RotoRob

In 2024, the Cleveland Guardians won 92 games, last year regressing slightly to 88 although still good enough for a second straight playoff appearance. This season, after a bit of a tough week in which it dropped three of four, Cleveland has turned things around with back-to-back wins and is holding onto first place in the AL Central, a half game up on red hot Detroit.

The Steelers have definitely been good enough to flirt with or land a playoff spot for several years now, but the last time they got past the first round was 2017, and even then, it was only because of a bye. So it’s now been a decade since Pittsburgh has actually won a postseason game.

In fact, Hield had only played in 25 total minutes with Atlanta before going off on Sunday for his best game of the season. Even before landing on the Hawks, he was only playing 17.5 MPG, so not really enough to provide consistent Fantasy value, but when he played just five minutes in his Atlanta debut, the writing was on the wall: he’s not Fantasy relevant anymore.

Fortunately, the Stars held on for a 5-4 home win in a critical match against Minnesota on Thursday to give themselves a four-point cushion over the Wild with three games to go. The first round series between these rivals is going to be fantastic!

Since managing just 66 wins in 2022, the Detroit Tigers have slowly been building into a legitimate contender. They upped that total to 78 the following year and then in 2024 finally enjoyed a winning campaign – their first since 2016 – with 86 wins. Last season, they added another win to that total and have now made the playoffs in back-to-back years, ending a nine-year drought in the process.

Just two years ago, the Toronto Raptors managed just 25 wins and things looked pretty bleak for a team that had won the championship just a few years earlier. However, Toronto bumped that total to 30 last season, and despite some recent struggles is now closing in on 45 wins this season with five games remaining.

The Utah Jazz has dropped seven straight games (and 19 of 22) and now sit just one game ahead of Sacramento for last place in the Western Conference. Still, Utah has already won four more games than it did all of last season when it suffered through the worst campaign in franchise history, so there are some positives to see if you squint hard enough.

Could San Francisco continue to tinker in free agency? Absolutely!

No, that season wasn’t nearly as good as his 2022 campaign, which was arguably one of, if not the best of his career, a year in which he hit for the cycle – something no Cardinal has done since.

This season, he’s already shattered his personal best in wins (25) and tied his career high in shutouts. Wedgewood ranks 10th in the NHL in goals saved above expected, and really, since shedding his label as a career backup, he’s exceeded expectations. Consider him a top six Fantasy option down the stretch.