September 28, 2025
Denver Broncos wide receiver
Pat Bryant could see a modest uptick in snaps this week when his team squares off against the Cincinnati Bengals at home on Monday Night Football. Bryant is currently a distant option in Denver's WR corps, ranking fifth in snaps and amassing just two receptions for 18 yards (three targets) through three weeks. He could see the field a bit more in Week 4 with the news that fellow wideout
Marvin Mims Jr. (hip) is questionable with a hip injury. The 22-year-old was highly touted in camp, but for the time being, teammates
Courtland Sutton and
Troy Franklin are the only Broncos' pass catchers worth starting. He'll land as RotoBaller's PPR WR105 ahead of Monday night's doubleheader.
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
September 28, 2025
Kansas City Chiefs running back
Brashard Smith doesn't project to be a factor for fantasy when his team takes the field against the visiting Baltimore Ravens in Week 4. With teammates
Isiah Pacheco and
Kareem Hunt essentially splitting all of Kansas City's backfield work, the rookie is left scraping for scraps, as he's yet to handle more than two touches or eight snaps in any appearance. There was some speculation that Smith would take on a heavier role with his backfield mates lacking explosivity. However, he doesn't quite yet have the complete trust of his coaches. The 22-year-old is a dynamic athlete capable of game-breaking plays, but his services can't be depended on for fantasy until he picks up a larger workload. Smith is a better stash in dynasty formats.
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
September 27, 2025
Although Christopher Bell is one of the best drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series, intermediates to some extent have been his Achilles' heel. Despite winning four poles at Kansas, Bell has rarely factored for the win here but last year's fall race was a big exception when he led 122 laps until hitting the wall near the end of Stage 2. Despite that mishap, he has finished 8th or better in seven of his last eight starts and will probably do so again unless he crashes in this race. Having said that, his fifth-place starting position means he has the potential to finish worse than he starts, thereby costing him valuable Place Differential points. Bell is still a very strong option, but it's somewhat hard to justify starting him when Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, and Ryan Blaney are all starting in the 30s.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
September 27, 2025
A week after dominating the first half of the race at Loudon, Joey Logano was astonishingly slow in Kansas qualifying, where he starts 35th and was even outqualified by Cody Ware, although he starts one row ahead of his teammate Ryan Blaney after Blaney crashed in practice and Logano blew a tire. Nonetheless, you should strongly consider starting both teammates even though they weren't fast in practice either because it is very rare that you get the opportunity for that many Place Differential points from them. Blaney is probably a better choice Logano since his recent record here is better while Logano has only led 14 laps with this car here and has never finished better than 5th, but even if he only finishes 15th, he'll outscore several drivers who finish better. Since he's not locked into the Round of 8 while Blaney is, which may make him more intensely motivated to move through the field.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
September 27, 2025
Chase Elliott is aimlessly drifting through the playoffs via consistency despite not factoring for many race wins, but with Kansas and the Charlotte roval remaining in this round, he probably should advance to the Round of 8 regardless. Elliott starts fourth tomorrow and he leads more races here than not with six races where he led between 29 and 48 laps in his last 14 starts including his win in 2018. While he was never really dominant, he was always competitive as he only finished worse than 15th once, but he tended to finish worse than where he is starting tomorrow in most of those races so other drivers who are starting worse might score more points. However, Elliott is no sure thing to advance to the Round of 8 since he only leads Ross Chastain by 14 points with polesitter Chase Briscoe in between, which may incrase Elliott's motivation for this race.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
September 27, 2025
Austin Cindric is probably not going to advance to the Round of 8 this year since he rarely posts good finishes, even though he has a lot of good runs. Cindric sits 19 points behind his former Xfinity Series rival Chase Briscoe for the final transfer spot, but Briscoe is starting on the pole while Cindric only qualified 26th at a track where he has never led a lap or finished better than 11th. Briscoe will likely score a lot of stage points while Cindric will not, which will likely put him out of contention. Cindric did qualify poorly enough to make him a possibly strong option for DFS play, but the thing is, his superior Penske teammates, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, are both starting even worse, which means they would be better bets for place-differential points unless you want to save money for another top driver since Cindric costs much less at $7,200.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
