Author: rb809rb

As we continue our prep into the fresh fantasy baseball season, it’s time to figure out where the gold is buried. Which teams offer the most fantasy utility? Which teams are more challenging?

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2026 MLB season]

We’ll start at the bottom and work to No. 1, just like Casey Kasem used to do it. And the hits don’t stop ‘til we get to the top.

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30. Chicago White Sox

This group has lost 324 games in three years and things don’t look much better for 2026. There’s a lot of swing-and-miss in Colson Montgomery’s game, but he did conk 21 home runs in just 255 at-bats. Not bad for an ADP around 160. Manager Will Venable spreads the saves around; nobody in this bullpen got past seven handshakes last year.

29. Colorado Rockies

Colorado can often be a difficult fantasy sell because the entire pitching staff — or everyone but the closer — is usually off limits. Unfortunately, the Colorado offense of recent seasons has also been a mess. Catcher Hunter Goodman and outfielder Brenton Doyle are the only Rockies commanding top 200 picks. Perhaps newcomer Willi Castro can secure everyday time, perhaps at third base; he can be a value.

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28. Los Angeles Angels

There’s one sure thing on this roster: emerging star Zach Neto. Everyone else is a wishing well. We hope Jo Adell’s breakthrough last year was signal, not noise. We hope Mike Trout can stay healthy. We hope Logan O’Hoppe can figure out why his swing went south midway through 2025. The Angels amazingly never had a winning record in the Trout and Ohtani days, and things are more stark today.

27. Miami Marlins

It’s not as barren as you might think, with seven Miami players carrying a global ADP inside the top 200. Otto Lopez is a sleeper target, a contact-heavy bat who offers some pop and speed.

Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings

26. Washington Nationals

James Wood is a star at 23 and still can climb a level if the contact improves. CJ Abrams is a good bet to rebound from an inconsistent 2025. Staff ace MacKenzie Gore was shipped to Texas and a cast of thousands will compete for the closer chair.

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25. St. Louis Cardinals

It’s probably going to be a top-heavy lineup, so make sure you’re investing in the upper half. Brendan Donovan covers three positions and can be found around Yahoo ADP 196. The market likes Riley O’Brien to beat JoJo Romero for the closer role.

24. Pittsburgh Pirates

Paul Skenes has done the rarest thing in sports: he’s exceeded the hype. He might have a running mate in emerging Bubba Chandler, and Dennis Santana was a quality closer last year. But too many down years sunk the offense — Pittsburgh scored just 583 runs last year, worst in the majors.

23. Cleveland Guardians

It was a nifty trick to steal the AL Central despite being outscored (and Cleveland was 28th in runs as well). The pitching told the story — 10th in starter ERA, third in bullpen ERA — but Gavin Williams was the only fantasy hit in the rotation. José Ramírez hangs in the first round and closer Cade Smith should be a decent pick, but everyone else looks like a depth play.

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22. Tampa Bay Rays

Junior Caminero became a star overnight, but everyone else is the type of player you talk yourself into when the light hits them right. The Rays are always the eat-your-veggies roster, a team built on subtle skills, market inefficiencies and affordable contracts (they also stole 194 bases last year, 30 ahead of the pack). Sometimes all of that isn’t enough — this club has quietly been under .500 for two straight years.

21. The Athletics

MLB’s Team Nomad has a fun offense (12th in runs) swinging in a hitter-friendly park. Four Athletics carry global ADPs in the top 100, and six are in the top 170. There’s no established closer yet and every starting pitcher will open the year on the waiver wire in a standard mixed league.

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20. Minnesota Twins

I was shocked to see their starting pitching fall apart — Minnesota had a 4.51 ERA from their starters, 23rd in baseball. The offense was also 23rd in runs, which is how you explain a lousy 70-92 season. I’ll still audit this pitching staff closely and make some proactive picks, because everyone is priced as a value now. Byron Buxton was a superstar with five healthy months, but it’s just the second time he’s made it to 126 games.

19. Detroit Tigers

Two playoff seasons in a row have been a treat, but the Tigers stand at the fork in the road with pending free agent, Tarik Skubal. If they get off to a bad season, they might tear it down. Spencer Torkelson’s comeback season was fun, but he’s still a strikeout guy who won’t bat for a useful average.

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18. Kansas City Royals

They offer six players who command a top-100 ticket in global ADP, then the roof caves in. Bobby Witt Jr. still has a level to climb, and Maikel García was one of the most improved players in baseball last year.

