Plus, fantasy football tools for last-minute drafters, MLB check-in, WNBA playoffs update and more.
It’s been a while since Winners Club came to you on a Tuesday, so you might be surprised to hear from me today. But I promise it’s for a good reason: Football is back!
College football began in earnest over the weekend and the long-awaited NFL kickoff is just two days away. The season begins Thursday, which means the newsletter schedule is back to midseason form. I’ll be coming at you Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays throughout the fall and into the winter with loads of fantasy sports content and betting analysis to help you win. That’s what Winners Club is about, after all.
Before we talk shop, allow me to be earnest for a brief moment: I started this newsletter almost exactly a year ago (Sept. 9 is the one-year anniversary), barely a week after I began working at Sports Illustrated. It’s been a pleasure to write to a growing community of readers weekly for the past 12 months and I’m ready to embark on another football season with you all. If football—fantasy or otherwise—isn’t your thing, don’t worry. As you’ll come to see, or maybe you already have, we do a lot more here as well.
Alright, now let’s get to it.
2022 NFL Season Betting Preview
In case you haven’t heard, the NFL season is almost here. It begins Thursday with an opener that pits the defending Super Bowl champions (Rams) against the Super Bowl favorites (Bills).
If you’ve been out of the loop this summer, consider consulting this recap because a lot has changed: Russell Wilson is a Bronco, Tyreek Hill is a Dolphin and Davante Adams is a Raider. And that’s just the half of it. Plenty of teams swung big deals in the offseason in efforts to win now—it’s time to see which moves paid off.
We’ll begin with division betting previews, though the NFC and AFC previews are also available and look out for the Super Bowl betting preview Wednesday at SI Betting. Each division preview touches on the division winner odds and the team previews focus on the win total over/unders.
And if you’re interested in an even more in-depth look at the season, Conor Orr predicted the outcome of every game of the 2022 season.
Bills Favored to Win AFC East for Third Year in a Row
Buffalo enters the 2022 season as prohibitive favorites to take the division title (-220) yet again with MVP favorite Josh Allen behind center. The Dolphins (+400) have the second-best odds in the AFC East and the Patriots aren’t far behind (+450). The Jets bring up the rear (+2000) with Zach Wilson’s Week 1 status in doubt.
Bills | Patriots | Dolphins | Jets
Lynne Sladky/AP
Colts Expected to End AFC South Title Drought
With yet another new Week 1 starting quarterback, Indianapolis (-125) is the division front runner. Matt Ryan’s Colts are followed by the Titans (+150), who have won the AFC South in back-to-back seasons, and then there’s a steep falloff to the Jaguars (+700) and even further to the lowly Texans (+2800).
Colts | Titans | Jaguars | Texans
Ravens Have Better Odds than Bengals to Win AFC North
A historically injured Baltimore team finished last in its difficult division a season ago and now heads into 2022 as the division favorites (+140). The Ravens are just ahead of Cincinnati (+160), the defending AFC champs, and both teams are well in front of the Browns (+350) and Steelers (+800).
Bengals | Ravens | Steelers | Browns
Chiefs’ Reign Could Continue in Cutthroat AFC West
Kansas City has won the division the last six seasons and the oddsmakers expect Patrick Mahomes and Co. to make it seven. The Chiefs (+160) are the favorites to win the toughest division in football, ahead of the Chargers (+225), Broncos (+260) and Raiders (+650), all of whom made notable offseason upgrades.
Chiefs | Chargers | Broncos | Raiders
Cowboys, Eagles Neck and Neck in NFC East Race
Repeat winners are a rarity in this division, but Dallas (+140) is a narrow favorite to change that trend. Philadelphia (+150) is close behind after a summer of upgrades on both sides of the ball. There’s a clear divide between those top two teams and the Commanders (+500) and Giants (+800).
Cowboys | Eagles | Commanders | Giants
Ron Jenkins/AP
Buccaneers Still NFC South Team to Beat
Tampa Bay (-333) is a prohibitive favorite to finish atop its division again despite injury concerns along the offensive line tasked with protecting 45-year-old Tom Brady. The Saints (+350) are the biggest threat to the Buccaneers’ reign. Neither the Panthers (+1000) nor Falcons (+2500) pose much of a threat.
Buccaneers | Saints | Panthers | Falcons
The NFC North Still Belongs to the Packers, For Now
No Adams, no problem, right? Green Bay traded away Aaron Rodgers’ top wideout this summer and remains a heavy favorite (-200) to repeat as the division winner. The Vikings (+275) have some buzz around them and the Lions (+900) are a lovable sleeper. Then there’s the Bears (+1200), who project to be one of the worst teams in football.
