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Shai Gilgeous

All that’s left is the complaining. On Tuesday, a week after ballots were due, the NBA will announce the winner of the first of its seven main individual awards — Sixth Man of the Year. One hundred media members vote on the awards, with final choices due before the Play-In Tournament began last week. This […]

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Shai Gilgeous

All that’s left is the complaining.

On Tuesday, a week after ballots were due, the NBA will announce the winner of the first of its seven main individual awards — Sixth Man of the Year. One hundred media members vote on the awards, with final choices due before the Play-In Tournament began last week. This year’s awards race includes one of the most compelling MVP debates in recent history, with three-time winner Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder having all-time seasons.

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Below, eight voters on The Athletic staff take you through their picks, from the easiest to the toughest. Given the disagreement between the voters, it’s a given that there will be more among NBA fans.

Jovan Buha

MVP: Nikola Jokić
Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green
Rookie of the Year: Stephon Castle
Sixth Man of the Year: Payton Pritchard
Coach of the Year: Kenny Atkinson
Most Improved Player: Ivica Zubac
Clutch Player of the Year: Nikola Jokić

Easiest choice: Coach of the Year. While there were plenty of strong candidates this season, Atkinson was the obvious choice. No one had the Cavs winning a franchise-record 64 games and entering the championship inner circle alongside Boston and Oklahoma City. They enjoyed a 16-win improvement from last season, with the primary growth coming from a revamped offense featuring more Evan Mobley and Darius Garland (and Ty Jerome). Their rise from 16th in offensive rating last season to first this season was reminiscent of the Golden State Warriors’ growth under Steve Kerr when he was hired a decade ago.

Toughest choice: Defensive Player of the Year was supposed to be the easiest award. Victor Wembanyama may have been the unanimous winner had his sophomore season not been cut short due to deep vein thrombosis. That left a talented-but-flawed candidate pool, including Green, Mobley, Amen Thompson, Dyson Daniels and Luguentz Dort, among others.

Once I spoke to people around the Lakers and the league, I whittled it down to Green, Mobley and Thompson. After poring over numbers and Synergy film, I settled on Green for a few reasons:

• The aggregate of his defensive metrics was the best among the top candidates
• He was arguably more central to his team’s defensive success than any of the three
• His positional versatility stood out
•  His pre-Jimmy Butler performance was better than many are giving him credit for
• I think he’s the pick for non-Wembanyama defender you’d choose with a possession on the line.

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I don’t think he’s going to win, but I think he was the best choice. This was the award that kept me up for multiple nights.

Will Guillory

MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Defensive Player of the Year: Evan Mobley
Rookie of the Year: Stephon Castle
Sixth Man of the Year: Malik Beasley
Coach of the Year: J.B. Bickerstaff
Most Improved Player: Dyson Daniels
Clutch Player of the Year: Jalen Brunson

Easiest choice: There are a ton of great candidates but Bickerstaff and the Pistons have become such a fun story that I think people forget how bleak things were in Detroit a year ago. Last season, the Pistons became appointment television for NBA fans because they were so awful. You know how difficult it is to lose 28 games in a row? They became the Washington Generals of a league that also has the Washington Wizards. To go from that to 44 wins with an extremely likable group was remarkable.

Toughest choice: Choosing a Defensive Player of the Year was extremely difficult because there are so many phenomenal candidates. When I started researching whom I should pick, I was convinced Thompson would be my choice. I think he’s been one of the best stories in the NBA this season, and he’s my answer when people ask, “If you need a stop with the season on the line, who’s the one person you would choose?” It’s also impossible to look past what Dort has done this year on the best defense in the NBA. Players admire his physicality.

Ultimately, I chose Mobley because he has the most complete body of work, and he’s been consistently playing at a high level on that end all season. He’s great guarding the perimeter, he’s great guarding the rim and he’s capable of taking on any matchup you put in front of him. Thompson is my favorite defensive player in the league, but I think Mobley is the one who deserves the award this season.


