#rookies

#rookies

Superstar Kevin Durant will make his Houston Rockets debut, and Damian Lillard, who will miss the season because of a torn Achilles, has returned to the Portland Trail Blazers. Injuries have also shaken up both conferences. Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton are out for the season after tearing their Achilles tendons, leaving the East wide open. And Kyrie Irving, after tearing his ACL last season, has no firm timeline for when he'll be back for the Dallas Mavericks.

We're a month into the NFL season, and insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano have been making calls to sources around the league for the latest news and buzz on key situations heading into October play. One of the biggest storylines of the week is what's going on with the Ravens and their 1-3 start. Jeremy and Dan have intel on the sentiments in Baltimore and how much panic the Ravens are feeling.

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.

Receiver Konata Mumpfield and running back Jarquez Hunter demonstrated significant skills during training camp, with evaluations pending until live-tackling situations in games occur.

"It's been an up-and-down camp so far from Campbell, who has held court as New England's top left tackle during training camp. The former LSU standout has been strong during run-blocking sequences, but has struggled during pass-protection, especially during 1-on-1 matchups against explosive athletes like Keion White and K'Lavon Chaisson."

Yaroslav Askarov is projected to be the Sharks' starting goaltender, having played only 16 NHL games, thus maintaining his rookie status. He must play at a high level to compete for the Calder Trophy.

Kyle Williams adds a speed element to the Patriots' offense, showing promise in the offseason and the potential to become a go-to weapon for Drake Maye.

Fan excitement is highest for the drafted rookies, overshadowing returning second-year players, with RB Bill Croskey-Merritt generating notable buzz despite limited prior performance. When asked about which player fans wanted to return in 2026, Deebo Samuel dominated the votes, indicating strong interest in his potential impact compared to veterans like Bobby Wagner and Austin Ekeler.

I feel like just the vibes in the clubhouse have been really good. We've got a lot of good guys in there. I feel like it starts in there and we bring it out on the field together.

I'm going to embrace it and have fun, but it's not going to be easy," Hunter said. "I expect to learn and grow as much as possible this season."

It's really difficult to predict that someone is going to be successful out of the gate," Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told ESPN this week. "You're making these long-term, probabilistic bets that guys who perform the way Kristian and Marcelo and Roman have tend to be productive big leaguers."