Category Archives: Yahoo

We found how how much Dak Prescott means to the point spread.

Last week, the lookahead line for Cincinnati Bengals at Dallas Cowboys in Week 2 was Cowboys -2.5. Prescott went down with a thumb injury, and the line shifted in a big way. The Cowboys are now 7.5-point underdogs at BetMGM.

There's more to that 10-point shift than just going from Prescott to Cooper Rush. The Cowboys took on other injuries. Dallas looked absolutely miserable in a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and that was before Prescott's injury.

Still, 10 points is a lot. Especially against a Bengals team coming off a loss of its own in Week 1.

Rush doesn't have the pedigree that will excite anyone he was undrafted out of Central Michigan in 2017 but we've seen him start once and it was pretty good. He was a last-minute start in a Sunday night game against the Minnesota Vikings last season and threw for 325 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in a surprise 20-16 win. It's hard to take much out of a one-game sample, but at least it was a good one.

The formula for the Cowboys the next few weeks without Prescott is clear. They'll want to rely on their running backs and play good defense. Having multiple offensive line injuries makes the former a tougher challenge, but the latter should work. Dallas' defense should be good this season. They can hopefully keep games close and maybe the offense steals a few.

Either way, 10 points seems like an overreaction, and there's no bigger overreaction week in sports than the one after the NFL's openers. It's not fun to take the Cowboys with Rush at QB, after what we saw last week. But taking a team nobody else will touch can be profitable in the NFL. Let's pick the Cowboys and the points. Sometimes, winning tickets can come from the ugliest teams.

Cooper Rush will start for the Dallas Cowboys in place of injured Dak Prescott. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Here are the rest of the against-the-spread picks for Week 2 of the NFL season, with the spreads from BetMGM:

As I said in today's Daily Sweat, if the Chargers are going to be a thing this season, this is a game they keep close. Or win.

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Is it possible we're too excited about the Dolphins after one game? Bill Belichick caught some flak for saying, "It was really a pretty even game. Two big plays, 14 points, really skewed the game," but he wasn't wrong. Miami out-gained New England 307-271, had 18 first downs to 17 for New England, averaged 5.2 yards per play to 5.0 for the Patriots ... Miami won, but it didn't blow out New England. A scoop-and-score on a fumble and an inexcusable breakdown by New England to allow Jaylen Waddle a 47-yard touchdown at the end of the half accounted for the difference. Baltimore was solid in Week 1, but it's hard to tell against the Jets. I liked the Ravens a lot in the preseason and I'll ride with them.

It's not like the Browns are all that exciting and I'm not sure I trust their offense all that much, but the Jets just looked miserable last week.

The Lions are favored for the first time since November of 2020, snapping a 24-game streak as an underdog that ESPN said is the longest of the Super Bowl era. Congrats to Detroit. If the Lions can't win this one, all that preseason excitement will seem quite silly, won't it?

Not a comfortable pick. I want to believe in the Jaguars turning a corner, but Week 1 was a step back. I'm starting to be very concerned about Trevor Lawrence. But it's still a reasonable home underdog, so let's ride with that.

All of the attention was on the Cowboys on Sunday night, but it wasn't a great night for the Bucs. They took on two big injuries when receiver Chris Godwin and left tackle Donovan Smith left the game. We'll see if they play this week or how effective they are. The Bucs defense was good against Dallas but the offense had its issues. And the Saints defense has done very well against Tampa Bay since Tom Brady came to Florida. I'd rather have +3 or better, but I'll still take the Saints.

This is the one game on the board I'd skip, but since I pick every game each week, let's flip a coin here. The Giants had a nice win last week and Saquon Barkley looked reborn, but it's still a team I'm not sold on for the season. The Panthers are a team I did like a bit coming into the season, so let's go with them and the points.

Does it concern me that the Steelers were plus-five in turnover differential and needed a blocked extra point and missed 29-yard field goal, when the Bengals had an emergency long snapper, to win? Absolutely. And T.J. Watt's injury is one of the rare non-QB injuries that should change the line. Mac Jones should be good to go after some back spasms. Maybe I'm being stubborn on the Patriots but I think they can win an absolutely ugly game.

The Falcons haven't looked that bad, dating back to the preseason (whatever the preseason means). They probably should have beaten the Saints. The Rams are obviously still good, though offensive line injuries worry me some. With every double-digit NFL spread I start by making a case for the underdog, and I'll stick with it.

Not an overreaction to the weird Geno Smith mania we saw in the first half on Monday night. In the second half, Geno was Geno. But it wasn't a bad night for the Seahawks. All we have from the 49ers so far is a bad loss at Chicago. And while I was a big supporter of Trey Lance this offseason, there's a scenario in which San Francisco is in full freakout mode over their new quarterback by Sunday night. And it's a higher percentage than I want to admit.

Houston might be a team that covers a lot of spreads. The Texans looked very good for three quarters last week. There's some concern about them fading in the fourth quarter, especially given Denver's well-known dominance in the thin air at home during September, but I'll still take the Texans to cover.

Yes, I might be overreacting to the Cardinals loss. It's just one game against a good Chiefs team. But it was really bad. I didn't like one thing I saw from Arizona in Week 1. Meanwhile, the Raiders might be pretty good. They lost to the Chargers, but we'll find there's no shame in that.

I can't bring myself to take the Bears, unless they play in another monsoon. Green Bay will bounce back after a Week 1 loss. Their defense will show up and they'll run the ball just fine.

