Happy Friday sports fans! It’s Shanna McCarriston here. I usually do the Monday newsletter, but this week I’m coming to you on Friday instead. I hope you all had a wonderful work week and have exciting weekend plans coming up. I’ll be back locked in on Sunday to watch all the NFL games.
Speaking of the NFL, we got a showdown on Thursday night between the Bills and Dolphins, and despite its third straight loss, Miami looked much-improved. Results aside, the players-only meeting appears to have done something for the Dolphins. The result of that game, an MLB legend’s retirement, and previews for this weekend’s college football and NFL games are just some of the topics we’ll cover in the last AM newsletter of the week, so let’s get right to it.
🏈 Five things to know Friday
- Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw will retire at the end of the season after 18 years in the league, all in L.A. The 11-time All-Star has a career 2.54 ERA (154 ERA+) and a 4.29 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Team owner Mark Walter thanked Kershaw for his contributions on and off the mound in the announcement.
- There’s another development in the Kawhi Leonard saga. The Clippers and team owner Steve Ballmer are under the microscope again as more details continue to trickle out about an alleged cap circumvention by way of a “no-show” endorsement deal for Leonard. The team released a statement Wednesday explaining high-dollar carbon credit purchases with the now-bankrupt company, Aspiration, but the NBA’s investigation into the matter remains ongoing.
- The first phase of Champions League matches are complete. In CBS Sports’ UCL Power Rankings, Paris Saint-Germain sits at No. 1, Real Madrid at No. 2, followed by Arsenal, Barcelona and Liverpool. Bayern Munich gets the No. 6 spot, Manchester City sits at No. 7 and Inter, Chelsea and Napoli round out the top 10.
- Fever upset Dream, will face Aces next. Indiana defeated Atlanta, 87-85, to advance to the WNBA semifinals despite being short-handed. Also, the Aces defeated the Storm, 74-73, so Las Vegas will host Indiana in Game 1 on Sunday.
- The Bills defeated the Dolphins on “Thursday Night Football.” Buffalo moves to 3-0 after picking up another solid victory, beating Miami, 31-21. The Dolphins looked the best they’ve looked this season, and our Jeff Kerr says now is not the time for Miami to overreact and fire Mike McDaniel.
🏈 Do not miss this: NFL Week 3 predictions, best bets, fantasy cheat sheet
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Whether you’re playing fantasy football, looking to make some bets or want to know how each NFL team stacks up this week, we have you covered. There are so many riveting storylines, surprises and injuries to keep up with, so let’s break it all down.
This week can be categorized as the week of backup quarterbacks. Jake Browning is in for the Bengals, Carson Wentz for the Vikings, Tyrod Taylor for the Jets, and Jayden Daniels hasn’t returned to Commanders practice due to a knee injury. His status is up in the air.
Injuries racking up can make placing bets difficult, but thankfully, CBS Sports has you covered with expert picks, predictions and best bets.
This could also be the week we see some upsets. CBS Sports Tyler Sullivan gave his picks for five favorites he could see falling. Here’s a look:
- Texans at Jaguars (-1.5)
- Steelers (-1.5) at Patriots
- Cowboys at Bears (-1.5)
- Lions at Ravens (-6)
- Cardinals at 49ers (-1.5)
Our weekend NFL help doesn’t stop there. Each week, CBS Sports provides fantasy football cheat sheets. The higher the number next to a player’s name, the more confident CBS Sports’ own Dave Richard is that you should start him.
Here’s a look at some names on the non-PPR cheat sheet:
- Michael Penix Jr., Falcons QB: 5.0
- Josh Jacobs, Packers RB: 9.4
- Joe Flacco, Browns QB: 2.4
- Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals WR: 9.3
- Aaron Rodgers, Steelers QB: 5.3
- A.J. Brown, Eagles WR: 6.6
- Bucky Irving, Buccaneers RB: 9.1
- Daniel Jones, Colts QB: 7.1
- Travis Kelce, Chiefs TE 5.4
🏈 College football Week 4 preview
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It’s Week 4 of the college football season, and we have another slate of exciting matchups, big games and rivalries. Conference play within the Big Ten, SEC and Big 12 is revved up this week, and this is where fans can really start to see who is the real deal and who is not.