Amen Thompson defends Brandin Podziemski during a December game in Houston. (Tim Warner / Getty Images)

Zach Harper

MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Defensive Player of the Year: Evan Mobley
Rookie of the Year: Stephon Castle
Sixth Man of the Year: Payton Pritchard
Coach of the Year: J.B. Bickerstaff
Most Improved Player: Ivica Zubac
Clutch Player of the Year: Jalen Brunson

Easiest choice: I don’t know if this is controversial, but Defensive Player of the Year was pretty easy for me. Green was excellent this year, but I don’t know how sure people can be that he was the choice when nobody mentioned him after 51 games, when the Warriors were 25-26. I thought Mobley was right there with Wembanyama before his season was cut short. Mobley just had a complete campaign from start to finish for me. I had no problem with Green second, though.

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Toughest choice: Coach of the Year. I understand why so many people think it’s Atkinson, and I did for most of the season. I still think, at times, that I might have picked the wrong guy. Atkinson took a good team we thought was flawed and maximized its talent. Bickerstaff took a historically bad team, added a couple of veterans (Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley), who were not good last year, and added 30 wins. I think, ultimately, turning an atrocious team into a legitimately good team just felt like a tougher task than turning a good team into a great team, especially when dealing with youth versus mostly veterans.

Fred Katz

MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Defensive Player of the Year: Amen Thompson
Rookie of the Year: Stephon Castle
Sixth Man of the Year: Payton Pritchard
Coach of the Year: Kenny Atkinson
Most Improved Player: Dyson Daniels
Clutch Player of the Year: Nikola Jokić

Easiest choice: Daniels set records for steals and deflections, ratcheting up from a vast positive with the New Orleans Pelicans to the league’s scariest on-ball threat with the Hawks. But that’s not the best part of his MIP argument. On the other side of the ball, Daniels is a different person from his Pelican past.

If this award is what it says it is — Most Improved Player, not best player who just so happened to improve (sorry, Cade Cunningham) — then Daniels is the clear choice. A year ago, he lost confidence fast. This year, he was so important to the Hawks’ offense that Atlanta staggered him and All-Star point guard Trae Young so that one was on the court at all times. They need Daniels’ playmaking. This is not the same player as the one in New Orleans. Not close.

Toughest choice:  This year’s MVP race is not like the close ones of the past. With Jokić and Joel Embiid as front-runners a couple of years ago, the conversation turned toxic. In 2017, when Russell Westbrook beat out James Harden, the debate turned into a nitpicking contest. In 2025, none of that exists.

Jokić’s spectacular season would be enough to win MVP in most any other year, as would Gilgeous-Alexander’s. The advanced stats Jokić normally dominates in during his MVP years are a wash. Gilgeous-Alexander is right there with him, sometimes above him. Jokić is holding up a mediocre team with counting numbers no one has ever posted. Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the peskiest off-ball defenders in the league, possibly the best defensive superstar guard in the world.

This was impossible. But the two-way play, plus a difference in team quality (which is a tiebreaker, not a driving force for me), tilted me toward the Thunder guard.

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Eric Koreen

MVP: Nikola Jokić
Defensive Player of the Year: Evan Mobley
Rookie of the Year: Stephon Castle
Sixth Man of the Year: Payton Pritchard
Coach of the Year: Kenny Atkinson
Most Improved Player: Dyson Daniels
Clutch Player of the Year: Nikola Jokić

Easiest choice: Last year, Daniels played the seventh-most minutes on the Pelicans. This season, he was an easy All-Defense First Team choice for me in a year with no shortage of candidates. He was a historic disruptor on a team that needed that badly and an underrated scorer and playmaker. I usually prefer to give this award to somebody who goes from being solid to a star (Mobley was No. 2 for me), but I didn’t think anybody was particularly close to Daniels’ come-up this year.

Toughest choice: I saw MVP arguments for both Jokić and Gilgeous-Alexander that made me feel dumb for even considering the other. The only guarantee was that I would feel dumb, which is a comfortable spot for me. Seriously, both players not only had MVP-quality seasons, but also upper-tier MVP-quality seasons.

Ultimately, I tried to imagine either being replaced with an average starter at the same position (Zach LaVine and Jakob Poeltl, if you’re wondering), and the Nuggets felt a little more impacted to me than the Thunder. I don’t feel good about it, though, and don’t anticipate that changing.

