Brewers top-seeded Milwaukee hosts Chicago in a five-game NLDS after a bye, aiming to carry regular-season momentum into October. Chicago, fresh off a wild-card triumph over San Diego, leans on a high-powered lineup to test Milwaukee’s depth. Home-field in Games 1, 2, and 5 favors the Brewers, while Chicago eyes leverage in Chicago for Games 3 and 4. Fantasy angles center on Brewers stars Yelich, Chourio and Turang delivering at bat, and Cubs contributors Tucker, Crow-Armstrong and Busch seizing key moments.

Ohtani and Judge top the 2026 roto rankings as must-picks in fantasy baseball drafts, with Ohtani's DH/SP dual-usage giving him an edge over traditional hitters and Judge offering elite batting average though fewer stolen bases. The list also spotlights 30/30 potential, durable sluggers, and a Dodgers-heavy landscape that shapes early-round strategy across roto formats.

Kyle Tucker's 2025 season, after a pre-season swap from Houston to Chicago, thrust him into the offseason spotlight as a premier free-agent prize. In 136 games for the Cubs he posted a .266 average with 22 homers, 73 RBIs and 25 steals, carrying a .377 on-base and a prime-age pulse that has contending teams lining up. Beaston’s projection points to Philadelphia as a tantalizing landing spot if the Cubs don’t match offers. Houston’s future decisions hinge on whether Tucker remains in the mix for 2026.

Padres grab Game 2 on Manny Machado’s late, shot across the left-field bleachers, flipping the series momentum as Cubs’ bats stall for a second straight game. Shota Imanaga allowed a heater in the fifth that Machado belted, and Chicago’s lineup—K Tucker, Happ, PCA—continued to slump, striking out in bunches. San Diego’s bullpen and late-inning depth loom large ahead of a decisive Game 3, where every at-bat and bullpen matchup could decide the NLDS fate.