by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen 12/17/2025 Sportz Nation Zak Drapeau's Picks Photo by Nathan Ray Seebeck/ Imagn Images #2 Manel Kape vs Joshua Van (Flyweight Championship) In our last matchmaking I had Tatsuro Taira as the next challenger at 125 but now Manel Kape has moved into that spot with Pantoja injured. Kape has never faced someone outside of the Top-15 and now has won 7 of his last 8 with 3 knockouts in a row. _________________________________ #4 Brandon Royval vs (Winn

Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn-Images. How was the first round of the Postseason? If you win, you'll feel great and be gearing up for round two. If you lost, that is okay; you still have a lot to play for to avoid whatever cruel punishment your kind and generous fantasy league manager conjured up during the draft. Ideally, your team is healthy at this point in the season, but in case it is not, here are some names to look for to help you out. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy (M

With the NBA Emirates Cup finale approaching, the league’s award races have officially heated up. Players are competing with a different edge now, and the results are showing. Compared to the start of last month, the list looks almost unrecognizable, as injuries, availability, and rapid midseason surges have completely altered the conversation. Some candidates have fallen off, others have skyrocketed, and a few players have made serious pushes for first-time All-Star consider

by Elias Meredith 12/15/25 Sportz Nation SATURDAY: 13 ILLINOIS VS 23 NEBRASKA Photo by Ron Johnson/Imagn Images The 2025 Nebraska Cornhuskers looked to make history with an upset win over the Illinois Fighting Illini Saturday night. They would become the first team in Nebraska men’s basketball history to go 11-0 to start the season.  The Cornhuskers most impressive win of the season came in story book fashion. Senior guard JaMarques Lawrence drilled a game-winning three from

by Zak Drapeau 12/13/2025 Sportz Nation Honorable Mentions: Jack Della Maddelena, Mackenzie Dern and Nassourdine Imavov 10. Waldo Cortes-Acosta With a record of 3-1 in 2025 alone, Cortes-Acosta was not only the most active Heavyweight in the division but it wasn't even close. In a division that has been held up almost as much as Francis Ngannou's final days, "Salsa Boy" has said he will fight anyone and then he did. Starting the year with a win inside the Top-10 against Sergh

Photo Credit: Matt Stone/Boston Herald. With the late bye week, Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel got a chance to catch his breath. After all, he had done a lot of work for his former team: He led the Pats on a 10-game winning streak, reinvented the team’s culture, and turned a 4-13 team into one of the best teams in the NFL. He and the team deserved some rest, but Vrabel made his expectations clear this week. “It’s time to get back to work,” he said to Scott Zolak in an interv

by Zak Drapeau 12/12/2025 Sportz Nation In two days time the Colts will be playing one of their toughest games of the season in Seattle against a white-hot Seahawks team. This game will come after losing back-to-back AFC South games and in the midst of a 3-game losing streak. The game comes after one of the most disappointing losses of the season in Jacksonville when new Colts-legend Daniel Jones went down with a torn achilles in the 2nd Quarter of their 36-19 loss to the Jag

The 2025 rookie class came in with plenty of hype at the top, but there's been a lot more unfolding quietly in the margins. While several first-rounders are still finding their footing and trying to prove their draft stock was warranted, a group of late first rounders, second-round picks and undrafted hopefuls have wasted no time proving they belong. These weren’t the prospects you heard being argued over all summer long. Yet, some of these guys are paying dividends for playo

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen 12/11/2025 Sportz Nation Start 'Em (Matt Hylen) Quarterbacks Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images Lamar Jackson at CIN I did not think I would have to include a player of Lamar Jackson's caliber here, as he is a must-start usually every week, but here we are. Jackson has, to say the least, been terrible the past few weeks in fantasy. Though he bounced back last week, the previous three weeks have been brutal. I expect Jackson to keep the momentum g

bby Zak Drapeau, Matt Hylen and Joseph McLaughlin 12/11/2025 Sportz Nation Quarterbacks (Zak Drapeau) Photo by Gregory Fisher/ Imagn Images Josh Allen at NE Joe Burrow vs BAL Jalen Hurts at LV Matthew Stafford vs DET Lamar Jackson at CIN Jaxson Dart vs WAS Drake Maye vs BUF Dak Prescott vs MIN Patrick Mahomes vs LAC Brock Purdy vs TEN Jayden Daniels at NYG Trevor Lawrence vs NYJ Caleb Williams vs CLE Sam Darnold vs IND Justin Herbert at KC With his Burrow-like performances si

by Elias Meredith 12/10/25 Sportz Nation VCU VS NEW MEXICO Photo by UNM Athletics Wednesday night, the New Mexico Lobos traveled across the country looking to extend their five-game winning streak to six in a matchup against the VCU Rams, who have won four of their last five. The Lobos are hopping on a flight back home happy after a gritty 81-78 win over VCU. The first half was action-packed, as the game stayed within single digits throughout the half as the teams traded blow

