Category: Baseball

The 2012 edition of the famed Madden game was graced by Peyton Hillis. He earned that honor after a season where he rushed for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns. What followed was a season where he missed six games, he ran for less than half as many yards (587), and only found the end zone three times. In fact, after his double-digit touchdown season, he only found pay dirt six more times for the rest of his career. 

This is just one example of what is known as “The Madden Curse.” A phenomenon where NFL players are destined for a terrible season (and, in the case of Hillis, a terrible career) whenever they are bestowed with the privilege of being on the cover of the sport’s most popular game.

Why am I bringing this up? The NBA has something of a curse of its own brewing. You’ve likely heard some variation of this stat: there has not been a back-to-back champion since 2018. We’ve had eight brand new teams hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the last eight years. Even more damning, no reigning champion has even made it back to the NBA Finals in their title defense.

The reason for this is mainly due to the introduction of aprons making it hard to maintain your core for very long, but that’s besides the point. Right now, the New York Knicks are the top dogs in the association, staring down the brutal Curse of a Champion. But do they have what it takes to end this nonsense once and for all?

What’s Changed?

The Knicks do have quite a bit of continuity. Eleven of their 13 top players in total minutes played from last year are back. However, one of the two guys missing from that group is Mitchell Robinson – the second-best offensive rebounder in the NBA (Steven Adams is the king of the crop) and the heart and soul of a team that has finished top-six in the advanced version of that stat in four of the last five years. And the other loss was his heir apparent: Ariel Hukporti.

Their big addition is Andre Drummond – a veteran journeyman who is also known as a chairman of the boards. He should be able to mitigate some of the loss felt by Robinson. And offensively, their perfectly-fine tuned machine should keep running smoothly. 

The East has become more challenging. Both Robinson and Hukporti went to contenders, and the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, and Cleveland Cavaliers all made trades in the last six months that should (theoretically) improve their teams. The San Antonio Spurs – the final boss for the Knicks this past postseason – are another year older and more battle-tested. The Oklahoma City Thunder are still a looming giant, and, for their sake, hopefully the injury gods aren’t so cruel this go around. The Los Angeles Lakers are re-tooled and frisky.

Can The New York Knicks Go Back-To-Back?

The big question for me is how much of last title run was real. According to Spotrac, the Knicks had the second-fewest dollars lost due to injury last season. Their postseason strength of schedule wasn’t exactly a Murderers’ Row, either. Before the Spurs (2nd in net rating), they beat the Atlanta Hawks, 76ers, and Cavaliers, who ranked 12th, 18th, and 9th in net rating, respectively.

These points aren’t intended to dismiss the scope of their accomplishments. All past champions have benefitted from luck in some form or the other, but that doesn’t change the fact that luck played a part, and that luck isn’t something you can consistently bank on.

Even more than that, the Knicks unlocked were in a special kind of flow state for the final 16 games of the postseason – winning 15 of those contests by an average margin of victory of 17.1. Their ball movement and variance in attack points was exquisite, while their defense moved together like five puppets on a string in harmonious fashion. 

Did the Knicks crack the code and find basketball nirvana? Is this just who they are now? Or was this just lightning in a bottle – brought upon by a perfect confluence of factors? 

On FanDuel, the Knicks currently have the third-highest odds (best odds in the Eastern Conference) of winning the 2027 NBA Championship at +900 (an implied probability of 10%). I’m personally bullish on the Toronto Raptors and think they have the best blend of two-way balance on their roster of any East team, but even with that view, I still think they are only slightly better than the Knicks. And to me, I’d say that the oddsmakers are right to rank them as a top tier Eastern Conference team.

At the end of the day, it’ll come down to how well they can overcome the loss of Robinson, how much their continuity gives them an edge over the teams playing with new toys, how much of their postseason success carries over to next year, and if they can get another relatively clean bill of health. 

If those storylines end up falling in their favor, I certainly wouldn’t be shocked to see the Knicks repeat as champions and put an end to this dreaded curse once and for all. 

Good morning, LSB.

The Rangers were off yesterday.

Evan Grant writes about a huge series against the best team in baseball and why it could have a lasting impact even beyond 2026.

MLB dot come assesses the situation in the AL Wild Card race.

Jack Leiter came out of the bullpen in his third rehab appearance.

And Evan also answered a bunch of Rangers questions in a YouTube live stream.

That’s all for this morning. The Rangers start up a series against the Brewers tonight at 6:40 with Cody Bradford on the mound for Texas.

Happy Friday!

