Good morning! Preseason Week 1 gets going this week after the Hall of Fame Game last Thursday kicked things off. The best indicator that the season is right around the corner is coming to screens soon: Hard Knocks, featuring the lovable Detroit Lions, premieres Tuesday night.
In today’s Winners Club we’ll address the latest changes in the MLB futures markets one week after the trade deadline, take a peek at Pac-12 futures in the college football world, break down the prevalence of first-round fantasy wide receivers and get to some fantasy-relevant NFL news.
Here we go.
Yankees, Dodgers Co-Favorites to Win World Series
The Yankees bolstered their roster at the trade deadline last week with a few transactions and, as a result, passed the Dodgers to become the new World Series favorites.
The Yankees haven’t won a game since the deadline, though, and the Dodgers haven’t lost and just swept the revamp Padres. Now, the top teams in the AL and NL are tied for the best odds to win it all at SI Sportsbook with +350 odds.
New York (70-39) is just a half game ahead of the Astros (70-40) for the best record in the American League, while Los Angeles (75-33) has a wide gap between it and the second-place Mets (70-39) in the National League.
As you’d expect, these four teams have separated themselves from the field. Houston (+400) has the third-best title odds in baseball and made a few additions at the deadline and the Mets (+500) come in at fourth after welcoming back Jacob deGrom from IL.
The biggest post-deadline odds shift came out in San Diego. The Padres pulled off a blockbuster trade to acquire Juan Soto and Josh Bell from the Nationals and additionally acquired closer Josh Hader from the Brewers. Their odds shortened from +1400 to +900, the fifth-best in MLB.
Most teams already are at or approaching 110 games played, so there’s about 50 games to go until the regular-season finale Oct. 5. Keep up with all the odds movement at SI Sportsbook.
New-look USC Tops Oregon, Utah for Best Pac-12 Odds
The Trojans recorded about as many wins this offseason as they had in 2021. Last season was USC’s worst in decades but it hopes to rebound in a big way after coach Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma for Southern California. Riley brought his quarterback Caleb Wiliams along for the ride and landed receiver Jordan Addison from Pitt via the transfer portal.
Oddsmakers responded by installing the Trojans as the favorites to win the Pac-12 (+200). Utah, the defending conference champion, isn’t far behind (+250) and neither is Oregon (+275).
There’s a stark divide between USC, Utah and Oregon and the rest of the conference—UCLA is the next closest team with +800 odds.
The Ducks, like the Trojans, welcome a new coach (Dan Lanning) and quarterback (Bo Nix) after Mario Cristobal left Eugene for Coral Gables. The Utes, though, are the model of consistency with longtime coach Kyle Whittingham leading a returning group of skill position players who piloted the program to its first-ever Pac-12 title in 2021.
The season begins sooner than you might realize—Week 0 kicks off Aug. 27. Buckle up.
More college football betting previews:
SEC | Big Ten | Big 12 | ACC | Heisman
The Rising Cost of First-Round Fantasy Wide Receivers
Selecting wide receivers in the first round is generally not a common (or advisable) strategy in fantasy drafts, so much so that only one had a top-12 ADP a season ago. But after Cooper Kupp won the receiving triple crown (145 receptions, 1,947 yards, 16 touchdowns) in 2021 and shot up draft boards from the fourth round to the fourth pick, it’s becoming more widely accepted and encouraged to address the position in the first round.
Kupp, Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Davante Adams and Stefon Diggs all currently have first-round ADPs. A year ago, Adams was the only receiver coming off the board in the first.
After a few seasons of gradual decline, the number of receivers to finish among the top 10 overall fantasy scorers is on the rise once again after Kupp led all scorers in points scored during his historical season. Read more about the prevalence of first-round receivers in my latest ADP analysis.
In Other News
The Top Five NBA Finals Contenders: In the doldrums of the offseason, it’s time to look ahead to which teams could make some noise in the spring. Of course, the Celtics and Warriors both made this list but neither 2022 Finals team occupies the top spot.
Browns Deny Kareem Hunt’s Trade Request: Cleveland’s running back is in search of a new contract and he made that clear by sitting out of drills on Friday and Saturday before asking out over the weekend. For what it’s worth, he returned to practice Sunday.
Bucs’ Chris Godwin Returns to Practice: One of Tampa Bay’s top targets is one step closer to returning from a late-season torn ACL and sprained MCL. Godwin was not placed on the physically unable to perform list to start camp and is already back practicing with the team.
Bobby Bonilla Contract Sells at Auction: The former Met is owed more than $1 million annually through 2035, per his infamous agreement with the team following the 1999 season. Bonilla’s copy of the contract addendum that gives him the deferred money sold at an auction Saturday.
