Today's 10 Bets To Watch + What Will Browns Do With Shedeur and a Rams Fantasy Preview

In today’s newsletter…

• Leading Off: Is this the last we’ll see of Shedeur Sanders in a Browns uniform?

• Bets to Watch: The Rangers have won 8 straight Eovaldi starts (1.60 ERA)

• Game of the Day: Dodgers and Padres start their final series of the regular season

• Matchups: Yu Darvish has been lights-out vs. Shohei Ohtani

• NFL: Los Angeles Rams fantasy preview

• Overtime: Jaxson Dart did it again

Could Saturday be the last time we see Shedeur Sanders in a Browns uniform?

Sorry for the provocative question; the answer is almost certainly “no.” We very likely will see him tomorrow vs. the Rams, though, as he’s been tapped to return to the field after missing Cleveland’s second preseason game with an oblique injury.

Joe Flacco, recently named the Browns’ Week 1 starter, is set to begin the game under center. Rookie Dillon Gabriel, who started Week 2 of the preseason and has spent much of camp ahead of Sanders on the depth chart, is said to be second-string.

Then comes Sanders, whose spot on the roster would likely not be in question were it not for the presence of two more QBs: former first-round pick Kenny Pickett, who has missed considerable time this summer due to a hamstring injury, and Tyler Huntley, who believe it or not once made a Pro Bowl. And don’t forget: Deshaun Watson is still under contract and could return from injury this year (whether the Browns like that or not).

Given that it’s rare to field four QBs at a time, the speculation is that Huntley and Pickett will be the ones released to start the season.

This is the Browns, so you never know. But chances are, we’re much more likely to see Sanders start a real game for Cleveland in 2025 than to see him on another (possibly Canadian) team.

—Patrick Dorsey

Braves, Out of the Playoff Race, Have Won 10 of 12 (.349 wOBA During Past 10 Games)

By Craig Williams

Yankees over 4.5 runs (-118 at FanDuel)
The Yankees appear as though they’ve righted the ship, last night’s loss notwithstanding. They’re averaging 7.7 runs per game over their past six, and even if they continue to struggle against Red Sox pitching — and Brayan Bello in particular — we think they’ll be able to take advantage of a Red Sox bullpen that has a 4.50 ERA and 4.66 FIP over the past two weeks.

Red Sox +0.5 first 5 innings (+140 at DraftKings)
Max Fried has struggled mightily since the start of July, and a recurring blister problem appears to be exacerbating the issue. He has pitched 27 innings since leaving a start early against the Cubs on July 12, and produced a 7.00 ERA and 4.30 FIP over that span. Home runs (four) and base hits (34) have been an issue throughout this stretch, and we like the Red Sox’s chances, especially behind Brayan Bello, of covering the first half of tonight’s contest.

Yankees moneyline (-145 at Caesars)
The Yankees are 37-26 at home and 30-27 after a loss. We’re banking on their resilience in this spot as well as their current offensive form — even though the Red Sox kept them in check last night. Max Fried has held opponents to fewer than three earned runs only once over his past eight starts. Even if he allows the Red Sox to scratch across a couple of runs, we still expect him to get back on track much sooner than later.

Braves over 3.5 runs (-154 at FanDuel)
The Braves own a .349 wOBA in their past 10 games, a stretch over which they’re 8-2. They enter tonight’s contest with quality walk and strikeout rates over that span, a trend that figures to serve them well against rookie right-hander Nolan McLean, who had a sterling debut, but also struggles with walks. The Braves will be able to chip away at this number early if McLean struggles in his first taste of road baseball at the major league level.

Braves +1.5 (-182 at FanDuel)
We touched on the Braves’ bats over their past 10 games, but they’ve received quality pitching from lefty Joey Wentz since they acquired him at the trade deadline. He enters tonight with a 2.60 ERA and 3.11 FIP over 34.2 innings pitched with the Braves. And even though the Mets seem to have stopped the bleeding to a degree, they’re still 3-7 against the Braves this season, and they’ve been much less formidable on the road. Not to mention, they’re going to miss catcher Francisco Alvarez, who was batting .323/.408/.645 across 62 at bats since returning from his demotion.

Phillies over 4.5 runs (-145 at DraftKings)
The Phillies own a .349 wOBA and are averaging 5.3 runs per game since August 1. They’ve seen Cade Cavalli before tonight, so they won’t have the disadvantage of unfamiliarity. We mentioned the Nats’ struggling bullpen earlier this week. We’re still willing to pick on their relief corps and the Phillies’ favorable home splits.

Nationals +0.5 first 5 innings (-118 at BetMGM)
We like the Phillies overall in this contest, but it’s on the strength of their offense. Taijuan Walker has strung together a solid stretch over his past five starts, but this 2.45 ERA isn’t supported by his 5.02 FIP. He’s not missing bats — and the Nats have been among the stingier strikeout teams in the league in recent seasons — and it won’t surprise us to see the Nats keep pace with the Phillies early.

Rangers -0.5 first 5 innings (-128 at FanDuel)
The Rangers are 8-0 across Eovaldi’s last eight starts, and much of that is thanks to his 1.60 ERA over that span. His 3.59 FIP suggests the baseball gods may have been somewhat forgiving, but Eovaldi’s 0.87 WHIP over that span puts the credit squarely on his shoulders. The Guardians have dropped two straight and seven of 10, and produced  the league’s fifth-worst wOBA and seventh-worst ISO over that stretch.

