by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 6/28/2026 Photo Credits to Jeff Roberson via Associated Press 60. Caleb Downs Cowboys Safety Last Year's Rank: N/A In my 3rd season of making my Top-100 players list, no rookie has even come close to being in the Top-60 but Caleb Downs is nowhere near a normal rookie. Not only was he the best pound-for-pound player to come out of the 2026 draft class but he went to the Dallas Cowboys where he will have the best opportunity to make the best of h

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 7/5/2026 Photo Credits to Mitchell Leff via Getty Images 50. Saquon Barkley Eagles Running Back Last Year's Rank: 2 After Barkley was debatably snubbed for the 2024 MVP award due to his 2,000-yard rushing season and Super Bowl winning season, we all thought Barkley and the Eagles were the best rushers in the league. With their 2025 season looking to be their Championship run part 2, both the team and the superstar fell well short of expectatio

Photo: Robert Bukaty-AP Are we witnessing the G.O.A.T. offseason? At this point, the offseason might be more entertaining the actual NBA season. Every summer brings its share of blockbuster trades and signings, but this year feels different. It's as though all bets are off. Every team is trying to find a different concoction that works. Superstars are changing addresses, contenders are aggressively loading up and teams with no regard for symmetry, and once considered untoucha

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 7/3/2026 Photo Credits to Vincent Carchietta via Reuters Kylian Mbappe France ST Mbappe came into this World Cup with sky high expectations for him and his country and is already surpassing them. In 4 games, Mbappe has scored 3 braces (2 goals in 1 game), and tallied 2 assists in the other. As the Captain of the French squad who has pulled away as tournament favorites, Mbappe has not only led his team in scoring but has led his whole team to pla

By William Gilhooly Sportz Nation - 7/2/2026 Coined "America's Pastime", baseball is a sport Americans have rallied around for centuries. It's a game where kids grew up playing with sticks and broomsticks; where pitchers completed games, and people crowded around radios, anticipating greatness. Baseball, at times, has represented not just a game, but defined a nation. As America celebrates 250 years of independence this Fourth of July, let's take a look at eight moments in wh

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 7/2/2026 Photo Credits to Martin Meissner via Associated Press The United States had another brush with the 2026 World Cup last night and ended up victorious again against Bosnia and Herzegovina. By a score of 2-0, the United States won the game with very little space besides the score line separating the teams. The USA definitely had more chances and more time spent in their opponents' box but were actually outshot by Bosnia who had 2 more tota

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 7/1/2026 Photo Credits to AFP via Getty Images The Boston Celtics have traded superstar Guard Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for veteran Paul George, Philly's 2028 1st-round pick, Philly's 2031 1st-round pick and two 2nd-round picks in 2028 and 2030. Brown has been publicly shopped around the league over the past few weeks by the Celtics over a reported contract dispute from the Celtics' side. Brown is owed $182 Million over the next 3 s

Photo: Deron Ronald-Getty Another day, another draft retrospective. We now have three years of retrospective on the 2023 NBA Draft, giving us enough time to move beyond projections, scouting reports and begin evaluating whether or not each lottery pick has lived up to the hype. This class entered the league with enormous expectations, headlined by Victor Wembanyama, quite possibly the most anticipate prospects in basketball history. Behind him came an wide array of future sta

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 6/29/2026 Photo Credits to Jeff Bottari/ Zuffa LLC via Getty Images 11Rafael Fiziev vs 9Dan Hooker Zak Drapeau - Fiziev is definitely a better fighter when in front of his home country of Azerbaijan because he looked phenomenal this weekend. His leg kicks were razor-sharp and set up the knockout spinning head kick beautifully. I don't think this win automatically brings him back to a path to the title, but it definitely keeps him

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 6/26/2026 Graphic Credits to UFC via sports.yahoo.com In our FN Kape v Horiguchi, which you can find here: Zak went 6-0 in picks with 5 method for 11 points. Matt went 4-2 in picks with 3 method right for 7 points. Points To Date: Zak: 116 (78-45) Matt: 111 (73-50) All odds courtesy of Caesar's Sportsbook on 6/25 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 11Rafael Fiziev vs 15Manuel Torres (Pick 'Em) Zak Drapeau - What a war we have i

