July 20, 2025
William Byron has never won at Dover before as his best finishes here have been a trio of fourths, but he has also not lacked for speed as he has led 250 laps in the last four races, including 229 in the last two. In the 2023 race, he made the first two passes for the lead and he also made another in last year's race. He feels more suitable on this track type than the four drivers starting in front of him with the possible exception of Chase Elliott, so he could easily be one of the most likely drivers to dominate the race. However, at $10,500, he is also mighty expensive for a driver who has rarely finished better than he is starting today. Although he could easily win, starting either Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, or Kyle Larson seem like safer bets since they are starting worse in the field. Byron is still nonetheless one of the strongest options.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
July 20, 2025
Although 23XI Racing stands to lose a lot of money from the revocation of their charter, they could easily make some of it back if Tyler Reddick wins NASCAR's $1,000,000 In-Season Challenge, and he's certainly the favorite since he's the only likely playoff-bound driver remaining in the Final Four. However, despite being the only driver to earn top ten finishes in all three races in the bracket, he has curiously lacked speed compared to the last three seasons and is often tending to finish better than he runs, which is uncharacteristic of him. That lack of speed is not inspiring since he has usually lacked speed on shorter pave ovals as well and at Dover, he's never finished better than 7th, which means he's likely to lose spots from his 4th-place starting position. The No. 45 team will be intensely motivated to advance in the bracket and make some of their money back, but Reddick's speed has been shaky enough to make him a very risky option.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
July 20, 2025
After back-to-back top tens on road/street courses at Chicago and Sonoma, Gibbs is now somewhat alive to point his way into the NASCAR playoffs and he has also made the semifinal of NASCAR's In-Season Challenge, where he will face Tyler Reddick. Although Gibbs is nowhere near as good on any other track type typically as he is on road courses, he hasn't been terrible at Dover, as he finished 13th and 10th in his first two starts and improved from his starting position in both. Now starting 9th at a track where Joe Gibbs Racing could very well dominate, he might be poised to upset Reddick, who he did beat by a single position last year. He's probably not worth starting because his starting position is too good at a track where he will likely finish worse, but he might be worth a bet in the bracket since Reddick's speed has been shakier than Gibbs's lately.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
July 20, 2025
Dover has been one of Joey Logano's worst tracks throughout his career as he has never finished better than third and he has only ever led 41 laps here. One thing that can be said for him here is that he usually gets a finish, but he isn't a great option for DFS play today because he is starting 8th and is likely to finish worse than that, particularly in a year where he keeps making stupid mistakes and finishes worse than he runs. Starting where he is, he's likely only valuable if he either leads a lot of laps or gets a lot of fastest laps, but he probably won't be near enough to the front to do either of those things. He's by no means one of the worst options for DFS play, but he isn't a great one.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
July 20, 2025
Although Kyle Busch has been substantially worse at most tracks since he switched from Joe Gibbs Racing to Richard Childress Racing, Dover Motor Speedway is one of the main exceptions. For how much he has lacked speed elsewhere, Busch actually won poles here in each of his last two starts and he's led a combined 192 laps in the last three Next Gen races, which is not typical for him of any track at late. Busch doesn't necessarily need to win to make the playoffs since he is only 37 points behind a collapsing Bubba Wallace, but he is probably intensely motivated to end his winless streak at a time when many of the top drivers seem to be ignoring the current races to prepare for the playoffs. Starting Busch is a high-volatility option anywhere these days, and since he's starting 10th it's a big risk, but since it's conceivable he could dominate here (unlike most tracks) it might be a risk worth taking.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
July 20, 2025
John Hunter Nemechek has slight value for today's race at Dover because he starts poorly (28th), he has gained positions in all three of his previous starts here, and he's been reliably consistent in finishing either 20th or 24th in all three of his starts in '20 and '24. After a long litany of crashes those two years, he's actually kept it somewhat clean this year but he doesn't have much speed. You can likely count on him to finish better than his starting position, but it probably won't be by enough to make him one of the best options. Nonetheless, he might be worth signing at $5,700 if you want to start more of the higher-dollar options. Given their usual performance here, it seems very unlikely that Nemechek will lose his round in the In-Season Challenge to Ty Dillon and he will likely advance to the finals against one of the other Tylers.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
July 20, 2025
Michael McDowell is one of the absolute worst options for DFS consideration today as he starts 7th at Dover, a track where he has never finished better than 17th. This means he is almost certain to lose positions and score extremely few DFS points as a result. His previous best starting position of 8th came in last year's race, where he had a hub failure and finished next-to-last, which does not inspire confidence, although admittedly that was a mechanical failure for a different team. Starting where McDowell is, he's only really valuable if he leads laps or sets a lot of fastest laps, which does not seem likely for him at a track where he's only led nine laps. McDowell is a must to avoid.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
