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Its the second week of February. We dont even have an NFL champion yet. But fantasy football discussion is a year-long pursuit.

Todays assignment is to look at name-brand players who were previously first-rounders but likely to move out of that exclusive club next season. The arrow is moving in the wrong direction. Heck, in some cases, maybe the cheese has gone bad.

Everything here is written in pencil, of course. Although I am a staunch advocate that high-volume Best Ball drafting is the best way to prepare for the next fantasy year, I wont start my portfolio until after the NFL Draft. Well be ironing things out for a while.

Preamble to the side, here are 2021 first-rounders that I likely will rank outside the first round for next season.

Although I love Chubbs game and it hurts me to move him down, this is one of the easiest calls of the exercise. Early round running backs need to be tied to winning teams and usually need a reliable pass-catching role. I cant guarantee you the 2022 Browns will be a good team, and although Chubb seems like a reasonable receiver to my eyes, Cleveland does not throw the ball to him much.

Staying on the field has been a problem Barkley has missed 21 games in three years. And when he was on the field in 2021, it wasnt a treat a piddly 3.7 YPC, just four total touchdowns. Barkleys PPR value was buoyed by 41 catches, even as his yards per target dipped to a meager 4.6. New head coach Brian Daboll is an exciting hire and the Giants have interesting skill talent on offense, but Barkleys medical file pushes him out of first-round consideration.

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Although Zeke played hurt much of the year, he did get into all 17 games. But his efficiency has been ordinary for a while, especially in the passing game, where his yards per target have fallen five straight years. Elliott steps into his seventh NFL season thats old for a running back and the Cowboys have a younger, fresher alternative to consider in Tony Pollard. This could be close to a 50-50 timeshare next year, even considering Elliotts gigantic contract.

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Ezekiel Elliott is likely off Scott Pianowski's 2022 fantasy football first-round board. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)

Its possible the Aaron Rodgers breakup is finally here, and no one wants to imagine the Packers offense with Jordan Love at the controls. Jones also has to deal with A.J. Dillon, a threat for goal-line work and a more capable receiver than anyone expected. If Rodgers isnt here, I dont see Green Bay making the 2022 playoffs. And Jones isn't going to be a bell cow unless Dillon gets hurt.

This is a nit-picky inclusion for two reasons: Diggs was a borderline first-round pick last year, and I would likely consider him around the 18-24 range for a 2022 draft. But despite his outstanding volume in three of the past four years, hes only been good in the touchdown area, not dominant a high of 10 spikes, and 33 over four years. I understand that touchdown rates have randomness to them, but much like BABIP with a baseball pitcher, I dont consider a touchdown rate to be completely random; the player has to own some of it. If I cant assume 10 Diggs touchdowns in August, I cant draft him in the first round.

Hard to pick on a guy whos ranked TE1, TE2, TE1, TE1, TE1, and TE2 in the past six seasons. But Kelce moves into his age-33 season, and Im trying to draft younger with my premium fantasy picks. Kelce didnt have bad efficiency numbers in 2021, but his YPC was at a six-year low, and his yards per target was a personal worst. His yards per game also dropped by 24 yards. No one expects a down season for Kelce next year, but Id prefer to draft an ascending talent, not someone whos obviously on the back nine even if were talking about a walk-in Hall of Famer.

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If hes still with Aaron Rodgers, hes a first-rounder to me, maybe even a top-six pick. If Adams runs with Jordan Love, I cant do it. And if Adams links up with a plus quarterback other than Rodgers, Ill re-open the case. The fan in me hopes Rodgers and Adams stay together; since Jerry Rice retired, no QB/WR combination has shown the chemistry of the Green Bay connection.

I still dont know what to do with him; I might slide him back with the big tickets when the bell rings. The Panthers might be screwed at quarterback, but McCaffrey has produced with lesser QBs before. His physical build doesnt have to be a problem if the team continues to use him as a hybrid; the 287 carries back in 2018 were probably a mistake, but McCaffreys 2018 usage would get him back into the first round. You want McCaffrey being tackled by the lighter defenders.

Bottom line, Im human; I have a hard time writing a check for someone whos been hurt and a major fantasy loss for two years running.

