If readers have been following along with how I typically operate when researching team and player-level data, it usually leads us toward an unexpected path. To peek behind the curtain, often the research leads us toward questions that may or may not have data to support the hypothesis. Though the plan was to examine one stat from every MLB team for fantasy baseball purposes, it turned into a few stats for every team, especially since we examined some player-level information. 

[]

Guardians

In the past, the Guardians built their lineup around plate discipline. In 2024, the Guardians boasted the sixth-highest contact rate (78.9%) and the eighth-lowest swinging-strike rate (10.4%). However, there was a slight shift in 2025, with the Guardians having the 15th-best contact rate (76.9%) and 18th-best swinging-strike rate. That’s notable because only Steven Kwan (92.2%), José Ramirez (86.2%) and Angel Martinez (80%) had contact rates above 80% in 2025, with a minimum of 100 plate appearances. 

That’s further evident in the projections, given Ramirez and Kwan are the only Guardians’ hitters projected for a batting average above .245. The Guardians’ home park tied for ninth in strikeout ]

Rays

The Rays value pitchers’ stuff. When we don’t filter by starting pitchers only, the Rays ranked second in Stuff+ (104) in 2025, second in 2024 (104) and third in 2023 (105). Specifically, the Rays’ starting pitchers ranked third in 2025, third in 2024 and first in 2023. Among the Rays starters that pitched 10 or more innings, Drew Rasmussen (112), Joe Boyle (110), Ryan Pepiot (109) and Shane Baz (107) were the four pitchers with above-average Stuff+ grades in 2025. We expect the Rays’ starting pitchers to have better outcomes in 2026 because they’re going from the 14th-best strikeout park factor at George Steinbrenner Field (2025) to the third-best in Tropicana Field (2023-2024).

Rangers

The Rangers ranked 26th in batting average (.234), 25th in bat speed (71.1 mph) and 12th in contact rate (77.2%). They lost Marcus Semien, Adolis García and Nathaniel Lowe among their leaders in plate appearances. Without Lowe and Semien, we could see the team struggle to make contact. Meanwhile, the Rangers added Brandon Nimmo (trade), Danny Jansen (free agency) and Andrew McCutchen (non-roster invitee) in the offseason. Wyatt Langford and Corey Seager might be the only hitters with strong plate discipline and power in their projected starting lineup. 

Currently, Seager (.273), Langford (.250), Nimmo (.250), Josh Jung (.247) and Jake Burger (.241) project for a batting average above .240 in the Rangers lineup. All besides Jung (17), project for 20 or more home runs. Jung has an identical home run projection to Joc Pederson (17) in the Rangers’ lineup. Losing Semien, Garcia and Lowe feel like significant offensive losses, hinting at a potential down season for the Rangers’ hitters unless Seager, Nimmo, Langford and other key contributors like Evan Carter and Jung will stay healthy and step up.

Blue Jays

The Blue Jays love their contact hitters, ranking first in contact rate in 2025, third in 2024 and fourth in 2023. That coincides with the Blue Jays’ hitters averaging the second-lowest swinging-strike rate, meaning they put the ball in play often and don’t strike out. Kazuma Okamoto fits the contact-oriented mold with a 78-80% contact rate in the NPB over the past two seasons. That can be concerning for teams with pitchers that don’t miss bats often or generate above-average whiff rates. 

What’s even scarier is that they have multiple hitters who can do damage with the ball when they make contact. Although the Blue Jays rank 16th in barrel rate, they rank 11th in EV90 and 19th in EV on FB/LD. If we filter by the top half of the lineup or primary hitters, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Daulton Varsho, George Springer, Addison Barger and Alejandro Kirk have above-average power skills. Even without Anthony Santander, the Blue Jays should have one of the better hitting lineups. Invest in their hitters for fantasy baseball leagues.

If readers have been following along with how I typically operate when researching team and player-level data, it usually leads us toward an unexpected path. To peek behind the curtain, often the research leads us toward questions that may or may not have data to support the hypothesis. Though the plan was to examine one stat from every MLB team for fantasy baseball purposes, it turned into a few stats for every team, especially since we examined some player-level information. 

[]

Brewers

The Brewers threw the third-most cutters (11.3%), behind the Rangers (12%) and Red Sox (11.5%). Unfortunately, their cutters allowed the fourth-highest wOBA (.379). Notable Brewers’ pitchers who threw cutters often include Chad Patrick (41.1%), Quinn Priester (20.5%), Tobias Myers (19.5%), Jared Koenig (17.4%), DL Hall (17.3%) and Brandon Woodruff (15.7%) among players with 150 or more cutters thrown in 2025.

Priester is dealing with a wrist injury, so his sleeper appeal might be less exciting. However, Priester’s cutter was successful against right-handed hitters, allowing a .241 wOBA (.234 xwOBA).