July 20, 2025
Ever since Roger Penske fired Tim Cindric as Team Penske President in the wake of their Indy 500 qualifying cheating scandal, Tim's son Austin has steadily faded to his typical mediocrity. That could just be a coincidence as plenty of other teams seem to be giving up on the regular season races once they win their way into the playoffs, as Cindric did at Talladega. Furthermore, Cindric has only really been fast lately on drafting tracks and intermediates and the series has pivoted away from those tracks in recent months. As a result, don't count on Cindric turning it around at Dover, a track which is not exactly his metier. Cindric's 26th-place starting position is his worst ever at a track where he has never finished better than 15th. He starts poorly enough that he could have value, but it's more likely that his recent lack of performance except on two track types will override that.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
July 20, 2025
Erik Jones's chances of pointing into the playoffs are likely over after two typically subpar road course runs back-to-back, but now as NASCAR returns to the ovals, Jones might get back into the groove as he had six straight finishes of 17th or better on ovals before the road course swing. Although he typically does better on the larger superspeedways than the shorter ones, Jones has been reliably consistent at Dover with no finishes of worse than 22nd even if he's never been much of a contender for the lead having never led a lap at the track. His first two top ten finishes came in his Joe Gibbs Racing years, but he did finish 10th in his strong underdog 2022 season and this is the best he's been since then. Since he starts 27th thanks to his poor road course performances, worse than he ever has here, he has a lot of value, especially because he only costs $6,300 in DFS.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
July 20, 2025
Zane Smith starts 30th for today's race at Dover, smack dab in between his Front Row Motorsports teammates Todd Gilliland and Noah Gragson, who start 24th and 36th respectively. It's unclear what effect NASCAR's revocation of FRM's charter will have on the team's performance, especially after their appeal was denied. However, it's pretty rare for teams to DNQ anywhere except the Daytona 500 these days so it will likely have little effect. Smith has been the best FRM driver all season and is likely the best option for DFS play, especially when noting that he improved from 37th to 24th in last year's race, indicating he has some definite potential for Place Differential points. However, Dover is a track where speed tends to be paramount because it is so easy to be lapped and FRM doesn't have a lot of speed. He's worth a shot if you want to start several more expensive drivers, but there are better options elsewhere.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
July 20, 2025
Gilliland has his best-ever starting performance at Dover, where he starts 24th after qualifying was rained out even though he is currently lower in points than he finished any previous season. When considering both that fact and the fact that he has never finished better than 25th here, he is very likely to lose positions in this race from his starting position and is unlikely to score many DFS points. His 31st-place finish last year is fairly unrepresentative because he had an early crash and finished 21 laps down, but even when he did not have trouble in 2022 and 2023, he finished four laps down both times and you can likely expect more of the same tomorrow. For DFS play, Gilliland is best avoided even at the low price of $5,400.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
July 20, 2025
Even by his very low standards, Cody Ware has not been terrible at Dover Motor Speedway. In five starts, he has an average finish of 34th. He crashed out in both 2018 and 2021 and has never finished better than 13 laps down here. In general, drivers for the slowest teams should be avoided at Dover because it is substantially easier to get lapped there than at most other tracks. The only places where you might conceivably want to start Ware are either tracks that are long enough that the slower cars won't get lapped or races that have a lot of attrition, but neither of those apply to Dover as only an average of five failed to finish here in the Next Gen era. Even with Ware costing only $4,700 and starting 35th, you should not be tempted.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
July 19, 2025
Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman
Eugenio Suarez continued to show off his tremendous power Saturday in a 10-1 rout of the St. Louis Cardinals. Suarez posted his fifth multi-home run game of the season, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and a walk. The 34-year-old has slugged a major league-leading 18 HRs since June 1 and now has an NL-best 33 on the season. He's also slashing an outstanding .254/.326/.585 with an NL-high 81 RBI and 61 runs scored over 399 plate appearances. Suarez has been the subject of plenty of trade rumors leading up to the July 31 deadline, and he's continuing to boost his stock. The Diamondbacks, who are 4 1/2 games back of a wild-card spot, will have to decide whether to move the two-time All-Star.
--Connor ByrneSource: ESPN
July 19, 2025
Boston Red Sox hurler
Tanner Houck (elbow) has suffered a recurrence of a right flexor pronator strain and will remain on the 15-day injured list, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports. Houck had just finished a maximum 30-day rehab assignment to recover from the strain on Thursday, leaving the Red Sox two days to decide whether to recall the right-hander or send him to Triple-A. For now, neither option is on the table in the aftermath of this setback. Houck's 30-day rehab clock will reset, but he's not eligible to begin a new assignment for seven days. At this point, it's fair to wonder whether the 29-year-old will pitch again this season. After Houck earned an All-Star nod last year, the Red Sox were counting on another strong showing in 2025. Instead, Houck went 0-3 with an 8.04 ERA in 43 2/3 innings before going on the IL on May 13.
