Browsing: fades

For every player a fantasy manager deems worthy of reaching for in fantasy drafts, thereâ€s another theyâ€ll actively look to avoid, especially if their average draft position (ADP) is too high.

With that in mind, Rotoworld basketball analysts Cole Huff, Noah Rubin, Raphielle Johnson and Zak Hanshew each picked two players they are fading at ADP for this season. Check it out below.

On a more positive note, you can see some of our staff favorites for 2025-26 here.

Your one-stop-shop for Rotoworldâ€s fantasy basketball draft coverage.

Cole Huffâ€s picks: G James Harden (LA Clippers) and C Ivica Zubac (LA Clippers)

This is not meant to be a knock on Harden — I trust that he will continue to lead the Clippers and could record one of his more efficient seasons shooting the basketball in quite some time, due to a presumably lighter load throughout the season. Given Kawhi Leonardâ€s good health to start the season, the additions of John Collins and Bradley Beal as potential scoring boosts to the starting lineup, and an actual reliable point guard in Chris Paul now on the roster to prevent Harden from being overworked, the scoring and overall usage should probably come down a bit for the former league MVP.

This could all change quickly if age is a factor for this veteran team and Harden is forced to shoulder the load again out of necessity. But if health is not a concern, Iâ€d expect The Beard to finish more closely to a top-10 point guard finish than a top-5.

As for Zubac, Iâ€m not as high on him this season from a fantasy standpoint; Iâ€m expecting his production to dip a bit, like Harden. He cracked 30.0 minutes per game for the first time in his career last season and set career-bests in points, rebounds, and assists per game by a comfortable margin. But context is essential — Zubac missed only two games all season and saw increased opportunities (which he took advantage of) due to the rosterâ€s clear lack of a second reliable big.

With Brook Lopez backing him up as arguably one of the best reserve centers in the NBA, and John Collins able to offer small-ball center looks, thereâ€s a good chance we see Zubac on the court less throughout the 82-game slate.

Noah Rubinâ€s picks: G Jalen Green (Phoenix Suns) and F DeMar DeRozan (Sacramento Kings)

Iâ€m happy Green is getting the opportunity to start fresh in Phoenix. I think it is the best thing for his career. However, I donâ€t know why anyone would expect a dramatic change in production in his first year away from Houston. According to NBA.com, Greenâ€s usage rate last season was 26.7, the highest mark on the Rockets. Sure, Devin Booker (28.5) and Kevin Durant (28.3) both boasted higher usage rates, and Green is set to replace Durantâ€s touches, but do we really expect Green to get the same opportunities as KD? And even if he does see a bump in usage, does that mean he will magically get more efficient or impact the game in new ways?

Iâ€m not saying Green is going to take a step back, but the idea that heâ€s worth a top-75 pick just because heâ€s in Phoenix isnâ€t something Iâ€m on board with. He certainly has a stronger case in points leagues, but Iâ€m not expecting a dramatic jump in production, and he finished 79th in Yahoo! standard scoring last season.

It might just be time for DeMar. Heâ€s been one of the more consistently available players in the league for the past decade, but his athleticism isnâ€t where it used to be. Thatâ€s entirely understandable for a 36-year-old, but it just means he isnâ€t as effective as he used to be, and heâ€s on a team with multiple ball-dominant players. One stat that showcases athleticism is rim attempts, and he only took 9.3 percent of his shots last year in the restricted area after being at 22.2 percent the year before and at least 18 percent each of the three years before that.

DeRozan is typically a player who creates most of his shots on his own. Still, he created his fewest shots per possession since 2015 and took more shots off passes from his teammates per possession than he has in any individual season for the past decade. Thatâ€s basically nerdspeak for “DeRozan is getting old.†I donâ€t see a world where heâ€s better than last season, especially with the lack of changes the Kings made, other than bringing in Dennis Schröder to take even more touches away from DeMar.

Early ADP data shows that some players are potentially being overvalued by fantasy managers.

