Hey everyone,
Last year I launched this with basically no idea what I was doing — I just wanted a real newsletter for my own league. The early weeks were rocky, and a lot of you stuck with it anyway. To every legacy user coming back for another season: thank you. You kept this project alive while we knocked down bugs, learned the hard way, and built something sturdier.
And to the small Discord crew — seriously, thank you. I've never had a community around anything I've made before. It's a little nerve-wracking, and I just want you all to have fun with the tool.
NHL opening night is Sept 29 and football is already rolling — this is the full offseason package for 2026–27. Preseason Mode, more platforms (including Sleeper for NFL), hockey + football, new themes, sharper writing, and a pile of scoring/UI polish. One post, everything that shipped. Hoping this year is even better.
Important for Yahoo users: API access
Mid-2026, Yahoo flipped Fantasy Sports API access to an approval-only model and effectively yoinked live Fantasy API access for a ton of apps (including us). You can still sign in / link Yahoo, but calls to Yahoo's Fantasy endpoints can return 403 until Yahoo re-approves the app.
We're in the API application / review process and hope to have access restored before the regular season starts — but timing is entirely up to Yahoo. Until then:
- Demo newsletters still work (hockey + football sample data).
- ESPN, Fantrax, and Sleeper linking and live weeks still work.
- Preseason Mode still works for leagues we can load (and manual team entry).
- When Yahoo restores Fantasy API access, Yahoo live weeks should light back up without you needing a new app.
Preseason / Draft Mode
- Brand-new Preseason Mode: Generate a full draft-week preview from your linked league — no live scoreboard required.
- Customizable Inputs: Pick a league, set the defending champ, drag final standings into order, set next year's draft order, and declare keepers. Everything saves so you can tweak and regenerate.
- Keeper detection: Yahoo and ESPN keepers pull in automatically where available; Fantrax keepers can be entered manually.
- AI packet: Welcome, hangover rankings, keeper watch, draft outlook, storylines, dark horses, a bold prediction, and a commissioner's tip — grounded in the facts you entered.
- Fresh preseason design: Masthead, champ callout, podium standings, early-pick draft board, and keeper chips.
Platforms, Sports & Demos
- Yahoo, ESPN, Fantrax & Sleeper: Four-platform support for live weeks. Yahoo live data is paused pending Yahoo's Fantasy API approval (see note above). Sleeper is football-only — link with your Sleeper username (no cookies). Fantrax linking is cookie-based.
- Hockey and football: H2H categories, points, and roto — scoring type is auto-detected from league settings.
- Demo / Test Newsletter: Full AI sample for hockey or football without a live league or weekly stats.
- Faster generation: Parallel roster fetches and smarter Gemini calls to cut wait time.
Themes, Layout & Mobile
- New themes: Siren, Endzone, Magazine, Gazette, Preview (preseason masthead look for weekly issues), and Sideline (light football theme).
- Landing page rebuild: Cleaner hero, feature grid, screenshots, FAQ, and clearer "how to link" messaging.
- Share cards: Theme-aware POTW / SGM / MOTW images for the group chat.
Writing, Awards & Scoring Accuracy
- Letter to the Editor: Sharper prompts, clearer tone voices, and better grounding in week/opponent/scoring/weak spots.
- Power rankings: Order is blended from standings + weekly strength in code; AI writes the blurbs.
- POTW / SGM cards: Fixed heights, better headshot sizing so blurbs fit, and readable flip-card text across light and dark themes.
- Wall of Shame: Pure DNPs (all-zero floors) no longer clutter the board.
- Z-score audit: Centralized player z-scores; football Int/Fum Lost inverted correctly; skip missing stats; gate DNP GAA; exclude SA from z; unify starters-only filters across SGM, power rankings, POTW, Wall of Shame, and the letter.
- Trade chips: Winner / fair tags added
- Clearer footnotes: Scoring notes updated so what's measured matches what's shown.
Account & Site Polish
- Weekly generation limit: 10 newsletters per week for regular accounts (admins stay unlimited).
- Leagues page: Clearer Yahoo linking alerts and help.
- Season readiness: UI, copy, and tooling pointed at 2026–27.
Try Preseason Mode from your account, pick Preview or Sideline in settings if those looks fit your league, and hop into Discord with feedback. Yahoo folks — hang tight; as soon as Yahoo flips the switch, you'll hear about it here and in Discord.
Good luck this season — thank you for using the service!
-Drew