--Connor ByrneSource: Ian Browne - MLB.com
July
19,
2025
The
Boston
Red
Sox
have
set
their
rotation
for
their
upcoming
road
series
against
the
Philadelphia
Phillies,
according
to
Christopher
Smith
of
MassLive.com.
They'll
start
three
right-handers
-
Walker
Buehler
on
Monday,
Richardread more...
July 19, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies standout starters
Zack Wheeler and
Cristopher Sanchez will make their second-half debuts in a home series against the Boston Red Sox during the upcoming week. Wheeler will start Monday, Sanchez will toe the rubber Tuesday, and left-hander
Jesus Luzardo will get the ball Wednesday. Wheeler was spectacular in the first half en route to his third All-Star nod, going 9-3 with a 2.36 ERA, a 0.86 WHIP, and 154:26 K:BB in 122 innings. Sanchez was a controversial All-Star snub after the southpaw went 8-2 with a 2.50 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, and 122 strikeouts against 32 walks over 115 frames.
--Connor ByrneSource: Christopher Smith - MassLive.com
July 19, 2025
Texas Rangers right-hander
Nathan Eovaldi (back) will not make his scheduled start on Sunday because of back stiffness, manager Bruce Bochy announced. The Rangers will instead turn to left-hander
Jacob Latz against the Detroit Tigers. Eovaldi missed most of June with elbow inflammation, but he has been superb over 16 starts. The 35-year-old has gone 7-3 with a 1.58 ERA, a 0.85 WHIP, and 94:14 K:BB across 91 innings. Latz has performed well in his own right, having recorded a 3.00 ERA with a 1.21 WHIP and 48:21 K:BB in 48 frames. However, he has typically gone three or fewer innings in the vast majority of his 21 appearances.
--Connor ByrneSource: Kennedi Landry - MLB.com
July 19, 2025
Houston Astros second baseman
Brendan Rodgers (oblique, head) suffered a concussion and a nasal fracture on a collision during his first rehab game with Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday. The Astros have returned Rodgers from his rehab assignment and are sending him for further evaluation, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Rodgers has been on the 10-day injured list with a strained oblique since June 15. He had been making progress in his recovery, but thanks to his new injuries, there's no timetable for his return. The 32-year-old was hitting an unsightly .191/.266/.278 with two home runs in 128 plate appearances when he went on the IL.
--Connor ByrneSource: Chandler Rome - The Athletic
July 19, 2025
The Philadelphia Phillies have placed third baseman
Alec Bohm (ribs) on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left rib and recalled infielder/outfielder
Weston Wilson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Bohm suffered the injury on a hit by pitch last Saturday, causing him to miss two of the Phillies' three games since then. The 28-year-old played Friday, but he aggravated the injury during a loss to the Angels and could now miss a sizable chunk of time. While
Edmundo Sosa,
Otto Kemp, and Wilson are the in-house candidates to play third during Bohm's absence, the team does have the option of acquiring outside help before the July 31 trade deadline.
--Connor ByrneSource: Philadelphia Phillies
July 19, 2025
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher
Cade Povich (hip) took the mound for Triple-A Norfolk on Saturday. Last time out, Povich threw three scoreless innings at High-A Aberdeen. On Saturday, Povich allowed one run on three hits while striking out six batters across 3 ⅓ innings of work. It's unclear if Povich will be cleared to return or require another rehab start after this outing. Honestly, it's uncertain if Povich has a spot in the O's rotation at the moment. The right-hander might be forced to stick in Triple-A until a spot opens up. It's possible that the O's make a few trades at the deadline and Povich joins the rotation after that. For now, Povich isn't someone that needs to be rostered in fantasy formats.
--Andy WebbSource: Roch Kubatko
July 19, 2025
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher
Kyle Bradish (elbow) was able to throw a live two-inning batting practice session on Saturday. Bradish reportedly looked good during this session, which is great news. That means, Bradish should be able to head out on a rehab assignment now. He figures to need a few rehab starts before getting back into the mix in the O's rotation. Bradish is working his way back from Tommy John surgery from last year. The hope is that Bradish can be an option in the starting rotation by late August. He could be worth a stash on the IL for fantasy managers desperate for pitching help.
