Celtics Rank 10 Most Underrated Games On 2026-27 Schedule originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Celtics' 2026-27 schedule is loaded with obvious attractions. Boston will host the defending champion New York Knicks in its home opener, welcome Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Miami Heat on Christmas Day and face Jaylen Brown when he returns to TD Garden with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Lakers also will visit Boston, adding another chapter to the NBA's most historic rivalry. Those games will not need help generating attention. Celtics.com instead looked beyond the marquee dates and ranked the 10 most underrated matchups on Boston's schedule.
The team promoted the list on social media Friday.
"Ranking the 10 most underrated games on the schedule," the Celtics wrote.

#boston #underrated #nesn

Many Duke alumni had impressive NBA performances last season, including Jalen Johnson (Hawks), Cooper Flagg (Mavericks) and Kon Knueppel (Hornets). However, no former Blue Devils experienced as much playoff success as Jared McCain, who dominated off the bench following a trade to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Another Duke alum who had an underrated season was Hornets guard Sion James, who played in all 82 of Charlotte's regular season games as a rookie second-round pick. Recently, the two joined forces on the same team during the PLYRS UNTD runs, which featured many current and former NBA players. In a video posted to social media, McCain was scoring with ease while also setting up James for a few easy looks around the rim. The two guards never played with one another at Duke, as James was with Tulane during McCain's lone season in Durham.
James and McCain's team also featured two previous top-10 picks, Frank Kaminsky and McCain's current Thunder teammate, Chet Holmgren. Some of their opponents included Trae Young (Wizards), Ty Jerome (Grizzlies) and Danny Wolf (Nets).
This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: Two former Duke guards build chemistry during loaded offseason pick-up game

#hornets #many #pick

How good is the Houston Texans' secondary entering 2026?
In a sense, slightly underrated by Pro Football Focus compared to other rankings around the NFL, most notably at cornerback.
PFF recently revealed its top 32 cornerbacks for the 2026 season, with both Kamari Lassiter and two-time All-Pro Derek Stingley Jr. ranked inside the top 10. Stingely, who has been arguably the second-best cornerback since 2024 behind former Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II, came in at No. 7 overall, behind names like Surtain, Seattle's Devon Witherspoon and Indianapolis' Sauce Gardner.
The reason? Yards before contact.
"Stingley experienced a bit of a volatile 2025 campaign in coverage last season, but his elite ball skills still allowed him to tally four interceptions and nine pass breakups," PFF's Dalton Wasserman wrote. "His 73.5 PFF coverage grade ranked 23rd among all qualified cornerbacks. Over the past three years, Stingley slots second among qualified cornerbacks with a 90.3 coverage grade. He and Kamari Lassiter make a good case to be labeled the NFL's best cornerback duo."

#stingley #cornerback #cornerbacks #kamari

College football fans will get the opportunity to play fantasy football for the first time ever during the 2026 season, and one Auburn player could be the difference between a weekly win or loss.
Ahead of Yahoo Sports' debut of its college fantasy football game, Tyler Nettuno of For The Win! has listed several "sleepers" to keep an eye on should these players slip to later rounds of your fantasy draft. One of those is Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown, who is set to take on the new challenge of taking on SEC defenses every week as a dual threat quarterback.
Nettuno references Auburn's woes at quarterback in recent years, but believes Brown could dig the Tigers out of their rut.
Quarterback play at Auburn has been rough for a while now, but that could change this year. Brown headlines a group of several USF transfers who followed coach Alex Golesh to the Plains, and he may be one of the SEC's most underrated quarterbacks entering 2026, as he sits at No. 20 on Yahoo Sports' fantasy QB draft board.
Brown has the tools to succeed in the SEC as a dual-threat quarterback. Over four seasons at USF, Brown has passed for over 7,000 yards, rushed for over 2,000 yards, and has scored 92 touchdowns. His best season was in 2025 when he eclipsed the 3,000-yard passing mark and the 1,000 yard rushing mark, and led the Bulls to key wins over Boise State and Florida.