He steps into his sixth season after a messy fifth one 3.7 YPC, and his worst yards-per-target figure. The Saints have a new coaching staff and uncertainty at quarterback. Kamara is also dealing with an unclear personal future after last weeks arrest on a battery charge. Well have to revisit this one.

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Who's out of the first round of 2022 fantasy football drafts? - Yahoo Sports

With Tom Brady retired, Rob Gronkowski's widely expected to follow suit.

The four-time Super Bowl champion tight end has played his entire 11-season career catching passes from Brady and already called it quits once. The only thing that could lure him out of retirement in 2020? The chance to play with Brady again in Tampa Bay.

But it turns out Gronkowski's not strictly married to playing with Brady now that Brady's retired, of course. And he's got his eyes on one quarterback in particular if he does keep playing. His choice shouldn't come as a surprise.

I kinda like this young buck quarterback,"Gronkowski said at a promotional appearance on Tuesday, per MassLive. "Hes in the Super Bowl now. Its Joe Burrow, man.

I watched him in college. I just love the way he presents himself out on the football field. In the pocket hes just so calm and he just slings it out on the field."

Rob Gronkowski is a fan of Joe Burrow. Who isn't? (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Of course Gronkowski's drawn to Burrow. Who isn't? Even Super Bowl opponent Odell Beckham Jr. couldn't help but gush about the second-year Bengals quarterback who's taken the NFL by storm with his play and his style. The latter's not lost on Gronk, who's generally scoring style points of his own.

I just love his swag, too," Gronkowski continued. "If I had to pick a quarterback, itd be the young buck Joe Burrow. Hes killing it right now in the game.

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Burrow's early career trajectory isn't entirely unlike Brady's other that whole being drafted No. 1 overall thing. But like Brady, he's led his team on an unexpected run to the Super Bowl against a high-powered Rams team in his second season in the league. Gronk joining him at the tail end of his career would make a compelling storyline. But is it realistic?

Gronkowski's slated to be an unrestricted free agent. As is Bengals tight end C.J. Uzomah. If Uzomah leaves and Gronkowski wants in, the Bengals would surely pick up the phone. This all, of course, depends on Gronkowski continuing to play football. For now, that's far from a given.

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Rob Gronkowski sounds stoked on the idea of playing with Joe Burrow - Yahoo Sports

In a just world, the NFL being exposed for its racist hiring practices and sexist inner workings would be a major stain.

Advertisers would pull commercials and end partnerships. Large numbers of fans would tune out. Players would help shine the light on how poisonous it all really is.

There would be accountability. There would be a true reckoning.

At the moment, unfortunately, those things all feel like pipe dreams. Cash has always ruled everything around us, but the wealthy in this country have accumulated such a disgusting amount of power that they abuse us and then make us feel like it's our fault.

The NFL is just a microcosm. Take the past several days:

Roger Goodell commits some kind of performative dance of feigned distress as a league statement that Brian Flores' lawsuit is "without merit" becomes an internal memo decrying the lack of non-white head coaches and front-office executives, and then Goodell meets with some Black leaders for a few hours on Monday to nod his head and likely offer empty words about how he wants to see change.

There are some who believe Goodell actually cares about this particular issue, and if that's true, it only underscores how performative Monday's meeting actually was, because he isn't the one who needs to sit down with civil rights leaders. It's the team owners.

As noted recently by attorney Cyrus Mehri, a co-creator of the Rooney Rule, it is Goodell's inaction a few years ago that likely led to team owners believing the rule can be flouted, as we see so often. When Mark Davis hired Jon Gruden to be Raiders head coach in 2018, then held a few transparently box-checking interviews with Black candidates, and Goodell didn't bother to sanction Davis in any way, the signal went out: Just pretend you care and are fulfilling the rule.

That's how you get a situation like last week, on the same day Flores filed his lawsuit, when media dutifully tweeted that the Minnesota Vikings spent nine hours with Patrick Graham, a Black man, for their head coaching opening, and were welcoming Jim Harbaugh the next day with the expectation that Harbaugh would get the job.