Below you will find our dynasty rankings for the year’s NFL rookies. We of course need to take a long view in dynasty leagues, but we know that an offensive rookie who doesn’t get playing time in year one is going to have an uphill battle for fantasy relevancy. That means we want to pick players with at least a decent path to playing time, and it wouldn’t hurt if they are also on a team with a strong base offensively.

As evaluators we can love a player in college, but if he isn’t drafted early, giving him strong draft capital, he’ll need a lot of things to go his way before putting up consistent fantasy numbers. This means you can go off script a little when picking rookies, but you don’t want to wander too far from the first few rounds of the draft.

This year also is a little weak in offensive rookie depth overall, so if you do have a player you feel can make a jump despite poor draft capital, feel free to grab him, as there just aren’t a lot of strong prospects going in the 4th rounds of your rookie draft this season.

First overall pick

Jeremiyah Love, RB, Cardinals

His high ankle sprain is worrisome for this season, but he’s still the no-doubt No. 1 dynasty rookie pick. His ability should transition well to the NFL and despite landing on a down Cardinals team, he should see enough work to instantly be a fantasy asset when healthy. See if you can use his inauspicious start to trade for him or trade up to the No. 1 pick. He’s truly the cream of this crop.

When to draft Jordyn Tyson?

The Saints didn’t mind Tyson’s injury history, taking him 8th overall, with Carnell Tate as the only receiver ahead of him with pick No. 4. Tyson’s ability is great, but his injury history is scary, especially when you consider he suffered yet another hamstring injury during preseason and will miss at least the first few games of the year. We’ve seen players deal with recurring hamstring injuries that can plague them for years, but we’ve also seen players getting past the injury bug and put up strong, healthy careers.

I don’t love the overall talent in this bunch of rookies, so I’m willing to go after Tyson with the second or third pick despite the injury issues.

Rookie risers

Each training camp and preseason elevates few rookies into positions where they could see work early on. Here are some I’ve moved up my draft board.

Mike Washington, RB, Raiders

Washington has looked great so far and has shown that his odd college career won’t define him. His speed and elusiveness are NFL caliber and he’s already won the backup job to Ashton Jeanty. And if Jeanty’s ankle isn’t ready for Week 1, Washington could be a flex start from Day 1.

Emmett Johnson, RB, Chiefs

The Chiefs are going to rely more on the run this season after Patrick Mahomes’ ACL tear and signing Kenneth Walker. They also drafted Johnson, who has already won the No. 2 job behind Walker. Walker is a great runner, but does miss games due to nagging injuries. I expect we’ll see Johnson get his shot sometime this season.

De’Zhaun Stribling, WR, 49ers

Stribling wasn’t draft evaluators favorite receiver, but there’s no doubt he has the physical attributes to play in the NFL and now it looks like he’ll have the opportunity. He still has Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey ahead of him on the target tree, but that tree is looking ancient and hollow right now. Stribling will get work this season and what he’s shown in preseason looks more than legit.

On Tuesday, college baseball took one step closer to implementing technology that can ensure more accuracy in the game.

The automated ball-strike system, known as ABS, was approved for use across all divisions of college baseball starting next season.

Following NCAA approval in July, Tuesday’s statement was that the Division I Baseball Oversight Committee and the Division II and III Playing Rules Oversight Panels approved the usage of the technology.

Considered an experimental rule, individual teams will have the option to use the system as long as the technology is available at their facility.

The SEC experimented with ABS during their conference tournament in Hoover for the 2026 season. It was highly successful with a conversion rate of 56.2%. There were 105 challenges and 59 of those were overturned. Each team started the game with 3 challenges and retained them upon a successful attempt.

With umpiring being far from perfect, especially in the SEC, ABS feels like a no-brainer. It’s quick and barely slows down the flow of the game. The pitcher, catcher, or hitter can simply tap their hat/helmet a few times, the umpire announces the challenge, and the video board displays a box representing the strike zone and whether or not the ball touched the zone. The call is either changed or upheld and the game carries on all in the matter of 10-15 seconds.

LSU benefitted from ABS twice in the 9th inning of their final game of the year. With a loss meaning the end of their season, the Tigers were down 3-1 to Auburn and needing a rally. Derek Curiel was called for strike 3 with a 3-2 count, but immediately tapped his helmet and was correct.

Later that inning, Brayden Simpson was also called for strike 3 on a 3-2 count, which would have ended the game. He challenged and it was overturned, which awarded him a walk and he became the tying run on 1st base. LSU was unable to complete the rally, but neither of those players would have reached base if not for ABS.

I was told by a source close to the situation that while the technology will be allowed to be used through super regionals, it will not be available at the College World Series in Omaha. The reason for that was not explained, but as of now, they will revert back to full umpire control for the biggest tournament of the year.