There are three nationally ranked matchups this weekend. Here’s a snapshot and notes from our experts on all three:
- No. 9 Illinois vs. No. 19 Indiana: The Hoosiers have surprised many this season and exceeded expectations. Both CBS Sports experts Chris Hummer and Brad Crawford have Indiana winning this one in a close game.
- No. 22 Auburn vs. No. 11 Oklahoma: Some items to watch in this matchup are Oklahoma’s offensive line and Tigers quarterback Jackson Arnold, a former Sooner himself, returning to Norman against a sound defense.
- No. 17 Texas Tech vs. No. 16 Utah: These two teams are unbeaten and have two of college football’s most explosive offenses. We could be watching a preview of the Big 12 Championship Game this weekend. Hummer calls Texas Tech the leagues “most talented” roster and calls Utah the “bully of the league.”
🏆 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
📺 What we’re watching this weekend
Friday
⚾ Cubs at Reds, 6:40 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Blue Jays at Royals, 7:40 p.m. on Apple TV+
🏀 Game 3: Liberty at Mercury, 9 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Phillies at Diamondbacks, 9:40 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ Racing Louisville at Utah Royals, 10 p.m. on Paramount+
⚾ Giants at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m. on Apple TV+
Saturday
🏈 No. 17 Texas Tech at No. 16 Utah, 12 p.m. on FOX
⚽ Chelsea at Manchester United, 12:30 p.m. on USA Network
🏈 UAB at No. 15 Tennessee, 12:45 p.m. on SEC Network
⚾ Braves at Tigers, 1:10 p.m. on MLB Network
🏈 Oregon State at No. 6 Oregon, 3 p.m. on Big Ten Network
🏈 Kent State at No. 7 Florida State, 3:30 p.m. on ACC Network
🏈 No. 22 Auburn at No. 11 Oklahoma, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 Tulane at No. 13 Ole Miss, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 No. 21 Michigan at Nebraska, 3:30 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 Purdue at No. 24 Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m. on NBC/Peacock
⚾ Nationals at Mets, 4:10 p.m. on MLB Network
🏈 Temple at No. 18 Georgia Tech, 4:30 p.m. on The CW Network
🤼 Wrestlepalooza, 7 p.m. on ESPN+
🏈 South Carolina at No. 23 Missouri, 7 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Yankees at Orioles, 7:05 p.m. on MLB Network
🏈 No. 9 Illinois at No. 19 Indiana, 7:30 p.m. on NBC/Peacock
🏈 Florida at No. 4 Miami (Florida), 7:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 Georgia State at No. 20 Vanderbilt, 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU
🏈 SE Louisiana at No. 3 LSU, 7:45 p.m. on SEC Network
🏈 Sam Houston at No. 8 Texas, 8 p.m. on ESPN+
🏈 Michigan State at No. 25 USC, 11 p.m. on FOX
Sunday
🏈 The NFL Today 50th anniversary show, 12 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Rams at Eagles, 1 p.m. on FOX
🏈 Steelers at Patriots, 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚾ Cubs at Reds, 1:40 p.m. on MLB Network
🏁 NASCAR Cup Series at New Hampshire, 2 p.m. on USA Network
🏀 Game 1: Fever at Aces, 3 p.m. on ABC
🏈 Broncos at Chargers, 4:05 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 Saints at Seahawks, 4:05 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 Cowboys at Bears, 4:25 p.m. on FOX
🏈 Cardinals at 49ers, 4:25 p.m. on FOX
🏀 Game 1: Liberty or Mercury at Lynx, 5 p.m. on ABC
⚾ Mariners at Astros, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Chiefs at Giants, 8:20 p.m. on NBC