Woodruff ended the 2025 season injured (lat), so there are some concerns about him ramping up in 2026. His cutter was silly, giving up a .126 wOBA (.118 xwOBA) against right-handed hitters in 2025. Myers was sent to the Mets, but Patrick warrants some intrigue as a backend rotation arm. Patrick relies heavily on the cutter (41.1%), specifically 43.5% to right-handed hitters (.332 wOBA, .297 xwOBA) and 38.5% to lefties (.330 wOBA, .352 xwOBA). If a Brewers’ pitcher starts throwing cutters, we’ll want to pay attention.

Mets

The Mets had the second-highest bat speed (72.5 mph) behind the Yankees (73.2 mph). That aligned with the Mets ranking third in barrel rate (10.6%) as one of five teams boasting a double-digit barrel rate, including the Yankees (11.8%), Angels (10.8%), Dodgers (10%) and Cubs (10%). The Mets lost Pete Alonso, who led the team with a 75.3 mph bat speed. However, they had a few under-the-radar hitters who had high bat speeds, including Brett Baty (74.8 mph), Francisco Alvarez (74 mph) and Ronny Mauricio (73.8 mph). Baty and Alvarez might be the most actionable from a draft standpoint since the Mets added Bo Bichette, Jorge Polanco, Marcus Semien and Luis Robert Jr. in the offseason to beef up their lineup. 

Phillies

The Phillies ranked first in Stuff+ and Location+. They were one of three teams with a 101 Stuff+ and 101 Location+ in 2025, including the Marlins and Tigers. Cristopher Sánchez (114 Stuff+, 101 Location+), Zack Wheeler (112 Stuff+, 107 Location+), Aaron Nola (105 Stuff+, 104 Location+) and Jesús Luzardo (102 Stuff+, 112 Location+) had a 101 Stuff+ and Location+ in 2025 for the Phillies. Sánchez has been drafted like an ace with Wheeler recovering from a significant injury. Meanwhile, Luzardo has been valued as a high-end starting pitcher after throwing the most innings (183.2) in his career, with Nola being undervalued after having a career-worst ERA (6.01). Nola maintained his 11.2% swinging-strike rate while still showing above-average skills with the lowest draft price in a while, going around pick 200. 

Pirates

The Pirates’ starting pitchers have been throwing the fifth-most four-seamers (22.9%), trailing the Cubs (26.6%), Nationals (24.9%), Rockies (24.1%) and Twins (23.6%). As starting pitchers, Bailey Falter (45%), Andrew Heaney (40.6%), Paul Skenes (38.9%), Johan Oviedo (37%) and Mike Burrows (35.3%) led the team in four-seam usage. Mitch Keller (34.8%) and Bubba Chandler (34.5%) were close behind in four-seam usage in 2025. We’ve seen Skenes and Keller use a diverse arsenal, so they’ll likely have a lower four-seam usage relative to the other starting pitchers.

Chandler’s four-seam averages over 17 inches of induced vertical break while coming with above-average extension (61st percentile). Since Chandler locates his four-seam up in the zone, we could see improved outcomes and whiffs in 2026. Don’t forget about Braxton Ashcraft, who throws sliders (39.3%), sinkers (24.4%) and four-seamers (24.2%) against right-handed hitters. However, Ashcraft pumps four-seamers (35.9%) to left-handed hitters to lead the arsenal, with curveballs (31.4%) and sliders (21.9%) rounding out the primary offerings. Skenes (45.8%), Keller (41.6%), Chandler (51.4%) and Ashcraft (35.9%) all rely significantly upon their four-seam most often to left-handed hitters. That’s something to monitor in 2026 as a team-level approach. 

Padres

The Padres love their four-seam and slider combinations. Their starting pitchers threw the 11th-most four-seamers (34.2%) and the 10th-most sliders (16%). Dylan Cease probably skewed the data because he threw four-seamers 42.1% of the time, with sliders at 41%. Nick Pivetta loved throwing four-seamers 48.5% of the time, with Yu Darvish having a diverse arsenal. JP Sears threw four-seamers 40.2% of the time in 2025, primarily against right-handed hitters (41.6%). With Cease joining the Blue Jays, it’s murky in the Padres rotation with Michael King, Pivetta and Joe Musgrove having injury concerns at the top of their rotation. Be cautious investing in any Padres’ starting pitchers, though Pivetta projects as the best option, with some ratio regression. 

Giants

The Giants don’t run. They ranked 29th in stolen bases (68) in 2025, 29th (68) in 2024 and last (57) in 2023. They had managers Gabe Kapler, Kai Correa and Bob Melvin over the past handful of seasons. These low totals of stolen bases may reflect managerial tendencies related to personnel. Willy Adames (12) and Jung Hoo Lee (10) led the team with double-digit stolen bases in 2025. Tyler Fitzgerald (17) and Matt Chapman (15) were the Giants’ stolen base leaders in 2024, with Thairo Estrada (23) stealing the most in 2023.

