissance. But it wasn't a usage or scoring explosion — it was simply fewer injuries. Banking on that happening again in 2025 is risky. Durability isn't sticky. The volatility is very real. The Modern RB Landscape: No Bell Cows The days of the 350-touch workhorse are mostly gone. Most NFL teams use at least two running backs, meaning we're looking at 60+ RBs seeing weekly touches. Only a handful of players can be trusted to deliver 250+ opportunities over a season. This wide dispersion of volume means: Opportunity is fleeting. Backups and committee RBs have weekly value. Injury fill-ins can become league-winners. Zero RB leans into this chaos. You can start strong at WR, QB and TE, then build depth and upside with RBs in Rounds 5 through the double-digit rounds. You'll Be Just Fine If You Wait on RB If you pass on RBs early in 2025, the ECR shows there's still plenty of talent to build a competitive RB room later. Rounds 5–7 give you: Kaleb Johnson (PIT) — Rookie RB with three-down potential. RJ Harvey (DEN) — Listed as the RB5 on paper but used as the RB2 in camp; expected to share the load with J.K. Dobbins. Tony Pollard (TEN) — Back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons; consistent producer. Rounds 8–10: Javonte Williams (DAL) — Projected starter, undervalued for his role. Jordan Mason (MIN) — Presumed to split work with Aaron Jones Sr.; efficient runner. Cam Skattebo (NYG) — Could take over the Giants' backfield. Tyjae Spears (TEN) — Explosive playmaker who could push for more touches. Post-Round 13 Dart Throws: Kareem Hunt (KC) — Veteran who could fall into touches. Rico Dowdle (CAR) — Potentially valuable handcuff with spot-start potential. Braelon Allen (NYJ) — Hammer back in a crowded but unsettled RB room. Jaydon Blue (DAL) — Receiving upside and change-of-pace potential. RB Usage Tiers from 2024: Target the Middle Class Scott Connor broke down 86 RBs from 2024 who logged 50+ opportunities (rush attempts + targets) into four tiers: — Tier 1: 17+ Opportunities/GameThese RBs are rare and expensive. While stable, they offer the least value in a Zero RB build due to cost. — Tier 2: 12–17 Opportunities/GameThis is the sweet spot. Players like David Montgomery, Rhamondre Stevenson and rookie Bucky Irving lived here in 2024. Many posted RB2 numbers with weekly starting potential, and some could move up or down the usage ladder depending on 2025 camp and preseason developments. — Tier 3: 7–12 Opportunities/GameThese are your classic Zero RB targets — flex-worthy in the right matchups, one injury away from massive upside. — Tier 4: Sub-7 Opportunities/GameMostly depth pieces, but late-season usage spikes or injuries could push them into relevance. The key takeaway? The middle usage tiers are littered with value, and many of these players are available in the double-digit rounds. Lessons from 2024: Success Can Come Late If you deploy Zero RB in 2025, remember that the 2024 season gave us examples of later-round running backs producing for fantasy teams. Chuba Hubbard was one such example — often overlooked in drafts, yet he delivered meaningful production when called upon. The Final Word: Don't Chase the Mirage When you deploy the Zero RB strategy, your RB room is not going to look like the Avengers. You're not going to have all the Infinity Stones like Thanos at the running back position. You're going to have to be comfortable with some less desirable names — but the key is that they can still win you weeks when the opportunity strikes. The 2024 season might tempt you to load up on RBs early again. Resist the urge. Drafting Barkley or Henry was great—in 2024. But assuming 2025 plays out the same is how you lose. Zero RB isn't about ignoring the position. It's about playing the long game, accepting early-season risk and capitalizing when your league-mates are desperate for RB help. If you hit on your early WRs and onesie positions, then take calculated RB shots later, you'll have a loaded roster by the time it matters most. Last season was the exception. In 2025, if you're going Zero RB: Be comfortable being uncomfortable.