This is an overreaction line. The Bills looked great. The Titans lost at home to the Giants. I picked the Bills to win the Super Bowl and didn't pick the Titans to make the playoffs so I get why people would be betting the Bills. But let's not forget the Titans beat the Bills last season. I don't think they're a bottom feeder. If the Bills cover this easily, every spread for them the rest of the season will be inflated.

There's a lot of overreaction involved in this game, too. The Vikings looked good in beating the Packers, but that was a very good spot for them in Week 1. The Eagles looked good, too, for most of their win over the Lions, but they allowed a lot late and the final score made it seem like the game was closer than it was. If the Vikings win in the second Monday night game of Week 2, they're a serious contender in the NFC. I'm not going that far yet.

Last week: 7-9

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NFL against-the-spread picks: Can we really take the Cooper Rush-led Cowboys? - Yahoo Sports

ESPN paid a high price to land a high-profile "Monday Night Football" booth of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. One week in, the returns are looking good.

Monday night's game between the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks was ESPN's most-watched MNF game since 2009 and its third-best regular season game since taking over the timeslot from ABC in 2006, the network announced Tuesday.

Between ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes, 19,845,000 viewers tuned in for the game.

The only other two regular season games to see more viewers were both in 2009, with 21.8 million tuning for a Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers game (Brett Favre's return to Green Bay) and 21.4 million watching a 10-0 New Orleans Saints team face the New England Patriots. Last postseason's Dallas Cowboys-Philadelphia Eagles game also saw more viewers with 20.2 million.

ESPN landed Troy Aikman and Joe Buck with some major money last offseason. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/WireImage)

All of that is very encouraging for ESPN, which gave Aikman and Buck a reported $165 million combined to jump over from Fox Sports. Of course, the ratings win isn't purely attributable to the pair, as the game itself obviously presented the compelling story of Russell Wilson's Week 1 return to Seattle after his blockbuster trade last offseason.

The highly anticipated game ended with drama and controversy (ESPN's two favorite words), as new Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett made the puzzling decision to attempt a 64-yard field goal rather than go for it on fourth-and-5. Kicker Brandon McManus, who had never made a field goal longer than 61 yards in his career, missed wide left.

After a full night of criticism, Hackett admitted he "definitely" should have gone for it on Tuesday.

Also aiding that number was ESPN2's "Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli" garnering 1,502,000 viewers, an 86 percent increase from last year's Week 1 debut, per ESPN.

ESPN will try to build on that momentum next week with a "Monday Night Football" double bill, featuring Buck and Aikman on a Minnesota Vikings- Philadelphia Eagles game at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC and last year's crew of Steve Levy, Dan Orlovsky, Louis Riddick handling Tennessee Titans-Buffalo Bills game at 7:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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ESPN starts its Joe Buck-Troy Aikman 'Monday Night Football' era with a massive ratings win - Yahoo Sports

The advantage the New York Mets have in the NL East race is that every fifth day, when Jacob deGrom is on the mound, they should be able to count on a win.

The odds have reflected deGrom's dominance, with the Mets reaching longer than -400 odds a few times in his starts. And then Tuesday happened.

The Mets lost as a -455 favorite against the Chicago Cubs, the biggest MLB favorite to lose this season, according to ESPN Stats and Info. Chicago got three runs off deGrom, added another off the bullpen and the Mets didn't score until the ninth inning in the 4-1 loss. That's the kind of game you don't want to lose with the Atlanta Braves right behind you.

The Mets' lead is down to a half game over the Braves as they face the Cubs again on Wednesday. The good news is the Mets are -200 favorites at BetMGM for Wednesday's game.

The NL East is the rare division that hasn't been decided yet. The AL Central is the only other one in which the first-place team's lead is less than six games. The Cleveland Guardians lead the AL Central by three games.

The Braves have been excellent since a slow start and the Mets can't shake them. The Mets have been good most of the season but 4-6 in their last 10 including losses to the Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins and Cubs. They're letting the Braves hang around.

The best news for the Mets is their remaining schedule is incredibly soft. There are three games left at the Braves but if the Mets handle business against teams like the Pirates, Nationals and Oakland A's the rest of the way, they should be just fine. But Tuesday night was a sign it might not be as easy as it seems. A few big underdogs have cashed tickets against the Mets lately. Maybe the pressure of the pennant race is affecting them.

Ian Happ of the Chicago Cubs rounds the bases past Pete Alonso of the New York Mets after Happ hit a home run on Tuesday night. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)

Here's the first look at the sports betting slate for Wednesday:

The best game is the Tampa Bay Rays at the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays have taken two of three in the series so far including a doubleheader split on Tuesday. Considering both of those teams and the Seattle Mariners are all at least five games clear in the wild-card race, and the Rays and Jays are both at least six games back in the AL East, there's not a lot of drama in the standings. But at least it's two good teams facing off. The Jays are -120 favorites.

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The other highlight on the schedule is the San Diego Padres at the Mariners. The Padres are two games up on the Milwaukee Brewers for the last wild-card spot and got a big 2-0 win on Wednesday. The Mariners are -150 favorites for Wednesday.

Not too much. There's no midweek college football yet. The WNBA Finals continues with Game 3 on Thursday. There are a bunch of Champions League soccer matches to bet on at least. But mostly we're all just waiting on that Los Angeles Chargers-Kansas City Chiefs game on Thursday night.