#quarterback #fantasy #nettuno #college

The Green Bay Packers have one of the NFL's best quarterbacks in Jordan Love. A lot of people just haven't noticed yet.
That's the case Fox Sports' Henry McKenna laid out in a feature on the Packers signal-caller, arguing Love is badly underrated despite counting stats that don't jump off the page.
The disconnect is the whole story. Love's touchdown totals and yardage have dropped, but by the numbers that measure how well a quarterback actually plays, he's never been better.
McKenna's advice is to throw the counting stats out the window, and the advanced metrics explain why.
In 2025, Love's EPA per dropback tied for second in the NFL at .19, even with reigning MVP Matthew Stafford, per Next Gen Stats. His completion percentage over expected ranked fourth. His big-time throw rate of 5.8% was fifth-highest in the league, per Pro Football Focus.

#love

Last seasons surprise package, Sint Truiden are much changed this season. Wouter Vrancken has gone to Hearts, while a few key players have also left. Frederic De Meyer steps up to take control of a squad that is far too light to compete in Europe and the Belgian Pro League. Expect to see a few more signings made by the Canaries before the end of the window.
Transfers in: Joedrick Pupe (Vancouver, loan made permanent), Frederic Soelle Soelle (RWDM), Nelson Ishiwatari) Cerezo Osaka), Ryotaro Araki (Kashima Antlers)
Transfers out: Rihito Yamamoto (Freiburg), Ryotaro Ito (free), Jo Coppens (free), Simen Kristiansen Juklerod (Duajska Streda), Andres Ferrari (Sporting Gijon), Isaias Delpupo (Patro Eisden), Adam Nhaili (Dender)
Key player: Abdoulaye Sissako
The unsung hero of last seasons campaign, Abdoulaye Sissako was crucial in providing Sint Truiden a base from which to play from. His ability to win back the ball and help the side transition from defence to attack was underrated and, given Yamamoto has left for Freiburg, he really is the only out and out ball winning midfielder that they have. Given the likelihood that they will face stiff opposition in Europe, Sissako will be even more crucial.

#yamamoto

American Express (NYSE: AXP) stock has sputtered this year compared with its benchmarks, sector, and major competitors. The stock is down about 6% year to date, while Visa is up 6%, and Mastercard is flat. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 -- two indexes that include American Express -- are each up 13% so far this year. And the financial services sector within the S&P 500 has averaged a 5% return.
But based on several factors, investors and ****** ysts may be underrating the financial services giant. Just 48% of Wall Street ****** ysts rate it a buy, compared with 93% each for Mastercard and Visa. Here's why you should consider this underrated and overlooked payments stock.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
American Express stock struggled in the weeks leading up to its second-quarter earnings release as investors grew concerned about the macro environment and its impact on banks, consumer spending, rates, and credit quality. But when American Express reported Q2 earnings on July 24, the stock price rose as investors were pleasantly surprised.
Revenue increased 10% year over year to $19.6 billion but fell just short of estimates of $19.7 billion. Earnings were up 11% to $4.53 per share, beating estimates of $4.40 per share. And credit quality was strong, with provisions for credit losses and 30-day delinquency rates down year over year and net write-offs holding steady.

#express

The SEC is mired in a national championship drought, but the conference still claims to have unmatched depth. That argument might gain steam after the release of the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll. Nine SEC teams are ranked in the Top 25, more than any other conference. That includes six teams in the top 11.
So, were Big Ten coaches in the wrong last week when they took a victory lap at the SEC's expense during Big Ten Media Days? As one Big Ten coach put it, the SEC would like to pretend it's still 2005.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss the Big Ten's chest-thumping and explain why they're OK with it.
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They also react to the coaches poll, where Ohio State ranks No. 1, and offer a few SEC teams that could be overrated and underrated.

