Tag: Fox Sport News

Spring Training is underway and we’re about a month or so before the start of the 2026 MLB regular season. We have a few weeks to prepare for fantasy baseball drafts and in most formats, we’re monitoring for injuries or surprise performances during exhibition games. That will help us be more informed for our season-long drafts. But if you’re in a dynasty or keeper format, you likely have to do more prep likendigging deeper in the player pool, looking at some of the top prospects in baseball.

For those in keeper and dynasty formats, or managers who are looking to be prepared for later in the season when prospects could get called up, we’re going to go over some key players to monitor this spring.

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

Before we dive in, this list will include prospects who haven’t debuted in MLB yet and are generally going undrafted or past the top 200 picks in Yahoo fantasy baseball — you won’t see Roman Anthony on this list, but you will see …

Konnor Griffin, SS/OF, Pirates

MLB.com prospect ranking: No. 1 overall

Griffin is the top prospect in baseball heading into this spring and the 2026 season. A first-round pick back in 2024 by Pittsburgh, Griffin has true 5-tool potential, standing at 6-foot-4 and 225 lbs. He’ll begin this season as a teenager at 19, turning 20 in late April. And while we rarely see anyone this young in MLB, Griffin could force the Pirates’ hand this season if he has a season anything close to resembling 2025.

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Last season, Griffin posted insane numbers across Single-A, High-A and Double-A ball. In 122 games, he had 21 HRs, 95 RBI, 65 stolen bases and a .941 OPS. While it’s a long shot for a 20-year-old to get called up, Griffin is simply too good and the Pirates may be wise to fast-track him to the big leagues. If he starts in AA, there’s a good chance he’ll get promoted to AAA at some point this season. That could mean Griffin gets a September call-up if Pittsburgh sells big at the deadline.

Keep an eye on Griffin this spring. If he puts on an offensive display, that could put more pressure on management to get him up quicker.

We’re trying to focus on players who aren’t being drafted on Yahoo but Griffin has an ADP of 206.1 early on. This is likely in keeper formats where managers will try and stash him in hopes of the call-up.

Colt Emerson, SS, Mariners

MLB.com prospect ranking: No. 9 overall

The reigning AL West champions could give Emerson, a 2023 first-rounder, a long look this spring. Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto told MLB.com this month that “it’s not out of the question that [Emerson] earns a spot” on the team” for 2026. The 20-year-old was one of the best hitters in the minors last year, posting 16 HRs and 78 RBI with a .285/.383/.458 slash line in 130 games spanning High-A, AA and a brief stint in AAA-Tacoma, where he should begin 2026.

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JP Crawford and Josh Naylor are locked in at SS and 1B, respectively, for the M’s going into this season (pending an injury or something unforeseen). Newly-acquired Brendan Donovan should settle in at 2B while Cole Young, Miles Mastrobuoni, Leo Rivas and Ryan Bliss will fight for the 3B job/platoon work coming off the bench. It isn’t crazy to think Emerson can beat out that group and force the Mariners’ hand this spring.

We also know Seattle isn’t shy about keeping a youngster on the roster and giving him a chance to shine; we saw it with Julio Rodríguez back in 2022 as a 21-year-old rookie. That said, Emerson’s most likely path is in 2027, when Crawford becomes a free agent and SS opens up. But the M’s could have Emerson play other infield spots in AAA to prep him for a potential call-up this season. Eventually, he could help your fantasy team in batting average, plus he has some pop and speed.

Walker Jenkins, OF, Twins

MLB.com prospect ranking: No. 14 overall

The Twins aren’t expected to compete much in the AL Central behind Detroit, Cleveland and Kansas City this season (though you never know). If that’s the case, we could see Jenkins at some point later in the season. The Twins don’t have much talent behind Byron Buxton in the outfield with Matt Wallner likely to hold down RF in some type of platoon with Trevor Larnach and Ryan Kreidler. Austin Martin, James Outman and Alan Roden will also be in the mix for playing time/roster spots.

