The Saints and Cardinals sure behaved like presumptive playoff teams in the offseason.
Entering a Week 7 Thursday Night Football matchup, New Orleans and Arizona are both below .500, beaten up by injuries and at or below the bottom of their divisions. But hey, at least it’s not the Broncos in prime time again!
In today’s Winners Club, you’ll find:
New Orleans Takes on Arizona in DeAndre Hopkins’ Return
8:15 p.m. ET (Prime Video)
It’s been a rough go for the Saints and Cardinals this season. Both teams sit at 2-4 with no discernible way out of their rut. New Orleans usually has a fearsome defense to fall back on, but it ranks in the bottom five in points allowed this year. And Arizona can generally counteract its defensive woes with passable offensive play; instead, it’s one of 12 teams that average less than 20 PPG.
There’s still plenty of fantasy intrigue in this game with players like Alvin Kamara and Kyler Murray active, and then there’s the wild card that is Taysom Hill. Saints-Cardinals has one of the lower over/unders of the week, and that’s less a credit to either team’s defense than an acknowledgment of the star power on the injury report for either side and the low-scoring contests Arizona has participated in this season.
Frankie Taddeo has everything you need to know before you place a wager on this game in his betting preview, as well as three player props worth tailing. And Albert Breer, Jen Piacenti and Michael Fabiano discussed the most compelling storylines ahead of this Thursday night showdown.
Some things you should know:
- Arizona has lost its last eight games at home, including all three this season. Its last victory at State Farm Stadium was Oct. 24 of last year against the Texans.
- During that losing stretch, the Cardinals have only covered once on their own turf.
- The Saints have ruled out cornerback Marshon Lattimore and wide receivers Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landy.
- New Orleans quarterback Jameis Winston has no injury designation for the game, but it’s unclear if he or Andy Dalton will start. Winston last played on Sept. 25.
- Arizona receiver DeAndre Hopkins returns from suspension this week just after Marquise Brown, the team’s leading receiver, went down with a foot injury. Robbie Anderson also joins the Cardinals receiving corps after the team traded for the disgruntled Panthers player this week.
SI Sportsbook’s “Perfect 10” contest continues this week, and you can participate for free for a chance to win $10,000! Make 10 picks against the spread to compete, and even if you don’t win the grand prize, you could earn free picks depending on how well you do. Taddeo broke down the available games for you to consult before you make your picks. I’m looking hard at that Jets-Broncos matchup and the Giants-Jaguars games and prefer the New York teams taking the points.
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Padres Even Up NLCS, Astros Take 1-0 ALCS Lead
All four remaining playoff teams were in action Wednesday, and the home teams prevailed.
In the NLCS, the Padres put some runs on the board against the Phillies after they were shut out in Game 1. San Diego scored an 8-5 victory to knot things up as the series heads to Philadelphia this weekend.
And in the ALCS, the Astros just keep on winning. Houston beat New York, 4-2, and the two teams take the field again Thursday in Texas as the Yankees look to draw even in the series.
You can check out Jen Piacenti’s betting previews for PHI-SD and HOU-NYY and check out the updated World Series odds and upcoming schedule below.
SI Sportsbook World Series Odds
Astros +100
Phillies +350
Padres +350
Yankees +400
Thursday
7:37 p.m. ET (TBS): Yankees vs. Astros (-150) | Houston leads series, 1-0
Friday
7:37 p.m. ET (FS1): Padres (-118) vs. Phillies | Series tied, 1-1
Saturday
5:07 p.m. ET (TBS): Astros vs. Yankees | ALCS Game 3
7:45 p.m. ET (FOX): Padres vs. Phillies | NLCS Game 4
It’s make-or-break time for fantasy managers. With so many elite fantasy players on bye with the Bills, Eagles, Vikings and Rams all idle this week, you can gain the upper hand in a matchup or two with the right lineup decisions.