It has been hard to bet baseball, with so many teams way out of the playoff picture and the lack of drama in the playoff races. We'll try anyway. The Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Guardians have a surprisingly fun game. Angels starter Patrick Sandoval has been very good lately, but so has Guardians starter Cal Quantrill. The Guardians are -120 favorites, and the Guardians are the far superior team regardless of Mike Trout's recent hot streak. I'll ride with the Guardians as a small favorite.

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The Daily Sweat: Mets try to rebound after the biggest upset of the MLB season - Yahoo Sports

Josh Allen looked every bit an MVP candidate in Week 1's trouncing of the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.

The Buffalo Bills quarterback put his arm on full display in a 297-yard, three-touchdown effort the likes of which even All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey had no answer. The accuracy that has become the hallmark of his development as an NFL quarterback manifest in an 83.9% (26 of 31) completion rate that set a franchise record for a regular-season game.

When the Rams took away the deep ball, he didn't force things. When they didn't, he made them pay. And when he ran? Well, good luck.

That run up and over eight-time All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner embodies the Josh Allen experience. His traditional quarterback skills arm strength, accuracy, field command make him special. Add in his physical presence as a ball carrier, and he makes the short list of elite NFL talents.

That style of play is also the biggest source of unease in Buffalo. Allen led the Bills in rushing Thursday with 10 carries for 56 yards, including the 4-yard score. There was more than one occasion in which he appeared to seek contact. In doing so, he exposed himself to repeated physical punishment that raises short- and long-term concerns about his health.

Josh Allen took some punishment during Thursday's season opener against the Rams. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The short-term concerns are obvious. The Bills entered the season as Super Bowl betting favorites. Nothing from Week 1 has altered that status. Buffalo has a stout defense, a respected head coach in Sean McDermott and a talented corps of playmakers featuring Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis and Dawson Knox.

But make no mistake. Allen is the reason No. 1 for Buffalo's status as Super Bowl favorite. If he sustains a significant injury during the season, Case Keenum would take over at quarterback, and Buffalo's championships dreams would be all but dashed.

Allen's aware of the concerns. His physicality has been a featured part of his game since he joined the NFL in 2018. He addressed them on Wednesday after last week's display in front of a primetime audience renewed worries.

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I think I can be better in that aspect, Allen told reporters in a news conference on Wednesday. But given the circumstances of what it was, understanding the flow of the game, I do things sometimes that are necessary in my eyes to help our team win a football game. Thats all it is.

"But at the end of the day, availability is the best ability. So, just understanding that and getting down and not taking too many hits, obviously thats year-in and year-out.

Allen's "year-in and year-out" acknowledgement addresses the long-term concerns. Even if he gets through this season relatively healthy and with a Super Bowl ring, the cumulative impact of the collisions he endures are bound to take a toll. Look no further than Cam Newton.

Newton joined the Carolina Panthers in 2011 as a rookie with a profile similar to Allen's. Allen stands 6-foot-5 and 237 pounds with a cannon of an arm and running back skills. Newton stands 6-5 and 245 pounds. He likewise joined the league with a cannon of an arm and running back skills.

Newton exceeded the expectations that came with his No. 1 draft-pick status as his unprecedented skills resulted in Rookie of the Year honors. His 706 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground alone would have put him in contention for the award.

In each of his first five seasons, he ran the ball more than 100 times per year with rushing totals ranging from 585 to 741 yards. At his best in 2015 he was a league MVP who led his team to the Super Bowl. He was a Pro Bowl level quarterback and Carolina's best running back wrapped up in a single package.

Cam Newton's physical style of play ultimately took a toll on his body. (Chuck Cook/Reuters)

But it wasn't sustainable. Injuries mounted. His performance showed signs of decline in 2016, a year after his MVP campaign and his sixth season in the NFL. In 2019, he acknowledged that he'd played through lingering shoulder issues since that 2016 season, a span that saw his downfield accuracy decline. It wasn't just his shoulder. There were likewise foot injuries, walking boots, concussions and ankle surgery.

In 2017, anonymous team officials whispered concerns that his body was breaking down. In 2020, team owner David Tepper said the quiet part aloud when asked about Newton's future with the franchise. His response: "Is he healthy?"

He was not. Newton had played in just two games the previous season, and the Panthers ultimately released the best player in franchise history after nine seasons in Charlotte. Newton went on to take over for Tom Brady in New England in an eight-touchdown, 10-interception passing campaign that fall before returning to Carolina for what amounted to a nostalgia tour as Sam Darnold's injury replacement in 2021. A week into the 2022 campaign, Newton is not on an NFL roster.

This is the fate the Bills want Allen to avoid. In his first four seasons, Allen's averaged 105.5 carries and 581 rushing yards per year. Most of those carries end with a hit. That's in addition to the 118 sacks and additional quarterback hits he has endured. So far, he has remained relatively unscathed, as Newton did through his first five seasons.

Does Newton's career trajectory mean that Allen's will traverse the same path? Of course not. But the parallels are impossible to ignore. Meanwhile Allen's physical on-field heroics continue to draw deserved praise and celebration.

There's no easy answer as Allen's play continues to produce wins and highlights. But it behooves both Allen and Bills to seek out the proper balance.

