Category: NFL

The defending Super Bowl champions got their title defence off to a winning start as they beat the Dallas Cowboys 24-20 in the NFL season opener on Thursday night.

But the game may well be remembered for an incident before a play had even been made from scrimmage. Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected after just six seconds after spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

Related: NFL 2025 season predictions: will it be Mahomes, Jackson or Allen in the Super Bowl?

Carter, one of the Eagles’ best players, approached Prescott as the teams lined up after the kick-off. The pair exchanged words, and Carter then spat on his opponent. Prescott looked shocked as a gob of phlegm landed on his chest and Carter was immediately sent from the field. He shook his head and smiled as he walked to the tunnel but did not argue with the decision as Eagles fans booed.

“It was a mistake that happened on my side. It won’t happen again,” Carter, said after the game. “I feel bad for just my teammates and fans out there. I’m doing it for them. I’m doing it for my family, also. But the fans, they showed the most love.”

Replays that emerged later showed Prescott had spat in the general direction of Carter, but at the ground, before the confrontation. After the game, Prescott said he wasn’t trying to spit at Carter.

“One of the officials observed him spitting on an opponent,” referee Shawn Smith said. “It’s a disqualifiable foul in the game. It’s a non-football act.”

The effect on the Eagles was immediate: the Cowboys drove down the field and scored on their first possession to go 7-0 up. When Javonte Williams ran in the touchdown, the Eagles line was notably missing the disruptive Carter.

Indeed, the first eight possessions of the game resulted in points – but after a 65-minute lightning delay interrupted the third quarter, neither team could score again.

Jalen Hurts accounted for 214 yards (152 passing, 62 rushing) and Saquon Barkley rushed for 60 yards and a touchdown for the Eagles, who overcame self- inflicted mistakes along with a revamped Dallas defensive front that no longer stars Micah Parsons.

Carter’s ejection was the first of many undisciplined moments for the Eagles, who committed nine penalties for 110 yards.

“I think our discipline wasn’t in it early in the game,” Hurts said. “Great job by our defense being able to battle and respond. Guys stepped in and filled those roles. We came into this game talking about discipline and focus, and we’ll leave it saying the same things.”

Javonte Williams ran for 54 yards and a pair of one-yard touchdowns in his first game for the Cowboys, while Prescott was 21-for-34 passing for 188 yards. CeeDee Lamb led all receivers with seven catches and 110 yards.

Jake Elliott nailed a 58-yard field goal to make it 24-20 Eagles 6:30 into the second half. The Cowboys drove into the red zone and got a free set of downs when Reed Blankenship committed unnecessary roughness in the end zone on a third-down incompletion. However, Miles Sanders fumbled on the next play, Quinyon Mitchell recovered for the Eagles and the lightning delay immediately followed.

Both offenses seemed to be out of juice by the game’s 11.30pm resumption. The next five possessions ended in punts, and Dallas received the ball with three minutes to go. But after Dallas reached their 38-yard line, Lamb dropped passes on second and fourth downs.

Hurts didn’t target star receiver AJ Brown until after that turnover on downs, inside the two-minute warning. Brown made a key eight-yard catch and Hurts scrambled for a first down to ice the game.

(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.)

If you’re looking for contenders who could break through another glass ceiling in fantasy football this coming season, Jameson Williams’ name is likely floating around your draft board. But does the buzz match the reality for 2025? To answer that, let’s turn to the keen insights from Matt Harmon and Scott Pianowski on the latest edition of the "Yahoo Fantasy Forecast," where they dove into Williams’ outlook with the kind of nuance and reality check this wideout deserves.

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Matt and Scott wasted no time calling out a key fantasy football narrative — the idea that Williams "might break out" in 2025 is already a little backward. In Harmon’s words:

“They’re talking about [Williams] again this year like they were last year ... People are being like, ‘Oh, yeah, they’re hyping up Jameson Williams for a breakout year.’ He had a breakout year last year. What are we talking about?"

That’s the crux of it: While many fantasy players and analysts are looking for Williams’ leap this season, Harmon’s view is that the leap already happened in 2024. After a slow start to his NFL career, Williams’ growth last season was more than just flashes — he became a genuine threat in Detroit’s offense.