Law Murray

MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Defensive Player of the Year: Ivica Zubac
Rookie of the Year: Stephon Castle
Sixth Man of the Year: Payton Pritchard
Coach of the Year: J.B. Bickerstaff
Most Improved Player: Christian Braun
Clutch Player of the Year: Jalen Brunson

Easiest choice: I thought Gilgeous-Alexander had a good case to be the 2024 MVP, so he was my preseason pick for the award. I was not moved off that position all season. And what a season it was: The Thunder outscored their opponents by more points than any NBA team ever, and Gilgeous-Alexander was the leading scorer of that team while also contributing to the NBA’s best defense. He contributed to winning at the highest level in the regular season.

Toughest choice: No disrespect to any of these young players who are just starting their careers, but I was not inspired by this year’s rookie class. I landed on Castle, who was the only rookie to score 1,000 points this season while also leading all rookies in steals.

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The only time in the previous seven NBA seasons when only one rookie broke 1,000 points was in 2021, and Anthony Edwards did that in a 72-game season. The only players in the previous 20 years to lead all rookies in both points and steals were Michael Carter-Williams and Castle’s teammates Chris Paul and Wembanyama. All of them won Rookie of the Year. While Castle put up inefficient numbers on a losing team, he showed enough promise in his role to validate this award.

Eric Nehm

MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Defensive Player of the Year: Dyson Daniels
Rookie of the Year: Jaylen Wells
Sixth Man of the Year: Payton Pritchard
Coach of the Year: Kenny Atkinson
Most Improved Player: Dyson Daniels
Clutch Player of the Year: Nikola Jokić

Easiest choice: It is my long-held belief that the hardest wins to capture for any team are the ones above 41 — and each one of those wins becomes increasingly difficult to obtain. With logical systems and talented players, many coaches (and teams) are capable enough of getting their team to a .500 record, but taking a team — previously led by Bickerstaff — that won 48 games last season and transforming it into a 64-win team is truly impressive stuff. Rather than sticking at what seemed to be their plateau as a third or fourth seed, the Cavaliers became a machine that ran away with the Eastern Conference, and that made Atkinson the runaway Coach of the Year winner for me.

Toughest choice: All of the choices were difficult for me, but Rookie of the Year was the toughest. Ultimately, I went with Wells, and that is a bit of a departure from convention.

Typically, this award (and Sixth Man of the Year) comes down to the player who compiled the most counting stats during the season. I’ve never thought that approach makes sense given how much thought goes into determining value or impact with the other awards.

Even if the Grizzlies struggled down the stretch, it is incredibly rare for a rookie to start and play for a playoff team. Wells appeared in 79 games and started 74 in the regular season, averaging 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in almost 26 minutes per game, while regularly being asked to defend the other team’s best players. That is a really impressive season for a rookie, and I thought it should be rewarded.


Jaylen Wells was a constant in the Grizzlies’ lineup this season. (Petre Thomas / Imagn Images)

Joe Vardon

MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Defensive Player of the Year: Evan Mobley
Rookie of the Year: Stephon Castle
Sixth Man of the Year: Ty Jerome
Coach of the Year: Kenny Atkinson
Most Improved Player: Christian Braun
Clutch Player of the Year: Jalen Brunson

Easiest choice: Instead of easiest, I want to highlight my most controversial choice, if that’s the word. Jokić was much better individually this season than in any of his first three MVP seasons, which is a pretty good starting point for his case. He averaged career highs in points, rebounds and assists.

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Except … Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA in scoring for one of the best regular-season teams in NBA history. He is a two-way player, averaging 1.7 steals and making my ballot for second-team All-Defense. More to the point, he is probably a closer fit to the definition I typically use when voting for this award: Who is the best player on the best team, or, who contributes most to winning? No team won more than the Thunder, and Gilgeous-Alexander is clearly their best player, while obviously performing as one of the best players in the league, period.

Toughest choice: Atkinson and Bickerstaff built cases that are beyond compelling. In virtually any season, the coach of a team that more than tripled its win total from one season to the next and makes the playoffs for the first time since 2019 should win the award. That’s Bickerstaff’s case in Detroit.

