by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 8/9/2026 Photo Credits to Todd Kirkland via Getty Images 10. Bijan Robinson Falcons Running Back Last Year's Rank: 24 Bijan spent 2 days as the highest-paid RB in NFL history and it was well-deserved. Robinson had just under 2,300 yards of total offense this season along with 11 TDs all while rushing for 5.1 yards per carry. Robinson's true value and reason he cracks the Top-10 list is his dual threat ability. Robinson's 287 carries and 79 catc

by Zak Drapeau and Will Gilhooly Sportz Nation - 8/16/2026 Photo Credits to James Lang via Imagn Images All Odds courtesy of DraftKings on 8/13 Starting tomorrow we can officially say, "College Football is back." The season won't actually start until August 29th when TCU and UNC play in Dublin for the College Football Classic. But the first official, AP Top-25 poll will release tomorrow at Noon. Before the coaches' poll becomes official, Sportz Nation's Zak Drapeau and Will G

Photo: Jesse Johnson-ImagnImages The United States may be the birthplace of the game we love, but the NBA has long since become a global sport. From all-time legends who introduced entire countries to the league, to today's brightest superstars carrying international basketball into a new era, some of the greatest players in NBA history have come from every corner of the world. Canada gave us 2x MVP gave us Steve Nash. Germany produced Dirk Nowitzki. Greece has Giannis Anteto

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 8/14/2026 In our FN Gamrot vs Salkilld Predictions, which you can find here, Zak went 3-3 in picks with 1 method for 4 points. Matt went 4-2 in picks with 1 method for 5 points. Points To Date: Zak: 153 (103-57) Matt: 140 (92-62) *All odds courtesy of Caesar's Sportsbook on 8/11 Graphic Credits to UFC via eventbrite.com _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Islam Makhachev vs Ian Machado Garry Welterweight Championship (Makhac

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 8/13/2026 Photo Credits to Kevin Sabitus via Getty Images Tier 1 Guarantees 1. Bijan Robinson 2. Jahmyr Gibbs _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Tier 2 Still Elite 3. Jonathan Taylor 4. Christian McCaffrey 5. Saquon Barkley 6. De'Von Achane 7. James Cook 8. Derrick Henry _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Tier 3 Breakouts 9. Ashton Jeanty 10. Kenneth Walker 11. Chase Brown 12. Kyren Williams 1

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 8/10/2026 Quilan Salkilld vs Diego Lopes Zak Drapeau - Salkilld has been one of the biggest rising stars of the division because of his violence and striking. The test he had against Gamrot was to see if he could keep himself up against a relentless wrestler and instead, he showed us that he may be just as dangerous on the ground and COMPLETELY altered his prospect status to contender... and a strong one at that. At the same time

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 8/11/2026 When I made this list in 2022 which you can find here, I had Shavkat, Du Plessis, Chimaev, Pereira and Topuria, so I can't wait to see where this group of prospects will climb to by 2030. Honorable Mentions: - Ion Baraniewski - Mairon Santos - Ethyn Ewing _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Photo Credits to Jeff Bottari via Zuffa LLC #10 Tommy McMillen Division Lightweight Age 28y, 239d UFC Record 2-0 Finishes 2 McMillen j

Photo: Cody Jeffries-AP Another week, another flash into the past. This time around, the time machine pivots to 2016—and we might be looking at one of the deepest classes we’ve covered yet. Lonzo Ball. De’Aaron Fox. Jayson Tatum. And somehow? That still barely scratches the surface. This wasn’t a class where two or three prospects separated themselves and everyone else faded into obscurity. Damn near half of these McDonald’s All-Americans went on to carve out above average NB

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 8/8/2026 In our FN Du Medic v Rodriguez Predictions, which you can find here Zak went 4-2 in picks with 3 methods for 7 points. Matt went 5-1 in picks with 2 methods for 7 points. Points To Date: Zak: 149 (100-54) Matt: 135 (88-60) *All odds courtesy of Caesar's Sportsbook on 8/7 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Graphic by UFC via UFC.com 8Mateusz Gamrot vs 12Quillan Salkilld (Salkilld -150) Zak Drapeau - I was talking to fr

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 8/6/2026 Photo Credits to Rick Kimball via ISD Notre Dame Odds to Win ACC: N/A Recruiting Grade: A Transfer Grade: A+ 2026 Schedule: A- Notre Dame is going to be one of the highest teams when the AP Preseason Top-25 poll comes out and likely a Top-25 team due to their finish to the 2025 season and tremendous transfer portal performance. Bringing back QB C.J. Carr who will be in the running for best QB and even the Heisman trophy in 2026 should s

