#player-performance

#player-performance

The third-year defensive end is reportedly a healthy scratch for the first time in his career on Sunday, an indication of just how far he has fallen since the Patriots drafted him in the second round in 2023. He was projected to thrive under Mike Vrabel, after a tough year in the Jerod Mayo era, but we have yet to see that come to fruition.

It was a disappointing season, though Kansas City really performed rather admirably considering that they got just 13 starts out of staff ace Cole Ragans while found himself sidelined for the second half by an injury of his own. While health in the rotation helped to sink the team this year, it's possible that the team's deep arsenal of starters could help them reinvent the team on the trade market as they look ahead to 2026.

It's way too early to label a game as a must-win for the Miami Heat, but there's no question that all eyes will be on Bam Adebayo heading into their second game of the season against the Memphis Grizzlies. And this is not necessarily about the fact that the Heat have now gone winless through their first six preseason games, and then in the season opener.

You're too much.

Perhaps no new Maple Leaf has been as inconsistent as Maccelli through the first seven games. He's gone from first line with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies, to second line, to being demoted to the bottom six throughout the first few weeks. Maccelli is averaging 13:49 of ice-time per game, he's recorded just two points in seven games, and what's really stood out the most is his inability to manage the puck.

Arsenal legend David Seaman has praised summer signing Viktor Gyokeres for getting better as he's gone on after two goals against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League this week. The Sweden international arrived at Arsenal from Sporting Lisbon this summer with a big reputation, having scored a frankly ridiculous 97 goals in 102 games in his two years in Portugal.

Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali is effectively contracted to the club until 2030 after it was revealed the midfielder signed an extension during his 10-month suspension for gambling offences. Tonali joined Newcastle from AC Milan in July 2023 on a five-year contract, but saw his first season prematurely ended when his ban was handed down in October. According to multiple reports, the Italy international then approached the club about taking a pay cut.

Skating with Connor McMichael and Tom Wilson on the left wing of the second line, Lapierre gave the Capitals 10 minutes and 47 seconds of dependable, if not dominant, hockey. The Capitals held positive differentials in shot attempts (+15), shots on goal (+9), scoring chances (+10), and high-danger chances (+5) with the 23-year-old forward on the ice.

"I think the environment hasn't been right but that is down to yourself. "If you are not playing well or you get left out of the team then I think it is easier to blame the environment and whether that is right or wrong. I think that comes from how you apply yourself. "In games we have seen with him where we know he can do more, we know he can run more - that is nothing to do with an environment."

Merino is surely good enough to be getting more opportunities with Arsenal, with the former Real Sociedad man earning a 9.9 score from WhoScored in the game against Bulgaria. Their stats show that Merino had two shots on target and scored with both of them, while he also made one successful tackle and interception, and completed 87% of his passes.

Matheus Cunha has revealed that Manchester United's turbulent start to their 2025-26 campaign has made it feel like he has been at the club for much longer. Cunha made the move to Old Trafford from Wolves over the summer for a reported transfer fee of £62.5m after a stellar campaign in the Premier League last term. In 2024-25, Cunha made 33 top-flight outings, finishing the league campaign with a team-high 15 goals.

For all the joy I get from being a soccer/football fan, one thing I could do without is how remarkably fickle its supporters can be. Players are hailed as heroes one week and written off the next. New signings barely have time to unpack their bags before being branded "flops," especially if they carry a hefty price tag and don't deliver instantly. Vinícius Júnior at Real Madrid, Jack Grealish at City- the list is endless.

Chelsea fans will have had mixed feelings when their club moved to sign Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United in the summer. The Argentine was a bit of a controversial figure at Old Trafford, having started out as a promising youngster who looked like he had the potential to become a real world-beater. However, in the end Garnacho was not too popular with Man Utd fans due to a lack of consistency and some signs of a poor attitude.

For a while, Dick was the first action on every play down. They were playing out of delay, and waiting for Dick to jostle loose of his player and into a handoff to kick things off. It worked out alright, as his aggression helped create some looks (and some free throws that he uncharacteristically split 2-4) but by the end of the 8 minute stretch he was dog tired.