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It’s a crowded competition but one that doesn’t have a ton of standout options. That could leave the door open for Jenkins, who was the fifth overall pick in 2023. He’s played nearly 200 games at the minor-league level, which is significant for a 20-year-old. In 84 games last season between Single-A, Double-A and Triple-A, Jenkins had 10 HRs with 34 RBI, 17 stolen bases and a .286/.399/.451 slash line.

With Buxton at the World Baseball Classic, that could give Jenkins some more looks during the spring. Players could get dealt throughout the season in Minnesota if the team isn’t competitive by the summer. If that’s the case, Jenkins could get a call-up late in the season.

Thomas White, SP, Marlins

MLB.com prospect ranking: No. 17 overall

We usually see pitchers take a bit longer to develop in the minors but White has a legit shot to make it to the big leagues this season and be a difference-maker. He started last season as a 20-year-old in High-A ball and finished the campaign in Triple-A Jacksonville. A first-rounder back in 2023, White made 21 minor-league starts and had a 2.31 ERA with a pretty gaudy 14.6 K/9.

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As a left-handed pitcher, White already has an upper hand when it comes to getting to the next level. As do most lefties, he has a plus-slider that should help him miss plenty of bats in the big leagues. FanGraphs did a great interview with White heading into spring training to give you a better sense of the type of prospect he is.

The Marlins are one of the easier teams for a prospect to break into the league with since they generally aren’t competing; the franchise has made the playoffs just twice since winning the World Series in 2003. Sandy Alcantara and Chris Paddack could be trade fodder, which would open up a few spots in the rotation this season. White could occupy one of those spots if he has a solid spring and/or performs well at Triple-A early on in 2026. White could be a great source of strikeouts whenever the call comes.

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Andrew Painter, SP, Phillies

MLB.com prospect ranking: No. 28 overall

Painter is getting selected toward the end of drafts with an ADP of 203.5 on Yahoo. We could see that ADP rise over the course of this spring and that’s why Painter is a player to watch. We know Zack Wheeler is going to miss the start of the season and right now, FanGraphs has Painter penciled in as the fifth starter in the Philly rotation.

Painter has a high pedigree as the 13th overall pick in the 2021 draft and has plenty of minor-league experience. He’s also physically imposing at 6-foot-7 on the mound. He made 22 starts at Triple-A last season and while the numbers left much to be desired (5.40 ERA, 1.54 WHIP), Painter will have a chance in spring training to show he belongs in MLB.

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If Painter looks good over the course of the next few weeks, he’s not a bad deep sleeper pick in redraft formats, plus he has keeper appeal. The Phillies should boast a top-10 offense, which would give Painter plenty of run support. If he can refine his command and limit the long-balls, Painter has a shot to provide fantasy value in 2026 right away.

Other prospects to monitor: Kevin McGonigle, INF, DET; Spencer Jones, OF, NYY; Carlos Lagrange, SP, NYY; Travis Bazzana, INF, CLE

The Las Vegas Raiders are on the clock for the 2026 NFL Draft, but they have a big veteran question to figure out first.

There has been another round of trade rumors involving defensive end Maxx Crosby. Crosby reportedly wasn’t happy when the team put him on injured reserve late last season, a move that appeared to be an effort to secure the first pick of the draft. The Raiders did get that first pick after finishing 3-14, but there were lingering questions about the future of Crosby, one of the NFL’s best pass rushers.

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General manager John Spytek was asked if he anticipated Crosby being on the Raiders next season.

“I do, yes,” Spytek said at the NFL scouting combine.

That isn’t a guarantee the five-time Pro Bowler will remain in Las Vegas. Spytek could be holding onto whatever trade leverage he has. But the Raiders have resisted trading Crosby before, and Spytek said he’s confident Crosby will remain in Las Vegas.

“Maxx is an elite player,” Spytek said. “I’ve been very up front from the start when I got here: We’re in the business of having very good players on the team, and we need a lot more of them. It’s hard to build an elite team without them.”

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Spytek said Crosby has been in the Raiders’ building “every day” getting healthy. He said he believes Crosby wants to be with the Raiders still.

“Maxx and I have had great conversations, I’m comfortable there, yeah,” Spytek said.