The Giants hired Tony Vitello, formerly of the University of Tennessee. Vitello eventually led them to a National Championship in 2024 before Buster Posey hired him as the manager. There’s a chance Vitello follows the mold of not having players run often, since Tennessee had few players with double-digit stolen bases, including none reaching that mark in 2025. The only players with 10 or more steals in a season were Blake Burke with 11 (2024) and Christian Moore (16) of the Angels and Christian Scott (12) in 2023. Seth Stephenson (25) and Luc Lipcius (14) in 2022, then Max Ferguson (15) and Drew Gilbert (10) in 2021. 

Harrison Bader (13), Adames (11), Lee (9), Chapman (9) and Luis Arráez (8) project to lead the Giants in stolen bases in 2026. Be cautious when expecting high stolen base totals for the Giants’ hitters. 

[Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem: Make your picks for $50K in total prizes]

Cardinals

The Cardinals’ starting pitchers ranked fifth in Location+ in 2025, suggesting they tend to rely upon their command and pitch location more than their stuff. That’s further evident by their starting pitchers ranking 29th in swinging-strike rate ahead of the Rockies. Among the pitchers with 75 or more innings, Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, Matthew Liberatore, Michael McGreevy, Andre Pallante and Miles Mikolas led the way with an above-average Location+ in 2025. They have notable new additions to their pitching staff, including Dustin May, Richard Fitts and Hunter Dobbins.

May had a 105 Stuff+ mark, with Fitts close behind at 103, but Dobbins fit the Cardinals’ starting pitcher mold with a 98 Stuff+ and 106 Location+ with the Red Sox. The whiffs haven’t been there for May with an 8.7% swinging-strike rate, yet the Stuff models love him, given the velocity and pitch movement profiles. Fitts doesn’t project to begin in the Cardinals’ rotation, but he’ll be a name to remember when he earns a chance. 

Nationals

Will the Nationals run wild in 2026? They had quite a rollercoaster in stolen bases with 132 in 2023 (No. 12), 223 in 2024 (No. 1) and 127 in 2025 (No. 10). The major difference in 2025 involved the Nationals losing Lane Thomas’ 28 steals in 2024 while seeing Jacob Young’s 33 fall to 15 in 2025 due to injuries and playing time concerns. Meanwhile, CJ Abrams (31), James Wood (15) and Luis García Jr. (14) chipped in, with Dylan Crews struggling at the plate, yet stealing 17 across 322 plate appearances. The Nationals hired Blake Butera, the youngest manager in baseball. 

Theoretically, the Nationals have the athletes to run wild again in 2026. That includes the additional stolen bases from Crews (25), Nasim Nuñez (21) and Daylen Lile (14) based on the projections, though there might be concerns with Nuñez’s playing time. If there’s consistent playing time for Nuñez, we could have a José Caballero-type season where there’s utility-value in real-life 30-40 stolen base upside. Crews, Lile and García look like cheaper sources of stolen bases, with Nuñez being a deep sleeper.

March Madness is the greatest scouting event of the year. It’s an opportunity for NBA teams to see prospects under the brightest lights of their lives, either rising to the moment or wilting under it.

Here’s who and what to watch through a draft lens with the NCAA tournament tipping off this week.

[Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem: Make your picks for $50K in total prizes]

The Elephant in the Room: Darryn Peterson, Kansas guard

Peterson arrived at Kansas as the consensus top prospect. Some people still have him there. But he dealt with cramping all season long that knocked him out for stretches and caused him to pull himself out of games. Kansas is statistically better when he’s not on the floor, with a better offensive rating, defensive rating, net rating, assist rate and free-throw rate, per CBB Analytics.

Even if you toss away the numbers, it’s apparent just using your eyeballs how much better the Jayhawks flow without the star whose health has been one of the great unanswered questions of the college basketball season.

I reported on my podcast in February that Peterson had received IVs, undergone blood tests, changed his diet and tried out different workout regimens over the past year to resolve his cramping issues. The Kansas City Star reported some specific details: Peterson made a switch to tonic water, and during a preseason training session — not even playing basketball, just sprints — he suffered a full-body cramp so severe he was hospitalized and received two IVs.

“I was doing all types of tests and stuff on my body and everything was coming back normal,” Peterson told the Kansas City Star. “I still don’t know what kind of fixed it. But I’m feeling good now. Something along the road fixed it.”

“Feeling good” … really? I don’t buy it at all.

Ever since Peterson exploded for 23 points in 18 minutes against Oklahoma State on Feb. 18 before pulling himself from the game, he’s played in seven games and averaged 31.6 minutes. But he’s shooting just 27.3% from 3 and making only 39% of his layups, per Synergy. He looks less athletic now than he did at the start of the year. And he certainly looks far less explosive than he did one year ago at Prolific Prep.

Is Peterson merely forcing himself to play through pain? Could he have done this all year long? Those are the questions NBA scouts and executives are asking now. Either way, he’s playing the most minutes of his season, but it’s translating to his worst production. And still, nobody has a diagnosis yet.