The use of 18-inch bases was also approved for all three divisions of college baseball next year. As of now, 15-inch bases are the standard.

The double first base will now be required for all games. The SEC was first to experiment with that rule at the conference tournament in 2024. It became optional in 2025, then mandated for all Division I schools in 2026. Now, all of college baseball will be required to use it.

Division I baseball will use a 30-second timer for between batters, along with mound visits and offensive timeouts.

Other experimental rules that are on the table for all three divisions include a pitcher having two free disengagements with a third needing to result in a pickoff out or it would be considered a balk. It’s also possible that pitchers entering a game will face a three batter minimum, unless the inning ends.

Each of the last two possible rules are standard in the MLB.

Do you like these rule changes? Which ones do you look forward to and which would you rather not see in the college game?

Happy Friday one and all.

We have made it to the final game of the 2026 preseason, game four for the Cardinals.

I actually think what the Cardinals have been dealt by the NFL is a bit dirty. One of two teams to play four preseason games, then not getting their bye week until Decemeber.

So, let’s hope for health in this one, because really at this point, nothing else matters.

Enjoy the game.

Arizona Cardinals at Green Bay Packers

Date: Friday, August 28, 2026
Time: 5:00 p.m. AT
Location: Lambeau Field — Green Bay, WI
National TV: CBS (Channel 5 locally)
National online streaming: NFL+, NFL Network
TV announcers: Paul Calvisi (play-by-play) Sam Acho (analyst) Dani Sureck (sideline)
Radio: Arizona Sports 98.7 FM
Radio announcers: J.P. Shadrick (play-by-play), A.Q. Shipley (analyst)
Spanish Radio: Latino Mix 100.3 FM KQMR
Spanish Radio announcers: Jesus Quinonez (play-by-play) and Irving Villanueva (analyst)
Betting line: Cardinals +1.5 per FanDuel Sportsbook

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The Chicago Cubs welcome the Cincinnati Reds to Wrigley Field for a weekend set, trading at 64% on Polymarket.

My Reds vs. Cubs predictions break down why the hosts will come out on top in a high-scoring game.

Read my free MLB picks for Friday, Aug. 28 below.

Who will win Reds vs Cubs today: Cubs moneyline (64%)

The Chicago Cubs own the best offense in baseball (5.19 runs per game), and they’ll be licking their chops today when they face Cincinnati Reds starter Rhett Lowder.

The right-hander owns a massive 5.14 xERA (10th percentile) and .266 xBA (16th percentile), while ranking in the 15th percentile in pitching run value.

The Cubs have been on fire at the dish this week, led by Ian Happ, who’s sporting an insane 1.335 OPS with 10 RBI. As a club, Chicago leads the majors in runs (39), SLG (.512), and OPS (.858) over the last seven days.

Take the Cubs up to 67%.

COVERS INTEL: The Cubs are batting .301 (third in MLB) with a .373 wOBA (second in MLB) against the sinker, which is Lowder’s most utilized pitch (29.2%).

Reds vs Cubs Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (50%)

We know Lowder has been lousy, but David Peterson has been just as bad for Chicago.

The southpaw has a 4.84 xERA and .271 xBA, with a pitching run value in the ninth percentile. The Reds’ offense is also much more respectable against left-handed pitching, as they sit eighth in MLB in OPS vs. southpaws (.731).

The Cubs have cashed the Over in eight of Peterson’s last 10 appearances, while the Over is 2-0 in their two prior games against Lowder this season.

The Over is the play up to 52%.

Reds vs Cubs home run prediction: Ian Happ (19%)

What a week it’s been for Happ.

The Cubs outfielder leads the majors with 10 RBI over that span while batting .350 with a ridiculous 1.335 OPS and three dingers to boot.

Happ has hit eight of his 23 home runs against either the sinker or the slider — Lowder’s two main offerings.

Happ’s on fire and we’re getting a great price on him to go yard again. Play him up to 21%.

Reds vs Cubs weather

Wrigley Field will see clear skies with temperatures in the mid-70s and light winds pushing in from right field.

Reds vs Cubs odds

• Moneyline: Cincinnati (37¢) | Chicago (64¢)
• Run line: Cincinnati +1.5 (56¢) | Chicago -1.5 (47¢)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (46¢) | Under 8.5 (55¢)

Reds vs Cubs trend

The Cubs have covered the run line in 28 of their last 45 games (+16.10 Units / 31% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Reds vs. Cubs.

How to watch Reds vs Cubs and game info

Reds vs Cubs latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Hickory was rained out.