It’s incredibly rare for an offensive lineman to become a big talking point coming out of the Super Bowl. But everyone saw New England Patriots left tackle Will Campbell struggle against the Seattle Seahawks.

Campbell, the fourth overall pick of last year’s NFL Draft, was attacked by the Seahawks on defense and he allowed too many pressures in the biggest game of the season. Campbell struggled throughout the playoffs, but he had an injury excuse. Campbell revealed days after the Super Bowl that he was playing through a torn knee ligament.

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That’s a major reason the Patriots have defended Campbell after his rough postseason.

“When he came back from that injury, I personally didn’t see the same level of lower-body strength that you saw before the injury, and I think the film would attest to that,” Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said at the NFL scouting combine on Tuesday. “He probably had three of his four worst games in the playoffs. But before that, I thought Will played really well all year.”

There has been discussion of Campbell moving to guard. Part of that is he has shorter arms than usual for a left tackle. Earlier this offseason, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel was adamant that Campbell wouldn’t switch positions, and Wolf echoed that he doesn’t have concerns about Campbell at left tackle.

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“I think everyone talks about the arm length, but he has a set of skills that enable him to play with that arm length,” Wolf said. “He’s really quick out of his stance, he’s technically sound, he’s adding more and more pass sets to his tool bag that he can use to combat different rushes. He’s 22 years old, and we expect some improvement out of him as well.”

The Patriots became the first team to start two rookies on the offensive line in a Super Bowl, with Campbell at left tackle and Jared Wilson at left guard. The line still seems like an area of need for the Patriots after it struggled to protect Drake Maye in the playoffs, but Wolf didn’t sound too concerned.

“With our best five out there we won a lot of football games,” Wolf said. “Obviously the last game was not very productive in a lot of areas on offense, and we’re just excited Will and Jared are made of the right stuff, and we’re excited about what they’re going to do moving forward.”

The High Score 100 — the top-100 players in Yahoo’s newest fantasy basketball format — is a running reflection of year-to-date performance and trending production. Each weekly update captures who’s actually delivering value and who’s fading.

[It’s not too late to create or join a High Score league, a new way to play Fantasy Basketball on Yahoo with simple rosters and scoring]

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Here’s a breakdown of the biggest movement heading into the season’s final weeks — with the complete High Score 100 at the bottom of the article. I’ll be updating my rankings every Tuesday throughout the fantasy season.

📈 Risers — Opportunity is knocking

Jarrett Allen — FC, Cleveland Cavaliers: 69th overall (⬆️ 21)

James Harden is a big man whisperer. Outside of Allen’s outlier 40-point, 17-rebound, 5-assist, 4-block performance in early February, he’s been regular for most of the season. He landed on the fallers’ list a few times, but since Harden’s arrival, it’s unlocked a more aggressive side of Allen.

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He’s getting three more touches in the paint per game from Harden while being on the receiving end of 31% of his assists with the Cavs (leads the team). Over his last six games, he’s averaged 20.7 points, 11.5 rebounds and more than a stock per game. He’s shooting an insane 75% from the field. His bump in production led to a 21-spot jump in the ranks, as he’s been producing as a top-50 player over the past two weeks.

Hopefully, the stocks go up, but fantasy managers can’t be complaining with the substantial rise in scoring and rebounding these days. Allen is one of the deadline winners who could man the center spot for many champions by the end of the season.

Bennedict Mathurin — G/FC, LA Clippers: 74th overall (⬆️ 18)

Mathurin’s fantasy upside has been shining since landing in L.A. at the deadline. Over his first three games post-All-Star break, he’s averaging 28.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 32 minutes per game. That includes tying a career-high 38-point performance against Denver on Feb. 20, followed by 26 against the Lakers and 21 versus Orlando.

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The Clippers are letting him rock as the 1B to Kawhi Leonard, with PG Darius Garland still unable to make his debut since the trade. Mathurin’s putting up three more shots per game while getting a star whistle, going to the line almost nine times per game as a Clipper. When adding in his significant jump in usage rate to 31% with this unexpected rise in steals and assists, he’s been ballin’ in High Score formats.