That said, both Harmon and Pianowski do agree Williams is “a maddening player” — not because he’s unreliable, but because his multi-layered skill set gives Detroit so many options. He can “take the top off the defense” but also house any short throw. That level of weaponry means opposing defenses have to account for him at all times, as Pianowski said:

“He could also catch any pass behind the line of scrimmage or any short little dig and take it to the house ... Just to have a guy like that, it changes how teams have to defend you because they’re just petrified of him all the time.”

The Lions are clearly aware of this. They’ve been vocal about Williams again this offseason, not as a hope-for breakout, but as a key piece they need playing at his best. It’s about keeping him “engaged,” as Harmon put it.

One of the overlooked angles from the Forecast’s discussion was a potential shift in the Lions’ playing style in 2025. Frank Ragnow’s retirement signals trouble for their previously dominant O-line, meaning Detroit might need to pass more simply to move the ball as efficiently as before.

Translation? More volume for Detroit’s pass-catchers, and that includes Williams.

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Williams isn’t just a deep threat or a boom-bust flex. He’s morphing into a true every-week piece, especially with the likely changes to Detroit’s offense after the departure of their All-Pro center.

So, if you’re looking for upside, don’t think of Williams as a guy with more to prove. He’s already proved it — now, he’s stepping into a bigger opportunity with a potentially higher target floor and established big-play upside. That’s a compelling package for a receiver currently being drafted as WR24.

Draft him for what he is, not what you hope he’ll become — because Williams is already living his breakout. The 2025 season might just be where the rest of the world catches up.

(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.)

If you're a fantasy football manager searching for some upside excitement in 2025, Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders are impossible to ignore. On the latest Yahoo Fantasy Forecast, Matt Harmon and Scott Pianowski dived into potential “carnival offenses” for next season — teams with explosive, bankable playmakers and questionable defenses that force their QBs into shootout scenarios every week. In that landscape, Daniels’ fantasy profile has never looked brighter.

Subscribe to Yahoo Fantasy Forecast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.

Both Harmon and Pianowski are bullish on the Commanders’ ability to rack up points. As Matt says, Washington’s offense is “too big to fail” — a top-five or top-six unit is well within reach, especially given the creative influence of OC Kliff Kingsbury and the arrival of Daniels’ dual-threat abilities.

Daniels’ rookie campaign in 2024 already teased fantasy stardom thanks to his dynamic rushing — Pianowski even predicted Daniels could run for 1,000 yards. For fantasy, that’s a solid floor, especially when you consider how well Kingsbury managed to scheme up success for him late last season.

While Harmon wishes they’d added one more pass catcher alongside Terry McLaurin (who is entering his age-30 season) and Deebo Samuel Sr. (age-29, with many miles already run), he’s still buying the overall Washington package thanks to Daniels’ talent. The backfield could use another playmaker, but the existing setup — combined with Daniels’ rushing upside — still projects a ton of weekly fantasy value.

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]

There's some question about the pass-catcher depth for Daniels, but with Kingsbury’s ability to manufacture offense and a narrow concentration of targets, the Commanders should keep finding the end zone. Pianowski remarked, “They're going to try to outscore everybody ... there are going to be a lot of 30-27 games. Or they're going to be 40-37. I don’t know. But there’s going to be a lot of fun in D.C.”

What makes Daniels especially appealing for fantasy isn’t just the offensive weapons or scheme — it’s the Washington defense. Both Harmon and Pianowski agree the Commanders’ defense doesn’t offer much resistance. Harmon notes there’s “not nearly enough juice up front from a pass-rushing standpoint” and “the secondary is questionable.” In other words, shootouts and high-volume scenarios will be the norm.

This is exactly what you want for a fantasy QB: forced volume, plenty of chances to rack up both passing and rushing stats and consistent comeback or high-scoring game scripts.

While there’s plenty to love, both analysts wish the Commanders had added another playmaking receiver or running back to boost the ceiling further. They also note that while continuity at quarterback and coordinator helps, the receiver group’s age and durability raise some long-term questions. Still, this doesn’t really threaten Daniels’ weekly upside in 2025.