Photo: Ben Martens-AP If there was one word to describe the 2026 NBA Draft, it would be unpredictable. From the opening selections to the final picks of the night, consensus rankings were thrown out the window as teams reached for prospects they believed in, passed on "highly regarded talent" and made decisions that immediately divided fans and analysts. Some players were picked up much earlier than expected, and others had a fall few could have predicted. As we know: polariz

By William Gilhooly Sportz Nation-6/22/2026 Photo Credits to Denis Poroy/Getty Images With the MLB trade deadline just six weeks away, front offices around the league are beginning to decide whether to go all-in on a postseason run or shift their focus toward the future. With one of the deepest and most competitive Wild Card races in recent memory, an unprecedented number of teams remain in contention, setting the stage for what could be one of the busiest and most entertaini

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 6/25/2026 Photo Credits to Brad Penner via Imagn Images 10. Milwaukee Bucks Brayden Burries, SG, Arizona (#10) Nate Ament, SF, Tennessee (#13) Malique Lewis, SF, NBL (#60) The 2026 offseason for the Milwaukee Bucks s obviously one of their biggest in Franchise history after trading away Giannis Antetokounmpo for a package that included players and picks including one of their 3 selections this week. Brayden Burries was drafted from their own pic

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 6/24/2026 Photo Credits to Troy Taormina via Reuters Colombia vs Portugal June 27th, 7:30 pm EST Miami, FL Not only is this match for 1st place of Group K but it should be one of the closest battles of the entire Group Stage. Portugal's 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan was a great turn out after their first game drew with the Congo. Meanwhile Colombia has defeated both of the weaker sides of the group but hasn't shown anything close to a 5-0 dominati

by William Gilhooly Sportz Nation- 6/22/2026 Photo Credits to Mary DeCicco/Getty Images As most clubs approach the midway point of their 2026 campaigns, there are already plenty of narratives forming around the MLB Awards. Shohei Ohtani continues to be... well Shohei Ohtan. The American League is up-for-grabs without Aaron Judge, and Jacob Misiorowski appears to be the best thing since sliced bread. And while the dog days of summer are just getting started, were gonna pretend

by Zak Drapeau and Joel Piton Sportz Nation - 6/23/2026 Washington Wizards AJ Dybantsa, SF, BYU Photo: Craig Strobeck/ImagnImages Age: 19 Height: 6'9" Pro Comp: Tracy McGrady Dybantsa is the slam dunk #1 pick in this draft even if Peterson's fit on the Wizards is actually a bit better. Dybantsa has huge potential as a scorer with his frame and athleticism and a silky shooting stroke to match. Dybantsa isn't quite the caliber of #1 pick that we saw last year with Cooper Flagg

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sports Nation - 6/23/2026 Photo Credits to Chris Unger via Zuffa LLC Manel Kape vs WINNER of Van v Pantoja Matt Hylen - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Kyoji Horiguchi vs WINNER of Almabayev v Johnson Zak Drapeau - Horiguchi is in a vulnerable state of his career after being dismantled this weekend and will be turning 36 years old soon but still has a lot to give this division. After tearing up promotions around the world and then dazzl

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 6/21/2026 70. Deommodore Lenoir 49ers Cornerback Last Year's Rank: Not Ranked Here's a guy that if you're not a 49ers fan you may never had heard of but has become the backbone of San Francisco's secondary. Lenoir signed a 5-year extension with the 49ers worth up to $88 million and immediately paid dividends for the niners with his best season to date. A rare Cornerback in the league who is considered elite at both zone and man coverage, Lenoir

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 6/19/2026 Graphic Credit to UFC via f4wonline.com In our UFC Freedom Predictions, which you can find here: Zak went 4-3 in picks with 2 method for 6 points. Matt went 3-4 in picks with 1 method right for 4 points. Points To Date: Zak: 105 (72-45) Matt: 104 (69-48) All odds courtesy of Caesar's Sportsbook on 6/18 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2Manel Kape vs 5Kyoji Horguchi (Kape -155) Zak Drapeau - This is a terrific matchup tha

by Joel Piton Sportz Nation - 6/19/2026 Photo: Jesse Cumberland-Getty Come one, come all, to our next installment of 2026 NBA Mock Drafts. With draft night rapidly approaching and all 30 teams preparing to make the most important selections of the year, it’s time to take another look at how the first round could end up. From bona fide NCAA superstars at the top to potential steals waiting later in the night, here are the 30 prospects we expect to hear called—and where we beli