27 mins agoLos Angeles Kings forward Pierre-Luc Dubois looks set to remain on the team for now, with general manager Rob Blake saying there aren't any plans to buy out his contract. There was speculation of a potential buyout for Dubois following a disappointing campaign in Los Angeles. After enjoying back-to-back 60-point years in Winnipeg, Dubois managed only 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) in 82 games in his first season with the Kings. His struggles continued in the playoffs, where Dubois recorded only one point in a five-game series against the Oilers in the first round. The 25-year-old has the third-highest salary cap hit on the Kings squad with $8 million and is tied to the club through the 2030-31 campaign.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Elliotte Friedman
37 mins agoWinnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness has decided to retire from the NHL. His decision comes after Bowness failed to get the Jets past the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, losing to Colorado in five games. Bowness, who turned 69 in January, worked 38 years behind different benches in the NHL. He held seven head-coaching positions, leading the Dallas Stars to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2020. The Jets appointed him as head coach ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. Bowness, one of three finalists for the Jack Adams Award this season, bows out with a 310-408-48-37 career record as a head coach in the NHL.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
48 mins agoFlorida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has been confirmed as the team's starter for Game 1 against Boston on Monday. He'll be looking to get rid of some demons on Monday night after going 0-2-2 against the Bruins during the regular season. Bobrovsky's form wasn't great in the first round against the Lightning, as the Russian netminder allowed 2.78 goals with a .896 save percentage, but he's benefiting from playing behind a red-hot offense. The Panthers produced 4.00 goals per game against their neighbors in Round 1. Bobrovsky would no doubt love to get the same level of goal support against Boston.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Colby Guy
52 mins agoNew York Mets first baseman
Pete Alonso will start on the bench on Monday in the series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals. As a result, outfielder
DJ Stewart will make his first career start at first base and will hit in the cleanup spot versus Cardinals right-hander
Kyle Gibson. This will be Alonso's first day off of the 2024 season. The 29-year-old right-handed slugger has gone 2-for-36 (.056) with a home run, four RBI and 11 strikeouts in his last 10 games to drop his season slash line to .206/.295/.420, so it makes sense to give him a day to rest. Despite the recent slump, Alonso has eight home runs and elite power that makes him a must-start every day he's active. Stewart, who is hitting under .200, will be a boom/bust DFS play in the cleanup spot for the Mets in DFS lineups on Monday.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
59 mins agoSan Diego Padres third baseman
Manny Machado is not in the team's starting lineup on Monday for a series opener against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. With Machado on the bench,
Donovan Solano will start at the hot corner and bat sixth against Cubs left-hander
Justin Steele, who is making his first start off the injured list. Solano is hitless in two career at-bats against Steele and will be getting his first at-bat of the 2024 season after just being called up from the minors over the weekend. The 31-year-old Machado had started all nine games since returning from the paternity list last month. Since returning on April 26, Machado has gone 9-for-36 (.250) with a home run and nine RBI in 37 plate appearances. Machado will be back in the lineup on Tuesday.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
60 mins agoBoston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman is expected to make his sixth consecutive start in Monday's Game 1 against the Panthers. Swayman provided rock-solid play during the first round against Toronto and will be trusted to make a difference again versus Florida. The 25-year-old netminder boasts four wins from six starts this postseason and has allowed 1.49 goals with a .950 save percentage. His form gets a huge test in the second round after Florida averaged 4.00 goals in its first-round series against Tampa Bay. Swayman won his lone regular-season decision against the Panthers 4-3 with an 18-save effort.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Steve Conroy