17. Cincinnati Reds

Sneaking into the playoffs was a nifty trick given that just three of their offensive players were above league average. We’ll draft Elly De La Cruz and Hunter Greene aggressively, and I’m more optimistic on Andrew Abbott (fly-ball pitchers are often misunderstood) than the market is.

16. San Francisco Giants

Willy Adames eventually got comfortable in his new city, but Rafael Devers is in the wrong park. Ground balls and good control push Logan Webb to useful inning totals, though occasionally you’ll suffer through him getting BABIPed to death. The San Francisco park is one of my favorites, but if you make the trip for a night game, dress for December.

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15. Arizona Diamondbacks

The top half of the offense will be fun, but all the pitchers feel like speculation plays. Geraldo Perdomo was the NL’s most improved player last year, checking in as a seven-win star.

14. Baltimore Orioles

Gunnar Henderson is too big to fail and Pete Alonso always has a high floor, but it’s frightening how many young Baltimore players underachieved last year. Adley Rutchman’s career arc is scarily similar to Matt Wieters.

13. Houston Astros

A healthy Yordan Alvarez could be the best hitter in baseball, but he has the knees of a 45-year-old. Jeremy Peña was Houston’s best position player by far last year, still underrated. Hunter Brown’s emergence was for real.

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12. Toronto Blue Jays

For a World Series team, it’s not as glorious here as you might suspect — just three top 100 global picks, and one of them is 36-year-old George Springer. The rotation will give us multiple useful options, but please don’t tax your heart by watching Jeff Hoffman navigate the ninth inning.

11. Texas Rangers

You’ll stump everyone at the bar with this one — the Rangers had the best rotation ERA in baseball last year, helped significantly by 30 Jacob deGrom starts. My heart still rides with deGrom every five days, but I don’t have the stomach to pay his top 60 ADP, especially at age 38. If this lineup stays healthy, the Rangers could steal the AL West.

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10. Atlanta Braves

They had a historically-great offense three years ago. What happened? Injuries for some, production falloffs for others. They quietly have about nine players in the top 100 for global ADP, but every one of their players has an obvious downside, too. I’m a little nervous on this team. Chris Sale’s comeback was inspiring and Raisel Iglesias overcame a rough start, but they’re both in their late 30s — I can’t draft them proactively.

9. San Diego Padres

Manny Machado probably has eight toes in the Hall of Fame already, and a healthy Fernando Tatís Jr. can get there, too. Winning 90 games last year was a nifty trick despite bad-timing injuries from Jackson Merrill and Michael King (at his best, King is David Cone 2.0).

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8. Milwaukee Brewers

They’ve turned into what the Rays used to be, a yearly playoff team that makes its dollar stretch further than everyone else’s. The dreamy infield defense makes you want to invest in their starting staff — and man, Framber Valdez would be a perfect FA target. Brice Turang had a fun breakout year but might be a bargain again because he’s good at a lot of different things; Bill James taught us that specialists are often overrated, but versatile players often underrated. Christian Yelich is settling into his Ibañez All-Star years.

7. Boston Red Sox

Something old? Aroldis Chapman was unhittable last year. Something new? Roman Anthony might be an immediate star. Something borrowed? Stealing Garrett Crochet from the White Sox was an inspired move. Something blue? The Red Sox couldn’t figure out the Alex Bregman contract and the infield is screaming for help. Boston has the outfield depth to make a significant trade before the season starts.

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6. Philadelphia Phillies

Do yourself a favor and snag Kyle Schwarber in the second round, a screaming bargain. His batting average isn’t the risk it’s made out to be, he might get a handful of steals and his run production tied to heavy volume makes him a dream. The workload has caught up to catcher J.T. Realmuto — he had a 91 OPS+ last year. Gravity always wins.

5. Chicago Cubs

They were a top-five offense last year and that’s probably the floor if people stay healthy. The lineup has it all: balanced handedness, patience, power, speed. The sum of the rotation is more fun than the individual cases — this team doesn’t have a striking frontman. But that’s an October problem; the Cubs are well-positioned to win 90-plus games again, a good fit for the six-month grind.

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4. New York Mets

Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor are signature picks and the Freddy Peralta trade made sense, even with his struggles to go deep in games. The retooled offense features a lot of intriguing but speculative bets, adding Bo Bichette, Luis Robert Jr., Jorge Polanco and Marcus Semien.

3. Seattle Mariners

You’ll want to roster as many of their pitchers as possible — the roomy park certainly helps — and of course, there are fun pieces on offense, headlined by Julio Rodríguez and Cal Raleigh. Is this the year the Mariners finally wreck the trivia question and punch a World Series ticket?

