Category: Sport

I don’t know where Shedeur Sanders is headed as an NFL quarterback. I can’t say he’ll be great next year, or next week. And obviously he didn’t get a win Sunday against Tennessee.

But it’s nice to have optimism back in the Cleveland huddle. And Sanders took enough positive steps Sunday that we can start to consider some Browns players as part of our fantasy playoff plans.

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Let’s be fair, Cleveland outplayed Tennessee on the field. The Browns had 22 first downs and 412 yards of offense, the Titans managed just 13 first downs and 292 yards of offense. Cleveland cranked out 6.4 yards per play, Tennessee only 4.6 yards per play. Even with one additional turnover, the Browns should have won. Don’t take the final score (Titans 31, Browns 29) at face value.

Sanders did a lot of good things. He completed 23-of-42 passes for 364 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran for 29 yards and another score. He threw one pick and absorbed two sacks, a reasonable giveback for a rookie quarterback asked to carry this much of the offensive burden. He was sharp most of the day. The tape looks very good, and that 97.7 passer rating validates him, too.

Fantasy managers in standard leagues really aren’t looking to Sanders, but if he plays well, we can consider ancillary options. One of Sanders’ scores went to rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (8-114-1), a perfect throw. Fannin is one of those rookies who gives off veteran vibes this late in the season, a player on the rise — Tennessee couldn’t figure out how to stop him. David Njoku also had a short touchdown catch, on another pristine Sanders throw, but he suffered a knee injury and left the game early. Fannin appears to be passing Njoku, anyway.

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While Fannin looks like a proactive play moving forward — he’s available in 60% of leagues — Jerry Jeudy is more of a depth piece. Jeudy didn’t do a lot in the previous Sanders games (everyone remembers the Las Vegas fumble that went viral), but he snagged a 60-yard touchdown Sunday, the signature play in a 3-76-1 afternoon. Chicago (Week 15) and Pittsburgh (Week 17) could be good spots for Jeudy moving forward, depending on your needs at the time.

The Tennessee defense centered on Quinshon Judkins, holding him to 26 yards on 14 carries. Judkins turned his only catch into a 58-yard splash play, partially saving his day, but he obviously came in under projection, finishing with 8.9 fantasy points. Still, Judkins might have some playoff juice, with Sanders giving the offense more upside. Secondary back Dylan Sampson had two short carries and five catches; he’s a support guy, not a threat to the Judkins workload.

Running backs have done well against Buffalo all year. If the Browns can keep the game within range, Judkins might be a good play in Week 16 against the Bills. And at least we can project decent volume for Judkins the rest of the season, no matter the opponent.

The star on the other side of the ball was Tony Pollard (25-161-2), who cracked double-digit fantasy points for just the third time all year. With Pollard rolling early, Tyjae Spears (8-19-0) was limited to a backup role and QB Cam Ward wasn’t asked to do any heavy lifting. Ward secured his second win despite a measly 4.2 YPA, and no one on the team made it to 30 receiving yards.

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Game flow could be a problem for Pollard moving forward, as the Titans will be heavy underdogs against the 49ers and Chiefs the next two weeks. Maybe a date with the plucky, but beatable, Saints in Week 17 will be favorable for Pollard.

Booms

Elements don’t bother star QBs: Joe Burrow grew up in Ohio. Josh Allen played college ball at Wyoming. It didn’t seem like a little Buffalo snow would hold these guys back, and we eventually got the pinball game we all wanted and needed.

The Allen stuff (three touchdown passes, one long touchdown run) feels like a review at this point. His fantasy points usually feel inevitable. So what if Buffalo doesn’t have a dynamic wideout or a superstar tight end? Allen usually finds a way. The Patriots, Browns and Eagles can challenge him down the stretch, but only a fool would bet against Allen.

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Burrow showed up in some start-sit discussions but he quickly proved his mettle, throwing for 284 yards and four touchdowns. The two late-game picks were more painful to the Bengals than to fantasy managers — they cost Cincinnati the game — but Burrow acquitted himself well most of the day, despite a lukewarm stat line from Ja’Marr Chase (5-44-0). Tee Higgins pushed to 24.2 points off a 6-92-2 line, and touchdown deodorant (one by land, one by air) saved Chase Brown.

You know the Cincinnati story by now — narrow usage tree, mediocre defense. They play pinball more often than not. The Ravens, Dolphins and Cardinals follow the next three games.

Dolphins run wild: Miami’s game plan at New York was simple — let De’Von Achane run through and around the overmatched Jets. But when Achane (105 total yards, one touchdown) suffered a rib injury, backups Jaylen Wright (24-107-1) and Ollie Gordon II (5-17-1) stepped into the void. Tua Tagovailoa only threw 21 passes, which is Miami’s preferred volume — Jaylen Waddle (5-50-1) came home, but he had to make do on just seven targets. Look for Miami to run the ball into the ground against Pittsburgh and Cincinnati the next two weeks.

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The Green Bay problem: The Packers have famously been skimpy with targets since Davante Adams left town; no one has made it past 100 opportunities. So it’s not clear how to handle Christian Watson, who’s on a touchdown binge but unlikely to ever be a target hog. The Packers also have a strong running game and defense, so they’re unlikely to play in shootout games. If you start three wideouts, Watson makes sense as a fun, upside-tinged WR3. If you only need two receivers, he’s probably best suited for your bench.

Busts

Bucs passing game continues to struggle: Nobody expected Tyler Shough to outplay Baker Mayfied at Tampa Bay, but that’s what happened. Shough actually provided a fair Mayfield imitation, running for 55 yards and two touchdowns, mostly on pure determination. You admire both guys leaving it all on the field.