Packers | Vikings | Lions | Bears
49ers Will Challenge Super Bowl Champion Rams in NFC West
The defending Super Bowl champions are the rightful favorites to win their division again, but Los Angeles (+120) could be threatened by San Francisco (+175), which has a new quarterback behind center in Trey Lance. The Cardinals (+350) don’t profile as a serious threat to either and then there’s the Seahawks (+1400), who traded away Wilson in the offseason.
Rams | 49ers | Cardinals | Seahawks
Jeff Chiu/AP
Our team also broke down the MVP race and the awards odds for Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, and each writer offered their pick for favorite over/under, awards bet and player prop.
And speaking of player props … You want ‘em, we got ‘em:
Running back props: Rushing Yds | Rushing TD | Taylor | CMC | Ekeler | Harris
Quarterback props: Passing Yards | Passing TD | Brady | Herbert | Allen
Wide receiver props: Receiving Yards | Receiving TD | Kupp | Jefferson | Hill | Adams
Tight end props: Andrews | Pitts | Kelce
Last-Minute Fantasy Football Need-to-Know Info
So, you still haven’t drafted your fantasy team yet. I get it. I have an outstanding draft as well. Whether it’s because you're trying to avoid any possible injuries, you’re a serial procrastinator or the next day and change is the only time your group could come together to draft, don’t worry.
The SI Fantasy team has rankings and content both bite-sized and longform to help you emerge from your draft victorious.
Let’s start with the rankings:
PPR and Auction Values | Half PPR | Best Ball | IDP | Dynasty
Now for the hugely helpful player tiers:
Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receivers | Tight ends
And draft strategies:
Pick slots 1-2-3 | Pick slots 4-5-6 | Pick slots 7-8-9 | Pick slots 10-12
Nell Redmond/AP
We have loads of more content in our comprehensive draft kit for you to devour and consult while you make your picks. That includes our staff predictions, a last-round cheat sheet, an explainer on why Jonathan Taylor is still the No. 1 pick and more!
Dodgers Heavy Title Favorites One Month Out from Postseason
Summer is beginning to give way to fall and the Dodgers are still rolling.
Los Angeles (92-42) holds an 19-game lead on first place in the NL West, a 7.5-game lead for the top seed in the National League and is 5.5 games ahead of the Astros (87-48) for the best record in baseball. Add all that up, and their staggering +291 run differential, and the Dodgers are your clear World Series favorites (+260) at SI Sportsbook.
The only team within shouting distance of L.A. is Houston (+350) and then the Mets (+450), Yankees (+500) and Braves (+900) round out the top five teams.
Mark J. Terrill/AP
Naturally, Los Angeles retained the top spot in this week’s power rankings. The top four remained unchanged but the struggling Yankees took a step back while the Cardinals moved up at their expense.
The final game of the regular season is Oct. 5 and the playoffs begin Oct. 7.
Aces, Sky One Win From WNBA Finals
The WNBA semifinals pick back up Tuesday evening after a wild weekend of action.
The top-seeded Aces pulled away from the Storm in overtime for a 110-98 win that put them ahead 2-1 in the series. Las Vegas was just seconds away from falling in regulation after Seattle’s Sue Bird drained a go-ahead three-pointer to put her team ahead by two with 0.2 seconds remaining in the fourth. Jackie Young countered with a buzzer-beating layup and the Aces overpowered the Storm in overtime. Now Seattle, which won Game 1 and quickly fell behind in the series, will attempt to force a winner-takes-all Game 5.
The Sky-Sun game on Sunday was less dramatic, but close nonetheless. Chicago scored a 76-72 win against Connecticut and the defending champions drew one game closer to another Finals trip. The Sun took Game 1 but the Sky, behind Candace Parker’s stellar play, won Games 2 and 3 and now will attempt to close the series out on the road.
Jessica Hill/AP
The Aces (-110) are prohibitive title favorites at SI Sportsbook. The Sky (+125) check in with the second-best odds (+125), while the Sun and Storm are both distant long shots (+1000).
Tuesday
8 p.m. ET (ESPN2): Sky vs. Sun (-1) | Chicago leads series, 2-1
10 p.m. ET (ESPN2): Aces vs. Storm (-4.5) | Las Vegas leads series, 2-1
In Other News
Updated College Football Bowl Projections: Is your alma mater going bowling? Now that Week 1 is over, find out which programs are projected to qualify for the top top bowl games this winter.
Aaron Judge Smashes 54th Homer in Yankees Win: New York’s slugger is now on pace to hit 65 home runs this season, which would set a franchise record. Judge went yard yet again in the Yankees’ 5-2 win against the Twins on Monday.
NFL Week 1 Power Rankings: The MMQB staff ranked the NFL from 1 (Bills) to 32 (Texans). See how the other 30 clubs in between the best and the worst stack up.
Thanks for reading! Best of luck to you in your last-minute fantasy drafts over the next few days and make sure to lock your futures bets in before NFL action kicks off.
I’ll be back Thursday morning before the opener with more fantasy and betting insight and analysis. Until then.