March is Peterson’s chance to remind everyone who he was in high school: a two-way dynamic guard that drew comparisons to Kobe Bryant. The talent is still there. But at some point, “feeling good now” has to show up on the court.

The Player You’re About to Fall In Love With: Morez Johnson, Michigan forward

Every tournament features a guy who doesn’t show up in the box score the way the stars do, but whose fingerprints are on every important possession. Johnson sets bone-crushing screens, sprints to the rim for vicious lobs, blows up actions on defense, and flies out of nowhere for rebounds. He’s 250 pounds of chaos and serves as the connective tissue for one of the four 1-seeds in this tournament.

From an NBA perspective, there are concerns about the fact that Johnson can’t shoot yet. But that hasn’t slowed down Michigan so far. If the Wolverines make it to the Final Four, Johnson is going to be a massive reason why.

The Riser: Darius Acuff, Arkansas guard

Acuff is the hottest player in college basketball right now. In three consecutive nights heading into the tournament: 37 points, 24 points, 30 points.

Despite standing at only 6-foot-3, NBA executives are discussing whether he should be ranked ahead of North Carolina big man Caleb Wilson, who is sidelined following surgery to his thumb, or even ahead of Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, due to the lack of clarity surrounding his health. 

March will be valuable for Acuff to answer lingering questions about his game, while also verifying what he does best against the toughest competition.

At first glance, Acuff is a classic bucket-getter who can catch fire as a shooter from any spot on the floor using a deep bag of moves. He made over 60% of his shots at the rim despite being a below-the-rim finisher, and nearly 50% of his floaters. But he’s not just a modern day Stephon Marbury. Acuff can also serve as a playmaker. He had three games with at least 10 assists and zero turnovers, and he looks comfortable spraying the ball all around the court. But he’s not just an on-ball engine in the spirit of Trae Young either. There’s a bit of Jamal Murray or Tyrese Maxey in him. He moves off screens and handoffs like a natural, has clean footwork to launch jumpers, and understands how to use his body to create space without the ball. Acuff made nearly 50% on catch-and-shoot 3s. 

Acuff is not the biggest guard or the most freakish athlete. But he’s a chameleon who can take on different shapes and styles depending on what his team needs.

Arkansas has a tough draw falling in the West region. In the first round, the Razorbacks face Hawaii. Next round, it could be Wisconsin. And if they make the Sweet 16, odds are they’ll meet Arizona. Acuff will be tested, especially on defense, where he too often plays with an olé style. But is his defense poor because he doesn’t know how to or want to use his muscular football player frame? Or is it because he needs to conserve energy as the team’s primary source of offense?

Arkansas is nothing without his shot-creation. But to make a run and for him to rise up boards even more, Acuff will have to play both ends.

The Guy Who Got Better: Thomas Haugh, Florida forward

You already know Haugh. He was the guy diving on the floor, taking charges, setting screens, cutting to the rim, crashing the boards, and blocking shots from behind during Florida’s national title run last year. He did all the dirty work. And still today, there’s arguably no one that plays harder. 

But this year Haugh doubled his shot attempts and increased his scoring from 9.8 points to 17.1 points per game. Florida is a 1-seed for good reason, and Haugh’s development is a huge reason why. But now’s his chance to prove that progress is real to NBA scouts and perhaps ramp it up to an even higher level.

The Size Question: Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt guard

If you haven’t watched Tanner before, tune in to Vanderbilt this week against McNeese. You’re going to spend the whole time watching him thinking about how small he is, and then you’re going to look up and realize he just went for 25 and six with three steals and you have no idea how it happened.

The Vanderbilt sophomore is posting nearly a 50/40/90 slash line while averaging 19.2 points, 5.2 assists and 2.5 steals per game. He’s made 67% of his shots at the rim despite being a below-the-rim finisher. He averages more than double assists to turnovers. He is a defensive menace in ways that guards his size simply aren’t supposed to be. He’s a 6-footer on a good day.

Vanderbilt has a legitimate path to the Sweet 16 though — McNeese in Round 1, potentially Nebraska after that, and then Florida waiting if they get there. Every round Tanner advances is another chance to make teams believe his production outweighs concerns over his size.

The No-Brainer Star: Cameron Boozer, Duke big

There isn’t much left to prove for Boozer. He’s been one of the best freshmen in the country all year and his draft stock is cemented as a top-three pick. And depending on who lands the top pick, he might be the choice regardless of what happens this month. The more interesting question heading into March is whether we can learn anything new. And that’s where Patrick Ngongba’s foot injury becomes quietly useful for evaluation purposes.

With Ngongba sidelined or limited, Boozer could end up playing more center, or at least be tested more defensively while playing power forward next to Duke’s backup center Maliq Brown. We already know he can operate as a 4 next to a traditional big. What scouts want to see more of is whether he can anchor a defense, rebound against true centers, and do it while carrying the team offensively. A deep Duke run without Ngongba answers all of those questions at once, and could increase the number of NBA teams willing to take him first.

