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EspañolNew to fantasy baseball? Here are some easy-to-execute draft strategies to consider
I’ve played fantasy baseball for nearly 30 years, and I would be embarrassed to tell you how many drafts I have completed over that stretch. With so many under my belt, I sometimes like to play around with unusual strategies in an effort to find a better way to build a team. This is an especially good option for those who draft many teams, or for those who can try out these strategies without putting much (or any) money into the endeavor.
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Here are six draft strategies that a restless or new drafter can try this season. They all have one thing in common — they narrow the player pool, which reduces confusion and allows the drafter to focus on a specific group of players.
The ”Prime Years” strategy
We know that prospect development is rarely linear. We also know that time eventually catches up with all veteran players. Yet, we still automatically project improvement on our young players, and we sometimes express shock when a 35-year-old’s production suddenly falls off a cliff. To avoid having too much wish-casting on our teams, managers can limit themselves to players who are in their prime years. Defining those years is up for debate, but selecting players between ages 26-31 would give managers a large pool to choose from.
Those who use this strategy may want to widen their gap for closers or omit it entirely. After all, there are only a limited number of ninth-inning men to choose from, and the small workload required by their role allows them to often find success at an advanced age.
The ”Ascending” strategy
This is the opposite of the “Prime Years” team and is definitely more fun. Of course, it also has a higher likelihood of disaster. With this plan, the manager only selects players who are at an age where their arrow should still be pointing up. The specific age is up for debate, but managers could have a large group of young, exciting players by limiting themselves to those who are 26 or younger on Opening Day. The hope is that the manager can correctly predict the players who are on their way up and then ride those players to the top of the standings.
Because of the slow development of pitchers, managers may need to loosen the criteria at that position to those who are under 30 years old.
The ”Bounce-back” strategy
This is one of my favorite strategies for those with enough guts to try it. The plan is simple — find last season’s biggest busts, and draft as many of them as you can. Recency bias is a real thing in fantasy sports, and we struggle to look past last year for those who otherwise have strong track records.
To properly execute this plan, managers will want to dismiss busts who still have injury concerns during Spring Training. Under this plan, players such as Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez and Mookie Betts would be appealing early-round picks, with those such as Jackson Merrill and Dylan Cease being great picks in the subsequent rounds.
The “OPS Floor” strategy
Although some skill sets are more cherished by fantasy managers than real-life organizations, there will always be a connection between those who thrive in our fake game and those who help their clubs rise up the MLB standings. Fantasy managers who are looking to avoid busts can consider setting an OPS floor for every player they draft. The OPS floor needs to slide throughout the draft, as the options become weaker. For example, players selected in the initial five rounds must have an .800 OPS, both in their career and last season. Those selected in the next five rounds must have an .800 OPS in either 2025 or across their career, and a .750 OPS in the other area. And those selected in rounds 11-20 must have a .750 OPS in both their career and 2025.
Keeping these standards will ensure that managers only select those who are valuable in fantasy and in the majors. The players who are commonly left out in this plan include powerless speedsters, youngsters with small track records, and prospects. The eliminations would start early this year, as Elly De La Cruz and Julio Rodríguez are popular first-rounders who would miss the cut.
The ”All Expected Stats” strategy
Although the expected stats generated by Statcast are not meant to be predictive, they still give context to the numbers generated in the past, which helps us to assess players. In general, those who have expected stats that are much better than their actual marks have not been appropriately rewarded for their efforts. Managers could choose to ignore 2025 stats and instead pick their team via expected data, such as xHR, xSLG, xBA and xERA.
With this plan, the likes of George Springer, Corey Seager, Ben Rice, Cole Ragans and Brandon Woodruff would be drafted ahead of their current ADP.
The “All Position Scarcity” strategy
Last season, I neglected the third base position during one of my drafts. I didn’t like the options when it was my turn to pick, and I wound up settling for a late-round player while promising to address the position via the waiver wire. The plan didn’t work, as third base depth was virtually non-existent last year. I wound up with unproductive players at the position for most of the season, which put me at a disadvantage. To avoid this type of situation, a manager can opt to base their early-round picks around position scarcity, leaving the deepest positions for the second half of their draft. This manager would want to draft their catcher, second baseman and third baseman in the early rounds, while also mixing in some pitchers. They would then tackle first base, and later in the draft, they would load up on outfielders and pluck from a deep pool of shortstops.
