It seems fitting that the shocking finish to Broncos-Seahawks bookended the opening weekend of the NFL season.
Nathaniel Hackett opted to let Brandon McManus attempt what would have been a career-long 64-yard field goal instead of putting Russell Wilson on the field on fourth and five with the clock ticking down. The kick missed, and Pete Carroll and the 12th Man got the best of their former quarterback in his return to Seattle.
What a week.
In today’s Winners Club, you’ll find:
- Super Bowl and division odds movement
- Fantasy waiver wire pickups and injury news
- AL and NL awards betting breakdown
- WNBA Finals check-in
NFL Future Odds Shift After Wild Week 1
The opening week of NFL football didn’t go as expected. Unders hit at a high clip, and underdogs fared relatively well against the spread and straight up.
Matt Ehalt recapped all the bad beats and big payouts from the weekend, highlighted by some surprising touchdown bets with long odds.
Very few top teams looked the part in Week 1 after the Bills set the standard with a blowout win against the Rams on Thursday. With one game in the books, the Super Bowl and division futures odds at SI Sportsbook adjusted. Let’s take a look at some of the risers and fallers.
Risers
Super Bowl: +900 → +750
AFC West: +160 → +150
Kansas City scored league-high 44 points in a road win against the Cardinals, and Patrick Mahomes kept up his September dominance with a five-touchdown outing.
Super Bowl: +600 → +500
AFC East: -220 → -333
Buffalo beat the defending champs by three scores on the road despite turning the ball over four times. Josh Allen’s brilliance and the defensive line’s pressure made light work of the Rams in the second half.
Super Bowl: +1400 → +1200
AFC West: +225 → +200
Los Angeles’ new-look defense sacked Derek Carr five times and picked him off three times to avenge its Week 18 loss a season ago.
Super Bowl: +1800 → +1200
NFC East: +150 → -150
Philadelphia let Detroit back in the game in the fourth quarter but still came away with the win. Offseason addition A.J. Brown looked the part of WR1, and the Eagles romped for over 200 yards on the ground.
Super Bowl: +3300 → +2000
NFC North: +275 → +140
Minnesota got off to a 20-0 lead against Green Bay and closed the door on a second-half comeback. It was Kirk Cousins’ connection with Justin Jefferson that buoyed the Vikings.
Fallers
Super Bowl: +1000 → +1400
NFC West: +120 → +150
The run game was putrid, and Matthew Stafford tossed three interceptions in an embarrassing losing effort. Cooper Kupp was the sole bright spot, and he’ll need additional help.
Super Bowl: +1000 → +1200
NFC North: -200 → +100
Green Bay had a worse Week 1 loss in 2021 and still earned the top seed in the NFC, but seven points is still a poor showing, especially considering the game Davante Adams had for the Raiders.
Super Bowl: +1800 → +4000
NFC East: +140 → +400
Things looked grim for Dallas before Dak Prescott went out with a hand injury. The offense cobbled together three points against Tampa Bay and will be without its quarterback for at least the next few weeks.
Super Bowl: +2000 → +2500
AFC North: +160 → +275
Maybe it’s a good sign for Cincinnati that it nearly downed Pittsburgh despite Joe Burrow’s uncharacteristic five-turnover game, but it was still a poor showing for the defending AFC champs against an offense that struggled to move the ball.
Super Bowl: +1400 → +2000
NFC West: +175 → +125
This defeat in a monsoon shouldn’t be read into too much, but it’s worth noting San Francisco was the largest favorite of the week and lost outright.
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The preseason was relatively kind regarding injury impact, but that did not hold up once the regular season started. This is where expert in-season management comes into play.
Prescott left Sunday night’s game with a hand injury and the Cowboys reportedly “anticipate” making a roster move to replace their quarterback, who’s expected to miss several weeks, and so should you. Injuries at running back and confusing usage (i.e., Cam Akers) might also necessitate you address the position on the waivers this week.
So allow Jen Piacenti to guide you through the waiver process, and heed her warning: “It’s still early, so let’s wait a few weeks for things to tighten up and stabilize. Don’t drop your studs, and don’t overbid for Devin Duvernay.”
And for all the IDPers out there, replacing T.J. Watt is a tall task for the Steelers, and the same goes for your fantasy squad. Matt De Lima singled out the defensive players worth an add this week, including Giants linebacker Tae Crowder, who laid the boom on Derrick Henry.
Michael Fabiano also has 10 storylines to follow from Week 1. Saquon Barkley looked like his old self, Christian McCaffrey underwhelmed by his astronomical standards, and the top receivers that switched teams still got it done.
More news of note: 49ers RB Elijah Mitchell is expected to miss two months on IR after he sprained his MCL against the Bears, Chargers WR Keenan Allen (hamstring) would not have practiced Monday ahead of Thursday night’s game, Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin (hamstring) could miss a few weeks, Steelers RB Najee Harris (foot) should be active Week 2 after negative tests came back and there is a chance Patriots QB Mac Jones (back) plays this week after his X-rays were negative.
Taking Stock of MLB Awards Markets as Playoffs Approach
The expanded postseason picture is becoming clearer and clearer by the day, though there’s plenty of intrigue down the stretch run, like the Mets’ and Braves’ fight for first in the NL East, the Brewers’ improbable playoff push and, of course, Albert Pujols’ home run counter. (He’s at 697 now.)
SI’s latest MLB Power Rankings trimmed the field down to teams still in the hunt (sorry, Nats fans), and the top four teams are unchanged from last week. Sneaking into the top five, though, are the Yankees, who are back on the upswing after a troubling month.
Piacenti checked in with the awards races in the American League and National League with the season winding down. At this point of the calendar, the favorites have separated themselves from the pack, save for the AL Cy Young race. Below are the top two contenders for each award, according to the current odds.
Aaron Judge -1613
Shohei Ohtani +500
Dylan Cease -120
Justin Verlander -110
Julio Rodriguez -1150
Adley Rutschman +950
Paul Goldschmidt -4000
Nolan Arenado +3000
Sandy Alcantara -200
Max Fried +600
Spencer Strider -380
Michael Harris +240
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Aces Lead Sun 1-0 in WNBA Finals
Connecticut held Las Vegas to a season-low point total in the WNBA Finals opener Sunday. Aces coach Becky Hammon expected the Sun to make the game a slugfest, and that it was—but it was one her team still emerged victorious from, 67-64.
A’ja Wilson led Las Vegas in scoring 24 points, and Chelsea Gray added 21 to account for the bulk of their team’s total. Alyssa Thomas put up 19 in the losing effort. The Aces entered the series as clear favorites over the Sun, and after winning that grind-it-out game over the weekend, have moved to -800 at SI Sportsbook to win their first title in franchise history.
Tuesday
9 p.m. ET (ESPN): Sun vs. Aces (-4.5) | Las Vegas leads series, 1-0
In Other News
NBA Rookie of the Year Rankings: No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero (+200) is the clear frontrunner to take home the award. See which other first-year players have a chance at beating him out for the hardware this season.
NFL Post-Week 1 Power Rankings: To no surprise, the AFC holds the top four spots in the power rankings, with the Buccaneers the lone NFC representative in the top five.
Week 2 Upsets Affect CFB Bowl Projections: The Pac-12 is playoff bound while Alabama is not in the latest look ahead to bowl season. Find out which teams might have New Year’s Six appearances in their future.
As always, thanks for reading Winners Club! May all of your waiver wire claims go through successfully. (But please be responsible with that FAAB, it’s a long season.)
I’ll be back in your inbox Thursday morning when football returns. The word is it should be a pretty good game. Here’s hoping.
