A scouting report on NBA draft prospect VJ Edgecombe: 

• Position: Guard 
• Height: 6-foot-4 (without shoes) 
• Weight: 193 pounds 
• College: Baylor 

Strengths 

Edgecombe has the sort of athleticism that makes you stop whatever you were doing and watch replays in amazement. 

While he’s still learning how to harness it all, he’s currently got a nice feel for how to both shine in obvious ways (rapid bursts to the rim, highlight slams) and subtle ways (snagging rebounds in a pack, recovering after falling a step behind defensively). The 19-year-old had a productive all-around freshman season at Baylor, posting 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.1 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. 

Edgecombe enjoys and takes pride in his defense. He doesn’t have the size of a guard-everyone stopper or the wingspan (6-foot-7.5) of a player destined to rack up steals and blocks, but his effort and explosiveness are great foundational traits. 

“I feel like I’m an elite defender, but I also have a ways to go,” Edgecombe told reporters at the NBA draft combine. “I’m just willing to play defense with all my heart. I know if there’s anything I can do on the floor to impact the game, it’s guarding. That’s something I’m ready to do for sure.” 

Edgecombe was a good college rebounder, ranking in the Big 12’s top 20 in rebounds per game. Rebounding is not one of his core tools, but it might lead Edgecombe’s NBA team to be a bit more comfortable using guard-heavy lineups. 

Last summer, Edgecombe played with the Bahamas in the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament and showed his game already could be quite impactful against grown men. With NBA veteran teammates Deandre Ayton, Buddy Hield and Eric Gordon, he was one of his country’s key players. Edgecombe averaged 16.5 points on 57.1/38.5/81.3 shooting splits, 5.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists. 

Weaknesses 

Edgecombe’s far from a polished ball handler and isolation scorer. He doesn’t have the tight, advanced handle to suggest he’s on the verge of consistently, efficiently creating his own shots in the NBA.

He also won’t enter the league as a crafty, comfortable finisher in traffic. When faced with resistance inside, he sometimes seemed to lack a real counter, flinging the ball toward the rim or trying to power through bigger bodies. 

Edgecombe’s shot is not a strength at the moment. The numbers weren’t bad in college; 34 percent from three-point range on 4.6 attempts per game, 78.2 percent at the foul line. That said, Edgecombe has a rather narrow base on his jumper, isn’t smooth off the dribble and generally doesn’t look the part of a pure shooter.

No apparent need for deep concern there, especially given Edgecombe’s willingness to let it fly, but shooting improvement would certainly enhance his odds of becoming an NBA star. 

Fit 

Notably, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey’s general philosophy is to take the best player available.

If the Sixers drafted Edgecombe with the third overall pick, he’d add to the team’s list of guards 6-foot-4 and under, which includes Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain. Morey has said he intends to bring back restricted free agent Quentin Grimes, too. 

The idea of Edgecombe as a Sixer would sound better if he proves capable of defending wings well at times and grows as a shooter. His size alone doesn’t appear like it should be a disqualifying factor.

Tom Aspinall is confident about his fighting future, despite the uncertainty surrounding Jon Jones.

Talks for a massive UFC heavyweight unification fight have been ongoing since November 2024.

Last week, Jon Jones publicly claimed he’s got no interest in facing his division’s interim titleholder amid rumors about his impending retirement from MMA.

A subsequent call out of Francis Ngannou fell flat as UFC CEO Dana White shut down the crossover bout and insisted that Tom Aspinall is the man to beat at heavyweight during his UFC 316 post-fight press conference.

Tom Aspinall is glad to be done with Jon Jones saga

Tom Aspinall recently teamed up with lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett for a training session.

Naturally, ‘The Baddy’ probed his English compatriot for information on the Jon Jones situation.

Aspinall’s response suggested that the UFC are ready to give up on the biggest fight of 2025.

“Everybody has got a time limit, and he’s reached it. Now we’re moving on,” he said.

“It’s all in the past now. We’re moving forward, everything’s good, and we can get fighting again.

“It’s better now because I do know what’s going on a bit and I am gonna fight soon, so that’s nice.

“But for the last six months, I’ve just kind of not known what is going on.

“Money, fame, titles, rankings, all that aside, I just love fighting. I just like fighting people, that’s what I got into it for. I didn’t get into it really for anything else. All of the other stuff is just nice to have on top.

“I just want to fight and that’s been taken away from me for over a year now.

“But we’re nearly over it now, which is good.”