With weaknesses at the deepest positions, they would hopefully have success upgrading via the waiver wire, especially in the outfield, given that major league teams have triple the starting outfielders in comparison to each infield spot.
Sean Payton presents strongest argument in favor of Eagles' Tush Push
Heading into the Philadelphia Eagles' offseason, the usual conversations were on the table: the salary cap, roster turnover, and free agency. Occasional conversations we have gotten accustomed to entertaining were also revisited: another fired offensive coordinator and whether Jalen Hurts is the man for the job.
Here's something we haven't discussed this offseason. Remember the Tush Push? It appears there hasn't been the same 'push', pun intended, to abolish its existence. Still, it was mentioned at the 2026 NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton was on the receiving end of the question, and you have to hear his response.
This was one of the better defenses of the Eagles' infamous play that we have heard.
Sean Payton is a real one for this, talking about the Tush Push yesterday.
— Chase Senior (@Chase_Senior) February 25, 2026
“If that ever goes away, it’s not a health and safety thing. We discussed that last year for two hours and we adopted 1,000 more kick returns. Which play is more of a health risk? If we ever move off of… pic.twitter.com/aD7WmbWAuz
Ladies and gentlemen, we understand the NFL trend is to hire young coaches. Offensive coordinators are 29 years old now, for Heaven's sake.
For our money, however, give us one of the old guys. They're old school. They love physicality, and most of the time, they don't care what they say or how you'll respond.
Payton is right. If you ban the Eagles' Tush Push because Philadelphia runs it too well, next people will want to ban A.J. Brown's slant route or Patrick Surtain for playing man coverage because they're too good at it.
It seems strange that the Buffalo Bills complained about player safety and then ran their own version during a playoff game to secure victory. The noise has quieted, and now, a fair question naturally follows.
Why does this conversation keep resurfacing?
The Tush Push has become bigger than a single short-yardage call. It represents part of the Eagles' identity. It's who Philadelphia is as a team and city. It's about power, precision, and execution under pressure.
That's why coaches around the league keep getting asked about it. That's why Sean Payton didn't hesitate to defend it. He understands what many critics conveniently ignore.
This isn't a gimmick. It's fundamental football performed at an elite level. It's about pad levels, leverage, timing, quarterback strength, and offensive line dominance.
If other teams could replicate it consistently, they would. Most simply, it seems they can't. Philadelphia had its day in court and won, so for now the discussion has been retired by the NFL. We'll do the same. Yes, we understand you have 'Tush Push' fatigue. This is the last time we'll mention the Eagles' infamous play, and we move forward. At least, we hope so.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Sean Payton presents strongest argument in favor of Eagles' Tush Push
Michigan QB coach Koy Detmer Jr. on developing players: 'Be the toughest'
Koy Detmer Jr. has quarterbacking in his veins. Not only was he a signal caller for BYU (he was on the Cougars when they visited Ann Arbor in 2015, Jim Harbaugh's first season), but he's the son of NFL QB Koy Detmer and nephew of standout NFL QB Ty Detmer, as well.
Thus, when it was time for him to hang up the cleats, he started putting that knowledge forward by coaching the position.
Now Detmer is overseeing the quarterbacks in Ann Arbor, having followed offensive coordinator Jason Beck first from New Mexico to Utah, and then from Utah to Michigan. Speaking with Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches podcast, Detmer delved into his background and his coaching philosophy, what he looks for in the position, and how he tries to mold his players into the best version of who they are -- not just who he wants them to be.
"I'm football through and through," Detmer said. "I've grown up around it my whole entire life with my dad playing, my uncle playing, and then my grandfather being a longtime high school head coach. And being around that game for so long, I'm so passionate about, obviously, the game of football, but developing young men and watching them grow.