We have to wonder what’s wrong with Tampa Bay, however. Mayfield managed just 4.1 YPA against a mediocre New Orleans defense. Chris Godwin Jr.’s 5-55-0 line was passable, but Emeka Egbuka continues to struggle (2-15-0, despite nine targets). Egbuka has just one touchdown in his last eight games, and Mike Evans might be returning soon. Player values shift quickly in this game, don’t they? Egbuka went from a right answer to a debatable lineup call in two months.

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Colts season hits a ditch: Not long ago, Indianapolis was the heavy favorite to win the AFC South. Now, its season is effectively over. Daniel Jones is probably done for the year and Riley Leonard is a third-stringer without any experience. Everyone drops a tier in this offense, even Jonathan Taylor. The receiver room already had a crowding issue, now it has a sustainability issue.

Commanders’ conundrum: Washington has some juicy matchups remaining on the schedule — the Giants next week and Dallas in Week 17. But Jayden Daniels might not be ready for prime time.

Daniels played less than three quarters in a blowout loss at Minnesota, throwing for just 78 yards and producing 3.72 fantasy points. The Commanders removed Daniels after he aggravated his left elbow injury, and although Dan Quinn says Daniels could have returned, there was no point given the state of the game. Marcus Mariota didn’t do anything in relief of Daniels, but perhaps he could have sleeper value for those upcoming games, if he’s asked to play. After a dream season of green lights last year, Washington has hit every pothole on the 2025 parkway.

No trust in Minnesota: We finally found something J.J. McCarthy can do — throw touchdown passes to tight ends. That won’t make fantasy managers particularly happy.

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McCarthy had three scoring strikes in the romp over Washington, though two of them went to backup Josh Oliver (2-24-2). T.J. Hockenson’s score barely saved a 2-12-1 day. As for Jordan Addison (4-62-0) and Justin Jefferson (2-11-0), they can’t be trusted for the rest of the year; the connection with McCarthy simply isn’t there. And when the Minnesota defense plays well, McCarthy’s passing volume will be very low. He had just 23 attempts Sunday.

Houston erases the Chiefs: It’s been clear for several weeks that the Texans have the best defense in football, and that was reinforced in Sunday’s suffocation of Kansas City (a piddly 274 yards of offense, and three Patrick Mahomes interceptions). Arizona is next on the Houston hit list, followed by the Raiders and Chargers. Avoid this shutdown unit whenever you can.

The AFC South turned in a massive way in Week 14. With their 36-19 win over the Indianapolis Colts, the Jacksonville Jaguars improved to 9-4 and took control of the division with just a few weeks left in the regular season.

Despite the win, however, the focus wasn’t on the Jaguars after the contest. Instead, it was on Colts quarterback Daniel Jones, whose resurgence had the Colts looking like Super Bowl contenders. Jones sustained an Achilles injury in the loss, and could miss the rest of the season due to the issue.

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That storyline must have been apparent to multiple members of the Jaguars after the game, because they — along with head coach Liam Coen — used the opportunity to point out that they get no respect for the way the team has performed this season.

Running back Travis Etienne, who rushed for 74 yards and scored twice in the win, made that abundantly clear after the contest, per ESPN.

“At the end of the day, I feel like no one likes us except for us. It just goes along with being in this organization and the way this organization has been for some time now. We’re not going to get their respect. We kind of don’t even care.”

He wasn’t the only member of the team to make that point. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence said the Jaguars “don’t get the credit” they deserve. He concluded his statement by saying, “Nobody really cares about the Jags, which is fine.”

Lawrence turned in a strong performance in the win, throwing for 244 yards and two touchdowns.

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If it sounds like that might be a rallying point by the Jaguars this season, that might be by design. Coen didn’t exactly downplay that narrative after the win. In fact, he did just the opposite, he fed into it, per ESPN.

“I don’t know if we’ll ever really get [respect],” he said. “That’s the beauty of it. It ain’t coming. You know that. It’s not. And that’s the beauty of it. And that’s totally fine.”

Respect — or the perceived lack of it — is a common motivator in sports. Coaches who want their teams to stay hungry and motivated will often point to it as a way to get players fired up. Oftentimes, it doesn’t even matter if it’s true. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady continued to rely on the notion that nobody believed in them many, many years into their dynasty with the New England Patriots.

The Jaguars, however, might have a point. Even after Sunday’s game, the Colts have dominated the AFC South headlines. That’s likely to change now that Jones is hurt, but attention is already starting to shift to the 8-5 Houston Texans after they took down the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night.

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The Jaguars seem pretty content to play the role of the underdog for now. It’s tough to blame them. Under Coen, the team has quietly surged to first place and sits in the No. 3 seed in the AFC with just four games to go.

That’s quite the turnaround for a team that finished 4-13 last year.

LeBron James clearly doesn’t have it every night as he approaches 41 years old.

But he remains capable of bringing it. The Philadelphia 76ers found out the hard way Sunday night.

Two games after James scored eight points to break a 1,297-game streak of scoring in double figures, he scored 10 straight Lakers points down the fourth-quarter stretch to lead the Los Angeles to a 112-108 road win.

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His first bucket of the run extended a Lakers lead to 102-98. With the game tied at 105 and 1:11 remaining, James took a pass from Luka Dončić and pulled up from 3 to retake the lead for the Lakers.

On the next Los Angeles possession with the Lakers up by 3, James faced up Quentin Grimes from the top of the key beyond the 3-point line. He then drove to the left wing past the elbow and pulled up for a fadeaway jumper with Grimes’ hand in his face.

The ball fell through the net for a 110-105 Lakers lead that iced the win and stunned the Philadelphia crowd.

The bucket capped a stellar night for James in his first game since his eight-point effort in Thursday’s win over the Toronto Raptors. That night, Austin Reaves led the way with 44 points as James struggled and Dončić didn’t play.

