One need only be reminded of the fact that quarterback Sam Darnold just won the Super Bowl to understand that when it comes to the NFL, patience truly can be a virtue. 

Darnold was in his eighth NFL season and the Seattle Seahawks are the fifth team of his professional career, but the point is the same with second-year breakout candidates. It is so easy to get caught up in the excitement of the latest draft class and overlook other young players set to pop. 

With that, here are my picks for which 2025 draft picks I believe will take the biggest leaps in their sophomore season.

AFC EAST

I expect Sanders to be one of the big winners of the Bills’ plan to play more of a 3-4 base under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard. The 6-foot-4, 297-pound Sanders is well-suited for the blue-collar role of eating up would-be blockers, offering impressive strength and length. Sanders won’t necessarily put up eye-popping numbers in 2026, but the former No. 41 overall selection will emerge as an every-game starter this season, after recording just 16 tackles and starting two games as a rookie. 

Look for T.J. Sanders to become a full-time starter in his second season, and for his impact to follow suit. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

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The bright flashes shown by Trader, a fifth-round pick in 2025, contributed to Miami trading star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to division rival New York in the offseason. Trader is quick, instinctive and a sound open-field tackler. He only started three games for the Dolphins as a rookie and yet still finished seventh on the team with 55 tackles. He might pace Miami’s secondary in stops this year. 

Wilson didn’t start playing organized football until high school, so when the Patriots asked him to switch to a new position (left guard) after he starred at center at Georgia, I was skeptical. Wilson performed reasonably well as a rookie (though he notably struggled in the Super Bowl), starting 13 games. But I like his frame and athleticism much better at center. He’ll start (and be an upgrade) over Garrett Bradbury from a year ago and has the potential to be one of the league’s best at the position. 

Given how often teams throw the football in today’s NFL, it really is remarkable that the Jets did not record a single interception last year. I can’t pin much of the blame on then-rookie Thomas, who tied for third on the Jets in pass breakups — notably one more than Sauce Gardner — despite starting just five games. Gardner started seven games for New York prior to being traded to Indianapolis. In a season full of disappointments for Jets fans, Thomas’ rookie campaign was a relative bright spot. After all, he entered the NFL clearly raw after starting just 14 games at Florida State. He didn’t seem fazed by the jump in competition, however, learning to use his length and physicality to corral receivers in much the same way Gardner has. I see New York boasting a vastly improved defense in 2026 with Thomas emerging as a quality starter on the perimeter. 

AFC NORTH

Jones played right tackle at LSU and could remain there in the NFL, but Baltimore’s starters on the outside seem set with Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten, respectively. As he showed last year in five games, Jones has the bulk and power to slide inside to guard, as well. At minimum, the former third-rounder should prove a valuable swing sixth man this season with the ability to start if called upon. 

With just 11 tackles (and one sack) recorded as a rookie, Stewart — the No. 17 overall selection — was a stark contrast to the rest of the Bengals’ top draft picks last year. The relative success of linebacker Demetrius Knight (second round), guard Dylan Fairchild (third), linebacker Barrett Carter (fourth) and guard Jalen Rivers (fifth) last season should have received more national attention, but the injury to star quarterback Joe Burrow left the Bengals largely an afterthought. Cincinnati invested heavily in its defensive front this offseason, including signing Boye Mafe, trading for Dexter Lawrence and drafting Cashius Howell. So Stewart can’t afford another poor season or he risks being discarded. I think he’ll rise to the challenge and prove to be a versatile and important contributor to one of the NFL’s most improved teams this year. 

Former first-rounder Shemar Stewart had a quiet rookie season — which puts immense pressure on him to deliver this year. (Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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It is entirely possible that veteran Deshaun Watson beats out Sanders for the starting role and the numbers the latter posted in his rookie season (1,400 passing yards, 7 touchdowns, 10 interceptions in seven starts) drop in Year 2. But unless the Browns see Watson as a long-term solution, the smarter move would be to allow Sanders to sink or swim in his sophomore NFL season so that the club can adjust accordingly in time for what should be a QB-rich 2027 NFL Draft. Here’s guessing Sanders sees the field again at some point this season and proves he can play. 

Coach Mike McCarthy inherits a defense teeming with good young talent up front. The Steelers, in fact, boast a trio in Sawyer, defensive linemen Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black that are all among my favorite league-wide breakout candidates. I’ll highlight Sawyer, in part, because I don’t think many others will. With fellow pass-rushers T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and the recently extended Nick Herbig theoretically ahead of him on the depth chart, Sawyer faces an uphill battle just for playing time. His production last year was good — 34 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack and two interceptions — but the tape was even better. Sawyer played like a Steeler from the start, showing impressive strength and awareness for a first-year player. His anticipated growth is part of the reason why I believe a Pittsburgh defense that ranked a mediocre 17th in the NFL last year in points allowed (387) is going to be a top-10 unit this year.  

