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New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Fantasy baseball starting pitching ranks for the final stretch of the season
It's time for change. One of the toughest things about doing these rankings is that every fantasy baseball league has different settings, particularly when it comes to injury. There are just too many different sets of rules a league can have to make one set of rankings that includes healthy and injured pitches make sense for everyone. Does your league have injured list slots at all? Do you have just one or two? Do you have unlimited injury slots? That changes so much about your risk tolerance generally but also about how you handle an injured starter in season. So it's time to take injured pitchers out of the rankings. Instead, let's have a little table with the 15 most relevant starting pitchers, where they would rank if they were fully healthy, and what their most recent injury note has been. A table like this: Now you can assess for yourself how long it's worth holding onto these guys, or when it might be time to pounce. In terms of notes, it's probably a positive sign if they've had a rehab start. They may still need a week or two, but they've been deemed healthy enough to get on the mound competitively, and that means they are relatively close to returning. If they are currently shut down, or even just playing catch, the timeline back is pretty nebulous, even for the team and player involved. Advertisement Another difficulty with the rankings has been how to represent minor leaguers that are interesting. Obviously in many leagues you can benefit from stashing young players before they get to the big leagues, but there's also a short shelf life for them. Many fantasy players have been waiting for the Pirates' Bubba Chandler to come up forever, and it just hasn't happened. To help with the decision on whether to stash a prospect, we'll include the top 10 minor leaguers, with minor league Stuff+ where it's available, and a guess at when they might be up. That list is below: What that leaves is a ranking of 150 pitchers who are in the big leagues and in big-league rotations right now. Rotations are always a living organism, so maybe some of these guys — particularly at the bottom of the list — are on their way in or out of their current roles. But, for the most part, these are pitchers who are going to pitch this week. That makes them a whole lot easier to rank, using our usual array of predictive metrics like projected ERA and K% (using OOPSY projections from FanGraphs, which include stuff metrics), Stuff+ and Location+, and strikeouts minus walks. And we'll put my working document into the Google doc, where I'll also update the minor league Stuff+ numbers this week. Good luck down the stretch! (Top Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Photos: Luke Hales / Getty Images, Harry How / Getty Images, Yuki Iwamura / Associated Press) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Seahawks plan to play starters, if only briefly, Friday night
The Seahawks haven't seen Sam Darnold on the field in game action yet. That looks like it will change Friday. Coach Mike Macdonald said the plan is to play the starters against the Chiefs. "Might be a couple of guys that will vary based on whether they get out there or not. We're still kind of working through it right now for guys who are going to sit the game out," Macdonald said, via video from Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. It's not clear how long the starters will play but at least a series. "I don't think we need to, but I think it's the best thing for us," Macdonald said. Geno Smith, the starting quarterback for the Seahawks last season, did not play until the third preseason game. He saw five snaps. The Seahawks rested 30 players in the preseason opener against the Raiders.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Most important developments from 1st week of NFL preseason, including Shedeur Sanders
We've now seen every team play this preseason. Or, at least there were players in all 32 team uniforms on an NFL field. As we know, some teams won't play starters at all in the preseason. In the first week of the preseason, half of the teams did not play their starting quarterback or many starters overall. Some starters played very little, like Patrick Mahomes who threw just one pass. At least it was for a touchdown. So we don't have interesting developments on every team. But there were some important news items from the first week of the preseason: Shedeur Sanders' critics don't have much to say Sanders hasn't played a real NFL game and he might be the most divisive player in the league already. He moves the needle both ways, but those tuning in to see him fail in his preseason debut didn't have much to work with. There wasn't much negative about it. Sanders was pretty good in his surprise start, and it was even more impressive considering it was a difficult situation. Sanders, who started due to injuries to Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel and also Joe Flacco being held out, did everything expected of him. He was safe early with short throws but got warmer as the game went on. He was comfortable and confident, and both touchdown passes were excellent in different ways. All in all, it was a successful debut. But with Sanders being the most discussed rookie fifth-round pick ever, the reactions weren't going to be measured. Sanders still is very unlikely to be QB1 before the season starts, and a half of football doesn't prove much for the long term either. But it was a promising beginning and it was a good step in a competition that does matter, and that's with Gabriel for the top rookie on the depth chart entering the season. Anthony Richardson's mistake isn't good for him The issue with Richardson in the NFL has rarely been physical. He is still incredibly inexperienced, and that was amplified in his first preseason action this year because his mistake ended up getting him injured. Richardson got blasted on an outside rush by Ravens linebacker David Ojabo, and plenty of former quarterbacks and film analysts quickly identified that it was an error by Richardson. He had to identify that the Ravens would have a free rusher to his right and hit the outlet, which was the running back. He also had a wide open receiver on a curl route to the right side. But he looked left, never saw Ojabo coming and took a sack that also dislocated his right pinkie finger. The injury doesn't sound like it will be a long term issue, but Colts coach Shane Steichen will take note that Richardson couldn't identify where to go with the ball on that play before it turned into a negative. It's just one play, but it will have to be in the back of the staff's mind when it decides if Richardson or Daniel