Grouping the NFL's Starting QBs + 10 Bets to Watch and a Vikings Fantasy Preview

In today’s newsletter…

• Leading Off: A look at the NFL’s 31 (so far) Week 1 starting QBs

• Bets to Watch: Rockies’ starter gave up 36 hits and 26 ER in past 15.1 innings

• Matchups: Kyle Schwarber has 4 HR vs. today’s starter

• Public Betting: Bettors like the Tigers vs. the Astros

• NFL: Minnesota Vikings fantasy preview

• Overtime: Could Arch Manning declare for the 2026 draft after all?

With the Colts naming Daniel Jones their Week 1 starting QB, 31 of 32 NFL teams now know who will be lining up under center for their openers.

Here’s how the signal callers stack up throughout the league — with that one spot still vacant, of course.

• The Big Four: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), Josh Allen (Bills), Lamar Jackson (Ravens), Joe Burrow (Bengals)

• The Second-Year Star Who Could Make It A Big Five: Jayden Daniels (Commanders)

• The Super Bowl MVP Who Nobody Knows How To Rank: Jalen Hurts (Eagles)

• The Rest of the Top Half(ish): Justin Herbert (Chargers), C.J. Stroud (Texans), Matthew Stafford (Rams), Jordan Love (Packers), Jared Goff (Lions), Brock Purdy (49ers), Baker Mayfield (Buccaneers), Dak Prescott (Cowboys), Kyler Murray (Cardinals)

• Second-Year QBs With Varying Degrees Of Promise: Drake Maye (Patriots), Bo Nix (Broncos), Caleb Williams (Bears), Michael Penix Jr. (Falcons), J.J. McCarthy (Vikings)

• The “Can They Stay Healthy This Year?” Team: Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars), Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins)

• Just Plain Solid: Geno Smith (Raiders)

• The “Real Or Not Real?” Team: Sam Darnold (Seahawks), Bryce Young (Panthers)

• The No. 1 Pick: Cam Ward (Titans)

• One Last Shot: Russell Wilson (Giants), Aaron Rodgers (Steelers), Justin Fields (Jets), Daniel Jones (Colts), Joe Flacco (Browns)

• TBD: Tyler Shough or Spencer Rattler (Saints)

Meanwhile, here’s what’s next in the Anthony Richardson/Colts saga.

—Patrick Dorsey

Invest Alongside Kyrie Irving and Travis Kelce

A new media network is giving pro athletes ownership of their content…and they’re inviting fans, too.

That network is PlayersTV.

It’s the first sports media company backed by over 50 legendary athletes including:

• Kyrie Irving

• Chris Paul

• Dwyane Wade

• Travis Kelce

• Ken Griffey Jr.

• And more

PlayersTV is a platform where athletes can tell their own stories, show fans more of who they really are, and connect in a whole new way.

And here’s the kicker: It’s not just athlete-owned—it’s fan-owned, too.

PlayersTV has the potential to reach 300M+ homes and devices through platforms like Amazon, Samsung, and Sling.

And for a limited time, you can invest and become an owner alongside the athletes.

2,200+ fan-investors are already backing PlayersTV. Want in?

I’m Ready to Invest

_{This is a paid advertisement for PlayersTV Regulation CF offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.playerstv.com/}

Scheffler Has Shortest Odds to Win Tour Championship Since Woods in ’09 (+160), But McIlroy Has Value

By Jack Dougherty

Phillies vs. Mariners over 8.5 runs (-108 at FanDuel)
This is a good spot to fade both starting pitchers. Jesus Luzardo has been hit or miss this season, but his misses have been disastrous. The Phillies left-hander has given up at least four earned runs six times this year. In 66 plate appearances against Luzardo, Mariners hitters are batting .339 with a .472 xSLG and a .397 xwOBA. On the other side, Phillies hitters are batting .301 with a .468 xSLG in 106 plate appearances against Luis Castillo. Philadelphia has also been on fire with 29 runs in its last three games. 

Braves moneyline (-180 at BetMGM)
The Braves should be bigger favorites in this matchup. After blowing a six-run lead in the seventh inning on Tuesday night, the White Sox have lost 12 of their last 15 games. Now they have to face Hurston Waldrep, who’s given up just two earned runs and recorded 17 strikeouts through his first three starts this season. Atlanta has gone 3-0 in those games. With Ronald Acuna Jr. back in the lineup and riding a four-game hitting streak, the Braves should be closer to -200. 

