Aug 31, 2026, 1:36 PM ET

The Boston Red Sox are pushing right-hander Sonny Gray's next start to Saturday in Baltimore against the division-rival Orioles to give him nine days of rest, according to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe. It takes away a potential two-start week for his fantasy managers. Gray is not dealing with anything physically, but the BoSox want to give their ace a little extra breather with the final month of the regular season coming. The 36-year-old veteran has been excellent in 2026 in his first year in Beantown, going 16-4 with a 2.82 ERA (3.54 FIP) and 1.18 WHIP with 128 strikeouts and 37 walks in 143 2/3 innings pitched across 25 starts. His 16 wins lead the league. Gray stumbled to end the month of July, allowing nine earned runs in his last two starts of the month against the Toronto Blue Jays and Athletics, but he turned it around in August, going 3-2 with a 2.40 ERA (3.28 FIP) with seven walks and 30 strikeouts in 30 innings over five starts. Saturday will be Gray's first outing against the O's, a team that is middle of the pack in OPS but with the fourth-most strikeouts in the league. Gray should be in all starting fantasy lineups this weekend.--Keith Hernandez
Source: The Boston Globe - Tim Healey

Aug 31, 2026, 1:33 PM ET

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams isn't losing his starting job, but his workload ceiling looks a little shakier heading into Week 1. Williams was still excellent last season, rushing 259 times for 1,252 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 36 catches for 281 yards and three more scores. The issue is how much work Los Angeles now has reason to give away. Blake Corum finished 2025 with 145 carries for 746 yards and six touchdowns, then spent August drawing praise for looking quicker and more explosive. He was one of the standouts in the Rams' final open practice, and the team kept only Williams, Corum and Ronnie Rivers on the initial 53-man roster. Williams remained productive even after the split tightened late last year, so this isn't a major fade. RotoBaller still has him at RB13. The concern is simply that another season near 300 touches is getting harder to project with a capable second back pushing for more work.--Bruno Mulé
Source: RotoBaller

Aug 31, 2026, 1:29 PM ET

St. Louis Cardinals rookie infielder JJ Wetherholt (wrist), who was placed on the 10-day injured list on Sunday with right-wrist discomfort, will meet with a specialist to have his wrist examined in Arizona early this week, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The 23-year-old left-handed-hitting infielder has been bothered by wrist issues for the last month, which helps explain why he hit .200 (19-for-95) with a .595 OPS, one homer, four doubles, seven RBI, 19 runs scored, two stolen bases, 15 walks, and 19 strikeouts in 25 games in August. Since the All-Star break, Wetherholt has hit just .201 (31-for-154) with a .618 OPS, four home runs, four doubles, 12 RBI, 30 runs scored, five steals, 23 walks, and 31 strikeouts in 40 games. The former first-rounder from West Virginia University hit .259/.356/.399 with a .755 OPS, 13 homers, 36 RBI, 58 runs, and nine stolen bases in 90 games in the first half of his first MLB season. Fantasy managers now have to be concerned that Wetherholt might not make it back for the final month of the regular season in September.--Keith Hernandez
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Derrick Goold

Aug 31, 2026, 1:22 PM ET

Green Bay Packers running back Kaleb Johnson went from being off the redraft radar in Pittsburgh to having a real path to touches almost overnight. The Packers acquired the 2025 third-round pick on Sunday for a 2028 sixth-rounder, the same day Josh Jacobs was placed on the Commissioner's Exempt List. Johnson is not jumping MarShawn Lloyd, who enters the season as Green Bay's No. 1 back, and Chris Brooks is still part of the mix. The situation is a lot better than the one Johnson left behind, though. He managed only 69 yards on 28 carries as a rookie and was a cut candidate in Pittsburgh after averaging 3.1 yards per carry this preseason. Green Bay still chose to trade for the 6-foot-1, 224-pound back rather than wait for him to hit waivers. Johnson rushed for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns in his final season at Iowa, so the pedigree is there even if the NFL production hasn't been. With Jacobs unavailable and Lloyd carrying a lengthy injury history, Johnson is back on the late-round redraft radar.--Bruno Mulé
Source: RotoBaller