September 27, 2025
Ty Gibbs's historical record at Kansas is quite similar to the early record of his predecessor, Kyle Busch, when Kansas was generally regarded as his best track. Despite the consistent speed his grandfather's team has shown at the track, Gibbs has tended to qualify well and consistently finish worse than he starts. He did finish fifth in last year's fall race after starting second, but aside from that, he only finished better than 28th once. Since he is starting eighth and is very likely to lose positions from his starting position and score negative place-differential points, you likely don't want to start him, even though he is in a Joe Gibbs Racing car and is very inexpensive with a $7,400 salary.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
September 27, 2025
Although Josh Berry was eliminated from the opening round of the NASCAR playoffs, he rebounded last week with his best career race at Loudon. Berry is typically very fast at intermediate tracks and he'll likely be undervalued because of his shaky finishing record here, particularly his opening lap crash in last year's race, but in last year's race he drove from 38th to 6th for a dying Stewart-Haas Racing team, so he has some value. What might hold him back is Penske's inexplicable lack of speed this weekend. Although Berry himself qualified 13th in the Wood Brothers satellite entry, the three official Penske cars all qualified 26th or worse and the team will likely be more focused on getting good finishes for Joey Logano and Austin Cindric so they can advance in the playoffs instead of Berry who's already advanced. Penske's questionable speed is probably the main reason to stay away.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
September 27, 2025
Austin Dillon used to be pretty solid at Kansas in his early years in the NASCAR Cup Series in the Gen 6 along with five top-10 finishes, with his most recent coming in 2023 with the Next Gen car, but admittedly, he has not finished better than 10th since his sixth-place finish in 2016. He rarely leads here, and Richard Childress Racing has lacked speed seemingly everywhere of late except for Dillon's win at Richmond. His 16th-place qualifying run is too good to consider him for qualifying points, but he is also starting too far back in the field to be a realistic contender for lap-leader or fastest-lap points, which makes him a pretty weak selection on Sunday. The only good things to say about him are that he nearly always finishes, and his $6,500 salary is pretty cheap. The only reason to start him would be to save money to roster a better top driver.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
September 27, 2025
Despite his awful first decade at Kansas, Kyle Busch was quite productive with the Gen 6 car, with which he won twice and led 320 laps. He had some speed with the Next Gen car as well with 70 laaps led and a third-place finish in the spring 2022 race, but he really hasn't had much speed anywhere since he led the most laps at Circuit of the Americas and it's hard to imagine that changing tomorrow. Typically, you'd want to start Busch after he qualified 29th, but he qualified even worse in the spring where he started 35th and only made it back up to 21st. Busch for the first time in his career has below average speed and his crew chief Randall Burnett is now a lame duck after it has been announced he will be joining Connor Zilisch's team next year. Although you might be tempted by his weak starting position, stay away.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
September 27, 2025
Shane van Gisbergen did not run very well in his Kansas debut in the NASCAR Cup Series, starting 34th and finishing 20th with a weak average running position of 28th, but that is admittedly typical for nearly all drivers learning the Next Gen car on ovals for the first time. He has tended to have somewhat more speed in the second half of the season on ovals, although that is normally reflected more in his improved starting positions than his finishes, which makes him arguably an even worse option than he was in the spring since he is less likely to earn place-differential points. It certainly wouldn't be surprising if he eventually breaks through on ovals at some point, but it doesn't seem likely that Sunday will be that day.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
September 27, 2025
