Atlanta Falcons rookie James Pearce Jr. was arrested Saturday on a series of domestic violence-related charges, according to Miami-Dade County jail records.
Pearce faces two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon as well as aggravated stalking, fleeing or eluding police with lights or siren, aggravated battery involving a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer without violence to his person. He was booked at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Saturday.
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On Sunday, it was confirmed Pearce is facing five felony accounts, and he posted $20,500 bond, per ESPN. Pearce was also given a stay-away order, ensuring he does not interact with the woman reportedly involved in the dispute that led to Pearce’s arrest, per ESPN.
More details emerged regarding Pearce’s arrest Monday. Pearce was accused of crashing his car into a car being driven by the alleged victim multiple times. Pearce was also accused of hitting a police officer with a vehicle while trying to evade arrest, per ESPN.
According to Local 10 News, Pearce was arrested after officers were dispatched for a dispute between a man and woman. Pearce is reportedly alleged to have fled the scene and crashed his vehicle at the end of a police chase. There is video on social media that appears to show his arrest, in which seven officers can be seen wrestling him to the ground and putting him in handcuffs.
“We are aware of an incident involving James Pearce Jr., in Miami. We are in the process of gathering more information and will not have any further comment on an open legal matter at this time.”
Pearce was selected 26th overall by the Falcons in the 2025 NFL Draft after two first-team All-SEC seasons with Tennessee. He posted 26 combined tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks in his rookie year and finished in third place for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
But for many athletes at the Milan Cortina Games, particularly those who compete in sports that would be inherently dangerous for regular people, the entire concept of acceptable risk isn’t relatable at all.
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“In a lot of ways, it’s kind of like driving your car,” said retired ski racer and four-time Olympic medalist Julia Mancuso. “It’s supposed to be safe but there’s car accidents all the time.”
While the outcome of Vonn’s decision to compete played out in horrifying fashion for everyone to see — to be clear, it’s uncertain whether weakness in her knee or an over-aggressive strategy caused her to clip a gate and go tumbling toward further injury — the unfortunate result does not inherently mean she was reckless.
In an array of winter sports that take place on snowboards and skis, typically involving human beings moving down a mountain at top speed or spinning and flipping through the air, there is no competition if there is no risk.
The athletes who have chosen to make those sports their life’s work face the potential of severe injury and death every day. But that does not mean they approach competition with fearlessness. Often, it’s quite the opposite.
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“You’re about to fly through the air with these heavy sticks and weights on your feet and you’re going to take off on ice and land on ice,” said Alex Ferreira, a freestyle skier who specializes in the halfpipe. “And if you don’t do it perfectly, the consequence is extremely high.”
Ferreira, a 31-year old who won a silver and bronze medal at the past two Winter Games, does not fit the outdated stereotype of an X Games athlete rolling out of bed after a night of partying and hitting the mountain in baggy pants. Maybe some of that was true in his younger days, but as one of freeski’s elder statesmen, he’s in bed by 8 p.m., brings his own food on the road and approaches his job with extreme seriousness.
That’s because the job is to launch himself into a curved, hollowed-out icicle with 22-foot walls, ski up the sides and use the momentum to get airborne. From there, he will perform complex, highly technical tricks that get bolder and more dangerous every year to remain competitive in a sport where each generation of athletes pushes past old boundaries.
A bad day at the office doesn’t mean failing to medal. It’s broken bones, as Vonn suffered on Sunday, concussions and maybe even a loss of life.
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What is going through Ferreira’s mind when he’s getting ready to drop in and perform some of these tricks, particularly ones he’s never tried in competition? It’s not fearlessness. Sometimes, it’s quite the opposite.
“I’m scared ****less,” he said.
Even after all the training, Alex Ferreira still feels the nerves whenever he flies out of a halfpipe. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
(Sean M. Haffey via Getty Images)
Knowing your limit
But for the best in the world, a healthy respect for the worst-case scenario isn’t just a requirement, it’s a superpower.
It never guarantees that everyone is going to make it through safely. But it does tilt the risk profile further in their favor than most of us civilians can wrap our minds around.
That can be hard to quantify with a number, but it’s the seed of doubt that keeps them safe on days when the wind blows a little too hard or when they’re not physically at their best. It’s the meter in the back of their minds constantly calculating the likelihood of landing a trick or nailing a run — and the potential danger waiting for them if they don’t. In many cases, it’s what prevents a bruising fall from becoming broken bones or worse.