Aug 31, 2026, 1:19 PM ET

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (knee) will be activated from the 10-day injured list before Monday's series opener at home against the Philadelphia Phillies, according to Francys Romero. Marte is expected to serve as the designated hitter against Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola, and he will address his teammates before the game. He failed to show up at Fenway Park on Aug. 17 against the Boston Red Sox, with his teammates and the D-backs' coaching staff left in the dark as to why he did not show up. Arizona placed Marte on the restricted list before he and his agent sat down with general manager Mike Hazen and manager Torey Lovullo to explain that he left the team to have an MRI exam on his left knee. "We're playing good baseball right now," Lovullo said. "We need to keep playing good baseball. I think an apology would galvanize this group. He doesn't know how powerful that would be if he did something like that." The 32-year-old switch-hitting Dominican will return to a .249/.314/.446 slash line with 21 homers, 67 RBI, 65 runs scored, and four steals in 469 at-bats in 2026. Marte is typically a must-start in fantasy, but he has hit just .224 (22-for-98) with a .712 OPS, four homers, four doubles, 13 RBI, 14 runs scored, 12 walks, and 20 strikeouts in 26 games since the All-Star break.--Keith Hernandez
Source: Francys Romero

Aug 31, 2026, 1:12 PM ET

Washington Commanders running back Kaytron Allen has a little more room to work with after final cuts. Jeremy McNichols (quadriceps) was placed on injured reserve with a designation to return, which keeps him out for at least the first four games. Washington also released Robert Henry Jr. and Craig Reynolds, while Jerome Ford had already landed on IR earlier in August. Allen is still behind Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Rachaad White, so this is not suddenly a path to starter volume. It does move the sixth-round rookie closer to regular-season touches, especially after he handled 36 preseason carries for 119 yards and a touchdown. Allen also got first-team work late in camp while Croskey-Merritt and White were banged up, though he split some of those reps with Henry. The finale was rough, with Allen losing a fumble on his first touch, and he averaged only 3.31 yards per carry during the preseason. Still, McNichols being unavailable for at least four games leaves Allen with a clearer early-season role than he had a week ago.--Bruno Mulé
Source: RotoBaller

Aug 31, 2026, 1:12 PM ET

Miami Marlins outfield prospect Kemp Alderman has some pop in his bat and has shown that with the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp this season. In 340 at bats with Jacksonville this year, Alderman has 18 homers and 56 RBI with 55 runs scored and a .259 batting average. He battled a left wrist injury that caused him to miss time in May and June. The 24-year-old is the No. 8 prospect for Miami with 60-grade power and a 45-grade hit tool. The power can play in the major leagues and look for a potential promotion at some point in September for Alderman. The batting average, however, could be a drag for fantasy managers, but that could be offset by his power potential and his ability to steal a few bases. He is a nice addition with upside in fantasy leagues to close out the season.--Brian Buckey - RotoBaller
Source: Minor League Baseball

Aug 31, 2026, 1:05 PM ET

A reunion with the Philadelphia Eagles and free-agent veteran tight end Zach Ertz (knee) is on the table, league sources told EJ Smith of PHLY Sports. The Eagles are carrying Dallas Goedert, Johnny Mundt, rookie Eli Stowers, and EJ Jenkins at the tight end position on their initial 53-man roster, but Smith writes that the room "still lacks solid depth" if Goedert misses time with an injury, as he has in four of the last five seasons. Nothing is imminent with Ertz, as the 35-year-old is nearing the nine-month recovery mark from a season-ending ACL tear he suffered on Dec. 7. Ertz, who had 50 catches for 504 yards in 13 games last year before his injury, would be a welcome addition for the Eagles in his 14th NFL season. He was cleared for football activities earlier this month. If the Eagles reunite with Ertz, he could potentially be next in line as Philly's top pass-catching option at TE if Goedert were to go down with another injury in 2026. Ertz was a former second-rounder by the Eagles in 2013 out of Stanford, and he spent the first eight years of his NFL career with the team, earning three trips to the Pro Bowl from 2017-2019.--Keith Hernandez
Source: PHLY Sports - EJ Smith

Aug 31, 2026, 1:03 PM ET

Arizona Diamondbacks first base prospect Manuel Pena is adjusting well to Triple-A Reno and looks like a potential stash candidate with the potential for a call-up to Arizona. In 51 games with Reno, Pena is hitting .297 with five homers and 27 RBI with 25 runs scored. Between two levels of the minors this year, Pena has 31 combined homers with 91 RBI and 73 runs scored while hitting a combined .305. Most of that damage was done at Double-A but Pena nonetheless looks like a prime candidate for a promotion as rosters expand. Pena is the No. 29 prospect for the Diamondbacks with 55-grade power and for the most part has outperformed his expectations this season. Look for that to be rewarded with a shot in Arizona this September and the pop in his bat could play for fantasy teams.--Brian Buckey - RotoBaller
Source: Minor League Baseball