Rays moneyline first 5 innings (-115 at DraftKings)
It might seem scary to fade the Yankees one day after they clobbered a franchise record-tying nine home runs and beat the Rays, 13-3, but this is a much different situation. Rays starter Drew Rasmussen has been lights out recently, giving up just 21 hits and seven earned runs in his last 30.1 innings of work. He also has a stellar track record against the Yankees, as New York hitters are batting just .161 against him with a 37.1% strikeout rate. Yankees rookie Cam Schlittler gave up three earned runs and four walks the first time he faced Tampa Bay. 

Dodgers over 3.5 runs first 5 innings (-120 at DraftKings)
The Dodgers will be salivating ahead of Wednesday night’s matchup against Tanner Gordon and the Rockies. Over his last four starts, Gordon has given up a whopping 36 hits and 26 earned runs in only 15.1 innings. The right-hander now ranks in the first percentile in xBA (.328) and the third percentile in xERA (5.96). The Dodgers have averaged 6.8 runs per game at Coors Field this season, and this is the easiest pitching matchup they’ve seen at the hitter-friendly ballpark. 

Bailey Ober 5+ strikeouts (-180 at DraftKings)
Ober has gone under this line in three straight starts and nine of his last 12, but that’s creating some value in this juicy matchup. In 37 plate appearances against the Twins right-hander, Athletics hitters are batting just .171 with a 43.2 percent strikeout rate. Ober faced the A’s twice last season and recorded eight and 10 strikeouts, respectively, in those matchups. 

Golf: Tour Championship

Rory McIlroy to win (+850 at FanDuel)
It’s hard to find value in the outright market for the Tour Championship because there are only 30 players in the field, but McIlroy is objectively a smart choice at this price. The World No. 2 is consistently priced lower than +850 in full fields with 70 or even 150 players. McIlroy is clearly the second-best player in this tournament, and we’ve seen him take down Scottie Scheffler at East Lake before. McIlroy has won the Tour Championship three times, and he’s shot 69 or better in 13 of his last 16 rounds at East Lake. This is a lot of value.

Ben Griffin top-10 finish including ties (+150 at FanDuel)
You could argue that Griffin is the most underrated golfer on the PGA Tour right now. The 29-year-old just continues to stack up impressive finishes—nine top-15s in his last 11 starts, to be specific. Griffin has had a strong start to the FedEx Cup Playoffs, finishing T9 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and T12 at the BMW Championship while gaining 9.12 true strokes on approach and 6.0 true strokes from putting. He’s never played at East Lake, but he ranks second in the field in strokes gained from putting on Bermuda grass over the last six months. 

Harry Hall top-10 finish including ties (+185 at DraftKings)
There’s no reason to jump off the Hall bandwagon now. After his sixth-place finish at the BMW Championship, Hall has now recorded 11 straight top-30 finishes. He’s been by far the best putter on the PGA Tour in that span, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down on the greens. Last week was also the first time he gained strokes in all four major categories since The Sentry in January. The Englishman is still being underpriced in finishing position markets. 

Tournament matchup: Harry Hall > Corey Conners (+100 at FanDuel)
Hall has been good to us over the last few weeks, and the market refuses to adjust to his recent hot streak. At this point in time, Hall is simply a better player than Conners. The Canadian has finished solo 39th, T50, T10, T47 and WD in his last five starts, and he’s been losing strokes with his short game consistently. In four career starts at the Tour Championship, Conners has never finished better than T22 in the 30-man field. This price is flat-out wrong. 

Tournament matchup: Justin Rose > Shane Lowry (-120 at FanDuel)
As much fun as it’s been to ride Hall recently, it’s been just as profitable to fade Lowry. The Irishman has finished T23, T59, T40, T45 and cut in his last five starts. He’s been below average with his driving distance and driving accuracy in three straight starts, and his iron play isn’t up to his usual standard right now. For a poor putter who relies on his steady ball striking, Lowry’s tee-to-green game is worth fading. Rose, on the other hand, rode his hot iron play and putting to a win and two more top-16 finishes in his last four starts. 