Raphielle Johnsonâ€s picks: C Domantas Sabonis (Sacramento Kings) and F RJ Barrett (Toronto Raptors)

Average draft position analysis can be tricky this time of year, as there isnâ€t much data to rely on. However, Sabonisâ€s first-round ADP in 12-team leagues is a bit concerning. While heâ€s undoubtedly been a fantasy stud in the past, I think his value will take another hit this season. After last seasonâ€s trade deadline, Sabonis averaged 16.4 points, 13.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.5 three-pointers per game. While the Kings have addressed the point guard position by adding Dennis Schröder, Sabonis will still have to exist in a lineup that includes two ball-dominant perimeter players in Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. The Kings†centerâ€s rebounding production may not suffer, but the scoring is a concern.

As for my other pick, there are also ADP concerns regarding Barrett. As of Tuesday night, he had an ADP of 82.4 in Yahoo! leagues. Barrett has never been a top-100 fantasy player in totals or per-game value, and heâ€s had just one top-150 season in his NBA career. For him to have an ADP comfortably within the top 100 at this juncture is wild. And even though Barrett looked good in Torontoâ€s preseason opener on Monday, heâ€s in a starting lineup that will include three other players who need to have the ball in their hands in Immanuel Quickley, Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram. Will there be enough touches available for Barrett to threaten top-100 value, much less finish within that threshold? I say no.

Zak Hanshewâ€s picks: C Alperen Åžengün (Houston Rockets) and G Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks)

Şengün finished with 19.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.8 blocks and 0.3 triples while shooting 49.6% from the floor and 69.2% from the charity stripe. Despite productive numbers as a scorer, rebounder and facilitator, the points, assists, steals and shooting percentages were all steps down from his 2023-24 numbers. With Amen Thompson expected to continue his ascension as a playmaker, Kevin Durant ready to come on board as a scorer and rebounder and guys like newcomer Clint Capela and breakout candidate Tari Eason on track to eat up minutes and usage, how can Sengun be expected to take a step forward in 2025-26?

Heâ€s Nikola Jokić and Domantas Sabonis lite, but he doesnâ€t rebound as effectively as Sabonis, score as prolifically as Jokic, and pass as well as either. Sengun is being overvalued and overdrafted, and I wonâ€t be rostering him anywhere.

Brunson enjoyed another productive season in 2024-25, finishing with averages of 26 points, 2.9 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 0.9 steals and 2.3 triples across 34.5 minutes. The superstar guard has offered elite scoring and strong playmaking in his time with the Knicks, though his big numbers have come at the cost of heavy minutes and high usage. With Tom Thibodeau out in New York and Mike Brown in, expect the Knicks to limit minutes across the board consciously.

Brunson finished 50th in per-game fantasy value a season ago, but thereâ€s no way he approaches that production level moving forward. With a new game plan and additional role players – Guerschon Yabusele, Jordan Clarkson, Landry Shamet, Malcolm Brogdon – look for Brunsonâ€s playing time and statistical output to decrease.

Source link

Welcome to GOLF’s Fully Equipped’s weekly Tour equipment report. Each Friday of PGA Tour weeks (plus other times, if news warrants), GOLF equipment editor Jack Hirsh will run you through some of the biggest news surrounding golf clubs on Tour, including changes, tweaks and launches.

There’s no doubt, the fade has become the preferred shot shape at the upper echelons of golf.

The years of players meticulously crafting their swings to move from the inside out and hit push-draws have been replaced with power players pulling the club inside as hard as they can and hitting left-to-right peelers to retain spin and control.

Min Woo Lee, with his 124+ mph ball speed (fourth on the PGA Tour this season), is no exception. So why did Lee just switch into Callaway’s Eltye Triple Diamond Tour Draw driver head?

To understand why Lee, a modern power hitter who typically plays a fade, would switch into a driver head optimized to hit the ball the other way, we need to understand exactly what the Callaway Triple Diamond Tour Draw (herein referred to as the Triple Diamond TD) platform does.

The Triple Diamond head is Callaway’s Tour-inspired driver profile. It’s a slightly smaller head (450 cc), has more of a pear shape preferred by better players and, most importantly for our purposes, it has a right bias.