Padres +1.5 (-165 at bet365)
The Padres and Dodgers are set for a fun weekend, and we’re backing the Padres to put together a good showing to open the series. They’ve won three straight and are 41-21 at home. The Dodgers have had their struggles in recent weeks — they’re 19-23 since July 1 — and we’re not expecting them to run away from the Padres, who will lean on veteran Yu Darvish, who has had his share of success against his former club.

Dodgers vs. Padres under 4.5 runs first 5 innings (-120 at DraftKings)
We like the pitching matchup in this one — even Yu Darvish, who has struggled this season. Sometimes it just takes a small adjustment for a veteran pitcher to get locked in, and Darvish has also demonstrated an ability to handle the Dodgers. On the other side, Blake Snell has made three starts since April, and he’s produced a 1.69 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over 16 innings. 

Dodgers (-1.5) and Padres Square Off in Their Final Head-to-Head Series of the Season

The Dodgers (73-55) take their one-game lead over the Padres (72-56) into San Diego, where the two NL West rivals will play their final three head-to-head games of the regular season. Adding intrigue to Friday’s meeting: Each starting pitcher once played for the opposite team.

Dodgers vs. Padres
9:40pm ET

• Starting Pitchers:

  • LAD: Blake Snell (3-1), 1.80 ERA, 25.0 IP, 5 ER, 25 K, 13 BB, 1.44 WHIP

  • SD: Yu Darvish (2-3), 5.97 ERA, 37.2 IP, 25 ER, 34 K, 13 BB, 1.22 WHIP

• Spread: Dodgers -1.5 (+146), Padres +1.5 (-178)

  • The money is split 50/50, while 54% of the bets are with San Diego

• Moneyline: Dodgers -120, Padres +102

• Total (8): Over -110, Under -110

Head to Head

• Snell has allowed a .217 average in 106 at-bats vs. current Padres hitters, striking out 30, with an OPS against of .608. Xander Bogaerts is 5-28 with 1 2B, 1 RBI, 3 BB and 8 K.

• Darvish has allowed a .196 average in 209 at-bats vs. current Dodgers hitters, striking out 50; his OPS against is .648. He’s been especially effective against countryman Shohei Ohtani, allowing just 2 singles in 13 at-bats while striking him out 5 times.

Yu Darvish Has Stifled Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers in His Career

MLB Batters

• Kyle Tucker (Cubs) vs. Tyler Anderson (Angels): 9-14, 1 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB

• Nolan Gorman (Rays) vs. Adrian Houser (Cardinals): 4-5, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI

• Kyle Higashioka (Rangers) vs. Slade Cecconi (Guardians): 3-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K

• Bryan Reynolds (Pirates) vs. Antonio Senzatela (Rockies): 4-6, 3 2B, 2 RBI

• Luis Arraez (Padres) vs. Blake Snell (Dodgers): 6-9, 1 2B, 2 BB

• Cody Bellinger (Yankees) vs. Brayan Bello (Red Sox): 3-5, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K

• Maikel Garcia (Royals) vs. Casey Mize (Tigers): 5-9, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 BB

• Justin Turner (Cubs) vs. Tyler Anderson (Angels): 20-40, 5 2B, 5 HR, 10 RBI, 6 BB, 2 K

• Carlos Correa (Astros) vs. Cade Povich (Orioles): 4-8, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 K

• Salvador Perez (Royals) vs. Casey Mize (Tigers): 13-30, 3 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K

• Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals) vs. Casey Mize (Tigers): 6-14, 1 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 1 K

MLB Pitchers

• Bryan Woo (Mariners) has allowed a .178 average in 101 at-bats vs. current Athletics hitters, striking out 26 and giving up a .573 OPS.

• Taijuan Walker (Phillies) has allowed a .195 average in 82 at-bats vs. current Nationals hitters, striking out 11 and allowing a .551 OPS.

• Max Fried (Yankees) has allowed 7 hits in 40 at-bats vs. current Red Sox hitters (.175 average), striking out 15.

• Yu Darvish (Padres) has allowed a .196 average vs. current Dodgers hitters (41-209), striking out 50. Shohei Ohtani is 2-13 with 5 Ks.

Fantasy Preview: Rams’ High-Powered Offense Has Multiple Early Round Picks

By Jack Dougherty

The Rams were the closest team to knocking off the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs last year, and they have the talent to make another deep run in the NFC in 2025. Puka Nacua is back to full health after missing six games last season, Kyren Williams returns after putting up a career-high 1,299 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, and Davante Adams joins the fold as an upgrade over Cooper Kupp. This Sean McVay-led offense will be elite if Matthew Stafford can stay healthy, but he’s been dealing with a concerning back injury that’s held him out of training camp. 

On defense, the Rams are loaded with home-grown talent on the defensive line with Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, Kobie Turner and Byron Young. Stafford’s injury is a major concern, but Los Angeles will be a sneaky Super Bowl contender if he’s on the field. 

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

In the News 

• Jaxson Dart did it again.

• According to Jerry Jones, Micah Parsons’ agent had some, uh, colorful language in response to the Cowboys’ latest offer.

• SEC football is making a big schedule change.

• The Steelers got some bad injury news.

What to Watch (times are ET)

• 10am: Tour Championship on Golf Channel

• 2:30pm: Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig on ESPN2/ESPN+

• 7pm: No. 3 Pittsburgh vs. No. 1 Nebraska in NCAA Women’s Volleyball on FOX

• 7:05pm: Red Sox vs. Yankees on MLB Network/Prime Video

• 7:10pm: Royals vs. Tigers on Apple TV+

• 7:15pm: Mets vs. Braves on Apple TV+

• 8pm: Chicago Stars vs. North Carolina Courage on Prime Video

Photo of the Day