Yahoo Sports faced criticism last week following significant layoffs and the implementation of a new AI-driven content strategy.
Just one week after longtime fantasy sports writers Andy Behrens and Dalton Del Don were laid off, several voices in the fantasy community raised concerns about Yahoo Sports’ increasing use of artificial intelligence in its coverage. A Yahoo Sports spokesperson, however, told Awful Announcing that AI adoption is not linked to the recent layoffs.
Amid the controversy, Yahoo also announced some additions and extensions to its fantasy football team.
Justin Boone joins Yahoo Sports from The Score, where he was the lead fantasy football analyst. He’s widely regarded as one of the most accurate voices in fantasy football, having won the Fantasy Pro Most Accurate Expert Award in 2019 and landed eight top-10 finishes in that same ranking over the years. Meanwhile, Matt Harmon is back for his eighth season at Yahoo, continuing to host Yahoo Fantasy Forecast and contribute to Football 301.
Yahoo hinted last week that moves were coming, even as they pushed back against criticism over layoffs and AI use. These new hires confirm that promise. Instead of just cutting costs or relying entirely on AI, Yahoo is doubling down on proven fantasy expertise.
The story that sparked much of the criticism, “Why Jameson Williams is no longer a boom-or-bust fantasy football option in 2025,” ran last Tuesday under a “Yahoo Sports” byline and carried a clear disclaimer: “This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an AI tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.”
Yahoo is walking a fine line here, trying to balance innovation and efficiency with audience trust. The layoffs and AI use were used as a vehicle for criticism. Still, these recent moves show the company is serious about maintaining credible, expert-driven fantasy content while embracing new tools.
How smoothly that balance holds up will be worth keeping an eye on.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.