Sports
Don’t be surprised if … Brock Purdy, Chase Brown are league winners down the stretch
Each week in the NFL is its own story — full of surprises, both positive and negative — and fantasy football managers must decide what to believe and what not to believe moving forward. Perhaps we can help. If any of these thoughts come true … don’t be surprised!
NOTE: All mention of fantasy points is for PPR formats, unless otherwise mentioned.
Don’t be surprised if … San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy is a top-10 fantasy QB this month
Matchups matter, and Purdy and his buddies play the Tennessee Titans this week, then the reeling Indianapolis Colts. That should be enough to persuade fantasy managers to slide Purdy into their lineups. The Titans are bad, and they have been lit up recently by Shedeur Sanders, Davis Mills and others. There’s more. The 49ers didn’t play in Week 14. While we/many mocked the NFL for having teams serve bye weeks in December, during our fantasy playoffs! (how dare they!), the aftermath of this is important. RB Christian McCaffrey and TE George Kittle rested. Of course, they are the lone 49ers typically in a fantasy lineup.
Purdy rested, too. He lacks the flashy statistics this season as he battled a sprained left shoulder and then a toe injury, missing more than half the games. Purdy threw three touchdown passes in Week 11 against Arizona, then threw three interceptions the following Monday night against the tougher-than-people-realize Carolina Panthers. He scored 17.12 points in Week 13 against a strong Cleveland Browns defense. Purdy averaged 17.8 points last season. He was fantasy’s No. 6 QB in 2023. We have seen and enjoyed his upside, and with this schedule, I say he rewards those who trust him. Play Purdy over Patrick Mahomes (vs. Chargers), Lamar Jackson (no, I don’t think he is fine), Dak Prescott and myriad others this week.
Other QB thoughts:
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Sticking to the matchups theme, do not talk yourself out of relying on Philadelphia Eagles starter Jalen Hurts. C’mon, people. The Las Vegas Raiders are coming to Philly, and Hurts, fresh off a five-turnover nightmare Monday in Los Angeles, is not going to score only 0.4 more points than you and I again. The Raiders are awful. Calls for backup Tanner McKee are ridiculous. The Eagles have lost three in a row, but they should score at will against the Raiders, and then they get the indifferent Washington Commanders in Weeks 16 and 18. Hurts scored 30.86 fantasy points in Week 12. Nobody — Eagles or you — is benching him.
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The situation with Hurts highlights that there is a big difference between evaluating quarterbacks for real-life and fantasy purposes. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell discussed the league’s top MVP candidates, with QBs Drake Maye, Matthew Stafford and Jordan Love leading the way. Fantasy managers should view Love quite differently. Although he could still finish among the top 10 QB scorers this season, he isn’t there yet, and last season he finished 17th. Give Love credit for strides in the turnover department, but he has scored single-digit fantasy points in three of the past six games, and I like his odds for another statistically disappointing effort in Denver on Sunday. Perhaps the Green Bay Packers keep winning, but one must separate fantasy and reality.
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The Indianapolis Colts, having lost three games in a row and their starting QB Daniel Jones, hit the road Sunday to face the Seattle Seahawks. No, I don’t think they are winning that one, either. Choose your statistical evidence however you please, but the Seahawks and Broncos are right up there for toughest defense to do just about anything against. We would not have recommended a healthy Jones for this matchup, so don’t even ask about Riley Leonard (knee), Philip Rivers (grandpa), Anthony Richardson Sr. (knee), Peyton Manning (on my TV a lot more than the other fellows), Bert Jones (Google him) or whomever else the Colts could find for this one.
Don’t be surprised if … Cincinnati Bengals veteran Chase Brown finishes among the top 10 RB scorers
Brown has been on a fantasy tear the past two months, reaching 18 fantasy points in five of six games. Perhaps he was among the bigger disappointments for the first six weeks, but he has been among the top five RBs since then. Brown isn’t doing this solely with touchdowns, either, even though he scored a pair in Week 14. He produced 113 scrimmage yards against the team he faces this week, the Baltimore Ravens, in Week 13, and he is fifth at his position in receptions. Yeah, Samaje Perine took some touches away last week, but that might not matter much. Brown still enjoyed 15 touches. The Bengals are the easiest team for RBs to accrue fantasy points against, but the Ravens are fourth.
McCaffrey should finish as the top running back fantasy scorer this season, with Jahmyr Gibbs finishing second. Gibbs should pass Jonathan Taylor, whom I wouldn’t sit in a fantasy playoff game, but hey, because of the QB situation he may find things more challenging than normal this and every Sunday. Because of his rough start to the season, Brown may not match his 255 fantasy points (15.9 per game) from last season, but he has been above that range for the past six weeks, and he should be in all lineups.
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Is Jaylen Wright worth adding in fantasy?