#unfiltered

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott 'deserves more credit' as 2026 season nears originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
It can't be easy being the franchise quarterback of "America's Team." The expectations are always very high for the Dallas Cowboys, even when the supporting cast isn't strong enough to deliver team wins. That's the life of Dak Prescott, but considering he's one of the highest-paid athletes in the NFL, we're not too sad for him.
Still, Prescott continues to get underrated. His stats are strong, and he just ended a 4,000-yard passing season, but without a Super Bowl win or even playoff showing, he, of course, falls behind other quarterbacks on best-of lists.
Bleacher Report has released its tally of the best quarterbacks in the NFL going into the 2026 season. They graded players on accuracy, processing, arm talent, decision-making, pocket presence and leadership, so it was a good mix.
Prescott is No. 8 on this tally, which is really nice to see, because he often falls lower on such lists. The publication recognizes that Prescott "deserves more credit and praise as one of the league's top signal-callers."

#prescott #cowboys #even #strong

With one week of Tennessee ***** ans training camp in the rearview, let's take a break to look at the ***** ans' rookie draft class and throw out one observation about each of them.
Observation: Poise will never be a problem.
Early this week, I asked Carnell Tate about what I thought might be a difficult circumstance he's had to deal with: Catching passes from a different quarterback every year since he was a sophomore in high school. To my surprise, Tate said the adjustment has almost nothing to do with how hard the quarterback throws or how tightly he spins the spiral and more to do with understanding timing and a quarterback's tendencies to throw the ball earlier or later in a route.
A day later I asked the same question to Derrick Mason, the all-time leading receiver in the franchise's ***** ans era. Without knowing Tate's answer first, Mason offered an almost identical reply.
For as much as we can focus on Tate's athletic talents, the fact that he already understands and communicates about the game like one of the best players in franchise history feels more valuable. So much of Tate's early success seems connected to how easy everything seems to come to him. Natural skill helps, but that baseline understanding of responsibilities and feel for how to play the position can't be underrated.

#early #week #throw #almost

With one week of Tennessee ******* ans training camp in the rearview, let's take a break to look at the ******* ans' rookie draft class and throw out one observation about each of them.
Observation: Poise will never be a problem.
Early this week, I asked Carnell Tate about what I thought might be a difficult circumstance he's had to deal with: Catching passes from a different quarterback every year since he was a sophomore in high school. To my surprise, Tate said the adjustment has almost nothing to do with how hard the quarterback throws or how tightly he spins the spiral and more to do with understanding timing and a quarterback's tendencies to throw the ball earlier or later in a route.
A day later I asked the same question to Derrick Mason, the all-time leading receiver in the franchise's ******* ans era. Without knowing Tate's answer first, Mason offered an almost identical reply.
For as much as we can focus on Tate's athletic talents, the fact that he already understands and communicates about the game like one of the best players in franchise history feels more valuable. So much of Tate's early success seems connected to how easy everything seems to come to him. Natural skill helps, but that baseline understanding of responsibilities and feel for how to play the position can't be underrated.

#asked

Ruben Dias says former City captain Bernardo Silva is the most underrated footballer he's ever played with.
Men's Team
Bernardo spent nine seasons at City between 2017 and 2026, featuring in more games under Pep Guardiola than any other player throughout a period of historic success.
As a versatile midfielder who could be an effective threat on the wing or provide a solid foundation further back, Bernardo often came out near the top when it came to running stats too.
The Portuguese international was never undervalued by his team-mates, or the world's outstanding coach in Guardiola, but Dias feels the outside perception of him may not have been as laudatory as it could have been.

#city

When you think of the WNBA's best players, who comes to mind?
A'ja Wilson, who has won four MVP awards in the last six years, is probably on the list, as are the 2024 and 2025 No. 1 overall picks, Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers. Some WNBA players have established themselves as household names, while others continue to fly under the radar.
But who are the league's most underrated players?
It's a tricky question because the concept of a player being underrated can be interpreted in several ways; a player might be considered underrated because they've been flying under the radar (think low name recognition), or they might be considered underrated because they do get a lot of attention, but the general public still doesn't realize how good they actually are.
With both of those criteria in mind, here are my picks for the WNBA's most underrated players at the moment.

