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Read all about RotoBaller's 10 FSWA award nominations in 2025, featuring finalists in various sports and categories including football, baseball, golf, soccer, racing and DFS.
Awards season has begun in the fantasy sports industry, and RotoBaller is honored to be recognized by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) with various award nominations from our writing and media team in 2025.
For the sixth consecutive year, RotoBaller writers and analysts have totaled double-digit award nominations as finalists in the annual Fantasy Sports Writers Association Awards.
For 2025, RotoBaller is honored to have been nominated as a finalist for 10 awards across categories such as Writer of the Year, Best Article, and Best Podcast. See the full list below.
"We are so proud of everyone at RotoBaller, and the incredible efforts that the entire team puts in every day, all year round” said RotoBaller co-founder Alex Roberts. "These FSWA award nominations really mean a lot to the writers, podcasters, radio hosts and editors that work so hard to develop interesting content that is both informative and entertaining.
To be recognized as a finalist across so many different categories is a dream come true for us at RotoBaller, as we strive to provide a year-round experience across many different sports. We are honored to be recognized and nominated amongst so many other talented writers and companies in the industry, it means a lot to all of us!”
The FSWA announced the nominees on social media and its site homepage on January 30. Per the FSWA, entries were received in 23 writing and media categories. The entries are reviewed by an independent panel of judges in a “blind” process where the names of sites, writers, and broadcasters/podcasters are removed. The award winners will be announced on a show on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio on February 25.
The Full Rundown: 2025 Industry Award Finalists
Here is the rundown of the RotoBaller 2025 FSWA Award finalists, and the category for which they received the nomination:
1. Dan Palyo - Best Research Article
2. Spencer Aguiar - Best Research Article
3. Jarod Rupp - Player Notes Writer of the Year
4. Brad Camara - Player Notes Writer of the Year
5. Euan Leith - Soccer Writer of the Year
6. Spencer Aguiar - Golf Writer of the Year
7. Doug Shain - DFS Writer of the Year
8. Eric Cross (The Toolshed) - Best Baseball Podcast
9. Euan Leith (F1 Fantasy Pole Position) - Best Fantasy Podcast
10. Euan Leith (F1 Fantasy Pole Position) - Best Long-Form Fantasy Video
Excellence in Research: Deep Dives and Data Analysis
Research Article of the Year
Best Research Article finalists
Dan Palyo
Ariel Cohen
John Laghezza
Spencer Aguiar
Adam Hutchison— FSWA (@FSWA) January 30, 2026
Two of our RotoBallers have been nominated for Research Article of the Year, for their incredible analytical and research pieces. Dan Palyo (Thunder Dan) was nominated for his work in baseball, while Spencer Aguiar was recognized for his extensive PGA analysis:
Dan Palyo is no stranger to FSWA nominations. In 2024, Thunder Dan was nominated for Best DFS Writer and Baseball Writer of the Year, and even took home the 2021 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Palyo has been with RotoBaller for over five years and oversees all DFS and betting content on the website. He is also a co-editor of MLB and NFL teams and can be found covering numerous topics across the three major sports, including deep dives into starting pitchers during the summer and navigating the fantasy basketball waiver wire in the winter.
Thunder Dan was nominated for the following piece in this category. He did an extensive deep dive to identify the top fantasy baseball breakout pitchers based on key plate discipline metrics.
Spencer Aguiar leads the way in our golf DFS content. Aguiar has been with RotoBaller since 2018 and has continued to provide readers with highly detailed content to give them the edge in their DFS competitions and betting picks. Aguiar provides readers with the Rankings Wizard model, a highly effective tool that delivers optimal DFS and betting strategies for all PGA competitions.
Like Palyo, Aguiar is well-regarded in FSWA awards. He is a two-time Golf Writer of the Year (2021 and 2024) and will now look to take home another category. In his nominated piece, Aguiar conducted comprehensive research on the state of DFS golf competitions and attempted to differentiate the sharp players from their counterparts. His research outlined what makes a "sharp" player successful and the tactics new fantasy gamers can begin implementing in their lineup construction. Spencer worked on this research article for nine months, a reflection of his deep knowledge and passion for the sport.