1 hour agoBoston Bruins left wing Danton Heinen (undisclosed) will miss a third straight game on Monday against Florida. The 28-year-old appears close to returning to the lineup and was even considered a game-time call for Saturday's Game 7 against Toronto. However, his comeback won't happen in the second-round opener. Heinen made five appearances in Round 1, picking up one point via an assist. He couldn't score with 11 shots on goal. Justin Brazeau is seeing third-line minutes in his stead. The 26-year-old rookie had one point in three games with four shots on goal against the Maple Leafs in the first round.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Boston Bruins
1 hour agoMilwaukee Brewers second baseman
Brice Turang is not in the team's starting lineup on Monday for the series opener against the Royals in Kansas City. With Turang getting a blow on Monday,
Joey Ortiz will man second base for the Brewers and hit second in the batting order against Royals left-hander
Cole Ragans. This will be only the third time this year that Turang hasn't been in the starting lineup for Milwaukee. The 24-year-old left-handed hitter is having a great season through 107 at-bats, slashing .299/.367/.411 with two home runs, 12 RBI, 14 stolen bases and 16 runs scored. Turang isn't much of a power hitter, but his speed plays in all fantasy leagues. Ortiz, who has gone 18-for-66 (.273) this year, will be a DFS sleeper on Monday in the two-hole.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Milwaukee Brewers
1 hour agoBoston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo (personal) will be a game-time decision for Monday's series opener against Florida. Carlo and his wife, Mayson, welcomed their second child in the early hours of Monday morning. He's traveling to join the team in Sunrise, but it's not fully clear if Carlo will be in the lineup. "We're very hopeful. I don't have a determination on that yet," Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters after Monday's morning skate. Carlo has averaged over 21 minutes a night in the 2024 postseason, picking up two points (one goal, one assist) in seven games with 11 shots on goal, 16 hits, and 16 blocks. Derek Forbort could see his first action since March 2 if Carlo isn't good to go.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jimmy Murphy
1 hour agoThe Chicago White Sox recalled right-hander
Mike Clevinger from Triple-A Charlotte on Monday and placed right-hander
Dominic Leone (back) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to May 5) with lower-back tightness in a corresponding move. After re-signing with the White Sox late after the start of the regular season, Clevinger is finally ready to make his 2024 debut in the majors after giving up three runs on 10 hits while walking three and striking out seven in 7 1/3 innings over two minor-league starts with Charlotte. Fantasy managers should not expect him to go deep in Monday's contest, making him a poor streaming option in his first start of 2024. The 33-year-old isn't the high-upside he pitcher he once was in Cleveland, but he can be serviceable in deeper leagues and as a streamer in the right matchups.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Chicago White Sox
2 hours agoCleveland Browns quarterback
Deshaun Watson (shoulder) has had well-documented struggles since being traded from the Houston Texans ahead of the 2022 season. He's appeared in just 12 games over the last two years, completing just under 60% of his passes for 2,217 yards,
read more...
2 hours agoThe St. Louis Cardinals moved outfielder
Tommy Edman (wrist) to the 60-day injured list on Monday, meaning he won't be eligible to return to the team until May 24 now. Edman had surgery on his right wrist last October and has yet to make his 2024 debut with the Cardinals. However, he has resumed taking swings from both sides of the plate and is making progress. The 28-year-old switch-hitter has yet to be cleared for full baseball activities yet, though, so he still has more boxes to check off before he's activated from the IL later this month. Until Edman is activated,
Dylan Carlson figures to see most of the playing time in center field for the Cardinals. When Edman is back in St. Louis, he'll be an everyday starter for the team.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: St. Louis Cardinals
2 hours agoKansas City Chiefs wide receiver
Xavier Worthy is coming along quickly at rookie minicamp, according to head coach Andy Reid. "I thought he did a nice job picking things up," Reid said "We asked him to do a whole lot of stuff there. He was put in mostly the primary spots, so it was good for him to get in there and move around a little bit." The speedster out of Texas recorded two touchdowns in 7-on-7 drills on Monday, according to ArrowHeadPride.com. This year's No. 28 overall pick will have sky-high expectations right away because of his situation with quarterback
Patrick Mahomes and his record-breaking 4.21 forty-yard dash at the NFL combine. However, Kansas City has a complex offense to learn, and the pass-catching trio of
Travis Kelce,
Marquise Brown, and
Rashee Rice presents stiff target competition for Worthy in Year 1.
