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Ji'Ayir Brown SF SAF49ers' Ji'Ayir Brown: Season ends with hamstring injury
8h agoBrown (hamstring) had 76 tackles (44 solo), two interceptions and one forced fumble in 17 regular-season starts with the49ers in 2025.
Brown turned in another solid regular-season campaign splitting time between both starting safety positions while Malik Mustapha started the campaign on the PUP list. The 25-year-old Brown suffered a hamstring injury during the 49ers' postseason run that cost him the team's final game, a road loss to the Seahawks in the divisional round. Assuming that the versatile safety is able to recover in time for training camp, Brown will enter the final year of his rookie deal with the inside track to a starting safety gig.
Dee Winters SF LB49ers' Dee Winters: Racks up 101 tackles as starter
9h agoWinters recorded 101 tackles (67 solo) and an interception in 17 regular-season games with the49ers in 2025.
Winters took over the starting role vacated by Dre Greenlaw's departure to Denver this past offseason. The third-year linebacker played the most snaps of his career (1,010) while cracking the century mark in combined tackles for IDP managers. Fred Warner (ankle) should be ready to reclaim his spot in the middle of San Francisco's defense in 2026, and Winters' strong play has put him in prime position to start alongside Warner for the final year of his rookie contract.
Noah Igbinoghene WAS CBCommanders' Noah Igbinoghene: Secures first career sack in 2025
9h agoIgbinoghene recorded 35 total tackles (22 solo), including 1.0 sacks, while also adding five passes defensed and 191 kickoff-return yards over 15 contests during the 2025 regular season.
Igbinoghene was able to register at least 35 takedowns for the second straight year after compiling 29 total tackles over his first four seasons in the NFL. The 26-year-old was also able to notch his first career sack in 2025, bringing down Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee in the regular-season finale. Igbinoghene is set to become a free agent in the offseason, and his increased production over the last two seasons has certainly raised his value on the open market.
Johnny Newton WAS DTCommanders' Jer'Zhan Newton: Steady production in Year 2
9h agoNewton recorded 38 total tackles (21 solo), including 5.0 sacks, while also adding a pass defensed and a forced fumble over 17 contests during the 2025 regular season.
Newton was able to play in all 17 of the team's regular-season contests, securing at least 38 takedowns for the second straight year. The defensive lineman secured a new career-high 5.0 sacks, most of which came in Week 17 against the Cowboys, registering nine total tackles, including 3.0 sacks, in the team's 30-23 loss to Dallas. Newton will likely enter the 2026 campaign as a top reserve option behind Daron Payne and Javon Kinlaw at defensive tackle.
Will Harris WAS SAFCommanders' Will Harris: Limited by injuries in 2025
10h agoHarris recorded 38 total tackles (22 solo), including 1.0 sacks, while also adding three passes defensed and a forced fumble over nine games during the 2025 regular season.
Harris joined theCommanders as a free agent ahead of the 2025 campaign, inking a two-year, $8 million contract. The safety suffered a fractured fibula in Week 3 against the Raiders, ultimately missing eight games as a result. Harris was still able to register at least 38 takedowns for the fifth time in his seven-year career, while his sack of J.J. McCarthy in Week 14 was his first full sack since 2019. The 30-year-old appears to be on track to operate as one of the team's starting safeties again in 2026.
Jonathan Jones WAS CBCommanders' Jonathan Jones: Strong production in 2025
10h agoJones recorded 41 total tackles (30 solo), including 1.0 sacks, while also adding five passes defensed over 12 games during the 2025 regular season.
Jones signed with theCommanders in the offseason after spending the first nine seasons of his career in New England. The cornerback missed four contests in late September and early October with a hamstring injury, but once healthy, he put together a rather productive campaign. Jones was able to secure at least 41 tackles for the fourth straight year and eighth time overall, while his sack of Tua Tagovailoa in Week 11 was his first sack since 2018. The 32-year-old is set to enter the offseason as a free agent, but considering his long track record of strong production, he'll likely have plenty of interested suitors ahead of the 2026 season.