#radar #might

Tennessee football preseason practice has arrived, so it's time to start hyping and overanalyzing every player at every position on the 2026 roster.
On this podcast episode of "The Volunteer State," beat writer Adam Sparks and columnist John Adams discuss not-so-obvious players who could impact the Vols' season. And there's one big caveat: No quarterbacks.
This list includes players who aren't on preseason watch lists for all-conference honors. They're underrated for whatever reason. They're not the top transfer or a five-star freshman. And some are viewed as second-fiddle players in terms of interest at their position.
Sparks presented five under-the-radar players that intrigue him, and Adams reacted. To hear the full discussion, listen to the hour-long podcast. Here are those five intriguing players and why they were selected.
There was a time when Ethan Davis was seen as a young rising star at tight end. But he was overshadowed by transfers like McCallan Castles, Holden Staes and Miles Kitselman. In 2026, Davis has arrived at a now-or-never point in his career.

#time

Tennessee football preseason practice has arrived, so it's time to start hyping and overanalyzing every player at every position on the 2026 roster.
On this podcast episode of "The Volunteer State," beat writer Adam Sparks and columnist John Adams discuss not-so-obvious players who could impact the Vols' season. And there's one big caveat: No quarterbacks.
This list includes players who aren't on preseason watch lists for all-conference honors. They're underrated for whatever reason. They're not the top transfer or a five-star freshman. And some are viewed as second-fiddle players in terms of interest at their position.
Sparks presented five under-the-radar players that intrigue him, and Adams reacted. To hear the full discussion, listen to the hour-long podcast. Here are those five intriguing players and why they were selected.
There was a time when Ethan Davis was seen as a young rising star at tight end. But he was overshadowed by transfers like McCallan Castles, Holden Staes and Miles Kitselman. In 2026, Davis has arrived at a now-or-never point in his career.

#five #adams #arrived #every

The 21st century in Champaign has been filled with talented players, but who is a player that has gone underrated?
Check out State Farm Agent Brian Hanson for a home, auto, business, and life insurance needs quote today: https://gtlk.link/5zlx5Emx
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#check #brian

The Denver Broncos may be one of the most underrated teams going in to the 2026 season. Despite having a 14-win campaign and a playoff win under their belts in 2025, they continue to be overlooked by pundits and so-called experts.
However, there may be at least one expert who sees past the smoke and mirrors. Kay Adams of FanDuel's "Up and Adams" show believes the Broncos should be considered more seriously.
"All (the Broncos) have done is just get deeper and deeper across the board," Adams said of the team's offseason additions. "And I've said it before: this is the most complete roster, top to bottom, in the NFL. The whole shebang."
Adams attributed the roster due to the trust the front office has placed in the players already under contract. Further into her discussing the Broncos, Adams noted Denver is bringing back all 11 starters on offense and 10 of 11 on defense, making this a formidable lineup.
The Broncos have placed a premium on in-house talent under the Sean Payton/George Paton regime, and there is little doubt that kind of commitment will wane in the future.

#however

Kevon Looney has a chance to become an underrated but key addition to the Los Angeles Lakers' roster. The No. 30 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, he spent his first 10 seasons with the Golden State Warriors, where he won three championships and made a living as an undersized but high-motor center who gobbled up boards, played effective defense, set screens and did the dirty work.
He just completed a bit of a down year with the New Orleans Pelicans, where he played in just 21 games and saw his shooting percentage plunge. Lakers fans feel he won't be an adequate backup center, especially if starter Walker Kessler suffers an injury, but if Looney is still spry, he could surprise some people.
During a recent appearance on the "Mason & Ireland Show) on ESPN 710 AM L.A. radio, Looney talked about how difficult it is to play against new teammate Luka Doncic and how he's looking forward to learning how to make things easier on the superstar.
"Playing against him sucks, especially being a big man," Looney said on Mason & Ireland on ESPN LA Radio. "You're in a lot of pick-and-rolls, you're getting iso'd, he picks on people and you gotta guard him 1-on-1 and he's probably the toughest guy to guard 1-on-1 in the league. Got to compete against him on the Lakers and in the playoffs when he was in Dallas.
"I'm excited to be on his team, be able to learn from him, be able to play pick-and-roll with him. He's probably the best pick-and-roll player in the league so being able to learn how he wants me to set screens and different things like that I'm excited about it. He's one of the best guys in the league and it makes my life a lot easier playing with him so I'm super excited."

