August 16, 2025
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback
Kyle McCord completed 8-of-16 passes for 47 yards and a touchdown, and tacked on two rushing yards on a single attempt in Saturday's 22-13 loss to the Browns. Despite the lackluster stat line, McCord was actually Philly's leading passer of the game after relieving
Dorian Thompson-Robinson midway through the second quarter. The Eagles offense struggled overall on the day, mustering just 88 yards on that side of the ball. Their longest drive-of 31 yards-resulted in their lone offensive touchdown, which was a nine-yard pass from McCord. The rookie sixth-round draft pick currently sits in the fourth QB spot on the depth chart, and likely won't get much playing time in the 2025 season.
--Ricky Maloney - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
August 16, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays right-hander
Shane Bieber (elbow) thrived in his third and likely final rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo on Friday. Bieber fired seven innings of shutout ball with six hits allowed and four strikeouts against no walks. The former AL Cy Young winner threw 90 pitches (64 strikes), which should put him in line to join the Blue Jays sometime next week. Bieber hasn't pitched in the majors since April 2, 2024, and has spent 15 months on the comeback trail from Tommy John surgery. He has yet to suit up for the Jays, who acquired him from the Cleveland Guardians at the July 31 trade deadline. Despite the long layoff, the 30-year-old comes with serious upside and could be an asset for Toronto and fantasy managers down the stretch.
--Connor ByrneSource: MiLB.com
August 16, 2025
Los Angeles Lakers guard
Luka Doncic (knee) was injured during Saturday's EuroBasket exhibition versus Latvia after a Slovenian teammate fell on his right knee. Fortunately, the injury "is not believed to be serious," with NBA insider Marc Stein reporting Doncic was diagnosed with a contusion. The 26-year-old was moved to the Lakers ahead of last season's trade deadline after spending his entire career with the Dallas Mavericks. He appeared in 28 regular-season contests for Los Angeles, averaging 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 1.6 steals. With that in mind, he is arguably the top fantasy option in any format heading into the 2025 campaign, especially after he focused on his diet and conditioning this offseason. As far as his immediate future is concerned, he should be considered day-to-day, so there's a good chance he'll be ready to go when Slovenia faces Poland on August 28.
--Dennis ClausenSource: Marc Stein
August 16, 2025
The Washington Nationals announced that they have requested unconditional release waivers on first baseman
Nathaniel Lowe. The team designated Lowe for assignment on Thursday, and he'll hit free agency once he clears waivers. Nobody is going to take on the remainder of Lowe's $10.3 million salary, so he's on his way to the open market after a disappointing few months with the Nationals. Lowe was a quality hitter with the Rangers from 2021-24, but after joining the Nationals in an offseason trade, he could only muster a .216/.292/.373 line with 16 homers, 68 RBI, and 50 runs scored in 490 plate appearances.
--Connor ByrneSource: Washington Nationals
August
16,
2025
New
York
Yankees
outfielder/first
baseman
Cody
Bellinger
and
designated
hitter
Giancarlo
Stanton
are
out
of
the
lineup
Saturday
against
the
St.
Louis
Cardinals.
Jasson
Dominguez
will
read more...
August 16, 2025
Detroit Tigers outfielder/shortstop
Javier Baez is out of the lineup for a meeting with the Minnesota Twins on Saturday.
Wenceel Perez will play center field and hit sixth against right-hander
Zebby Matthews, and
Trey Sweeney will handle shortstop and bat eighth. After recording an ugly .426 OPS in July, Baez has rebounded with an .830 mark over 13 games this month. It's been a resurgent season overall for Baez, who has bounced back from three straight awful years to hit a useful .271/.298/.429 with 11 homers, 49 RBI, 49 runs scored, and five stolen bases in 359 plate appearances.
--Connor ByrneSource: MLB.com
August
16,
2025
Houston
Astros
closer
Josh
Hader
(shoulder)
is
unlikely
to
return
in
the
regular
season,
Chandler
Rome
of
The
Athletic
reports.
Hader,
who
went
on
the
15-day
injured
list
on
Aug.
11
with
a
left
shoulder
capsule
read more...