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It’s the necessary boundary between being an adrenaline junkie and doing something that turns risk into recklessness.
“I’ve never tried anything where I was like, ‘Oh, this might not be the day for it,’” said Alex Hall, the freestyle skier who won slopestyle gold in Beijing four years ago. “You want to be on the upper edge of your comfort level, but there’s a fine line between [approaching it] and going beyond it.”
United States’ Lindsey Vonn crashes into a gate during an alpine ski women’s downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Did Vonn go too far?
Mancuso can only relate it to a similar experience she had at the Sochi Games in 2014, where her confidence after winning the first portion of the women’s combined event got the better of her and she took more aggressive lines than she should have in more difficult conditions.
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“I think [Vonn] went into the Olympics and was like, ‘This is it. I’m leaving it all on the line,’” Mancuso said. “And she kind of forgot she was injured. And rightfully so, you don’t want to go out of the gate thinking I’m injured. But in this situation, she probably shouldn’t have been pushing the limits above that line. It looked to me like the course ran faster and you could see her kick out of the start gate with everything she had to give and went really tight across the traverse.
“If you’re really trying to not leave anything on the hill, you cut the line to these tiny bits. So in that sense, she was really trying to be perfect and the snow was a little bit grippy or a bit harder and it didn’t push her down the hill probably like she thought and launched her right into that gate.”
Bar continues to rise
Much like in speed racing, where the improvement in technology has made skiers faster and their task more treacherous, the trend lines in freeski and snowboard have moved in the direction of more dangerous maneuvers. Tricks that might have won medals two or three Olympics ago are now considered pedestrian.
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Take, for example, the big air competition. Added to the Olympics in 2018, competitors ski or snowboard down a massive ramp, launch into the air and perform a trick that is judged on a variety of factors including creativity, difficulty, number of flips and rotations and, of course, execution.
It is an inherently dangerous endeavor, one that has always given pause to Red Gerard, a slopestyle specialist who won the gold medal in 2018. In the Olympics, making the team means qualifying for both events automatically. After failing to qualify for the Big Air final on Thursday night here, he questioned why snowboarders have to do both and criticized the setup of the jump, a freestanding structure built on scaffolding, rather than cut into the mountain.
“I don’t understand why we’re forced to do this,” he said. “I just want to be focusing on slopestyle. Not to dig on anyone that does it — everyone that does this are badasses that are very good at the sport — but this is not my gig.”
LIVIGNO, ITALY – FEBRUARY 02: A general view of the Big Air venue inside the Olympic Snow Park on February 02, 2026 in Livigno, Italy. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
(David Ramos via Getty Images)
Gerard is among the many snowboarders who watched as Canada’s Mark McMorris crashed during big air training on Wednesday and withdrew, citing the fact he hit his head during the fall. Though it appears McMorris did not suffer serious injuries and could compete in slopestyle, it was one more factor giving pause to riders like Gerard who do not want to compromise themselves for their best event.
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“He’s like a GOAT of our sport,” Gerard said. “You think those guys are invincible in a lot of ways and it sucks to see when it does happen like that. I think, personally, maybe that could have been avoided, doing a jump on scaffolding and stuff like that.”
And Big Air only gets bigger and more dangerous every Olympic cycle.
Snowboarder Jamie Anderson, now 35, won silver at the first big air in Pyeongchang with a frontside 1080-degree trick — three full rotations in the air. She was one-upped by Austria’s Anna Gasser, who executed a more complex 1080.
Four years later in Beijing, it took a double cork 1260 — 3½ full off-axis spins — for Gasser to repeat as gold medalist while Anderson finished off the podium. Anderson, who failed to qualify for this year’s Olympic team after taking time away from the sport to have children, acknowledged that her new status as a mother changed her risk profile.
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“The tricks are crazy,” she said. “Girls are doing triple corks and 1440s and maybe even 1620s. In four years to see how much it’s evolved and progressed just goes to show how insane all the training facilities and modern technology has become.”
Anna Gasser of Team Austria performs a trick during the Women’s Snowboard Big Air final at the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
(Elsa via Getty Images)
No guarantees
These skiing and snowboarding labs are where the elaborate and dangerous tricks get built. Before one of these athletes ever tries something risky on the snow, they will have practiced all the moves on a trampoline, progressing to rollerblades into a foam pit and then jumping into a 300-by-100-foot airbag with their skis or snowboard on.