Writer of the Year Award Nominations
Some of the most coveted FSWA nominations are the Writer of the Year for each sport. RotoBaller led the way in this category, earning six nominations across a wide range of sports.
Player Notes Writer of the Year
Player Notes Writer of the Year finalists
Patrick Daugherty
Jarod Rupp
Daniel Dobish
George Bissell
Brad Camara— FSWA (@FSWA) January 30, 2026
RotoBaller will once again have a nomination in the Player Notes Writer of the Year category. RotoBaller is home to a 24/7 news desk that provides around-the-clock coverage on all four professional sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL) and also PGA, NASCAR, and CFB. Our news desk provides up-to-the-minute updates across several popular industry platforms, including Sleeper, FTN Fantasy, Fleaflicker, RT Sports, DFS Army and many more.
This year, two of our news desk writers, Brad Camara and Jarod Rupp, were nominated for this Player Notes Writer of the Year category. They earned the eighth and ninth nominations in this category for RotoBaller over the last seven years.
Brad Camara joined RotoBaller in 2021 as a writer and now serves as a core member of the staff. Camara is now the lead editor on the NFL and MLB news desks. This is his second nomination in this category, as he received his first Player Notes Writer of the Year nod in 2023.
Jarod Rupp is coming off a 2024 nomination for this award and will once again represent RotoBaller in this category. Rupp has over 20 years of experience in fantasy sports and has brought his extensive knowledge to our award-winning news desk. You can find Rupp providing detailed player updates on the NFL (including weekly team coverage on the Atlanta Falcons) and MLB news desk year-round. Rupp has also begun to take on a lead role in MLB prospect coverage on the news desk.
Soccer Writer Of The Year
Soccer Writer of the Year finalists
Adam Zdroik
Ethan Sexton
Euan Leith— FSWA (@FSWA) January 30, 2026
Euan Leith was nominated for awards for two sports in 2025, showcasing his versatility and critical role on the RotoBaller team. Leith has called RotoBaller home since 2019, providing coverage across numerous aspects of the industry, including soccer, baseball, football, and, recently, Formula 1. Leith is a familiar name in this category, as this is his third nomination for Soccer Writer of the Year (2022, 2023).
Leith is a lead writer on our EPL staff. This season, he put together an extensive overview and guide to the ins and outs of Fantasy Premier League. He also composes the weekly team reveals and captain selections.
- How to Play Fantasy Premier League (EPL)
- Fantasy Premier League Team Reveals Gameweek 1
- Fantasy Premier League Best Captain and Differential Picks for Gameweek 6
Golf Writer Of The Year
Golf Writer of the Year finalists
Alex Blickle
Pat Mayo
Spencer Aguiar— FSWA (@FSWA) January 30, 2026
Spencer Aguiar was also nominated for the Golf Writer of the Year award. As noted previously, Aguiar is a two-time Golf Writer of the Year winner (2021 and 2024) and will look to take home his third title.
In this year's submissions, Aguiar covered a wide range of topics, including DFS analysis pieces using advanced modeling, where he did an extensive breakdown on the Bermuda Championship, as well as a reflective piece honoring the life of fantasy analyst James (@TheDegenerate75), who passed away last year after a battle with cancer.
You can read his pieces below:
- Sharp Vs. Square (DFS Golf)
- If Only Life Had a Mulligan Available
- DraftKings PGA DFS Lineup Picks - Bermuda Championship
DFS Writer Of The Year
DFS Writer of the Year finalists
Adam Levitan
Douglas Shain
Kyle Borgognoni
Matthew Betz
Alex Blickle— FSWA (@FSWA) January 30, 2026
Doug Shain is a lead premium DFS analyst for RotoBaller and has been recognized with numerous FSWA nominations throughout his career, but this is his first with RotoBaller. Shain provides our premium subscribers with sharp analysis to take down a wide range of NFL and NHL DFS tournaments. He is responsible for creating the premier NHL DFS Heat Map, which provides readers with the top lines to target each day. Additionally, Shain uses matchup heat to identify the top stacks and value plays in his full-length columns.