AFC SOUTH

Given that Marks led the Texans with 703 rushing yards as a rookie, some would argue that his breakout has already occurred. Further, with Houston trading for veteran David Montgomery in the offseason, the second-year pro’s opportunities will be somewhat capped. With all due respect to the bulldozing Montgomery, however, Marks is the more dynamic runner (and receiver). If C.J. Stroud and the Texans offense get back on track in 2026 like I anticipate, Marks will prove in Year 2 that his rookie numbers were no fluke.

Woody Marks was somewhat of a revelation as a rookie. He might just be getting started for the Texans. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

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I’m so tempted to list Tyler Warren here as I think he’s a legitimate contender to lead all tights ends in receptions in 2026. After all, he finished tied for sixth among the position with 76 grabs for 817 yards and four scores as a rookie. But in terms of true breakouts, I’m excited for the opportunity awaiting Walley, who turned heads during training camp last year before tearing an ACL in a joint practice with Baltimore. With Kenny Moore no longer with the Colts, Walley will have first crack at the open nickel position and the former third-round pick possesses the quick feet and instincts to excel there. 

Like their division rival Colts, I’m tempted to highlight the Jaguars’ celebrated former first-round pick, Travis Hunter, in this space — especially now that he’ll be focusing on “just” playing cornerback. But Tuten is one of my favorite breakout candidates throughout the entire NFL. With Travis Etienne now in New Orleans, I expect Tuten to emerge as the Jaguars’ top runner in 2026, with 1,000-plus rushing yards a realistic target. His longest run from scrimmage as a rookie went for only 15 yards, but I anticipate several explosive plays of 20-plus yards this year. 

Like several others on this list, Winston has already proven himself to be a quality NFL starter. Now, he just needs to stay healthy. He missed the beginning of last season recovering from an ACL tear back at Penn State and saw his rookie campaign end early due to a stubborn hamstring pull. In the 10 games in which he played, however, Winston stood out, including during an exciting three-game stretch against Seattle, Jacksonville and Cleveland just prior to the hamstring injury in which he generated 23 tackles, including four for loss and two pass breakups. I’m excited about the upgrades Tennessee has made to its defense and believe Winston will be one of its biggest beneficiaries. 

AFC WEST

Headlined by All-Pro Patrick Surtain Jr., the Broncos boast one of the NFL’s best cornerback rooms. Denver’s “other” starter on the outside — Riley Moss — led the NFL in pass breakups (19) a year ago and nickel corner Ja’Quan McMillan is also very good. That left little opportunity for Barron to see the field as a rookie last year, and he started just five of 17 games. The former Thorpe Award winner and No. 20 overall pick is simply too good not to see the field more often in 2026. I think Barron could beat out Moss on the outside this year and, even if not, certainly leaves Denver in an excellent position with the latter in the final year of his own rookie deal. 

A strong argument could be made to spotlight cornerback Nohl Williams here, but let’s be honest, all eyes in Kansas City this year will be on Patrick Mahomes — and the rebuilt offensive line tasked with protecting him. Simmons was the eighth offensive lineman drafted last year, but I think he is the most gifted blocker in his class. He may have made some nervous when missing time last year due to personal reasons and a wrist injury, but he played well when on the field, allowing just two sacks while starting eight games. Simmons has Pro Bowl potential. 

Josh Simmons is teeming with potential, and Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are counting on him to fulfull it. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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It would be easy to list Ashton Jeanty here, but with 10 touchdowns scored as a rookie, he’s already an established focal point of the Raiders’ offense. Klint Kubiak and Fernando Mendoza were brought to Las Vegas to liven up the passing game and Bech is a good bet to win big if that occurs. The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder flashed as a rookie. He possesses the body control and strong hands to win contested passes — which could be a theme in the Raiders’ passing game regardless of whether Mendoza or longtime veteran Kirk Cousins is throwing the passes. 

It will be fun to watch the evolution of the Chargers’ offense this year, with Jim Harbaugh bringing in Mike McDaniel as his offensive coordinator. Should L.A. morph into the uptempo aerial assault McDaniel excelled with (at times) as head coach in Miami, second-year wideout Tre Harris could pop for exponential gains over his rookie season. Ultimately, though, this remains Jim Harbaugh’s operation and I think he sticks to his roots, riding Hampton as a true workhorse to at least double last year’s output (545 rushing yards, four TDs). 

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Is Lionel Messi’s career coming to a close?