#excited #able #ireland

Another ranking, and another list where the Chargers find themselves just outside the top 10.
ESPN recently ranked NFL teams based on their under-25 talent, and the Chargers came in at No. 11, narrowly missing out on a spot among the league's top young cores.
"The top young player for the Chargers is Alt, who is 23 years old and tasked with protecting quarterback Justin Herbert. Running back Omarion Hampton and tight end Oronde Gadsden (both 23) performed well for the Chargers in 2025. Wide receivers Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and Tre' Harris are all 24.
"On defense, the underrated slot cornerback Tarheeb Still is still just 24 years old, while edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu will turn 24 on Sept. 3. However, rookie first-rounder Mesidor does not qualify for this ranking, as he turned 25 in April."
The Chargers dropped one spot in the list compared to last year. Notable teams ahead of Los Angeles in this category are the Raiders, Browns and the Texans.

#teams #spot #espn

Quarterback play is always paramount in modern college football, as opposed to past decades when the running game mattered most in the sport. This is true in the Big Ten. Fernando Mendoza, the starting quarterback for the **** le-winning Indiana Hoosiers last season, was picked No. 1 in this past NFL draft. This upcoming season, the best quarterbacks in college football reside in the Big Ten. Whoever comes out on top in the Big Ten will have a quarterback who proved to be the best in college football.
Here is my ranking of the top five quarterbacks in the Big Ten:
Dante Moore shone last season, and just like last year, he was in conversations for being the best quarterback in college football. Moore threw for 2733 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. He is dangerous in the pocket and an underrated athlete. Last year, he made the most of having great weapons and a great run game, helping lead Oregon's prolific offense to a college football playoff berth. This season, he enters with more continuity and a deeper set of weapons at each of the skill positions. I expect Moore to have a big season and end the year off being the undisputed #1 overall pick just like Fernando Mendoza.
Sayin's season last year was incredible, and he was extremely efficient. He had all the resources to be in that position with weapons, Jeremiah Smith, and Carnell Tate, but he still maximized his opportunity as a freshman starter. He ended the year with 3323 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. The connection he has with Jeremiah Smith is already a proven one, and he showed he can run the offense even better than Will Howard did the year prior. However, as expected from most freshmen, under the bright lights, he did fall short in the College Football Playoff vs the Miami Hurricanes and in the Big Ten championship vs the Indiana Hoosiers. Although his season was special, he still has more room to grow. If he takes that next step, the Ohio State Buckeyes will have another national **** le trophy in their case.
Jayden Maiava still does not get the credit he deserves for how good he truly was last season. In his first season as a starting quarterback, he led the Trojans' offense to being a top unit in the country. Lincoln Riley's offense was dangerous and high scoring because of how good and confident Maiava was last season. Maiava threw for 3431 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. Maiava is a gun slinger, and he takes a lot of shots, but playing more under control would do wonders for his perception and draft stock. If he can have a similar season, with fewer interceptions and showcase his running ability more, there is reason to believe he can be one of the first quarterbacks taken in this next draft. The success of the Trojans this year falls on Maiava's back, but I am confident he will take a step forward and not back in year 2.