In a strange twist, the coach who succeeded Bickerstaff in Cleveland took virtually the same team Bickerstaff coached last season and turned it into a juggernaut. Atkinson gets the credit for unlocking Mobley’s offense, for Garland’s resurgence, for the Cavs finding better ways to use Mobley and Jarrett Allen together, for the offensive diversity and defensive consistency, the latter of which was a strength under Bickerstaff. Atkinson had buy-in from Donovan Mitchell, which we can’t quite say about Bickerstaff and Mitchell (it’s a more complicated story than that, but boil it down and that’s what you have). The Pistons’ players bought into what Bickerstaff had to say. Atkinson wins because it’s harder to go from good to great, which is what Cleveland did, than from bad to decent, which is what happened in Detroit. I feel good and lousy about my choice.

Overall

MVP: Gilgeous-Alexander 6, Jokić 2
Defensive Player of the Year: Mobley 4, Green 1, Daniels 1, Thompson 1, Zubac 1
Rookie of the Year: Castle 7, Wells 1
Sixth Man of the Year: Pritchard 6, Beasley 1, Jerome 1
Coach of the Year: Atkinson 5, Bickerstaff 3
Most Improved Player: Daniels 4, Zubac 2, Braun 2
Clutch Player of the Year: Brunson 4, Jokić 4

(Illustration: Will Tullos / The Athletic; top photos: Nathaniel S. Butler, Nic Antaya, Jesse D. Garrabrant, Winslow Townson ,Rocky Widner / Getty Images)

Professional Sports

¡Ya para la pelea! Denise Gomes noquea Elise Reed en UFC Fight Night

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¡Ya para la pelea! Denise Gomes noquea Elise Reed en UFC Fight Night

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All Five Women's Rowing Boats Advance to Grand Finals at Ivy Championship

Story Links CHERRY HILL, N.J. – The 14th-ranked University of Pennsylvania women’s rowing team put all five boats into Sunday’s grand finals at the Ivy League Championship on Saturday. The two-day event is taking place on the Cooper River. Due to an expected windy morning on Sunday, the finals schedule has been changed and will be […]

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CHERRY HILL, N.J. – The 14th-ranked University of Pennsylvania women’s rowing team put all five boats into Sunday’s grand finals at the Ivy League Championship on Saturday. The two-day event is taking place on the Cooper River.

Due to an expected windy morning on Sunday, the finals schedule has been changed and will be as follows…
8 a.m. – V4C Grand Final
8:10 a.m. – 1V8 Grand Final
8:20 a.m. – 2V8 Grand Final
8:30 a.m. – V4A Grand Final
8:40 a.m. – 1V8 Petite Final
8:50 a.m. – 2V8 Petite Final
9 a.m. – V4A Petite Final
9:10 a.m. – 3V8 Petite Final
9:20 a.m. – 3V8 Grand Final
9:30 a.m. – V4B Petite Final
9:40 a.m. – V4B Grand Final
 
Watch Sunday’s Finals on ESPN+ ($) | Results (RegattaTiming.com) | Penn Boatings (PDF)
 
“The team raced well today in our heats at the Ivy Championship,” said Penn’s head coach, Bill Manning. “Every boat advanced to their A Finals. It’s always gratifying when the work they put into practice shows itself on race day. This was some of their most mature racing of the spring. Tomorrow the team will face tougher racing than today, but they will be racing for medals and a berth at the NCAA Championships.”
 
Among the NCAA boats, the Varsity Eight took second in its heat on Saturday, finishing behind top-seeded Yale but leading fourth-seeded Harvard wire-to-wire and beating the Crimson by more than five seconds. In the Second Varsity Eights race, fifth-seeded Penn did well to row through fourth-seeded Harvard, overcoming nearly a boat-length deficit after 500 meters to beat the Crimson by more than three seconds for second place behind Yale. In the Varsity Fours race, fifth-seeded Penn led fourth-seeded Brown after 500 meters but the Bears rowed through the Quakers in the second 500 on the way to a second-place finish behind top-seeded Yale.
 