Still, even after months of development, it’s different when you’re on the mountain with no air bag for protection.
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“You have to go, you have to try it and you have to fully commit the first time,” said Nick Goepper, a freestyle skier who has medaled in slopestyle at the past three Winter Games.
But what happens if you get into the heat of competition and realize everything you’ve practiced and perfected isn’t going to be good enough?
That’s certainly the situation Hall faced four years ago in Beijing, knowing he needed something special in his final attempt to medal in big air. Instead of trying an easier trick that would have given him a 50-50 shot to be on the podium, he took on extra risk trying to win it all.
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“I didn’t make that decision until about five seconds before dropping in,” he said. “It didn’t quite go my way — I landed on my feet and barely tipped over — but I’m proud of trying it.”
In a way, that innate desire to reach for something a little more is what animates so much of the progression in these dangerous winter sports. It’s not just about winning, it’s about looking good and pushing your own limits — even if you fail.
“The guys you really respect in your sport, you want them to be excited about what you’re doing too,” Hall said.
As a result, it’s practically impossible to compete in these sports over a long stretch of time without suffering a few injuries along the way, forcing athletes to hone their own instincts about what’s too dangerous, how to safely eject from a bad situation and mitigate damage if something goes wrong.
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“Once you take a crash, you learn quickly, ‘Oh, I don’t want that to happen again,’” Ferreira said. “You realize it can’t happen again or I won’t be able to keep going.”
But there are never any guarantees, and with each Olympic cycle, the bar for danger gets raised. Younger competitors are willing to take on more and more risk. The outgoing generation has to decide whether it’s worthwhile to try and keep up.
Vonn ended up on the wrong side of that line Saturday. But after a lifetime of managing the inherent risks of her sport, it wasn’t because she didn’t respect the potential for danger. It’s because she was comfortable with it in ways most of us will never understand.
Welcome back to The Playlist: my weekly column that lets you know who to add off the waiver wire and get in your lineup for the upcoming week in fantasy basketball.
Every league is different — sometimes a 75% rostered player hits waivers, whether by mistake or because they’ve hit an intolerable slump. If they fit your build, get ’em. But for this column, we’re focusing on players under 50% rostered who are widely available and ready to help in Week 17 or beyond.
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Reminder: The Week 17 scoring period lasts two weeks from Feb. 9 through Feb. 22. Your weekly waiver transactions will not reset each week, so don’t blow through all of your transactions before you hit the second part of Week 17!
Kyle Kuzma – FC, Milwaukee Bucks (27%)
Hard to believe, but Kuz has been a top-40 player in High Score over the past two weeks, averaging 40 fantasy points per game. As long as Giannis is out, he’ll play 30+ minutes per game and the bump in usage has led to him posting a solid 18/7/6 line in his last five outings.
The Bucks play three of their five games in Part 1 of Week 17, so if he doesn’t do it for you, drop him and move on. The Bucks start the week against the Magic twice and play OKC on Thursday before the All-Star Break.
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Ty Jerome – G, Memphis Grizzlies (33%)
According to Grizzlies GM Zack Kleiman, it will take a “medical determination” for Ja Morant to play again. I take that as code for: he’s not playing anytime soon. Therefore, Jerome is a must-add in all formats. Since returning to the court four games ago, he’s averaged 37 fantasy points per game in High Score. Scotty Pippen Jr. is back, and Cam Spencer is still a factor; however, Jerome has the most upside of the backcourt trio. He’s dropped at least 19 points with 5 assists in three of his four games with a 20-minute cap. Those numbers will spike once he’s cleared to play more than 25 minutes.
Day’Ron Sharpe – FC, Brooklyn Nets (15%)
Expect the Nets to continue resting their key rotational players sporadically for the rest of the season. It starts with MPJ and Egor Dëmin on Monday. Though they don’t play the same position, Sharpe is the Nets player to add. He’s been a versatile, per-minute beast all year and he’ll make for a good stream across Week 17 with the Nets playing five games. He’s coming off a 52-fantasy point performance in Week 16. With legit double-double potential (plus stocks), make sure he’s not on waivers.
Ivica Zubac is now with the Pacers, leaving Lopez as the next man up to lead the Clippers frontcourt. In his first game without Zu, he put up 15 points with 9 boards, 2 assists and 4 stocks, amassing 40 fantasy points in High Score. Not saying the 37-year-old will do that every night (as seen by his follow-up 5-2-2 dud), but Lopez remains a good source of blocks and is capable of putting up a double-double. There aren’t many frontcourt players available on waivers who will play 28-35 minutes, so Lopez is worth the flier in shallow 10-man leagues like High Score.