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Lakers stars are getting the job done early in the season

There were no struggles Sunday as James finished with 29 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block and 1 steal while shooting 12 of 17 from the floor and 4 of 6 from 3-point range. It was part of a balanced effort from their stars that the Lakers surely envisioned when they traded for Dončić last season.

Dončić led the Lakers with 31 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists. But as James had the hot hand down the stretch, Dončić ceded the spotlight for James to close the 76ers out. On a roster with two superstars — one in his prime and another on the back end of his career — it wasn’t clear how the on-court relationship between the two would evolve.

But the Lakers can beat opponents in multiple ways and not just with Dončić and James. Reaves kept the Lakers afloat with a sizzling early-season run as James and Dončić both missed time. And he delivered again on Thursday against the Raptors.

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It’s added up to a 17-6 start that’s good for second-place tie in the West with the Denver Nuggets behind the 23-1 Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Lakers’ roster may not be as complete as those of its fellow Western Conference leaders. But it’s been strong enough at the top so far to maintain the Lakers’ place among the West’s best. And it’s proven capable of winning with James leading the way or when he’s having a bad night.

With all but one Week 14 game in the books (Monday Night Football), we’ve learned a little bit more than we knew last week. Or, in some cases, thought we knew. Players impressed, players disappointed and there is fantasy football fallout to unpack.

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Once again, I’ve compiled the full weekly fantasy stock report below. These are the most notable risers and fallers coming out of Week 14. Invest accordingly!

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📈 Stock Up at RB

Tony Pollard, RB, Titans

Sometimes, fantasy football laughs in our faces. Like when Tony Pollard, who has done literally nothing all season, blows up for 161 yards and two touchdowns — 28.1 fantasy points — on 25 carries … against the Cleveland Browns defense. If you started him, congratulations, but let’s not pretend this was expected. Still, it can’t be ignored either, and his matchup with the 49ers next week is theoretically better. Pollard is not trustworthy (by any means), but there’s a flash of hope heading into the fantasy playoffs after what he showed on Sunday.

RJ Harvey, RB, Broncos

RJ Harvey is finally shaping into what many rookie-loving fantasy analysts were excited about after his draft selection back in April. He’s a dynamic running back in a productive Sean Payton offense, who now possesses the lead role with JK Dobbins injured. Following the Week 12 bye, Harvey has now logged 19+ fantasy points in consecutive games, with 162 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns. He has three tough matchups in the playoffs, but should probably be started in just about every league anyway.

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Devin Neal, RB, Saints

I poo-poo’d Devin Neal quite a bit the last couple weeks, unwilling to buy into his fantasy value as the lead back of a terrible offense with very little upside. And while 3.7 yards per carry and one catch for 14 yards still isn’t all that exciting, Neal managed to post 14.9 fantasy points thanks to a touchdown in Sunday’s upset of the Buccaneers. Importantly, he has three soft matchups down the stretch, and can probably be played as a volume-based RB3 or low-end RB2 through the fantasy playoffs as long as Alvin Kamara remains sidelined.

📈 Stock Up at WR

Michael Wilson, WR, Cardinals

The dominance of Michael Wilson in a Marvin Harrison Jr.-less offense needs to be studied. This is now three games with Jacoby Brissett and no MHJ, and three fantasy Hall of Fame outings for Wilson. In Week 11, it was 15 catches for 185 yards on 18 targets. In Week 12 it was 10 catches for 118 yards on 15 targets. And on Sunday, it was 11 catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns on 16 targets against the Rams. Next week brings a horrendous matchup with the Texans, but if Harrison is out again, Wilson is literally unbenchable. And at this point, you have to wonder if Wilson might have earned the WR1 role regardless.

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Zay Flowers, WR, Ravens

After an utter bust in Week 13 and basically 10 straight weeks of mediocrity prior, Zay Flowers finally had another great game on Sunday. He snagged eight of 11 targets for 124 yards against the Steelers, as Lamar Jackson started rounding back into form following a stretch of injury-hampered doldrums. The Bengals bring a curiously “red” matchup for Flowers in Week 15, but he has a chance to produce in a high-scoring affair anyway — as long as Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews don’t steal all the fantasy points.

Christian Watson, WR, Packers

Christian Watson has been playing lights out football since returning from injury in Week 8, and it’s really just the Packers’ willingness to feed him the ball — or lack thereof — that’s kept him from fantasy dominance. In Week 14, neither that unwillingness nor Chicago’s defense were enough to stop him, as he turned just four targets into 89 yards and two touchdowns. He draws a mortifying matchup with the Broncos in Week 15 (in which you can probably bench him), but gets to finish the year against the Bears (again) and the Ravens. He’s scored five TDs in his last four games and has become a lethal weapon downfield again. Watson should be a WR2 in the fantasy semis and finals.

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Jakobi Meyers, WR, Jaguars

Even with Brian Thomas Jr. starting to poke his head up again (finally), Jakobi Meyers remained consistent this Sunday, finding the end zone for a third straight game. He did only catch four of his 10 targets, but double-digit looks is encouraging and his red-zone dominance in Jacksonville is becoming almost Davante Adams-esque. He’s not quite as exciting as the three names above, but Meyers is a stalwart flex play for those of us squeaking into the playoffs with a patchwork starting lineup.

📈 Stock Up Elsewhere

Shedeur Sanders, QB, Browns

One day, Shedeur Sanders might be one of the more intriguing stories in NFL history. For now, he’s riding high off a massive breakout game against the Titans in his fourth NFL game. Sanders tagged Tennessee for 364 yards and three TDs through the air (with one INT), adding 29 rushing yards and a score on the ground as well. His 34.46 fantasy points on Sunday were comfortably more than his prior three games combined. While he’s probably a low-end QB2 or streamer in a good matchup this week against the Bears, the fact that he’s in consideration at all is a huge Stock Up. And with the overall mess at the quarterback position these days, he should probably end up in a few starting lineups for playoff teams this Sunday and maybe in Week 17 against Pittsburgh.