“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you. I don’t know how to carry on. All I ever did was play football, and now I have serious doubts about whether I’ll keep doing it for much longer,” Messi posted as part of an emotional goodbye message to his late father, Jorge Messi, on Instagram. “You were by my side from the very beginning; there was so little left until the end. Why couldn’t you hold on just a little longer so we could finish it together? I know your happiness was seeing your family doing well, your wife, your children, and above all, without the others finding out, watching me play. …

“I’m going to miss you so much, but you’ll always be present, especially in the way I raise my children, because I teach and raise them the way you raised me. Rest in peace and look after us from above, just as you did down here. Thank you for everything. I love you, Dad.”

Jorge Messi, who passed away last week at 68, served as Lionel Messi’s agent during the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s career.

As for the 39-year-old Messi, the superstar striker and Argentina, who won the 2022 World Cup, are coming off a brutal, extra-time loss to Lamine Yamal and Spain in the 2026 World Cup Final.

Messi, who’s one of just two players to appear in six World Cups (Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo is the other), tallied eight goals and four assists across eight matches in the 2026 World Cup.

Regarding the present, Messi is in the midst of his third full-time season and fourth season altogether with Inter Miami in MLS. Through 15 matches in the 2026 MLS season, Messi has totaled 12 goals and seven assists.

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The 2026 NFL season begins Wednesday, Sept. 9, when the New England Patriots visit the Seattle Seahawks in a rematch of Super Bowl LX. Fans can watch games across broadcast, cable and streaming services throughout the season. Here is how each national window works and where to stream FOX NFL coverage.

What Channels Show NFL Games in 2026?

• FOX and FOX One: Sunday afternoon games, select special windows and NFC playoff games
• CBS: Sunday afternoon games and select AFC playoff games; eligible games also stream on Paramount+
• NBC: Sunday Night Football and the NFL Kickoff Game; NBC games also stream on Peacock
• ESPN and ABC: Monday Night Football
• NFL Network: Select international and late-season games
• Prime Video: Thursday Night Football and the Black Friday game
• Netflix: Select international and Christmas Day games

How to Watch NFL Games by Day

Thursday Night Football

Most Thursday night games stream on Prime Video. Mobile viewers can also watch eligible local and primetime games with NFL+.

Sunday Afternoon Games

FOX and CBS divide the Sunday afternoon schedule. Out-of-market Sunday afternoon games are available through NFL Sunday Ticket, while NFL+ carries live local games on phones and tablets.

FOX’s Sunday schedule includes AMERICA’S GAME OF THE WEEK and more windows than any other network in 2026. Fans can get every NFL game televised on FOX in one subscription with FOX One.

Sunday Night Football

Sunday Night Football airs on NBC and streams on Peacock. Eligible local and primetime games are also available on mobile devices through NFL+.

Monday Night Football

Monday Night Football airs on ESPN, with select games also available on ABC. Streaming access depends on the viewer’s ESPN plan or participating TV provider.

Can I Watch NFL Games Without Cable?

Yes. FOX One streams NFL games televised on FOX without a traditional pay-TV subscription. Other options include Peacock, Paramount+, Prime Video, Netflix, ESPN’s streaming plans, NFL+ and NFL Sunday Ticket. Live-TV streaming packages may also carry local broadcast stations and cable networks, subject to market availability.

Can I Watch NFL Games for Free?

An over-the-air antenna can receive local FOX, CBS, NBC and ABC broadcasts at no monthly charge when those stations are available in your area. Streaming services generally require a subscription or trial, and availability varies by market and device.

What Is Different About the 2026 NFL Schedule?

The season opens on a Wednesday with the Patriots at the defending champion Seahawks. The league also has a record nine international games across four continents, including its first regular-season game in Australia. FOX’s schedule includes Patriots-Lions in Munich, Seahawks-Eagles on Saturday in Week 15 and Rams-Seahawks on Christmas night.

Schedules and streaming availability are subject to change. Check the FOX Sports NFL schedule and provider listings before kickoff.

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A long-awaited return. A four-way tie for MLB’s home run lead. The AL’s best extends its winning streak. Tuesday’s MLB action provided all that and much more.

Here are all the best moments from last night in Major League Baseball:

Snell Looked Like He’d Never Left

Before Tuesday, Blake Snell had pitched in just one game in 2026. He didn’t debut until May 9 due to shoulder soreness, and lasted just three innings while allowing four runs before exiting and then ending up right back on the IL to recover from elbow surgery to remove loose bodies. Last night, though, he looked plenty recovered: Snell struck out the side in the first inning…

…and then whiffed another seven Royals over the next five innings. Snell allowed just four baserunners and one run — that’s the kind of pitching the Dodgers signed the two-time Cy Young winner for in the first place.