Dana White reacts to petition to strip Jon Jones

Over 190,000 people have signed a petition calling for the UFC to strip Jon Jones of his belt.

Dana White dismissed it as ‘silly’ when probed by assembled media following UFC 316 on Saturday.

“Yeah,” the UFC CEO said when asked if he’d seen the viral petition.

“Every human on Earth was DM’ing it to me.

“How many fans are there worldwide now, what’s the number?

“Like 400 million and 130,000 people want to see him stripped.

“It’s kind of f—— silly.”

Those don’t seem like the comments of a man who is planning to strip Jones anytime soon.

Still, Aspinall seems to think there will be an imminent resolution that will work in his favor.

The MLB Breakdown offers data-driven analysis using the FantasyLabs Tools and predictive metrics to highlight notable players within our MLB Player Models.

MLB DFS Pitching Picks

MLB DFS Stud Pick

Lance McCullers ($8,500) Houston Astros (-174) vs. Chicago White Sox

It’s a weird slate for pitching, as we have the highest projection in both median and ceiling on a starter with a 4.44 ERA through six starts after missing the entirety of the prior three seasons. That would be McCullers, and despite that negative framing of his situation, it’s still difficult to argue with him as the top option.

It’s largely due to the matchup with the White Sox, who, despite marginal improvement in recent weeks, still rank 29th in the majors against right-handed pitching. Their 3.4-run total is the lowest on the slate. That’s helpful for McCullers, since he’s struggled somewhat in run prevention but has a borderline-elite 28.9% strikeout rate on the season.

Beyond that, as a blanket rule, you should almost always roster an $8,500 pitcher when his opponent has the lowest total on the slate. At that price tag, we don’t need a huge day from McCullers for him to pay off. He’s also coming off back-to-back 27+ point games, so a big game is well within reach against the White Sox.

Besides his lead in median and ceiling projections, he’s just shy of the top Pts/Sal projection on the slate. That makes him a strong play in all contest types.

Be sure to check out all the pick’ems Sleeper has to offer with Sleeper promo code FL55.

MLB DFS Value Pick

Kyle Harrison ($6,600) San Francisco Giants (-235) at Colorado Rockies

There was a time that we almost always faded pitchers from both teams at Coors Field. That’s no longer, since the Rockies offense is so bad that we can overlook the boost to bats provided by their home ballpark. That goes double against lefties.

Colorado’s 71 wRC+ against righties is the worst in the league by 12 points. Against lefties, their mark drops to a hilariously bad 53. They’ve scored the fewest runs in the majors this season despite playing in the best hitter’s park while striking out at the second-highest rate.

That means playing pitchers against them is a good idea as a rule. Even if, like Harrison, they’re fairly mediocre. The 23-year-old has a 4.34 ERA and a 24.1% strikeout rate, which normally wouldn’t catch any eyes — but it’s probably enough against the Rockies.

He’s the lone pitcher with a better Pts/Sal projection than McCullers and is worth rostering in all contest types.

Now available: our MLB DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.

MLB DFS GPP Pick

Mackenzie Gore ($10,000) Washington Nationals (+129) at New York Mets

The other two starters we talked about today are worth playing because of their matchups—Gore might be in spite of his.

The Nationals’ breakout ace has a 2.87 ERA on the season and leads the league with his 35.4% strikeout rate. That’s 2% higher than the pitcher in second place—defending AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. That’s added up to a 22.8 PPG average on DraftKings for Gore, also tops on the slate.

The challenge is the matchup, since the Mets are a top-five offense in baseball with their 116 wRC+. However, they’re on the wrong side of their platoon splits against the lefty Gore, losing six points in wRC+. It’s not a massive drop, but it certainly helps the case for Gore.

The matchup seems to be scaring the field away from Gore, since his 13% projected ownership puts him outside the top five pitchers. That’s far too low for a player with his upside, making him an excellent GPP pivot.

If you’re craving more MLB DFS or betting tools, be sure to check out one of our most powerful tools on the site—PlateIQ.

MLB DFS Hitters and Stacks

Notable Stack

With the Lineup Builder, it’s easy to incorporate stacks into DFS rosters.

Also, don’t forget that for large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups.

The top DraftKings stack in the FantasyLabs MLB Player Model when generated by rating using an aggregate projection set belongs to the San Francisco Giants:

We still like rostering the visiting team’s hitters at Coors Field this year, since the Rockies’ offensive struggles don’t do anything to limit their opponent’s scoring.