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In addition to the years he has spent coaching, Graham spent hours preparing for the interview and traveling to Minneapolis for a full day with the Vikings' brass. And no sooner had the car pulled away from the curb to bring him back to the airport, a reporter for the league's in-house media arm tacitly reveals that it was all a sham.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is presiding over a Super Bowl shrouded in scandal, but that's becoming the norm. The league keeps making money. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

On Tuesday, The New York Times published a thorough, damning story on the atmosphere within NFL offices themselves, the ones we've been told are a beacon for diversity and inclusivity. Numerous women went on the record to offer their experiences working for the league's corporate offices, and all a league spokesman offered in rebuttal to many of the claims was more gaslighting and obfuscation.

Allegations of bias and being passed over for promotions are there. A Black woman who went to human resources with a concern that her supervisor was biased and promptly got an exit package to leave. One woman who expressed concern over the video of Kareem Hunt shoving a woman and then kicking her only to be told it was "not as bad as Ray Rice [who punched his then-fiancee unconscious in an elevator]." One woman who was involved with the Super Bowl halftime show said she was shoved by a male colleague during an argument and afterward the colleague was removed from the show and made to undergo anger management but he still holds his title and an NFL spokesman says he didn't shove the woman.

In recent months, Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder lets the NFL take over the investigation into the pervasive, abhorrent culture of harassing women in his team offices with the caveat that the investigation's findings never see the light of day. Snyder never faces questions, his wife goes on the friendliest podcast she can find to whine about how terrible it has all been for her, and the scores of women who were victimized are told by a sitting U.S. congressman that he's sorry they suffered but their suffering isn't important enough to spend his time on.

The fallout from that investigation, such as there was any? Gruden resigned from his head-coach-for-life position with the Raiders after his racist, sexist, anti-gay, xenophobic old emails came to light.

The league's top attorney, Jeff Pash, also had offensive emails leaked, mocking the league's diversity efforts and joking with a former team president about callously cutting a player. Crickets from the league. Pash still has a job.

There was the use of vile race norming to deny retired Black players full concussion settlement money, or any money at all. And a $790 billion settlement with the city of St. Louis after Rams owner Stan Kroenke left it high and dry, breaking the NFL's own relocation rules. The payday was a surprise, but once a judge ruled the city's lawsuit had merit, the league couldn't risk discovery.

This is what the NFL is. All of it.

And yet on Wednesday, Goodell will stand in front of media for his annual Super Bowl news conference and use his late-night-quiet-storm-radio-DJ voice to say absolutely nothing of substance and protect the men and women who pay his salary at all costs. All of their gross misdeeds swept under the rug.

The sad thing is, far too many of the reporters in attendance will mistake his air of gravitas for substance.

On Sunday, the league will run its in-house commercial about racial inequities in things like access and salaries and expect to fool the audience into believing it actually cares when its actions show the opposite.

Millions will be tuned into the Super Bowl, and that means millions for Goodell and the franchise owners. The racism, the misogyny, the gaslighting, the way anything that bubbles to the surface is covered up or never acknowledged ... money means you don't have to be accountable.

As former league employee Alissa Leeds told The New York Times, "Everything's excused in the name of football."

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How many misdeeds can the NFL weather? Wealthy team owners seem intent on finding out - Yahoo Sports

China's Zhu Yi left Olympic ice in tears after falling twice in Monday's free skate during team competition.

The U.S.-born skater competing for China was previously the subject of online vitriol on Chinese social media platform Weibo after falling in Sunday's short program. Her finish in the short program saw host nation China fall from third place to fifth. "Zhu Yi has fallen" trended on Weibo late Sunday after she crashed to the ice and missed another jump later in her performance.

According to CNN, the hashtag gained roughly 200 million views, with some of the online criticism questioning why China selected a U.S.-born athlete for the figure skating team. She was born in Los Angeles to parents who immigrated from China and relinquished her U.S. citizenship in 2018 in order to compete for her parents' home country.

China's Zhu Yi left the Olympic ice in tears on Monday. (Photo by Wang Zhao / AFP)

The 19-year-old was visibly upset after her short program.

Im upset and a little embarrassed, she told reporters on Sunday. I guess I felt a lot of pressure because I know everybody in China was pretty surprised with the selection for ladies singles and I just really wanted to show them what I was able to do but unfortunately I didnt."