Kyle Schwarber Has 4 HR, 6 RBI in Career vs. Luis Castillo

MLB Batters

• Ozzie Albies (Braves) vs. Martin Perez (White Sox): 7-9, 2 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 1 K

• Donovan Solano (Mariners) vs. Jesus Luzardo (Phillies): 7-13, 1 BB, 1 K

• Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres) vs. Landen Roupp (Giants): 4-6

• Marcell Ozuna (Braves) vs. Martin Perez (White Sox): 3-5, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 1 K

• Ke’Bryan Hayes (Reds) vs. Yusei Kikuchi (Angels): 3-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K

• Kyle Schwarber (Phillies) vs. Luis Castillo (Mariners): 6-20, 2 2B, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 4 BB, 6 K

• William Contreras (Brewers) vs. Colin Rea (Cubs): 3-3, 1 2B, 1 RBI

MLB Pitchers

• Andre Pallante (Cardinals) has allowed just 1 hit in 21 at-bats vs. current Marlins batters, striking out 3. His OPS against is .095.

• Drew Rasmussen (Rays) has been stellar vs. current Yankees hitters, allowing 9 hits — zero extra-base — in 56 at-bats, striking out 23. His slash line against is .161/.242/.161.

• Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers) already has a successful track record vs. Cubs batters, allowing 3 hits and striking out 8 in 17 at-bats. His OPS against is .440.

• Chris Bassitt (Blue Jays) has allowed just 2 extra-base hits (12 overall) in 56 at-bats vs. current Pirates hitters, striking out 20 and allowing a .504 OPS overall.

• Bailey Ober (Twins) has posted a .171 batting average against and a .194 OBP against in 35 at-bats vs. current Athletics hitters.

Bettors Are Backing Tigers (+1.5) In Big AL Battle vs. Astros

WNBA

• Wings vs. Sparks (-8.5, +103): 59% of the money and 51% of the bets are with Los Angeles

MLB

• Blue Jays (-1.5, +118) vs. Pirates: 64% of the money and 74% of the bets are with Toronto

• Mariners vs. Phillies (-1.5, +150): 60% of the money and 53% of the bets are with Philadelphia

• Astros vs. Tigers (+1.5, -162): 78% of the money and 74% of the bets are with Detroit

• Guardians (+1.5, -178) vs. Diamondbacks: 75% of the money and 67% of the bets are with Cleveland

• Cardinals vs. Marlins (+1.5, -200): 81% of the money and 69% of the bets are with Miami

• Mets (-1.5, -114) vs. Nationals: 84% of the money and 74% of the bets are with New York

• Yankees vs. Rays (+1.5, -192): 55% of the money and 54% of the bets are with Tampa Bay

• Athletics (+1.5, -188) vs. Twins: 69% of the money and 69% of the bets are with the Athletics

• Rangers vs. Royals (+1.5, -192): 86% of the money and 78% of the bets are with Kansas City

• Brewers (-1.5, +172) vs. Cubs (+1.5, -210): 68% of the money is with Milwaukee, but 59% of the bets are with Chicago

• Dodgers (-1.5, -188) vs. Rockies: 99% of the money and 93% of the bets are with Los Angeles

• Reds (+1.5, -192) vs. Angels: 83% of the money and 78% of the bets are with Cincinnati

• Giants (+1.5, -160) vs. Padres (-1.5, +132): The money is split 50-50, but 58% of the bets are with San Francisco

Fantasy Preview: McCarthy Mighty Be A Risky Draft Pick, But His Teammates Aren’t

By Craig Williams

The Minnesota Vikings feel like a team lurking in high grass. They have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball and a great head coach flanked by quality coordinators; but they have a rookie quarterback. We’ve seen rookie quarterbacks and first-year starters lead high degrees of team success, so J.J. McCarthy’s lack of experience won’t necessarily preclude the Vikings from surprising the league and emerging as a legitimate contender in the NFC — all while delivering plenty of fantasy production.

Click here to read our full Vikings fantasy preview on our website, Sportmoney.com

In the News 

• Arch in 2026 after all? Manning says he hasn’t made his draft decision.

• Did the Colts make the right call on Anthony Richardson?

• Another rough break for the Fever: Sophie Cunningham is out for the season.

• Rory McIlroy took home 1,100 Masters flags after his win.

What to Watch (times are ET)

• All Day (starting 11am): US Open on ESPN2/ESPNEWS/ESPN+

• All Day (starting 1pm): Little League World Series on ESPN

• 8pm: Inter Miami vs. Tigres in Leagues Cup on FS1

• 11pm: Seattle Sounders vs. Puebla in Leagues Cup on FS1

Photo of the Day