Sep 5, 2026, 1:10 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals plan on activating shortstop Masyn Winn (thumb) ahead of their game on Saturday at Colorado. The 24-year-old has missed almost two weeks of action because of a small fracture in his thumb, but was able to take live batting practice on Friday alongside his teammates. The plan is for him to be back in the lineup on Saturday, but the team will want to see how his thumb has recovered following the progress that he made a day earlier. Winn has had a disappointing season, as he has slashed a pedestrian .238/.314/.326 slash line. Both he and the Cardinals will be looking to salvage whatever time they have left in this season and possibly use it as a building block for next season.--Dave Funnell - RotoBaller
Source: Derrick Goold - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Sep 5, 2026, 1:07 PM ET

Seattle Seahawks tight end Elijah Arroyo gave the team plenty to think about with one of the better summers on the roster. His rookie season was quiet, with 15 catches for 179 yards and one touchdown in 13 games before a knee injury sent him to injured reserve in December. He returned for Seattle's Super Bowl run, then spent this camp looking much more like the receiving threat the Seahawks drafted 50th overall in 2025. Arroyo stacked strong practices early in August and carried that into the preseason, catching four passes for 86 yards and a touchdown on just four receptions. The biggest play was a 36-yard score against Tennessee, and Seattle's own roster review called him a potential breakout candidate after final cuts. AJ Barner still leads the tight end room, so Arroyo isn't walking into a featured role. But with former tight ends coach Brian Fleury now coordinating the offense, there should be room for multiple tight ends to matter. Arroyo has done enough to push for more work and is worth tracking in deeper leagues.--Bruno Mulé
Source: RotoBaller

Sep 5, 2026, 1:00 PM ET

Seattle Mariners second base/outfield prospect Michael Arroyo already has six RBI in his first four September games at Triple-A Tacoma and is continuing to show why he is one of the top prospects in the Mariners system. The Mariners No. 3 overall prospect, Arroyo is a well-rounded player with a 55-grade hit tool and 55-grade power with 50-grade speed. Between two minor league levels this season, Arroyo has a combined 18 homers and 17 stolen bases with a .286 batting average and looks like a consistent, five-category performer. As someone who can play second base or be shifted to the outfield, Arroyo has some versatility to his game. He is looking like he will be a plus fantasy contributor when he is called up to the majors, and he looks like someone the Mariners could use with his all-around game and his positive versatility.--Brian Buckey - RotoBaller
Source: Minor League Baseball

Sep 5, 2026, 12:52 PM ET

San Francisco Giants outfield prospect Bo Davidson homered on Friday night after having a great month of August at Triple-A Sacramento. In 43 games at Sacramento, Davidson has eight homers with 35 RBI and five stolen bases while hitting .285. In 99 August at bats, Davidson launched seven homers and had 28 RBI while hitting .323. The 24-year-old is making a case for a call-up to San Francisco, especially with his late-season surge. Davidson is the No. 8 prospect in the Giants' system and has a 50-grade hit tool with 55-grade power and speed. He has 19 combined stolen bases between two levels of the minors this season. The power and speed combination makes him an exciting fantasy prospect and he could force the Giants' hand into a late-season promotion if he keeps up his hot hitting.--Brian Buckey - RotoBaller
Source: Minor League Baseball

Sep 5, 2026, 12:43 PM ET

Washington Nationals infield prospect Seaver King just had a great month in August at Triple-A Rochester and is worth keeping on the stash radar this season despite not being called up at the beginning of September. In August, King launched nine homers with 17 RBI and stole five bases while hitting .330. King is the Nationals' No. 4 prospect with a 50-grade hit tool and 70-grade speed. In the minors this season, King combined to steal 14 bases across two levels. With CJ Abrams and Nasim Nunez in the infield for the Nationals at shortstop and second base, respectively, King could find it a little bit tough to break through for playing time in the middle infield. However, the Nationals may want to take a chance and give King some playing time at the end of the year, and he would be a great potential five-category contributor if so.--Brian Buckey - RotoBaller
Source: Minor League Baseball