A day later, Zhu was back on the ice for the women's free skate, the final event in the team competition. She landed her first two jumps, but fell to the ice on her third, a triple-flip. She fell again on her next jump.

When she completed her free skate, she broke down in tears on the ice. China finished in fifth place, while the Russian Olympic Committee secured gold. The United States won silver and Japan won bronze.

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China's Zhu Yi leaves ice in tears after falling again in team competition - Yahoo Sports

Joe Judge is reportedly going back to the place where he made his name. Judge will reportedly re-join the New England Patriots after he was fired by the New York Giants, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

Judge should be plenty familiar with the Patriots. Prior to joining the Giants, Judge spent eight seasons in New England. Judge served as a special teams assistant, special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach with the team.

When he returns, Judge will assume a new role. He'll reportedly be an offensive assistant in his second stint in New England. The Patriots are in need of help on offense after long-time offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels left to be the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. McDaniels reportedly pursued Judge to be the Raiders' next special teams coach.

Joe Judge is reportedly heading back to New England. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Judge will reportedly return to New England after two difficult seasons with the Giants. New York went 10-23 under Judge. The team's offense ranked 31st in points scored in both of Judge's seasons. After a strong defensive showing in 2020, the Giants' defense gave up the most points in the NFL on a per-game basis in 2021.

Things really fell apart at the end of the 2021 season. Following a loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 17, Judge went on a lengthy rant explaining why fans should continue supporting the team. The situation escalated the following week, when Judge ran a quarterback sneak on third-and-9 to get better field position for a punt.

Giants co-owner John Mara classified the end of the Judge era as "rock bottom," saying the team somehow "got a little worse" each week. Mara also expressed confidence Judge could eventually be a good coach. He'll get the opportunity to rebuild his coaching reputation with the Patriots.

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Joe Judge reportedly lands back with Patriots after getting fired by Giants - Yahoo Sports

Another day, another event, another controversy in Beijing.

Mondays mixed team ski jump event, making its Olympic debut this year, saw a total of five jumpers disqualified for violations regarding their suits.

Athletes from Austria, Japan, Norway and Germany, all of whom are women, were judged to have worn loose-fitting attire that apparently gives jumpers an advantage as they soar through the air.

Katharina Althaus did not mince words after being disqualified from the mixed team ski jumping event at the Olympics. (Photo by Tom Weller/VOIGT/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

German jumper Katharina Althaus was visibly upset following her dismissal from the event and wasn't shy in voicing her displeasure.

The [International Ski Federation] destroyed everything with this operation. I think they have destroyed womens ski jumping, Althaus said, per German sports agency SID. I have been checked so many times in 11 years of ski jumping, and I have never been disqualified once. I know my suit was compliant.

Her coach, Stefan Horngacher, also shared in his athletes disappointment with the controversial outcome.

It is just strange that they have been using the same suits yesterday and there was no problem, Horngacher said. It is annoying that this happens at the Winter Olympic Games. This should all be cleared before.

Norwegian ski jumping chief of sports Clas Brede Braathen called the situation a "dark day" for the sport.

"I am sorry on behalf of ski jumping," he said via Yahoo Sports Australia. "This is something we should have cleaned up in before the Olympics. The sport of ski jumping has experienced one of its darker days today.

"I'm lost for words, really. This is very painful for the athletes. I'm in pain on behalf of our sport. We were going to introduce a new event. The girls were to get a new event in the Olympics, and that's how it ends. And why are only girls being disqualified?"

With numerous contenders out of the running, Slovenia took home the gold medal, with Russia snatching silver and Canada taking bronze. The surprise trip to the podium marked Canada's first-ever Olympic medal in ski jumping.

Despite the inspiring stories and emotional triumphs already celebrated only a few days into these Olympics, the Games have had their fair share of controversial moments so far, ranging from sketchy judgement in skating races to complaints about the poor standards of certain athlete accommodations within the Olympic Village.