Mathurin ranked 23rd in High Score over the last 7 days and 36th over the last 14 days. If he keeps this scoring pace up, there’s room to climb even higher.

Isaiah Collier — G, Utah Jazz: 87th overall (⬆️ 14)

Collier’s been awesome in relief of Keyonte George and is taking full advantage of his promotion to the starting lineup. Collier’s been one of the best facilitators in basketball in February, dishing out over 10 assists, while chipping in 16 points with 3 boards and 2.5 steals per contest. He’s been a top-20 player in High Score for a month, so the leap into the top 90 is no surprise despite ranking just outside the top 100 for the season.

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Until George is back, continue starting Collier with confidence. Even when George returns, he’s more than capable of providing enough counting stats — especially steals in less than a 30-minute per game capacity. The Jazz want to see what they have with their young players, so keep Collier locked in.

📉 Fallers — Injuries leading to setbacks

Franz Wagner — FC, Orlando Magic: 95th overall (⬇️ 45)

Wagner’s fantasy season is likely finished. I’ve left some margin in case he beats his recovery timeline, but don’t be surprised if he’s off the list by next week. He’s missed 28 games already thanks to his lingering ankle injury. He tried to return for two contests before the All-Star break, but recent tests confirmed he needs more time to rehab. The Magic will re-evaluate him in three weeks, which means he’s missing at least 10 more games.

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Wagner averaged 21.3 PPG in 28 games this season, but sitting on the bench won’t help fantasy managers at the most dire stretch of the season. He ranks 52nd among players in High Score on a per-game basis, so the production was strong when he was available. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, they need to decide whether it’s worth holding out hope in an injured list spot or cut bait.

Darius Garland — G, LA Clippers: 82nd overall (⬇️ 12)

Garland’s been out with an ankle injury since Jan. 24, so Clippers fans and fantasy managers are anxious to get him back into the lineup. Garland’s been participating in practice but not taking contact, so being deemed week-to-week doesn’t leave much optimism for an immediate return. Still, fantasy managers should continue to hold. The latest dip stems from his return timeline moving further to the right. At least the Clippers are teetering between the 9th and 10th seeds and are still actively competing for a playoff spot. That push should get him on the floor at some point in the next couple of weeks. When he’s ready, he’ll likely be second in usage to Kawhi and offers plenty of potential as the future lead guard in L.A.

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Kristaps Porziņģis — FC, Golden State Warriors: 90th overall (⬇️ 11)

The 11-spot slide is a bit generous considering we’ve only seen KP play in 18 games this season. It’s not his fault, as POTS is a very unpredictable disease where you don’t know when he’ll feel healthy enough to play. The Warriors had hoped to see him on the floor since they desperately need his scoring and rim protection, but he’ll miss at least the next two games — possibly more. When healthy, KP is a easily a top-100 player in High Score. However, I don’t expect to see him on a consistent enough basis to trust him for fantasy, which is unfortunate.

Complete High Score 100 rankings

The High Score 100 is a running reflection of year-to-date performance and trending production.

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Note: Kings FC Domantas Sabonis was removed from the High Score 100 rankings after being ruled out for the remainder of the season.

After three years off, the World Baseball Classic is back, and the United States is looking to win its first title since 2017. The U.S. lost in the 2023 final to Japan, culminating with the memorable moment of Japan’s Shohei Ohtani striking out Mike Trout in the ninth inning.

This time around, the United States is the heavy favorite, opening at +140 to win the title at BetMGM sportsbooks, and currently the odds-on favorite at -105. Not surprisingly, the U.S. has generated the most bets (35.5%) and total dollars wagered (38.7%) among the 20 teams. The U.S. is the sportsbook’s biggest liability as well.

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The United States will begin its World Baseball Classic campaign in Pool B, with Mexico, Italy, Great Britain and Brazil.

Team Japan, led by Ohtani, has the next-best odds at +350 as it looks to defend its title, followed by the Dominican Republic at +400. Venezuela has 10-1 odds, but then no other team has better than 25-1 odds.