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J.J. McCarthy, QB, Vikings

J.J. McCarthy had a slightly larger sample of “quite bad” in comparison to Sanders, and his “great game” on Sunday against Washington wasn’t quite as monumental — 20.42 fantasy points, with three passing TDs but just 163 yards. Still, McCarthy proved that he can be fantasy viable in the right matchup … you know, like the ones against the Cowboys, Giants and Lions through the fantasy playoffs. It’s undoubtedly the best schedule in the game, so if he can maintain the TD-INT efficiency — which he’d struggled to do through the first 13 weeks — McCarthy might be a legitimate three-week streamer for teams in desperate need.

📉 Stock Down at RB

Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seahawks

After 14 weeks of this, we have to come to terms with reality. For every great fantasy day Kenneth Walker III has — of which there have been three this season — there are at least two or three stinkers. Like the one on Sunday, where he totaled just 28 yards on 11 touches, for 3.3 fantasy points against the Falcons. He has tough matchups against the Colts and Rams upcoming, and is hurting your lineup more than he’s helping it. It’s probably time to look elsewhere — maybe even to names like Neal — for a more promising weekly floor. Though, if you’re looking for some questionable hope, he and the Seahawks will have an extremely favorable game script against a backup QB for the Colts next week.

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Breece Hall, RB, Jets

The Dolphins defense has gotten strangely good against the run and the Jets lost their “starting QB” when Tyrod Taylor exited with a groin injury. Still, it’s hard to excuse 43 yards on 15 opportunities for just 4.3 fantasy points by Breece Hall. And there’s not much reason to expect improvement in the fantasy playoffs, with the quarterback room in shambles and matchups against the Jaguars, Saints and Patriots on the docket. Hall always has a chance to break a big play or two, but he’ll have an unbelievably tough uphill climb against frequently loaded boxes and a couple of very tough run defenses over the next few weeks. He was never a reliable RB1 this season, but Hall might now be falling out of reliable RB2 range as well.

📉 Stock Down at WR

Chris Olave, WR, Saints

While I wouldn’t say that Devaughn Vele has “broken out” or “taken over” in New Orleans, Chris Olave was previously thriving in a subpar offense on the merits of monster target volume. The last couple weeks, with Vele and Juwan Johnson more involved, Olave has seen just seven and five targets, caught just four and three passes and totaled just 77 yards across both games combined. He doesn’t have great matchups on the horizon, and we can no longer rely on double-digit opportunities to bail him out of otherwise inefficient fantasy days. Olave might still be a viable flex play, but he suddenly has a much lower floor heading into the fantasy playoffs.

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Troy Franklin, WR, Broncos

I think Sean Payton and the Broncos might play some sort of pre-week roulette to decide who to feature any given Sunday in the passing attack. Either that, or they have a very nuanced plan that we fantasy analysts are struggling to predict. After taking over in Denver from Weeks 7-11, Troy Franklin has exited the bye with two straight games under 4.0 fantasy points. And on Sunday against the Raiders, a mind-boggling 11 players caught a pass for the Broncos, with Courtland Sutton, Pat Bryant, Harvey and even Lil’Jordan Humphrey all outdoing Franklin in the box score. Whatever happened during the bye, it’s been terrible for Franklin’s fantasy breakout, and he should be sent back to the bench in every fantasy league.

Jets “Breakouts”

Speaking of the Jets. Youch. The move to backup QB Brady Cook did not go well for the offense. And whether it’s him, Tyrod Taylor or Justin Fields, it will be pretty much impossible to trust either John Metchie III or Adonai Mitchell, both of whom cropped up in waiver wire articles the last couple weeks following spotty “breakout” games. Neither crested 6.0 fantasy points on Sunday. You can send both right back to the wire, or at least to the bench, until further notice.

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📉 Stock Down Elsewhere

Baker Mayfield, QB, Bucs

Maybe there’s some lingering injury restrictions from the shoulder issue he picked up against the Rams, but Baker Mayfield has not been great for a few weeks now. He hasn’t thrown more than one touchdown pass in a game since Week 10, has fewer than 200 passing yards in each of his last four games (one of which he exited early) and has thrown four interceptions over that same span. And while he might get Mike Evans back next week, he’s been on completely different pages from Emeka Egbuka for months and simply has not had the fantasy upside he’d uncovered last year. Matchups with the Falcons and Panthers defenses don’t promise an easy road to improvement, and you can probably send Mayfield to the bench for better streaming options.

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Travis Kelce, TE, Chiefs

Travis Kelce and the entire Chiefs offense looked lost against the Texans … and in fairness, almost everyone has this year. But with Kansas City reeling and extremely tough matchups with the Chargers, Titans and Broncos on the horizon, there’s no guarantee that the fantasy Hall of Famer gets it back on track in the fantasy playoffs. His 1.3 fantasy points from Sunday night would be potentially season-ending for fantasy managers these next few weeks, so you may want to consider strong streaming options like Brenton Strange, Darren Waller, Isaiah Likely or Kyle Pitts Sr. instead.

The 2025-26 NFL regular season is heading into the stretch run, and Week 14 saw the Kansas City Chiefs potentially run out of time to make the postseason, after a 20-10 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football pushed them to 6-7 on the season.

It’s never too early to look ahead to next week, though, and sportsbooks have already posted lines for every matchup.