On the NFL side, Shain writes weekly articles spotlighting the top value plays in cash tournaments.
You can read his pieces below:
- NFL DFS Lineup Picks for Preseason Week 2
- NFL DFS Cash Game Values and Rankings Week 16
- NHL DFS Lineup Picks 12/4/25
Multimedia Excellence: Podcast and Video Finalists
In addition to our written content, RotoBaller earned several nominations in other forms of media, including Best Baseball Podcast, Best Fantasy Podcast, and Best Long-Form Fantasy Video.
Best Baseball Podcast
Best Baseball Podcast finalists
The Toolshed
Pitcher List Fantasy Baseball
The Sleeper and the Bust
Bubba and the Bloom
RotoWire Fantasy Baseball— FSWA (@FSWA) January 30, 2026
Our other nomination for baseball content was Eric Cross, the host of The Toolshed Podcast. This is the second time The Toolshed has been nominated for this category, the first being in 2023. This podcast provides listeners with extensive information and research on the emerging prospects in the minor leagues. Cross leads elaborate prospect and dynasty-focused discussions, analyzing the long-term outlooks of both current and future MLB stars.
Cross is also the Lead Fantasy Baseball Writer at RotoBaller and has been with the website for over three years. Cross has also been named FSWA Fantasy Baseball Writer of the Year (2021) and has been nominated for this category two other years.
In addition to his podcast work, you can find Eric contributing weekly to our MLB content. He publishes a monthly dynasty fantasy baseball top-200 rankings with numerous in-season columns, including Top-25 prospects to Stash in Redraft Leagues.
You can listen to the latest edition of The Toolshed Podcast below:
Best Fantasy Podcast
Best Fantasy Podcast, All Sports finalists
RotoWire Fantasy Soccer
F1 Fantasy Pole Position
RotoWire Fantasy Basketball
Pat Mayo Experience
Establish The Run NBA— FSWA (@FSWA) January 30, 2026
In addition to his incredible work on the soccer side of the website, Euan Leith also earned nominations for his podcast and video work. Leith began covering Formula F1 for RotoBaller in 2023 and now serves as the lead in F1 content on our site. Leith is the host of the F1 Fantasy Pole Position Podcast, which provides listeners with the top tips, breakdowns, and strategies needed to win F1 Fantasy competitions.
He hosts weekly videos breaking down the latest news and updates, providing viewers with the information they need to dominate their fantasy leagues.
Listen to his latest episode here:
Best Long-Form Fantasy Video
Best Long-Form Fantasy Video finalists
F1 Fantasy Pole Position
Underdog Fantasy Stats vs. Film
Yahoo Fantasy Football Live
Establish The Run
Fantasy Life UNTITLED with Kendall & Cooterdoodle— FSWA (@FSWA) January 30, 2026
Additionally, Euan Leith also earned a nomination for Best Long-Form Fantasy Video. On Leith's YouTube channel, he discusses the latest news and strategies in F1 Fantasy. Like his long-form podcast, this content will help fantasy managers participating in numerous competitions assemble their best rosters and be well-equipped to win their respective leagues and tournaments.
Watch his latest episode here:
That wraps up our overview of this year's FSWA finalists, and we wish our RotoBaller contributors the best of luck in all of these categories -- amongst an extremely talented group of writers and podcasters from various companies all across the industry. We are extremely proud of the team, as for the sixth-straight year RotoBaller has been nominated for double-digit FSWA awards and continues to be a the top platform in the fantasy space. RotoBaller continues to provide its readers with high-level coverage of all sports with league-winning analysis and information, and continues to remain a leader in the fantasy sports industry due to its talented staff that works hard every day on all their respective sports and projects. Good luck to everyone!