#season #offense

The BitMart and BitMEX shutdowns have drawn bullish reactions, with ******* ysts calling the closures a healthy reset.
BitMart began winding down on Sunday, three days after BitMEX confirmed its own exit. AscendEX closed on July 1, bringing the total number of exchange closures this month to 3.
Moonrock Capital founder and managing partner Simon Dedic argued that the recent closures of several centralised crypto exchanges reflect deeper flaws in the industry's business model.
"The extraction model has a fatal flaw: it needs a steady supply of victims. When those dry up, so does the business. One of the underrated perks of a brutal bear: the market is actually healing," he noted.
Ran Neuner, CEO of Crypto Banter, made a cycle-timing argument instead. According to him,

#bitmart #business #model #moonrock

The Cincinnati Bengals have a good problem most teams would take. They have two young corners worthy of re-signing for a second contract.
DJ Turner (a second-round pick in the 2023 draft) and Dax Hill (a first-round selection from the 2022 draft) are both quality starters. Especially Turner, who has received the underrated tag pretty frequently this offseason.
However, it is still a problem when you need to re-sign them. The Bengals have been spending quite a bit, and while they could re-sign both players. The team would be left without the wiggle room it usually would like to have.
We've seen players like Trey Hendrickson, Jessie Bates, and Ja'Marr Chase all skip out on portions of training camp while entering the last years of their respective contracts. The Bengals aren't expecting that this time around.
"When you draft guys like that that come in and find roles and elevate their game and elevate the people around them. Those are guys you want to be around," Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin said of the cornerback duo. "And I'm not going to make any predictions about future contracts. We have everyone signed up right now, which is really good. It's a good feeling. I think everyone is locked in on the season, and we'll see what the future holds. But right now, our focus is winning and winning now."

#draft #problem

The Atlanta Falcons reached their first training camp milestone on Friday, with rookies officially reporting to Flowery Branch. The team's 19-player rookie class, which includes six draft picks and 13 undrafted free agents, will get a head start before the veterans arrive next week.
Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski has his work cut out for him, but July is the time for optimism in the NFL. For now, each team, including Atlanta, is on equal footing.
In today's Falcons Wire Recap, ESPN breaks down the underrated right tackle competition, CBS Sports ranks the Robinsons as the top running back duo in the league, The Athletic makes a free-agent suggestion, and the NFL sets a date for Super Bowl LXII in Atlanta.
The Falcons are still a good fit for the top available wide receiver on the market. Daniel Popper at The Athletic listed Atlanta as the best landing spot for free-agent Stefon Diggs.
"The Falcons drafted Zachariah Branch in the third round. Branch is explosive and projects as a YAC threat," wrote Popper. "Diggs can play inside and outside, which would leave slot snaps available for Branch. London, Diggs and Branch would form a well-rounded trio for whichever quarterback wins the starting job between Michael Penix and Tua Tagovailoa."

#diggs #free

Cincinnati Bengals fans feel reasonable hype about their team in 2026.
No wonder. The front office left its comfort zone and decided to go all-in through the Dexter Lawrence trade, big cash spending in free agency and even in smaller things, such as how they structured contracts and managed the salary cap.
But as fans surely understand, local hype doesn't mean national hype.
So much so, it seems, that The Athletic’s Mike Jones just wrote that the Bengals are one of the most underrated teams in the entire NFL.
“Thanks to those moves, plus others along the defense, the Bengals just might have better depth than they did when they reached the Super Bowl during the 2021 season,” Jones wrote. “The Baltimore Ravens draw much attention in the AFC North, and rightfully so, and Mike McCarthy’s reunion with Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh has the Steelers in the spotlight, but the Bengals seem primed for a bounce-back season and could cause trouble for divisional foes.”