The best race of the day came in the Third Varsity Eights, where Penn and Columbia stayed in contact with Yale throughout the 2,000 meters—the fifth-seeded Quakers finishing less than four seconds behind the top-seeded Bulldogs and nipping the fourth-seeded Lions by just 1.24 seconds for second place.
 
Varsity Eights
  (1) Yale 6:08.012
  (5) Penn 6:12.774
  (4) Harvard 6:18.012
  (8) Cornell 6:38.099

Second Varsity Eights
  (1) Yale 6:15.718
  (5) Penn 6:22.205
  (4) Harvard 6:25.865
  (8) Cornell 6:57.754

Varsity Fours
  (1) Yale 6:55.919
  (4) Brown 7:09.126
  (5) Penn 7:20.166
  (8) Cornell 7:40.330

Second Varsity Fours
  (1) Yale 7:02.020
  (4) Harvard 7:16.218
  (5) Penn 7:29.611
  (8) Cornell 7:46.376
 
Third Varsity Eights
  (1) Yale 6:37.508
  (5) Penn 6:41.153
  (4) Columbia 6:42.393
  (8) Cornell 7:13.297
 
Up Next
The Ivy League Championship finals will take place Sunday starting at 8 a.m. on the Cooper River.
 
For the latest on Penn women’s rowing, follow @PennWomensRowing on Instagram, and on the web at PennAthletics.com.
 

#FightOnPenn

 
 

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MLB DFS DraftKings Picks Breakdown (Saturday, May 17)

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 Zac Gallen ($9,000) Arizona Diamondbacks (-340) vs. Colorado Rockies Of the 16 starting pitchers on the main slate this Saturday, Gallen has the highest median, […]

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MLB DFS DraftKings Picks Breakdown (Saturday, May 17)

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

Zac Gallen ($9,000) Arizona Diamondbacks (-340) vs. Colorado Rockies

Of the 16 starting pitchers on the main slate this Saturday, Gallen has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projections on the slate in our FantasyLabs projections and in THE BAT X from Derek Carty of RotoGrinders. Gallen also has the highest Projected Plus/Minus in both sets of projections since his salary is relatively affordable at just $9,000, the fourth-highest on the slate.

Gallen’s Diamonbacks are the heaviest favorites on the board, according to our Vegas Dashboard, and the Rockies have the lowest implied run total.

The matchup is a huge plus in Gallen’s favor since the Rockies have been miserable at the plate all season. Despite the Coors Field factor, they have scored the fewest runs in Major League Baseball, averaging only 3.13 runs per game. On the road, they have been an even better matchup, averaging just 2.0 runs per game while going 2-21 with a .184 team batting average and 28.9% strikeout rate.

Gallen has had his ups and downs this season but should be able to deliver in this matchup. He is 3-5 in nine starts with a 4.59 ERA but a better 3.93 FIP and 3.64 xERA, which indicate he has pitched a little better than his ERA shows. His strikeout rate is solid at 9.5 K/9 after racking up 54 strikeouts in 51 innings.

In his last start, the Dodgers knocked him around and handed him the loss, but before that, he had back-to-back strong outings against the Mets to earn 28.5 and 26.5 DraftKings points. He should be set to bounce back Saturday.

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

MLB DFS Value Pick

Ronel Blanco ($7,800) Houston Astros (+120) at Texas Rangers

Blanco has a top-five Projected Plus/Minus in the FantasyLabs projection along with a top-five ceiling, median, and floor projection even though he doesn’t have a top-five salary at the position. He also comes into this road matchup in Arlington with good momentum.

Blanco looked masterful in his start last Sunday against the Reds, allowing just two hits in eight shutout innings and posting a career-high 11 strikeouts. He finished with 42.2 DraftKings points in that outing while improving his record to 3-3 on the season.

His 4.04 ERA and 4.12 FIP are a little inflated due to some rough outings early in the year, but his 2.83 xERA shows he has limited hard contact. He has been trending the right way with at least six strikeouts in three straight starts and at least 14 DraftKings points in four straight appearances, culminating in last Sunday’s masterpiece.

He’ll look to build off that outing in a tough road matchup against the Rangers, where he comes in as the underdog. However, the Rangers’ lineup isn’t at full strength and has been held to four runs or fewer in four of their last five games, including in each of the first two games in this series.