That’s the Giants this week, who come into Tuesday night with a slate-high 7.1-run total. They’re not all that expensive given their massive implied mark, making them a relatively obvious stacking choice.

Because of that, expect massive ownership of their hitters tonight. One way to work around that is to roster them alongside Gore, but it’s important to be mindful of ownership in general if looking to this specific Giants stack.

They’re taking on lefty Carson Palmquist ($5,000) who has an 8.50 ERA through four career starts. While the Giants hit lefties at a below-average rate, they should be able to get there given the matchup and ballpark.

Not interested in messing around with optimizer settings? No worries, you can use our MLB DFS Simulations and let it find the best way to control your stacks, exposure, correlations, and more!

Click here to find out how SimLabs can elevate your MLB DFS game, and watch the video below.

Other MLB DFS Hitter Picks

One of the great features of being a FantasyLabs Pro member is the option to purchase additional items in the FantasyLabs Marketplace.

In addition to our in-house MLB projections,  THE BAT X from Derek Carty of RotoGrinders is available in our marketplace. With this purchase, you can use his projections alone or create aggregate projections within our Player Models.

For this example, we created a 50/50 blend with THE BAT X and the FantasyLabs projections to pinpoint some hitters that stand out.

Aaron Judge OF ($6,600) New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals (Noah Cameron)

The forecast is for nearly 90-degree temperatures in Kansas City tonight, with winds blowing out to left field. In total, that boosts scoring 5.8% and home runs 7.7%, according to Weather Edge. That’s not great for pitchers in general, but it’s terrifying when facing the Yankees.

Especially for lefties, against whom Aaron Judge has absurd numbers. Check them out in PlateIQ:

While we could recommend Judge every day and it would make sense, the combination of matchup, conditions, and cheap pitching options makes him especially noteworthy today.

Bo Bichette SS ($4,000) Toronto Blue Jays at St. Louis Cardinals (Miles Mikolas)

One pivot I’m interested in making from the Giants stack is Willy Adames for Bo Bichette. Not only does it save $400 in salary, but it also makes rosters a bit more unique—and you can always use that opening to roster a different Giants bat elsewhere in the lineup.

The game in St. Louis has even better hitting weather than in Kansas City, with a double-digit boost to both home runs and overall scoring. Bichette started the season slowly but has picked up in the last month or so but is still due for some regression. His xWOBA is about 50 points higher than his actual wOBA, and his HR/FB ratio is about 5% lower than his career average.

Given the situation tonight, he could realize some of that positive regression, all while saving salary and ownership from the chalky Adames.

Corbin Carroll OF ($5,700) Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Seattle Mariners (Logan Evans)

With Logan Evans ($6,500) getting called back up to the majors to make the start for Seattle, I’m interested in stacking the Diamondbacks tonight. Evans has bounced back and forth between the majors and minors, with a 2.83 ERA at the MLB level but ERA predictors in the upper fours.

Now he’s taking on a tough Arizona team away from the pitcher-friendly confines of T-Mobile Park in Seattle, making this a tough ask. Carroll is Arizona’s best—but certainly not only—option today, with a double-digit median projection.

Interested in more MLB action? Check out Fanatics Sportsbook and use our Fanatics Sportsbook promo code.

Pictured: Aaron Judge

Photo Credit: Imagn

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A massive undercard bout at UFC Atlanta was scratched just days before Saturday’s event.

UFC Atlanta is headlined by a pivotal welterweight matchup between top contenders Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley, taking place this Saturday at State Farm Arena. The fight marks Usman’s long-awaited return to the welterweight division, and his first Octagon appearance overall in almost two full years.

The card also marks the UFC’s long-awaited return to Atlanta after a six-year absence, dating back to UFC 236. The event featured a UFC Hall of Fame fight between Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum.

UFC Atlanta could make more MMA memories this weekend. But just days before the event, the card took a big hit.

UFC Atlanta takes a big hit as matchup between exciting bantamweights canceled

As first reported by MMA publication L’Arena MMA, bantamweight Charles Jourdain was forced to withdraw from his upcoming fight with Ricky Simon due to an eye injury. As of this writing, it’s uncertain if the UFC matchmakers will attempt to find a last-second replacement to face Simon at UFC Atlanta.

Jourdain’s withdrawal comes at an unfortunate time, after a successful bantamweight debut in November at UFC Edmonton. He defeated Victor Henry by second-round submission after making the full-time move to the 135 lb division.

