Welcome back, Props fam!

All of this training camp news flooding my timeline has me feeling all kinds of nostalgic. NFL is officially here, and that means fantasy football draft season is right around the corner – honestly, my favorite time of the sports calendar.

I miss those old-school in-person drafts, man. Getting everyone together with a real draft board, some player-name stickers, and maybe a half barrel of domestic beer goodness on a late August afternoon.

There was something magical about physically moving those stickers around, trash-talking face-to-face, and watching someone's championship dreams crumble when they accidentally drafted two kickers in the first ten rounds (we've all been there).

These days, it feels nearly impossible to get everyone in the same room, backyard, or dive bar once a year to draft. Props to the virtual leagues, though – and I'm in one where half the crew still shows up to draft together while we connect virtually with the guys who can't make it. Best of both worlds, I guess.

I've got one mandatory in-person home league entering year 11 that I'll never give up: I founded a 16-team auction keeper-league monster years ago. I’ve finally passed commissioner duties onto someone else😮‍💨 (good luck Steve, who is pictured behind the trophy – although that’s the closest he’ll ever get to keeping it 😜).

Everyone still shows up from all over Eastern PA in present day, even though most of us grew up in the same local area. And you know what? Everyone loves it.

As time goes on and you get older, those moments mean that much more. That's what sports and fantasy sports are really about – sure, there's competition, but it's the camaraderie that keeps us coming back.

Sometimes I can't believe it's been decade(s) since we were drafting guys like Joe Horn, Curtis Martin, and LaDainian Tomlinson. The early 2000s feel like yesterday and a lifetime ago at the same time.

Best ball has basically taken over the industry as a year-round phenomenon now, but this stretch leading up to September? It'll always hold a special place in my heart.

Anyway, enough of my rambling about the good old days – let's dive into plenty of FREE MLB picks, plus I'm excited to share some of our NFL content with you.

- Justin Carlucci, Props Editorial / Proud 3x champ & 9x playoff participant of the best home league on the East Coast

It’s time to power up our portfolios and hunt for some homers!

Here's the thing about home run hunting – sometimes you have to dig past the obvious chalk to find the real value. Matt LaMarca has two picks that have us pretty fired up.

First, there's a White Sox slugger who was a major trade deadline name (again) but stayed put. His season numbers look ugly (.653 OPS), but the market is missing something huge: this guy still ranks in the 94th percentile for bat speed and crushes southpaws.

The market overreacted and dropped his next pick +600 at some books, which is silly for a guy with 9 homers and a .234 ISO against lefties this season. Sometimes the best plays are hiding in plain sight. Play this one at Betr Picks today!

Up next: Strikeouts.

Justin Bales gives us two FREE strikeout picks for play on Underdog Fantasy tonight.

“There's a Phillies’ lefty who's a complete enigma: He ranks in just the 31st percentile for whiff rate, but somehow sits in the 83rd percentile for chase rate. The key? He's got a 22% put-away rate on four of his six pitches.”

Be on the lookout for UD promos and specials each day. Use Underdog promo code “PROPS” when signing up to get a 50% deposit match up to a maximum of a $1,000 bonus!

I don't know about you, but seeing actual football yesterday had me feeling excited for the regular season.

The Hall of Fame Game kicked off, and while it was just a preseason appetizer, it's got me counting down the days until we're back to crushing some serious NFL action. We have some new work up for the new season!

Betting Cheat Sheet - Before you dive into the betting streets this season, make sure you're speaking the language. Keith Eyster put together this comprehensive NFL Betting Cheat Sheet that breaks down all the essential terms and concepts you need to know.

I'm talking advanced analytics, key betting markets, the stuff that separates the pros from the weekend warriors. Trust me, you don't want to be the guy at the bar who doesn't know what DVOA means when everyone's talking shop come September.

Regression? - Yours truly identified two NFC quarterbacks who are primed for major bounce-back seasons. These two signal-callers faced some adversity last year (don't we all?), but they're positioned perfectly to silence the doubters and exceed expectations in 2025.

Conference Championship Predictions - Bales is back with another Friday futures breakdown, and this week he's zeroing in on conference championship picks. Training camps are in full swing, depth charts are taking shape, and now's that sweet spot where you can still find value before the public catches on.

We’re back to highlight Eduardo Solano’s favorite UFC picks!

This weekend’s main event features Tatsuro Taira, who ripped off his first six straight career UFC matches before losing a split decision to Brandon Royval last October.

He’s well rested, but will he have enough juice to take down Hyun Sung Park?

Have a great weekend, and good luck!

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