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🐦 Five things to know Friday
- Michael Penix Jr. ignited the Falcons’ offense against the Packers. All it took for Atlanta to get off the mat was a quarterback change. Penix is finally healthy, and the Falcons looked like a completely different team in their 35-14 rout of Green Bay. With Penix in the lineup for the first time in 10 months, he got the most out of his supporting cast; Bijan Robinson and Drake London racked up exactly 194 yards apiece. On the other sideline, Matt LaFleur faces major questions as the Packers are off to a 1-2 start with their lone win coming in overtime against the Jets.
- Four more teams secured MLB postseason berths. Thursday was a big day for playoff contenders. The Padres, with their 4-2 win over the rival Dodgers, were the last of four teams to secure spots in the bracket in one day. That result also guaranteed the Brewers the No. 1 seed in the National League and home-field advantage through the postseason. Earlier in the day, the Guardians locked up a postseason appearance, as did both Chicago teams. The White Sox’s surprise campaign continues, and if they win the AL Central, they will also own home-field advantage in the ALDS. And on the North Side, the Cubs earned their playoff spot on the same day Pete Crow-Armstrong joined the 40-40 club. Speaking of PCA, our MLB experts unveiled their picks for MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year. As the regular season winds down, so ends a miserable year in the AL West, where one team could become the first sub-.500 club to win a division.
- The WNBA playoffs are locked in. It’s a quick turnaround from the end of the regular season to the start of the playoffs, as the top eight teams in the league embark on postseason play Sunday. There was a ton of drama in the final moments of seeding as the Valkyries secured the No. 2 spot in the bracket with a 16-point comeback win over the Sparks. They will face the No. 7-seed Wings in the first round. Check out the full seed list and schedule ahead of Sunday’s postseason tip-off. This also brings awards voting to a close, and our Jack Maloney shared his MVP and All-WNBA ballot.
- The United States holds a modest lead at the Presidents Cup. The first of two four-ball rounds went the way of the host team, but only by a small margin. The U.S. squad holds a 3-2 lead over the International team, which is a slimmer advantage than expected considering it was favored in all five matches. Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns led the way with a 1 UP win over Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im. Up next is this afternoon’s foursomes round.
- Puka Nacua and Zay Flowers injuries create tough fantasy football start-or-sit decisions. Quarterbacks aren’t the only players dropping like flies in the early stages of the season. Nacua and Flowers are among the other stars who could be unavailable in Week 3, and if you have them on your fantasy roster, here’s how you should proceed. Our Dave Richard identified every startable player and separated them from the ones you should sit, and since every league is different, his Week 3 PPR cheat sheet is the ultimate resource to help you make your own decisions.
🔥 Do not miss this: Previewing college football Week 4
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It’s a massive week in the SEC and Big Ten. The SEC has three top-25 matchups on its Week 4 slate and the Big Ten has two, each with sizable College Football Playoff implications. No. 1 Texas and No. 18 Michigan and favored in their ranked matchups, but both are on upset alert with highly capable underdogs on the other sideline. And for No. 10 LSU and No. 23 Texas A&M, the loser of their head-to-head showdown might already be out of the CFP race. High enough stakes?
The Longhorns’ trip to No. 14 Tennessee is so monumental that even President Donald Trump will be in attendance. That could cause in-game problems for both teams, as Steve Sarkisian said any time the President moves locations inside the stadium, coach-to-player communication is cut off. Sarkisian even said this occurred in last year’s national championship game and impacted the final drive. Throwing another wrench into the matchup: Tennessee linebackers coach William Inge is in the hospital due to a “personal medical issue.”
The top showdown in the Big Ten pits No. 12 USC against No. 20 Oregon. Both coaches desperately need a win in this spot. Who needs it more? While Dan Lanning is still in search of a championship season, Lincoln Riley faces even tougher pressure as he seeks to prove that the Trojans are back in college football’s top tier.
Our picks for all of the biggest Week 4 games are in. Tom Fornelli’s Lock of the Week comes from No. 17 Iowa at No. 18 Michigan, where he foresees the Hawkeyes having a tough time moving the ball.
Here are our picks for every marquee matchup:
🏈 NFL Week 3 picks, injury updates and more
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When the Cowboys and Ravens fly to Rio de Janeiro for the NFL’s third Brazil game, they will embark on a challenge the league has never seen before. Neither Dallas nor Baltimore has a bye week on the other side of this international trip. The flight home won’t feel so long for the winning team, and our experts Jordan Dajani and Jared Dubin think the Ravens will be that fortunate squad — but only if Zay Flowers suits up.
- Dubin: “The Cowboys have been both efficient and explosive offensively so far this season, and we’ve seen that the Ravens can still be beaten on defense early in the Jesse Minter era. Tyler Shough went off against them in the second half. I think Dak Prescott can do the same. If Flowers suits up, I think it won’t be quite enough. If he doesn’t, then I think the Cowboys can pull this one out in Brazil.”