2. New York Yankees

They outscored everyone last year, in part because they had the most walks and the highest slugging percentage. The Cody Bellinger dance took a while but it’s best for all parties that he eventually re-signed; he’s a good target at Yahoo ADP 70. Right-handed fireballer Cam Schlittler looked too good to be true down the stretch.

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1. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers won’t burn themselves out again trying to win 100 or more games, like they did earlier this decade, but there’s an absurdly high floor here. Just be mindful of some of the ages at play — Freddie Freeman steps into his age-36 season, Mookie Betts turns 33 and Max Muncy will be 35. If you draft an L.A. pitcher, remember this team can play the load management card more freely than anyone else.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is reportedly ready for a new home. But where? With the Bucks reportedly willing to listen to offers, our writers weigh in on the best landing spot for the 10-time All-Star and what the future holds in Milwaukee.

What’s the best landing spot for Giannis?

Ben Rohrbach: The New York Knicks. They are his preferred destination, or they were in August, when the Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks engaged in a weekslong “exclusive negotiating window” on a deal for Antetokounmpo, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. A happy Giannis is the best Giannis. Besides, how much fun would it be to watch him try to win New York its first NBA championship in more than 50 years, just as he did for Milwaukee? I’m not saying he would have enough around him left to do it, but Giannis in Madison Square Garden — sign me up.

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Kelly Iko: Detroit Pistons. I get the appeal of New York and the obsession from Miami, but if we’re talking about Giannis’ smoothest path back to the Finals, why not join forces with Cade Cunningham and the best team in the East? Cunningham needs a legitimate running mate to stop teams from simply putting two on the ball. He’s already established a lethal two-man attack with Jalen Duren — this would raise their ceiling by eons. I’d imagine there’s a small percentage of folks that had Detroit at 34-11 at this point in the season. Now is the time to be aggressive.

Tom Haberstroh: San Antonio Spurs. Tim Duncan and David Robinson walked so Wemby and Giannis could run. The Spurs would be terrifying if they were to get Giannis. No one would ever venture into the paint. To maximize drama and lean into the globalization of the game, we need some of these European superstars on the same team. Imagine them vs. OKC in the playoffs!

Morten Stig Jensen: San Antonio Spurs. While a path toward the Finals would likely be easier in Detroit due to the somewhat lacking quality of the Eastern Conference, the Spurs find themselves on another tier, one in which Antetokounmpo could pick and choose his spots more carefully, while likely prolong his career due to the partnership of Victor Wembanyama. Defensively, the Spurs would be nightmare fuel for any opponent, and the fact that both European big men can explode for 35-40 points on any given night only adds to the intrigue.

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Who’s the most attractive trade partner for the Bucks?

Haberstroh: The Atlanta Hawks. They can give the Bucks their 2026 pick rights back and add young talent in Jalen Johnson, who, by the way, instantly becomes a hometown hero. The Wisco native becomes Milwaukee’s version of SGA in OKC. The question is whether Atlanta takes that big of a swing. But if I’m Jon Horst, the “A” is on Line 1.

Jensen: Atlanta Hawks, assuming they are willing to relinquish Johnson and the oh-so-sweet 2026 selection, courtesy of the New Orleans Pelicans. The Spurs also remain in this hunt, given their offerings of selections, as well as multiple young players, and expiring contracts. Generally speaking, any team that holds attractive young players, and the control of several draft picks, should be able to make competitive bids for Antetokounmpo.

Iko: The Texas teams. The good ones, I mean. Take your pick of Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, or two of Alperen Şengün, Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard — plus some decent future draft capital. I certainly understand why neither of these teams feels the need to gut their rosters for Giannis, but typically the organizations wary of blowing up their roster are the ones that make the most sense for Milwaukee. The Bucks would still be able to reset their timeline all while remaining flexible for the immediate future.

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Rohrbach: Atlanta Hawks. No other team can offer what the Hawks could — a 24-year-old All-Star (Jalen Johnson) and/or an elite pick in this coming June’s draft (Atlanta owns the better pick between Milwaukee and the lottery-bound Pelicans). Package them together, and you might as well put pen to paper on a deal right now. There is some question, though, as to whether the Hawks would offer either asset. As of now, it does not appear they are willing to enter the Giannis sweepstakes. If they did, though, the Hawks could best any other team’s offer.

True or false: Giannis has played his last game in Milwaukee

Iko: True. I’m not one who believes the Bucks will get better offers in the summer — when Giannis essentially becomes an expiring contract — so if that’s the case, a deal would need to be made in less than a week. There’s no smoke without fire and the timing of these reports for the umpteenth time leads me to believe that something is brewing. This is very different from what happened with Ja Morant and Memphis. I’d be shocked if Antetokounmpo played another game in that uniform. Injuries, toxicity and the leverage war will ultimately win out.