--Jackson Sparks - RotoBallerSource: ArrowHeadPride.com
2 hours agoMove over, Kentucky Derby. NASCAR had to one-up your finish with a photo finish of their own. Kyle Larson was declared the winner of the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway on Sunday evening, with NASCAR officials needing to go to their high-speed camera photo to determine whether Larson or Chris Buescher got to the finish line first. It was determined that Larson's No. 5 Chevrolet narrowly edged Buescher's No 17 Ford to the line by a mere 0.001 seconds, the closest finish in NASCAR history. Larson now has two wins on the year and remains the points leader after 12 races on the season. "It was just wild," Larson said after the race.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: FOX Sports
2 hours agoTampa Bay Buccaneers running back
Rachaad White saw 75.3% of the team's running back carries and targets in 2023, but running back coach Skip Peete said there will be more competition for touches this season. Tampa Bay selected Oregon running back
Bucky Irving in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, while
Chase Edmonds and 2023 undrafted free agent
Sean Tucker remain on the roster. Ultimately, none of the running backs behind White are expensive investments for the organization, and it's always tricky to know whether a coach is being transparent or just trying to motivate the players in his position room. White was the RB4 overall (PPR) last season behind 990 rushing yards, 549 receiving yards, and nine total touchdowns. Although he could see his rushing volume take a hit, his receiving skill set that he's flashed since his collegiate career at Arizona State should keep him on the field for high-yield fantasy situations.
--Jackson Sparks - RotoBallerSource: Pewter Report
2 hours agoAfter Sunday evening's AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway, Chris Buescher had one thing to say: "That sucks to be that close." And boy was he right. Buescher finished runner-up to race-winner, Kyle Larson, in the closest finish in NASCAR history, clocking in at 0.001 seconds. NASCAR officials had to go to their high-speed camera at the start-finish line to determine a winner. After the race, Buescher added, "We had good strategy to get us back up there and I tried to cover what I could but I gave him half a lane too much I suppose. That was a good hard race there down to the line. It hurts." It was Buescher's best race of the season and his first top-five finish since Phoenix back in March. He now sits 11th in the points standings after 12 races.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Catchfence
2 hours agoThe St. Louis Cardinals placed right-hander
Giovanny Gallegos (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list on Monday with a right-shoulder impingement and selected the contract of right-hander
Chris Roycroft from Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move. Gallegos didn't record an out while giving up three earned runs on three hits for his first loss of the season against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, but it appears he wasn't pitching at 100 percent health. The 32-year-old allowed seven earned runs while recording no outs in his last two appearances, so something clearly wasn't right. The two poor outings have raised his ERA to a rough 12.00 on the year. With Gallegos on the shelf for at least the next two weeks, the Cards will ask more of setup men
JoJo Romero and
Andrew Kittredge.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: St. Louis Cardinals
2 hours agoPittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton said that top prospect
Paul Skenes is scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Indianapolis again this week. Skenes actually looked human in his last start with Indy on Sunday, giving up two runs on three hits while walking two and striking out only four in 4 1/3 innings pitched. The 21-year-old No. 1 overall pick last year threw just 66 pitches in the outing, so he definitely needs more time in the minors to get stretched out before the Pirates feel comfortable throwing him into the fire at the MLB level. Despite his subpar outing on Sunday, Skenes' numbers are still dominant. Through seven starts, he has a 0.99 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with only eight walks and 45 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings. Skenes will be brought up to the big leagues sooner than later, and he needs to be rostered in all fantasy formats.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Alex Stumpf
2 hours agoTampa Bay Rays right-hander
Taj Bradley (pectoral) is with the team on Monday before their series opener against the Chicago White Sox and seems likely to be activated from the 15-day injured list this week. Bradley has been out all season with a right-pectoral strain, but he's tracking toward making his season debut for the Rays later this week. The 23-year-old allowed one earned run in six innings while striking out eight for Triple-A Durham last Friday and is certainly worth a waiver-wire pickup now that he's on the cusp of his return, at least in deep-mixed fantasy leagues. His first start is likely to come this weekend against the New York Yankees, which won't be the best matchup to stream him, but his upside alone makes him worth stashing.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Tampa Bay Times - Marc Topkin