August 16, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies closer Jhoan Duran will be available out of the bullpen Saturday against the Washington Nationals, manager Rob Thomson told reporters. Duran left Friday's 6-2 win early after Paul DeJong lined a comebacker off his right ankle, but the hurler dodged an injury. He briefly dealt with a "dead foot," which has since gone away, Thomson said. While it wouldn't have been a surprise to see the Phillies hold him out as a precaution on Saturday, Duran will instead be there if they need him late in the game. The 27-year-old has 20 saves in 22 chances with a 1.86 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, 56 strikeouts, and 18 walks over 53 1/3 innings this season.
--Connor ByrneSource: Charlotte Varnes - The Athletic
August 16, 2025
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver
Ricky Pearsall is set to make his preseason debut after impressing at camp this offseason. The 24-year-old and 2024 first-round pick from Florida missed some early time with a hamstring tweak but is now considered one of the few starters not currently sidelined by injury. Pearsall is entering his second season, looking to build on a rookie campaign that saw him record 31 catches for 400 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games.
--Don FanelliSource: OurSF49ers
August 16, 2025
San Francisco 49ers tight end
George Kittle is expected to make his preseason debut in the team's matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. The veteran is entering his ninth professional season at 31 years old after a stellar 2024 campaign in which he hauled in 78 receptions for 1,106 yards and eight touchdowns, solidifying his status as one of the league's best tight ends. Kittle, considered a stalwart and the heart of the team, will look to get some valuable reps ahead of the regular season.
--Don FanelliSource: OurSF49ers
August 16, 2025
San Francisco 49ers quarterback
Brock Purdy is expected to play one to two series in the team's preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders, making his debut for the 2025 season. The outing will allow Purdy to get game reps and build chemistry with receivers following the offseason departure of star wideout Deebo Samuel. San Francisco's injury woes continue as well, with wide receiver
Jauan Jennings (calf) and running backs
Isaac Guerendo (shoulder) and rookie
Jordan James (finger) all sidelined. Purdy is coming off a 2024 campaign where he threw for 3,864 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
--Don FanelliSource: Jennifer Lee Chan
August 16, 2025
ESPN's Courtney Cronin reports that the Chicago Bears are still seeking clarity at the starting left tackle position, responsible for protecting quarterback
Caleb Williams' blindside. While some of Williams' rookie mistakes were linked to last season's offensive line play, the unit is expected to improve significantly with the offseason additions of Pro Bowler Joe Thuney and center Drew Dalman. PFF has ranked it as the fourth-best offensive line in the NFL. Despite this, the starting left tackle spot remains an open race between incumbent Braxton Jones, rookies Ozzy Trapilo and Kiran Amegadjie, and former practice squad player Theo Benedet. Head coach Ben Johnson said that while the team hopes to find "the right guy" soon, the competition might extend into the regular season. Jones, a 2022 fifth-round pick, is working to re-establish himself after missing spring workouts due to a fractured ankle, while Benedet has impressed in recent practices, earning first-team reps.
--Don FanelliSource: Courtney Cronin
August 16, 2025
New England Patriots wide receiver
Stefon Diggs (knee) is inactive for the team's second preseason game against the Vikings on Saturday. The veteran wideout avoided the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list in training camp as he continues to recover from a torn ACL he suffered last October. Diggs, who will turn 32 in November, is entering his 11th professional season after a 2024 campaign with the Houston Texans that saw him post 47 catches for 496 yards and three touchdowns before his season-ending injury. He'll look to continue his comeback in the coming weeks and, barring any setbacks, he should be ready for Week 1.
--Don FanelliSource: Doug Kyed
August 16, 2025
St. Louis Cardinals second baseman
Brendan Donovan (foot/groin) remains out of the lineup on Saturday against the New York Yankees. It's the second straight off night for Donovan, who is dealing with lingering pain in his left foot that has led to groin soreness. However, manager Oli Marmol has expressed confidence that Donovan will not require a trip to the 10-day injured list. With Donovan on the bench Saturday, shortstop
Masyn Winn will take his place in the leadoff spot, and
Thomas Saggese will play second base and hit seventh against southpaw
Max Fried.