Aug 31, 2026, 12:56 PM ET

Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Michael Forret pitched well in his start on Saturday for Triple-A Norfolk and has mixed results in his four starts with his new club after a trade from the Tampa Bay Rays at the trade deadline. Forret picked up the loss on Saturday despite pitching five solid innings of two-run ball with two hits allowed and four walks. He did have six strikeouts as a bright point in the outing. Forret had one dud start for Norfolk, allowing eight runs in five innings in one of his outings. Altogether, he is 0-2 with Norfolk. He is the No. 10 prospect for the Orioles with three 55-grade pitches in his fastball, slider, and changeup. The Orioles will likely look for a bit more consistency from the 22-year-old before calling him up and allowing him to have any fantasy relevance this season.--Brian Buckey - RotoBaller
Source: Minor League Baseball

Aug 31, 2026, 12:55 PM ET

The case for New Orleans Saints running back Travis Etienne Jr. being a surefire RB1 in fantasy football took a hit on Sunday on roster cutdown day when the Saints did not place veteran Alvin Kamara (knee) on Injured Reserve for the start of the 2026 campaign. It is still unclear if Kamara will be active for the Week 1 regular-season opener against the Detroit Lions, but the fact that he will not be forced to miss at least the first four weeks of the season is bad news for Etienne's potential upside early on. The Saints signed the 27-year-old to a four-year, $52 million contract in March in free agency after he produced his third 1,000-yard season with seven rushing touchdowns in 17 regular-season games in 2025 in his final year with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Etienne also had 36 receptions (52 targets) for 292 yards and six receiving touchdowns, but Kamara, when healthy, figures to eat into Etienne's pass-catching opportunities. Fantasy managers should treat Etienne as a low-end RB1/high-end RB2 going into upcoming drafts.--Keith Hernandez
Source: Pro Football Reference

Aug 31, 2026, 12:52 PM ET

Texas quarterback Arch Manning will open the 2026 season on Saturday afternoon against Texas State, setting the top college fantasy quarterback up to deliver a monster showing right away. He's on a stacked offense that just added former Auburn WR1 Cam Coleman and stud transfer running backs Raleek Brown (Arizona State) and Hollywood Smothers (NC State). He is coming off a season in which he completed 61.4% of his passes for 3,163 yards and 26 touchdowns, while having just seven interceptions; he also added 399 yards and 10 scores on the ground. Texas State allowed 382.9 total yards per game a season ago, and that included 218.1 passing yards. Manning's high-end fantasy potential this weekend has more to do with the offense he's on and how the game should go overall. Expect Texas to roll, and Manning to deliver a big-time performance as a dual-threat QB. Of course, you should be starting him in all fantasy formats, and he might lead all QBs if he plays long enough.--Morgan Rode
Source: ESPN

Aug 31, 2026, 12:48 PM ET

Detroit Tigers infield prospect Max Anderson is having a nice August at Triple-A Toledo amidst a very consistent 2026 season. He has likely done enough to warrant a call-up to Detroit as rosters expand in September. This season at two levels of the minors, Anderson has 16 homers and 55 RBI while hitting .307 with 59 runs scored. The 22-year-old missed almost all of April with a quad injury but has returned to form nicely at Toledo. In April, Anderson is hitting .316 with three homers and 12 RBI. Anderson is the No. 11 prospect for the Tigers and a 50-grade hit tool with 50-grade power. The right-handed hitter has shown the ability to hit for average in the minors with some added pop in his bat. He will likely bring that bat to Detroit at some point this September and be a good source of batting average for fantasy managers.--Brian Buckey - RotoBaller
Source: Minor League Baseball

Aug 31, 2026, 12:44 PM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders trimmed some depth at the running back position on roster cutdown day on Sunday, giving rookie fourth-round RB Mike Washington Jr. an even clearer path to a sizable early-season workload, even if starter Ashton Jeanty (ankle) is ready to go for the Week 1 regular-season opener against the Miami Dolphins. Washington looked good in the team's preseason finale last week against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday, rushing eight times for 49 yards, including a couple of chunk gains on the ground. The 23-year-old impressed the Raiders' coaching staff this summer during training camp, and he is firmly entrenched as the RB2 in Sin City, with only Dylan Laube behind him in the running back room. In upcoming fantasy football drafts, managers should view Washington as a strong handcuff option for Jeanty with a potential path to a starting role in Week 1 if Jeanty is limited or ruled out entirely. The drawback to Washington is that he was not very efficient as a pass-catcher in college, and he comes with some ball-security issues. RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 49 fantasy RB for 2026.--Keith Hernandez
Source: Pro Football Reference