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Here are the odds for every Week 15 NFL game at BetMGM:

Thursday

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-5.5, 44.5)

[Check out all of Yahoo’s sports betting content here in our new betting hub]

Sunday

1 p.m. ET

Baltimore Ravens (-2.5, 52.5) at Cincinnati Bengals

Buffalo Bills (-1.5, 49.5) at New England Patriots

Washington Commanders at New York Giants (-1.5, 46.5)

Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears (-7.5, 40.5)

Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs (-4.5, 43.5)

Las Vegas Raiders at Philadelphia Eagles (-12.5, 38.5)

New York Jets at Jacksonville Jaguars (-12.5, 42.5)

Arizona Cardinals at Houston Texans (-9.5, 42.5)

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4 p.m. ET

Green Bay Packers (-2.5, 42) at Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions at Los Angeles Rams (-5.5, 54)

Carolina Panthers (-2.5, 39.5) at New Orleans Saints

Tennessee Titans at San Francisco 49ers (-12.5, 44.5)

Indianapolis Colts at Seattle Seahawks (-10.5, 43.5)

Sunday Night Football

Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys (-6, 48)

Monday

Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3.5, 42)

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🏈 The College Football Playoff is set

The 12-team College Football Playoff bracket was finalized on Sunday. Shockingly, not everyone is happy.

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The controversy: Notre Dame was left out of the field in favor of Miami, who had been ranked behind them for every iteration of the CFP rankings prior to Sunday.

• How did the Hurricanes leapfrog the Irish despite neither team playing a game? It came down to head-to-head.

• With BYU losing in the Big 12 title game, there was no longer a buffer between Notre Dame and Miami, allowing the committee to prioritize the Hurricanes’ win over the Irish back in August.

What they’re saying: “There is no explanation that could possibly be given to explain the outcome,” Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua told Yahoo Sports. “Any rankings or show prior to this last one is an absolute joke and a waste of time.”

• In an interesting wrinkle, as part of a memorandum of understanding signed by CFP officials last spring, Notre Dame will be assured of making the playoff if it is ranked in the top 12 starting next year, Bevacqua tells Yahoo Sports.

• So if this year’s circumstances unfolded next year, the final at-large team (Miami) would have been automatically bumped from the field for No. 11 Notre Dame.

Looking ahead: Duke’s win in the ACC title game opened the door for both Tulane and James Madison to make the playoff, where they’ll be significant underdogs.

• No. 9 Alabama (-1.5) at No. 8 Oklahoma

• No. 10 Miami (+3.5) at No. 7 Texas A&M

• No. 11 Tulane (+16.5) at No. 6 Ole Miss

• No. 12 JMU (+21.5) at No. 5 Oregon

First-round byes: No. 1 Indiana, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Texas Tech

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Good read: CFP committee sends a message by leaving Notre Dame out of the field (Dan Wolken, Yahoo Sports)

🏈 NFL Sunday scoreboard

Packers 28, Bears 21 … A late INT helped Green Bay seal the win and take over first place in the NFC North. They’ll meet again in Chicago in two weeks.

Texans 20, Chiefs 10 … KC’s streak of nine straight AFC West titles is officially over, and they’re barely alive in the wild-card race.

Jaguars 36, Colts 19 … Indianapolis lost its third straight game, and Daniel Jones likely needs season-ending surgery. Not great!

Titans 31, Browns 29 … Shedeur Sanders (4 TD) had his breakout game, but fellow rookie Cam Ward got the victory.

Steelers 27, Ravens 22 … From “Fire Tomlin” to first place in the AFC North. Amazing what a win over a rival can do.

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Broncos 24, Raiders 17 … A penalty as time expired led to a meaningless Raiders field goal, and a bad beat for the ages (DEN -7.5).

Saints 24, Buccaneers 20 … Tampa Bay (7-6) is now tied with Carolina atop the NFC South, and they play each other twice over the next month.

Rams 45, Cardinals 17 … Matthew Stafford and company put on a show in Arizona, reminding us all why they’re Super Bowl favorites.

Bills 39, Bengals 34 … Joe Burrow’s back-to-back INTs sunk Cincinnati in a dazzling shootout with Josh Allen in a snowstorm.

Seahawks 37, Falcons 9 … With its seventh loss in eight games, Atlanta (4-9) sealed an eighth straight losing campaign.

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Vikings 31, Commanders 0 … Minnesota flipped the script after getting shut out last week in Seattle.

Dolphins 34, Jets 10 … Miami won its fourth straight game as Tua Tagovailoa improved to 8-0 against the Jets.

🇺🇸 Photos across America

Fort Lauderdale, Florida — Inter Miami beat the Vancouver Whitecaps, 3-1, on Saturday to claim their first MLS championship and provide the signature moment of Lionel Messi’s brief but stunningly successful career in North America’s top league.

More hardware: After winning league MVP for the second straight year, Messi was named MVP of the MLS Cup. He had two assists in the final to give him 15 goal contributions in the playoffs (six goals, nine assists), the most ever in a single postseason.

Washington, D.C. — The World Cup draw was held on Friday at the Kennedy Center, where Spain (+400 at BetMGM) and England (+600) emerged as the favorites, France drew a tough schedule that includes an opener against Erling Haaland’s Norway, and the USMNT caught a break with a favorable draw.

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Mark your calendars: The Americans open play in Group D against Paraguay in Los Angeles (June 12), then take on Australia in Seattle (June 19) before returning to Los Angeles for their final group stage matchup against either Turkey, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo (June 25).

Las Vegas — Petr Yan stunned Merab Dvalishvili on Saturday to reclaim the UFC bantamweight title with one of the most shocking upsets in recent memory, handing the Georgian his first loss since 2018 to snap the longest win streak in bantamweight history (13 in a row).

End of an era: UFC 323 marked the final pay-per-view event of the year, if not ever. The MMA promotion is moving from ESPN to Paramount+ beginning next year, with all major events included in the standard subscription rather than put behind an additional paywall.

💯 Big numbers

🏎️ 423-421

Though Max Verstappen (Red Bull) won Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Lando Norris (McLaren) finished third to eke out his first F1 championship by the slimmest of margins, snapping Verstappen’s four-year title streak with a 423-421 advantage.