--Connor ByrneSource: MLB.com
August 16, 2025
Surprise, surprise. Denny Hamlin is the heavy favorite to win this weekend's Cook Out 400 race at Richmond Raceway. Hamlin is one of the premier racers at short, flat tracks, and has been great at the venues that are comparable to Richmond this weekend, including a win at Martinsville and podium finishes at Bowman Gray and Phoenix. As far as Richmond specifically goes, there arguably isn't anyone better than Hamlin--especially right now. He has five career victories at this track and an average finish of 8.1 over his 36 career starts. Over the last eight races here, Hamlin has finished first or second six times, and also has a fourth-place result to his credit. Simply put, Richmond Raceway is Denny Hamlin's playground. As far as DFS goes this weekend, Hamlin is a premier option, even as the highest-priced driver on the DraftKings slate (at a $11,000 salary).
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Driver Averages
August 16, 2025
New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore announced rookie
Tyler Shough will start Sunday's preseason matchup against the Jaguars. Shough and
Spencer Rattler are locked in one of the league's closest quarterback battles, but Shough may be gaining the edge after leading last week's lone touchdown drive, a 54-yard strike to
Mason Tipton. The rookie has the arm talent and supporting weapons to make noise if he secures the job. While he's off the radar in most formats, Shough could emerge as a sneaky QB2 in deeper leagues should he win the starting role.
--Shaun AlbinSource: New Orleans Saints
August 16, 2025
If the NASCAR Cup Series is at a short, flat track, Christopher Bell is always a solid option. That's exactly the case at Richmond Raceway this weekend. Over his eight career starts here with Joe Gibbs Racing, Bell has just one finish worse than sixth. In last year's race, he started fifth, won Stage 1, and led 122 laps en route to a sixth-place finish when it was all said and done. This weekend, Bell starts eighth and should be a contender all night long in Richmond. His long-run speed looked solid during practice on Friday and his falloff looked great, which should pay high dividends on Saturday night. At $10,800 on DraftKings, Christopher Bell is one of the highest-priced drivers on the DFS slate, but he has some Place Differential room and is also a prime dominator contender behind his teammate, Denny Hamlin. Remember, CBell won the All Star Race and Phoenix this season, and also finished second at Martinsville, all of which compare nicely to Richmond.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
August 16, 2025
Miami Marlins outfielder
Kyle Stowers (side) is out of the lineup Saturday against the Boston Red Sox with tightness in his left side, manager Clayton McCullough told reporters. There's no indication that Stowers will require a stint on the 10-day injured list, as McCullough said he's sitting Saturday as a precaution. While Stowers has slumped to a .228/.308/.386 line in 15 games this month, this season has been a resounding success for the first-time All-Star. Stowers, 27, has slashed .288/.368/.544 with 25 homers, 73 RBI, 61 runs scored, and five stolen bases over 457 plate appearances. With Stowers taking a seat Saturday,
Heriberto Hernandez will start in left field and hit sixth against right-hander
Brayan Bello.
--Connor ByrneSource: Daniel Alvarez-Montes
August
16,
2025
Indiana
Pacers
guard
Tyrese
Haliburton
(Achilles)
is
making
progress
toward
an
eventual
return
to
the
court.
The
25-year-old
suffered
a
torn
right
Achilles
tendon
during
the
Game
7
NBA
Finals
loss
to
the
Oklahoma
City
Thunder,
read more...
August 16, 2025
Indianapolis Colts running back
Tyler Goodson (elbow) left Saturday's preseason matchup with Green Bay and will not return. The 24-year-old has carved out a role on special teams while contributing 240 rushing yards on 45 career carries. Entering 2025, Goodson is competing with rookie
DJ Giddens for the backup role behind
Jonathan Taylor. With Giddens impressing in camp and Goodson now sidelined, his fantasy outlook takes a hit. Unless he secures the No. 2 role, Goodson should be avoided in fantasy drafts outside of the deepest formats.
--Shaun AlbinSource: James Boyd
August 16, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder
Nick Castellanos is out of the lineup against the Washington Nationals and right-hander
Cade Cavalli on Saturday.
Max Kepler will take over in right field in Castellanos' place and hit seventh. The 33-year-old Castellanos is mired in a horrible slump, having gone 25-for-138 (.181) with five home runs, 15 RBI, and 36:4 K:BB in 35 games since the beginning of July. Overall, he owns a .252/.290/.405 line - among the worst of his career - with 15 homers, 60 RBI, 57 runs scored, and four stolen bases in 487 plate appearances.
--Connor ByrneSource: MLB.com
August
16,
2025
Richmond
Raceway
has
been
an
interesting
track
for
Ryan
Blaney,
and
not
in
a
good
way.
