Fantasy Baseball Forecaster Playoff Round 1, Week 2: Sept. 7-13

          The wait-and-see continues for Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees as we head into the second week of the fantasy playoffs. Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire
          • Tristan H. CockcroftSep 5, 2026, 10:25 AM ET
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              Tristan H. Cockcroft is senior writer for fantasy baseball and football at ESPN. Tristan is a member of the FSWA Hall of Fame. He is also two-time LABR and four-time Tout Wars champion.
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          Fantasy baseball's Week 23 gets off to an earlier start than usual due to Labor Day on Monday. There are eight day games scheduled, with the earliest starting at 1:05 p.m. ET. Make sure to set your lineups prior to heading out for your holiday activities.

          The New York Yankees play a six-game homestand against a pair of sub-.500 opponents -- the Colorado Rockies (Tuesday-Thursday) and New York Mets (Friday-Sunday). Note that Friday's Subway Series opener against the Mets marks the 25th anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11.

          This could be the week in which Aaron Judge (ribs, 10-day IL) returns to the Yankees' lineup. Fantasy managers, particularly those who play in leagues with weekly transactions, should keep watch for updates on his status in advance of Monday's lineup deadline. Judge might first require a minor league rehabilitation assignment and/or need to serve as the team's designated hitter while getting occasional days off initially. With the news available at publishing time, he's more likely to help fantasy managers in daily than weekly leagues.

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