Puerto Rico opened with 12-1 odds, but currently has 25-1 odds, in large part due to New York Mets star Francisco Lindor announcing he wouldn’t be participating in the tournament after he was unable to get the mandatory insurance required for international competition.

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Six teams — Brazil, Israel, Great Britain, Australia, Nicaragua and Czechia — share the longest odds to win the 2026 World Baseball Classic at 500-1.

For everything you need to know about the event — which runs from March 5-17 — be sure to check out Yahoo Sports’ preview.

Title odds for every team

USA, -110

Japan, +350

Dominican Republic, +400

Venezuela, 10-1

Puerto Rico, 25-1

Mexico, 25-1

Canada, 50-1

Korea, 66-1

Cuba, 100-1

Netherlands, 100-1

Colombia, 100-1

Italy, 100-1

Chinese Taipei, 250-1

Panama, 250-1

Brazil, 500-1

Israel, 500-1

Great Britain, 500-1

Australia, 500-1

Nicaragua, 500-1

Czechia, 500-1

The Pittsburgh Steelers can’t be sure who their starting quarterback will be in Week 1. But Aaron Rodgers is still an option.

Speaking at the NFL scouting combine, Steelers general manager Omar Khan said Rodgers would be welcomed back next season. Rodgers is a free agent, but is coming off a solid season in which Pittsburgh won the AFC North with a 10-7 record. The Steelers also made a move that might entice Rodgers to play another season, hiring Mike McCarthy to replace Mike Tomlin at head coach. McCarthy coached Rodgers when they were with the Green Bay Packers from 2006 to 2018, and the pair won a Super Bowl together in 2010.

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The Steelers’ quarterback situation is uncertain, but Khan made it clear Rodgers could be the answer.

“The door’s open to have Aaron back,” Khan said at the podium from the combine, via Yahoo Sports’ Andrew Siciliano.

Khan told a smaller group of reporters earlier Tuesday that he and McCarthy have been in contact with Rodgers, and while there’s no deadline for Rodgers to make a decision, it wouldn’t drag on. Last season, Rodgers didn’t sign with the Steelers until June.

“I don’t foresee this going like it did last year,” Khan said, via longtime Steelers writer Mark Kaboly.

The future Hall of Famer passed for 3,322 yards, completed 65.7% of his pass attempts and threw 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions for Pittsburgh last season.

The Miami Dolphins are still holding out hope that a trade can happen with Tua Tagovailoa.

Addressing the media at the NFL scouting combine on Tuesday, new Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said the team is exploring all possibilities involving Tagovailoa, who was benched late last season. He acknowledged a trade is possible.

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“We’ve had conversations with Tua and his representation, everything is on the table including the potential of a trade,” Sullivan said at the podium via David Furones of the Sun Sentinel. “We don’t know which way that’s going to go. There’s a lot of different factors in play, a lot of conversations being had.”

Cutting Tagovailoa seems likely, unless the Dolphins do find a trade partner. Sullivan told a smaller group of South Florida reporters earlier Tuesday that taking on the entire $99 million dead cap hit as a pre-June 1 move was unlikely. Even if the team spreads it out over two seasons, it’s still a lot to take on.

Sullivan acknowledged the Dolphins’ cap situation is bad and that a priority is getting that back in order. That could preclude the team from making any substantial move at quarterback this offseason. But Sullivan came from the Packers, as did new head coach Jeff Hafley, and that will lead to speculation over free agent quarterback Malik Willis, who played well as Jordan Love’s backup in Green Bay.

“Any team that is potentially in a needy quarterback situation, if they tell you they’re not talking about Malik Willis that would be a lie,” Sullivan said via Dave Schroeder of WBAY. “But we’ve talked about a lot of people, a lot of free agents. Malik is just one of them. We have no idea how that will look like in our room. Will it be multiple draft picks? Will it be a free agent along with Quinn [Ewers]? Who knows.”

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Perhaps that’s a reason Sullivan talked up Ewers, a 2025 seventh-round pick who started three games late in the season.

“Evaluating the roster, Quinn did a nice job at the end of the year,” Sullivan said. “Excited about what’s ahead for him.”