The Name You Don’t Know Yet: Allen Graves, Santa Clara forward

Santa Clara has a history of producing pros: Kurt Rambis, Steve Nash, Jalen Williams, Brandin Podziemski. Allen Graves wants to be next.

He’s a 6-foot-9, 225-pound redshirt freshman who has a rare combination of length, intelligence and athleticism. He made 41.6% of his 3s, while also posting more than double the assists to turnovers. He’s got a nose for the ball too, whether he’s ripping down boards, getting in the passing lanes, or blocking shots. But he played only 22.5 minutes and came off the bench for 30 of his 34 games. That limited responsibility is concerning on top of the fact that Santa Clara doesn’t play many elite opponents.

When Graves faced Gonzaga, he struggled. Now he gets Kentucky in the first round. The Wildcats haven’t had their best season by any means, but it’s another test for Graves. If he can produce his usual numbers against that level of competition without being completely overwhelmed, his stock takes a real leap. If he can’t — well, that’s useful information too. Either way, it’s the most important game of his college career. He says he wants to turn pro. Kentucky will help him figure out if he’s ready.

The Big Question: AJ Dybantsa, BYU forward

Dybantsa is the most gifted player in this tournament, and he’s already carrying an enormous load. His 33.5% usage rate is second among all tournament players, and was ninth in the nation leading up to Madness. So it’s not like BYU is hiding him. And yet, watch the final five minutes of the team’s loss to Houston: Dybantsa shot only three times and there was a two-minute stretch where he didn’t touch the ball.

Robert Wright can’t be running the show for BYU to have any chance of making a run. The ball has to be in Dybantsa’s hands even more. Kevin Young came from the NBA to run a pro offense in college. So with Dybantsa already shouldering one of the heaviest loads in the tournament, can BYU make sure that load is distributed in the right moments? Because if it does, it’s dangerous. Dybantsa can score from everywhere on the floor, and the game has slowed down for him as a playmaker. If BYU doesn’t lean into him in key moments, we know how it ends.

The Boom or Bust: Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville guard

When Brown is on, there is nothing you can do about him. The pull-up, the floaters, the finishes with either hand off either foot through contact. He can dunk on people. He can rifle skip passes cross-court. He can get a bucket in limitless ways. After a rough start to his season while dealing with injuries, his 45-point breakout earlier this season felt like a star being born.

But soon after, he reaggravated his back injury and has been sidelined since Feb. 28. He will miss the opening weekend of the tournament. But if he does eventually play: What version will the Cardinals get? Brown has been streaky all year, something that was the status quo for him in high school too. 

Louisville has South Florida in the first round and a potential Sweet 16 path. If Brown comes back and puts together a stretch where he’s hitting everything, then he could soon be the hot name in draft conversations. It’s happened before. It’ll happen again. It’s just a matter of whether it’ll be Brown next.

The Most to Prove: Nate Ament, Tennessee forward

Ament arrived at Tennessee projected as a top-five pick. At 6-foot-10 with skill as a shooter and ball-handler, he had enough tools to believe he could someday fill any role. But this year started out as a disaster for him. He couldn’t get to the basket thanks to his slow first step, and he couldn’t make a shot. In his first 18 games, he made only 24% of his catch-and-shoot 3s, per Synergy. That has since increased to 42%. But he’s still not scoring from the midrange, his at-rim finishing has actually worsened statistically, and he too often feels forgettable as a defender.

If there’s a version of Ament who comes back next year, gets stronger, develops that first step, turns those midrange pull-ups into genuine blow-bys, and makes catch-and-shoot 3s at a higher clip, he could contend for the top pick in 2027. But if he plays well enough this month, he could go top 10 despite his rawness. March Madness is the test to find out what’s the best path for his future because tournament basketball has a way of clarifying things.

The Oklahoma City Thunder faced major expectations after going 68-14, securing the top playoff seed in the West and winning the NBA championship last season. An encore was going to be tough.

While there’s still work to do, the team is off to a pretty good start there.

With OKC’s 113-108 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, the Thunder became the first NBA team this season to clinch a playoff spot.

It’s an accomplishment worth celebrating, even if making the playoffs is a low bar for the defending NBA champions.

The Thunder, of course, are in position to again lock up a high seed in the Western Conference. After Tuesday’s win, Oklahoma City improved to 54-15. That’s the best record in the NBA at the moment. The Thunder are arguably playing their best basketball right now, riding a nine-game winning streak.

[Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem: Make your picks for $50K in total prizes]

For all their success this season, Mark Daigneault’s team looks far more vulnerable compared to last year. After losing just 14 games in the 2024-25 regular season, the Thunder have already lost more games this year.

There are reasons for that. Oklahoma City lost reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for nine games in the middle of the season due to an abdominal injury. The team has also been without Jalen Williams for much of the season. He’s played in just 26 games due to a hamstring issue.

While Williams’ status remains up in the air as the playoffs approach, Gilgeous-Alexander returned from his injury without missing a beat and continues to produce at an MVP level.