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Olympic ski jumping event marred by controversy over outfits - Yahoo News

"If you look up 'cool' in the dictionary theres a picture of him in some Cartier shades. This guys smooth. You cant help but like this guy, hes going to be one of the greats I feel like. I truly believe that.

Joe Burrow, yes, definitely cool, fo' sho', Odell Beckham Jr. said Monday during Super Bowl LVIs Opening Night.

Beckham aint never lied.

Burrow is preternaturally cool. Cool under pressure. Cool at the podium. Cool when hes celebrating with a victory cigar. Cool when hes rocking a massive diamond pendant with his own initials over a black turtleneck, cocooned in a heart-printed jacket. Cool walking on the tarmac in a windowpane suit with a SpongeBob Squarepants pocket square.

Swag has become overused, but damn if Burrow doesnt have swag. On some people, it seems forced. On Burrow it seems effortless.

The truth is, you cant be an effective leader and be fake. People see through it.

Given what the Cincinnati Bengals have done in 29 games with 2020s No. 1 draft pick on the roster, youd be hard-pressed to doubt that what we see isnt him.

Its colossally unfair to put Burrow in the same sentence with Tom Brady, but I had a front-row seat to Brady with the Patriots for a decade. This all feels familiar.

Their paths to the NFL were similar, Brady at one point was buried on the quarterback depth chart at Michigan, and Burrow transferred from Ohio State to LSU to get his chance to start. Their arrivals to the pros, however, were very different. The recently retired Brady was taken 199th overall in his draft or 198 spots behind Burrow.

Thats immaterial here. Were talking about it. The intangible, hard to describe, you-know-it-when-you-feel-it thing that some people have that draws people to them, that allows them to connect with anyone, that makes people want to follow them, that gives them the belief that they can achieve just about anything, obstacles be damned.

Brady has it. Burrow does too.

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Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has style that prompts praise even from opponents and an impact that prompts a comparison to Tom Brady. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

When Brady took over as New Englands quarterback early in the 2001 season, it was for a perpetually mediocre franchise. In a city that had seen incredible success from the Celtics and incredible heartbreak from the Red Sox, the Patriots were third fiddle. Maybe fourth if the Bruins were playing well. And the Patriots didnt even play in the city; they played 20 miles southwest of it, in a terrible old stadium with metal bleacher seating.

There were signs of life on occasion: the Squish the Fish squad from 1985 that was embarrassed by Chicago in Super Bowl XX, the Bill Parcells team in 1996 that was humbled by the Packers in Super Bowl XXXI. But overall there werent a lot of high points.

And then Brady started playing and everything started to change, and theres an entire generation of Patriots fans who dont remember anything but conference championships and Super Bowl wins. Brady's fashion choices were also frequent fodder, though his straight-from-GQ aesthetic is a little different than Burrow's, who clearly embraces Black culture and style.

This isnt to say Burrow is going to carry Cincinnati to nine Super Bowls as Brady did in New England. What it is to say, to borrow from A Knights Tale, is that a man can change his stars. Or the stars of a football franchise.

Hes got ice in his veins, Bengals tight end C.J. Uzomah said Monday. The utmost confidence. We have him in the huddle, we have his mind and his ability to analyze defenses and just be a leader. Just a presence. Ice-cold-blooded killer out there dissecting defenses. Its great.

Its why I call him Franchise he is a franchise player, he can turn an organization around. Its not one person, its a team game, but he is a vital part of why we are where we are. Hes the man, dude. I love Joe.

Hes built for this stage, Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor said. Hes played for state championships, national championship, now hes playing for a Super Bowl. I think thats been his expectation all along. Hes not surprised by it; he rises to these occasions.

It probably helps that while the stages get bigger and the stakes higher, Burrow's approach remains the same.

"Obviously the players get better and the scheme gets better but at the end of the day your mindset stays the same," he said Monday. "When I played in the state championship in high school, it feels the same as playing in the Super Bowl does now. At that moment in my life that was the biggest game I had ever played in. Everything feels the same, but I have more reps in those situations now so I'm probably even a little calmer."

Like Brady, Burrow is quick to compliment the team. At turns on Monday, he credited the Bengals' organization for drafting and signing the best players to fit into the locker room, the coaching staff, and his teammates for the team getting to this point. Knowing the defense will pick him up if he makes a mistake allows him to play freely, he said, and the defense knows the offense will be there if it has a slip-up.