Lee won earlier this year at the Texas Children’s Houston Open with the Elyte Triple Diamond head, but notably, he had a wild right miss on the 70th hole, leaving the crucial tee ball in the water. He ended up making a bogey and got the win, but the right miss was the ball Lee feared, and it made him gunshy, according to Callaway Tour Content Manager Johnny Thompson. Lee fell from 5th to 102nd this season in Strokes Gained: Off-the-tee this season and hit just 55 percent of his fairways.

“With Triple Diamond, in the direction that his golf swing went. He was, he was looking up sometimes and seeing like, ‘Man, that kind of really slid and I just don’t feel like the golf swing produced that much slide,’” Thompson said. “That little doubt, which, under high-pressure situations, on those difficult golf courses they play, can be very discomforting, especially coming down the stretch.”

That’s where the Triple Diamond TD solves the problem. The Tour Draw head isn’t your typical draw-bias game improvement driver — although Callaway has a staffer, Alex Noren, who uses one of those for similar reasons.

Callaway Elyte Mini, TD Max and TD Tour Draw drivers | 4 things to know

By:

Jack Hirsh

The TD TD was introduced because Callaway found that players, specifically on lower speed tours like the PGA Tour Champions and LPGA, were setting up Triple Diamond heads to negate some of the head’s right bias. It has less face progression (the face of the driver sits behind the center of the shaft — i.e. more offset) and a different center of gravity to help encourage a straighter start line.

That turned out to be just what Lee needed.

“When they tested the Triple Diamond TD with the guys over in Europe, it was almost plug and play,” Thompson said. “Because he didn’t change his shaft. He didn’t change the length, didn’t change swing weight. The weights were even set up very similarly so that the feel of where the CG is in relation to the shaft axis — all that stuff was fairly similar.

Min Woo Lee’s new Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond Tour Draw.

Callaway

“You could almost call it like a single variable change where they just gave a reduction of right bias.”

The new build paid immediate dividends for Lee two weeks ago at the FedEx Open de France where Lee was No. 2 in SG: Off-the-tee and T1 in driving accuracy on his way to a T5 finish.

This week in Mississippi, despite a lackluster 70-73 showing, Lee ranked inside the top-30 in SG: Off-the-tee, picking up more than a shot-and-a-half on the field.

Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond Tour Draw Custom Driver

Draw It Like a Pro

The all-new Elyte Triple Diamond Tour Draw is designed for better golfers who desire to turn the ball over from right to left and prefer a more compact, tour-proven head shape.
Features the same shape and specifications of the popular Triple Diamond model.
The Elyte TD positions slightly more weight heel-ward to enhance a golfer’s ability to turn the ball over compared to Triple Diamond model.

Game-Changing Technologies of Elyte

Shaped for Speed: The all-new Elyte Triple Diamond shape provides enhanced aerodynamics for elite speed throughout the entire golf swing.
Thermoforged Carbon Crown: This aerospace grade carbon fiber enables a low CG for optimal launch and spin.
Ai 10x Face: Our most advanced Ai face to date, the new Ai10x Face enhances speed, spin, and dispersion across the entire face.

View Product

ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA TOUR Superstore, Callaway Golf

Disappearing 4-irons

3 gear trends at PGA Championship that caught my eye

By:

Johnny Wunder

First, they came for the 1-irons, then the 2s and 3s. Now, even PGA Tour pros are opting to take 4-irons out of their bags in favor of more forgiving 9-woods and hybrids.

At the Sanderson Farms Championship this week, a 12 players are going without a 4-iron, employing a high-lofted fairway wood or hybrid in its place to attack pins at the Country Club of Jackson.

Even as players opted to remove long irons, for a while it seemed like the trend would stop with 4-irons. But now Tour reps are able to adjust internal weighting of hybrids and high-lofted fairway woods to the point where they can produce any ballflight a player needs.

Many of them are replacing them with Ping 9-woods and hybrids.

