by Many NFL teams have big decisions to make in the coming weeks regarding their pending free agents.
The franchise tag window opened on Tuesday afternoon and the clock is ticking for the Ravens, Giants, Cowboys and other teams around the league.
In today’s Winners Club you will find:
- Which players could get a tag
- free fantasy agent,
- Ways to take NFL mock drafts
- MLB Divisional betting previews
- NBA coach of the Year has a chance
- Download the March Madness bracket update
NFL Franchise Tag, Prime Free Agent
Now that the franchise tag window is officially open, teams have until March 7 to tag their free agents and keep them on the roster — without a long-term extension — for at least another season.
Gilberto Manzano wrote about some of the teams that have one or more players worthy of a franchise tag. For fantasy football purposes, not every player is eligible, but here are some of the big names being discussed:
Lamar Jackson, Ravens QB: Will Baltimore use the exclusive or non-exclusive tag on the former league MVP?
Daniel Jones, A giant QB: New York can get another look at its quarterback under Brian Daboll before committing to the former No. 1 pick. 6 long-term.
Saquon Barkley, A giant RB: Teams can only tag one player and the value of a quarterback adds to the value of a retreat. What’s next for Barkley?
Tony Pollard, Cowboys RB: Will Dallas keep his Pro Bowl running back coming off a broken leg and high ankle sprain?
Josh Jacobs, Raiders RB: The Las Vegas runner won the race title last season, but has said he doesn’t want to be tagged.
Jeremy Reper Network/USA Today
About a week after the franchise tag window closes, NFL free agency officially opens March 15, although negotiations can begin on March 13.
Michael Fabiano put together a free agent cheat sheet for interested fantasy fans.
There are some notable names at quarterback and running back, some of whom you saw mentioned above as potentially tagged players, but the wide receiver class isn’t as full of fantasy stars. Jakobi Meyers and Juju Smith-Schuster are the best pass receivers available on the market.
And for those of you looking ahead to the fantasy impact of the April 27 NFL draft, Craig Ellenport analyzed the latest first-round mock draft, which includes four quarterbacks and four wide receivers in the top 31 picks.
Find out what the projected landing spots mean for top prospects like Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and USC wide receiver Jordan Addison.
MLB Divisional Bet Previews Begin
Spring Training is in full swing and Opening Day is just around the corner, so prepare for another MLB season with Jen Piacenti’s divisional betting previews.
Four of the six divisions are already accounted for and the AL and NL West are still to come. Despite the Cardinals being tied for the 10th best mark to win it all, they are the bottom four favorite to win their division.
Eastern AL
Yankees +100
Blown Blue +188
rays +350
Red Sox +1600
Orioles +2500
AL Central
White Sox +138
Guardians +138
Twins +300
Tigers +2200
royal +4000
East NL
Mets +125
Braves +140
Phillies +300
Marlins +4000
Nationalists +15000
USA Today Rich Story/Sports
Central NL
Cardinal -118
Brewers +145
Cubs +600
Piers +6000
Red +6600
Best Teams by 2023 World Series Picks via SI Sportsbook
Astros +550
Dodgers +600
Mets +700
Yankees +800
Blue Spear +900
Braves +900
Padres +1000
Phillies +1600
Sailors +1600
Cardinal +2200
Rays +2200
In Other News
Fire Hawks Head Coach Nate McMillan: Atlanta, which is currently in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, fired McMillan on Tuesday in the middle of his third season in charge of the team. Assistant coach Joe Prunty will take his place in an interim capacity.
Where the NBA Coach of the Year is: First-year Celtics coach Joe Mazulla is the favorite for the award after coaching Boston to the best record in the league to date. But there are a few other contenders, like Mike Brown of the Kings and Michael Malone of the Nuggets, who have strong cases.
March Madness Bracketology Update: North Carolina, the preseason No. 1 team 1, has fallen off the field in SI’s latest projection and is in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament entirely. See where things stand with less than a week left in February.
SI Top 100 Debut World Golf Rankings: John Rahm is at the top of the first rankings, which will be updated every Monday morning. See who else made the list and learn about the methodology used to rank the world’s best golfers.
Colts hire Jim Bob Cooter as OC: Indianapolis tapped the Jaguars’ tight end coordinator to lead the offense under new coach Shane Steichen. Cooter returns to the Colts after a brief stint as an offensive assistant from 2009-11.
Thanks for reading Winners Club! I’ll be back in your inbox on Friday.