They're young, he said, and never talk about the historical significance of what they're doing for the franchise and the city they represent. They're just out there playing football and getting better.

(Yahoo Sports)

For a stretch, the Bengals were asking why not us? when it came to having playoff success, and Burrow wanted everyone to quit.

It is us, he insisted.

"Anytime that youve got a quarterback that can take you to these heights ... when you believe that your quarterback can take you the distance, it allows everybody to play that one percent better because they know on the other side that trigger man is capable of doing some really special things," Taylor said.

"We have a lot of confidence in him, he has a lot of confidence in himself. Its special to be part of."

Burrow admits he's always been confident as a player, though it waned at times. It might be higher than it's ever been now.

"I feel like I've proven to myself that I can play at a high level, at this level of football," he said. "At Ohio State I was confident, but not as confident maybe as I had been in the past and would be in the future. I wasn't playing and those are the times you really learn a lot about yourself as a player and a person, and keeping confidence high in those situations is tough.

"As a quarterback, it's really important to exude that confidence not only in yourself but in all of your teammates and I think the quarterback sets the tone for the culture in the locker room and I try to be that person for everybody here."

Over the past few weeks, as he has led the Bengals further than they've been in decades, other Ohio-bred stars have reached out, from LeBron James to musician Kid Cudi, one of Burrow's idols. That's the thing that's "crazy" to him, not the football success.

If he does the once-seemingly impossible bring a Super Bowl title to Cincinnati everything will get crazy for Burrow.

That picture of cool, the one of Burrow in some Cartier shades, will be celebrated and copied everywhere.

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Joe Cooler: How Burrow gets people to buy in like Brady with a crossover appeal he could never match - Yahoo Sports

Warning: The following article contains graphic allegations of domestic violence and sexual assault.

The Los Angeles County district attorney's office will not criminally charge Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer after investigating allegations of sexual assault against him, the Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday.

The district attorney decided there is insufficient evidence in the case to "prove beyond a reasonable doubt" that Bauer committed a crime, the Times reported. The investigation by the Pasadena police department has been open for five months.

A San Diego woman said Bauer had two sexual encounters with her that turned violent at his home in Pasadena last year. Bauer has been on paid administrative leave since the allegations in late June.

Trevor Bauer will reportedly not be charged by the LA district attorney's office. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

MLB put Bauer on paid administrative leave on July 2, and with the agreement of the MLB Players Association, the leave continued to be extended through the end of the 2021 season. The last time he pitched for the Dodgers was on June 28.

The league and commissioner Rob Manfred can still opt to suspend him, as they have for other players who have not faced criminal charges.

"MLB's investigation is ongoing, and we will comment further at the appropriate time," MLB said in a statement.

The next step is for Bauer to meet with MLB investigators, who will inform him of their findings and have him respond, per the Times.

A potential suspension falls under what's allowed by the league's domestic violence and sexual assault policy. In 2019, for instance, Dodgers pitcher Julio Uras was arrested for misdemeanor domestic battery and ultimately not criminally charged. Manfred issued a 20-game suspension.

The longest an MLB player has been suspended under the policy without being charged is a full season. Manfred issued that discipline against reliever Sam Dyson in March of 2021. MLB has suspended 14 players over the six years the policy has been active and it has ranged from 15 games to 162, per the Times.

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The allegations of assault came out in June by the woman in San Diego. The following day, in filing for a temporary ex parte restraining order against Bauer, she made disturbing allegations that included graphic images of her injuries after the encounters.

The two reportedly met through Instagram and agreed to meet. She said the sex was initially consensual, but turned violent. Among other allegations, she said Bauer choked her until she was unconscious and performed anal sex on her during that time. She said in filing for the restraining order that she told Bauer the next morning she didn't enjoy it, and said he seemed to understand that. They agreed to meet again a month later, and she said it was again violent. She said he punched her in the head.

Her petition for a permanent restraining order was denied after a four-day court hearing in August, with the judge citing the unlikelihood that Bauer would "cause [the accuser] any harm or even have contact" with her.