Shortstop Mookie Betts had a big day on the other side of the ball. He hit his 14th homer of the year in the second inning, and picked up another two hits, including a game-tying single in the eighth.

Betts went 3-for-4 with a homer, double and single, two runs and two RBIs, and Los Angeles needed that performance since reliever Evan Phillips allowed three runs while recording just one out. The game headed to extras thanks to Betts, and there third baseman Max Muncy singled in Shohei Ohtani for the walk-off win.

The Dodgers added Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline because the rotation needed an assist — especially with Ohtani restricted to hitting indefinitely due to his knee — but getting Snell back will be just as huge. The two have the same number of Cy Youngs, after all.

Rengifo Came Back To Haunt The Brewers

Luis Rengifo signed with the Brewers as a free agent this offseason, but things did not go well: he hit just .205/.280/.254 for Milwaukee in 57 games before he was cut loose on June 23. The Padres picked Rengifo up less than a week later, and he’s been great — on the Brewers’ dime — in the time since. He’s batting .321/.415/.457 for San Diego, and hit his third homer of the season and third with the Padres on Tuesday… against Milwaukee.

To make things that much worse, it was a grand slam in the bottom of the second to make it a 5-0 game.

The scoring would not stop there for San Diego, as right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. bashed his fourth homer in seven games — his 12th of the season — to make it 6-1.

The Padres would end up winning 11-2, getting their run differential for the season back to zero, and got there on the strength of Walker Buehler’s performance, too. Since getting crushed in a three-start stretch in early July that saw Buehler allow 20 runs and six homers in just 11 innings, the right-hander has strung together a five-start run with a 3.20 ERA. If Buehler can still hack it in the rotation, and the Padres get what they expect out of deadline acquisitions Robbie Ray and Casey Mize, then they might manage to actually escape negative territory in the long run.

This was a huge win for the Padres in the present, too, as San Diego won its fourth-straight game on the same night that the Phillies and Diamondbacks lost, putting it in a three-way tie for two wild-card spots.

Rockies Down D-Backs

Speaking of the D-backs. The Rockies were down 2-0 to Arizona through five, but then Kyle Karros happened.

The third baseman tied the game with his 10th homer of the year, a 413-foot shot to left-center, and then one inning later in the seventh DH Mickey Moniak broke the tie with a sac fly. That ended up being the game winner, as a trio of Rockies’ relievers threw scoreless innings to shut down the D-backs from there. 

One of those was closer Jordan Romano, whom the Rockies picked up in May after the Angels discarded him. Romano has struggled with the long ball for years — his ERA from 2024 through 2025 was 7.83 thanks to giving up 14 homers in 56 ⅓ innings, and he posted a 10.13 ERA in eight innings for the Angels this spring. With the Rockies, whose home games are played in MLB’s most offense-heavy stadium, he has seven saves and a 3.38 ERA in 11 games. Go figure.

Mariners Lose, Again

The Yankees and Mariners opened up a series on Tuesday, and things did not go Seattle’s way. The M’s should have known things weren’t going to work out when this bounce went George Lombard Jr.’s way.

Right into the shortstop’s hand! In the seventh, with New York down 1-0, third baseman Ryan McMahon drove in a pair to give the Yankees the lead.

Center fielder Trent Grisham would then add another two runs, scoring McMahon and another, to make it 4-1. The Mariners didn’t have an answer for any of those, and would lose 4-1.

This was a waste of a good start from Bryan Woo, who went five scoreless with just three hits allowed, five strikeouts and a walk allowed. The bullpen did well, save Michael Rucker, who was charged with all four runs and recorded just one out before he was lifted.

Seattle has now lost five in a row, and finds itself 4.5 back in what still looks like a very winnable AL West, and is four games behind in the AL wild-card race. The Mariners are also behind every team still in that race, with only the Royals, Athletics and Angels behind them in the overall AL standings — that’s not where you want to be.

Whoops

The Yankees won, yes, so that means their fans can surely laugh about this happening to second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Like the challenge never happened, really.

Olson Bashes No. 35

Matt Olson has been on one lately. In the bottom of the eighth against the Mets on Tuesday, the Braves’ first baseman crushed a middle-low slider from Chayce McDermott 423 feet to right. That was his 35th homer of the year, putting him in a four-way tie for the MLB lead.

Olson has bashed seven homers in his last 11 games, slugging .902 in that stretch, and is now batting .266/.343/.554 on the season: that’s his highest slugging percentage and OPS+ with Atlanta since his 2023, in which he finished fourth in the NL MVP race and led the majors with 54 long balls.

The Braves would win, 4-0, keeping pace with the Dodgers for the second-best record in the NL — that particular distinction matters, since the top two division winners get a bye past the Wild Card Series, and the Brewers are ahead of both of these clubs at the moment. 