🎧 Who’s in My Rotation:Deeper league stashes
Jaden Ivey – PG/SG, Chicago Bulls (26%)
The Bulls’ guard situation is a mess. However, Ivey is the best investment if you’re going to take the plunge. Through two games with his new squad, Ivey is averaging 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Not shabby at all, considering it came with a modest 16% usage rate.
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Josh Giddey (hamstring) is out of the lineup, but for streaming in the short term, Ivey is a good choice, especially for points leagues. I’d also consider Rob Dillingham, as those guards are going to have plenty of freedom to play their way for a Bulls team that traded away most of their vets.
Max Christie – SG/SF, Dallas Mavericks (17%)
Christie can be hit-or-miss, but between the schedule and his role post-trade deadline, he should be well over 20% rostered. Dallas plays five games in Week 17, but the first two fall on the lightest slates of Tuesday and Thursday this week. Christie ranked 77th in Week 16 and his scoring, 3s, steals and low turnover rate are assets for 9-cat leagues. His rostership is down 6%, which is a mistake given he’s been playing like a top-100 option over the past month.
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Aaron Wiggins – SG/SF, Oklahoma City Thunder (12%)
The Thunder are down bad with injuries and Wiggins is an option for 9-cat or points leagues if you’re looking for stocks and scoring. Wiggins has been a top-85 player for the past month, creeping into the top 80 in Week 16. Like the Mavs and Bulls, the Thunder also play five games in Week 17.
In order of priority for Thunder waiver options, I’d go with Cason Wallace, Wiggins, Isaiah Joe, then everyone else.
Fantasy basketball pickups and advice.
Gui Santos – SF/PF, Golden State Warriors (12%)
Santos is on a heater right now, becoming the Warriors’ third-leading scorer with the highest true-shooting percentage on the team in their previous six contests. He’s shooting 61% from the field while chipping in 2 3s, 2.5 stocks and a combined 8 rebounds + assists with a low turnover rate. Those cross-categorial numbers are why he’s been a top-55 player over the past two weeks. There’s no better Warrior to add than Santos at the moment.
Nique Clifford – SG/SF, Sacramento Kings (12%)
The Colorado State rookie is giving us a glimpse of what the silly season could be like for the Kings. Clifford’s coming off a monster 30-4-4 effort that also included 4 stocks on Saturday in a loss to Cleveland. He was outstanding and he scored 16 with another 3 stocks in the game before. I’m excited for him to get the opportunity to play more meaningful minutes with Zach LaVine (finger) out and Malik Monk falling out of favor as the season progresses.
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It might be early, but these are the type of pickups you want to make now before it’s too late. The Kings play the Pelicans and Jazz in the first part of Week 17, so don’t be surprised if Clifford goes off again. I’d add him in competitive 12-team points and 9-cat formats. I’d also take a look at Devin Carter and Dylan Cardwell, who are both hoopin’ right now.
Lindsey Vonn’s Olympic comeback ended with a crash on Sunday, but while the skiing legend was going through a terrible ordeal after suffering a fractured leg, she had a teammate in mind.
According to Vonn’s coach, Aksel Lund Svindal, the 41-year-old Vonn was eager to send a congratulatory message to Breezy Johnson before being airlifted off the mountain by helicopter.
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In an Instagram post on Monday, Svindal praised Vonn’s “bravery” and character” while revealing Vonn’s support for Johnson.
“Lindsey. You’re incredibly brave. You inspire people that follow your journey and us that work closely with you every day. Yesterday was a tough day on the mountain. For everyone, but most of all for you. Still something happened that I think says everything. ‘Tell Breezy congrats and good job’. Your teammate was in the lead, and that’s the message you wanted the US skiteam coaches to remember before you got airlifted to the hospital. Real character shows up in the hard moments.”
In addition to the joy of winning gold, Johnson also felt the emotions of watching Vonn crash and get airlifted from the Tofane slope at Cortina d’Ampezzo. While waiting through a 30-minute delay and for the rest of the competition to finish, she could be seen tearing up several times.