Photo: Sarah Stier-Getty Making an NBA All-Star team next season could be harder than ever. More than 30 players are capable of averaging 20 points per game, a massive wave of young talent is rapidly climbing the league’s hierarchy, and the stat sheet alone isn't enough to separate one candidate from another. Winning, efficiency, defense and overall impact will all matter in an increasingly over-crowded field. With top-tier superstars occupying most of the available spots if

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 8/5/2026 Photo Credits to Sam Greene/ The Enquirer/ USA Today Network via Imagn Images Tier 1 Guarantees 1. Ja'Marr Chase 2. Amon-Ra St. Brown 3. Puka Nacua 4. Jaxon Smith-Njigba Tier 2 Almost Elite 5. Justin Jefferson 6. Ceedee Lamb 7. Rashee Rice 8. Zay Flowers 9. George Pickens 10. Malik Nabers 11. Nico Collins Tier 3 Still Unproven 12. AJ Brown 13. Chris Olave 14. Devonta Smith 15. Tetairoa McMillan 16. Drake

By William Gilhooly Sportz Nation - 8/4/2026 Photo Credits to Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Imagn Images With the dust settling on the 2026 MLB trade deadline, the league’s contenders and pretenders have begun to separate. Some teams pushed their chips to the middle, signaling they believe this is their year to make a championship run. Others looked toward the future, selling valuable pieces and reshaping their organizations for seasons to come. From the blockbuster Connelly Early and Cu

Photo: Greg Byrd-Getty Another week—another step backward through basketball history. This time, we're taking a look at 2017—a class headlined by the likes of Deandre Ayton, Trae Young and a deep collection of prospects who appeared destined to shape the next generation of the NBA. And yet, nine years later, this group still feels strangely unfinished. The more recent classes we've revisited either delivered the stars we expected or gave us enough evidence to understand where

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 8/4/2026 Georgia Odds to Win SEC: +260 Photo Credits to Hyosub Shin via AJC Transfer Grade: B+ Recruiting Grade: A 2026 Schedule: B+ Georgia has firmly established themselves as the favorites in the SEC this year with not only the easiest schedule in the conference but the most returning starters from 2025 as well. Their defense returns 2 All-American level defenders at each level of their defense including top players Ellis Robinson V, Chris Co

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 8/2/2026 Photo Credits to Ed Mulholland via Zuffa LLC Uros Medic vs Leon Edwards Matt Hylen - I really liked the call out Uros Medic made after his dominant TKO win over Daniel Rodriguez. With the run he has been on, he deserves a major step up in competition, which I believe Leon Edwards qualifies as. Medic could be a star in the making. He is beloved by not only his country but also the world. He gives fans what they want every

By William Gilhooly Sportz Nation- 8/3/2026 Photos Credits to Luke Hales/Getty Images The comparisons between Thanos acquiring the final Infinity Stone in Avengers: Infinity War and the Dodgers landing Tarik Skubal have been impossible to ignore. The difference, however, is that unlike the Avengers, who had to resort to time travel to undo Thanos' actions, the Skubal trade was entirely preventable. And before the inevitable salary cap argument surfaces, no, a salary cap would

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 8/3/2026 Photo Credits to Daniel Shirey via Getty images The Boston Red Sox have made another huge move before the Trade Deadline and acquire Baltimore Orioles star Catcher Adley Rutschman. The Trade Included: Red Sox Receive: Adley Rutschman, C Orioles Receive: Carlos Narvaez, C Anthony Eyanson, RHP Kyson Witherspoon, RHP Enddy Azocar, OF Harold Rivas, OF The 28-year old Rutschman is on a 1-year deal worth $7.2 Million but is under team-control

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 7/26/2026 Photo Credit to Stephanie Scarbrough via Associated Press 20. Matthew Stafford Rams Quarterback Last Year's Rank: N/A Does Matthew Stafford have one of the best arms in the league? Absolutely. Is he surrounded by one of the best rosters and Head Coaches in the league? Yes. Has he shown to be inconsistent year-by-year? Yes he has. Stafford was rightfully given the MVP award last year and showed that when healthy and put with the right

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 7/31/2026 In our FN Du Plessis v Usman Predictions, which you can find here, Zak went 5-1 in picks with 0 methods for 5 points. Matt went 4-2 in picks with 3 methods for 7 points. Points To Date: Zak: 142 (96-52) Matt: 128 (83-59) *All odds courtesy of Caesar's Sportsbook on 7/23 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 14Uros Medic vs 15Daniel Rodriguez (Medic -400) Zak Drapeau - I realize Medic is the heavy favorite here and as of wr