The Pasadena Police Department opened an investigation. Reports also emerged that an Ohio woman sought a protective order against Bauer when he pitched for Cleveland in 2017. Bauer's representatives have called the second allegation "categorically false," and said the meeting with the San Diego woman was consensual.

The 2022 season is the second in a three-year, $102 million deal with the Dodgers. The team has refrained from commenting about the allegations and again deferred to MLB's investigation on Tuesday.

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Report: Dodgers' Trevor Bauer will not be criminally charged after sexual assault allegations - Yahoo Sports

Nathan Chen entered the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics a favorite for gold.

A disastrous short program that included a fall on a quadruple lutz left the U.S. figure skater in 17th place and out of the running before the free skate even started. His near-perfect free skate didn't matter for the medal count as he rallied for a fifth-place finish.

On Tuesday, Chen was back on Olympic ice for a short program, again a favorite for gold in Beijing. The result this time was dramatically different. The 22-year-old who helped lead the United States to team silver dazzled with a historic short program that tallied not just a personal best 113.97, but the highest score ever recorded in international competition.

Nathan Chen gave a historic effort in Tuesday's short program (Photo by WANG ZHAO/AFP via Getty Images)

Chen was flawless in executing a routine that was technically the most difficult short program ever performed. When he landed a quad-lutz, triple-toe loop combination more than halfway through the program, he was well on his way to the top spot heading into Thursday's free skate (Wednesday night for American viewers).

He'll enter the free skate ahead of Japans Yuma Kagiyama, who scored a 108.12 in the short program.

While Chen made history, teammate Vincent Zhou was left to watch Tuesday's short program in isolation after he tested positive for COVID-19. The U.S. figure skater learned of his positive test after competing in the team competition and was isolated via the Beijing Games' protocols. He said via Instagram from a hotel room on Tuesday that he was an "emotional wreck."

Vincent Zhou found heartbreak ahead of the short program. (Mario Hommes/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

Zhou, 21, will take home silver for his efforts in the team competition. But after years of preparation, his dreams of competing for an individual Olympic medal met a sudden, excruciating end.

Another U.S. athlete revealed her own bad health news following a scary scene on the slopes on Monday. Alpine skier Nina O'Brien crashed through the finish line of Monday's giant slalom and lay motionless for several minutes as medics tended to her. She left the mountain on a stretcher with little news on her condition available beyond a note from the U.S. ski team that she was "alert and responsive."

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On Tuesday, she revealed on Instagram that she suffered a compound fracture of her left tibia. She wrote that she was "heartbroken" but posted an image of herself in her hospital bed with a smile on her face.

If Tuesday was a gold-medal game preview, then go ahead and crown the Canadians.

Canada's women's hockey team rode a three-goal second period to a 4-2 win over the United States to close out pool play and earn the No. 1 seed for the elimination round. Goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens came up big while saving 51 American shots to ensure a perfect 4-0 record heading into the tournament.

The United States finished 3-1 in pool play and is widely expected to advance alongside Canada into a gold-medal game rematch on Feb. 17. If that's the case, Canada likely can't afford to allow 53 shots on goal for a second-straight matchup.

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What you missed at the Olympics: Nathan Chen crushes, heartbreak for Vincent Zhou - Yahoo Sports

DETROIT The Boston Celtics arent one of the myriad teams feeling they are one move away from vaulting to the top of the Eastern Conference, but they could be in much better shape than previously thought.

In the past few weeks, the Celtics seem to have found an identity one that could very well quell the thirst to trade either Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, but it doesnt involve either specifically.

Through Monday, the Celtics are in the play-in spot, barely behind the soapy Brooklyn Nets at seventh, but the two are moving in vastly different directions. The Celtics have won seven of eight while the Nets have lost eight straight. With the trade deadline approaching, recent events could play a big part in the immediate future.

During this streak, the Celtics turned into a defensive unit, holding their opponents to 38% shooting and 29% from three. Even if they havent exactly gone against offensive juggernauts, the Celtics are whipping opponents by an average of 20 points a night.

Its Robert Williams and Marcus Smart putting their stamp on the team, along with Al Horford being more useful in this stop. Williams gets out on switches and is quick enough to protect the rim, aiding Smart in his pesky ways.