--Andy WebbSource: Jacob Calvin Meyer
July 19, 2025
Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Dennis Gardeck (undisclosed) was placed on the active/Physically Unable to Perform list on Saturday. The 30-year-old spent his entire career with the Arizona Cardinals. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn ACL in the Week 7 meeting with the Los Angeles Chargers, ending his 2024 season prematurely. Gardeck has appeared in 96 regular-season contests, totaling 156 tackles (117 solo), 17 sacks, and two interceptions. While he should provide valuable leadership to a Jags defense that struggled last season, he likely won't be a viable IDP contributor. Gardeck can begin practice immediately once medically cleared.
--Dennis ClausenSource: Jacksonville Jaguars
July 19, 2025
Boston Red Sox relief pitcher
Liam Hendriks (hip) appears to be making progress as he threw from 120 feet on Saturday. Hendriks has been sidelined since May 28 due to right hip inflammation. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list and there really hasn't been many updates on his status since then. The Red Sox are hopeful that Hendriks can be an option for them down the stretch of the season. The timetable for his return is unclear, but sometime in August seems possible. Hendriks is unlikely to be a closing option, so there's probably no fantasy value here.
--Andy WebbSource: Christopher Smith
July 19, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher
Michael Kopech (knee) was able to resume a throwing program on Saturday. This is the first time that Kopech has been able to play catch since he underwent knee surgery last week. The right-hander required surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. He's currently on the 60-day injured list and isn't eligible to return until late August. Kopech says that he's feeling better and that he believes he'll be ready to return once his IL stint is over. Kopech figures to be a high-leverage option for the Dodgers, but fantasy managers don't need to bother stashing him right now.
--Andy WebbSource: Fabian Ardaya
July 19, 2025
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher
Bryan Woo is scheduled to take the ball versus the Houston Astros on Sunday. Woo has been outstanding lately as he has allowed two earned runs or less in each of his last five starts. He threw seven hitless innings against the New York Yankees before giving up two runs on July 10. Woo holds a 2.75 ERA and needs to be started and rostered in all fantasy formats.
Framber Valdez will get the ball for Houston in what is looking like a pitcher's duel on Sunday.
--Andy WebbSource: Shannon Drayer
July 19, 2025
Chicago Bears quarterback
Case Keenum (undisclosed) was placed on the active/Non-Football Injury list on Saturday. The veteran agreed to a one-year deal with the Bears in April after missing the entire 2024 campaign because of a foot injury. He has suited up for seven teams throughout his career before his arrival in Chicago, throwing for 15,175 yards, 79 touchdowns, and 51 interceptions off 62.3% passing in 80 regular-season contests. Keenum is projected to be the No. 3 quarterback on the depth chart. While he should provide valuable guidance to
Caleb Williams, he likely won't see much, if any, on-field action in 2025. Keenum can start practicing immediately once he's medically cleared.
--Dennis ClausenSource: Chicago Bears
July 19, 2025
Tampa Bay Rays second baseman
Brandon Lowe (undisclosed) was removed early during Saturday's game against the Baltimore Orioles. It's unclear what happened to Lowe, but he was pulled out of the game after grounding out in his third at-bat. He was activated off the injured list on Friday. Possibly, Lowe re-aggravated his oblique issue, but the team should give an update on his status shortly. When healthy, Lowe is a stud, so fantasy managers should continue to hold him for now. He went 0-for-3 at the plate before being pulled out.
Jose Caballero took over at second base and figures to see an extended look there if Lowe misses time.
--Andy WebbSource: Marc Topkin
July 19, 2025
New England Patriots tight end
Austin Hooper (undisclosed) was placed on the active/Physically Unable to Perform list on Saturday. He won't practice to begin training camp, although he is eligible once medically cleared. The 30-year-old has appeared in 139 regular-season games for the Falcons, Browns, Titans, Raiders, and Patriots since entering the NFL in 2016, amassing 409 catches for 4,178 yards and 28 touchdowns. Hooper is listed behind
Hunter Henry on the depth chart. That likely won't change unless Henry goes down with an injury. Even then, Hooper won't be considered a trustworthy fantasy option. With that in mind, he's not expected to see attention from managers in any fantasy format during drafts heading into the 2025 campaign.
--Dennis ClausenSource: Mike Reiss
July
19,
2025
New
England
Patriots
wide
receiver
Mack
Hollins
(undisclosed)
was
placed
on
the
active/Physically
Unable
to
Perform
list.
The
wideout
agreed
to
a
two-year,
$8.4
million
deal
with
the
Pats
in
March
after
bouncing
around
the
read more...
July
19,
2025
According
to
Los
Angeles
Chargers
head
coach
Jim
Harbaugh,
running
back
Najee
Harris
(eye)
has
reported
to
the
team's
facility.
"He's
in
meetings,"
Harbaugh
stated.
"Just
great
to
have
him,
a
lot
of
gratitude
that
he's
read more...
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