Sep 5, 2026, 12:33 PM ET

Detroit Lions running back Jacob Saylors runs hard and "has earned the trust of the coaching staff" for his play on offense and special teams during training camp, according to Tim Twentyman of the team's official website. Saylors led the team in total scrimmage yards during the preseason (31 carries for 187 yards and five catches for 40 yards) and could be in the mix to return kicks on special teams if he is active on game days. The chances of Saylors being active for Week 1 of the 2026 regular season went way up when the Lions placed Isiah Pacheco (back) on Injured Reserve to start the year. All-Pro RB Jahmyr Gibbs will handle the lion's share of backfield work, but Saylors could open his second year in the NFL as the No. 2 over Sione Vaki. The former undrafted free agent out of East Carolina appeared in 16 games for the Lions as a rookie in 2025, but he only had two carries for 11 yards on offense. Even with an elevated role to open his sophomore campaign, Saylors is only in consideration as a handcuff option for Gibbs in deeper leagues.--Keith Hernandez
Source: DetroitLions.com - Tim Twentyman

Sep 5, 2026, 12:24 PM ET

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said on Friday that wide receiver Puka Nacua (groin) is "making good progress," according to Sarah Barshop of ESPN. "Been hitting some high-speed yards at a really good clip with Reggie [Scott] and his group," McVay said. "And when we get back out there, it'll be fun to have him." The 25-year-old has been dealing with a psoas injury in his groin, and although his status for the Week 1 game in Australia against the division-rival San Francisco 49ers is up in the air, it looks like Nacua is heading in the right direction and should be active to kick off the regular season. Fantasy managers will have a better idea of Nacua's Week 1 status when the Rams begin to release their official practice reports on Monday. Nacua's groin injury should not cause fantasy managers to avoid him as a top-tier wideout in the first rounds of drafts this weekend. The two-time Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro last year had a career-high 1,715 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in 16 regular-season games last year, leading the NFL with 129 receptions. In a Rams offense that is as explosive as any, Nacua is RotoBaller's No. 2 fantasy wideout, behind only Ja'Marr Chase.--Keith Hernandez
Source: ESPN.com - Sarah Barshop

Sep 5, 2026, 12:00 PM ET

New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (neck) is among the players projected to be inactive in Week 1 by Giants beat writer Patricia Traina of Sports Illustrated. Injury could be the reason why Tracy Jr. does not play, as he suffered a stinger in the Giants' final preseason game. However, Tracy Jr.'s place in the crowded Giants backfield is also in question entering the year. Despite topping 1,000 scrimmage yards in each of his first two seasons in New York, Tracy Jr. may currently be behind all three of Cam Skattebo, Najee Harris, and Devin Singletary on the Giants' running back depth chart. Barring an injury or a trade elsewhere before the start of the regular season, fantasy managers may want to avoid Tracy Jr. in drafts ahead of 2026.--Will Brady
Source: Sports Illustrated - Patricia Traina

Sep 5, 2026, 11:49 AM ET

Miami Dolphins beat writer Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post lists rookie wide receiver Chris Bell leading the team in receiving yards as one of his "bold predictions" for the 2026 season. A third-round pick out of Louisville, Bell had his final collegiate season cut short after he suffered a torn ACL in late November. While the injury was originally expected to sideline Bell early in his rookie season, the 22-year-old was able to suit up for Miami's final preseason game and now appears to be on track to be ready for Week 1. Bell was a highly productive player at Louisville, recording 72 catches for 917 yards and six touchdowns across 11 games before getting injured. The Dolphins wide receiver room should also offer plenty of opportunities for Bell, as the team enters 2026 without an established number one pass-catcher. As a late-round target in drafts, Bell profiles as a worthy dart throw for fantasy managers.--Will Brady
Source: Palm Beach Post - Joe Schad

Sep 5, 2026, 11:41 AM ET

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan could see more usage out of the slot in 2026, speculates ESPN's Mike Kaye. McMillan was used almost exclusively as an outside receiver as a rookie in 2025 and had plenty of success, recording 70 catches for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns on 122 targets across 17 games. However, Kaye writes that the Panthers have spoken about wanting to use McMillan's size and strength to get him more targets in the middle of the field in his second season. McMillan already projects to be the dominant target-earner in Carolina's offense, as he finished with nearly 60 more targets than any other Panthers pass-catcher in 2025. If he does indeed see more slot usage and an even larger target share in 2026, McMillan could emerge as a fantasy WR1.--Will Brady
Source: ESPN - Mike Kaye