Eric Karabell explains why fantasy managers should consider adding Jaylen Wright afer his nice game vs. the Jets.
Other RB thoughts:
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I think Miami Dolphins star De’Von Achane (ribs) plays in Pittsburgh on Monday night, but alas, we may not have a finite answer by Sunday morning. So I am a bit surprised Jaylen Wright wasn’t added in more leagues, especially by Achane investors. As of Thursday afternoon, Wright’s roster figure is up only 3.7% from last week to 14.6%, before he ripped the admittedly embarrassing New York Jets for 107 rushing yards and a score in a relief role. These are our playoffs. Have a plan. Really, the Dolphins should throw all over the Pittsburgh Steelers, since they permit the most fantasy points to WRs and third most to TEs. Make sure Jaylen Waddle is in lineups, and if you don’t have one of the top-tier tight ends, we are making the case for Darren Waller, too.
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Next year will be the first big one for New England Patriots rookie TreVeyon Henderson. I may even rank him among the top 10 running backs, depending on what happens with veteran Rhamondre Stevenson. This season, however, we should be wary of both, because they cancel each other out when each is active. Stevenson, averaging 3.2 yards per rush, is not having a good season, but he continues to see relatively equal volume to Henderson, who averages 4.8 yards per tote. Fantasy managers may not like it, but Henderson is hardly guaranteed to shine this month, even against a Bills defense that struggles against the run. Henderson ran for 24 yards in the Week 6 game at Buffalo. Though Henderson has made strides in pass blocking, Stevenson is the proven veteran and the Patriots seem to trust him more in that capacity, still.
Don’t be surprised if … Arizona Cardinals WR Michael Wilson remains a top-five option the rest of the season
The Cardinals face the mighty Houston Texans defense this week, so this prediction may seem odd, but give any receiver a million targets and good things tend to happen. First, I don’t think Marvin Harrison Jr. (heel) is playing again this season. The 3-10 Cardinals have locked up last place in the NFC West, and Harrison playing can’t change anything. They struggle to run the football effectively, so journeyman QB Jacoby Brissett slings it 40-something times per game. No, seriously, he averages more than 300 passing yards per game this season. Nobody else is.
Wilson is fantasy’s top WR over the past four weeks, averaging 24.7 fantasy points on 14 targets per game, and there’s little reason to expect things to alter — assuming Harrison sits — even against the top defense. This should be like the Rams game last week, with the Cardinals getting blown out and the winning team caring little about Wilson piling on numbers. Old-timers may recall Billy Volek and Drew Bennett going gangbusters for about a month later in the 2004 season for the Tennessee Titans. This Cardinals deal feels similar.
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Should you start Michael Wilson in Week 15?
Liz Loza discusses why fantasy managers should look forward to starting Michael Wilson in Week 15 if Marvin Harrison Jr. is still sidelined.
Other WR thoughts:
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I find myself discussing this each week, but I view Jacksonville Jaguars WR Jakobi Meyers as a WR2 these days. Do you really want to judge him on his numbers with the Raiders? Meyers is thriving with Trevor Lawrence, and this week, the Jaguars get to feast on the lowly Jets. Predicting touchdowns for wide receivers is dangerous, but Meyers certainly has quite the opportunity to make it four games in a row Sunday.
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Ravens WR Zay Flowers looked better against a bad Steelers pass defense in Week 14, catching eight of 11 targets for 124 yards, but he still hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 1. I don’t really trust him against the Bengals and likely shadow DJ Turner II, since these fellows matched up two weeks ago and Flowers caught two passes for six yards. Also, Lamar Jackson still isn’t right. I like TEs Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely to have big games against the Bengals, but not the Baltimore WRs.
Italy failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup as a play-off defeat on penalties to Bosnia and Hercegovina on Tuesday meant the Azzurri will not go to this year’s tournament in North America, while Turkiye, the Czech Republic and Sweden all secured their places at the finals.
Italy have won the World Cup four times, but they failed to qualify for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments and will once again have to watch from afar as the field is expanded to 48 teams in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Bosnia won 4-1 in the shoot-out in Zenica after their play-off final finished 1-1 at the end of extra time, with Sandro Tonali the only Italy player to score from the spot as Francesco Pio Esposito blazed their first penalty over and Bryan Cristante smashed his kick against the crossbar.
Moise Kean had given Gennaro Gattuso’s Italy the lead on 15 minutes, but they were reduced to 10 men when Alessandro Bastoni was shown a straight red card late in the first half.
Bosnia equalised on 79 minutes through Haris Tabakovic, and with no further goals in extra time, the tie was decided on penalties.
“I don’t think the boys deserved to suffer such a blow,” said Gattuso. “It’s difficult to digest.”
Ranked 66th in the world, Bosnia finished second in qualifying Group H behind Austria before beating Wales on penalties in their play-off semi-final.
