​We're two games into the 2026 NFL season, which felt like a hearty appetizer ahead of the full course of games on Sunday. Friday saw no games played in the NFL, but there was plenty of important news ahead of the weekend. Here's the latest on who's in and who's out on Sunday, as well as a couple of noteworthy stories ahead of the weekend: Fantasy managers will be eager to start their season without any inactives in Week 1. A few noteworthy big names who may have been early picks will be on the field. Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty suffered an ankle sprain that caused a bit of a scare late in August, but he will be ready to go on Sunday at home against the Dolphins. Fellow running back Breece Hall will also suit up. He suffered a groin injury during training camp but has slowly been building toward Week 1. He said on Thursday that he's feeling "fresh" ahead of the Jets' opener. Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, whose rookie season was derailed by injury, is also going to be active for the Buccaneers. With the departure of Mike Evans during the offseason, Egbuka will seemingly slot in as quarterback Baker Mayfield's No. 1 target in the passing game. The former Ohio State standout has recovered from a toe injury in time for the Bucs' game against the Bengals. The Ravens will start the season without a key player in the middle of their defense. Defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike is not going to play on Sunday against the Colts, but head coach Jesse Minter said the veteran is "really, really close." Tight end Brock Bowers was surprisingly ruled out earlier this week. He had a minor procedure on his meniscus that will rule him out against Miami. Head coach Klint Kubiak indicated he hoped Bowers' absence would not be a long-term one. One of the Eagles' biggest offseason additions will be out this week against the Commanders. Edge rusher Jonathan Greenard is recovering from a pectoral injury and will be out Week 1. Fortunately, the Eagles' defensive front is still among the best in the NFL. While the Buccaneers will have Egbuka in the lineup this week, they're unlikely to have wide receiver Jalen McMillan. The third-year receiver missed most of last season because of a neck injury, only appearing in four games. He'll start the 2026 campaign on the shelf, as well. There are few head coaches who have the kind of job security that Kyle Shanahan has with the 49ers. Apparently, that security has become even more secure. According to Tom Pelissero, Shanahan signed a contract extension with the 49ers during the offseason. His previous deal expired at the end of the 2027 season. The news came out one day after the 49ers' impressive season-opening win over the Rams in Melbourne, Australia. Shanahan enters the season as the third-longest-tenured head coach in the NFL. He only trails the Chiefs’ Andy Reid (13 years) and the Rams’ Sean McVay, who only beats Shanahan by a number of weeks because Shanahan was coaching the Falcons in the Super Bowl and couldn’t be formally introduced until after the game. The 46-year-old Shanahan is 92-72 (including the playoffs) with the 49ers. San Francisco has won double-digit games in four of the last five seasons entering this campaign, and they have won at least one playoff game in all of those seasons. Tagovailoa did not practice on Friday, which puts Rush, the Falcons' third-string quarterback, in line to start on Sunday against the Steelers. Tagovailoa injured his oblique at practice on Thursday, suddenly falling to the ground without any contact. He was set to start with QB Michael Penix Jr. still recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered in Week 11 of last season. It's the third time that Penix has suffered that injury since the start of his college career. Penix was listed as a full participant at Falcons practice on Wednesday and Thursday, though, which indicates his return may not be far away. Whether he is given the reins immediately remains to be seen. The 32-year-old Rush has been a reserve for his entire NFL career, but he is 9-7 as a starter since making his first start back in 2021. Last season, he started two games for the Ravens in place of Lamar Jackson and went 0-2. Rush threw no touchdown passes but four interceptions in those games. Back in 2022, Rush memorably went 4-1 as a starter for the Cowboys in place of Dak Prescott. He was 4-4 for Dallas in 2024 while Prescott was out. Four-string QB Jack Strand, an undrafted rookie, was one of the stars of the preseason. He was 24-of-36 (67%) for 306 yards across three preseason appearances. His most impressive game came against the Colts, against whom he was 12-of-17 for 212 yards and two touchdowns (one passing and one rushing). Read More