Although Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hasn't crashed as much as he did in many previous seasons, he has arguably been less relevant. Despite cleaning up his racecraft somewhat, he now sits 28th in points and is poised to have the worst points finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career. He's unlikely to turn it around at Kansas, where he only finished in the top 10 once, an eighth-place finish in the 2022 spring race. He did have one of his best career runs in his debut here in 2013 when he passed both Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth in a matter of seconds to take the lead, but that was clearly an aberration that had nothing to do with his future performance here. Even worse is the fact that he is starting 18th, which is better than he typically has finished this year, and he hasn't even finished better than that since Atlanta 13 races ago. Stenhouse is a must to avoid.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
September 27, 2025
Michael McDowell does not typically run well at Kansas. He has only scored a single top ten here in his entire career, although that was recent in the 2024 spring race where he started eighth, finished tenth, and actually had decent speed throughout. He's certainly had some intermediate speed for Spire Motorsports this year, particularly his surprise run at Texas, but normally intermediates are his worst track type and his 21st-place qualifying run is far off his teammate Carson Hocevar's 6th. McDowell is in that dead zone where he qualified too well to score many Place Differential points and too slowly to give him much of a chance at earning either lap leader or fastest lap points. When you further onsider that he matched his worst qualifying run in his last five starts, it's hard to envision him having much speed.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
September 27, 2025
Proving that results patterns can significantly diverge even at similarly-styled racetracks, Daniel Suárez has been pretty miserable at Kansas despite its similarity to Las Vegas, where he had a pretty consistent record. At Kansas, however, Suárez has earned only a single top-10 finish since his career-best seventh-place showing in his Kansas debut in 2017. He has also only led three races here for a total of 26 laps, and generally, Kansas is a track that doesn't reward strategy as much as Las Vegas, which bumped up several of his recent finishes here. His 30th-place qualifying run on Saturday is actually his worst on speed since he failed to post a qualifying time in the two races where he started worse. Trackhouse Racing is probably going to be all in on trying to get Ross Chastain through to the Round of 8, so the odds of Suárez having a good run seem unbelievably remote.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
September 27, 2025
New York Yankees outfielder
Aaron Judge smashed his 53rd home run of the season in a 6-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday. Judge, who hit a 383-foot solo shot off
Tomoyuki Sugano in the first inning, later added a two-run single to finish the day 2-for-4 with three RBI. Already a two-time AL MVP, Judge has made a compelling case for a third award this season, though he'll have to fend off Mariners catcher and 60-home run man
Cal Raleigh. Judge, who is assured the first AL batting title of his career this year, has slashed a jaw-dropping .331/.458/.691 with 114 RBI and 136 runs scored in 151 games and 675 trips to the plate.
--Connor ByrneSource: ESPN
September 27, 2025
San Francisco Giants right-hander
Justin Verlander pulled a George Costanza and went out on a high note in a 4-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday. Making his last start of the season, the 42-year-old future Hall of Famer fired six innings of two-run, five-hit ball with seven strikeouts against one walk to notch the 266th win of his career. Verlander went a dismal 4-11 in 29 starts this season, but his numbers suggest he deserved far better than that. Across 152 innings, he posted a 3.85 ERA with a 1.36 WHIP, 137 strikeouts, and 52 walks. The three-time Cy Young winner saved his best month for last, logging a sparkling 2.09 ERA over five starts and 30 1/3 innings in September. Verlander, who said earlier this month that he plans to pitch in 2026, should draw plenty of interest in free agency during the offseason.
--Connor ByrneSource: ESPN
September 27, 2025
New York Yankees right-hander
Cam Schlittler (4-3) shut down the Baltimore Orioles to collect his fourth win of the season in a 6-1 victory on Saturday. The hard-throwing 24-year-old tossed seven scoreless, two-hit innings with a career-high nine strikeouts and one walk on 97 pitches to wrap up an impressive rookie campaign. After earning a promotion to the majors on July 9, Schlittler went on to record a sterling 2.96 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP, 84 strikeouts, and 31 walks over 14 starts and 73 innings. Schlittler pitched so well that he'll likely head into the postseason as the Yankees' No. 3 starter behind left-handers
Max Fried and
Carlos Rodon.