Andrew Susac went 0.2 IP for Hub City, walking three and allowing four runs.

Paxton Kling was 2 for 3 with two walks and two stolen bases. Gleider Figuereo had a hit. Maxton Martin had a hit. Eduardo Mejia had a hit and a walk. Chandler Pollard had a hit.

Hub City box score

Eric Loomis threw a scoreless inning for Frisco, striking out two and walking one. Leandro Lopez struck out three and walked one in three shutout innings. Josh Trentadue struck out two and walked one in two scoreless innings.

Frisco box score

Round Rock starter Winston Santos allowed one run in 3.2 IP, striking out six and walking two. Ben Peoples struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings. Michel Otanez struck out two in two shutout innings. Emiliano Teodo allowed five runs in 0.1 IP, walking two. Joe Russ allowed four runs in 1.1 IP, walking two and striking out one. Marc Church allowed a run in 0.1 IP, walking two.

Round Rock box score

The Detroit Lions enter their final preseason game with likely most of their roster spots decided, but one that may still be up in the air is the backup quarterback job.

Entering training camp, there likely wasn’t going to be much drama at the position. However, Teddy Bridgewater’s abrupt retirement midway through camp forced the Lions to pivot. While undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer has been with the team all offseason, suddenly thrusting a 23-year-old into the backup position wasn’t something the Lions were willing to do unopposed. So they quickly added nine-year veteran Josh Dobbs to the room.

But thus far in camp, Altmyer has continued to get the bulk of the backup reps. And what seemed like a far-fetched approach—letting Altmyer be the backup to veteran Jared Goff—now seems closer to reality than ever.

On Thursday, Lions coach Dan Campbell asked what he needs to see from Altmyer to have the confidence that he can handle such a critical role.

“Consistency. Just play good smart football,” Campbell said. “We don’t need some wild throws, whatever. Be able to run the offense, be efficient, make smart decisions, even if that means that you’re punting the ball. That’ll be the most important thing. We don’t want the wild plays and then there’s an ill-advised throw across the middle for an intercept—those won’t get it done. So just be smart, take what’s there, run the offense and that’ll go a long way.”

It hardly seems like a coincidence that Campbell would bring up the example of an ill-advised pass over the middle that was intercepted. That could be fresh in his mind because Altmyer’s competition, Josh Dobbs, did exactly that in the team’s second preseason game last week.

But under Dan Campbell, the Lions have seemingly preferred to have a veteran set of eyes behind Goff. Be it Bridgewater, David Blough, or Kyle Allen, the Lions almost always wanted a seasoned player among the quarterback reserves, with the lone exception being 2024 (Hendon Hooker, Jake Fromm).

Campbell admitted they prefer to have experienced players at quarterback, but that won’t trump overall talent when it comes to cut-down day.

“I mean, you would like that because those guys have played, there are real reps. They’ve been under real fire in real football games and that is important. But that’s not the end all be all, either,” Campbell said. “If you think there’s somebody to work with here and that he’s shown enough progress and he’s only going to get better, then we don’t close our eyes to that either.”

Further complicating the Lions’ decision is the amount of roster gymnastics they could try to perform to keep both players around. Because Dobbs is a veteran, the Lions could opt to cut him, not subject him to waivers, and bring him back later either on the practice squad or 53-man roster. But at the same time, how likely is it that Altmyer would get claimed on waivers if Detroit opted to cut him? Last year, there were only 27 total waiver claims after initial NFL roster cuts, and just one of them (Tommy Devito) was a quarterback. So the Lions could keep Dobbs on the roster, and bring back Altmyer assuming he clears waivers.

Regardless, the Lions won’t make that decision until after Saturday’s preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts. It’s unclear how the Lions will share the load between Altmyer and Dobbs on gameday, but their performance could be the tipping point for a difficult decision.

Welcome to rivalry weekend. The Yankees will take on the Red Sox in the Bronx after dropping two of three to the Astros. After scoring 16 runs in the first two games of the series the bats only got a single run in the finale.

On the other side, Boston has been rolling since the All-Star break, going 27-12. Since the season got back underway, they have a team OPS of .796, and in the month of August that number currently sits at .810. The Red Sox swept the Giants at home before taking two of three from the Marlins down in Miami most recently. 

After a day off, Boston’s pen is rested and ready. However, they are a little banged up as former Yankee Garrett Whitlock, who is having an exceptional season with a 2.05 ERA and an impressive 0.89 WHIP, and Justin Slaten, a trusted arm, are both currently on the injured list.