“10 years ago, I would imagine there had probably been no players without a 4-iron,” Ping Tour Rep Kenton Oates told GOLF. “Now you have 12 guys not using one.”

PING G440 Max Custom Fairway Wood

The G440 fairway family (MAX, LST, SFT) advances PING’s reputation as a Tour-preferred model of choice through a re-designed face structure and low CG system. The face is taller for more confidence off the tee while maintaining a CG location that delivers high- launching performance off the ground. The MAX model (which fits most golfers) is available in five lofts (including a new 4-wood) to provide more gapping solutions. 
HIGH MOI
Easy to launch, stable design increases forgiveness. 
FLEXING FACE
Maraging steel face flexes for more ball speed, optimizes spin. 
TALLER FACE PROFILE
Improves performance off the tee, maintains low CG. 
FREE-HOSEL DESIGN
Saves weight to lower CG, optimize launch/spin and increase forgiveness.

View Product

ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore

Oates said, with the dramatic uptake in use of launch monitors, players are much more aware of their impact numbers and have become less steep in their angle of attack. Couple that with advances in equipment, especially the golf ball, and even pros with speed lose distance with 4-irons because they don’t spin enough. Then they have a gapping issue.

“Let’s say your 7-iron goes 190, your 6-iron is 203, your 5-iron is at 216, well, then the 4-iron is only going 220 or 223 because it’s just not staying in the air,” he said. “That player probably hits their 7-wood 255.”

That’s when a 9-wood becomes a great option because it can consistently carry 230 yards and modern advancements in weighting allow players to control trajectory better. As a bonus, it’s way more forgiving.

“It feels like you have a pitching wedge that you hit 230 yards, which you can imagine that’s a pretty good feeling to have,” Oates said.

He did give the example of a player with a high ballflight who might find a 9-wood always flies that same peak height. But that’s when you can use a 4- or 5-hybrid to fill the gap like Thriston Lawerence and Paul Petersen are doing this week.

Odyssey S2S Tri-Hot Launch

It’s that time of the year when companies are releasing new 2026 gear seemingly every week.

This week, Odyssey’s Square 2 Square Tri-Hot putters launched on all global tours and GOLF’s Jake Morrow got a look at the new designs at this week’s Epson Tour Championship.

Odyssey’s new Tri-Hot S2S putters.

Jake Morrow/GOLF

The Odyssey S2S Tri-Hot Jailbird.

Jake Morrow/GOLF

The Odyssey S2S Tri-Hot Jailbird.

Jake Morrow/GOLF

The Odyssey S2S Tri-Hot Jailbird.

Jake Morrow/GOLF

The Odyssey S2S Tri-Hot line appears to have a new face technology.

Jake Morrow/GOLF

The Odyssey S2S Tri-Hot Rossie.

Jake Morrow/GOLF

The Odyssey S2S Tri-Hot Rossie.

Jake Morrow/GOLF

The Odyssey S2S Tri-Hot No. 7.

Jake Morrow/GOLF

The Odyssey S2S Tri-Hot No. 7.

Jake Morrow/GOLF

The Odyssey S2S Tri-Hot line has a new pistol grip.

Jake Morrow/GOLF

So far, the folks at Odyssey are tight-lipped about the new technology in these putters, but from what we can see, there’s an obvious story of the weighting of these putters compared to the original Odyssey Square 2 Square.

The shaft is placed more forward with the S2S Tri-Hot and because the shaft axis of a zero torque putter must be through the CG of the putter, that mean mass must be pushed forward in these putters. That implies less onset than the original S2S, which should offer a more standard look to those coming from a traditional putter.

There appears to be a new dual-material face insert that maintains the AI Smart Face tech from the Ai-ONE line.

Lastly, a new red and black color scheme bears a striking resemblance to Xander Schauffele’s gamer.

Check this out

This section is dedicated to one cool photo we’ve snapped recently on Tour, but haven’t had a reason to share yet. For this week, check out this special TaylorMade MG4 wedge gifted to Rory McIlroy at the Travelers Championship in June to commemorate his Career Grand Slam at the Masters.