Sep 5, 2026, 11:30 AM ET

Minnesota Twins right-hander Joe Ryan (glute) will throw a bullpen session on Saturday as he tries to return to the team's starting rotation after missing the last month with a strained left glute, according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach. Manager Derek Shelton declined to speculate on what the next step for Ryan will be, but typically, a pitcher who threw a bullpen on Saturday would start on Monday. The Twins begin a three-game series in Detroit against the division-rival Tigers on Monday, so Ryan could come off the 15-day injured list to start the series opener. All of the Twins' minor-league affiliates are off on Monday. "We want to be able to have a conversation with him," Shelton said. "Want him to go through his bullpen and see where he's at to make sure that we're checking all the boxes before he gets back in a Major League game." If Ryan returns on Monday, the Twins could push Connor Prielipp's next turn in the rotation back one or two days. Ryan threw 42 pitches in a rehab start for Triple-A St. Paul earlier this week, so he will likely be on a strict pitch-count limit if he returns on Monday, making him a shaky fantasy option against Detroit. The 30-year-old is still rostered in 95% of Yahoo leagues, though, and can make an impact down the stretch after going 6-8 with a 3.65 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 138 strikeouts in his 23 starts in 2026.--Keith Hernandez
Source: MLB.com - Matthew Leach

Sep 5, 2026, 11:30 AM ET

A second-round pick in 2024, Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks (undisclosed) has been limited by knee injuries to just three career games and nine career carries through his first two NFL seasons. The 23-year-old has also been working through an undisclosed injury that has prevented him from practicing in recent days, which is obviously a concern given his track record. However, Panthers coach Dave Canales recently said that the team is very optimistic that Brooks will be able to play in Week 1. Reporting throughout the summer also indicated that Brooks was impressive in training camp and that the team could be planning on him playing a significant role in their offense. While veteran running back Chuba Hubbard will likely open the year as Carolina's RB1, Brooks could be the higher-upside option of the two. As a mid-to-late round pick in most drafts, Brooks profiles as a high-risk, high-reward selection for fantasy managers.--Will Brady
Source: RotoBaller

Sep 5, 2026, 11:21 AM ET

Minnesota Twins manager Derek Shelton acknowledged on Friday that outfielder Byron Buxton (hip) will likely need surgery for a troublesome right-hip impingement, according to Matthew Leach of MLB.com. But before that happens, Buxton is still hoping he can find a way to play in 2026. The star outfielder has dealt with hip issues off and on, dating as far back as 2021. He did not experience any problems with it last year, when he went off for a career-high 35 home runs, 83 RBI, and 24 stolen bases in 126 games played, but it flared up in May, and he has barely been able to play for the Twins in the second half. Buxton is currently on the injured list for the third time due to his hip, and it is unlikely that he will return for fantasy managers in the final month of the season. Before the All-Star break, the 32-year-old veteran hit .271/.328/.575 with 25 home runs, 45 RBI, 57 runs scored, and seven stolen bases. But he has played in just 18 games in the second half, hitting .172 (11-for-64) with zero homers, one RBI, seven walks, and 17 strikeouts. If Buxton undergoes hip surgery, it is unclear if he would be ready for spring training next year or the start of the 2027 season.--Keith Hernandez
Source: MLB.com - Matthew Leach

Sep 5, 2026, 11:20 AM ET

After spending the first four years of his career with the Seattle Seahawks, running back Kenneth Walker is entering his first season with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2026. Across 17 games with Seattle in 2025, Walker III recorded 1,309 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns on 252 touches. While the 25-year-old was a productive player, his overall and goal-line usage was limited by the presence of Seahawks back Zach Charbonnet (knee). In Kansas City, Walker III currently projects to be backed up by 2026 fifth-rounder Emmett Johnson and 2025 seventh-rounder Brashard Smith, neither of whom projects to take him off the field in high-value situations. Walker III has also drawn rave reviews for his work in Kansas City this summer, with reporting indicating that he may play a significant role as both a rusher and receiver in 2026. If he stays healthy, Walker III has a chance to reach 300 touches for the first time in his career and could finish as a high-end fantasy RB1.--Will Brady
Source: RotoBaller