Expect to see a healthy dose of the toxic lefty Aroldis Chapman, who is having a great season with 30 saves and a 1.81 ERA, along with another former Yankee in righty Greg Weissert, who is 3-2 with a 3.93 ERA. Boston’s early-game lefty reliever is Erik Miller, who is sporting a 2.09 ERA with a 1.28 WHIP, and they often call on righty journeyman Tyron Guerrero, who has 17 holds and a 1.07 WHIP this year.

The Yankees’ pen took a big blow this week when it was announced that Fernando Cruz was diagnosed with a partial UCL tear. Heading into the weekend, closer David Bednar should be fresh after not being used in the Astros series. Most of the regulars should be ready after Justin Topa grinded out the last bit of last night’s game. Going four games in three days is always tough, and with a trip to the West Coast looming, I would expect the bullpen to shuffle a good bit over the weekend.

This weekend series features a twin bill on Saturday, which is a makeup for the game that was rained out back in June. This will be the last time these two teams meet until a possible October showdown. Currently, Boston holds a 5-4 advantage in the season series, further adding to the need for the Yankees to win this series. Now, let’s dive into the pitching matchups.

Friday: Cam Schlittler vs. Patrick Sandoval (7:15 p.m. ET)

It is not hard to gush over how great Schlittler has been this season and boy, do the Yankees need him to be that guy tonight, coming in with an impressive 11-6 record, a 2.17 ERA, and a 0.96 WHIP to top it off. In three starts against Boston this season, Schlittler is 1-1 with a 0.96 ERA across 18.2 innings. This will be Schlittler’s fifth start in August. So far in the month, he has a 1-0 record with a 2.95 ERA, and over his last three outings he has only given up a single earned run each time out. The young ace will look to set the tone in game one and simply do what he has done when he faces his hometown team.

Sandoval, a lefty, takes the hill for Boston to counter Schlittler. This will be Sandoval’s ninth start of the season coming off his rehab for Tommy John surgery. In his eight starts since returning, he has posted a 1-2 record with a 4.54 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP. Sandoval primarily throws a slider, changeup, and sinker, profiling as the crafty lefty who relies on deception and movement. The Yankees might be able to take advantage of the rust, as Sandoval has walked 18 batters in 39.2 innings thus far.

Saturday Game 1: Carlos Rodón vs. Jake Bennett (1:05 p.m. ET)

The Yankees will send Rodón out for game one of the doubleheader. He has made two starts since coming back off the injured list due to elbow inflammation. The veteran lefty went 4.0 innings in each outing, giving up an earned run in each and throwing 66 and 76 pitches, respectively. As Peter detailed back on Monday, Rodón has been using his sinker more since he returned. Injuries have limited him to 11 starts, but in those starts Rodón has posted a 3.15 ERA, with 58 strikeouts across 54.1 innings. Rodón pitched five scoreless innings against the Boston Red Sox on June 28, allowing just one hit and four walks while striking out six.

Boston sends their second straight lefty to the hill in Bennett for game one. Bennett faced the Yankees back on June 27. He picked up the win while allowing just one run over 6.1 innings in that game. The Red Sox rookie has an 8-6 record with a 3.49 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 15 appearances on the season. The 6-foot-6 southpaw has a low three-quarters arm slot with a high leg kick, with an arsenal that features a four-seamer, sinker, changeup, and cutter.

Saturday Game 2: TBA vs. TBA (7:15 p.m. ET)

As of Thursday night, neither team has announced a starter for the second game of the doubleheader. It is expected that the Yankees will activate and roll Max Fried following his recovery from a recurring bone bruise, while Boston has indicated they might do a bullpen game featuring a heavy dose of righty Brayan Bello, who has fared well in a bulk role since losing his rotation spot.

Sunday: Will Warren vs. Ranger Suárez (1:35 p.m. ET)

The Sunday matinee features the ever-present William Warren. Warren might not be your favorite pitcher on the team, but you have to respect his availability and how hard he fights each outing. Warren has made 25 starts on the year and has posted an 8-6 record with a 4.39 ERA and 126 strikeouts. In his last start, he went 5.0 innings and gave up two earned runs against the Astros. It is very possible the tiebreaker for the season series with Boston comes down to Warren’s right arm.

If Sunday’s game has that much storyline, the Red Sox counter with offseason signing Suárez. The veteran lefty has been average at best so far in August, giving up nine earned runs in 18.1 innings of work. However, in his last start he worked 5.0 innings of one-run ball against the Marlins. Suárez has faced the Bombers twice in 2026. In his first start back in April, he lasted only 4.2 innings and gave up four earned runs, taking the loss. Suárez looked much better against the Yankees the second time around in June when he tossed 6.1 innings of one-run ball.