Rohrbach: False. Before Antetokounmpo was “ready for a new home” on Wednesday, I got the sense that it made more sense to wait until the draft to make the move. “Better in the summer,” one source familiar with Milwaukee’s thinking told me. “More flexibility.” And that stance has not changed in the aftermath of Antetokounmpo’s availability. More teams can offer more (and likely better) draft capital after the season. It is also difficult to pull together a deal of this magnitude in the course of a week, especially if more than two teams are involved. I think Giannis remains a Buck until June, and in that case, I just cannot envision him sitting out the rest of the season.

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Jensen: True. Usually, I’d think hanging on to Antetokounmpo until the summer would make the most sense, but this time around my thoughts have changed, as long as the offers out there are worthwhile. Given that numerous teams can offer major trade packages, I believe it’s enough of an incentive for the Bucks to act now. I say this with one caveat: If a team calls up the Bucks and offers a summer package that’s so preposterously more attractive, due to the assets that get freed up in July, then it should behoove Milwaukee to wait, while finding every single reason to limit the amount of games Antetokounmpo plays for the remainder of the regular season.

Haberstroh: True. Even if he isn’t traded at the deadline, the Bucks would be unwise to play him at all with those calf strains the rest of the year. They need to slide in the draft and prioritize his health — and then trade him this summer at full value. What a run in Milwaukee he’s had.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the world No. 1 and 2 players in men’s tennis, have played each other in every one of the last three Grand Slam finals. In fact, the only men’s tennis player to appear in a Grand Slam final in 2025 who wasn’t Alcaraz or Sinner was No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev, who narrowly lost to Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open final. This year, Alcaraz and Zverev will face off in the men’s semifinal at the 2026 Australian Open to see which of them will make it to the final this year. The winner of tonight’s match will go on to face either Sinner or Novak Djokovic in the final. Will Zverev make it to his second consecutive Australian Open final, or will Alcaraz make it to his fourth Grand Slam championship match in a row? To be determined…

The men’s match begins at 10:30 p.m. ET, airing live on ESPN and streaming on ESPN Unlimited. Here’s what you need to know about the Alcaraz vs. Zverev match at the 2026 Australian Open.

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How to watch Carlos Alcaraz vs. Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open:

Date: Thursday, Jan. 29

Time (estimated): 10:30 p.m. ET

Location: Rod Laver Arena

TV channel: ESPN, ESPN Deportes

Streaming: ESPN Unlimited, DirecTV, Fubo and more

When is the Carlos Alcaraz vs. Alexander Zverev match at the 2026 Australian Open?

The semifinal match between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open will be on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026.

Carlos Alcaraz vs. Alexander Zverev match start time:

The match between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev will start at 10:30 p.m. ET. The match will be available live on ESPN Unlimited, and coverage of it will air live on ESPN.

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Australian Open channel:

In the U.S., tonight’s semifinal will air on ESPN and will stream on ESPN Unlimited.

How to watch the 2026 Australian Open:

Where to watch the 2026 Australian Open without cable:

If you want to catch every match of the Australian Open and don’t currently subscribe to ESPN+, cable or a live TV streaming service, in Australia a majority of the action will be streaming free with ads on 9Now.

Don’t live in the land down under? Don’t worry, you can still stream like you do with the help of a VPN. A VPN (virtual private network) helps protect your data, can mask your IP address and is perhaps most popular for being especially useful in the age of streaming. Whether you’re looking to watch Friends on Netflix (which left the U.S. version of the streamer back in 2019) or tune in to tennis coverage without a cable package, a VPN can help you out. Looking to try a VPN for the first time? This guide breaks down the best VPN options for every kind of user.

9Now. Plus it’s Engadget’s pick for the best premium VPN. ExpressVPN offers three tiers of subscriptions: The Basic Plan (starting at $3.49/month), the Advanced Plan (starting at $4.49/month) and the Pro Plan (starting at $7.49/month).

ExpressVPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, in case you’re nervous about trying a VPN.

Australian Open 2026 schedule:

All times Eastern

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Tuesday, January 27

• (Day 10) Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 11) Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals: 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, January 28

• (Day 11) Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 12) Women’s Semifinals: 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, January 29

• (Day 13) Men’s Semifinal: 10:30 p.m.

Friday, January 30

• (Day 13) Men’s Semifinal: 3:30 a.m.

Saturday, January 31

• (Day 14) Women’s Final: 3:30 a.m.