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Close calls: Norris’ two-point victory was the closest since Lewis Hamilton won by a single point in 2008. Overall, in 76 seasons, there have been eight wins by one point and one win by a half-point (Niki Lauda over Alain Prost in 1984).

⚾️ 14 of 16 votes

Jeff Kent was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday by the 16-member Contemporary Era Committee. Candidates needed 12 votes for election, and the five-time All-Star second baseman received 14.

Who missed the cut? Carlos Delgado got the second-most votes with nine, followed by Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy with six. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela all got fewer than five, which means they’ll be ineligible for the next Contemporary Era ballot in 2028.

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🏀 28,303 points

James Harden (28,303 points) made history on Saturday when he passed Carmelo Anthony (28,289) for 10th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. LeBron James (first) and Kevin Durant (eighth) are the only active players ahead of him.

All-time rankings: Harden is second on the 3-point list (behind only Stephen Curry) and fifth on the free-throw list (Karl Malone, James, Moses Malone, Kobe Bryant). He’s also 13th on the assist list — and fourth on the turnover list.

🏈 +23.5

Illinois State pulled off a stunning upset over North Dakota State in the second round of the FCS playoffs on Saturday, scoring 15 points in the final three minutes to beat the top-ranked Bison, 29-28, as 23.5-point underdogs. Even that undersells the magnitude of this upset, though. North Dakota State, which came in with a 16-game win streak, hadn’t lost a home playoff game since 2016 and was so good this year that they received AP poll votes!

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Last eight standing: The Redbirds were the only unseeded team to reach the quarterfinals, where they’ll play No. 8 UC Davis. The other matchups: No. 2 Montana State vs. No. 7 Stephen F. Austin, No. 3 Montana vs. No. 11 South Dakota and No. 4 Tarleton State vs. No. 12 Villanova.

🏀 81-58

No. 10 Iowa State stormed to an 81-58 victory over No. 1 Purdue on Saturday afternoon, overwhelming the previously undefeated Boilermakers in a way nobody does at Mackey Arena.

Historic blowout: The 23-point margin of victory matches the largest-ever home defeat in college basketball history by a top-ranked program. Not since Villanova beat UConn, 96-73, in 1995 has the AP poll’s No. 1 team suffered such a one-sided loss.

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⚽️ 4 teams left

The men’s College Cup (Final Four) is set, with No. 15 NC State, No. 16 Furman, Washington and Saint Louis emerging from the 48-team field of an upset-laden tournament that saw five of the top six seeds lose before the third round.

Davids vs. Goliath: Saint Louis has won an NCAA men’s record 10 national championships, while NC State, Furman and Washington are all seeking their first.

📺 Watchlist: Monday, Dec. 8

🏈 Eagles at Chargers

Philly and Los Angeles square off tonight at SoFi Stadium (8:15pm ET, ABC/ESPN) in a matchup of 8-4 teams trending in different directions. The Eagles have lost two straight while the Chargers have won four of five.

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Injury report: Chargers QB Justin Herbert is questionable after undergoing surgery on his non-throwing hand. If he can’t suit up, former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance will get his first start for the Bolts.

⚽️ Women’s College Cup Final

Top-seeded Stanford and third-seeded Florida State meet tonight in Kansas City (7pm ESPNU) for an all-ACC national championship. The Cardinal are seeking their fourth title, while the Seminoles are seeking their fifth (and third in five years).

More to watch:

• 🏀 NBA: Suns at Timberwolves (7:30pm, Peacock) … Minnesota (15-8) has won five straight to pass Phoenix (13-10) for sixth in the West.

• 🏒 NHL: Lightning at Maple Leafs (7:30pm, NHL) … Tampa (16-10-2) has lost three straight but is still clinging to first place in the Atlantic.

Today’s full slate.

🏈 NFL trivia

The NFL’s two longest active playoff droughts were extended on Sunday when the Jets (15 straight seasons) and Falcons (8 straight) were officially eliminated.

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Question: Which team has the third-longest active playoff drought (7 straight)?

Hint: They’ve never won a Super Bowl (but they’ve appeared in two).

Answer at the bottom.

🏈 Talking the talk, walking the walk

On Dec. 20, 2023, Indiana’s newly-hired football coach Curt Cignetti was asked how he planned to sell his vision to recruits.

His response? “It’s pretty simple. I win. Google me.” Back then, it sounded like bravado. Two years later, it reads like prophecy.

Walking the walk: Since his arrival in Bloomington, Cignetti’s Hoosiers have authored one of the great turnarounds in college football history. They’ve gone 24-2, made back-to-back playoffs, and now they’re Big Ten champions for the first time since 1967 and the No. 1 team in the land.

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Legendary stuff.

Trivia answer: Panthers

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Commercial breaks are essentially coming to the World Cup in 2026. FIFA announced Sunday that each World Cup game will feature three-minute hydration breaks in the middle of every half. The measure was reportedly discussed at meetings featuring coaches and broadcasters following Friday’s World Cup draw, per Henry Bushnell of The Athletic.

FIFA said the new policy will be adopted to assist with player safety. There was concern about hydration and player safety after a number of Club World Cup games in the U.S. occurred in the middle of the day in high temperatures. FIFA already attempted to mitigate that in its World Cup 2026 planning, as many games in the U.S. will occur in domed stadiums or at night to lessen the heat factor for players.

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The hydration breaks — which will occur at 22 minutes in each half — essentially break up games into four quarters. The clock will still run during hydration breaks, with three minutes being added to stoppage time at the end of each half.

The hydration breaks will occur no matter the weather conditions. This will ensure every single team and game faces equal conditions, per Inside FIFA.

“For every game, no matter where the games are played, no matter if there’s a roof, (or) temperature-wise, there will be a three-minute hydration break. It will be three minutes from whistle to whistle in both halves,” said Manolo Zubiria, Chief Tournament Officer, USA, for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in announcing the initiative at the World Broadcaster Meeting which was held in Washington DC.