All these lefties make me feel like a Heliot Ramos, earn your pinstripes series is loading and ready to launch. What do you predict for this weekend? Who takes the season series?

The New England Patriots played a horribly boring and just downright horrible game on Thursday in Cleveland to close out their preseason. Even though their 37-13 loss to the Browns was disappointing very much from start to finish, there are always lessons to be learned.

Let’s get into what the Patriots’ final preseason contest of 2026 taught us about the team.

Depth concerns

The Patriots didn’t play any starters on Thursday night, and, truthfully, they probably didn’t play many backups either. The lack of depth was still startling. They were outmatched at pretty much every position on the field, and blown out by a team that could be one of the worst in football this year. The Browns also didn’t start anyone of consequence, so it’s not like they were facing tougher competition.

It just illustrates the point that head coach Mike Vrabel had made last week about New England’s depth. When looking at the starter level, the Patriots have gotten significantly better as a team. If you start to look down the depth chart, that falls apart pretty quickly. It is like that for a lot of teams, but the Patriots need to continue to string good drafts together and find competent UDFAs to help fill out that depth. The hope is that they can do that moving forward, because it was tough to watch some of the guys out there on Thursday.

RB3 competition heating up

Hassan Haskins isn’t going to be returning kicks any time soon, but he did look good running the ball. He ran tough and picked up yards even while getting hit behind the line of scrimmage. Conversely, Lan Larison had two straight drops when he was on the field, and, while JaMichael Hasty had a few nice runs, I don’t think he’s the guy who the Patriots want as their third back either.

This all might be moot, because Jam Miller didn’t even have a carry, which could signal that the Patriots already know that he’s the RB3, and they didn’t really need to see anything else from him on Thursday night. If I had to put money on it, I’d put my money on Miller, but I guess we’ll find out this weekend.

Gabe Jacas, error repeater

The Patriots knew that they might not be getting the best out of Gabe Jacas early on with him missing time in the spring and at the beginning of camp, but I can’t imagine they thought he would look quite this bad in actual game action. What worries me is not the lack of production when it comes to rushing the quarterback, or even stopping the run, but the fact that he keeps making the same mistakes. He is continually burned on bootleg, RPO, and option plays, and instead of holding the outside integrity, he comes flying in and gives up the edge.

It’s happened in every game that he’s played in. At a certain point, you need to ask whether or not he’s ever going to figure it out. I know we’re not even into the regular season of his rookie year, but I would love to see more from him particularly against replacement-level opponents. Until he figures it out, the Patriots simply cannot put him out on the field on a regular basis — which is not good news considering that he currently projects as the team’s third edge.

For the love of god, please sign Christian Gonzalez

The depth shouldn’t even matter when we’re talking about Christian Gonzalez, but my goodness, it was even worse than anyone could have expected. Kindle Vildor looked awful, Karon Prunty played okay, but had trouble finishing his tackles. Meanwhile, Kobee Minor and Marcellas Dial Jr. both had horrendously bad plays that led to touchdowns. Again, this should have next to no impact on the Patriots signing one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, but it certainly can’t hurt.

Not sure what exactly the hold up has been for the Patriots, or why they wouldn’t be willing to extend one of not only their best players, but one of the best players in the league, but there is no excuse to them not getting something done.

Dominated at the line of scrimmage

The Patriots obviously didn’t play any starters, or even a lot of second-stringers, but they were completely dominated on both sides of the line. I thought that Caleb Lomu was able to hold his own when he was in there, but I didn’t see much from anyone else on the offensive line. On defense, they got almost no pass rush and couldn’t stop the run either. It was as bad of a night as you could imagine, with no one showing much of anything.

I really like the starters that they have on both sides of the ball, but, as soon as guys start going down, there isn’t a lot of depth behind them. 

Do we have a punter competition?

New England brought in a new punter, Matt Haack, because Bryce Baringer got banged up in the game against the Eagles last weekend. Haack had four punts in his Patriots debut, with thrree of them pinning the Browns inside the 20, including a 63-yarder that was downed at the 2.

Baringer looked pretty solid in camp, and it’s clear that kicker Andy Borregales is comfortable with him as his holder. That said, Borregales went 2-for-2 on field goal attempts on Thursday night, and the punts looked great from Haack as well. I think there’s going to be a conversation about which punter to keep starting the season, especially with Baringer a little banged up.

Kyle Williams might be a one-trick pony, but it’s a heck of a trick

There was a whole lot of concern at the beginning of camp about Kyle Williams. He wasn’t getting enough time with the starters, and people were worried that he was on a worrisome trajectory. Well, he might not be a WR1 at this point in his career (or maybe ever), but he had consistently shown that he does one thing extremely well: he is untouchable on a go-route, especially with no safety help.