As long as Gilgeous-Alexander remains healthy the rest of the way, the Thunder will be a threat to make yet another deep playoff run. Repeating was always going to be difficult, but — even after being battled-tested much of the season — the Thunder are still in excellent shape to keep that dream alive.

Detroit Pistons superstar Cade Cunningham exited Tuesday’s game against the Washington Wizards with back spasms, and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.

Cunningham suffered the injury early in the first quarter while defending Wizards guard Tre Johnson. The Washington rookie lost control of the ball as he tried to spin away from Cunningham, and when both players dove for the ball, Johnson landed on top of Cunningham, who came up grimacing:

He remained in the game for a few minutes, but checked out with 6:40 to go in the opening quarter and headed back to the Pistons locker room. Midway through the second quarter, the Pistons announced that the two-time All-Star’s night was over. He finished with six points, two rebounds and a steal in just over five minutes of floor time.

Patrick Smith via Getty Images

After the game, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he didn’t have an update on his star point guard’s status.

“Not yet,” Bickerstaff said, according to Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “I don’t have enough information.”

Cunningham, 24, is on pace for his second straight All-NBA selection, and possibly a spot on the MVP ballot, for his work in leading Detroit to the Eastern Conference’s best record. He’s averaging 24.9 points, 10.1 assists (second in the NBA behind Nikola Jokić) and 5.6 rebounds per game for the Pistons, who just welcomed back starting forward Ausar Thompson after he missed five games with a sprained right ankle, and who just lost reserve center Isaiah Stewart for at least a week to a left calf strain.

Without their No. 1 offensive option for the bulk of the game, the Pistons leaned on their other All-Star. Center Jalen Duren dominated Washington’s league-worst defense en route to a career-high 36 points on 13-for-17 shooting to go with 12 rebounds, two assists and a block in 31 minutes of work, as Detroit cruised to a 130-117 win. With the victory, the Pistons improve to 49-19 — just one away from the franchise’s first 50-win campaign since 2007-08 — and push their lead over the Boston Celtics for the No. 1 seed in the East back to four games.

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has been diagnosed with a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise, and will be re-evaluated in one week, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania — the latest in a string of setbacks during a frustrating and injury-filled 2025-26 NBA season for the two-time MVP.

Antetokounmpo sustained the injury with just under four minutes to go in the third quarter of the Bucks’ Sunday matchup with the Indiana Pacers:

After rebounding a missed 3-pointer by Pacers center Jay Huff, Antetokounmpo brought the ball up the court himself, drove into the backtracking Huff, spun off him at the free-throw line and exploded to the basket for a two-handed dunk. When he came down, though, he landed awkwardly, with his left knee briefly buckling upon contact with the ground.

As the Pacers inbounded the ball and play headed the other way, Antetokounmpo remained seated on the baseline before slowly getting to his feet. He’d actually get another dunk seconds later, after a steal by Myles Turner and a length-of-the-court hit-ahead pass by Ryan Rollins found Antetokounmpo, who’d never crossed half-court, all by himself in the paint.

[Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem: Fill out brackets for your shot at $50K]

Antetokounmpo gingerly jogged back on defense after the dunks, and drew a foul on the Bucks’ next offensive possession, getting himself back to the line for his 12th and 13th free-throw attempts of the game. Just under a minute later, he’d check out of the game; he wouldn’t check back in, finishing with 31 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists in 23 minutes in a 134-123 Bucks win.

From Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

“Yeah, I think I hyperextended my knee,” Antetokounmpo said. “I haven’t seen the clip. I want to see the clip. Doesn’t matter. That’s pretty much it.” […]

“I’ve had an injury like this before,” Antetokounmpo said. “The moment that you kind of take a step away from the game and you don’t stay loose, it’s gonna get stiff, you’re going to start feeling pain, I won’t be able to move and other things might be impacted by that, from your ankles and your calves and your hips. Your body’s not aligned, right, because you’re not running, same way you’re not stepping the right way.”

Hoping to avoid that stiffness, pain and misalignment, Antetokounmpo did try to check back in, but to no avail, as detailed by Eric Nehm of The Athletic:

As the fourth quarter got underway, the Bucks built a 13-point lead while Bucks vice president of sports medicine Luke O’Brien and physical therapist Tommy Brice started a conversation with Antetokounmpo in the tunnel that leads to the locker room near the Bucks bench. After some convincing, Antetokounmpo ultimately went to the locker room.

“I had the conversation with Luke and Tommy, and again, I don’t think anything changed,” Antetokounmpo said. “I wanted to get back in the game. They looked at me and said, ‘No, it’s not worth it.’ We were up 13, 15. They was like, ‘No, no way, it’s not worth it.’” […]

When The Athletic asked if he would be getting any imaging done on the knee to see if there was any more serious damage done on the play, the two-time NBA MVP said no.

“I’m just going to go back home, sleep, see how I feel tomorrow, try to lift some weights,” Antetokounmpo said. “And if I have a little bit of discomfort, then I’ll go from there. But as of now, I’m not really bothered by it at all.”