Their only previous World Cup appearance came in 2014. Now they go into Group B at this year’s tournament along with Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland.
The 2014 edition is the last time Italy qualified. They went out in the group stage, like in 2010. They have not won a World Cup knockout game since they last lifted the trophy in 2006.
In 2018, they failed to qualify after losing a two-legged play-off final to Sweden, and they also missed out in 2022 after losing a play-off to North Macedonia.
Kosovo dream over
Turkiye qualified as Kerem Akturkoglu’s 53rd-minute goal secured a 1-0 win in Kosovo, shattering their hosts’ dream of appearing at the tournament for the first time.
It will be Turkiye´s first appearance at a World Cup since reaching the semi-finals in 2002. Vincenzo Montella’s team will go into Group D along with co-hosts the United States, Paraguay, and Australia.
Montella’s side is ranked 22nd in the world, but this will only be Turkiye´s third ever appearance at the World Cup — they went to the 1954 tournament before coming third 24 years ago in South Korea and Japan.
“We achieved our dreams. The World Cup is the pinnacle in this profession,” Montella told UEFA.com.
Kosovo, ranked 78th, were targeting a first-ever World Cup appearance, having only been accepted as a Fifa member a decade ago.
Gyokeres heroics, Danes denied
Sweden recovered from a desperate performance in the group stage of qualifying to secure their place at the finals in dramatic fashion.
Having beaten Ukraine 3-1 in last week’s semi-final, they edged Poland 3-2 in Stockholm, with Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres scoring an 88th-minute winner.
Earlier, Sweden had twice taken the lead only to be pegged back, with Anthony Elanga’s opener on 20 minutes cancelled out by Nicola Zalewski, only for Gustaf Lagerbielke to put the hosts back in front before half-time.
Karol Swiderski got Poland’s second early in the second half, but Gyokeres forced the ball over the line after a frantic goalmouth scramble late on.
They finished bottom of qualifying Group B without a win, but secured a play-off spot thanks to their performances in the UEFA Nations League.
Now coached by Englishman Graham Potter, they will go into Group F at the World Cup along with the Netherlands, Japan, and Tunisia.
The Czech Republic matched Bosnia’s achievement by qualifying thanks to back-to-back shoot-out victories, as they followed their success against Ireland last week by defeating Denmark 3-1 on penalties in Prague.
The match finished 2-2 after extra time, with Pavel Sulc firing the hosts ahead only for Joachim Andersen to head the Danes level.
Ladislav Krejci then put the Czechs back in front in extra time, but Kasper Hogh made it 2-2.
However, Denmark converted just one of their four penalties, with Rasmus Hojlund, Anders Dreyer and Mathias Jensen all failing from the spot as the Czechs qualify for a first World Cup since 2006.
They go into Group A with South Africa, South Korea and Mexico.
Four-time champions Italy missed out on a third consecutive World Cup after losing to host Bosnia and Herzegovina in a penalty shootout in its playoff final Tuesday in Zenica.
With the loss, Italy becomes the first former champions to miss out on three straight World Cups, with none of the team’s current players ever having participated.
Moise Kean scored early for Italy but then Azzurri center back Alessandro Bastoni was sent off with a direct red card before the break and Bosnia substitute Haris Tabakovic equalized in the 79th minute.
The match then went to extra time with the score 1-1 and Italy down to 10 players, but neither team scored in the 30 added minutes. In the shootout, Pio Esposito and Bryan Cristante missed their spot kicks and U.S.-born Esmir Bajraktarević converted the decisive penalty for Bosnia.
“We still don’t believe it — that we’re out and that it happened in this manner,” Italy defender Leonardo Spinazzola said. “It’s upsetting for everyone. For us, for our families, and for all the kids who have never seen Italy at a World Cup.”
The defeat added more misery for Italy’s once-proud national team after being eliminated by Sweden and North Macedonia, respectively, in qualifying playoffs for the past two World Cups and last won a knockout round game in 2006 over France in the final.
In last week’s European playoff semifinals, Italy beat Northern Ireland 2-0. Bosnia eliminated Wales in a penalty shootout.
In Tuesday’s other European playoff finals, Sweden and Türkiye each qualified. Sweden beat Poland 3-2 and Turkey beat Kosovo 1-0. Czechia also qualified after beating Denmark in a shootout.
The latest ouster for Italy means that the 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006 champions will go at least 16 years without even playing a match at soccer’s biggest event.
Italy’s World Cup struggles date to 2010 and 2014, having failed to advance from its group on both occasions. Italy did win the European Championship in 2021.
The only other World Cup that Italy did not qualify for was in 1958.
Bosnia will play at a second World Cup following their debut in 2014, and will be in Group B at this summer’s tournament alongside co-host Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.