The age of reliable goaltending in fantasy hockey is over. And perhaps the age of elite goaltending altogether is on its way out. When you think of elite goaltenders in the NHL right now, a handful of names come to mind. Connor Hellebuyck is the first, followed by Andrei Vasilevskiy, Ilya Sorokin, Igor Shesterkin and Sergei Bobrovsky. Others who deserve to be in the conversation include Jake Oettinger, Juuse Saros and perhaps John Gibson in a resurgent season. But some of those goalies are aging and close to retirement. Others are trapped in poor team environments, going through a rebuild. A few are just somewhere in the middle, experiencing a bout of bad play or puck luck.

It happens in hockey. It’s a whacky game.

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Variance. Volatility. These are words we throw out a lot when analyzing fantasy sports. There is always a range of outcomes going into a draft when figuring out which players to select. Some positions are going to be easier to sift through than others. Some are going to be tougher given the lack of options or quality at a particular position. At the end of the day, we’re never going to be 100% correct all the time, but we’d like to be right some of the time. That is becoming increasingly difficult at the goaltender position in fantasy hockey, so much so that it may be time to rethink the way we approach drafting the position moving forward.

Think of how you would approach drafting in fantasy football. There’s an argument to be made for waiting on positions like QB and TE, strategies that are proven to be very effective. So why aren’t we adopting these philosophies for hockey? We still rank goalies among the top players and suggest they should go as high as the first round. If we look at tight end in football, this can work out with players like Trey McBride. It can also backfire with players like Brock Bowers; there are similar parallels when we look at both sports.

But with goaltenders in hockey, there’s less of a pool, fewer roster spots and an insane amount of variance and volatility to take into account compared to football. It’s my belief that we need to stop investing so heavily in goaltenders at the top of drafts — shoot, even in the middle of the draft. And we’re going to get into why as you prep for the rest of the season with the NHL returning on Wednesday and the playoffs around the corner.

First, however, I want to talk about one man and five syllables (No, I’m not talking about Der-ek Zoo-lan-der). I’m talking about Con-nor Hell-e-buyck. Winnipeg Jets goalie, and reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy winner, Connor Hellebuyck. Who is fresh off a gold medal for Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

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Not even the best in the world is safe

While watching the United States win the gold medal over Canada in the men’s hockey final at the Olympics on Sunday, I couldn’t help but think, “How is a player of this caliber experiencing such a poor season in the NHL?”

Hellebuyck stood on his head in the final, making 41 saves to help the USA win gold for the first time in 46 years. But until he took off on that plane to head to Italy to compete, Hellebuyck was in the midst of one of the more disappointing regression seasons of all time for a goalie.

One could simply point to Hellebuyck’s 2025-26 as a clear indicator that goaltending is too volatile to invest too heavily in for fantasy hockey. Last season, Hellebuyck led the NHL in wins (47), goals-against average (2.00), shutouts (8), goals saved above average (41.6), adjusted goals against average (2.13) and goalie point shares (14.5), en route to winning his third Vezina Trophy and first Hart Trophy as MVP. We’ve seen just nine goalies win the Hart in NHL history, dating back to 1923.

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But this season, you’d think Hellebuyck was a completely different player up until we saw him put on a show at the Olympics. So what does this tell us? That a fantasy goalie is only as good as the sum of his parts. As we come out of the Olympic break, the Jets goalie has these marks: 13 wins, 2.79 GAA, .900 SV%, no shutouts and just 19 quality starts in 36 games.

You could point to the Jets’ blue line, specifically Neal Pionk, Dylan Samberg and Colin Miller, all missing time. Plus, natural regression from aging forwards and the rigors of this season’s condensed schedule. The West has also seen a few teams emerge; the Mammoth, Ducks, Sharks, Predators and Kraken are all improved. But if you asked anyone before the season if they saw this type of regression coming from the Jets, who won the Presidents’ Trophy with 116 points last season, they’d probably tell you: “Not like this … not like this.”