“The work that we put in, the careers, my heart aches for her. It’s a tough road, and it’s a tough sport,” Johnson said Sunday. “That’s the beauty and the madness of it, that it can hurt you so badly, but you keep coming back for more. “
I don’t have anything except that her coach said she was cheering for me in the helicopter. I hope for the best for her. I hope that it’s not too bad. My heart aches for her. It’s such a brutal sport sometimes.”
Johnson knows what Vonn has gone through. She tore her ACL in 2018, causing her to miss the entire 2019 season. Then in June of that year she tore the PCL and MCL in her left knee during training. Preparations for the 2022 Olympics in Beijing were further interrupted by a pandemic.
Vonn underwent two operations to stabilize her fractured left leg, according to Reuters. The skiing legend was flown to Treviso’s Ca’ Foncello Hospital for care a little over a week after she ruptured the ACL in her left knee. The procedures were done to prevent complications that are tied to swelling and blood flow.
Johnson, meanwhile, isn’t done skiing in Milan. She is paired with Mikaela Shiffrin in Tuesday’s women’s team combined, which is debuting in these Olympics. The event features teams with one downhill skier and one slalom skier. Johnson will handle downhill duties, while Shiffrin, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and eight-time World Champion, will be part of the slalom.
Looks like high scores are back on the menu! It figures that the minute Nikola Jokić gets back into the Nuggets lineup, we see a shift away from Luka Dončić dominating the perfect lineup week-after-week. But it wasn’t Joker who topped the scoreboard in Week 16 in fantasy basketball — it was the reigning Rookie of the Year.
Let’s take a look at the perfect lineup from this past week, which featured a few players we haven’t seen in here before.
Week 16 High Score Perfect Lineup. (Photo by Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports)
More on the top performers
Stephon Castle, guard: Castle is your best score of last week, coming (virtually) out of nowhere. We say that because the Spurs PG hadn’t topped 60+ fantasy points in a game all season long. In fact, his highest output since Dec. 10 was 54 points prior to Saturday, when Castle had a 40-point triple-double with 12 apiece in rebounds and assists while adding 4 stocks. Plenty of teams have had their rosters gutted after the trade deadline last week and are in full-tank mode. Look out, because those will be prime teams to target against when it comes to fantasy.
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Isaiah Collier, guard: Collier has been in and out of the Jazz lineup thanks to injuries and the deadline. Utah shipped out four players as part of the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade, plus third-year guard Keyonte George has been dealing with an ankle injury. In a rare win over the bottom-dwelling Pacers, the Jazz ran a seven-man rotation, which helped Collier play the ENTIRE 48 MINUTES last Tuesday. As a result, Collier dished out an astonishing 22 assists to just two turnovers in the victory.
Nikola Jokić, frontcourt: Jokic has been back for five games entering play on Monday as we approach the All-Star break. He had a few tough matchups, so of course, a date with the Bulls, who had a very active deadline, was the perfect High Score remedy. Managers who had seen Joker posting 80+ fantasy points consistently were glad to see him return to that realm in Week 16 with 22-14-17 with 5 stocks in just 33 minutes.
Jalen Johnson, frontcourt: The Hawks now-top player had a very consistent week with three triple-doubles, coming three counting stats away from a fourth on Saturday versus the Hornets. Atlanta acquired Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield in a deal with the Warriors prior to the deadline and both players have yet to make their team debuts. Gabe Vincent was also brought in, so those three should join the rotation and could take some usage and minutes away from Johnson. Though, for High Score, all we need is one ceiling game, not four, in any given week.
Trey Murphy III, frontcourt: The Bucks are a team in purgatory with Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined. That allowed the Pelicans (and Murphy) to take advantage despite losing in OT last Wednesday. In a track meet, Murphy was sublime, going 15-of-28 from the field and 12-of-19 from distance for 44 points in 40 minutes. Murph should get every opportunity to chuck the rest of the season with the Pelicans not bound for the playoffs.
Jalen Brunson, utility: Talk about a player who could use the All-Star break. Brunson hasn’t been at his best the past month-plus. In January, he only averaged 23.3 points per game and is clearly battling through injuries. While he’s been shaky in February, he did pop off in a 2OT win over the Nuggets with 42 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds in 47 minutes. We should see more hero ball from Brunson as the Knicks jockey for seeding in the Eastern Conference down the stretch.
A reporter asked two-time gold medalist Chloe Kim and three other American snowboarders at a Monday news conference if they would like to address Trump calling their teammate a “real loser” or how it feels representing Team USA in the current political climate.