Cubs Make It 70

Speaking of records: just one team in the American League has crossed the 70-win threshold. In the NL, each of the three division leaders have already gotten there, and now its top wild-card team, the Cubs, has managed the feat as well. 

Chicago had a slugfest with the Nationals on Tuesday, an 8-6 victory for the Cubs that saw both teams club three dingers. Pete Crow-Armstrong’s wasn’t the first, nor was it the game-winner, but it went far.

The ninth pitch of the at-bat was left way up in the zone, and PCA crushed it 437 feet to right, with the ball flying off his bat at 111.5 mph. That was his 27th of the year, and now he’s just three dingers from a 30 home run, 30 steals season. On top of the NL-leading .933 OPS and MLB-best 7.5 wins above replacement.

Rays Win 8th Straight Behind CG

You know who else is tied for the MLB lead in homers? Rays’ third baseman Junior Caminero. A sweeper up in the zone became a 412-foot blast, and put Tampa Bay up 2-0 in the first inning.

Caminero is tied with not just Matt Olson, but Astros’ slugger Yordan Alvarez and Phillies’ DH Kyle Schwarber, as well. The Rays would score another seven runs, but they didn’t need quite that many: Nick Martinez threw a complete game while allowing four to the A’s to improve his own record to 12-3.

The other notable performance in the Rays’ eighth win in a row? That would be No. 9 hitter and shortstop Taylor Walls, who snapped his homerless streak that dated 105 games back to last July, with a 387 footer in the fourth as a left-handed batter. Then, batting from the other side of the plate in the sixth, the switch-hitter hit another home run.

No homers for over a calendar year, and then two in one game, from different sides of the plate. It’s also inexplicably the second time that Walls, who has just 24 homers in his six-year career, has done deep twice in one game from different sides of the plate. And he’s the first-ever Rays player to pull it off, as well. Baseball!

Now That’s A Catch

The Cardinals defeated the Phillies 2-0 on Tuesday, and this catch in center from Everson Pereira certainly played a role in that. You can hear the thud when he slams into the wall, such was the force of it, but he managed to hold on, anyway.

This W was bad news for the Phillies, who as mentioned are now in a three-way tie for just two wild-card spots, but good news for St. Louis: it picked up a game on both the D-backs and Phils with the victory, and are just 3.5 back of those tied clubs.

The Red Sox Lost, But

The Red Sox fell to the Blue Jays on Tuesday, their fourth-straight defeat after an unreal stretch that saw them win 27 of 30 to vault not just into wild-card contention, but into possession of one of them in the AL. There’s no lesson to be learned from any of that, it’s just how baseball goes sometimes over a long season, but maybe there is a lesson in this throw from Wilyer Abreu. Like, say, don’t run on him. 

What a laser, and with a perfectly placed and timed bounce at the end. Boston still has a 4.5 game lead over the third wild-card team, the Rangers — who also lost on Tuesday — but all of that is great news for Toronto. The Jays are now 2.5 behind Texas, and picked up a game in the standings on the Twins and Guardians last night, as well.

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INDYCAR announced the first eight races of its 2027 schedule, and there wasn’t much of a surprise.

With the dates for St. Petersburg (March 7), Phoenix (March 13) Arlington (March 21), Long Beach (April 18), Indianapolis (May 30) and Detroit (June 6) already known, the main questions for the early part of the year were when would Barber (Ala.) Motorsports Park slot in and if there was any chance Indianapolis road course race could move.

INDYCAR teams will race Barber on April 4, putting it between Arlington and Long Beach. The IMS road course race will remain in its regular spot on the Saturday prior to Indy 500 practice and qualifications week.

Times of the races were not announced. All the races will be on FOX.

Here is the schedule as announced so far:

2027 NTT INDYCAR Series Schedule

Mar. 7: St. Petersburg
Mar. 13: Phoenix
Mar. 21: Arlington
Apr. 4: Barber
Apr. 18: Long Beach
May 15: Indianapolis road course
May 30: Indianapolis
June 6: Detroit

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The NASCAR All-Star Race will return to the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2027, putting the $1 million-to-win exhibition on the short track where it was run from 2023-2025.

After having a Cup points race this year to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the North Carolina track’s last Cup points event in 1996, the track will play host to the NASCAR All-Star event on May 23.

While Cup teams will compete in an exhibition event, the track will have points races for both the trucks (May 21) and the O’Reilly Series (May 22).

The track, in its news release, indicated that NASCAR will collaborate with the teams to add an innovative element to the All-Star Race. That’s typically the case, whether the change is to the format or technical rules.