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nathan Chen says he won't defend his Olympic title at Milano Cortina Games
With a camera trailing his every move, Nathan Chen glides across the ice at the same training center that fueled his Olympic dreams. Four years after winning Olympic gold, Chen is still the picture of power and artistry as he picks up speed to round a turn and circles an arm around his head. 'Is this a comeback?' Jean-Luc Baker, a 2022 Olympic ice dancer, playfully asks. The reigning Olympic champion has not skated competitively since Feb. 10, 2022, when Chen landed five clean quadruple jumps to become the seventh U.S. man to win a figure skating singles gold medal. He doesn't intend to change that soon. Six months before the Milano Cortina Olympics, Chen confirmed he will not defend his Olympic title. The two-time Olympic gold medalist hasn't officially retired, but is ready to embark on a new career in medicine. Read more: Trump names himself chair of L.A. Olympics task force, sees role for military during Games 'I just want to open doors to kind of see what's the best sort of approach for me,' Chen told The Times. 'And frankly, at this point in time in my life, I've already accomplished enough in skating that I'm quite satisfied with my career.' A six-time national champion and three-time world champion, Chen put an exclamation point on his career with a dominant performance in Beijing. He set the world record in the short program. He conquered demons from a 2018 disaster in which he finished fifth to win his first individual Olympic medal. He became the first singles skater in Olympic history with two gold medals in the same Games after helping the United States to a victory in the team competition. Then Chen slipped seamlessly back into life as a student, finishing his bachelor's degree at Yale, where he started before the Games. He began applying to medical schools while helping launch Your True Step, a series of skating seminars with Baker, who placed 11th in the 2022 Olympic ice dance competition with partner Kaitlin Hawayek, and choreographer Sam Chouinard. After giving instruction on and off the ice to roughly two dozen young athletes, the first question Chen received Friday during a post-camp Q&A was about which medical school he was going to attend. Whichever one wants him, Chen responded with a chuckle. Chen, who said taking the medical college admission test was even more nerve-wracking than competing at the Olympics, is interested in cardiology or oncology, specifically related to genetics. He's curious about cardiothoracic surgery, but worried about the potential work-life balance sacrifices. The concern isn't that Chen is scared to dedicate himself completely to a particular job. He just wants his next project to be as fulfilling as skating was. 'The basis of being a doctor, I think, is to help people,' Chen said. 'I think that's something that I didn't necessarily feel as an athlete, that I felt was a little bit lacking, and I get a little bit of that sense doing YTS.' The skating camps, which began in 2024, have brought Chen and Baker to rinks in Irvine, Boston, Detroit and Seattle. They came up with the idea while attending a pre-Olympic camp in 2022 so the longtime friends could remain close to each other and to the sport. Baker, 31, knew the Beijing Games would likely be his last Olympics. Chen wasn't sure at the time. Still only 26, Chen could be entering his physical prime. The sport has remained open to older competitors as technique has progressed. But the window of opportunity to realistically win is small, Chen acknowledged, as athletes push the limits toward jumps that were once unimaginable. Leading up to the 2022 Olympics, Chen dabbled with a quadruple axel during practice, but stopped training it as the Games approached. While he came close to landing it, he was comfortable knowing no one else had the daring jump yet. Only seven months after those Games, Ilia Malinin landed the world's first quadruple axel in competition at 17 years old. Now the favorite for Olympic gold in 2026, the 20-year-old American has won consecutive world championships. While Malinin, who also trains at Irvine's Great Park Ice with Chen's former coach Rafael Arutyunyan, landed six quadruple jumps at the 2025 world championships, Chen watched from afar. Read more: Elliott: Nathan Chen's sense of purpose, and great skating, made him destined for gold The event took place in Boston, where Chen was completing a post-baccalaureate program. Instead of feeling like he was missing out, Chen was relieved he didn't have to feel the stress of competition. He's content to enjoy what could be a golden era of U.S. skating from the sideline. The United States claimed three of four world championships in 2025, the most ever for the country in a single world championship. Alysa Liu made an improbable return from a two-year hiatus to become the first U.S. woman to win the world championship since 2006. Madison Chock and Evan Bates won their third consecutive ice dance world title. Malinin, known as 'the Quad God,' became the first American man to win back-to-back singles world championships since Chen, who won three. Chen, the one-time 'Quad King,' is happy to pass his crown. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