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All four snowboarders chose to answer the question. They each described themselves as proud to represent the U.S., but three referenced the tensions back home caused by immigration raids and other political crises.
Kim, a 25-year-old native of Southern California whose parents emigrated from South Korea, began by saying the question “hits pretty close to home.”
“In moments like these, I think it is really important for us to unite and stand up for one another for all that’s going on,” Kim said. “I’m really proud to represent the United States. The U.S. has given my family and I so much opportunity, but I also think that we are allowed to voice our opinions with what’s going on. I think that we need to lead with love and compassion and I would love to see some more of that.”
Bea Kim, Madeline Schaffrick, and Chloe Kim speak during a press conference at Livigno Snow Park. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
(Hannah Peters via Getty Images)
Those comments from Kim echoed how fellow U.S. snowboarders Bea Kim and Maddie Mastro previously answered the question.
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Bea Kim noted that she is the granddaughter of immigrants.
“Diversity,” she said, “is what makes us a very strong country.”
Mastro described herself as “saddened with what is happening at home.”
“It’s really tough and I feel like we can’t turn a blind eye to that,” she said, “but at the same time I represent a country that has the same values as mine of kindness and compassion. We come together in times of injustice.”
Those comments from the U.S. snowboarders come only three days after Hess ignited a controversy back home when he addressed his struggles reconciling the gap between what his country represents and his individual values. Hess told reporters he has “mixed emotions” wearing red, white and blue during these Olympics.
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“There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of and think a lot of people aren’t,” Hess said. “If it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it. But just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean that I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
Mike Eruzione, star of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” U.S. men’s hockey team, blasted Hess in a since-deleted tweet. Then on Sunday night, President Trump entered the fray with a post on his Truth Social platform.
“U.S. Olympic Skier, Hunter Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics,” Trump wrote. “If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it. Very hard to root for someone like this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Hess is not the only U.S. Olympian wrestling with what it means to represent America in the current political climate. Other athletes asked by international media outlets acknowledged the same even before President Trump’s social media post.
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American skiing icon Mikaela Shiffrin was so prepared for this line of questioning on Saturday that she not only copied down a Nelson Mandela quote used by Charlize Theron during the Opening Ceremony but also read from some notes she had typed into her phone.
“I think it’s always an honor and privilege to represent Team USA and to represent your country,” Shiffrin began.
Then she continued, “For me as this relates to the Olympics, I’m really hoping to show up and represent my own values, values of inclusivity, values of diversity and kindness and sharing, tenacity, work ethic, showing up with my team every single day.”
On the same day that Hess spoke to reporters, Vice President J.D. Vance received a smattering of boos at San Siro stadium in Milan during the Opening Ceremony. Italians have also staged several protests about the presence of ICE agents in their country.
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On Monday, Eileen Gu was asked about Trump lashing out at Hess after her silver medal-winning performance in the women’s freestyle skiing competition. Gu, who was born in the U.S. but represents China, said she was “sorry that the headline that is eclipsing the Olympics has to be something so unrelated to the spirit of the Games.”
“As someone who has been caught in the crossfire before, I feel sorry for the athletes,” she continued. “I hope they can ski to their very best.”
The one who was dominated most? It might have been Josh McDaniels.
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The Patriots’ offensive coordinator had few answers as the Seahawks held quarterback and MVP runner-up Drake Maye to the sixth-worst EPA per dropback in a Super Bowl since 2000. New England’s offense as a whole struggled on late downs especially, with a 33% success rate for the game per RBSDM.com, and the Seahawks recorded six sacks and three turnovers, including an interception returned for a touchdown. The game plan and personnel formations overall felt pretty vanilla, as noted by Yahoo Sports contributor Dan Pizzuta.
“I would say Mike Macdonald’s probably coached two of the top three defenses this decade of football,” McDonald said, also referring to the 2023 Baltimore Ravens. “And we’re talking about Josh McDaniels?”
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McDaniels entered Super Bowl LX with a chance to cement a unique legacy with a fourth ring as a coordinator, which would tie for the most of all time. He didn’t get it, but he still has six as an assistant coach overall with Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the Patriots’ dynasty from 2001-2019.
Part of the reason McDaniels’ legacy is unique, though, is because for as good as he’s been as an assistant, he’s also been fired twice after bad head coaching spells with the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders.