Sunday, February 1

• (Day 15) Men’s Final: 3:30 a.m.

Who is playing in the 2026 Australian Open?

The top 10 seeded players for the singles draws are listed below.

Men’s singles seeds for the Australian Open 2026

1. Carlos Alcaraz

2. Jannik Sinner

3. Alexander Zverev

4. Novak Djokovic

5. Felix Auger-Aliassime

Women’s singles seeds for the Australian Open 2026

1. Aryna Sabalenka

2. Iga Swiatek

3. Amanda Anisimova

4. Coco Gauff

5. Elena Rybakina

Australian Open prize money:

For 2026, the men’s and women’s singles winners of the Australian Open each get $4,150,000, with the runner-up receiving $2,150,000 and Semi-finalists $1,250,000.

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More ways to watch the 2026 Australian Open:

February 22, 2026

The New England Patriots blended into the Denver blizzard last week in the fourth quarter of their AFC championship victory. They improved to 5-0 when wearing their white jerseys with white pants this season.

The all-white look is coming with them to Santa Clara, California, where they’ll face the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks on Feb. 8 in Super Bowl LX.

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It’s poised to be the first matchup in Super Bowl history where both teams will showcase monochromatic jersey-pant combos, according to The Gridiron Uniform Database.

Because, as was the case during the teams’ Super Bowl XLIX matchup at the end of the 2014 season, the Seahawks will be going all-navy.

The Patriots, of course, won that game following Seattle’s infamous decision not to run the ball with Marshawn Lynch for a potential go-ahead touchdown. Malcolm Butler snagged a goal-line interception that clinched a 28-24 victory for New England.

When wearing white jerseys in the Super Bowl, the Patriots are 4-2. They’re 2-2 in the big game when donning their blue jerseys. New England was still wearing its “Pat Patriot” red jerseys when it lost to the Chicago Bears during Super Bowl XX in the 1985 season.

The Patriots have worn white jerseys in their past four Super Bowl appearances, going 3-1. While New England is technically the “home” team, it’ll look like the road team on Super Bowl Sunday.

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The Patriots are comfortable that way, though. They’ve won all nine of their games on the road this season, including last week’s AFC title game, embracing the mentality of being “road warriors.”

Seattle has worn navy jerseys in both of its Super Bowl losses, first against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL during the 2005 season and then versus the Patriots in the aforementioned Super Bowl XLIX 11 years ago.

When the Seahawks clobbered the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII the season prior, they were in white jerseys and navy pants.

Did Miami find a loophole in NIL? We have had many discussions on Darian Mensah’s journey from Duke to Miami in the last couple of weeks, but not much of the talk has been focused on the Hurricanes. Steven Godfrey returns to join Andy Staples and Ross Dellenger as they discuss how Miami may have found a way around player buyouts in college football. Are we closer to getting clear buyouts written in player contracts? Plus, do schools in states with no income tax have an advantage in NIL? The guys discuss.

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Then, they shift from players to coaches. The college football schedule is always a topic of debate, but the group most negatively affected by the current nonsensical schedule is the coaches. Many people may not feel bad for the head coaches making millions, but it’s all of the other coaches who really take on the biggest burden of the schedule. The dichotomy between the quality of life of college coaches versus coaches in the NFL has many coaches jumping ship to take a chance in the National Football League. Andy, Ross and Godfrey discuss how tough this schedule can be, and why the NFL model is more manageable for coaches. Plus, they discuss ways that the college football schedule can improve and also be more prevalent throughout the calendar year.

Later, they guys discuss the biggest news in the football world. Bill Belichick was not named a first ballot Hall of Famer. Many people have expressed shock and outrage by this omission. Andy poses a question to the group. Did Belichick’s struggles at North Carolina have a negative effect on his Hall of Fame candidacy? The guys discuss the situation.

Get all of your college football news here with College Football Enquirer.

0:00:00 – Miami finds NIL loophole w/ Mensah buyout

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16:17 – Will buyouts be standard in player contracts?

28:40 – NFL vs. college coaches quality of life

46:11 – How to improve the college football schedule

52:31 – Did Belichick’s UNC struggle affect his HOF candidacy?

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out all the episodes of theCollege Football Enquirer and the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family athttps://apple.co/3zEuTQj or atyahoosports.tv

Dallas Mavericks rookie phenom Cooper Flagg will return to the lineup Thursday night to face the Charlotte Hornets.

Flagg will return against a familiar face on the opposing side, with former Duke Blue Devil teammate Kon Knueppel (18.6 ppg on 42.1% 3-point shooting) starring for the Hornets. The former college teammates currently lead all rookies in scoring. The Mavs held out Flagg from Wednesday’s 118-105 loss to Minnesota due to an ankle injury.