--Connor ByrneSource: ESPN
September 27, 2025
Cleveland Guardians closer
Cade Smith (8-5) earned the win in a 3-2 nail-biter over the Texas Rangers on Saturday and helped his team clinch an improbable playoff berth. Smith entered in the top of the eighth and threw 1 2/3 perfect innings with one strikeout before the Guardians won on a walk-off hit by pitch in the bottom of the ninth. The Guardians were a seemingly insurmountable 15 1/2 games back of Detroit in the AL Central on July 6, but almost four months later, they'll have a chance to take the division on Sunday with a win or a Tigers loss. Cleveland is in this position thanks in part to Smith, who took over as its closer in late July after Major League Baseball placed two-time AL Reliever of the Year
Emmanuel Clase on leave for a sports betting investigation. Smith has tallied 16 saves this season, including seven in September, and logged a 2.93 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP, 103 strikeouts, and 19 walks in 73 2/3 innings.
--Connor ByrneSource: ESPN
September 27, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies left-hander
Ranger Suarez (thigh) exited a 5-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Saturday with an inner-thigh contusion on his left leg. Suarez departed in the fifth inning after Twins catcher
Ryan Jeffers struck him with a 106 mph line drive, but there's no concern that he'll miss any postseason action. The Phillies have locked up the No. 2 seed in the National League, meaning they're off until the NLDS begins on Oct. 4. Suarez could pitch Game 2 on Oct. 6, when he'll look to bounce back from a rough outing on Saturday. He allowed three earned runs on nine hits with four strikeouts and no walks in 4 1/3 innings. The 30-year-old still enjoyed arguably his best regular season as a full-time starter. Over 157 1/3 frames, Suarez went 12-8 with a 3.20 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP, 151 strikeouts, and 38 walks.
--Connor ByrneSource: Todd Zolecki - MLB.com
September 27, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies shortstop
Trea Turner (hamstring) will come off the 10-day injured list before the team's regular-season finale against the Minnesota Twins on Sunday. Manager Rob Thomson said the plan is to give Turner a few innings at shortstop as the second-seeded Phillies gear up for the playoffs. They've gone about three weeks without Turner, who strained his right hamstring in a loss to the Miami Marlins on Sept. 7. The three-time All-Star is in position to win his second National League batting title and has slashed .305/.356/.458 with 15 homers, 69 RBI, 94 runs scored, and 36 stolen bases in 140 games and 637 plate appearances.
--Connor ByrneSource: Matt Gelb - The Athletic
September 27, 2025
Houston Astros outfielder
Jake Meyers (calf) was placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday. Meyers was scratched from Friday's contest due to right calf soreness. He wasn't feeling any better on Saturday, so the team has decided to place him on the shelf. Meyers would be eligible to return to action if the Astros make the ALDS, assuming they make the postseason at all. He'll finish his season with a .292/.354/.373 slash line with three home runs, 24 RBI, and 16 steals. In a corresponding move,
Brice Matthews has been recalled to take over the active roster spot.
--Andy WebbSource: Matt Kawahara
September 27, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher
Tyler Glasnow won't make a full length start during Saturday's outing against the Seattle Mariners. The Dodgers have already clinched a playoff berth, so they aren't going to push Glasnow too hard in a fairly meaningless game. He's expected to throw 3-to-5 innings depending on his pitch count. After that,
Andrew Heaney will come in and pitch as the bulk option out of the bullpen. Fantasy managers should start Glasnow, but don't expect him to pitch deep into this contest
--Andy WebbSource: Bill Plunkett
September 27, 2025
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher
Chris Paddack will take the mound for Sunday's game against the Boston Red Sox. After clinching a playoff berth, the Tigers have decided to rest ace starting pitcher
Tarik Skubal. The Tigers will save him for the playoffs and let Paddack pitch in the regular-season finale. Paddack has been awful with a 7.82 ERA, 1.11 WHIP across 12.2 innings in September. Fantasy managers should avoid streaming him for Sunday's slate.
--Andy WebbSource: Evan Petzold
September 27, 2025
New York Mets starting pitcher
Sean Manaea will take the mound for Sunday's game against the Miami Marlins. The Mets will hand the ball to Manaea in the important regular-season finale. They'll need to lean on their left-hander who has struggled in September. In five outings this month, Manaea holds a 7.64 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP, so he could be on a short leash. It'll be interesting to see how the Mets play this one with their season on the line. Manaea isn't a recommended streaming option given his struggles this month.
