RADIO
Jhostynxon Garcia Not a Stash Consideration Amid IL Stint
Pittsburgh Pirates outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia (undisclosed) was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Indianapolis with an undisclosed injury on August 20, so he could return to action this weekend if his stay on the IL is a short one. Even so, it doesn't give the Pirates' 13th-ranked prospect much time to get rolling again in order to get another shot in the majors this season. The right-handed hitter has held his own at Triple-A this season, slashing .270/.337/.419 with seven home runs in 61 games for the Indians, but has done little with his opportunities in the big leagues this year, batting .167 (8-for-48) with zero home runs and a 32.0 percent strikeout rate (2.0 percent walk rate) in 50 plate appearances for the Bucs. Whether he spends the minimum amount of time on the injured list or not, the 23-year-old doesn't offer much intrigue for fantasy at this point and should not be considered a stash option for the fantasy stretch run.
Source: MiLB.com
Source: MiLB.com
Min Woo Lee an Untrustworthy Start in Tour Championship Debut
This will be the first time Min Woo Lee has made it to East Lake, as he's finally reached the upper echelons on the PGA Tour. However, that doesn't change the reality that his current form isn't the greatest heading into the tour's finale. He's failed to crack the top 40 in six of his last seven starts, as the putter let him down over the first few events in that stretch before the iron play that's cost him strokes over his final three starts. Driving distance and short game are the backbone for the 28-year-old, and the worry isn't that he can't find birdies on what's usually a gettable layout. It is the threat of bogey for wayward drives and poor approaches. Lee likes to show up at longer courses, but East Lake is likely too diverse for his current skill set.
Source: Data Golf
Source: Data Golf
Calvin Austin III Suffers Torn ACL, Out for the Year
After leaving Tuesday's practice on a cart, New York Giants wide receiver Calvin Austin III (knee) has been confirmed to have torn his ACL, and he will miss the entirety of the 2026 season. After three years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the 2022 fourth-round pick signed a one-year free agent contract with the Giants and was expected to play a role in replacing the production of Wan'Dale Robinson, who caught at least 92 passes in back-to-back seasons while operating primarily out of the slot. With Pro Bowler Malik Nabers working his way back from the knee injury that ended his 2025 season and on track for a potential Week 1 start, Austin was not a fantasy target to begin with at RotoBaller's WR128, but the brutal news ends any hope of a modest breakout and will likely leave him looking for a new team in 2027 free agency.
Source: Adam Schefter
Source: Adam Schefter
Nikola Topic Faces Make-or-Break Year
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Nikola Topic enters a pivotal 2026-27 season with a 2027-28 team option hanging over his future. The 21-year-old has already dealt with a torn left ACL that wiped out his first NBA season, a testicular cancer diagnosis that delayed his debut until February, and offseason back surgery that he is expected to return from by training camp. Topic flashed late last season with back-to-back double-doubles, including an 18-point, 14-assist game against Phoenix that tied a Thunder rookie record. Oklahoma City moved Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe this offseason, but minutes are still not guaranteed with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell, Jared McCain, and Alex Caruso in the guard mix. Topic has passing upside, but he needs a steady role before becoming fantasy relevant.
Source: Grayson Buchanan
Source: Grayson Buchanan
Ryan Gerard Making Tour Championship Debut After Decent Closing Stretch
He didn't take the PGA Tour by storm down the last stretch of the season, but Ryan Gerard isn't in a bad place heading into his first trip to East Lake. He's finished T24-T16 over the two playoff events, where the driver made up most of his strokes gained. The rest has been serviceable, but he isn't blowing anyone away. Putting has been the one area that has spiked at some of his events, sometimes gaining over 10 strokes on the greens over four rounds. However, it isn't reliable and usually comes along with solid iron play, which has only averaged a mediocre 0.200 strokes gained over his last five starts. The flat stick gives him a fighting chance this week in Atlanta, but it will take better ball striking to really be worth a whole lot of DFS consideration.