We both know our job on the court, and we both look to each other for the energy, for that drive, that will, Williams said Friday night, after the Celtics took a big lead and held on to beat the Pistons 102-93.

Sometimes we just look at each other in the game and just say, Hey, we got to step it up, then everybody else follows defensively setting the tone.

Boston is fourth in defensive rating only Cleveland, Phoenix and Golden State are better usually a hallmark of a good team, headlined by its best players.

Should the Celtics trade either Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum or is the core already set up for success? (Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

Its a bit different for the Celtics. Not to say Tatum and Brown arent defensively engaged, but theyre not being counted on to be something theyre not quite built for yet: vocal leaders.

The urge is almost too irresistible, to split up the still-youngish duo before they get grownish. Its not an excuse to say Brown is 25, Tatum 23, and believe theres still so much room for growth, even though weve seen plenty.

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But not this incarnation of this team. Even when they fell to 18-21 after a loss to the New York Knicks on Jan. 6, there wasnt real panic from the plan: long, rangy defenders forcing turnovers and clearing the way for two outstanding scorers.

We never had a real look at it. Injury, COVID situations. Now, everyones back healthy for an extended amount of time now, Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. It's kind of what I envisioned defensively with our size and versatility. And even what guys were there for the short amount of time we had success with it was just so much lack of continuity.

The standard for the Celtics is high, and its hard to envision Tatum or Brown being the best player on a team that gets past Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kevin Durant in the East.

Perhaps theyve had their window, fleeting as it was, and squandered it. They came close against the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018, but were too young to seize the moment. It happens, and plenty of teams fall victim to dynastic players coming into their own. You cant say Tatum or Brown have underdeveloped, or underachieved.

You wonder about Tatums shot selection at times, those instances where he gums up the offense to get into his bag and forces the offense when theres no need to. And having two perimeter-oriented scorers who arent foul-drawers is still tougher, albeit not impossible, to build around.

Udoka is walking a fine line, wanting Tatum and Brown to trust each other and their teammates, while also limiting the mind-numbing isolations in the half-court but having it available in doses.

One thing we stress is, having our defense turn into offense, getting stops and turnovers, Udoka said. Its much more beneficial than having isolations, not having to rely on isolations so heavy.

Arguably, theyve each exceeded individual projections to this point, even if it hasnt led to the ultimate team success. Perhaps the Celtics have a blueprint for developing in the immediate future with both, putting rugged defenders around the scorers and winning unconventionally.

But even with the trade deadline days away, it doesnt mean the Celtics should pull the plug on the two. At least not yet.

Cleveland fired the first salvo, acquiring Caris LeVert from a soon-to-be-rebuilding Indiana Pacers team. There are no expectations to make the Finals, but the Cavaliers are positioning themselves to be flexible and filling holes for the future while still giving an honest effort at making some noise this spring.

It wouldnt be surprising to see other teams follow suit in a bunched-up East, as Ben Simmons continues to sit in mothballs and the Nets trip over their own feet waiting for Kevin Durant to come back and save them.

The quality of the conference is far better than its been in decades, but with no one running and hiding, theres opportunity for shrewd moves to take a flier on the rest of the season and sneakily get a jumpstart on the offseason.

Experienced league executives scoffed at the notion of trading one just to get fresh faces in, noting whatever the Celtics get in return wouldnt be a better player or even a better fit.

If its a problem, trading one doesnt solve the problem, one executive told Yahoo Sports.

Executives have called coach turned decision-maker Brad Stevens fair in trade discussions, compared to Danny Ainges approach of trying to get your best player for literally nothing. That has streamlined conversations, leading many to believe Stevens wants to subtly add to the core as opposed to tearing it down.

You hear Smarts name brought up frequently, but hes remained a Celtic this entire time. Horford has another year after this one left on the massive deal he signed to leave Boston a couple years ago, so it could be attractive.

The Celtics were very well in no-mans-land, not good enough or bad enough to turn their fortunes but sitting still, for once, could lead to the best revelation of all.

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Why the Celtics should be content standing pat on Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum - Yahoo Sports