--Andy WebbSource: Anthony DiComo
September 27, 2025
San Diego Padres outfielder
Ramon Laureano (finger) was placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday, retroactive to Sept. 25. Laureano suffered a fractured finger during Wednesday's contest. As a result, Laureano will head to the shelf and will miss the upcoming Wild Card series against the Chicago Cubs. He'll finish his regular season with a .281/.342/.512 slash line with 24 home runs, 76 RBI, and seven stolen bases.
Gavin Sheets figures to take over in left field while Laureano is out. In a corresponding move,
Will Wagner has been recalled to take over the spot on the active roster.
--Andy WebbSource: San Diego Padres
September 27, 2025
Houston Texans wide receiver
Jaylin Noel had only two catches (three targets) for 11 yards in the first three games of the 2025 campaign.
Christian Kirk missed two contests to begin the year, so there was an opportunity for others to step up. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, Kirk's absence didn't do anything to benefit Noel, who logged a season-low nine offensive snaps in Week 3. With that in mind, it appears the rookie will see most of his action on special teams, making him nearly irrelevant for managers in any fantasy format heading into the Week 4 matchup with the Tennessee Titans.
--Dennis ClausenSource: ESPN
September 27, 2025
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver
Brian Thomas Jr. (wrist) doesn't carry an injury designation ahead of the Week 4 matchup with the 49ers. Thomas has been battling a wrist injury. Fortunately, he logged full practices throughout the week. Thomas had a stellar rookie year, amassing 87 catches (133 targets) for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns. However, he struggled in the Jags' first three games of the 2025 campaign, catching only seven passes for 115 yards. With that in mind, Thomas has been targeted 25 times this season, so it's obvious he remains a go-to option for quarterback
Trevor Lawrence. While the 22-year-old still can't be trusted fully from a fantasy standpoint, there's really not a scenario where managers can feel comfortable keeping him out of the starting lineup, especially considering his upside. It's also worth noting that
Dyami Brown (shoulder) may not play.
--Dennis ClausenSource: Jacksonville Jaguars
September 27, 2025
Utah Jazz forward
Georges Niang (foot) will be sidelined for at least a couple of weeks. The team announced that Niang suffered a fourth metatarsal stress reaction in his left foot during offseason training and conditioning. He is scheduled for re-evaluation in two weeks. This marks a setback for Niang ahead of his return to Utah. He'll be expected to help improve the team's poor 35 percent three-point shooting from last year. Niang himself shot 40.6 percent from distance across 79 appearances with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks. He averaged a career-high 9.9 points while grabbing 3.4 rebounds in 21.5 minutes.
--Taavi PailkSource: NBA.com
September 27, 2025
Philadelphia 76ers shooting guard
Jared McCain (thumb) will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. The talented sophomore is set to undergo surgery after suffering a UCL tear in his right thumb. Given the expected timeline for his recovery, McCain is likely to miss at least the first few games of the regular season. His absence might lead to more playing time for
Kyle Lowry and
Eric Gordon, although the two veterans have been struggling to be effective in recent seasons, so fantasy managers should keep their expectations low.
--Taavi PailkSource: Shams Charania
September 27, 2025
The Los Angeles Chargers elevated running back
Kimani Vidal to the active roster on Saturday ahead of the Week 4 matchup with the Giants. Last season, the 24-year-old logged 43 carries for 155 yards, adding five catches (nine targets) for 62 yards and a touchdown. However, he hasn't appeared in a game for the Bolts through the first three weeks of the 2025 campaign. With
Najee Harris (Achilles) done for the rest of the year,
Omarion Hampton should see even more work out of the backfield. While Vidal could get some touches alongside
Hassan Haskins in the Week 4 meeting with the New York Giants, that won't make him a reliable option in any fantasy format. For now, managers can keep Vidal out of the starting fantasy lineup and off the roster altogether.
--Dennis ClausenSource: Los Angeles Chargers
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