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Josh Allen wary of 'taking too many hits' as Cam Newton parallels become impossible to ignore - Yahoo Sports

Yahoo has acquired The Factual, a company that uses algorithms to rate the credibility of news sources, Yahoo president and general manager Matt Sanchez told Axios.

Why it matters: The deal could provide Yahoo News' 200 million+ monthly visitors with ratings for the thousands of news sources Yahoo aggregates on its site.

Details: With the transaction, which closed last month, The Factual's eight employees, including its founders, have joined Yahoo News full time.

Be smart: While Yahoo has a set of its own criteria it applies when it adds syndication partners across all Yahoo properties, Sanchez said labels will help the readers "make their own informed decisions about what they're reading," which will add trust over time.

How it works: Launched in 2019, The Factual uses artificial intelligence to rank articles based on four criteria: site quality, author expertise, article tone (level of opinion) and quality of sources.

What's next: For now, Yahoo's plan is to integrate The Factual's rating system within Yahoo News articles, not other Yahoo properties like Yahoo Finance or Yahoo Sports.

The big picture: The deal marks Yahoo's first acquisition since Apollo Global Management bought it and AOL for $5 billion from Verizon in 2021.

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Exclusive: Yahoo buys The Factual to add news credibility ratings - Axios

The iPhone 14 Pro is here, and it's one of Apple's most significant upgrades in years. We're used to seeing better camera and screen technology in Apple's "Pro" lineup, but this time around it's a dramatic departure from the standard iPhone 14. For one, Apple has done away with the notch, which first arrived with the iPhone X way back in 2017. Instead, there's a large cutout Apple is calling the "Dynamic Island," which can expand via software to include notifications and other app information. The result is a portion of the screen that looks, well, very dynamic.

iPhone 14 Pro

The iPhone 14 Pro features Apple's new Super Retina XDR display, which can reach up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness outside. That new screen tech also allows the Pro's 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch screens to stay on all of the time, so you don't have to tap your phone to see essential information. How is that possible? Apple has developed a new low power mode, which allows the screens to drop down to a super low 1Hz refresh rate.

As expected, there's also a new mobile chip powering all of this magic, the A16 Bionic. It's a 6-core CPU (2 high performance cores and four high efficiency) paired together with a 5-core GPU. Apple claims the high-performance cores use 20 percent less power than the A15's, and, not surprisingly, they're also faster. The A16 will be a big draw for the Pro lineup, as the standard iPhone 14 is stuck with last year's (still very capable) A15 chip.

iPhone 14 Pro

The iPhone 14 Pro's beefier processing power will come in handy for its new 48 megapixel main camera, a huge leap from the standard 12MP shooters Apple has relied on for years. It sports a quad-pixel sensor, which allows it to easily oversample large photos into 12MP-sized pictures. And if you actually want a beefy 48MP photo, you can shoot that in ProRAW as well. For on-the-go video shooting, a new action mode can also significantly smooth out bumps and shakes.

Apple's Photonic Engine improves low-light performance across all of the iPhone 14 Pro's cameras, something that it also shares with the standard model. There's also a new telephoto camera offering 2x optical zoom (down from 3x with the iPhone 13 Pro), along with a refreshed 12MP ultrawide shooter. Even the flash has been updated, allowing for twice the brightness thanks to a 9 LED array.

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iPhone 14 Pro

You'll also be able to tap into Apple's Emergency SOS feature, which relies on satellites to send messages when you're out of cellular range. It's a nifty feature, but it will also be available on the non-Pro iPhone 14.

Overall, the iPhone 14 Pro looks like a bigger step forward than last year's model. The Dynamic Island fundamentally reshapes the way notifications will work in iOS, and for many photographers, the larger camera sensor has been a long time coming. The iPhone 14 Pro will start at $999, while the Pro Max will go for $1,099, just like last year. You can pre-order both models on September 9th, and they'll be available in stores on September 16th.

Follow all of the news from Apples iPhone event right here.

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The iPhone 14 Pro ditches the notch for a giant hole in the screen - Yahoo Finance

The preseason doesn't mean much, especially to the New England Patriots.

Still, it's not like the panic over their offense is entirely misplaced. In the preseason finale, after a few weeks of alarmist stories about how bad the offense looked in training camp, the Patriots' starting offense struggled against the Las Vegas Raiders. That's bad. What's worse is it came against the Raiders' backup defense.

The Patriots' starting offense played four series. Two of those possessions ended with punts after three-and-outs. There was also a horrid interception by quarterback Mac Jones, and a field goal. The offensive line, which was a focus of all those worrisome stories out of camp, didn't look good. Everyone has had their say about the odd offensive coordinator combination of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, and after the preseason it seemed like maybe New England should have gone a more traditional route in replacing Josh McDaniels.

It's not like New England hasn't been through this before. Most of the past decade-plus has been spent trying to bury the Patriots, and most times it just looks foolish by the end of the season. While the NFL world wonders if the Patriots offense will be a disaster, the Patriots themselves seem pretty calm.

I say all the time, the NFL is a league of extremes" Judge said, via Boston.com. "Its one week, whats the storyline. Weve got a week in between the games, in this instance we have two weeks in between the games. So its whats the storyline thats going to run? You cant chase that. You cant chase the narratives. Youve got to show up every day.

Jones was one of the Patriots who had a rough preseason. He isn't worried either.

"It's not about rah-rah speeches and things like that," Jones said, according to NBC Sports. "It's about pure execution. We're gonna work on it, we're gonna grind through it. I think its kinda good to be where we are. Learn from everything and have good conversations. That's the important part. Dont just sit there and say that it was bad. It is what it is."