2 hours agoFree-agent defensive lineman Marlon Davidson has agreed to terms to sign with the Tennessee Titans, according to ESPN's Turron Davenport. The former First-Team All-SEC performer at Auburn was selected with the No. 47 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, but he played in just 19 games for the organization. After a brief stint with the San Francisco 49ers last offseason, he signed with the Titans as a member of the practice squad and ended up appearing in five games. Overall, the 25-year-old has accumulated 39 tackles, two sacks, one interception, two pass deflections, and three run stuffs through his first 24 NFL contests. He'll likely compete to be a rotational run-stopper after Tennessee selected Texas defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
--Jackson Sparks - RotoBallerSource: Turron Davenport
2 hours agoTampa Bay Rays outfielder
Jose Siri is not in the team's starting lineup on Monday as they take on the visiting Chicago White Sox. Siri went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts in the last two games over the weekend to drop his season line to .176/.262/.286 in his first 91 at-bats of the year. The 28-year-old Dominican outfielder has added two home runs, seven RBI, six stolen bases and 11 runs scored in 31 games played. Siri hasn't played great defense either so far this year, so if he continues to struggle offensively, he could find himself on the bench more often now that Josh Low (oblique) is back from the injured list.
Jonny DeLuca is starting in center field and is batting in the nine-hole for the Rays in the series opener against the White Sox and right-hander
Mike Clevinger, who is making his season debut.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 hours agoTampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver
Chris Godwin is moving back into the slot receiver role in 2024, according to his position coach, Bryan McClendon. Godwin, who has posted at least 1,000 receiving yards in four of his last five seasons, played just 32.1% of his snaps in the slot last year. In 2022, he lined up in the slot 57.6% of the time. The 28-year-old's 7.6 targets per game was his lowest clip since 2020, so perhaps a move back to his more natural position will see that figure come back toward the 9.0 per game range.
Mike Evans remains in the X-role, while
Trey Palmer and third-round rookie
Jalen McMillan will compete to start in three-wide sets.
--Jackson Sparks - RotoBallerSource: Pewter Report
2 hours agoLos Angeles Angels infielder
Luis Rengifo (illness) was scratched from Monday's lineup against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rengifo missed the team's last two games on Saturday and Sunday against the Cleveland Guardians with an illness, but he's not sick anymore, and it's unclear why he was scratched from the series opener in Pittsburgh.
Brandon Drury is now starting at third base and will hit sixth for the Halos against Pirates right-hander
Mitch Keller. Rengifo has been hitting the ball well this year, going 30-for-91 (.330) with two homers, 11 RBI and nine stolen bases, so fantasy managers in deeper leagues will be hoping he's able to return soon. Drury, on the other hand, is hitting just .161 (15-for-93) with a homer and five RBI, but he's batting .600 in five career at-bats against Keller with a home run and six RBI.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Orange County Register - Jeff Fletcher
2 hours agoLos Angeles Angels catcher
Logan O'Hoppe (hand) is back behind the dish and is hitting fifth for the Angels on Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates and right-hander
Mitch Keller. O'Hoppe left the game on Saturday early against the Cleveland Guardians after taking a foul tip off his right hand, but X-rays came back negative and he will end up missing only one game as a result. Fantasy managers that have been rolling with the 24-year-old will want to get him back into their starting lineups this week. O'Hoppe will return to a .260/.317/.396 slash line with two home runs in his 29 games played so far in 2024. This will be the first time in his career that he's faced Keller.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 hours agoCleveland Guardians rookie first baseman
Kyle Manzardo is serving as the designated hitter and is batting seventh on Monday in his major-league debut against the visiting Detroit Tigers and right-hander
Jack Flaherty. Cleveland called Manzardo up from Triple-A Columbus to add another bat to their lineup with outfielder