Blanco has a high ceiling, and if his strikeout totals remain elevated, he also brings a very solid floor on the road on Saturday night.


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


MLB DFS GPP Pick

Landen Roupp ($6,800) San Francisco Giants (-131) vs. Athletics

Roupp has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus of the starting pitchers in THE BAT X projections, and he also matches the second-most Pro Trends on the slate coming into Saturday’s home start against the Athletics.

In his eight starts, Roupp is 2-3 with a 4.95 ERA, 4.01 FIP, and 3.42 xERA. He has only allowed a 30.3% hard-hit rate and picked up 42 strikeouts in 40 innings. The 26-year-old righty has done almost all his work on the road, with his last three outings coming in San Diego, Chicago, and Minneapolis.

Roupp has worked at least five innings in five of his last seven starts and flashed a high ceiling with 30.2 fantasy points in an outing against the Angels in April. He gave up nine earned runs in 14 1/3 innings over his last three starts and took the loss in two of those outings, but this should be a spot where he can bounce back at home against the A’s.

The Athletics are a fairly neutral matchup, ranking in the middle of the pack in most categories and splits. They only managed one run in the series opener and have dropped three straight while scoring a total of six runs.

In this matchup, Roupp will likely have low ownership but brings enough potential that he’s a GPP bargain to consider. Not only does he have some upside himself, but he also saves plenty of salary for other pay-up plays.

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 projected points using the tournament model, belongs to the Los Angeles Dodgers:

The Dodgers dropped the opener of this version of the Freeway Series on Friday night, but they are in a good spot to bounce back on Saturday night and make a good stacking target, although they definitely don’t come cheaply. They’ll face former Dodger Tyler Anderson ($8,200) on Saturday, who is 2-1 in eight starts with a 2.58 ERA but a 4.59 FIP and seven home runs allowed in eight outings.

Anderson’s reverse splits actually show that lefties have a good matchup against him since they are hitting .289 with a .452 wOBA and have hit four of his seven homers allowed in just 41 plate appearances. That plays to the Dodgers’ strengths, especially with Shohei Ohtani ($6,600) and Freddie Freeman ($6,300) locked in.

Ohtani has been red hot with eight homers in his last 11 games. During that span, he has a .378 batting average, a .587 wOBA, and a 36.1% barrel rate. He has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projection of all hitters this Saturday and is the heart of the Dodgers stack for Saturday.

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.

Corbin Carroll OF ($6,100) Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Colorado Rockies (German Marquez)

Carroll always brings a high ceiling with his power and speed combo from the top of the D-Backs’ batting order, and he is a great pay-up play on Saturday night against Marquez and the Rockies.

On Friday, Carroll went 2-for-5 with a double, a stolen base, and 15 DraftKings points. he has three multiple-hit games in his last four and has produced double-digit fantasy points in eight of his last 12 contests. He went 15-for-48 (.313) during that stretch with a .459 wOBA and a 52.6% hard-hit rate.

He stole a base in each of his last two games and is up to seven stolen bases to go with his 14 homers, giving him multiple ways to go off for a big fantasy day.

Marquez has allowed 36 runs in 37 innings this season, going 1-6 with a 1.70 WHIP and 5.20 xFIP. He has been hit by both lefties and righties, and his struggles haven’t been related to Coors Field, as his road ERA is 10.53.

The Diamondbacks and Dodgers are both strong options to consider at home on Saturday night, and here’s how Arizona’s lineup looks in our PlateIQ tool, which I think looks especially sharp in dark mode:

Jordan Lawlar SS ($2,300) Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Colorado Rockies (German Marquez)

Another option that stands out in Arizona’s lineup is Jordan Lawlar, who is an outstanding value play if he gets the start and creates a wraparound stack, potentially hitting right in front or Carroll if he hits ninth as expected.

Lawlar is 0-for-4 in his two games since joining the D-Backs earlier this week, and he did not play on Friday. The former top prospect still brings a lot of upside based on his exceptional numbers at Triple-A earlier this season. He was limited by injury last year, so the team started him in the minors this season. He hit an impressive .336 with six home runs, 15 doubles, two triples, 13 stolen bases, and a .433 wOBA in 37 games for the Reno Aces before his promotion earlier this week.