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How much should the preseason matter to our perceptions of teams? The 2008 Detroit Lions and 2017 Cleveland Browns, the two 0-16 teams in NFL history, were both 4-0 in the preseason. Plenty of teams and players have looked great or terrible in August, and it doesn't resemble anything we see once the regular season starts. Teams don't generally show enough, schematically and with lineups, in preseason to get a reasonable read on what they'll be during the regular season.

Yet, it matters a little. The Patriots weren't trying to be bad in the preseason and especially during camp. They're introducing new schemes with the coordinator change. They weren't sharp. That does matter. Maybe it will cause a slow start to the regular season for New England.

Bill Belichick usually figures things out, though. Sometimes it takes a few weeks into the season, but the Patriots end up fixing their issues as the season goes on. Patriots fans better hope so, or it might be a long season watching this offense.

Quarterback Mac Jones (10) and the Patriots offense had a rough August. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Here are the power rankings before Week 1 of the NFL season. Click on any of the team names below for an in-depth season preview on that team from our summer countdown series; the "last week" ranking is from our pre-preseason rankings.

The Falcons looked fine in the preseason but that doesn't mean much. If Arthur Smith can get this roster to six, seven wins or more, it'll say a lot about his coaching ability.

The Texans might be improved. Rookie running back Dameon Pierce was great in the preseason. Receiver Nico Collins and tight end Brevin Jordan could have breakouts. Not great, but better than their previous ranking.

Geno Smith won the Seahawks' QB competition, mostly because Drew Lock didn't do much to win it. We don't know whether rookie running back Kenneth Walker III, a second-round pick, will play in the opener after having hernia surgery. You would have liked some more positive news from Seattle in August, but there wasn't much of it.

Tight end Cole Kmet had a nice preseason. It would help the Bears offense immensely if he had a breakout season. They need someone other than Darnell Mooney to catch the ball.

Here's Giants general manager Joe Schoen on the Giants' expectations this season, via Fox Sports: Were just trying to get through today.

"The situation were in is the situation," Schoen said. "Its the hand we were dealt. Were going to do the best we can.

How's that for some preseason excitement?

We're still waiting for word on Zach Wilson's availability, but it seems his recovery from arthroscopic knee surgery is going well. The Jets won't rush him and risk setting him back for what is a crucial second season.

Jaguars-Commanders in Week 1 is an interesting game. If the Jaguars do have a shot to be a breakout team this season, as many believe, this is a game they should win.

The Panthers wasted a lot of time before naming Baker Mayfield their starting quarterback. Mayfield should be an upgrade for the passing game, and as long as the Panthers are healthy they should be a tough out. A Week 1 game against Cleveland will be telling.

The Lions gave us a good "Hard Knocks" show. What is clear already is Aidan Hutchinson, the second overall pick of the draft, has a chance to be really good. This should be a fun season in Detroit.

Thankfully Brian Robinson Jr. is doing OK after being shot in a robbery attempt. The rookie running back looked good before that. Another rookie who could be a surprise is Jahan Dotson, who hasn't gotten as much buzz as you'd expect from a receiver taken No. 16 overall.

Mike Tomlin was drawing out announcing a starting quarterback, though it would be a surprise if it's not Mitchell Trubisky. But Kenny Pickett looked good in the preseason. He should play pretty soon this season.

Tua Tagovailoa had a good preseason finale, offering some positive vibes heading into a huge season for him. His connection with Tyreek Hill will be one of the NFL's most-watched storylines in September.

The loss of pass rusher Harold Landry to a torn ACL in practice is brutal for the Titans. If Mike Vrabel can get this team back to the playoffs, it will stamp him as a top-five coach in the NFL.

Kirk Cousins is set up well for a big season under new coach Kevin O'Connell. But it's funny: No matter how good Cousins is, your opinion on him won't change unless Minnesota somehow wins a Super Bowl.

The Saints' trade of versatile defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Eagles was surprising. Gardner-Johnson could become a free agent next offseason, but he could have helped this season and the Saints didn't get much back (a 2023 fifth-round pick, the lowest of the Eagles' two 2024 sixth-rounders and a 2025 seventh-round pick). Gardner-Johnson wanted a new deal but it's not like he'd sit out all season. An odd move.

The problem with evaluating the Browns is that the assumption is Deshaun Watson will look like his normal self when he returns from an 11-game suspension. Watson didn't play at all last season, got just a handful of preseason snaps this year, and will be joining a brand new team and offensive scheme about two-thirds of the way into the season. Watson is a talented quarterback but assuming he'll be great right away is asking a lot.

Cutting offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood a year after he was drafted in the first round brought a lot of attention to how bad the Raiders' drafts were with Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden running the show. Imagine how good the Raiders might be right now if they hadn't whiffed on so many picks. The blown drafts will set them back for the next couple years, too.

The Cardinals will be tested right out of the gate with a home game against the Chiefs. We'll find out if Arizona's cornerbacks are good enough by facing Patrick Mahomes.

I don't buy the notion that Nyheim Hines is going to get much more run this season. Jonathan Taylor is still either the best running back in the NFL or on a very short list. The Colts missed the playoffs last season and aren't going to be taking their best offensive weapon off the field that often.