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen 12/10/2025 Sportz Nation Zak's Picks Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili 3 (Bantamweight Championship) Photo by Chris Unger/ Zuffa LLC via Getty Images If any former champion deserves an immediate rematch, it's Merab, and I believe he'll get it. Whether their trilogy concludes in the first half of 2026 or at the White House card is up for debate. Due to the lack of drawing power either of these men has, I can actually see this fight being before the ca

by Joseph McLaughlin 12/9/2025 Sportz Nation Photo Credit: Leigh Bacho/Getty Images The fantasy football playoffs are officially here, and now is the time that every fantasy manager has prepared for. If your team made it to the postseason, congratulations and best of luck in your championship quest. If you did not make the playoffs, that is okay. There are still important games to win to avoid whatever punishment your friends created for last place. Whatever group you are in,

Photo Credit to Bryn Lennon - Formula 1 via Getty Images That's it, the 2025 Formula One season is officially in the books, and what a season it was! With a new champion crowned, it marks the end of what will go down as one of the most unexpected and unpredictable seasons we have had in the sport. Drivers and teams alike fought until the very end, with many exceeding expectations. All eyes are now pointed toward 2026, but before we close out 2025, let's analyze some winners a

Playmaking is one of those things we think  we understand because there’s a number for it in the box score. Toss a few lobs, hit the corner shooter, rack up 8–9 assists a night and boom—“elite playmaker.” But the guys on the rankings live in different categories. Some don’t just share the ball, they protect  it. Some bend and re-bend defenses, probe without panicking, and finish games with assist-to-turnover ratios that make coaches want to frame the stat sheet. Being a good

by Elias Meredith 12/8/25 Sportz Nation Saturday: Michigan State vs Duke Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images Last Saturday, the Duke Blue Devils once again proved themselves to be a legit national championship contender. Duke defeated the Michigan State Spartans 66-60 in a packed Breslin Center filled with rowdy Michigan State faithful. The impressive victory made Duke 10-0 on the season, which is the best start to a season under the leadership of head coach Jon Scheyer, and

Photo Credit: Steve Senne/Associated Press. In New England’s Week 12 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, the visiting Patriots found themselves down 10-7. It was a slow start for the red-hot Patriots and nothing seemed to go right.  Drake Maye threw a pick-six, the Bengals were moving the football, everything pointed to an off-day for New England as Cincinnati took a 2nd & 5 snap from their 33-yard line. Bengals Quarterback Joe Flacco surveyed his options downfield before

by Zak Drapeau 12/6/2025 Sportz Nation * Not counting Conor, Jon Jones or Amanda Nunes Honorable Mentions: To Aspinall, Kevin Holland and Alexander Volkanovski Photo by Jeff Bottari/ Zuffa LLC 10. Justin Gaethje How fitting that the first entry on our list will be headlining the first Numbered Event of 2026. Justin Gaethje has long been around the top of the Lightweig division and even though he is one of the best fighters in the world, his draw-ability is due to his style. O

by Zak Drapeau 12/5/2025 Sportz Nation SEC Championship Georgia at Alabama Photo by John David Mercer/ Imagn Images While our next Conference Championship will be the most watched, the SEC Championship is almost always most crucial when it comes to CFB Post Season games and this year is no different. For the 4th time in the last 8 seasons, Georgia and Alabama will go head to head for the crown in the SEC in Atlanta. Having already faced each other once this season, Alabama ha

It’s been just over five weeks since tip-off, and the point guard position has been dictating the pulse of the season, especially when it comes to scoring. It seems every team has a floor general putting on a show night after night. These are the ten point guards that have so far controlled the pace, elevated their teammates, and flat-out taken over games when their number was called. But with plenty of basketball still to be played, this list is far from permanent: for now,