#hype #season #cincinnati #dexter

The Atlanta Falcons have been strangely quiet in the days leading up to training camp, but those around the NFL continue to churn out content at an alarming rate. Thanks to the Falcons' quarterback battle between Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa, the team has been a frequent topic of training camp preview lists.
In today's Falcons Wire Recap, ESPN and Bleacher Report weigh in on the quarterback competition, The Athletic ranks Atlanta among the NFL's most underrated teams, and second-year safety Xavier Watts makes CBS Sports' under-the-radar players list for 2026.
Bleacher Report's Alex Kay feels the Falcons' QB competition is leaning heavily in Tua Tagovailoa's direction as the team prepares to kick off training camp next week.
"While Miami was understandably ready to move on from Tua after two straight down years, the quarterback is still just 28 years old and should have plenty left in the tank for 2026," wrote Kay. "Tagovailoa gives new head coach Kevin Stefanski his best chance to hit the ground running and make Atlanta a top contender in a wide-open NFC South race. If Tua can avoid injury and establish a rapport with the likes of Drake London and Bijan Robinson in camp, Penix will be relegated to the bench in 2026."
ESPN's Ben Solak shared his two cents on Atlanta's QB1 battle, and despite predicting Tagovailoa would win the job, he feels Penix has the better chance at being the team's long-term starter.

#penix #team

The Los Angeles Rams have a stellar offense that is being commanded by one of the best quarterbacks in football. Despite their elite scheme and the play of Matthew Stafford, the team still needs playmakers and these three are in position to be that difference.
Here are three Rams who should exceed expectations in 2026, even as high as they might be.
Nacua is already one of the best receivers in football and yet he's still grossly underrated compared to his counterparts. Entering last season, there were some divided opinions about whether he was a top-10 wide receiver. His response was to continuously shine against the top defenses in 2025. Entering 2026, Nacua is considered one of the best but his current career track makes this the season where he goes from being among the NFL's top playmakers to being the best.
With Davante Adams being a year older and the Rams evolving their tight end usage, their only consistent receiving threat is Nacua. Naturally, he will see the majority of targets and with a scheme that can attack a variety of defenses, Nacua is the tip of the spear to the NFL's best passing offense. Even at Pro Bowl status, there's still another level Nacua could reach and 2026 is the perfect opportunity to reach it.
At some point, Trost has to see the field. He's essentially the Rams' main backup lineman. He will likely serve as the swing tackle and could challenge Justin Dedich and Beaux Limmer for the top backup role on the interior.

One of the underrated aspects of college football recruiting is scouting which players have the best chance to develop. It's easy to look at an athlete's rating and pursue them based on that, but it's an entirely different story to identify a lower-profile talent and mold them into the four- or five-star recruit that they have a chance to be.
Penn State snagged a pair of recruits in recent weeks, four-star prospects David Tarawallie and Elijah Guertin, but those ratings weren't a consensus among all recruiting services. Rivals initially had them listed as three-star players, also excluding them from the prestigious Rivals300, a comprehensive list of the 300 best prospects in the nation.
Now, the trusted institution has given each player their fourth star and added both of them to the Rivals300. Tarawallie is flirting with the top half of the list at No. 168 and Guertin just barely made it at No. 298. The exciting piece of this for the Nittany Lions is that each player has another season of high school football to continue making a strong impression and climbing up the list.
With most of the team's top recruits off the board for the Class of 2027, a sure fire way to improve its standing nationally is to have players add stars or ascend lists like these. Let's see just how high Tarawallie and Guertin can climb before they set foot in Happy Valley next year.
FollowNittany Lions Wire on X and Facebook.

LAS VEGAS -- The Philadelphia 76ers were aggressive at the outset of free agency as President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey and the front office are in the process of building a roster that can take down the champion New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference.
The first signing the team made was by bringing in Dean Wade in free agency. After seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Wade signed a deal with the Sixers after averaging 5.8 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 36.2% from deep on 3.3 attempts. He is a low-usage player, 9.9% in the 2025-26 season, and that is going to be a huge factor for how coach Nick Nurse uses him in his system.
"That part of it is really important," Nurse said of Wade's low usage. "I think we do need, with all this, somebody's got to be out there that's just an opportunity scorer, right? There's something there. They get it. Boom, they do it. And if they're not? If none of those opportunities are there, they don't really care, and they keep still doing all the other stuff, right? That's him."
With the Sixers having higher usage players such as Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Joel Embiid, they need somebody like Wade who doesn't need the ball and can find his opportunities within the offensive ecosystem. Obviously, the ball will be in the other four's hands more often than not. That gives Wade the opportunity to find catch-and-shoot 3s or cut to the basket for layups. Those types of opportunities will be extremely important.
A big thing Nurse likes about Wade is his ability to do many other things out on the floor. He is an underrated defender for this group, and while he isn't some lockdown defender, he can take on guards, wings, and bigs, and not blink an eye.