Also, if the first two weeks were any indication of what’s next, then Week 3 should also feature a handful of puzzling results. For one, it wouldn’t shock our Tyler Sullivan if the Steelers go touchdown-less for the second consecutive game. Sullivan also put a handful of teams on upset alert, and our betting staff tends to agree on a couple of them. Here are three of the games with live underdogs to monitor:
- Rams at Broncos (+2.5)
- Texans at Colts (+2.5)
- Panthers at Browns (+2.5)
There are eight unbeaten teams left heading into Week 3, so we ranked all of the 2-0 squads. We also identified the secret weapon behind each of those perfect starts, from 49ers cornerback Upton Stout to Bills defensive tackle Deone Walker.
Lastly, on the injury front …
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
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📺 What we’re watching this weekend
Friday
⛳ Presidents Cup: Second round, 2 p.m. on Golf Channel
⚾ Cubs at Red Sox, 6:05 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Rays at Phillies, 6:40 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ Orioles at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. on MLB Network
🏈 Northwestern at No. 5 Indiana, 8 p.m. on Fox
🏒 Stars at Wild, 8 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Gotham at Stars, 8 p.m. on Prime Video
🤼 WWE SmackDown, 8 p.m. on USA Network
⚾ Diamondbacks at Padres, 10 p.m. on MLB Network
Saturday
⛳ Presidents Cup: Third and fourth rounds, 8 a.m. on Golf Channel and 9 a.m. on NBC
🏈 Illinois at No. 7 Ohio State, noon on Fox
🏈 Sam Houston at No. 11 Texas Tech, noon on TNT
🏈 No. 1 Texas at No. 14 Tennessee, noon on ABC
🏈 Wake Forest at No. 16 Louisville, noon on ESPN
🥊 Zuffa Boxing 11: Fisher vs. Pirotton, 12:15 p.m. on Paramount+
⚽ Summit at Current, 12:30 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚾ Pirates at Tigers, 1:10 p.m. on MLB Network
🏈 No. 3 Notre Dame at Purdue, 2 p.m. on NBC Sports Network
🏒 Penguins at Sabres, 3 p.m. on NHL Network
🏈 No. 17 Iowa at No. 18 Michigan, 3:30 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 Oklahoma at No. 2 Georgia, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 No. 4 Ole Miss at No. 21 Florida, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 No. 15 Utah at Iowa State, 3:30 p.m. on Fox
🏈 No. 25 Houston at Georgia Southern, 4 p.m. on ESPNU
⚾ Dodgers at Giants, 4:05 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ Mets at Nationals, 4:05 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Braves at Marlins, 4:10 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ Men’s international friendly: Peru vs. United States, 4:30 p.m. on TNT
🤼 UFC Fight Night: Rosas Jr. vs. Barcelos, 5 p.m. on Paramount+
🏈 Wisconsin at No. 13 Penn State, 5 p.m. on NBC Sports Network
🏈 Central Michigan at No. 6 Miami, 6:30 p.m. on The CW
⚽ Angel City at Spirit, 6:30 p.m. on Ion
🏈 South Carolina at No. 8 Alabama, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Blues at Blackhawks, 7 p.m. on NHL Network
⚾ Rays at Phillies, 7:15 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Arizona at Washington State, 7:30 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 No. 20 Oregon at No. 12 USC, 7:30 p.m. on NBC
🏈 No. 23 Texas A&M at No. 10 LSU, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
⚽ Fire at Charlotte, 7:30 p.m. on Apple TV
🏈 No. 19 Missouri at No. 24 Mississippi State, 7:45 p.m. on SEC Network
⚽ LAFC at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. on Apple TV
⚽ Dash at Thorns, 8:45 p.m. on Ion
🏈 Missouri State at No. 22 SMU, 9 p.m. on ACC Network
🏒 Sharks at Golden Knights, 10 p.m. on NHL Network
⚽ Timbers at Earthquakes, 10:30 p.m. on Apple TV
Sunday
⛳ Presidents Cup: Final round, noon on NBC
🏈 Bengals at Steelers, 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 Chargers at Bills, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏁 NASCAR at Kansas, 3 p.m. on USA Network
🏈 Vikings at Buccaneers, 4:05 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Ravens vs. Cowboys (at Rio de Janeiro), 4:25 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚽ Pride at Bay, 5 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ Inter Miami at Crew, 7 p.m. on Apple TV
⚽ Courage at Royals, 7 p.m. on Roku
🏈 Rams at Broncos, 8:20 p.m. on NBC
🏀 Liberty at Lynx, TBD
🏀 Wings at Valkyries, TBD
🏀 Mystics at Dream, TBD
🏀 Fever at Aces, TBD