Italy’s defeat will raise questions about the status of coach Gennaro Gattuso, who took over from the fired Luciano Spalletti in June with the squad already in crisis mode following a defeat at Norway in its opening qualifier.
The Azzurri then went on a six-match winning streak before losing again to Norway in November to finish second in their group and end up in the playoffs again.
Despite the win over Northern Ireland in Bergamo, Italy struggled against Bosnia inside the intimate but imposing 14,000-seat Bilino Polje Stadium in Zenica, which is surrounded by apartment towers overlooking the field.
“I want to personally apologize since we didn’t make it,” Gattuso said. “Today talking about my future is not important. Today it was important to get to the World Cup.”
On paper, it was a massive mismatch between 12th-ranked Italy and Bosnia, which is ranked 54 places below by FIFA.
Italy has a population of nearly 60 million. Bosnia’s is about 3.5 million.
Bajraktarević, who had the winning penalty, was born in Appleton, Wisconsin. He made his U.S. debut in a January 2024 friendly against Slovenia and then switched affiliation that August.
In Tuesday’s other pivotal games, Viktor Gyökeres scored in the 88th minute to earn the Swedes a 3-2 win over Poland, five days after netting a hat trick in the playoff semifinal victory over Ukraine.
Poland great Robert Lewandowski, 37, was hoping to qualify for what probably would have been his final World Cup.
Former Chelsea and West Ham coach Graham Potter was hired by Sweden last year — initially on a short-term deal — with one goal: to get the team to the World Cup. He succeeded.
Sweden reached the quarterfinals in its last World Cup appearance in 2018.
Türkiye will be in the United States‘ group at the World Cup after winning 1-0 at Kosovo to reach soccer’s biggest stage for the first time since 2002.
Kosovo were hoping to qualify for the World Cup for the first time, fewer than 10 years since the national team was out of the international soccer family.
It was in May 2016 that Kosovo and Gibraltar were voted into FIFA as its 210th and 211th member federations. That was eight years after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia.
Kosovo had the best chance of an entertaining first half, but Türkiye goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır pulled off a superb one-handed save to push Fisnik Asllani‘s strike onto the crossbar.
Türkiye got the breakthrough eight minutes into the second half. Kerem Aktürkoğlu got the finest of touches to ensure Orkun Kökçü‘s cross-shot went into the far bottom corner.
Türkiye joins the U.S. in Group D, along with Paraguay and Australia.
Czechia reached its first World Cup since 2006 with a penalty shootout victory over Denmark following a 2-2 draw.
Michal Sadílek converted the winning spot kick in the 3-1 penalty shootout win. It was Czechia’s second straight victory on penalties after also prevailing on spot kicks against Ireland in the semifinal.
Czechia will face co-hosts Mexico, South Africa and South Korea in Group A.
Information from The Associated Press and PA was used in this report.
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Las Vegas may be Fernando Mendoza’s first NFL stop. But if he joins the Raiders as a rookie, his jersey may stay clean early if coach Klint Kubiak has his way.
Mendoza led Indiana to its first College Football Playoff national title in January and is widely projected as the No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, a selection held by the Raiders.
Klint Kubiak was named the Raiders head coach in February, shortly after helping to lead the Seattle Seahawks to the franchise’s second Super Bowl title as offensive coordinator.
Kubiak believes rookie quarterbacks benefit from learning from an experienced player before seeing game action.
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Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak speaks at an introductory news conference at Intermountain Health Performance Center on Feb. 10, 2026, in Henderson, Nev. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
“Ideally, you don’t want him to start from Day 1,” Kubiak told reporters Tuesday. “You’d love him to be able to learn behind somebody. That’s in a perfect world. It doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes they have to play from Day 1, and it’s our job as coaches to get them ready to go. I think it does help the player if they can sit behind a mature adult and watch how they run the show.”
MAXX CROSBY’S WIFE REACTS TO RAVENS TRADE FALLOUT WITH THREE-WORD MESSAGE
Aidan O’Connell is the only other quarterback on the Raiders’s roster after the team traded Geno Smith and Kenny Pickett signed with the Panthers. Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo and Russell Wilson are among the veterans who remain unsigned.
The Raiders’ playoff win drought dates to the 2002 season, when the franchise won the AFC championship.
Kubiak pointed to Fernando Mendoza’s track record when asked about the quarterback.
“He’s a national champion. He’s a winner,” Kubiak said of Mendoza. “He’s quick. He’s intelligent.”
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza passes against Miami during the first half of the College Football Playoff national championship game Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
On defense, the Raiders still have five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby after his trade to Baltimore was voided because he failed a physical.
Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak speaks to the media ahead of the Super Bowl at the San Jose Convention Center Feb. 5, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
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Kubiak said he smiled when general manager John Spytek gave him the news about the nixed deal.
“We got Maxx back. Are you kidding me? That’s great. Our team just got better,” Kubiak said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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