North Wilkesboro, a 0.625-mile asphalt oval, did not have a NASCAR national series race from 1997-2022 and had been dormant off and on for decades until track operator Speedway Motorsports restored the facility with the help of North Carolina pandemic-recovery funding.

“North Wilkesboro has once again become a place where NASCAR’s rich history, current momentum and exciting future come together,” NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Ben Kennedy said in a news release.

“We’re incredibly proud of what this [tripleheader race] weekend represents — not only for this legendary track, but also for the community that helped bring it back and for the continued growth of our sport.”

The All-Star Race will cap the 2027 Cup schedule for FOX Sports, which will air the first 14 Cup events on FOX or FS1.

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The Dodgers, of course, are favored to make the World Series. 

But who might they meet (and beat) when (or if) they get there?

Let’s check out the exact World Series odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Aug. 12.

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.

2026 WORLD SERIES EXACT RESULT

Dodgers beat Rays: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Dodgers beat Yankees: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Dodgers beat Red Sox: +1700 (bet $10 to win $180 total)
Dodgers beat Astros: +1900 (bet $10 to win $200 total)
Yankees beat Dodgers: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Dodgers beat Rangers: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Rays beat Dodgers: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Dodgers beat White Sox: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Braves beat Rays: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Yankees beat Brewers: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)

Here’s what to know about this oddsboard:

BOYS IN BLUE: The aura of the two-time defending champs is only growing. The Dodgers winning the World Series over the Rays, Yankees, Red Sox and Astros are the top four results on the board, and the Dodgers at least making it to the World Series, win or lose, make up the top eight results on the board. A result that involves another team making it out of the National League other than L.A. doesn’t appear until ninth on the board, with the Braves favored to beat the Rays. As for the team with the best record in the NL (and in all of baseball), the Brewers’ first appearance on the board is in the 10th spot, where they are the underdogs against the Yanks.

THE AL EAST: Outside of the Dodgers’ name appearing over and over, the Rays, Yankees and Red Sox — all in the AL East — are involved in the three most-favored World Series matchups. Each is favored to lose to L.A., but the Yankees beating the Dodgers is fifth on the board, while Tampa Bay doing the same thing is seventh. T.B. leads the AL East by six games over the Yankees, and it is nine games ahead of Boston. However, both the Yankees and Red Sox are atop the AL wild-card standings.

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Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette may not be playing in Saturday’s preseason game at the Buffalo Bills after suffering a stinger early in training camp.

A former first-round draft pick, Legette closed the team’s practice session Wednesday with what head coach Dave Canales called a “walk off touchdown” catch from quarterback Bryce Young.

Canales had a positive outlook about Legette following his return to practice Wednesday.

“It was good to see him back out there, playing like himself and playing fast,” Canales said. “I don’t think he’ll play (Saturday). We haven’t gotten him to that level of conditioning. He’s doing a phenomenal job and he’s a guy that we’re counting on.”

Legette had just 65 targets in 2025, down from 84 in his rookie 2024. (Photo by Matt Kelley/Getty Images)

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Legette said he spent the offseason working to improve his skills and that he recognized why some are questioning his future, especially after losing his starting job late last season to undrafted free agent Jalen Coker.

“I’m just focusing on the details,” said Legette, who was injured in an Aug. 4 practice session after landing awkwardly on his head and neck. “Everything that was on tape last year that was bad, I looked at that and tried to do things better. I’m always trying to work on getting better.”

The last pick of the first round of the 2024 draft, Legette has caught 84 passes for 860 yards and seven touchdowns in 31 games.

NFL Related Stories

Legette was asked if his confidence had been shaken following last year’s 35-catch season, down from the 49 receptions he had during his rookie year.

“I ain’t never lost my confidence,” Legette said. “I’m just trying to continue to make plays. I’m happy to be here.”

In addition to workouts at the Panthers facility, Legette said he, along with other Carolina receivers, worked out with Young in Los Angeles and Arizona this offseason in hopes of improving on his receiving skills and chemistry with his quarterback.

“I’m just working on the details and trying to get those things right,” Legette said.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Beginning in late November 2021, when then-Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley jumped ship to Los Angeles to become USC’s head coach, the Trojans have operated under various themes to help explain why their rebuild always seems to unfold at such a leisurely pace.

The various talking points throughout Riley’s high-priced, pressure-packed tenure have looked something like this: 

• An immediate need to overhaul the roster that felt perpetually enveloped by scandal from the middle of former coach Pete Carroll’s dynasty in 2006 through the firing of successors Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian
• An overreliance on the transfer portal to force a national championship run with star quarterback Caleb Williams
• A reconfigured recruiting style in favor of a much-maligned, nationwide approach
• The plucking of defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn from crosstown rival UCLA as a means of finally fixing USC’s most glaring on-field flaw

As the Riley era enters its fifth season in L.A., and with the Trojans having failed to reach double-digit wins since he took over in 2022, many of these points have produced equal and opposite reactions.