Evgeny Kuznetsov is back on the KHL scoresheet after signing a one-year contract with Metallurg Magnitogorsk earlier this month. The 33-year-old center recorded the primary assist on Metallurg's first goal in a 4-1 victory over Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod on Friday. After receiving an outlet pass from defenseman Alexander Siryatsky, Kuznetsov sped down the left wing into Torpedo's zone where the veteran pivot avoided two checks and found 18-year-old linemate Mikhail Fyodorov for the slam dunk finish.

Powell tied a team-high with 18 points in 16 minutes, shooting 6-of-12 from the floor, 3-of-6 from 3-point range and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line. He added two rebounds and one assist - a lob pass to Andrew Wiggins in transition in the first quarter. Powell, 32, was the primary beneficiary of the Heat playing fast. The 11-year vet is a quick decision-maker and was incredibly confident rising up in the halfcourt with his quick and high release.

the Toronto Maple Leafs back during the summer of 2018, he had only one thing in mind. That was to fulfill his childhood dreams to play for his hometown and lead the Maple Leafs to a Stanley Cup title. Tavares has sure done all he could during the past seven seasons with Toronto, posting three 35+ goals and four 70+ points campaigns while being part of the now-defunct "core four" along with Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander to lead the offensive attack.

The A's announced that Lawrence Butler underwent surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his right knee. The outfielder also received a platelet-rich plasma injection to address patellar tendonitis in his opposite knee. The club didn't announce a specific recovery timeline but said that Butler will rehab during the offseason in preparation for Spring Training. Butler is coming off a middling season.

The worst-case scenario has played out thus far for both players. Sainristil is off to a rough start, though he did come up with Washington's first takeaway of the year with a Week 4 interception. Lattimore looks like a shell of his four-time Pro Bowl self. He has been targeted in pass coverage and consistently struggled to keep up with faster receivers. Penalties have also been an issue for the Ohio State product.

With another week of football passing by, we have a whole new set of new performances to set the standard around Europe for who the top players around are. Let's look at who's on top of the world this week. For the unfamiliar, the nature of this list is as follows:- The intrinsic feature of 'power rankings' is to have a recency bias, showcasing who's trending upwards rather than just averaging out the entire season so far.

Welp. Pulled this one out again, and given Sale's injury history, a season of anguish is probably more likely than a repeat of 2024. Unfortunate. We'll say accurateish here. Sale did suffer an injury that kept him to 125 innings and 20/21 starts, but those were very high-quality innings. He was still worth about 3.5 wins, and he had an FIP under 3.00.

Out of the blue, Scott Laughton blocked a point shot that sprung him on a partial break, and he fired a snapshot blocker side on Sam Montembeault, who played his angle poorly. Laughton wasn't done, as a little over halfway through the first, he was sprung on a breakaway off a nice pass from Bobby McMann and hit a nice fake-shot to backhand move to slide the puck five-hole for his second tally of the period.

The Atlanta Braves are playing their best baseball of the season - and although it wasn't enough to save them from snapping their seven-year playoff streak - it has provided optimism for 2026 and, frankly, has been a heckuva a lot more fun that most of the season had been. By sweeping both the Washington Nationals and Detroit Tigers, there was no shortage of players who were outstanding over the past seven games.

Matt Olson currently sits at 774 consecutive games started. Obviously, that's a ton of games, but it also reminded me that we only have 8 games left this season, which seems insane. With a late-season heater, Olson is up to .280/.373/.497, which is good for a 141 wRC+ and 5 wins. That makes him a top 15 position player and the top overall first baseman in the game.

I think obviously that's part of life, and there's other stuff to think about too, but I think I've always been pretty good at focusing on what I can control and what I can do out there. This league is tough, and a lot goes on, and I think I've always just kind of stayed in my lane and worried about the task that I'm worried about. I don't think that'll change. My mentality won't change. And certainly just as excited as ever.

The Commanders wanted to get the right deal. McLaurin stood his ground, missing months of practice and vital reps to hone his craft. Everything worked out for both parties in the end, but it came at a price. McLaurin has just seven receptions from 10 targets for 75 receiving yards through the opening two contests. He's struggled to create separation consistently, and the timing with quarterback Jayden Daniels isn't up to last year's standards.