On one hand, Antetokounmpo has made no secret of the fact that, if he feels good enough to get onto the court, he wants to play, irrespective of the context in which the Bucks find themselves. However, that context matters a great deal when considering how “worth it” a prospective Giannis return would be.

After first losing All-NBA point guard Damian Lillard to a ruptured Achilles tendon, then waiving-and-stretching the remainder of Lillard’s contract to create enough salary cap space to sign Turner away from the Pacers to serve as Antetokounmpo’s new frontcourt partner, the Bucks entered the season in precarious position. On the court, the Bucks seemingly lacked a high enough level of complementary talent to support Antetokounmpo’s preferred pursuit of championship contention. Off the court, the seemingly constant rumblings that Antetokounmpo’s eyes might start to wander if he lost faith that the Bucks could compete for another NBA championship reached a fever pitch, amid reports that the Knicks and Bucks had communicated about a possible blockbuster to land Giannis in New York.

Milwaukee opened up 7-4, with Antetokounmpo playing at an MVP level and fourth-year guard Rollins opening eyes around the league by seizing the opportunity to earn a starting role in the Bucks’ backcourt. And then, the injuries started.

A groin strain in mid-November. A calf strain in early December. Another in late January, running up his missed games total to 29 — nearly half the season, to that point.

“Things I could do in the past, maybe I can’t do anymore. I’ve just got to be smarter,” Antetokounmpo recently told reporters. “I’m not old, but I’m older for sure. I’m not 24 anymore — 31, but I’m still 31. It’s not like I’m 36 or 37. When you deal with a lot of soft-tissue injuries, it’s hard. I’ve dealt with knee pain in the past; it’s totally different. If you’re not able to take care of soft-tissue injuries, they can linger. I think that’s what happened this year, and I feel like I’ve been playing the whole year with a deficit.”

By the time Antetokounmpo returned from the injured list earlier this month, the Bucks were eight games under .500, in 11th place in the East. And as excellent as he’s been when available — 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 28.9 minutes per game; career highs in field goal percentage, true shooting percentage and assist rate; top-five in the NBA in a slew of advanced metrics, including player efficiency rating, win shares per 48 minutes, box plus-minus, estimated plus-minus and regularized adjusted plus-minus — Milwaukee is just 17-19 with him in the lineup, and now sits 11 games under .500 at 28-39, 5.5 games behind the Charlotte Hornets for 10th place in the East with 15 games to go.

Public–facingpostseasonprojectionmodels give the Bucks virtually zero shot of climbing into the play-in tournament before season’s end. They do, however, currently have about a 14% shot at landing a top-four pick in the 2026 NBA Draft lottery, according to Tankathon. And while the Atlanta Hawks own the right to take whichever pick lands higher between Milwaukee and New Orleans, stemming from last June’s draft-night deal that made Derik Queen a Pelican, the possibility that the Pels’ pick lands higher could still result in the Bucks coming away from this lost season with a lottery pick — a prospect that could either slot in alongside Antetokounmpo or be used in a trade to return a more established player who might help vault the Bucks back into contention.

The big question now: whether Antetokounmpo will once again push himself to get back onto the court as soon as possible to continue plying his trade down the stretch, or the Bucks will convince him that discretion is the better part of valor in the dying days of what’s become a lost season.

“For me, every game is worth it,” Antetokounmpo told reporters Sunday. “Every time I step on the floor, I try not to take it for granted. I appreciate just being out there, especially when I’m getting my rhythm back and I’m feeling good. But again, that was the time that you gotta look back and you just gotta listen. Just gotta listen. And I listened.”

Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart has suffered a grade 1 left calf strain, removing the key reserve big man from the mix for the time being as the East-leading Pistons look to secure their grasp on the conference’s No. 1 seed heading into the 2026 NBA playoffs.

The 24-year-old will be re-evaluated in one week, meaning he’ll miss at least four games. The Pistons are in D.C. this week for a pair of contests against the Wizards on Tuesday and Thursday, followed by home tilts against the Warriors and Lakers.

Stewart played 20 minutes in Detroit’s 126-110 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday — his seventh game back after missing the previous seven while suspended for his role in a Feb. 9 fight between the Pistons and Charlotte Hornets — chipping in 10 points, 4 rebounds (3 offensive), 1 assist and 1 block. But Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff didn’t like the way his typically energetic backup center was moving.

[Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem: Fill out brackets for your shot at $50K]

“It’s something that he’s been dealing with,” Bickerstaff said before Sunday’s 119-108 loss to the Toronto Raptors, according to Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “It just had been kinda getting worse. He gutted it out last game and you could see he was favoring it and he was hobbling around a little bit late in his minutes.”