Gary Patterson and Lincoln Riley at an introductory press conference in January. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images)

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The early roster construction missteps prompted Riley to hire Notre Dame general manager Chad Bowden for the same role at USC, whose pivot back toward local recruiting secured the No. 1 high school class in the country. 

The culture that Riley said desperately needed fixing is now anchored by the Bloom Football Performance Center, a $225 million facility that opened over the summer. And when Lynn left USC to become defensive coordinator at Penn State, his alma mater, Riley responded with the splashy addition of former TCU head coach Gary Patterson, an inductee to the College Football Hall of Fame. 

“When I think about our football program right now going into this fifth year, going into this season, I think about our alignment and the momentum behind our program,” Riley said at Big Ten media days last month. 

“Kind of watching us through the last few years taking on some of the different challenges and changes that we’ve had — a new coaching staff, a new president, a new AD, a new conference, most recently moving into the [new] facility about 10 days ago — we’ve had so much change. Right now, I feel like our alignment is as strong as it’s ever been.”

From an Xs and Os perspective, the burgeoning football alignment revolves largely around what Riley believes will be his most successful defensive coordinator hire yet — an ideal complement to the Trojans’ high-flying offense. 

Patterson, 66, came out of retirement in January to chase one of the few things his uniquely impressive résumé is still missing: a national championship. To get there would require USC to reach the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history, which might also be the minimum for Riley to keep his job beyond this season. 

A decades-long track record compiled by Patterson is more than enough to inspire legitimate confidence. The two-time Big 12 coach of the year won 181 games with a .696 winning percentage in 21 seasons as the Horned Frogs’ head coach from 2000-21. The winning stretch also won him six conference championships across Conference USA, the Mountain West and the Big 12. His squads finished among the top nine in the final AP Poll six times from 2008-17 alone, which also included an undefeated season in 2010 by upending No. 4 Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.

More specifically, Patterson’s previous defensive exploits offer the excitement that radiated from Riley to the trio of players he brought to Chicago for Big Ten media days. Star quarterback Jayden Maiava described “Coach GP” as a “great addition.” 

TCU led the nation in total defense five times during Patterson’s tenure as head coach by leaning into the same 4-2-5 system he’s now installing for the Trojans. And in doing so, the Horned Frogs became just the third team in college football history to finish atop that category for three consecutive seasons. Thirty of his defensive players were chosen in the NFL Draft. 

“Coach Patterson is one of one,” Riley said at Big Ten media days. “I’ve told people I’ve had a chance throughout my career, calling plays for a little while now, to call plays against a lot of the people that you would say these are the greatest minds of this last era of college football, greatest defensive minds. I’ve never coached against somebody that I thought was more unique and tougher to go against than Gary Patterson.

“I think we’re certainly feeling his impact defensively. I’m certainly feeling his impact of just having a fellow head coach in the building, right, somebody else that has sat in this chair and made some of these decisions. You can’t replace that type of expertise and experience that he brings to the table. He’s incredibly motivated. He wouldn’t have done this without that. I think he senses the opportunity — even for a guy that’s accomplished just about everything you can in this game — [that] there’s a few other things left out there. He knows he can do that here.”

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

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Riley’s original choice for defensive coordinator, Alex Grinch, oversaw units that ranked 106th in total defense for 2022 and 119th in 2023. With Lynn’s arrival, he helped elevate USC’s group to 77th in total defense in 2024 and 49th in 2025 — noteworthy improvements that shouldn’t be ignored — but even last year’s group failed to finish among the top 10 in the conference for scoring defense after surrendering 23 points per game. That number ballooned to 35 points per game in the Trojans’ four losses to Illinois, Notre Dame, Oregon and TCU. 

Now, Patterson has inherited a unit that only returns five starters and must replace star safety Bishop Fitzgerald, a consensus All-American and first-team All-Big Ten performer last year who’s now with the Tennessee Titans. 

But Riley and Bowden infused the roster with several impact players from the transfer portal in nose tackle Alex VanSumeren from Michigan State, edge rusher Zuriah Fisher from Penn State and cornerback Jontez Williams from Iowa State. The Trojans’ vaunted 2026 high school recruiting class, which edged Alabama, Oregon and Ohio State to finish No. 1 in the country, also includes two five-star defensive prospects in edge rusher Luke Wafle and defensive tackle Jaimeon Winfield.