In
17
career
starts
at
"The
Action
Track,"
Blaney
has
just
three
top-10
finishes
to
his
credit
and
has
never
ended
up
better
than
seventh.
read more...
August
16,
2025
The
Minnesota
Twins
have
recalled
outfielder
James
Outman
from
Triple-A
St.
Paul.
He'll
take
the
roster
spot
of
outfielder
Alan
Roden
(thumb),
who
went
on
the
10-day
injured
list
on
Saturday
read more...
August 16, 2025
Carolina Panthers quarterback
Andy Dalton (elbow) exited Saturday's preseason matchup with Houston and will not return. The 37-year-old veteran served as
Bryce Young's backup last season and is expected to remain in that role for 2025. Dalton provides Carolina with experience and insurance should Young go down, but his 7-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio from 2024 underscores his limited fantasy value. Even if pressed into action, Dalton would be a low-upside option, keeping him off the radar in all fantasy formats.
--Shaun AlbinSource: Darin Gantt
August
16,
2025
Joey
Logano
is
one
of
the
best
at
Richmond
Raceway,
as
the
Team
Penske
driver
is
a
two-time
winner
at
the
track
and
would
have
grabbed
a
third
victory
here
last
season
if
Austin
Dillon
didn't
dump
him
on
the
final
read more...
August 16, 2025
Chase Elliott largely fell out of contention for the regular-season championship unless his teammate William Byron crashes out of one of the two remaining regular season races after an inexplicably bad run at Watkins Glen, where he used to dominate but instead had his streak of top-20 finishes every race this season snapped. After his relatively recent win at Atlanta and dominant run at Dover, it's probably too soon to say he is trending downward, but his recent runs don't inspire confidence. Elliott is very consistent at Richmond, where he's never finished worse than 15th since 2017, but he also hasn't had many great runs and has only led more than five laps twice and has never been a massive factor for the win. In a 400-lap race, lap-leader points and fastest-lap points become more important, and he likely won't get many of those. The fact that he outqualified his teammates in fifth makes him a worse DFS choice than you might think.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
August 16, 2025
On paper, Kyle Larson looks like a must-have to start for DFS play at Richmond since you do not get this many opportunities for place-differential points for him since he rarely qualifies as poorly as 30th. The problem is that after dominating the first third of the season, he has been very sloppy and kind of slow ever since. After crashing out of both Memorial Day races due to unforced errors, his head has not seemed to be in the game, and it seems like he might be letting his social-media hecklers get into his head. If he doesn't make any mistakes, he could absolutely drive through the field and win, and not starting him would look rather stupid. However, given that he seems to have had more mistakes than great runs over the summer and costs $10,500, it's probably better to stay away.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
August 16, 2025
In a year when no one has really impressed, William Byron has probably been the best NASCAR Cup Series driver as he leads the points by nearly one full race and has also been the most dominant driver with 910 laps led. Although he's good everywhere, he's only finished in the top five once at Richmond, that being a third-place finish in the first Next Gen race in 2022 where he led 122 laps before Denny Hamlin sneaked past him with five laps left on much fresher tires. Byron does not normally qualify as poorly as 14th, so you have to consider him somewhat since he could win anywhere and no one would be surprised. However, he also costs $10,400, which is pretty pricy for a driver who is not likely the outright favorite to win. While he is probably a better choice than his Hendrick teammates, he is too expensive to start for DFS given his inconsistent record at a track that tends not to have much attrition.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
August 16, 2025
Carolina Panthers wide receiver
Jalen Coker (illness) will not play in Saturday's preseason matchup against the Houston Texans. The second-year wideout posted 32 catches for 478 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie but faces tougher competition for snaps this year. With rookie
Tetairoa McMillan entering the fold and
Xavier Legette already locked in as a starter, Coker will need to maximize his preseason reps to secure a role in Carolina's rotation. For now, he's off the fantasy radar outside of the deepest formats, but his development will be worth monitoring.
--Shaun AlbinSource: Mike Kaye
August
16,
2025
Ryan
Preece
is
on
the
pole
for
Saturday
night's
Cook
Out
400,
and
with
just
two
races
left
until
the
cutoff
for
this
year's
Playoffs,
he
will
need
to
have
a
major
performance
if
he
wants
to
feel
good
about
his
read more...
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