“One of these guys is actually getting his team prepared, ready to play,” McDonald said. “And the other guy is coasting on having an elite quarterback, again. Because when he’s been away from his elite quarterback, what does it look like? … And this is the same offense he was running with the Vegas Raiders. So why is this good now? Explain it to me. No one can do it, and that’s why he got his ass beat today.”
Still, McDonald said the Super Bowl doesn’t change how he feels about Maye or the Patriots’ bright future, given they’ve picked in the top five the past two drafts and got to the Super Bowl early in their overall build.
Football 301 co-hosts Nate Tice and Matt Harmon agreed that the Patriots’ game plan was suspect, and that Mike Vrabel didn’t do his best coaching job either overall.
“Felt like the whole offense played tight, and McDaniels is part of it,” Tice said. “I thought it was a very traditional, static call sheet. First down runs. Unsuccessful first down pass? Here comes a second down run. … [The Seahawks] were just teeing off on it.”
Now, Tice said New England’s next step includes an injection of talent on offense.
“They need about five guys to make it better,” Tice said. “It’s a hard offense because you need guys winning. You need [Rob Gronkowskis]. You need [Julian Edelmans]. You need guys with some juice to win some 1-on-1s.”
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That could help McDaniels evolve as a play-caller as well. He already has a big leg up at quarterback in Maye, who’s only in his second season.
“What does [McDaniels] do? What does he do to help people? What does he do to help his quarterback?” McDonald said. “He did nothing today, or the past three games, or the 17 games before that. It’s just iso ball.
“But I’m watching Drake Maye hit incredible passes all season long. There’s a game against the Cardinals burned in my brain where he throws a bender in the middle of the field vs. Tampa 2 and throws it in between four defenders, and it’s dead on. And I’m hearing about Josh McDaniels. Like, what is happening to my society? Can we watch the games please?”
The Boston Red Sox are pivoting after losing third baseman Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs in free agency. Perhaps in response to that move, the team made a trade for Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Caleb Durbin on Monday, the team announced.
Durbin, 25, slashed .256/.334/.387 as a rookie. Durbin, who was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 14th round of the 2021 MLB Draft, is known as a scrappy, undersized player who is capable of strong defense at third base. This marks the third time in his career that he has been traded.
While he hit well in the minors, Durbin’s upside with the bat is a bit of a question after a middling rookie season. His slash line wasn’t overly impressive, though it was 5% better than league-average. He managed that despite one of the worst average exit velocities in the game and a low barrel rate. Both figures cast doubt on Durbin’s ability to be a meaningful producer at the plate moving forward.
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But Durbin is the type of player who has overcome those shortcomings in the past. Even last year, he showed an ability to optimize his approach at the plate, making sure he was pulling his fly balls, a good way for a player of his size to maximize his power output. That approach came through in the second half, which saw Durbin club seven home runs in 234 plate appearances. However, that came with a big reduction in his on-base percentage, so Durbin will need to find a way to reconcile that.
In addition to Durbin, the Red Sox received Andruw Monasterio, Anthony Seigler and a competitive-balance round B pick, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
Monasterio, 28, hit .270/.319/.437 in limited time with the Brewers last season. He saw time at every position on the infield and played two innings in left field. Seigler, a 26-year-old third baseman, hit just under .200 in 73 plate appearances in the majors last year.
In exchange for Durbin, the Red Sox are parting ways with a key piece in the Rafael Devers trade. Left-handed pitcher Kyle Harrison is the main player heading to the Brewers in the deal.
Harrison, 24, didn’t see much time in the majors following that trade last summer. After making eight appearances with the San Francisco Giants in the first half, he was sent to the minors after being acquiring in the Devers deal. He made three major-league appearances with the Red Sox in the regular season, putting up a 3.00 ERA over 12 innings.
Prior to the 2024 MLB season, Harrison ranked within the top half on most top-100 prospect lists, topping out as No. 23 on MLB.com’s list heading into that season. Since then, the lefty hasn’t quite lived up to those expectations. The Brewers have a knack for getting the most out of young pitchers, however, so this could be a great landing spot for Harrison.
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The Brewers also received 27-year-old pitcher Shane Drohan and 28-year-old infielder David Hamilton in the deal. Hamilton is known more for his defensive ability and has hit just .222 since 2023. Drohan saw his strikeout rate soar in the minors last season, but he was old for Triple-A and never got a chance in the majors with the Red Sox.