The Mavs will also honor former No. 1 overall pick Mark Aguirre with a jersey retirement ceremony during halftime. Aguirre spent the first 7.5 seasons of his 13-year NBA career in Dallas and was a three-time All-Star for the Mavs.

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Flagg has been nothing short of stellar in his rookie campaign, leading all rookies in scoring at 18.8 points per game, while grabbing 6.4 rebounds and dishing out 4.1 assists. He’s appeared in 43 of Dallas’s 47 games thus far and started each one. His game has translated nicely in his first few months as a pro, and it looks like the Mavs have found their franchise player to build around for the future.

Despite Flagg’s contributions this season, it’s still been a rough one for Mavs fans. Veteran big man Anthony Davis hasn’t been able to stay on the court due to injury, leaving him open to swirling trade rumors, and point guard Kyrie Irving still has not returned from an ACL injury he suffered last March.

In the team’s first full season without Luka Dončić, the Mavs are 19-28 as we approach the All-Star break and are currently in 11th place in the Western Conference. They are 3.5 games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the final play-in spot in the west.

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Dallas and Charlotte tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET Thursday from the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

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Christian Polanco and Christine Cupo kick things off by tiering the Champions League field, separating the favorites from the contenders, dark horses, and pretenders. Who’s built to go the distance, which clubs are being overrated, and who could surprise Europe this season?

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Next, the guys react to Anthony Gordon’s recent comments throwing shade at the Premier League. Has the league’s dominance made it predictable and boring, or is this just another case of fans confusing quality with excitement? Christian and Christine debate whether the “best league in the world” label still holds up.

Finally, the conversation turns to the USWNT as Emma Hayes officially ushers in a new era. With a clear vision, fresh energy, and evolving tactics, the guys ask whether this team could reach an even higher level of dominance than previous generations.

Timestamps:

(4:30) – Recapping Champions League Matchday 8 excitement

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(9:00) – Listing Champions League Pretenders

(19:30) – Champions League contenders

(28:30) – Champions League favorites

(31:00) – Reacting to Anthony Gordon’s comments on PL’s lost excitement

(43:30) – Emma Hayes ushering in USWNT’s new era

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

With time running short until he must select his World Cup squad, U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said Thursday that, after assessing some 70 players over almost 16 months, the door is all but closed to new candidates. But paring down the list to 26 for this summer’s soccer festival in North America remains very much a work in progress.

His final opportunity to see players together in person will come the last week of March for heavyweight friendlies against Belgium and Portugal in Atlanta.

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Then comes his much-anticipated World Cup announcement in late May. Certainly, the March roster will tell a lot — but not everything, he cautioned — about what to expect.

“It’s true that now we are close to the World Cup,” Pochettino said Thursday on a video call with reporters. “It’s true it’s going to be difficult to bring some new players, because I think we don’t have time. But already we had time to assess all the players in a year and a half. I think we have a very good idea. Now it’s about [wishing] our players will be fit and in very good form for us to select the right players.”

Pochettino plans to name his roster for the next camp on March 17, six days before workouts begin in suburban Atlanta. Though most selections seem obvious, Pochettino has left high-profile players out of camps at times the past year.

Then there is the matter of injuries. Most of his regulars are healthy, but some are recuperating from setbacks. Most notably, Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams is sidelined with a knee ailment and in a race against time to be ready for the March camp. Even if absent, though, he would remain high on the list for a World Cup slot.

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With more to prove than Adams, striker Ricardo Pepi hopes to return soon from a broken forearm this month that interrupted a fantastic run of success with PSV Eindhoven. Pepi is also reportedly a transfer target in England.

“We’ll see how he’s going to come back and start to play and to perform,” Pochettino said of Pepi, who is among several strikers vying for probably three World Cup slots. “Of course, he’s a player that is [on] our radar. Hope he can be fit.”

No matter who is in camp in March, Pochettino wants his team to begin pivoting toward the World Cup.

“It’s a great opportunity in March,” he said. “The idea is that the World Cup will start in March, when we [are] all together, because it’s time to show like we were showing in the last camp [in the fall] — our identity, our way to play in the way we want to perform in the World Cup.”

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The Americans hit their stride late in the year, defeating four World Cup-bound teams (Japan, Australia, Paraguay and Uruguay) and tying another (Ecuador). The final match of 2025 was its best under Pochettino, a 5-1 rout of Uruguay in Tampa.

The four-month pause until the next international window fell at an inopportune time.