Jourdain traded wins and losses in the UFC’s featherweight division, earning victories over the likes of Kron Gracie and Andre Ewell. A win over a top bantamweight like Simon would’ve moved Jourdain closer to a Top 15 spot.

Simon was set to return to the Octagon for the first time since a devastating knockout over Javid Basharat at UFC Seattle in February. The knockout win snapped a three-fight losing streak.

Charles Jourdain vs. Ricky Simon scratched due to a Jourdain eye injury

Despite the loss of Jourdain vs. Simon, UFC Atlanta remains an intriguing card with an important main event booking between Usman and Buckley. The UFC Atlanta main event winner could potentially earn a title shot for their next fight against either Jack Della Maddalena or Islam Makhachev.

Maddalena earned the UFC welterweight title by defeating Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 last month. Makhachev will vacate the lightweight title later this month for a move to welterweight.

Buckley has been on a roll since moving down to 170 lbs, earning recent wins over the likes of Colby Covington, Stephen Thompson, and Vicente Luque. He enters UFC Atlanta on a six-fight winning streak.

Monday, ESPN released the trailer for its latest 30 for 30 documentary film, Empire Skate.

“Empire Skate chronicles the colorful rise and enduring influence of New York skateboarding culture–through the global phenomenon of Supreme–while highlighting intimate portraits of the characters who breathed life into that world,” reads ESPN’s release. “From the highs of breakout film success and the creation of a brand and movement, to the lows of fractured families and the loss of close friends, it is a style-and-substance trip through a unique moment when multiple trends converged on one city to create something timeless.”

The film features Tony Hawk, Alex Corporan, Steven Cales, Chris Keeffe, Jeff Pang, Mike Hernandez, Peter Bici, and Ryan Hickey.

The film is directed by documentary filmmaker Josh Swade, who is perhaps best known to 30 for 30 audiences for his work on There’s No Place Like Home, about Kansas Jayhawks basketball, One & Done, about John Calipari’s Kentucky run, and Arthur & Johnnie, about Arthur Ashe and his younger brother.

“Skate shops have always been sacred spaces for me—places of creativity, community, and culture,” said Swade. “When I moved to New York in the mid-90s, Supreme wasn’t just a store, it was a magnet for a movement that reshaped downtown and radiated far beyond. With Empire Skate, we wanted to honor that energy and tell the story of how a small skate shop helped fuel a global cultural shift. This film is as much about identity and expression as it is about skating, and I’m proud to help bring that story to the screen.”

The film will premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival on June 12 and then on ESPN on June 30 at 9 p.m. ET. Following the linear premiere, the film will be available to stream on ESPN+, as well as on Disney+ and Hulu.

Here’s a full synopsis via ESPN:

“Empire Skate” tells the story of 1990’s New York City skate culture that inspired the global brand Supreme. It is the scene of a rare, energetic convergence of hip-hop, street art, dance, and culture. Kids who grew up in the 1980s as outsiders, going against the grain, bring their own element to this culture: skateboarding. Many of them fleeing hard lives of dysfunction and family desperation, they turn the forbidding landscape of the city into their own personal skate park – setting the stage for a movement that would grow to transform fashion and sports. 

While Southern California remains the mass-market capital of skateboarding, this New York City crew creates their own style. Bolstered by charismatic kids like Harold Hunter and enthusiastic entrepreneurs, fledgling skate shops begin to appear across the city. They tap into a NYC skating vibe that is faster, more dangerous, and more improvisational than its West Coast counterpart, and the style echoes that difference: SkateNYC and Zoo York set the tone for this rise, and then another brand is birthed that changes the scene forever. 

Supreme, fronted by the mysterious businessman James Jebbia, takes NYC by storm. Playing by its own rules of marketing, store design, and customer service (including refusing to serve those who don’t seem to fit its image and vibe), Supreme becomes a status symbol on the streets of Manhattan – and beyond. It becomes a global phenomenon, with buyers arriving from as far as Asia, pockets bursting with cash, eager to buy a piece of the lifestyle. 

The rise pulls the NYC skateboarding crew into other areas of pop culture. The Larry Clark and Harmony Korine indie film Kids is a surprise hit that features several NYC skateboarders including an aspiring young actor named Justin Pierce. They find themselves on a rocket ship of fame that is impossible to navigate, and Pierce commits suicide.  

Tragedy and camaraderie, changing trends in fashion and entertainment, and the constant evolution of culture continue to transform the NYC skateboarding landscape. Through it all, Supreme maintains a powerful hold, and those for whom skateboarding was an indispensable part of their lives, the bonds remain forever.