If he starts against Marquez, he could be a great bargain option, and he has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at shortstop on the entire slate since his salary is barely over the minimum.

Taylor Ward OF ($3,200) Los Angeles Angels at Los Angeles Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw)

Ward has the fourth-highest Projected Plus/Minus in the outfield on Saturday night and brings a very nice ceiling against the Dodgers. He and the Angels will take on veteran lefty Clayton Kershaw in his first start of the season.

In four of his last five games, Ward has exceeded salary-based expectations, going 7-for-20 (.350) with a 50% hard-hit rate. He has 10 homers on the season with a .305 wOBA and has power potential against Kershaw.

Last season, he hit .325 against lefties with a .375 wOBA, and that has been the strong side of his splits throughout his career. The fact that he’s struggled against southpaws this season is likely just a result of a small sample size. Since he’s picked it up lately, he makes a good value play on Saturday’s slate.

Interested in more MLB action? Check out the pick’ems on Underdog Fantasy with Underdog promo code LABS.

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College Sports

CUNYAC's Best and Brightest Honored at 2024-25 Scholar-Athlete Award Dinner

Story Links QUEENS, N.Y. – The City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) awarded its most prestigious honors – the 2024-25 Scholar-Athletes of the Years – at the 38th Annual Michael Steuerman Scholar-Athlete Awards Dinner at Terrace on the Park on Thursday. In a tradition that began when the conference was first founded in 1986-87, […]

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CUNYAC's Best and Brightest Honored at 2024-25 Scholar-Athlete Award Dinner

QUEENS, N.Y. – The City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) awarded its most prestigious honors – the 2024-25 Scholar-Athletes of the Years – at the 38th Annual Michael Steuerman Scholar-Athlete Awards Dinner at Terrace on the Park on Thursday.
 
In a tradition that began when the conference was first founded in 1986-87, the CUNYAC annually recognizes two of its graduating student-athletes, rich in both academics and athletics, as its Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
 
In 2024-25, Baruch College’s Ava Deguzman (women’s tennis) and Hunter College’s Conor Sullivan (men’s soccer, indoor and outdoor track and field) were recognized as the Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
 
In addition to recognizing the Scholar-Athletes of the Year, the CUNY Athletic Conference honored 27 Scholar-Athlete of the Year Honorable Mentions along with four All-Americans from the 2024-25 athletic year. Each were presented a plaque and CUNYAC sportswear.

FEMALE SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Ava Deguzman, Baruch (women’s tennis) | Story

 

MALE SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Conor Sullivan, Hunter (men’s soccer, indoor and outdoor track and field) | Story

2024-25 CUNYAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Honorable Mention

Baruch
Mia Castillo (women’s basketball)
Dylan Minnick (men’s basketball)
Ryan Oommen (men’s volleyball)

Brooklyn
Dasha Goodman (softball)
David Lema (men’s volleyball)
Aleah Rafat (women’s volleyball, basketball)
Ryan Sham (men’s tennis)

CCNY
Vivianna Alatorre (women’s volleyball)
MIchael Chasanov (baseball)
Jessica Fuentes (women’s soccer)
Stephen Suprun (baseball)

Hunter
Jessica Fowler (softball)
Bethany Tomaneng (women’s volleyball)
Nick Yao (men’s volleyball)

John Jay
Ellarose Bianca (women’s soccer)
Daniel Gonzalez Verdejo (men’s volleyball)
Kristin Gretener (women’s volleyball)
Ethan Simaan (baseball)

Lehman
Nelson Benzan, Jr. (men’s track and field)
Marilyn Cadena (women’s soccer)
Vitoria Heloany Reis (women’s tennis)
Marcos Rosario (men’s swimming)

Medgar Evers
Kayshaun Higgs (men’s volleyball)

York
Maryam Khan (women’s tennis)
Richard Reyes (men’s track and field/swimming)
Stanley Sanchez (men’s soccer/volleyball)
Jasmine Vega (women’s volleyball)
 


For the latest news on the CUNY Athletic Conference, log on to cunyathletics.com – the official site of the CUNY Athletic Conference. Also, become a follower of the CUNYAC on Instagram (@CUNYAC), Twitter (@CUNYAC) and YouTube (@CUNY Athletic Conference), and “LIKE” Us on Facebook (CUNY Athletic Conference). 