Jones wins the job. Bengals defense didn't answer any questions The Eagles gained 432 yards on the Bengals without playing any starters, and Philadelphia backup quarterback Tanner McKee looked like an All-Pro. A lot of the game was taken by the Bengals' backups, but the starters did play some. And they did not play well. Cincinnati's issue isn't a mystery: The offense is great and the defense isn't. The Eagles backups scored a touchdown on the Bengals' starters, then they got a field goal against a Bengals defensive lineup that included many starters. The preseason doesn't matter too much, but the Bengals defense starting the preseason slowly (without last season's NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson, who is holding out) isn't the best news. Jaxson Dart plays well, draws praise Brian Daboll seemed to like what Dart did in his first preseason snaps. Dart was 12 of 19 for 154 yards and a very nice touchdown throw. "Efficient, effective, aggressive, confident in the pocket," Daboll said after the game "Some stuff we can work on, but he's doing good. "Look, there's things he can be better at, but we missed some opportunities on third down, some drops that would have even been better for him and for us. But he's a confident young player. He's improved since he's been here. Still have a long way to go, but I enjoy working with him. I like his demeanor on the sideline. He sees the game well." Often coaches want to tone down praise for first-round quarterbacks, especially those who might begin the season on the bench. No reason to fuel a controversy that will be there regardless. Daboll saying many good things about Dart is interesting. Dart did play well and if that continues this month, it will be harder to keep him out of the starting lineup early in the season. There's still time for Dart to at least make a strong argument to get the start in Week 1, too. Tetairoa McMillan is going to be good It's just one play, and a preseason play at that, but a story can be told from rookie Tetairoa McMillan's 30-yard grab from Bryce Young in the Carolina Panthers' opener. McMillan wasn't open, it's just that Young knew McMillan would be open for him and trusted him enough to drop a deep pass in the bucket. And McMillan, the eighth pick of the draft, made a great adjustment with the ball in the air and a very nice over the shoulder catch. Overreacting to one play is a bad idea. But that is a good preview for how that connection will click right away. Pair of important RB injuries Tyjae Spears and Rachaad White aren't starters, but they are expected to be high-usage backups this season. And both are already dealing with injuries. Spears, Tony Pollard's backup with the Tennessee Titans left on a cart after having his ankle rolled up on a tackle. It was a high ankle sprain and Spears' preseason is likely done, via Turron Davenport of ESPN. Even if Spears comes back for Week 1, high ankle sprains can often limit a player for weeks after he returns. White is behind Bucky Irving in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' running back depth chart, but he was going to play a lot. But a groin injury could change that. While Bucs coach Todd Bowles said White is day to day, we'll see when he returns. What this mostly means is Pollard and Irving might have to carry more of the load in September. Kyler Murray's bad INT The good news is Murray completed seven of his eight passes. The bad news was the other pass. Murray threw a poor interception that was easily picked off by Chiefs safety Jaden Hicks. Murray explained that he 'just didn't get enough on it," and while it's not the end of the world to make a mistake in the preseason, it's not the way the Arizona Cardinals want this season to get going. Murray's potential to be a top-tier quarterback is being hyped again this offseason. And mostly he played well in his preseason action last week. But he can't be making mistakes like that interception anymore. Abdul Carter will have an immediate impact Buffalo Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins is one of the best in the league. The Bills pay him more than $20 million per season. And Carter, the New York Giants' top-drafted rookie, looked really good in a few snaps against him. Carter, the third pick of the draft, had three pressures on three pass-rushing downs according to Pro Football Focus. And the way he moved was eye-popping. Carter was already the most obvious pick to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. If his first preseason action was any indication, he might run away with the award.
Yahoo
08-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Is Bears QB Caleb Williams playing in preseason game vs. Dolphins?
The Chicago Bears are set to officially begin their preseason slate on Sunday when the Miami Dolphins come to Soldier Field, but will quarterback Caleb Williams and the starters on offense and defense be out there? It's a question fans and media have been asking all week, and head coach Ben Johnson finally revealed his plans on Friday morning. In an exclusive interview with CHGO's Hoge and Jahns show, Johnson said Williams and the starters will not see any game action on Sunday. "There are going to be a number of guys that aren't playing in this game. I haven't even told the team this yet," Johnson said in the interview. "There are going to be a number of guys that aren't playing in the game, so we're going to get great work in the joint practice." Johnson is looking to get a lot out of the joint practice with the Dolphins that takes place on Friday, but he has more plans to ensure the starters get the reps they need. "We have a number of things scheduled around the game for those guys that aren't playing, whether it's the day before or the day after," he said. "We're actually going to end up getting more reps for them than they would have had we played them Week 1 of this game." As for who will not play in the game besides Williams, Johnson did not give specific names but mentioned nine guys on offense and defense will be inactive. That accounts for the vast majority of the starters. Playing starters in preseason games is an age-old debate that pops up every single year. It seems coaches are focusing more and more on practices and less on the games, with many holding their starters out in Week 1 up to this point. On Thursday night, the Cincinnati Bengals were the lone exception as they played their starters to try and circumvent their slow starts to the season. At some point, Williams and the starters will see the field for a preseason game to gear up for Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings. This week, however, it will be the reserves who get the chance to shine on the lakefront. This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Dolphins: Is Caleb Williams playing in preseason Week 1?