“How we finished 2025, you want to play the next week again to take advantage of the form and the belief and the energy from the group,” Pochettino said. “It’s really tough to spend all this time watching football, assessing players, having meetings, doing different things but no coaching. That is the most tough situation because we love to coach. We love to be on the grass.”

Without any camps, Pochettino and his staff have closely monitored players in the thick of European club seasons. His Major League Soccer candidates, however, are just getting back up to speed in preseason.

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Such players are not necessarily at a disadvantage for the March call-up, Pochettino said. “Maybe without games, you compensate with energy,” he said. “They came from a period that they rest, they recover, and now they are charging the batteries to be full.”

The MLS regular season won’t begin until Feb. 21, though some teams will get started earlier as part of the Concacaf Champions Cup.

One key MLS-based player is reportedly leaving for the European circuit soon: right back Alex Freeman, who is expected to join Villarreal in Spain’s La Liga from Orlando City. Such a move so close to the World Cup comes with some risk, because without regular playing time with a new club in midseason, Freeman could lose his grip on a U.S. roster slot.

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Pochettino said Freeman called him to ask his opinion about the impending move.

“I am not concerned if some players are going to move in that transfer window,” Pochettino said. “It’s important the player feels happy, feels comfortable. … They want to improve. They want to grow. It’s an amazing challenge we need to support, and help [him] into adapting the best possible way and to not lose focus.”

LeBron James’ return to face the Cleveland Cavaliers was the biggest story to come out of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 129-99 loss Wednesday, but it was nearly overshadowed by a controversial injury. Lakers superstar Luka Dončić was briefly removed from the contest after falling off the Cavaliers’ raised court.

The moment occurred early in the contest. After shooting a three just minutes into the game, Dončić backed up on one foot, watching to see if his shot was good. He wound up going too far, falling off the Cavaliers’ raised court and injuring his leg.

Dončić was removed from the contest and went to the Lakers’ locker room. After being checked out by team trainers, Dončić was able to return at the end of the first quarter and play the rest of the game. Dončić finished with 29 points in just under 30 minutes of play.

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While the Lakers’ star avoided a major injury, the Cavaliers’ raised court drew a major focus from the Lakers after the game. Coach JJ Redick called it a “safety hazard,” one that he didn’t expect to change even if the team filed a formal complaint to the league, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“It is absolutely a safety hazard,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said after Doncic was able to return later in the first quarter. “And I don’t know why it’s still like that. I don’t. You know, you can lodge formal complaints. A lot of times you don’t see any change when you lodge a formal complaint.”

The Cavaliers are the only team in the NBA that plays on an elevated court. There’s roughly a 10-inch separation from the court to the arena floor. While that drop is supposed to be far enough out of play that it won’t affect players, that clearly wasn’t the case during Wednesday’s game.

Lakers guard Gabe Vincent echoed Redick’s concern, saying he hoped “something can get fixed” with the court.

“It’s tough to see another player get hurt on this court, with the fall, with the drop off,” Lakers guard Gabe Vincent said Monday, “so hopefully something can get fixed with that, but we’re fortunate that [Doncic] is OK.”

As for Dončić, he put the incident on himself, saying “It’s the only court like this so, I guess it’s my fault.” He added that he needs to stop jumping like that after shots.

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When asked whether he would contact the league about the court, though, Dončić said “don’t involve me in that.” Redick took a similar track, saying the issue was above his pay grade.

Dončić is not the only player to sustain an injury due to the Cavaliers’ raised court. In 2023, Miami Heat guard Dru Smith sustained an ACL sprain after trying to contest a shot. Smith jumped near the Cavaliers’ bench, and his momentum took him all the way to the edge of the court. Smith’s right leg landed on the court’s edge and then dropped all the way down to the arena floor. He was ruled out for the rest of the season due to a knee injury.

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The Heat reportedly raised the issue with the league following Smith’s injury, according to The Athletic.

That incident wasn’t enough to force the Cavaliers into making a change. While Dončić is currently questionable with “left ankle soreness” for Friday’s game against Washington, his scare could reignite the issue in the league office. The last thing the NBA wants is a premier player going down with a significant injury thanks to an uncommon court hazard.

It has been more than 48 hours since word first broke that Bill Belichick, the NFL’s all-time leader in Super Bowl titles and playoff wins among head coaches, will not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. That has proven to be a bit controversial.

Reactions to the news have skewed heavily toward outrage, from some of the biggest names of the football world and beyond. Making the situation even more contentious is an opaque and complicated voting process that might have incentivized some voters to leave Belichick off their ballot.