Hellebuyck entered the season as the consensus, no-doubt No. 1 goalie in fantasy. Even as play opens back up on Wednesday, Helly is considered a top-five fantasy goalie. But why? The Jets have 26 games left and it may be difficult for him to even break 20 wins this season, something that hasn’t happened since Hellebuyck was a rookie in 2015-16. Sure, he’s going to get plenty of starts but also could be gassed from winning gold. When the dust settles on 2025-26, I’ll be interested to see if Hellebuyck even finishes as a G2 in fantasy hockey.

But if we’re looking ahead to next season, and Hellebuyck is still considered the top goalie choice, there’s no way I’m investing a first-round pick unless the Jets make vast improvements this offseason. Even then, it feels like he’ll be a massive risk coming off a season like this at age 33.

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Historical and recent trends

We’ve seen goalie stats league-wide get worse and worse since the NHL decided to change the size of pads to increase scoring. We saw a big jump in league-wide goals-against average from 2.59 in 2016-17 to 2.78 the following season. Average save percentage has steadily decreased from .913 in 2016-17 to .908 in 2020-21 and .900 last season. Right now, league-average SV% is at .896 as we head into the final stretch of the regular season. If that holds, it will be the lowest average SV% league-wide since 1993-94 (.895).

This downward trend doesn’t appear to be a product of the lack of talent at the goalie position. It feels more like a lack of importance. And we can point to a few teams at the top of the Pacific Division to make this argument — the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers.

The Knights have been without Adin Hill due to injury. Between Hill, Akira Schmid, Carter Hart and Carl Lindbom, you have 27 wins, a 3.04 GAA and .882 SV%. Schmid entered this season ranked 41st among goalies in Yahoo analyst Scott Pianowski’s rankings. That isn’t to say the ranking was wrong; it’s simply pointing out how difficult it is to predict what will happen at the position. Sure, if Hill is healthy, he’s likely among the top-12 goalies in fantasy. But again, this points back to the unpredictability at the position.

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Similarly, the Oilers have operated with a four-headed monster featuring Stuart Skinner (since traded to PIT), Calvin Pickard, Connor Ingram and Tristan Jarry. Their collective numbers? That would be 28 wins, a 3.29 GAA and .883 SV%. Having superstars like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on your roster can really buoy the other positions. Plus, from a cap perspective, the Oilers have to get by on cheap goaltending.

Can you find reliable streams among those two groups? Absolutely. And it shows that when injuries happen and play is inconsistent, teams are fine existing (and even sustaining) within these time-shares. It takes more work but it’s becoming tougher to simply plug in a goalie and hope for the best all season. You have to adjust.

Schmid has been startable most of the season. Ingram and Jarry have had their moments and Skinner has really thrived in Pittsburgh. So, while it may be difficult, there are goalies we can pluck from these situations to help your fantasy team without spending high draft capital.

Below is a list of every goalie taken within the first 100 picks based on ADP in Yahoo leagues before the season. Seven of the 17 goalies are ranked inside the top 12 at the position in Yahoo points leagues. The others? Well, you can see how they’re doing. It’s a mix of players who are underperforming, injured or are on teams that aren’t very good.

Outside of Vasilevskiy, goalies taken at the top of drafts have mostly underperformed. Oettinger has been outplayed by backup Casey DeSmith on a quality Stars team. Bobrovsky and the Panthers have had bad injury luck — to be expected, after three straight trips to the Cup Final. Shesterkin is hurt and the Rangers have admitted they need to rebuild.

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Moving further down that list, we see some injuries and regression from Kuemper, then we land on a few bright spots with Sorokin and Thompson, though each was selected around the 5-6 rounds on average. Markstrom and Binnington are victims of the teams in front of them. Saros benefits from volume, tied for the league lead in games played at the position at the break with 44.

Now, let’s take a look at goalies who rank among the top 24 in points leagues who were selected outside the top-100 picks on Yahoo:

What do a lot of these goalies have in common? They’re mostly from teams that have surprised this season. Vejmelka on the Mammoth, Gibson on the Red Wings, Dostal on the Ducks, Greaves on the Jackets, Swayman on the B’s, Knight for the ‘Hawks. Those teams have exceeded preseason expectations and their goalies are reaping the benefits. If you took a shot on one or more of those goalies late in your draft, you’re in good shape as the playoffs approach. And it’s not like it’s uncommon; clearly, we’re seeing it enough that we can take multiple shots on players like this at the backend of your draft.