That’s what Michael Fabiano and Shawn Childs are here to help with that. Let them assist you in setting your lineup with their player breakdowns and rankings below.
Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em
Quarterbacks: Dak Prescott is back, and you can confidently plug him into your lineup.
Running backs: Keep Clyde Edwards-Helaire on your bench against the 49ers’ defense.
Wide receivers: Allen Lazard will again be a reliable play against the Commanders.
Tight ends: Don’t chase Mike Gesicki’s big Week 6—leave him out of your lineup this week.
Kickers and defenses: Bet on the Buccaneers in a divisional matchup with the Panthers.
Positional Rankings
Quarterbacks: Lamar Jackson is a smash play in a divisional game against the Browns.
Running backs: Rookies Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker and Dameon Pierce are among the top-15 players at their position this week.
Wide receivers: Welcome Amon-Ra St. Brown back into the fold this week as a WR1.
Tight ends: See which tight ends are startable outside the top tier.
Flex: This is a great week for running backs with the best receivers on bye.
Kickers: Coming off a bye, Daniel Carlson is the top option for Week 7.
Defenses: Bill Belichick has the Patriots’ defense humming ahead of a matchup with the Bears.
Stat ProjectionsQuarterbacks: Tua Tagovailoa projects as one of the best QB plays in his return to the field.
Running backs: Christian McCaffrey ranks just inside the top 10 with a tough matchup ahead.
Wide receivers: Marquise Brown is out, and DeAndre Hopkins is in for the Cardinals.
Tight ends: Mark Andrews has Travis Kelce beat out for the top TE spot this week.
Key ACC, Pac-12 Matchups Headline CFB Week 8
Last week was one for the books in the college football world, though this week could come close. There are five all-top-25 matchups across the sport, including one top-10 showdown between UCLA and Oregon, which are vying for the top spot in the Pac-12.
Robin Lundberg and I broke down the two biggest games of the week: Syracuse-Clemson and UCLA Oregon.
Top-25 Action
12 p.m. ET (ABC): No. 14 Syracuse vs. No. 5 Clemson (-13.5)
3:30 p.m. ET (FOX): No. 9 UCLA vs. No. 10 Oregon (-6)
3:30 p.m. ET (ABC): No. 20 Texas (-6.5) vs. No. 11 Oklahoma State
7 p.m. ET (ESPN): No. 24 Mississippi State vs. No. 6 Alabama (-21)
8 p.m. ET (FS1): No. 17 Kansas State vs. No. 8 TCU (-3.5)
Other Games For Your Consideration
3:30 p.m. ET (CBS): No. 7 Ole Miss vs. LSU (-2.5)
7:30 p.m. ET (ABC): Minnesota vs. No. 16 Penn State (-4)
National Championship Odds Watch
After last week’s action, the Buckeyes are even heavier title favorites. Ohio State (+175) leads the pack at SI Sportsbook, followed by Georgia (+188), Alabama (+400), Clemson (+850), Michigan (+1000), and Tennessee (+1100) joined the conversation after it beat the Crimson Tide.
USC lost its first game of the season against Utah, and its odds plummeted from +1100 to +8000.
In Other News
Big Ten Basketball Preseason Rankings: The conference sent nine teams to the NCAA Tournament a season ago, none of which made it to the Final Four. There are talented teams at the top once again, like Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, but just how far can they go? And how does the rest of the Big Ten stack up?
The Latest in CFP Expansion Talks: The playoff management committee is meeting in Dallas on Thursday to figure out further how expansion will occur before 2026, and there is a push to make that happen by 2024 with some logistical hurdles to clear.
NBA Teams Tanking for Wembanyama: The 2023 NBA Draft has an all-time prize for the team that wins the lottery and ends up with the first pick. See which teams are planning to be in the mix for the top spot and which ones could fall into the discussion if things turn south.
Thanks for reading Winners Club! Enjoy the 26th sports equinox ever with NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL games all on this fine October Thursday.
I’ll be back in your inbox Sunday morning.