Based on Matt Harmon and Scott Pianowski’s discussion, Jayden Daniels is shaping up as a premier fantasy asset for 2025. He offers elite weekly upside, a packed schedule of shootouts and clear trust from his play-callers. If you’re looking for a quarterback who can vault into the very top tiers, especially outside of the Allen/Jackson tier, Jayden Daniels should absolutely be on your shortlist.

If you want fun, volume and fantasy gold at quarterback for 2025, target Jayden Daniels and enjoy the ride. Just be ready for the fireworks (and keep one eye on that Washington defense, praying it stays as leaky as ever).

(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.)

If you were underweight on Chase Brown in 2024 fantasy football, you weren’t alone, and you probably felt it by midseason. But with 2025 drafts heating up, a surprising consensus has emerged across the fantasy community: Brown is not only a locked-in RB1, but his profile in the Bengals offense looks rock-solid for another top-tier season.

Let’s dig into Matt Harmon and Scott Pianowski’s conversation from the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast for a nuanced breakdown of Brown’s outlook.

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Brown finished last season as the RB12 overall, emerging as one of the rare true hits for zero-RB drafters. When Zack Moss missed time, Brown “was the only game in town,” as Harmon put it, regularly dominating not just the early-down work but also the hurry-up and high-scoring packages — a holy grail scenario for fantasy running backs.

Pianowski put it bluntly: “Chase Brown was a screaming right answer … He never came off the field. He was good in all packages … [and] a running back who never comes off the field in that situation is fantasy gold.”

Perhaps the most important note for Brown’s fantasy managers is how little has changed in Cincinnati. Burrow, Chase, Higgins — everyone’s back, and the system remains in place. The only real additions in the RB room? Taj Brooks (a Day 3 rookie) and some veteran insurance in Samaje Perine. Neither is expected to cut deeply into Brown’s role; the Bengals’ lack of a splashy running back addition speaks volumes about their trust in Brown.

Even the oft-circulated Zack Moss “threat” doesn’t move the needle. Pianowski is firm: “Zach Moss? Last year, what, 3.3 yards a carry? Give me a break … He really should be like an RB3 on a decent team and he might ultimately be that on this team.”

What are the positives and negatives for Brown in 2025?

Brown fits the traits fantasy managers crave:

• Three-down role: He handled 90%+ snaps in multiple games last year — a pace that, even if dialed back, still lands him in RB1 territory.

• Concentrated offense: As Harmon notes, the Bengals have “a very highly concentrated nature of this offense.” You don’t have to squint to see the targets for Brown (alongside Chase and Higgins) being safely locked in.

• Game-script-proof: Even in negative scripts — likely with Cincinnati’s defense still projected to struggle — Brown will continue to see playing time and pass-catching work.

The Yahoo Fantasy Forecast episode highlights that the industry consensus is to rank Brown right around RB12-13, and that’s roughly where his best ball ADP is landing — yet Pianowski went as far as to call him flat-out mispriced: “People who are getting Brown in the third round right now, enjoy it while it lasts. He’ll be a locked-in second-round pick, I think, when the major part of draft season kicks in.”

There’s a broader fantasy team-building angle here, too. If you love building out dominant receiver rooms and going “Hero RB,” Brown is a prime candidate. Pianowski says it best: “Is Chase Brown good enough for a Hero RB build? And my answer is, absolutely. If I left the draft where the only signature back I had was Brown and I had that wide receiver … I was winning the flex. I was winning the wide receiver room. That’s a roster I’d go to war with.”

Of course, every player has risks. With Brown, it comes down to:

• Pedigree concerns: As a former Day 3 pick, some “what if?” always lingers until a player receives massive team investment.

• Volume adjustment: The coaching staff has hinted they don’t want every game 90%+ snap shares, but even a dip to 70-75% would be plenty.

• Bengals defense improvement: If the defense outperforms expectations, there could be fewer shootouts — but the unit is projected to remain bottom-10.

Summing up the takeaways from Harmon and Pianowski, Chase Brown is one of the best RB picks you can make at the 2/3 turn. Opportunity, team trust and fantasy-friendly game environment — all the ingredients are there. Don’t overthink it, don’t get sidetracked by backup chatter, and be comfortable making him the hoss of your RB room. When the Bengals’ carnival kicks into high gear, you’ll be glad Brown is riding shotgun.