Maybe there will be no problem with Jimmy Garoppolo being back on the roster, and Trey Lance will take off anyway. I just wonder how Lance will react to it all. I still like Lance to have a breakout season, but a little less than I did before Garoppolo restructured his contract.

The Patriots open the season at the Dolphins. It's a big Week 1 game, and it's very possible that after it we're talking not about the Patriots' offense, but how Bill Belichick's defense forced Tua Tagovailoa into plenty of mistakes.

The Broncos didn't play any starters in the preseason and had some rough moments, which caused a freakout with some of the fanbase. The Broncos will be fine. But if Denver starts slow in its opener at Seattle, new coach Nathaniel Hackett will be answering a lot of questions about his preseason strategy.

There hasn't been much talk about Joe Burrow's appendectomy. He returned to practice fairly soon after the procedure and seems good to go. Apparently, there won't be any issues going forward, which is good news for one of the NFL's young stars.

The Tyron Smith injury is a brutal one for the Cowboys. I'd hesitated moving Dallas too far down over the offseason, because the Cowboys were better last season than anyone seems to remember. But the holes are tough to ignore.

General manager Howie Roseman has had a tremendous offseason. The trade for defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson gives the Eagles an answer to one of the few questions on the roster. The more you look at the Eagles, the more you see a team that could be a surprise NFC champion.

The Chargers have been trying to find a backup for running back Austin Ekeler. Maybe free-agent addition Sony Michel, cut by the Dolphins at the end of the preseason, will be the answer. Michel had some good moments with the Rams last season.

It's not ideal for the Ravens to be starting the season with a lot of questions at running back. Gus Edwards will start the season on PUP. They've been coy about J.K. Dobbins' health and availability heading into Week 1. The Ravens did sign Kenyan Drake, and maybe that saves them early in the season as Dobbins and Edwards get back to full health.

Rookie receiver Romeo Doubs is one of the more interesting players to watch this September. He had a good camp and flashed in the preseason. Will a fourth-round rookie really be one of Aaron Rodgers' most important targets this season? That's a lot of pressure, but if Doubs hits big it could transform the Packers.

The Buccaneers have dealt with offensive line injuries and Tom Brady's unusual training camp vacation. They don't know when Chris Godwin will be 100 percent this season. Rob Gronkowski has retired. Are the Buccaneers much more vulnerable than we expect?

A key player to watch early is rookie receiver Skyy Moore. It didn't seem through the preseason like he'll be a big part of the offense early on, but his versatility could be a nice asset through the season. Perhaps coach Andy Reid has an early-season plan for the rookie too.

Matthew Stafford's sore elbow got a lot of attention in August, but there doesn't seem to be much concern heading into the season. It's worth watching if he's not quite 100 percent early, but as of now it appears Stafford should be fine.

If the Bills go to Los Angeles and beat the Rams on Thursday, the hype for them will be massive. They're the Super Bowl favorites for a reason. This could be a special season in Buffalo.

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NFL Power Rankings: Patriots' offensive struggles are concerning, will they linger? - Yahoo Sports

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4for4 takes using strength of schedule for fantasy to a different level with their signature metric, schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed, or aFPA. By removing schedule bias, we can level the playing field and compare matchups in an apples-to-apples manner.

Making decisions on who to draft at ADP can come down to several factors, but for this article, Ill point out some players who have an easier start to the season than others so that you can maximize points right out of the gate.

By ensuring a solid start to the year, beginning 3-1 or 4-0, we can vastly increase our odds of making it to the fantasy promised land in the cold months of winter: The playoffs. In a fantasy league where 6 teams out of twelve make the playoffs, there's a 92 percent chance of making the playoffs if you start 4-0; conversely, if you start 0-4, your odds are 9%.

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I omitted elite players whom youd be drafting anyway and focused on more of the middle-to-late-round guys that we sometimes have difficulty distinguishing from one another.

There are many reasons to like Matt Ryan for fantasy purposes in 2022, so his easy schedule at the start just sweetens the pot. Indy kicks off the season with the Texans, Jaguars, Chiefs and Titans, who all sat 19th or worse in QB aFPA in 2021.

Ryan gets a fresh start with the Colts and has some solid young talent in Michael Pittman Jr. and Jonathan Taylor to share the field with, along with a much better offensive line than hes had in recent years in Atlanta. Ryan is currently being drafted as QB27 but has the potential to crack the top 15, for a very inexpensive 14th-round draft price tag.

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I know I said I wasnt going to include the high draft-pick players in here, but Nick Chubbs stock has fallen steadily this summer, and hes now into the mid-second round, so Im including the Cleveland RB. With the Browns QB situation murky, to say the least, drafters seem unsure of what to do with their entire offense.

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It should continue to be a run-first situation in Cleveland, and Chubb is one of the best pure rushers in the game, but he doesn't have that pass-catching upside that fantasy managers crave. He does, however, have a glorious commencement to the 2022 season. After a Week 1 tilt with Carolina, Chubb faces the Jets, Steelers, Falcons and Chargers, who sat 32nd, 23rd, 26th and 28th, respectively in RB aFPA last year. Chubb is currently the ninth back off boards and the 13th-ranked back in Yahoo's half-PPR rankings.

There is a multitude of reasons to like Chris Olave this season, including his path to volume, his deep-threat ability and how the rookies big-play style could jive really well with how Jameis Winston delivers the football.