The breaks conveniently also allow networks to schedule commercial breaks during games.

In addition to making sure players remain hydrated, the breaks will have other potentially major impacts on the game. Coaches will now be able to speak with players and adjust their strategies during halves, per The Athletic, allowing teams to alter tactics on the fly.

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The 2026 World Cup will begin June 11, 2026, and continue through July 19, 2026. Games will be held in a number of cities throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Saturday night, Indiana clinched a beyond-improbable Big Ten championship and quarterback Fernando Mendoza delivered an emotional postgame interview with an instant-classic line (“Flippin’ champs!”). For most of the country, it was a pleasant moment of unbridled joy. For the Cleveland Browns, it could be a prologue.

After all, if Mendoza could deliver a championship to one historically and legendarily moribund Midwestern football program, why couldn’t he do the same thing for another? (Don’t judge. Part of being a Browns fan is holding on to irrational hopes like this one.)

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About 17 hours after Mendoza’s exuberance, Shedeur Sanders put the finishing touches on his finest outing yet as a pro: 364 yards passing, three touchdowns, including two late-fourth-quarter all-or-nothing drives. (Naturally, since this is the Browns we’re talking, all those gaudy stats came in a losing effort, but still.)

Oh, and then there’s this: Deshaun Watson is practicing again. The Browns aren’t expected to play him this season, but they’re still paying him … and he might just be on the roster next year, too.

The Ghosts of Browns Quarterbacks Past, Present and Future. For sheer misery, Ebenezer Scrooge ain’t got nothing on Cleveland.

[Get more Browns news: Cleveland team feed]

Let’s dispense with the past as quickly as possible. Watson — who has played just 19 games since the 2020 season, and none since October 2024 — returned to practice this week as he rehabs a ruptured Achilles.

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The Browns insist that Watson’s veteran presence is useful for the rookies in the quarterback room, but the likely truth is far more mundane: Watson carries a dead-cap hit of $131 million if Cleveland releases him before June 1, and an $80 million hit whether he’s cut or on the roster next season, per Spotrac. That’s rough, given that both his on-field and trade values are pretty much nonexistent.

So you can see why Cleveland would want to invest its hopes, and its limited funds, in a young, inexpensive quarterback with high upside. And on Sunday, the Browns got a glimpse of what that could look like. Perhaps something like this:

Sanders’ Sunday comes with mountains of caveats. First of all, the Browns lost, and lost to the previously 1-11 Titans. Plus, Sanders was ineffective for long stretches of the second half, unable to move the chains, slow to react to the Titans’ pass rush, late to pick up on the secondary’s deceptions. He holds the football too long, patting it as he prepares to throw — a glowing signal to defenders that the ball is about to take flight.

But Sanders orchestrated two touchdown drives in the final five minutes of the game, a sign of growing maturity and presence. It’s not his fault the Browns called one of the dumbest plays of the season for a would-be tying 2-point conversion that, naturally, fell short.

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Sanders will play out the rest of the season after Dillon Gabriel played the first half, with games still to come against Chicago, Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. At that point, Cleveland will make its assessments on what, if anything, it has in the quarterback room.

Which brings us to the 2026 NFL Draft. Cleveland has the luxury of two first-round picks, thanks to the deal last year that sent the pick that would become Travis Hunter to Jacksonville. After Sunday, Cleveland’s own pick is No. 4, per Tankathon. Naturally, Jacksonville decided to go and get good this year; its pick is currently the 27th.

A few months ago, this looked like a quarterback-heavy draft. You don’t hear much about names like Cade Klubnik and Garrett Nussmeier anymore, and Arch Manning isn’t getting anywhere near the draft if he knows what’s good for him. So now? Not so much.

Still, there are potential gems out there. Yahoo Sports’ most recent mock draft projects Mendoza to go No. 1 overall, with our Nate Tice praising his “high floor” and “underrated ceiling.” After Mendoza, Yahoo Sports projects Oregon QB Dante Moore at No. 2, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers at No. 6 and Alabama’s Ty Simpson at No. 11. (This mock was created before Alabama’s ugly SEC championship loss.)

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Mendoza might not be around by the time Cleveland picks, unless the 3-10 Browns can hurdle the 2-11 Raiders. But there ought to be quarterback talent still on the board when Cleveland makes its selection. Is that talent first-round, lead-a-team-for-a-decade level? Well, we can’t answer that one yet, can we?

You probably already know the legend of the Cleveland Browns quarterback jersey, the ongoing visual testament to the Browns’ quarterback futility. Starting with Tim Couch, the No. 1 overall pick in 1999, Cleveland has churned through more than 40 starting quarterbacks … with no end in sight.

Cleveland’s defense, led by the otherworldly Myles Garrett, is already postseason-level. Will the offense, and the quarterback position, step up its game? Or will the hauntings of Quarterbacks Past, Present and Future continue?

Welcome back to The Playlist — your weekly scan of the fantasy basketball landscape, where we break down the waiver adds who can keep your roster competitive in 9-cat and points leagues.

You can also read my High Score pickups story for advice in that format.

Week 8 comes with a twist: the NBA Cup. The Yahoo Fantasy Basketball default schedule doesn’t combine this week and next, which means your outcome will largely depend on how your schedule shakes out.

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Here’s what we do know heading into Week 8:

• NBA Cup games take place Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, with the championship next Tuesday.

• The Kings, Pacers, Pelicans and Timberwolves are locked into three games.

• The Heat, Knicks, Magic, Thunder, Suns and Raptors will play either two or three games, depending on the outcomes of the quarterfinal games on Tuesday and Wednesday night.

• Spurs and Lakers will play one or two games, depending on whether they advance.

It’ll be tough to stream this week, but let’s get to the waiver adds.