This single skill should be enough to earn him a few looks a game from Drake Maye, one of the best deep ball throwers in the NFL. I am hoping that he will eventually add more tools to his bag, but having the ability to quickly win off the line and consistently beat coverage deep is a valuable skill, and one which I believe is going to be an important part of the Patriots offense this year.

Namdi Obiazor makes a few plays

On a night where most guys looked terrible, sixth-round draft pick Namdi Obiazor looked at least pretty good. Starting linebackers Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss weren’t dressed, and neither was the injured Khalil Jacobs, leaving Obiazor to look like the best linebacker on the team on Thursday.

Granted, that might not be a high bar, but the youngster nonetheless was one of the few defenders to show up on Thursday. It also helps that he plays a bunch of special teams. This, plus his potential to develop into a player on defense, would be a big boost for a team who doesn’t have any noteworthy long-term depth behind Spillane and Elliss.

Behren Morton is unimpressive

I have mostly liked what I’ve seen from Behren Morton in training camp, and when he has been given reps, he has made pretty good decisions. He looked pretty poised for a rookie, and looked to be a good candidate to eventually become a backup to Drake Maye. All of that went out the window on Thursday.

Morton looked frazzled, made some really bad decisions, and missed on a few throws that could have been big plays — all while going against players who mostly will be out of a job come Sunday night. Ultimately, I think he’s a good guy to keep on the practice squad to see if you can develop him into a usable backup, but, after seeing what I saw Thursday, I’m not going to be super upset if someone claims him off of waivers if the Patriots cut him this weekend. 

Cutdown day is looming

The Patriots have to trim their roster from 91 all the way down to 53 by Sunday afternoon, and they have some tough decisions to make. The first few they are going to have to make involve injuries. Will Harold Landry and/or Brenden Schooler be ready to start the season, or be ready to play in the first few weeks? If not, they are going to have to put them on injured reserve and bring them off when they’re ready. Bryce Baringer is in the same boat; it didn’t sound serious, but they are going to have to make a decision, and putting him on IR could give them a few weeks to figure out whether or not it’s working with Matt Haack.

Lastly, as mentioned before, they have to figure out what to do with the depth. Is it possible that they cut below 53 and claim or sign a few guys who get released? Or do they find another way to fill out their roster? All these questions will be answered by Sunday, and, of course, just because someone is on the practice squad doesn’t mean they won’t play this year. It is still a good line of demarcation for the season, and should signal to everyone that real football is right around the corner.

Of course, in order not to miss any Patriots moves, please make sure to regularly visit our roster cuts tracker.

Last year was a tough one for top-end tight ends, as both George Kittle, Tucker Kraft and Brock Bowers had injury trouble that derailed their fantasy seasons. That left Tre McBride to pick up the slack, catching a crazy 126 passes to set the NFL record for receptions in a season. At this point there is a real chance all three of those injured stud tight ends might be available for Week 1!

We had some fresh talent infuse the tight end position last season, with three rookies putting up strong numbers. Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, and Harold Fannin Jr. all proved their fantasy worth and look to build on their strong rookie campaigns. It’s nice to have those guys added to what is usually a pretty shallow pool of top fantasy tight ends.

In twelve team leagues that start one tight end, there are often not enough capable fantasy tight ends to go around. This year I’d be happy with eleven of this group being my starter. And since we can wait longer to pick up a TE starter we like, we don’t have to waste a second or third round pick on a stud.

Tight end injuries

George Kittle, 49ers

Kittle ruptured his Achilles in 2026 and is trying to play in Week 1 of the 2026 season at the age of 33! The odds are stacked against him, but I wouldn’t put it past him to have yet another strong year in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. We get a discount on him this season, but for good reason.

Tucker Kraft, Packers

Kraft was absolutely on fire to start last season, putting up 32 receptions for 489 yards and six touchdowns through seven and a half games. Unfortunately, a torn ACL ended his amazing start. All signs point to him playing in Week 1 and Kraft is only 25 and going into his fourth season. I’m not as worried about him as I am Kittle.

Late round TE pick

Terrance Ferguson, Rams

There aren’t many late round tight ends who will have a chance or the ability to be a top fantasy player this year. There are good, solid players who can be useful, but they aren’t going to exceed expectation very often. But, the Rams have Terrance Ferguson, who is a field stretching tight end and if give a chance, could put up big numbers. The question is if he will get that chance. The Rams have plenty of tight ends and will mix and match them, giving none enough consistent work for fantasy greatness. But, the Rams need a WR3 behind Puka Nacua and Davonte Adams. Ferguson could fill that role from the tight end position and it’s worth taking a flier on him to see if that happens.