Austin Riley ATL 3BBraves' Austin Riley: Confident after normal offseason
8m agoRiley didn't have any limitations this offseason and worked with Atlanta hitting coach Tim Hyers on finding his old swing, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
The third baseman underwent sports hernia surgery in early August that ended his 2025 campaign prematurely, but he was fully recovered in time to get back to his normal offseason routine. That's a marked contrast to the previous offseason, when hand surgery left Riley in a cast until January and had him playing catchup during spring training. While he missed a total of 112 regular-season games over the prior two seasons, Riley appears to be in good shape to regain the form that saw him average 36 homers, 99 RBI and 159.3 games played from 2021-23.
Kevin Ginkel ARI RPDiamondbacks' Kevin Ginkel: Lovullo wants defined closer
23m agoDiamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo mentionedGinkel, Paul Sewald and Ryan Thompson as candidates to emerge as the club's closer, Alex D'Agostino of SI.com reports.
"I mean it's probably simple arithmetic for you guys to figure out," Lovullo said. "I'm just going to go kind of blind here, but Sewald, Ginkel, Thompson, all those guys that have had that experience in big moments... they're all wanting to do it." Lovullo added that he would like to establish a defined closer, though it's unclear whether he plans to name one before Opening Day. A.J. Puk (elbow) and Justin Martinez (elbow) could also figure into the closer mix when they return, though the latter won't be back until late in the season, if at all. Ginkel had a disastrous, injury-shortened 2025 season, posting a 7.36 ERA and 29:13 K:BB over 25.2 innings. He's healthy now, however, and from 2023-2024 he held a 2.86 ERA and 147:38 K:BB across 135.1 regular-season frames.
Paul Sewald ARI RPDiamondbacks' Paul Sewald: In mix to close for Arizona
28m agoDiamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo listedSewald, Kevin Ginkel and Ryan Thompson as candidates to emerge as the team's closer, Alex D'Agostino of SI.com reports.
"I mean it's probably simple arithmetic for you guys to figure out," Lovullo said. "I'm just going to go kind of blind here, but Sewald, Ginkel, Thompson, all those guys that have had that experience in big moments... they're all wanting to do it." Lovullo prefers to establish a defined closer, though it's unclear whether he intends to name one prior to Opening Day. A.J. Puk (elbow) and Justin Martinez (elbow) should also be in the closer mix when they return. Sewald was the Diamondbacks' closer when they won the National League pennant in 2023 and opened the 2024 season in the role before eventually losing it. The veteran righty held a 4.58 ERA and 20:6 K:BB between the Guardians and Tigers during an injury-shortened 2025 season.
Ryan Thompson ARI RPDiamondbacks' Ryan Thompson: Among frontrunners to close
34m agoDiamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo mentionedThompson, Kevin Ginkel and Paul Sewald when asked who could fill the team's closer job, Alex D'Agostino of SI.com reports.
"I mean it's probably simple arithmetic for you guys to figure out," Lovullo said. "I'm just going to go kind of blind here, but Sewald, Ginkel, Thompson, all those guys that have had that experience in big moments... they're all wanting to do it." D'Agostino writes that while Sewald, Ginkel and Thompson are the "likely frontrunners" for the gig, Lovullo was "emphatic that no roles will be handed to anyone." A.J. Puk (elbow) should also be in the mix to close when he returns around midseason, and Justin Martinez (elbow) will be a candidate if he makes it back late in the year. Lovullo noted that he prefers to have a defined closer, though it's unclear whether he plans to name one before Opening Day. Thompson has notched a total of four saves in his two-and-a-half regular seasons in Arizona, collecting a 3.21 ERA and 97:29 K:BB over 120.2 innings.
Bryan Reynolds PIT LFPirates' Bryan Reynolds: Returning to left field
9h agoReynolds will be Pittsburgh's primary left fielder in 2026, Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com reports.
Reynold has played primarily in left or center field for most of his career, though he was moved to right field in 2025 after his defense declined. He experienced better defensive metrics after starting to utilize a tennis hop prior to pitches, which helped him improve his reaction time. Reynolds was a positive defender in left field as recently as 2023, so it's possible that he rebounds in 2026.
Ryan O'Hearn PIT 1BPirates' Ryan O'Hearn: Set to play RF
9h agoThePirates plan to playO'Hearn primarily in right field in 2026, Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com reports.