​Last Monday night in Tallahassee, Florida State created four turnovers and still didn’t cover as a 3-point underdog. The Seminoles lost 27-24 to SMU, so it’s a push for this column but hopefully a win for any of you that were able to grab +3.5 closer to kickoff. Boy, did it feel good to sweat football bets again. We know you’re here for informed wagers and I assure you I vet everything through multiple handicappers, oddsmakers and betting buddies who know what they’re doing. Those that do well in this racket know the "How, what and why," and that’s always my goal. Also, this will never be the place for a million picks or five-team parlays. These will always be the wagers I love the most and ones that I’m betting with my own money. Let’s go to work. (2026 Record: 1-2-1, -1.2 units) This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. The Owls were demolished by Florida last week, 66-21. So, why are you betting them Well, they moved the ball surprisingly well against an SEC defense — 396 yards ain’t too shabby. Life will be a lot easier against Navy, a program that doesn’t sniff the type of athleticism and speed that Florida brought to the table. I like veteran FAU quarterback Caden Veltkamp a ton and think the Owls are ripe to pull an upset at home. My love for this year’s Minnesota team is well-documented. I enjoy betting on teams that return their starting head coach, both coordinators and starting quarterback. And oh, by the way, they return Anthony Smith, the guy who led the Big Ten in sacks last year. Miss State quarterback Kamario Taylor wowed last week against Louisiana-Monroe with 354 yards and four touchdowns, but now he has to face a real defense, headlined by Smith. After bulldozing East Carolina last weekend, Alabama heads to Lexington for a very early SEC tilt. It’s the first collegiate road start for freshman quarterback Keelon Russell, who improvised a ton against the Pirates to the tune of 6.6 yards per rush. I’m sorry, but that’s not gonna happen against Kentucky. If the Wildcats can limit Russell’s escapability and keep him in the pocket, they’ll have every chance to hang inside this big number. I hope my bosses at FOX Chicago aren’t reading this. Simply put, the Bears are one of the most overvalued teams in the betting market. Their prices to win the conference and Super Bowl are insane given all the question marks on the defensive side of the ball. There’s a lot to like about the Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams partnership, but this line is too fishy. I’ll take Carolina off a playoff berth, catching a full field goal in its home opener. Speaking of overvalued, meet the Green Bay Packers. Defensive superstar Micah Parsons isn’t walking through that door for weeks, and I’ve never been a big Jordan Love believer. Meanwhile, Minnesota brings back most pieces from a top-10 defense and now Kyler Murray is orchestrating the offense with a loaded receiver room and a veteran backfield. People forget the Vikings won nine games last year. And now they have a quarterback. Read More

​Was Michigan’s controversial victory against Western Michigan a fluke, or a bad sign for a team about to face No. 11 Oklahoma? Who has the upper hand in the second meeting of Arch Manning and Julian Sayin, when Texas and Ohio State face off in September once more? Which college football teams will show that Week 1 wasn’t a one-time result… for better or worse?It’s Week 2 of the college football season, which asks those questions and far more — like how No. 6 Oregon will fare against Oklahoma State after a comeback win, or if ACC defending champ Duke can topple Illinois.Along with answers to those many questions, we have picks for Week 2. Here are our expert picks for the top matchups to watch this college football weekend. College football Saturday in Week 2 kicks off with a first window of big games, including No. 11 Oklahoma at Michigan and No. 5 Indiana hosting Howard. Read More

​How Swift it is. The Chicago Bears have signed running back D'Andre Swift to a three-year, $33.75 million extension, ESPN reported on Friday afternoon. The deal includes $27.5 million guaranteed, with the $11.25 million average annual value putting Swift 14th among NFL running backs. Swift was entering the final season of a three-year, $24 million deal with the Bears. Last season (2025), Swift rushed for 1,087 yards and nine touchdowns on 4.9 yards per carry across 16 games, which were all career highs. He also reeled in 34 receptions for 299 yards and one touchdown. Swift and the second-year Kyle Monangai form a lethal, one-two running back punch in head coach Ben Johnson's offense. In what was his rookie season, Monangai rushed for 783 yards and five touchdowns on 4.6 yards per carry in 2025. In all, Chicago was third in the NFL with 144.5 rushing yards per contest last season. Swift, a 2023 Pro Bowler with the Philadelphia Eagles, has rushed for 1,023.0 yards and 7.5 touchdowns per season with the Bears from 2024-25, while also tallying 342.5 receiving yards per season over that span. The 27-year-old running back spent the first three seasons of his NFL career with the Detroit Lions (2020-22), who selected him with the No. 35 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Georgia, before being traded to the Eagles for the 2023 season. Swift and the Bears open the 2026 regular season on the road against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday afternoon (1 p.m. ET on FOX). Read More