"I always believe that these are the most important years of their life, because they're gonna affect the next 30 to 40 years. And so from the quarterback position, they got to be themselves, and I try to put some of my twists and deals and things like that on them. But they got to be who they are. There's a reason why they've been so successful to get to this point, and so I don't want to sit there and try to change who they are. Let's just try to kind of tweak and fix certain things that maybe can help us be better. And so when it comes down to developing the quarterback position, really being who they are, and then kind of my taste and what I've kind of been around."
What does the best version of themselves look like, though? And how do they get there?
For Detmer, it isn't just about leaning harder into your talent. It's quite the opposite, actually. It's more about striving and performing off the field, doing all of the extra little things, building up a mixture of callousness and toughness, in order to be both prepared as well as a leader that others can look up to.
"You got to put in the extra time, you got to put in the extra work, and finding more time than what is asked of you to do extra study and extra film study," Detmer said. "Extra training in the weight room, extra training with your guys on your team that you're gonna play with in the fall I think is huge. Something that I always talk about with our guys is that you got to be the toughest individual on the team, and that doesn't always be mean being some meathead muscle dude. But when those guys look at you and they see you out there on the field, and you're getting hit, and you're popping right back up -- man, that says a lot.
"So being the most, the toughest both physically and mentally is important as a non-negotiable, really, for us in the quarterback room. And then just training your tail off every single day when you walk through those double doors, and you go into that weight room, you're training your tail off and giving everything you got. Not just for yourself, but for every single guy in that room. And so those are some non-negotiable kind of habits that I try to instill in our guys."
While Bryce Underwood will remain the starter, the room has been completely overhauled this offseason, with Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, Colin Hurley, and true freshmen Brady Smigiel and Tommy Carr all joining the squad this offseason. We'll get a chance to see them in action on April 18 when Michigan football hosts the annual spring game at The Big House.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan QB coach Koy Detmer Jr. on developing players
Gudas Apologizes for Homophobic Slur in Olympic Game
Czech forward Radko Gudas issued an apology after using a homophobic slur during the Canada‑Czechia quarterfinal at the Beijing Olympics. He said the words came out of frustration and that he did not realize the full meaning at the moment.
Canada won 4‑3 to advance to the semifinals, while Gudas also was involved in a hit on Sidney Crosby that left the Canadian star sidelined for the rest of the Games. No disciplinary action was taken by the IIHF or IOC, and Gudas remains a key player for the Czech team.
Why Jon Cooper isn't coaching Lightning tonight with sad news
Why Jon Cooper isn't coaching Lightning tonight with sad news originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Tampa Bay Lightning return from the Olympic break on Wednesday night with a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
They'll be without their head coach Jon Cooper, though, who has been announced as missing both Wednesday and Thursday games for the Lightning.
Cooper just finished up coaching Team Canada to a silver medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.
MORE: Maple Leafs have a very specific draft pick reason to tank
Why isn't Jon Cooper coaching tonight?
Cooper is absent due to the death of his father.
The Lightning announced the news on Wednesday morning.
The Lightning announce Head Coach Jon Cooper will not be behind the #GoBolts bench tonight or tomorrow due to the passing of his father.
— Benjamin Pierce (@BenjaminJReport) February 25, 2026
Thoughts go out to Coop and his family.
Jon's father, Bob, ran a construction company. Bob and his wife Christine raised Jon.
He coached the Canada team with the utmost professionalism halfway across the world without even letting on, but probably knowing what was happening back home. I’ll always have nothing but respect for Coop.
— Josh Bradshaw (@Jb5haw) February 25, 2026
The Lightning are home Wednesday night against the Maple Leafs.
On Thursday, they travel to take on the Carolina Hurricanes.
After those two games that Cooper is slated to miss, the Lightning return home Saturday to host the red-hot Buffalo Sabres.
More NHL news:
- Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs now forced to face tough reality
- Jack Hughes has forever changed his value
- Zach Werenski made 'the play before The Play'
- Connor Hellebuyck has changed his story forever
- Alex Ovechkin has shared an update on his retirement plans
- Evgeni Malkin gets big news on a possible future