O'Hearn was originally projected to play at either first base or serve as DH, but the addition of Marcell Ozuna will take away many of those at-bats. O'Hearn will seemingly be Pittsburgh's primary right fielder as a result, a position he played 149.0 innings at in 2025. He registered negative-4 runs saved in that span, though left field is the far more difficult corner to cover at PNC Park.
Jabari Walker PHI PF76ers' Jabari Walker: Upgraded to standard contract
15h agoWalker agreed to a two-year, $3.35 million contract with the76ers on Monday, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports.
Walker had been signed to a two-way deal with Philadelphia, but because he had exhausted his eligibility at the NBA level after he was active for the maximum 50 games, the 76ers upgraded him to a standard contract to ensure that he'll be available coming out of the All-Star break. Before using up his eligibility and not appearing in any of the 76ers' last four games, Walker had been a fringe member of the rotation. In his 45 appearances (six starts) so far this season, Walker averaged 3.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 12.1 minutes per game.
Keshon Gilbert WAS PGKeshon Gilbert: Heads back to open market
23h agoGilbert became a free agent Monday after his 10-day contract with the Wizards expired, Keith Smith of Spotrac.com reports.
Prior to signing his 10-day pact with Washington on Feb. 6, Gilbert had been playing for the Wizards' G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go. The Wizards will have the option of retaining Gilbert on a second 10-day deal, but he'll likely stick around in the organization as a member of the Go-Go if he doesn't end up getting re-signed ahead of Washington's next game Thursday versus Indiana. The undrafted rookie out of Iowa State appeared in three games for Washington over the course of his deal, averaging 2.0 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, 1.0 assists and 0.7 steals in 16.0 minutes while shooting 1-for-4 from the field and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.
Giannis Antetokounmpo MIL PFBucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo: Deems self '100 percent'
1d agoAntetokounmpo (calf) said Saturday that he feels "100 percent" healthy, though he didn't confirm that he'll be cleared to play in theBucks' next game Friday in New Orleans. "I feel like the [All-Star] break doesn't help, because now I gotta get on the court, I gotta play some 1-on-1, 3-on-3, 5 vs. 5...Once I check all those boxes, I'm ready to go. I feel like I can play a game today."
Antetokounmpo has sat out the Bucks' last nine games after straining his right calf for the second time this season Jan. 23, but he told the media Saturday that his rehab is going well and suggested that he could be nearing a return. Though Milwaukee listened to trade offers on Antetokounmpo leading up to the Feb. 5 deadline, the 10-time All-Star ultimately stayed put and isn't expected to be shut down even while the 23-30 Bucks currently sit outside of a spot in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament. Based on his comments, Antetokounmpo appears poised to take part in practice in some capacity this week when the Bucks reconvene following the All-Star break. Even if he isn't cleared to play Friday, Antetokounmpo would still appear likely to make it back in action before the end of February.
Pascal Siakam IND PFPacers' Pascal Siakam: Posts 10 points at All-Star weekend
1d agoSiakam (hamstring) played 18 minutes Sunday at All-Star weekend in Los Angeles between Team World's losses to Team Stars and Team Stripes, finishing with 10 points (5-7 FG, 0-1 3Pt), four rebounds and two assists.
After coming off the bench in a 37-35 overtime loss to Team Stars in Team World's first contest of the round-robin tournament, Siakam entered the starting five for the second matchup of the day while Luka Doncic was rested after Doncic had missed the Lakers' last four games before the break due to a hamstring strain. Siakam -- who had missed thePacers' most recent game Wednesday versus the Nets due to a sore hamstring -- went a perfect 3-for-3 from the field during his start, but Team World was eliminated after falling 48-45 to Team Stripes. Though the hamstring isn't expected to be an issue for Siakam moving forward, he could still be in line for a rest day coming out of the All-Star break. The Pacers will open their second-half schedule with a Thursday/Friday back-to-back set in Washington.
Deni Avdija POR SGTrail Blazers' Deni Avdija: Limited output in All-Star debut
1d agoAvdija (back) played 15 minutes Sunday at All-Star weekend in Los Angeles between Team World's losses to Team Stars and Team Stripes, finishing with five points (2-4 FG, 1-3 3Pt), four assists and one rebound.