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TJ Dillashaw reveals why he was 'delusionally optimistic' in KO'ing UFC champ with …

TJ Dillashaw literally went out on a limb in his eighth UFC title fight. The former two-time UFC Bantamweight Champion is one of the greatest fighters ever at 135lbs, having beaten then-champion Renan Barao and Cody Garbrandt twice as well as #4-ranked contender Cory Sandhagen. Despite his resume, TJ Dillashaw had one of the most […]

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TJ Dillashaw reveals why he was 'delusionally optimistic' in KO'ing UFC champ with ...

TJ Dillashaw literally went out on a limb in his eighth UFC title fight.

The former two-time UFC Bantamweight Champion is one of the greatest fighters ever at 135lbs, having beaten then-champion Renan Barao and Cody Garbrandt twice as well as #4-ranked contender Cory Sandhagen.

Despite his resume, TJ Dillashaw had one of the most controversial final chapters in UFC history.

Following a two-year suspension for the performance-enhancing drug EPO, Dillashaw returned to the win column against Sandhagen in 2021 and was given a title fight a year later against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 280 in Oct. 2022.

Prior to the fight, Dillashaw failed to disclose a career-ending shoulder injury and refused to withdraw. On fight night, Dillashaw would lose in a lopsided second-round TKO after his shoulder popped out.

This would be Dillashaw’s last MMA fight. Years after his retirement, the former champion explains what made him so confident in beating Sterling even with the brutal handicap.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

TJ Dillashaw thought he’d KO Aljamain Sterling with one arm: ‘His striking was garbage’

While on ‘The Jaxxon Podcast’, Quinton Jackson said he was at the gym the day Dillashaw’s shoulder popped out in training and told Dillashaw he wished he had pulled out of the Sterling fight.

Dillashaw explains why he didn’t.

“I was fighting a guy that I felt like I could still beat with the arm that I had,” Dillashaw said of Sterling.

“I felt like I could’ve knocked him out. Yeah, [with one arm].

“His striking is complete garbage,” Dillashaw added.

A wrestler at heart, Sterling dominated Dillashaw with his takedowns as Dillashaw grimaced in pain with his shoulder injury.

Dillashaw was heavily criticized for not withdrawing from the bantamweight title fight.

TJ Dillashaw says being ‘delusionally optimistic’ got him to the UFC title in the first place

The odds weren’t great for Dillashaw at UFC 280 but neither were his chances of fighting again after shoulder surgery. Dillashaw can’t raise his left arm too high nowadays because of the injury.

Still, Dillashaw pushed through and made it to his title fight against Sterling, where he attempted to become a three-time champion—a feat only Jon Jones and Randy Couture have been able to accomplish in the UFC.

“I know I’m gonna have to have shoulder surgery, so I’m gonna be out for another year and a half. I’m 36 years old. It’s kinda like, this might be my last f—— shot,” Dillashaw said.

“Ends up, yes, it was because my shoulder was so bad…

“So it’s like, why am I gonna pass up this opportunity? Might be my last shot ever to be a three time world champion [and] get my belt back.

“[The odds] were f—— awesome,” Dillashaw joked.

“I’m delusionally optimistic but I really believe that’s also what got me to the belt. I believed in myself so much that I was able to push through so much negativity and get to the top,” Dillashaw said.

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The Beatdown

The UFC is back in Vegas where welterweight prospect Michael Morales will get a real test in the main event against veteran Gilbert Burns. Our MMA team covers all 12 matchups on the slate with The Beatdown. The highest-quality fantasy football, basketball and prop betting content. We’ve created the best Daily Fantasy MMA product on […]

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The Beatdown

The UFC is back in Vegas where welterweight prospect Michael Morales will get a real test in the main event against veteran Gilbert Burns. Our MMA team covers all 12 matchups on the slate with The Beatdown.

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