Source: Data Golf
Source: Data Golf
Jacob Bridgeman Has Little Hope of Being Fantasy Relevant
Other than a couple of flash-in-the-pan events, Jacob Bridgeman hasn't had his best stuff since his win early in the year at Riviera. The flat stick was red hot to start the season, averaging 1.395 strokes gained putting over his first eight starts of 2026. His iron play also began strongly, averaging 1.132 strokes gained on approach over his first five starts. Both saw major regressions in the last half of the season. Encouragingly, his form on the greens has returned to average 0.832 strokes gained over his last five events, but his ball striking remains mediocre at best. One of the few bright showings of late came last week at the BMW Championship, finishing T9. However, the current lack of ball striking and shorter length make him a hard sell at this week's Tour Championship.
Source: Data Golf
Source: Data Golf
Tommy Fleetwood Set to Defend at East Lake
After not finishing worse than T14 since the PGA Championship, it was a bit surprising to see Tommy Fleetwood struggle so much at Bellerive last week. He finished T47, losing strokes off the tee, around the green, and on them. The 35-year-old ranks 6th on the season in strokes gained from tee to green (1.218). However, even with the solid play to close out the regular season, the vibe feels eerily similar coming into his title defense this week at East Lake. Yes, he finally got a victory on American soil, but the win equity hasn't changed. It's unlikely the poor form carries over enough to fade a DFS darling, but those hoping for a repeat from last year should likely temper expectations.
Source: PGA Tour
Source: PGA Tour
Si Woo Kim a Volatile Play With High Upside at Tour Championship
After a disappointing T33 last week in St. Louis, Si Woo Kim continues to struggle with inconsistency with the putter heading into this week's Tour Championship. The South Korean is the second-ranked player this season in strokes gained from tee to green (1.378), which is tested in every facet around East Lake. However, his -0.150 strokes gained putting average (ranked 106th) has undoubtedly kept him from a win this season. It hasn't been an Achilles heel at every tournament, as it's been the leading statistic for him in two of his five podium finishes in 2026. But know it's impossible to trust, and rostering him in DFS means betting on the upside of everything he does away from the dance floor and accepting the volatility that comes when he's on it.
Source: PGA Tour
Source: PGA Tour
Scottie Scheffler Dealing With Health Issue Ahead of Tour Championship
It was an odd week in St. Louis filled with abnormally poor shots and subsequent meltdowns from Scottie Scheffler after his win in Memphis. We would find out on Sunday that the world No. 1 was dealing with a case of HFMD, which made holding the golf club or taking a simple step painful. The fact he even played is almost dumbfounding, which makes his upcoming week at East Lake more worrisome than in previous years. This course has notoriously been a problem for the 30-year-old, routinely losing strokes on the greens, and is not dominating with his iron play like he does most other places. With such a large salary gap between him and the rest of the field, his only real value comes from a victory, and given what is now known about his health, that seems far more unlikely now. Fade Scheffler this week.