Steven Kwan (hamstring) going on the injured list. The 23-year-old left-handed hitter was done nothing but hit in the minors since coming over in a trade from the Tampa Bay Rays last year, and his mix of power potential and plate discipline make him an immediate waiver-wire pickup in at least deep-mixed fantasy leagues with a chance to play every day between DH and first base. The team's No. 2 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, could stick around after Kwan returns, too. It isn't the best matchup for his big-league debut, though, as Flaherty has so far been dominating hitters in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Cleveland Guardians
3 hours agoAfter winning the previous race at Kansas Speedway (historically 23XI Racing's best track), Tyler Reddick had the most disappointing run relative to expectations in this past weekend's AdventHealth 400. While the 23XI Toyotas seemed just as fast as the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas in the earlier Next Gen races at Kansas, Reddick and his teammate, Bubba Wallace, unexpectedly ran mid-pack for most of yesterday's race. Reddick ran slightly outside the top ten for the entirety of Stage 1 and most of Stage 2, but stayed out eight laps longer than the other contenders on a pit cycle and utilized his fresh tires to finish 8th in Stage 2. He made it up to 5th early in Stage 3, but like many drivers, he was burned on pit strategy, as his lap 203 pit stop came at an inopportune time and he only made it back to 10th before fading to 20th at the finish.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
3 hours agoTy Gibbs had a strong run for most of yesterday's AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway, as he ran inside the top 10 for the entirety of Stages 1 and 2 except for pit sequences and he finished sixth in both stages. However, Gibbs was one of the race's biggest victims when the rash of cautions occurred at the start of Stage 3 and his team chose the wrong strategy, which dropped him out of the top ten on lap 203; he would never return there for the rest of the race. Gibbs was unable to make the finish on fuel and had to pit shortly before Kyle Busch spun out, which triggered the race's overtime finish. Gibbs ended up finishing 32nd, far worse than he had run when considering he ranked ninthth in speed (although he was still the slowest Joe Gibbs Racing driver in the race).
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
3 hours agoWilliam Byron had an unusually mediocre run at Kansas Speedway this past weekend despite his teammate, Kyle Larson, winning the race. Byron started in the back after a qualifying crash but struggled to move up through the pack even though passing was not very difficult, especially on restarts. He managed to break into the top 10 at the start of Stage 3, running as high as seventh from laps 191 to 196, but he pitted on a caution on lap 202, which wasn't the optimal strategy and he never made it back higher than 14th, eventually falling to 22nd-place by the end. Byron ranked only 15th-fastest in speed and was the slowest of the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers in the race, an unusual occurrence. Perhaps the damage from his qualifying crash continued to affect him in the race, but since he already has three regular season wins, it really doesn't matter much.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
3 hours agoAfter a string of mediocre runs (particularly on short tracks), Kyle Busch has returned to form in the past two weeks. In last evening's AdventHealth 400 at Kansas, Busch passed eventual winner Kyle Larson for the lead and led 14 laps before Larson retook the lead immediately before the caution for Joey Logano's spin. Busch ran in the top 10 for nearly the entire race until he spun out with six laps remaining, setting up the overtime finish that culminated in the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history. After taking four tires on the caution for his spinout, Busch made a miraculous charge from 21st to 8th on the last two laps of green. Coupled with the previous race at Dover, Busch has now had his two highest driver ratings of the season in back-to-back weeks, which likely ended most speculation about him missing the Playoffs this year.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
3 hours agoCleveland Guardians outfielder
Steven Kwan (hamstring) is expected to miss four weeks with an acute hamstring strain, according to Mandy Bell of MLB.com. Kwan left Saturday's 7-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels with hamstring tightness in the top of the fourth inning. However, an MRI revealed a strain for the outfielder, which will cause him to be out for approximately one month. The 26-year-old has been one of the best hitters this season, batting .353 with three home runs, 11 RBI, six doubles, and two triples in 32 games. Fantasy managers should place him in one of their injured list spots and expect a return sometime at the beginning of June.
--Joey Pollizze - RotoBallerSource: Mandy Bell
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