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Others, like Wedgewood and Wallstedt, are backups who are on good teams. The Avalanche were without Mackenzie Blackwood to start the season and Wedgewood stepped up and has helped fantasy managers immensely this season. With Blackwood healthy, Wedgewood may not see as many starts, but he’s an example of a player who can bridge the gap for you as you navigate the season.

Gustavsson struggled out of the gate for the Wild and Wallstedt picked up the slack early in the season. But if you targeted both goalies in your draft rather than spending a high pick on one of the “elite” players, you got yourself a solid tandem.

Even names like Brandon Bussi on the Hurricanes and Alex Lyon for Buffalo don’t pop up in those lists above but are carrying managers into the postseason.

How to approach drafts next season

So, after all of this, what should you be doing going into your 2026-27 draft? Well, we’re going to wait on goaltender and use our high draft capital on elite forwards and defensemen. It’s tougher to find sleepers at those positions, particularly on the blue line. We want to shore up those positions early on.

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Think of it in terms of the quarterback position in fantasy football. We don’t generally target QBs until around the second or third round at best. This past season showed us that we can wait at QB and find plenty of value: Drake Maye, Matthew Stafford, Dak Prescott, Caleb Williams, Trevor Lawrence — the list goes on and on.

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

So let’s carry this over into hockey, taking 3-4 shots late in your draft on players who fit some of the trends we mentioned above. Perhaps it’s a backup who could be in a split situation on a good team. Maybe it’s a goalie we know is going to get the majority of the starts on a team that should be improved based on the offseason. Use your resources, absorb as much analysis as possible, both fantasy and real-life. We know that we can find quality goaltending just as often after the first 100 picks as inside the top 100. Play the numbers and stay aggressive on the waiver wire and there’s no reason you can’t be successful.

Goaltending is becoming less and less paramount in the regular season and it’s time for fantasy managers to follow suit, given the uncertainty and risk that comes with the position.

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Divisional round weekend is right around the corner and we have Matt Harmon and Joel Smyth here to get you ready. The two preview each game and provide their favorite matchups and prop bets along the way. Smyth also shares his favorite DFS lineup for Divisional weekend.

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(5:00) #6 Bills @ #1 Broncos

(21:50) #6 49ers @ #1 Seahawks

(37:35) #5 Texans @ #2 Patriots

(49:00) #5 Rams @ #2 Bears

(1:01:50) Joel’s Divisional Round DFS Lineup

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

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

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The Los Angeles Dodgers did it again. The defending back-to-back World Series champions have had yet another big-time offseason. After adding star closer Edwin Díaz, they went out on Thursday night and brought top free-agent outfielder Kyle Tucker into their already star-studded lineup, solidifying them even more as the Evil Empire of baseball.

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On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman talk about the shocking—at least to some—move of Los Angeles once again bolstering their roster as they look for the first three-peat in baseball since the New York Yankees’ 1990s dynasty. With the Tucker deal coming in at four years, $240 million, should Commissioner Rob Manfred start to worry about the perception the Dodgers are giving off to opposing fans with their free agent spending?

Later, Jordan and Jake discuss the Boston Red Sox adding one of the big-arm free agents, Ranger Suárez, to their already crowded starting pitching depth chart and why he will be an interesting fit in their rotation. They then get into the Yankees trading for Ryan Weathers and the Arizona Diamondbacks acquiring Nolan Arenado from the St. Louis Cardinals before giving an update on Team USA’s newest roster additions. The guys close the show by making their picks for this week’s edition of The Good, The Bad, and The Uggla.

1:39 – The Opener: Kyle Tucker to the Dodgers

20:36 – Red Sox sign Ranger Suárez

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43:29 – Scott Boras Scoreboard update

46:10 – Around the League: Trade news

1:01:48 – Team USA roster update

1:08:09 – The Good, The Bad & The Uggla

🖥️ 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