Source: Data Golf
Source: Data Golf
Gunnar Helm Has Momentum on His Side Entering 2026
Tennessee Titans tight end Gunnar Helm finished the 2025 season on a very strong note, and he'll look to pick up exactly where he left off as the 2026 campaign gets underway. Helm was the overall TE31 as a rookie. He had at least four catches in six of his final 12 games last year, including an impressive stat line of 20 catches, 141 yards, and one touchdown over the last six weeks. His emergence might have been a motivating factor in the Titans' decision to let Chig Okonkwo walk in free agency. Helm is now the undisputed No. 1 tight end in Tennessee, and while he'll likely face competition for targets from Carnell Tate and Wan'Dale Robinson, he figures to handle a decent target share throughout the upcoming season. The Texas product is currently the TE31 in RotoBaller's latest redraft rankings, but he has legitimate top-18 upside in both dynasty and redraft formats.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Kaytron Allen on Track to Round Out the Backfield
Washington Commanders running back Kaytron Allen remains behind Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Rachaad White on the depth chart, but as the current projected No. 3 ball-carrier, he should have no trouble making the 53-man roster. A sixth-round pick out of Penn State, Allen made a significant impact in Week 2 of the preseason as he handled a team-high 10 carries, although it resulted in a modest total of 30 yards (3.0 YPC). He also caught one pass for no gain. Purely based on volume, it looks like the Commanders could give Allen a role as early as Week 1 of the regular season, even if he's not quite as involved as Croskey-Merritt or White. Allen is the RB68 in RotoBaller's latest fantasy football rankings for 2026.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Michael Mayer's Fantasy Outlook Dependent on Teammate's Health
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer is one of the more talented backups in the NFL, but his fantasy relevance has been put on hold as long as he remains in the No. 2 role. Mayer is currently the backup to superstar tight end Brock Bowers, which means that his only real path to fantasy production is an injury to Bowers. We did see that come into play last year, as Mayer totaled 18 catches, 196 yards, and one touchdown across four games without Bowers. That came with Geno Smith at quarterback, so all pass catchers should have a higher ceiling this year with Kirk Cousins or Fernando Mendoza. The quarterback upgrade still isn't enough for managers to justify drafting Mayer, but he's a name to watch on the waiver wire and a potential deep-league dynasty stash in case Bowers has to miss any time.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Chig Okonkwo Has an Opportunity to Break Out in 2026
Washington Commanders tight end Chig Okonkwo should benefit from a change of scenery ahead of the 2026 season. The Maryland product spent the last four seasons in Tennessee, finishing each of the four years between TE21 and TE25 in PPR leagues. That level of consistency became the norm for Okonkwo in Tennessee, but it never resulted in a true breakout. Instead, he was frequently a mid-range TE2 in fantasy football, with his best stats coming in 2025 when he caught 56 passes for 560 yards and two touchdowns. We could be looking at a similar situation to when Washington brought in veteran Zach Ertz, fueling his career resurgence. Ertz was the overall TE7 with 654 yards and seven touchdowns as the Commanders' primary tight end in 2024, and while Okonkwo's leap might not be quite that large, he still has clear top-12 upside in fantasy football, especially if quarterback Jayden Daniels can stay healthy for a full season. He's a very appealing late-round target for fantasy managers who want to roster two tight ends in 2026.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Sam Darnold Should Benefit From a Strong Supporting Cast
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has a talented group of weapons around him at wide receiver, running back, and tight end. Although Jake Bobo (knee) went down with a season-ending ACL tear, this is still a very talented wide receiver room headlined by Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, and Rashid Shaheed. All three have different skill sets that should give Darnold plenty of options in the passing game. At tight end, AJ Barner is coming off a big 2025 campaign, while Elijah Arroyo has a second-round draft stock. Meanwhile, the Seahawks have an impressive backfield featuring Jadarian Price and Zach Charbonnet (knee). Rounding out the offense is a very dependable offensive line. The Seahawks didn't make many additions in the trenches, but mostly because it was already a strong unit. Grey Zabel and Charles Cross are terrific blindside protectors for Darnold, who only took 27 sacks last year (as opposed to 48 in 2024 with Minnesota). Despite having limited mobility, the veteran signal caller has ranked as a top-13 quarterback in fantasy football for each of the last two seasons. He enters the 2026 season as the QB23 in RotoBaller's latest draft rankings.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Consistency is Key for Terry McLaurin in 2026
Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin is looking to put an atrocious 2025 season behind him. He was limited to just 10 games due to injury, and he finished the year with a modest 38 catches, 582 yards, and three touchdowns. Even if you extrapolate his stats over a full 17-game campaign, he still would have had just five touchdowns and fewer than 1,000 yards. It's certainly not a lack of talent, as McLaurin was the WR7 in 2025. More likely, he struggled as a result of his own inconsistent availability, as well as inconsistent quarterback play. The Commanders cycled through three different quarterbacks last year, and Jayden Daniels missed 10 games. If both McLaurin and Daniels can play close to 17 games in 2026, the talented pass-catcher should return to the top-15 receiver range in fantasy football. The upside is somewhat baked into his current ADP of 52.8, and he currently ranks as the WR24 in RotoBaller's latest draft rankings.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