With this move, two of the key pieces acquired by the Red Sox in the Devers deal are no longer with the franchise. In addition to shipping out Harrison, the Red Sox traded pitcher Jordan Hicks on Feb. 1. Hicks struggled mightily in limited work with the Red Sox following the Devers trade, posting an 8.20 ERA over 18 2/3 innings. The Red Sox were disappointed enough with that performance that they agreed to trade Hicks to the Chicago White Sox.
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Both the Brewers and Red Sox are expected to contend in 2026 after making the playoffs last season. At the same time, both teams still have a few glaring roster deficiencies. The Red Sox might have plugged one of those with Durbin, while the Brewers are engaging in a bit of a roster revamp after trading ace Freddy Peralta earlier in the offseason.
In Milwaukee, this trade presents more questions than answers, but the team has a strong track record of getting the most out of its young, unproven players. Harrison could be the next Brewers pitcher to take that leap, and the team has a handful of impressive infield prospects who could replace Durbin’s production before long.
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As for Durbin, if the Red Sox can further optimize his approach at the plate, there’s potential for him to develop into an extremely useful, well-rounded contributor in all facets of the game.
Seattle Seahawks running back and Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III had a breakout season in 2025 and saved his best performance for last, which happened to be his dad’s first NFL game. Walker set the tone on offense for Seattle’s Super Bowl victory over New England on Sunday, but said it took some convincing to get his father inside Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
After splitting carries all season, Walker became the workhorse in the Seahawks backfield when Zach Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL in their divisional round win over the San Francisco 49ers. That injury immediately made Walker the primary back for the two biggest games of Seattle’s season.
Walker came up big in the Seahawks’ three playoff games. In the game where Charbonnet went down with the knee injury, he rushed for 116 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-6 blowout over the Niners. Against the Rams in the NFC championship game, Walker rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown while also adding four catches for 49 yards.
Kenneth Walker II did not attend either of those games due to not being a fan of crowds. Walker’s agent must be a great negotiator because they were able to get pops in the building, and the fourth-year running back had his biggest performance of the entire season in Super Bowl LX. Walker ended the game with 135 rushing yards and added four receptions for 26 yards, leading to Super Bowl MVP honors.
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In 2025, Walker became the Seahawks’ full-time starting running back and played in all 17 games for the first time in his career. He rushed for 1,027 yards and five touchdowns, along with 31 receptions for 282 yards. In three postseason games, Walker rushed for 313 yards, with a 4.8-yard average per carry and four touchdowns.
Justin Boone is a two-time winner of the FantasyPros Most Accurate Expert Award (2019, 2025) and has nine top-10 finishes in the competition.
Below you can see a very early look at his fantasy rankings for the 2026 season. More expanded rankings, including PPR scoring and rookies, will be available in future updates.
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2026 Fantasy Rankings
Takeaways from the early QB rankings
The arrival of offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel should give Justin Herbert a significant boost, in addition to the Chargers getting their star linemen back healthy and perhaps even adding some reinforcements up front. It’s not like we haven’t seen high-end production from Herbert before. Even this past season, he had the fourth-most fantasy points among quarterbacks over the first nine weeks (21.8 fppg) before injuries to himself and his offensive line took their toll. That led to him being the QB20 over the final eight weeks, averaging just 14.8 fppg. However, with McDaniel calling plays and some better injury luck, Herbert will have a chance to push for top-five fantasy numbers moving forward.
It’s been a tumultuous start to the offseason for Josh Allen with Sean McDermott being replaced by Joe Brady, but the former MVP remains the unquestioned No. 1 fantasy quarterback heading into next season. Allen finished as the highest scoring fantasy QB in four of the last six campaigns and never fell below third at the position during that span. Keeping Brady ensures continuity for the offense, but let’s hope the Bills make an effort to add some playmakers to the receiving corps this offseason.
Patrick Mahomes was averaging the second-most fantasy points per game among quarterbacks through 15 weeks before suffering a torn ACL that could put his Week 1 availability in jeopardy for next season. Even if he suits up in September, that could lead to a dramatic decline in rushing production, which was a big reason for his bounce-back in 2025. After finishing as the QB12 and QB13 the past two years, Mahomes found himself back among the elite producers at the position, thanks to career-highs in rushing yards (422) and rushing touchdowns (five) in just 14 games. However, most passers coming off serious knee injuries aren’t as aggressive running the ball the following season. I’m projecting Mahomes outside of the top 12 until we get a clearer timeline for his recovery. Regardless, you should be lowering your expectations for him in 2026.