To push himself and USC over that hump, Patterson is tasked with expanding on the progress his predecessor, Lynn, began to make before joining Penn State late last year. And with more talent available to him than ever before, the prolonged USC rebuild will finally reach its completion. 

“I’m proud of the progress we’ve made on that side of the ball,” Riley said at Big Ten media days. “But my expectations are for us to be just as good defensively as we are offensively as we are on special teams. I want to see it across the board. There’s no reason at a place like this, you know, why that can’t happen. It’s my job to acquit our program to be great there, and I think the moves that we’ve made in recruiting, in retention, bringing in Gary [Patterson] in — I think all of that gets us closer.

“So I’m bullish on how good that group can be.”

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Travis Kelce likes to call training camp with the Kansas City Chiefs his “sanctuary,” whether that be the quiet, hour-long drive north to Missouri Western State University or the solitude that he finds while living in college dorms for a month.

Such refuge was probably never more welcome than on the heels of this past summer.

It was just over a month ago that Kelce exchanged vows with Taylor Swift in a star-studded wedding that tied together one of the best tight ends in NFL history with the biggest pop star on the planet. At the intimate gathering in cavernous Madison Square Garden, Adam Sandler served as the surprise officiant, Stevie Nicks performed to a crowd of sports and entertainment icons, and fans lined the New York City sidewalks outside the historic venue hoping to catch a glimpse of it all.

“The wedding was the best night of my life,” Kelce said Wednesday, speaking for the first time at camp. “I appreciate everybody who came out and celebrated and had fun with us. That’s about all I got for that night. It was a crazy night.”

The guest list included actors Bradley Cooper, Zoë Kravitz, Hugh Grant and Ethan Hawke; models Gigi Hadid and Karlie Kloss; comic Chris Rock; film director Steven Spielberg; and plenty of NFL players, including retired quarterback Tom Brady and several of Kelce’s teammates with the Chiefs, like his best friend and quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.

The Swift-Kelce relationship began with his failed attempt at giving her a friendship ring at a concert. Kelce invited Swift to watch him play at Arrowhead Stadium, she took him up on the offer, and the rest of their courtship has been a celebrity fairytale.

Right down to the nuptials at Madison Square Garden, which has always captured Kelce’s imagination, and where Swift has played to plenty of sold-out shows; she also turned up there to watch the New York Knicks play the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals in June.

“I always told myself I’d go for a playoff game when the Knicks were rocking, and my wife went when I was stuck in minicamp,” Kelce said with a wry smile. “It was kind of cool to live out my childhood dream to be in that venue. I can’t thank the owners of MSG enough for allowing us the opportunity to do that, knowing we wanted a private event.”

Besides the wedding, Kelce has been busy pursuing several business opportunities since the end of last season, including his decision to buy a small share of David Blitzer’s stake in his hometown Cleveland Guardians.

That puts him into rivalry territory with Mahomes, who owns his own small stake in the Kansas City Royals.

Yet on the field, the quarterback and tight end continue in lockstep, and never has it been more important for them to lift each other up. Mahomes is coming off a season-ending knee injury that required surgery in December, and Kelce is trying to prove that at age 36 — he turns 37 in October — he can still get it done in a young man’s game.

“I still got a lot of love for this game. I still think I can go out and play at a high level,” Kelce said. “I want to go out there and prove to myself that I can play at a better level than last year. I think that’s the biggest thing for me.”

There are few things that Kelce has not accomplished over 13 seasons on an NFL field. He’s won three Super Bowl rings, was voted first-team All-Pro four times, and he has been invited to the Pro Bowl each of the last 11 seasons.

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He contemplated retirement prior to last year, but the fact that Kansas City had just been blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles did not sit well with him. So, Kelce came back for another go-around, catching 76 passes for 851 yards and five touchdowns while playing in every game — numbers that would represent a career year for most tight ends.

The Chiefs scuffled to a 6-11 finish, though. And if Kelce wasn’t going out on a Super Bowl loss, he certainly wasn’t quitting after a season like that.

“The fact that we didn’t make the playoffs,” he said, “I moved on pretty quick.”

He moved onto wedding planning, to be sure. But also into preparing for the upcoming season, which most believe will be his last, one way or another. Kelce was ever-present throughout the offseason, whether it was voluntary workouts or mandatory minicamp, and he has been a constant source of energy during the hot, humid practices that are the hallmark of training camp.

“This is always going to be my sanctuary. I think St. Joe has a special place in my heart,” Kelce said. “You need to have these days. You need to have this time of grinding with the guys, being around them all day, starting to create that chemistry and standard for how we are going to do things. This year it’s ramped up even more.

“I think that’s a big thing,” Kelce added, “just enjoy these moments with these guys I’ve built this culture with.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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