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The decision to reject Belichick in his first year of eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame came down to the selection committee, a room of 50 people, all media members from diverse backgrounds with representatives from all 32-team media contingents. Some members have been respected reporters for decades. Some were Hall of Fame players and coaches themselves.

For enshrinement, Belichick needed at least 80% approval (i.e. 40 voters). That means at least 11 people voted against him.

There has been enough tension that the Hall of Fame released a statement Wednesday hinting that any violation of its bylaws could lead to repercussions for voters, including removal from future committees. Belichick is not named in the statement.

We still don’t officially know who voted for or against Belichick. We weren’t even supposed to know he didn’t make the cut until the announcement of the 2026 Hall of Fame class next week, but ESPN opted to report the news early. It’s unclear if the full voting breakdown will ever be revealed.

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However, several voters have taken it upon themselves to tell the public that this isn’t on them, a rare step in a usually secretive process. Yahoo Sports has compiled all available statements from the voters to break down how all 50 members of the selection committee appear to have voted.

Confirmed ‘yes’ votes (25)

Polian requires elaboration, as he was initially reported by ESPN to have made the case in the voting room that Belichick should have to wait a year as penance for the cheating scandals that happened under his watch. Polian immediately denied that claim, then lightly walked that back by admitting he wasn’t 100% he voted for Belichick, then confirmed he voted for Belichick.

It’s also worth noting that several members of this group have called for the full votes to be revealed and to reform a process in which they could choose only three of Belichick, Patriots owner Robert Kraft and senior players Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood.

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Implied ‘yes’ votes (1)

Confirmed ‘no’ votes (2)

Gregorian became the first voter to outright confirm he voted against Belichick. In a Wednesday column with the Kansas City Star, he explained he didn’t vote against Belichick (and Kraft) so much as for the three senior players up for enshrinement: Anderson, Craig and Greenwood.

Gregorian said he believed all five of the candidates were deserving, but was concerned that the three players would have to wait much longer than Belichick, like many other senior candidates. It’s a system he believes should change:

All of that went into why I felt duty-bound to vote for the richly deserving seniors, who most likely won’t ever have a hearing again as more senior candidates enter the pool and fresh cases get made for others.

Meanwhile, Belichick is inevitable soon … as he should be. At the risk of contradicting my own vote, really, he shouldn’t even have to wait. I understand why people are offended that he isn’t going in the first moment he can.

In the end, though, I felt more compelled by what I perceive to be last chances and looming lost causes within the system as we have it — a system I hope the Hall will see fit to change now.

Other “no” voters obviously had different reasons. Salguero, one of the “yes” voters, has published an account claiming there were voters in the room who voiced their concerns about Spygate before the voting. However, other accounts have indicated there were few enough of them that the outcome was still a big surprise.

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Gregorian made very clear Spygate didn’t influence his decision.

In the case of Chappell, he said he voted for Kraft and two of the senior players and made his case for the Kraft over Belichick decision, specifically citing Spygate and Kraft’s efforts to both build up the Patriots in the 1990s and end the work stoppage in 2011. Like Gregorian, he also took issue with lumping the coaches, contributors and seniors into a single competitive arena.

Declined to say (6)

We should make clear here that a voter’s presence in this section absolutely does not mean they are a secret “no” vote. Voters typically don’t reveal their votes until after the class is announced and some of these guys are sticking with that. You can read their reasoning in each of the above links.

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Unknown (16)

• Darryl Ledbetter, Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta Falcons)

• Geoff Hobson, Bengals.com (Cincinnati Bengals)

• Rick Gosselin, Talk of Fame Network (Dallas Cowboys)

• Jeff Legwold, ESPN/ESPN.com (Denver Broncos)

• Paul Gutierrez, Raiders.com (Las Vegas Raiders)

• Howard Balzer, SiriusXM NFL Radio (Los Angeles Rams)

• Joel Bussert, retired, NFL Office (at-large)

• Tony Dungy, NBC Sports “Football Night in America”(at-large)

• Dan Fouts, Broadcaster (at-large)

• Clark Judge, Talk of Fame Network (at-large)

• Ross Ketover, NFL Films (at-large) *

• James Lofton, CBS Sports (at-large)

• Alex Marvez, SiriusXM NFL Radio (at-large)

• Lisa Salters, ESPN “Monday Night Football” (at-large)

• Jim Trotter, retired, The Athletic (at-large)

• Barry Wilner, retired, Associated Press (at-large)

As far as we can tell, there have been no public statements from any of these voters. When factoring in Gregorian and assuming no one has been misleading or outright lying, at least nine of the people in the above two fields voted against Belichick.