Author: Michael

Now’s the time to start thinking about setting your lineups, and we’re here to help with our initial fantasy player rankings! I’ve used a full-point PPR scoring system for these rankings, which you can use in coordination with the Week 1 edition of Start Em, Sit Em. At Sports Illustrated, we have you completely covered!
Be sure to check back for updates … and good luck everyone!
Flex Rankings:

Justin Jefferson, WR, MIN (vs. TB)

Christian McCaffrey, RB, SF (at PIT)

Ja’Marr Chase, WR, CIN (vs. CLE)

Tyreek Hill, WR, MIA (at LAC)

Austin Ekeler, RB, LAC (vs.

Ben Shelton hasn’t won anything on the professional level. In fact, the young American has a losing singles record of 20-23 since turning pro in 2022 and is barely a Top 50 player in the world rankings.
Every tennis player who has ever made a name for themselves has had to start from somewhere, however, and Shelton has managed to have his moment of arrival on one of the biggest stages in the sport, in New York City at the U.S. Open.

ESPN signed Mina Kimes to a new contract worth $1.7 million a year. According to the New York Post, the network also allowed her to sign a separate deal with Omaha Productions to push her yearly earnings over $2 million.
Such a salary is usually reserved for a host or in-game broadcaster. But that is not the case for Mina Kimes.
ESPN will, instead, pay her that amount to continue in her role as an NFL “analyst” and film “guru.”
Kimes’ role is particularly interesting when you consider that, well, she never played NFL football. Or any football, for that matter.

Photo by Oisin Keniry/Getty Images
Harrington showed off his dogs during the Wednesday pro-am ahead of the Horizon Irish Open as they provided the feel-good entertainment people need.
Dog content rules the world, even the golf one. Combining the two makes for some of the all-time best content.
Padraig Harrington brought his dogs for the Wednesday Pro-Am at the Horizon Irish Open. Usually, events bring out big celebrities or business people, but Harrington brought his four-legged buddies.
He has two Bernese Mountain Dogs named Wilson and Setanta.

Andy Behrens reveals eight players who weren’t drafted in enough fantasy leagues you should consider adding now.

Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
Shane Lowry made his second European Ryder Cup team, while Adrian Meronk was left out. Still, Lowry believes the top 12 guys made the team.
Shane Lowry was one of six captain’s picks for the European Ryder Cup team, as he will make his second appearance.
Not everyone believed he deserved that spot because of his recent poor stretch. Adrian Meronk got left out, and many thought he should have taken Lowry’s place.
Ahead of the Horizon Irish Open, however, Lowry did not seem bothered by it.

Fantasy football analyst Dalton Del Don identifies some fraudulent stats ahead of Week 1 of the 2023 season.

A season of Hard Knocks with Jets new QB Aaron Rodgers as the star wouldn’t have been complete without an off-the-rails story from the quarterback, and we finally got one in the season finale.
The show gives Rodgers the floor to talk about… UFOs. Rodgers claims he, along with some friends, once witnessed a UFO flying overhead in the middle of the night after hearing an alarm going off in the distance.
“Up in the clouds, we heard this sound and saw this tremendously large object moving through the sky,” Rodgers said.

1. The football season is here. Finally. We get our appetizer Thursday night with Lions-Chiefs on NBC before the main course Sunday.
From now until Super Bowl Sunday, we will be bombarded with NFL content from all forms of media: TV, radio, podcasts, streaming, social media and on and on. It can be overwhelming to wade through it all and figure out what is worth your time.
So, I’m here to help. Here are 10 shows/segments/pieces of content that I love to consume during the NFL season. These are the things I go out of my way to check out whenever they occur.

Free agent defensive end Carl Nassib announced his NFL retirement on Wednesday morning after seven seasons.
Nassib, who played for the Browns, Buccaneers twice and the Raiders, shared a heartfelt post on Instagram post, saying that he could “hang up his helmet for the last time” knowing that he gave the sport everything he had.
“This is a bittersweet moment for me,” Nassib wrote. … Growing up I loved how fun football was. I loved the pursuit of perfection. I loved the small window where every player has to chase their dreams.