Chris Olave has a chance for early fantasy success this season. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Lets add to Olaves allure with a favorable schedule to start his NFL career. The Saints' first two contests are division rivals, with the Falcons in Week 1 followed by Tampa Bay, both among the bottom seven in WR aFPA last season. They get a stronger Carolina secondary in Week 3 but then face a dead-last Vikings unit that yielded 33.3 aFPA to enemy WRs the following week. Olave is being drafted as a fantasy WR4, but the upside is there to overdeliver this season.

The stars seem to be aligning for yet another rookie, as Jalen Tolbert is in a great spot to find success out of the gate. With both Michael Gallup and James Washington sidelined for the start of 2022, Tolbert is in line for WR2 duties and should be third in targets behind CeeDee Lamb and Dalton Schultz.

Also working for Tolbert is whom the Cowboys match up against to begin his first year in the league. The average ranking of their first four opponents was 24th, with an average aFPA to enemy wideouts of 30.0 half-PPR points per contest. The consistency may not be there all season long for the 23-year-old, but with his opportunity and cushy schedule, Tolbert could be a sneaky late-round flex play at the start.

Not only will Zach Ertz eat in the first six weeks of the season due to the suspension of DeAndre Hopkins, but the 31-year-old faces some suspect defensive units when it comes to defending TEs in that time frame, as well. Four of those six teams sat 20th or worse in 2021 in TE aFPA, yielding an average of 12.5 half-PPR points to enemy TEs per matchup.

Ertz is leaving draft boards as TE10 and has the potential to play up a few spots based on predictive volume and opposition. Be sure to monitor his Week 1 status, however, as he's been dealing with a calf issue.

This article was originally published on 4for4.com

A proud alumna of the UGA Grady College of Journalism, Jennifer Eakins has been working in the sports industry for well over a decade. She has had stints with CNN Sports, the Atlanta Hawks and the Colorado Rockies. Her first fantasy football draft took place in 1996 where she selected Ricky Watters with the first overall pick, and she has been a fantasy degenerate ever since.

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Fantasy Football 2022: Five players set to score a lot of points in the early going - Yahoo Sports

Nobody is sounding the trumpets this week.

The Atlanta Braves are on a roll and have tied the New York Mets in the NL East, setting up a pretty fun September. The Braves have won six in a row. The Mets have lost three in a row. The Mets' reasonably comfortable lead is gone. Both teams sit at 85-51.

The Mets are still -185 to win the NL East at BetMGM as of Wednesday morning. There's value on the Braves at +150. They came back to win the division last season. Then they won the World Series.

The Mets' offense has been in a slump. That's why they're in danger of losing first place in the NL East for the first time since taking the lead all the way back on April 12.

Both teams play on Wednesday afternoon, and the Mets have a doubleheader. The Mets are -250 favorites in the first game over the Pittsburgh Pirates, but maybe nothing should be assumed during this slump. Jacob deGrom is starting the second game and the Mets should be an even bigger favorite for that game. The Braves are also favorites, at -275 over the Oakland A's.

The best reason the Mets are still favored to win the division is their top-end pitching, and that could end up carrying them home to the NL East title. But the Braves have a really good roster, bolstered after last season's World Series win by some exciting rookies. They also have the momentum.

There are sure to be some nervous moments in New York over the last 26 games of the season. You knew it wouldn't be easy for the Mets.

Brandon Nimmo of the New York Mets comes up short on a catch attempt against the Pirates. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)

Here's a first look at the sports betting slate on Wednesday?

Well, there is some Champions League soccer. Yahoo Sportsbook's Nick Bromberg talked about that earlier this week. But other than that, it's mostly just MLB.

It's OK. We all know what's coming on Thursday night.

Due to a couple doubleheaders, we have 17 games in total. The New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins are the other doubleheader on the schedule. The Yankees are favored in both games, -160 in the first game and -200 in the second.

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The Twins are part of a fun race in the AL Central. They're 1.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians, who are -140 favorites at the Kansas City Royals. If the odds are an indication, the Guardians could lead the division by three games after Wednesday.

We'll go off the board a bit and take the Braves to win the division as the best bet. Lock that in now while you're getting a good number. There's no great reason the Braves should be +150 after tying up the NL East on Tuesday night. They're a good team with a championship pedigree now, and there's going to be a lot of pressure on the Mets.

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The Daily Sweat: The Mets need some wins to hold off hard-charging Braves - Yahoo Sports

This is not a rebuild

I repeat: This is not a rebuild.

Thats effectively what New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis has said for the past two offseasons despite losing Drew Brees to retirement after the 2020 season and then losing head coach Sean Payton after the 2021 season.

"I think our team feels confident in our ability, but there's so many variables that go into a season, Loomis said at the start of training camp this year. But we're not a rebuild. This isn't a rebuild, I guess is the best way to describe it. Yeah, we think we can win now."

He proved that this offseason by circumventing the traditional teardown roster strategy.

Instead of trading away key assets to bolster draft capital, Loomis traded up twice in the 2022 draft to select Ohio State receiver Chris Olave with the 11th overall pick and then grab Northern Iowa offensive tackle Trevor Penning with the 19th overall pick. Instead of pinching pennies in free agency, Loomis paid for veteran players like receiver Jarvis Landry and safeties Tyrann Mathieu and Marcus Maye, all while clearing $110 million in cap space primarily by pushing big cap hits to future years.