With All-Star center Jalen Duren manning the middle in the starting five and third-string big man Paul Reed eminently capable of stepping into a larger role, the Pistons have fared well without Stewart this season. They’ve gone 9-3 with him out of the lineup, outscoring opponents by a stellar 11.8 points per 100 possessions with him off the floor — numbers that instill confidence that the Pistons, who enter Tuesday’s action with a 3.5-game lead over the Boston Celtics for first place in the East, should be able to keep a firm grasp on their spot atop the conference with Stewart sidelined.

Even so: A Detroit team that has been a bit wobblyof late — five losses in the last eight games, including defeats to the Western power Spurs and potential Eastern playoff opponents Miami, Cleveland and Toronto — could miss Stewart’s … well, you might not call it a steadying presence, exactly. But all season long, these Pistons have won largely on the strength of their defense and physicality, and Stewart’s ability to lock down the lane has played a significant part in the development of the NBA’s No. 2 defensive unit.

Detroit opponents take just 26.3% of their field goal attempts at the rim when Stewart’s in the game, according to Cleaning the Glass — a mark that would rank second in the NBA over the course of the full season. They convert just 58.8% of those attempts in his minutes; that would be the lowest point-blank percentage in the league.

And that includes all interior tries during Stewart’s minutes. Drill down into just the ones where he himself is the closest defender, and opponents are shooting a cataclysmic 43.2% at the basket when Beef Stew contests, according to Second Spectrum — far and away the lowest mark among 237 players to guard at least 100 such up-close tries, and even stingier than last season’s 46% success rate (which ranked second in the league, behind only Chet Holmgren).

“I’m not 7-foot, I’m not 7-2, I’m not 7-3,” Stewart recently told James Herbert of CBS Sports. “The fact that I am who I am and they see me at the rim and they defer, I think it’s a respect thing. […] Not everybody’s driving in looking to score every time because of my presence and my timing on taking dunks out the air. I don’t see anybody around the league that’s an undersized center that’s able to time dunks, take dunks out the air. It does something for us. It builds momentum and it sends us heading in the right direction the other way.”

That level of interior impact, combined with Stewart’s flexibility and versatility as a switch defender on the perimeter, would make him a strong candidate for a spot on one of the two All-Defensive teams come season’s end … if he’d played enough to qualify.

While the sixth-year veteran has appeared in 55 games this season, only 49 of them “count,” under the player participation guidelines instituted before the 2023-24 season; he has played fewer than 20 minutes eight times, and the NBA only allows players to count two contests in which they played between 15 and 20 minutes toward their year-end total. As such, as Herbert noted, Stewart needed to play in every remaining Pistons game, and to play at least 20 minutes in all of them, in order to qualify for All-Defensive honors; missing Sunday’s loss to Toronto, then, eliminated him from the running.

The silver lining to that particular gray cloud: If there’s no pressing reason to keep sending Stewart back out there to preserve his eligibility, the Pistons can afford to use whatever time they need over the next month to get him right. Detroit can proceed with caution in managing an injury that has become one of the NBA’s most common and most daunting, in hopes of ensuring that Stewart — who missed the final five games of Detroit’s 2025 NBA playoffs loss to the New York Knicks with a right knee injury — can stay on the court this postseason.

“It’s something we’re going to take time with,” Bickerstaff said Sunday. “Those are things you don’t want to mess around with. I can’t give you a timeline because we’ll always try to see how he responds. The most important thing for us is that he gets well, so we’ll take our time and make sure that he’s well.”

Washington Wizards star Trae Young left their 125-117 loss to the Golden State Warriors early on Monday night due to a leg injury.

Young collided with Warriors guard Will Richard while trying to get through a screen midway through the third quarter at Capital One Arena, and was called for an offensive foul after knocking Richard down. Young immediately started limping as officials called the foul, clearly shaken up.

He remained on the floor for one more play, still in noticeable pain, before he was finally taken out of the game. He limped off the court, went back to the locker room and did not return.

The Wizards quickly ruled Young out with what they called a right quad contusion. Further specifics of his injury are not yet known.

Young finished the night with 21 points after he went 7 of 10 from the field. He had five assists and two rebounds, too. Monday night was just Young’s fourth game with the Wizards. He made his debut with the team earlier this month after being dealt there from the Atlanta Hawks ahead of the trade deadline.

The Warriors led nearly the entire way in the contest and rolled to the eight-point win without much issue. Kristaps Porzingis led the way with 30 points off the bench, and De’Anthony Melton finished with 27 points after he went 12 of 17 from the field. The Warriors improved to 33-35 with the win, which snapped a five-game losing skid.

The win was the 600th of Steve Kerr’s coaching career. Kerr, who has been leading the Warriors since the 2014-15 campaign, is No. 28 on the league’s all-time win’s list. Longtime former San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich leads that list with 1,390 wins.

Bilal Coulibaly added 21 points and eight rebounds for the Wizards to go with Young’s 21 points. Will Riley finished with 21 points, too. 

The loss, which was the team’s 12th straight, dropped the Wizards to 16-51 on the season. They are well out of playoff contention for a fifth straight year as they enter the final stretch of the regular season. The Wizards will host the Detroit Pistons next on Tuesday night.