🎧 Who’s in My Rotation: 9-cat and standard points leagues

Maxime Raynaud – C, Sacramento Kings (19% rostered)

Raynaud should be added in all 12-team or deeper formats — 9-cat or points — as one of the highest-upside stashes under 20% rostered. With Domantas Sabonis sidelined, Raynaud’s minutes have jumped, and Sacramento’s poor record all but guarantees the Kings will shop veterans (like Sabonis) once Dec. 15 rolls around. That clears a long runway for the rookie to emerge as a rest-of-season asset.

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He provides rebounds, blocks and efficiency for 9-cat managers, and his overall counting stats will translate to points leagues.

TJ McConnell – PG, Indiana Pacers (15% rostered)

The Pacers play three games in Week 8, making him a strong streaming option. McConnell is efficient, providing a solid source of steals and assists while minimizing turnovers.

In points leagues, his contributions across categories provide a safe 21-30 fantasy-point floor any time he sees extra run. That’s bound to happen in Week 8, facing the Kings, Sixers and Wizards.

Jordan Walsh – SG/SF/PF, Boston Celtics (17% rostered)

Walsh is no longer just a deep-league watchlist guy. He ranks 54th over the past month and 40th over the last two weeks in 9-cat, thanks to his efficiency and stocks. With three-position eligibility, he’s a valuable piece to plug throughout your lineup.

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The Celtics only play one game this week, but if you have space, I’d add him after averaging 14 points, 7 rebounds and almost 3 stocks in 28 minutes per game over his last five contests.

[It’s not too late to join or create a fantasy basketball league for the 2025-26 NBA season]

Jose Alvarado – PG, New Orleans Pelicans (10% rostered)

I’d add Jeremiah Fears (28%) as the priority in shallow leagues, but Alvarado is a player to consider if Fears isn’t available. Now, Alvarado is likely playing with borrowed time, but with the Pelicans having three games and Jordan Poole still not ready, I’d stream him on Monday and hold for later in the week if Poole remains out.

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Over the past two weeks, Alvarado has averaged 1.6 steals per game while shooting an uncharacteristic 48% from the field. In a tricky schedule week due to the NBA Cup where the volume of games could be the difference between a win and a loss, bet on volume and sneak in another game of production.

Final tip for Week 8

Before picking up Week 7 streaming gems like Pat and Cam Spencer or Jaylen Wells, wait until mid-week to get a clearer picture of stars likes Ja Morant, Stephen Curry, Tyler Herro, Devin Booker and others returning from injury. Since a bulk of the games will come on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, there’s no need to pick up fringe guys who could eventually be dropped preemptively.

Welcome to The High Score Playlist: my weekly column that lets you know who to add off the waiver wire and get in your lineup for the upcoming week in fantasy basketball. You can also read my 9-cat and standard points leagues pickups story for advice in those formats.

So press play and shuffle through the latest fantasy basketball info.

Week 8 in High Score is pure chaos — the NBA Cup has the schedule in flux, and depending on outcomes, teams could play anywhere from 1-3 games. Volume doesn’t matter as much in High Score, but you still want to maximize your efforts in locking in the highest score for your team.

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Ok, let’s get to the pickups.

[High Score is a new way to play Fantasy Basketball on Yahoo with simple rosters and scoring. It’s not too late to create or join a league]

🎧 Who’s in My Rotation: High Score

Jaden McDaniels – FC, Timberwolves (46% rostered)

Yes, we’re going back to McDaniels in consecutive weeks — and the Wolves’ Week 8 schedule makes it unavoidable. Minnesota is locked into three games, and McDaniels closed Week 7 with back-to-back 40+ fantasy points in High Score. As one of the best wing defenders in the league, the Wolves will lean on him for heavy minutes, offering more time for production.

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He’s averaging two stocks per game over his last six contests and is posting the highest assist rate of his career. In a week where a couple of extra opportunities can matter, McDaniels is a must-add in High Score.

Grayson Allen – G/FC, Suns (32% rostered)

Allen returned in Week 7 after missing seven games, and while the performance wasn’t to the standard we’ve seen this season, the opportunity is there. Before the injury, he averaged 34 fantasy points per game in High Score. Allen is one of four players under 40% rostered who is in the top-100 overall in per-game production.

With Devin Booker still sidelined by a groin injury and the Suns potentially playing three games depending on NBA Cup results, Allen’s fantasy potential is worth exploring. A proven producer (this year) + a favorable schedule = a player you should add in Week 8.

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Jeremiah Fears – G, Pelicans (28% rostered)

The Pelicans play three games in Week 8, and Fears has posted 32+ fantasy points in High Score in four of his last five outings. New Orleans is bad — straight up — but that actually helps Fears maintain a stable, high-usage role even when Jordan Poole returns. Fears scores, hits 3s, gets to the line and contributes enough steals to keep his floor sturdy.

In a week with volume scattered across the league, Fears is a viable option widely available in this format.

Anthony Black – G, Magic (29% rostered)

Black continues to trend up across all formats because of his play, but he is also making the most of his minutes. Franz Wagner (leg) and Jalen Suggs (groin) both left Sunday’s contest early and with Paolo Banchero still working his way back, Black held it down with 14 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 block in 30 minutes. He’s been averaging 16/5/4 with 1.6 steals per game over his past 10 outings. Keep him locked into your lineups because he’s not going anywhere.

Ryan Nembhard – G, Mavericks (26% rostered)

Dallas only plays one game this week, which keeps Nembhard last on the list — but make no mistake, he should still be rostered in High Score. Jason Kidd’s rotations have been unpredictable. However, the Mavs are 4-2 with Nembhard as the starting point guard and he initiates the offense far better than D’Angelo Russell and Brandon Williams. Nembhard will generate a ton of assists, which is key for High Score, so if you have room on your bench, stash him; it’ll pay off beyond Week 8.