Avdija had missed theTrail Blazers' most recent game Thursday against the Jazz due to lower-back injury management, but the issue didn't prevent him from making his first career All-Star appearance. The 25-year-old forward started in both games for Team World but saw light usage while the offense ran through the Spurs' Victor Wembanyama. While playing in just six of the Trail Blazers' final 16 games prior to the All-Star break, Avdija had eclipsed 30 minutes on just one occasion. However, with some extra time to recover during the break, Avdija could have his minutes restriction lifted ahead of Portland's next game Friday versus the Nuggets.
Devin Booker PHO SGSuns' Devin Booker: Plays supporting role Sunday
1d agoBooker logged 28 total minutes Sunday across Team Stars' three games at All-Star weekend in Los Angeles, finishing with 12 points (5-13 FG, 2-5 3Pt), nine rebounds and eight assists.
Booker started in all three games for the Stars, recording no more than five points in any contest while taking a back seat to backcourt mate and MVP Anthony Edwards (32 points on 13-for-22 shooting). Prior to All-Star weekend, Booker had missed theSuns' most recent game Wednesday versus the Thunder due to right ankle injury management, but he should be good to go for Phoenix's first contest of the second half Thursday in San Antonio.
Philipp Grubauer SEA GKraken's Philipp Grubauer: Slated to face France
4h agoGrubauer is expected to start for Germany against France in Tuesday's qualification game at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Grubauer has a 2.56 GAA and a .917 save percentage across two outings in the 2026 Olympics. He made 37 saves en route to a 3-1 victory over Denmark on Thursday, but fell 4-3 to Latvia on Saturday while stopping just 18 shots. The winner of this match between Germany and France is set to play Slovakia in Wednesday's quarterfinals game.
Vojtech Cihar LA LWKings' Vojtech Cihar: Nets two goals for Kelowna
6h agoCihar scored twice on eight shots in WHL Kelowna's 7-2 win over Tri-City on Monday.
Cihar has scored five goals over his last four games. He's on a five-game point streak, his longest so far in the WHL. TheKings prospect is at a total of 15 points, 43 shots on net and a plus-3 rating for the Rockets since joining the team after the World Junior Championship.
- Kashawn Aitcheson NYI D
Islanders' Kashawn Aitcheson: Buries two goals in OHL win
6h agoAitcheson scored twice on OHL Barrie's 8-5 win over Ottawa on Monday.
Aitcheson had gone 11 games without a goal. He still has 15 assists in that span, but it's good to see him find the twine again since his shot is such a strong part of his game. He's up to 24 goals, 55 points and a plus-36 rating through 43 appearances, helping Barrie secure a playoff spot as one of the OHL's top teams.
- Emil Hemming DAL RW
Stars' Emil Hemming: Two of each in OHL win
6h agoHemming scored twice and added two assists in OHL Barrie's 8-5 win over Ottawa on Monday.
Hemming has four goals and five assists over five contests in February. TheStars prospect has been steady throughout the campaign with 21 goals and 50 points across 33 outings this season. With his performance Monday, he surpassed the 48-point campaign he assembled in 60 regular-season outings in 2024-25.
- Jan Chovan LA C
Kings' Jan Chovan: Hat trick, assist in OHL win
6h agoChovan scored three goals and added an assist in OHL Sudbury's 6-2 win over Niagara on Monday.
Chovan is rolling with eight points over his last five games. For the season, theKings prospect is at 20 goals, 21 helpers, 128 shots on net and a minus-26 rating in his first OHL campaign. A sixth-round pick in 2025, Chovan has made a good first impression in North America after putting up decent numbers in the Finnish junior system.
- Ty Mueller VAN C
Canucks' Ty Mueller: Logs three points in AHL win
6h agoMueller scored a goal and added two assists in AHL Abbotsford's 5-3 win over Ontario on Monday.
Mueller is up to 26 points in 44 contests this season, a pace nearly identical to the 39 points he had in 64 regular-season outings in 2024-25. The 22-year-old forward has picked up six points over his last four games. Mueller's played well recently, but he's still awaiting his first call-up of the campaign.
