Posts

The Broncos have been arguably the best defense in the NFL this year, but nobody allows fewer fantasy points to defenses than the Pack. On the other side, the Broncos’ offense is struggling, with Peyton Manning throwing picks and C.J. Anderson running in quicksand. Don’t let Denver’s reputation precede them – the Packers are a top-five play, both in season-long fantasy leagues and daily fantasy football contests. Let’s check out the full fantasy D/ST rankings to help us spot more sleepers, streamers and busts for Week 8....

For now, we’ll focus on the individual kickers and the matchups. Right at the top, we have Justin Tucker, who maintains his lofty ranking despite a tough matchup against Indianapolis. Fortunately, that game is in a stadium with a roof, so we don’t have to worry about the weather with Tucker like we did last week. The same is true on the other side of that game, where Rodrigo Blankenship is still a borderline starter despite a a tough matchup....

— NBA regular season: Warriors-Cavaliers. Prediction: 5.0; final rating: 4.9. — NBA regular season: Bulls-Spurs. Prediction: 3.0; final rating: 2.8. — NBA regular season: Celtics-Knicks. Prediction: 2.5; final rating: 2.0. — NFL “Sunday Night Football”: Broncos-Chiefs. Prediction: 11.5; final rating: 10.6. — NFL regular season: Ravens-Steelers. Prediction: 4.2; final rating: 6.5. — NFL doubleheader: Mostly Packers-Vikings and Buccaneers-Saints. Predictions: 8.6 and 9.9; final ratings: 10.0 and 8.1. — NFL regular season: Bengals-Texans....

— NASCAR Daytona 500. Prediction: 7.4; final rating: 6.6. — NBA regular season, Warriors-Clippers. Prediction: 2.6; final rating: 2.2. — NBA regular season, Cavaliers-Thunder. Prediction: 2.5; final rating: 2.2. — NHL Stadium Series, Blackhawks-Wild. Prediction: 1.2; final rating: 1.1. — PGA Tour from Riviera, final round. Prediction: 2.1; final rating: 2.3. This week’s predictions (all times Eastern): NBA regular season, Warriors-Thunder (8:30 p.m. Saturday, ABC). NBA Saturday Primetime has not exactly been a blockbuster draw thus far, with ratings of 2....

The cautious owners who grabbed Peterson’s handcuff at least could reassure themselves with the performance of Toby Gerhart, who rushed for 89 yards on 15 carries, including a 41-yard touchdown run. Unfortunately, Gerhart sustained a hamstring injury and has not practiced this week. Peterson is very questionable for Sunday, with Gerhart stuck with a similar tag. Reports are the Vikings are more optimistic about Gerhart than Peterson, but that’s not saying much....

The problem for owners is they lack options if they decide to wait. Since Thomas and Reed play Sunday and Monday night games — and don't have appealing backups — owners are left with having to decide to play a replacement or gamble that Thomas and Reed will be active for their contests. If they come up empty with the bet, Thomas and Reed owners might end up with a literal zero for their troubles....

More Quick Hitters Baylor has lost a pair of starting offensive linemen in the last two weeks. OT Troy Baker is out for the season after tearing his ACL in a 41-27 loss at West Virginia. Two weeks ago in the come-from-behind win over TCU, starting OG Desmine Hilliard went down with a season-ending injury to his wrist. Clemson true freshman RB Adam Choice is out for the rest of the year after tearing his ACL in a 17-13 non-covering win at Boston College....

The AAA Texas 500 is scheduled for 2:16 p.m. ET green flag. It’s the second of three races that will determine the final four drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. And weepers is the word of the day. MORE: Drivers to watch at Texas | Starting lineup | Texas-sized tempers | Race favorites NASCAR announced Sunday’s race would include a competition caution on Lap 25 to assess moisture problems....

The first week of Jets training camp was beyond unkind. On one particular August day, it was disgustingly humid, with the mercury hitting the high 90s. Media members were confined to an unshaded section of the practice field at One Jets Drive as the sun beat down on necks, arms and legs like a toddler begging a parent for ice cream … for 2 1/2 hours. A single tree in the middle of three practice fields offered the only shade, and it could have been flagged for a 15-yard taunting penalty....

Wenger managed a number of the key figures from France’s last golden period, including Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira, as Les Bleus followed up 1998 World Cup success with Euro 2000 glory. Henry on Mbappe: Ooh la, la! Their captain during that period, Didier Deschamps, now presides over a squad that appears well-tooled to revisit such glory days, although they suffered bitter disappointment with defeat on home soil to Portugal in the final of Euro 2016....

Reports in Germany suggest that the Borussia Dortmund manager has rejected the advances of Bayern Munich to accept the position at the Emirates Stadium ahead of the summer. Arsenal are currently sixth in the Premier League, 13 points behind fourth-placed north London rivals Tottenham. That leaves the Europa League as potentially their best route into qualifying for the Champions League, and a failure to win the competition - having defeated Milan in the last 16 - could lead Wenger towards the exit door, though the 68-year-old believes that some of his critics are ageist....

Arsenal will extend Cazorla and Mertesacker deals The 24-year-old arrived at Arsenal from Borussia Monchengladbach in the close-season with a reputation as a rough player. Xhaka has been sent off in the Premier League and he gave away his latest penalty in a 3-3 draw against Bournemouth last time out. But Wenger believes the Switzerland international is showing improvement defensively, denying claims he is dirty. “You can see in his game he is not a dirty player....

The hosts hit the front early through Charlie Austin and Arsenal’s afternoon looked set to end in frustration before Olivier Giroud performed a familiar salvage act, coming off the bench to head an 88th-minute equaliser. But it was what unfolded between the goals that pricked Wenger’s attention. He said to BT Sport: “Happy [with the result]? No because we wanted to win, but when you cannot win at least don’t lose it....

Most, if not all, of the above QBs will still be started in most leagues, but borderline QBs Cam Newton (vs. Cardinals), Ryan Tannehill (@ Colts), and Jared Goff (vs. 49ers) are probably best suited for your benches. Roethlisberger (vs. Ravens) is also risky, but he’s established a high floor and had two TDs against the Ravens in their first meeting this year, so he’s not completely off-limits. However, you can probably find a QB with more upside....

Included with them are some sleeper/streamer tight ends and defenses (six each) that you might need depending on your Week 15 matchups and a bunch of potential WR3s that continue to go overlooked in over half of Yahoo leagues (Taylor Gabriel, Dontrelle Inman, Marqise Lee, Anquan Boldin, etc.). Ideally, if you’re still alive in your fantasy playoffs, you don’t need to take too many chances next week, but it never hurts to have options....

On the bright side for those of you who are relying on Hollister this week, Arizona was cooked again by a tight end in Week 15, just not Njoku. It was Ricky Seals-Jones in a revenge game scoring twice, so Hollister is our favorite matchup TE for fantasy championship week. WEEK 16 NON-PPR RANKINGS:Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | D/ST | Kicker There’s also a fast-rising O.J. Howard pushing his name into borderline consideration for fantasy title games after he was targeted eight times Sunday....

MORE WEEK 5 RANKINGS: QB | RB | WR | DEF | K FIVE STAR Jimmy Graham, Saints vs. Buccaneers Julius Thomas, Broncos vs. Cardinals FOUR STARS Rob Gronkowski, Patriots vs. Bengals. Not the “old Gronk” but still a TD machine so far (on pace for 12). Martellus Bennett, Bears @ Panthers. If Brandon Marshall (ankle) is still hobbled or out, Bennett is still an elite TE1. Larry Donnell, Giants vs....