Conor McGregor made his Ultimate Fighting Championship return atop an action-packed UFC 329 card that ended with a whimper. The welterweight main event saw “Notorious” take on Max Holloway in a rematch of their 2013 fight that never really got started. The finish-filled card also had important fights in the lightweight, bantamweight and flyweight divisions.

Here are the matches to make for the UFC 329 main card winners.
Holloway (28-9) finally got revenge on McGregor (22-7), but it wasn’t how he wanted to after McGregor suffered a knee injury. Regardless, “Blessed” is now 2-1 in his last three fights, with a deflating loss to Charles Oliveira sandwiched between wins over Dustin Poirier and McGregor. I’d like to see Holloway take on Pimblett next, as “The Baddie” submitted Benoit St. Denis with a Peruvian necktie. It was an impressive showing for the British fighter, who proved he deserves to be among the elite at 155 pounds. Both men are among the most entertaining at lightweight and it’d be a stellar action fight after Holloway’s disappointing showings against Oliveira and McGregor.
Bautista battled back from early adversity to take a decision win and get revenge against Cody Sandhagen, who beat him in 2019. The American is now 10-1 in his last 11 bouts inside the Octagon, with the lone defeat coming to Umar Nurmagomedov. While he called for a ******* le shot, that doesn’t seem likely with champion Petr Yan having major rematches against Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley as possible ******* le defenses. Instead, a fight against the underrated Barcelos would make sense. The Brazilian is on a five-fight win streak that includes victories over Ricky Simon, Payton Talbott and Cody Garbrandt. It’s a great stay-busy fight against a tough foe that will allow the log jam at the top of the division to figure itself out.
Royval capped off an impressive back-and-forth war with flyweight prospect Lone'er Kavanagh with a rare-naked choke. That snaps a two-fight winning streak for"Raw Dawg," who fell short to Manel Kape and Joshua Van in recent fights. Royval (18-9) called out Almabayev for his next Octagon appearance in a rare post-fight callout that makes total sense. It's a fresh fight and one that will give Almabayev (24-3) the chance to get the biggest win of his career. The Kazakhstani fighter is currently on a three-fight win streak, with wins over Charles Johnson and Alex Perez being particularly impressive. Whoever emerges victorious will be a solid contender in one of mixed martial arts' best divisions.

Texas A&M's No. 1-ranked recruiting class was further strengthened after coach Mike Elko and his staff landed five-star linebacker Kaeden Henderson, considered one of the top athletes in the cycle, and he will likely compete for a starting job during his first season. After landing four linebacker commitments in the 2026 recruiting class, Elko and new LB coach Travis Williams had their sights set on 2027 four-star linebacker Mikahi Allen.
One of the top-ranked players in New Jersey, Allen is among the more underrated defensive prospects with high NFL upside and pairs well with Henderson's speed and pass-rush potential. Coming down to Texas, South Carolina, and Texas A&M, the Aggies came out on top during his announcement on Saturday, landing their 26th commitment in the top-ranked 2027 cycle.
Consistent linebacker play has been an issue for Texas A&M going back to the Kevin Sumlin years, and while former three-year starter Taurean York was certainly productive, his lack of size was an issue, and heading into the 2026 season, only senior Daymion Sanford is listed below 6'0", as projected starters Ray Coney and Noah Mikhail are both 6'2" and over 220 pounds.
Mikahi Allen is currently listed at 6'2" and 235 pounds, and according to 247Sports' Director of Scouting, Andrew Ivins, the New Jersey-based prospect can simply do it all, providing Elko and Williams another versatile athlete who will compete for a starting role in his second season.
"Can do a little bit of everything as he can attack the corner while playing on the ball, shoot gaps when positioned off the ball and impact passing lanes in coverage."