And finally, Loomis didnt go out and mortgage the future by acquiring a new quarterback even though there were many available this offseason. He re-signed Jameis Winston to give the position some semblance of continuity with the majority of the offensive coaching staff returning under new head coach Dennis Allen, who was promoted from defensive coordinator.

With all of these moves, Loomis and the Saints are trying to pull off one of the hardest things in the NFL: a soft reboot of the roster without a succession plan at quarterback.

And it just might work.

The New Orleans Saints aren't rebuilding despite the retirement of Drew Brees and the stepping away of Sean Payton the last two years. (Amber Matsumoto/Yahoo Sports)

One of the tenets of Loomis roster-building strategy, according to his former boss, colleague and ex-Saints GM Randy Mueller, is to never get rid of good players. The idea is simple enough because it guarantees some level of consistency across your roster and keeps the team at least as competitive as in years past, barring injury or decline in production.

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He's seen the work that they've done to get these players. Why would we change course now? Mueller told Yahoo Sports. He just wants to add to it that, that's why you see some of these signings. And that's always been our philosophy.

Take a look at what the Saints will look like in 2022. They return most of the key contributors to their 2021 defense, which finished third in Football Outsiders defensive DVOA but replaced safety Marcus Williams with Mathieu and Maye. Running back Alvin Kamara is back. Receiver Michael Thomas is back and healthy. The offensive line is mostly intact save for Terron Armstead, who earned a lucrative deal with the Miami Dolphins in free agency. And Winston is recovered from his Week 8 ACL tear.

Loomis then added a good possession receiver in Landry and injected the dynamic Olave to supercharge Winstons receiving corps.

I think they're gonna be one of the better teams in the league, in my opinion, Mueller said, if they get some consistent play from the quarterback. I think they're better this year than they were last year.

Loomis has done the complete teardown before. When he replaced Mueller in 2002, Loomis traded star running back Ricky Williams to the Miami Dolphins for four picks, including two first-rounders, sent Pro Bowl tackle Willie Roaf to the Kansas City Chiefs, and let defensive tackle LaRoi Glover walk in free agency. All in one offseason.

And It didnt work.

The Saints toiled in mediocrity for years before Loomis hired Payton and traded for Brees in 2006. That year, the Saints immediately won the division and made it to the divisional round of the playoffs. Loomis' previous team, the Seattle Seahawks, went to the postseason just four times during his 15-year tenure before he followed Mueller to New Orleans in 2000.

So forgive Loomis if he doesnt want to go back to being a bottom-half NFL franchise again.

The Saints didnt have a firm quarterback plan in place for a post-Brees world (despite Paytons Taysom Hill experience), so Loomis is once again banking on the former No. 1 overall pick in Winston to play well enough to keep the Saints afloat in 2022.

Thats a risky decision when you consider the successful succession strategies with the Green Bay Packers (from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers) and Kansas City Chiefs (from Alex Smith to Patrick Mahomes), but Winston proved to be a more-than-serviceable quarterback for the Saints before his season-ending ACL tear in Week 8.

He had the highest touchdown percentage of any quarterback through the first seven weeks of the season and only threw three interceptions up to that point. His 102.4 passer rating ranked 11th and his yards per competition ranked eighth. Winstons completion percentage and passing yards were below average, but the Saints still held a 5-2 record before his injury.

I don't think they're expecting Jameis to elevate everybody else, Mueller said. They just want him to be functional and understand the system and make the plays that come his way. They don't need a hero.

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Winston initially only signed a one-year deal in 2021, so that left a possible opening for the Saints to go out and upgrade their quarterback in the draft, free agency or in a trade this offseason. Even though the Saints were at one point among the suitors for Deshaun Watson (who ended up being suspended 11 games anyway), Loomis eventually determined that Winston was their best option and re-signed him to a two-year deal. They didnt target a quarterback in a draft class perceived to be weak or sign any else in free agency like Mitchell Trubisky or Marcus Mariota.

They put the best spin on what they had available right now, Mueller said. I don't think the Saints are turning their back on the future of the quarterback. They just think Jameis gives him the best chance this year and they'll figure it out next year if he doesn't for whatever reason.

There are effectively three different methods of moving your team forward after losing a franchise-level player, depending on ownership: a complete teardown, where a brand new GM and coaching staff jettison expensive or aging players for draft picks and salary cap relief; a partial teardown, where certain players are traded away but the front office and coaches remain mostly intact (think the Seahawks right now); and then the Saints reboot, with the same front office, roster and most of the coaching staff.

Once the Saints opted to keep Loomis and promote Allen to head coach in lieu of making an outside hire, they decided on a direction that would ultimately lean into aggressive roster construction.

Trading up to draft Olave helped the Saints find what they believe to be the missing piece of their offense. They also brought in veterans to round out the shaky depth spots across the roster. And they didn't trade away key pieces that have fueled their recent history.

The other issue with a true rebuild? You never know when youll get out of one. Look at the New York Jets, whove missed the playoffs a league-leading 11 consecutive seasons. Or the Detroit Lions, who finally embraced a true teardown by trading away long-time quarterback Matthew Stafford for a bevy of picks in 2021.

For the Saints, they felt this was the best path forward.

It's the only way I ever would've thought of doing it, Mueller said. I'm not surprised that they're trying to put the best team forward this year as they can. And I think every year you should be all in.

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The Saints lost Drew Brees and Sean Payton and still opted not to rebuild. Will it work? - Yahoo Sports