Rory McIlroy’s gift from the TaylorMade wedge team.

Jack Hirsh/GOLF

Odds and Ends

Some other gear changes and notes we’re tracking this week.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout is in PXG’s new Lightning driver (9˚) and fairway wood (15˚) that launched at the Procore. He has the UST LIN-Q White 7F5 in the driver and a Graphite Design Tour AD XC 7-X in the 3-wood … Both Hayden Buckley and Taylor Montgomery added new Titleist GT2 drivers to the bag and Titleist again had more than double the number of drivers in play (62/46%) of any other brand…. Project X launched the new Denali Frost Black and Blue wood shafts this week … Michael Thorbjornsen and Jacob Bridgeman have inserted TaylorMade’s new TP5 golf ball this week … Nicolai Hojgaard switched into a combo set of Callaway X Forged and the unreleased ’26 Apex MBs … With a 71-67 start, journeyman pro Vince Covello is off to the best 36-hole start of his PGA Tour career in his first week using Titleist’s new Pro V1x Left Dash.

3 things you should read/watch

A selection of GOLF content from the past week that may interest you.

Amari Avery: What’s in the Bag? – At this week’s Epson Tour Championship, Jake Morrow takes you through the bag of former USC star and TaylorMade athlete Amari Avery, including how she ended up in a split set of P770 and P7CB irons.

TaylorMade P770 Custom Irons

FORGED HOLLOW BODY CONSTRUCTION
The forged hollow body construction gives golfers the best of both worlds; beautyand performance. A soft 8620 carbon steel body is paired with an incredibly thinforged 4140 steel face and Thru-Slot Speed Pocket™ for a design that is fast,flexible and forgiving even in a compact head shape.
FLTD CG
FLTD CG strategically positions the center of gravity (CG) the lowest in the long ironsand progressively shifts higher throughout the set. Using up to 46g of tungsten, FLTDCG is designed to provide players with improved launch and playability in long irons and increase spin in the scoring irons.
SPEEDFOAM AIR
All new SpeedFoam Air is 69% less dense than its predecessor, creating mass savingsthat is redistributed to improve performance. SpeedFoam Air dampens vibrations forexquisite sound and feel while delivering a fast, flexible face.

TOUR-INSPIRED SHAPING
Featuring elegant refinements, including less offset in the long irons, the new P•770is designed to fit the eye of a more discerning player with visual cues including a thintopline, less offset, and shorter blade length when compared to the P•790.

THRU-SLOT SPEED POCKET

The Thru-Slot Speed Pocket™ provides increased face flexibility while preserving ballspeed and distance on low face strikes.

View Product

How to fill the top end of your golf bag | Bag Builders — We look at Callaway’s three new long game options in the Apex Utility Series and see how you can use them to build out the top end of your golf bag.

Callaway 2025 Apex Custom Utility Wood

The Apex UW is designed for serious, avid golfers seeking the perfect blend of a fairway wood’s power and a hybrid’s versatility. Engineered with Tour feedback and loaded with performance technologies, it delivers a higher, more neutral ball flight with the control all players demand. 
TUNGSTEN SPEED WAVE
A dynamic, 41g+ tungsten wave structure positions mass low and forward, enhancing ball speed and launch—particularly on low-face strikes where players tend to lose distance.
STEP SOLE DESIGN
A redesigned sole with a stepped geometry reduces turf interaction, helping to maintain swing speed through impact and promoting more consistent contact across different lies.
TRIAXIAL CARBON CROWN
The lightweight carbon construction allows for strategic weight redistribution, creating a more forgiving clubhead while refining launch and spin for greater shot-making control.
TOUR-INSPIRED SHAPING
Designed with input from the world’s best, the compact, refined shape and neutral face angle inspire confidence at address and deliver workability from tee to turf.

View Product

Ryder Cup 2025: Inside the golf bags of Team Europe — Take an inside look at some of the key clubs used by Team Europe on their way to winning their second Ryder Cup in a row last weekend at Bethpage Black.

Want to overhaul your bag in 2025?Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.