Tight end PPR Rankings

It was a night to remember for Chris Sale and the Atlanta Braves, who completed the sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers after Thursday’s 1-0 win. Sale was dominant, throwing his first shutout since 2019. He went the distance, throwing a complete game and allowing just five hits. He struck out 11. 

Drake Baldwin accounted for the Braves’ lone run. He launched a homer on the first pitch of the game, and the Atlanta lineup was unable to plate a run after that. 

Up next, the Colorado Rockies come to town for a weekend series at Truist Park.

More Braves News:

Reliever Robert Suarez is nearing a return to the mound, per report. 

David McCabe launched his second Triple-A homer on Wednesday. More in the minor league recap. 

MLB News:

The Los Angeles Dodgers have placed right-hander Roki Sasaki on the 15-day injured list with a blistered finger. He returned to LA on Thursday for further evaluation.

From the Feed:

Check out Chris Sale’s son’s reaction as he headed to the mound for the ninth inning.

Here we are again. The NFL season is right around the corner and it’s time to get all our ducks in a row. Below you will find my PPR wide receiver rankings for the season, along with injury news and a couple late round targets.

Overall, we saw the fewest 100+ reception games from wide receivers last season as we’ve had in a long while. With just six receivers hitting that mark, we can see that teams are spreading the ball around a bit more, while also relying more on the run game. We still have our handful of studs who we know will dominate if healthy and then a nice group of receivers who have great upside and strong fantasy floors a bit later in drafts.

Running backs on the other hand, don’t have those safe floor plays in the 4th and 5th rounds. In a vacuum, I want two stud RBs to start and then grab my receivers next. Of course, things change when you get in a draft, but that’s how I see things this season.

Wide Receiver Injuries

Malik Nabers, Giants

The Giants have an extremely weak wide receiver group, but the good news is that Malik Nabers is back at practice after suffering a torn ACL in Week 4 last season. He looks like he’ll be available for Week 1, which is good news for fantasy and the Giants. Nabers is one of the few receivers we know is going to get as many targets as he can handle each week.

Luther Burden, Bears

There are plenty of people very high on the Bears offense this year after watching HC Ben Johnson turn things around in year one. Second year receiver Burden is one of those players getting hype, with many seeing his upside as a top 10 fantasy receiver. I am on board with this line of thinking, but a groin strain has kept him out of practice of late and we have to keep that in mind. Hopefully he returns to practice as they get ready for Week 1, but we’ll have to wait to see.

Emeka Egbuka, Buccaneers

Egbuka got off to a hot start in his rookie season, but he and the rest of the team faded hard in the second half. I still like Egbuka and with Mike Evans gone, there is going to be opportunity there to be the WR1. He is currently dealing with a toe injury and there has been no word on how bad it is. Let’s hope he returns to practice ahead of Week 1 so we can feel better about drafting him at ADP.

Jordyn Tyson, Saints

The hype train out of Saints camp for the rookie Tyson was chugging away at full tilt this preseason, that is, until he suffered yet another hamstring injury. His history with injuries is truly scary for anyone drafting him. We’ll see if he ends up on the PUP list or not to start the season, but it looks like he’s out for Week 1 at least. I really like Kellen Moore and this Saints offense, but this does hurt them a bit.

Alec Pierce, Colts

The Colts went out and gave Pierce a nice contract this offseason despite knowing he was dealing with an ankle issue. So, the fact that he’s still not practicing is concerning, but something I expect he can recover from at some point early in the season. I’m not drafting him at this point though. I want to see him practicing and getting through practices first.

Wide receiver late draft targets

Jayden Reed, Packers

Reed is a very good football player. Sadly, we can’t project that he’ll see a big snap percentage and workload. The Packers receivers have been black holes for fantasy, which is partly due to injuries, emphasizing the rushing game and spreading the ball around. Will Reed stay healthy and become a key player in this offense? I think it’s possible. He’s too good to not keep giving the ball if he can stay healthy. And at WR47, I’m happy to take the chance on him again this year.

De’Zhaun Stribling, 49ers

Stribling has looked great so far in preseason. His ability after the catch fits so well in Kyle Shanahan’s offense that it looks like a match made in heaven. The 49ers offensive playmakers are ancient in NFL terms. Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel are all great players, but most people would take the bet that one or more of these guys will miss significant time this year.

Stribling’s hype may push someone in your home league to scoop him up way too early, but if he’s anywhere near his current ADP of WR50, grab him.

Wide Receiver PPR Rankings