​Will history repeat itself in Saturday's Ohio State-Texas battle or will the Longhorns find a way to win? And which team will kick off the weekend with a spotless record after the Missouri-Kansas tilt? Here are the five must-watch college football games for Week 2. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. Friday, Sept. 11 Spread: Missouri -5.5Moneyline: Missouri -218; Kansas +180O/U: 51.5 What To Know: Missouri rolled to an easy straight up (SU) win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Week 1. However, the Tigers failed to cover the 54.5-point spread, as the final score was Mizzou 54, Pine Bluff 14. This week, Missouri faces a tougher opponent in Kansas. Unlike the Tigers, the Jayhawks covered the 41-point spread set in their game by defeating Long Island University 51-6. When these two squads faced off last season at Missouri, the Tigers won 42-31. "The Tigers have the better quarterback, and their run game is still rather awesome even without Ahmad Hardy in the backfield," FOX Sports college football writer RJ Young explained about his Mizzou-over-Kansas pick. Saturday, Sept. 12 Spread: Oregon -23.5Moneyline: Oregon -2100; OSU +1100O/U: 57.5 What To Know: Oregon got a scare last week when Boise State kept it close well into the fourth quarter. The Ducks ended up getting the 34-27 win but did not cover the 24.5-point spread. Oklahoma State, on the other hand, lost to Tulsa in Week 1 24-10. While the Cowboys controlled possession for more minutes, they had four turnovers and six penalties for 59 yards. In 2025, Oregon won easily when they faced each other, defeating Oklahoma State 69-3. "The Ducks had their "wake-up call" last week vs. Boise State," FOX Sports college football and soccer writer Laken Litman noted, "but Dan Lanning will have his team ready to go." Spread: Oklahoma -5.5Moneyline: Oklahoma -218; Michigan +180O/U: 43.5 What To Know: It took a wing and a prayer, two Hail Marys and a controversial extra second on the clock for Michigan to get past Western Michigan in Week 1. But the football gods sided with the Wolverines and they narrowly escaped 13-12. The loss dropped them from No. 16 to completely out of the Top 25. Will Michigan bounce back in Week 2? FOX Sports betting analyst Will Hill believes UM will at least cover. "The Wolverines still appear to have a very solid defense," he wrote. "They should be able to adopt an "Us vs. The World" mentality — especially as a home ‘dog." Spread: Tennessee -12.5Moneyline: Tennessee -470; Georgia Tech +360O/U: 55.5 What To Know: Georgia Tech's 2026 got off to an unexpected start as the Yellow Jackets got upset by Colorado in Atlanta. Now Tech hosts double-digit-favorite Tennessee. It's been nine years since these two played one another, and that ended in a double-overtime win for Rocky Top. In Tech's loss last week, the Jackets put up 288 total yards of offense. The Vols put up 638 against Furman in their Week 1 victory. Spread: Texas -1.5Moneyline: Texas -122; Ohio State +102O/U: 49.5 What To Know: Both these teams are near the top of the national championship oddsboard and both have players near the top of the Heisman board as well. So which title contender comes out of Week 2 unscathed? RJ Young picked Ohio State, noting that wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is a "cheat code." For added context, in last year's battle, the Buckeyes got the 14-7 win on their own home turf. Read More

​The NFL is back, and in a few days from now, every team will have played a game. Before the other 28 teams get into action, let’s take one final look at how the MVP odds stack up and figure out where the value is. First, a little history to put in context and provide some clues as to who this award might go to. It’s a quarterback award. Since 2008, there have been 18 winners and only running back Adrian Peterson, who nearly broke Walter Payton’s rushing record, won the award as a non-quarterback in 2011. Inevitability, there will be a running back midseason who's having a great year. Think Christian McCaffrey in 2023 and Saquon Barkley in 2024. And there will be people asking if this will be the year a running back once again wins MVP. The answer is most likely no. Stick to quarterbacks when betting this market. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. While it is a quarterback award, it is also an individual award, since there is a major team component to winning MVP. Nobody is winning this award on a 9-8 team. Of the last 18 MVPs, 17 have been QBs, and 15 of those 17 played on a team that got a first-round bye in the playoffs. Peyton Manning in 2008 and Matthew Stafford in 2025 were the only two MVPs that did not get a bye in the playoffs, but even their teams went 12-4 and 12-5, respectively. When this award is announced in February, the trophy will be handed to a quarterback on a team with an outstanding record. Which brings me to Patrick Mahomes at 15-1 (FanDuel). Sure, there are questions surrounding Mahomes as he returns from a torn ACL in a 2025 season that saw him and his team miss the playoffs for the first time in his illustrious career. There are also questions about the offensive line and his receiving weapons. Yet, this is still Mahomes, and at 15-1, the price is too tempting to pass up. Just two years ago, he led his team to a 15-2 record and was one win away from a third consecutive Super Bowl title and the fourth in six years. Mahomes has been to five Super Bowls, and he’s also lost at home in overtime in two other AFC title games. Last year, the Chiefs went 6-11, but a lot of that poor record was due to them being just 1-9 in one-score games. I expect Mahomes and the Chiefs to bounce back, have some better luck in close games and be right near the top of the AFC standings. What also helps Mahomes’ hopes for MVP is that he hasn’t won this award since 2022, so there is no voter fatigue with him winning. There could also be a positive narrative surrounding him as he comes off the ACL injury. Read More

​The New England Patriots will be without their No. 1 wide receiver for the foreseeable future. New England is placing star wide receiver A.J. Brown on injured reserve with a high-ankle sprain, ESPN reported on Friday afternoon. Brown, who will now miss at least four weeks, suffered the ankle injury in the third quarter of the Patriots' Wednesday night loss on the road to the defending Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks in what was a rematch of Super Bowl LX. Brown will miss home games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders and road tilts against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills. Prior to the injury, Brown had reeled in three receptions for 26 yards. With Brown sidelined, New England's wide receiver room includes fellow offseason pickup Romeo Doubs (the Patriots signed the former Green Bay Packers wide receiver to a four-year, $68 million deal), Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas and second-year receivers Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III. The Patriots acquired Brown, a three-time Pro Bowler, from the Philadelphia Eagles in June for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder. Last season (2025), Brown totaled 78 receptions for 1,003 yards (12.9 yards per reception) and seven touchdowns across 15 regular-season games. Over his four years with the Eagles (2022-25), highlighted by helping them win Super Bowl LIX, Brown averaged 84.8 receptions for 1,258.5 yards and eight touchdowns per year. The 29-year-old Brown begins a three-year, $96 million extension in 2027. Read More