Denny Hamlin, the NASCAR driver and co-owner of 23XI Racing with Michael Jordan, returned to the witness stand on Day 2 of the NASCAR antitrust trial. From their own attorney, Hamlin fielded a question that cuts to the heart of the federal lawsuit.

Was it a hard decision not to sign the charter agreement this year?

The costly charter agreements guarantee teams a spot in the Cup Series races and a portion of NASCAR’s revenue. But 23XI Racing called the terms a take-it-or-leave-it-deal and, along with Front Row Motorsports, refused in 2024 to sign the last charter agreement.

“I don’t sign because I know that this is essentially my death certificate for the future,’’ said Hamlin, the three-time Daytona 500 winner.

Did he think it was the right decision?

“I think it was the only decision,’’ he said.

It was a decision that ultimately led to the antitrust trial that could reshape or damage the current state of stock car racing.

Hamlin’s testimony was among the highlights in the federal courtroom Tuesday, Dec. 2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the case is being heard. Jeff Gluck of The Athletic wrote of the testimony that lasted about four hours over two days, ‘It was extremely bitter and emotionally charged, as Hamlin’s anger toward NASCAR was on full display.”According to the Associated Press, Hamlin was asked why on podcast appearances he paints a rosier picture of NASCAR?

“You can take all my things out of context and paint a picture that everything is fine,” Hamlin said, according to the Associated Press. “The reality is, (being) negative affects me in (technical inspection), getting called to the hauler, NASCAR not liking what I said.”

Hamlin also tried to explain texts on possibly selling part of his share of the team, according to Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports, who of Hamlin’s explanations wrote on X, ‘He said at one point he was frustrated and needed to get the ownership group attention. And long term he would want to sell to make money, that’s business 101.’

NASCAR executive takes stand

Scott Prime, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for NASCAR, took the stand Tuesday.

FOX Sports’ Pockrass wrote on X that Prime was ‘being grilled by 23XI atty Jeffrey Kessler on early charter negotiation strategy” and his and NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell’s reaction to LIV Golf and early team negotiating demands.’

Adam Stern of the Sports Business Journal wrote, ‘(Kessler) said NASCAR’s actions and internal messages show its executives tried to ward off potential competition and had taken note of how LIV Golf was disrupting golf. The teams charge that NASCAR did this through actions such as tying up tracks with onerous exclusivity agreements, underpaying teams and putting intellectual property patents on its race cars to make them unusable elsewhere.’

NASCAR finances

Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press filed a report with revealing financial figures that offer context in the court case.

$20 million: How much Hamlin said it costs a year to run one race car a year, while NASCAR CEO Jim France said it should cost only $10 million a year.

$100 million: How much Hamlin said he and Jordan have spent building 23XI Racing since it was founded in September 2020.

$100 million: NASCAR made slightly more than that during 2024, according to the pretrial discovery process. It’s also the amount Front Row Motorsports has lost since it started in 2004, according to team owner Bob Jenkins, whose team is a plaintiff in the case.

$5 billion: The value of NASCAR based on a 2023 evaluation by Goldman Sachs, according to attorney Jeffrey Kessler, who represents 23XI Racing.

As negotiations continue between the WNBA and the WNBPA on a new CBA, Sports Business Journal reported the players association plans to reject the league’s latest offer.

According to the report, it is partially due to ‘vague pay-scale projections.’ The WNBPA reportedly has concerns about the league’s ‘math.’ The WNBA has proposed an average salary of $500,000. But with a proposed salary cap of $5 million a team and 12 players, the numbers do not add up. The salary cap would reportedly increase over the length of the CBA and be directly tied to the league’s revenue growth each year. Specific revenue-sharing details haven’t been disclosed.

USA TODAY Sports reached out to the WNBA for comment.

The league’s latest offer to the players’ association includes a max base salary of $1 million guaranteed, with the opportunity to make more than $1.2 million in conjunction with projected revenue sharing. The WNBA’s offer raises the minimum player salary to more than $225,000 and the average salary to $500,000, up from $220,000 and $460,000, respectively, in the WNBA’s previous proposal on Nov. 18.

The league also reportedly proposed increasing the length of the season, which could include an earlier start date. If the date is moved up, it could interfere with the end of the women’s college basketball season, the WNBA draft and other leagues like Unrivaled and Project B. The 2025 WNBA season started on May 16 with training camp opening on April 28. (The current CBA technically allows the start of training camp as early as April 1 but no more than 30 days before the season starts.)

The two sides to extend the bargaining window through Jan. 9.

Eighty-two teams have qualified for the college football postseason, including two teams transitioning to the top division.
Conference championship games this weekend will determine the final bowl matchups and College Football Playoff contenders.
Several teams, including Alabama and Notre Dame, face uncertainty regarding their final bowl placements.

We know the 82 teams that will participate in the college football postseason. What we don’t know is where they will play with the College Football Playoff race entering the final weekend of the regular season.

The questions that remain revolve around the conference championship games that feature playoff contenders, including games in the American and Sun Belt that will decide the Group of Five representative of the field.

It appears eight or nine teams are locked in. The playoff rankings Tuesday might adjust this perspective, but it’s fair to assume Ohio State, Indiana, Georgia, Texas Tech, Oregon, Mississippi, Texas A&M and Oklahoma are locks. Notre Dame appears in good shape with its season complete but that could change after the final weekend.

The fun begins with Alabama, which was ranked No. 10 by the committee last week. Should the Crimson Tide – currently in the final at-large spot, – fall from the field with a loss to Georgia in the SEC title game? The nature of the loss will have an impact, as could the result of Texas Tech and Brigham Young in the Big 12 title game. Should the Cougars beat the Red Raiders, they’d be in the field and likely knock out a three-loss Alabama. The Crimson Tide could be out even if BYU loses with Miami, Utah and Vanderbilt sitting behind the Cougars.

The winner of North Texas and Tulane will be in. But a second Group of Five contender could disrupt things. If James Madison wins the Sun Belt, the Dukes could claim a spot if five-loss Duke wins the ACC title game against Virginia.

Further down the postseason, there were exactly 82 teams finishing with the six wins needed for bowl eligibility. Two of those came from transition teams Missouri State and Delaware that would not allowed to participate in the postseason unless there were open spots. Welcome to the party, fans of the Bears and Blue Hens.

Notes: Not all conferences will fulfill their bowl allotment. An asterisk represents a replacement pick. Legacy Pac-12 schools in other conferences will fulfill existing Pac-12 bowl agreements through the 2025 season.

The New England Patriots, with the league’s best record at 11-2, have moved up the ranks.
Significant jumps in the rankings include the Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills, and Chicago Bears as five teams crack the top 10.

NFL power rankings entering Week 14 of the 2025 season (previous rank in parentheses):

1. Los Angeles Rams (1): Yeah, they lost … on the East Coast … in a rain storm … QB Matthew Stafford uncharacteristically throwing as many interceptions (2) in the first quarter as he had all season entering Sunday. Maybe the only concerning red flag here was how the defense was gashed on the ground by Carolina. Otherwise? We’re giving LA a mulligan on this one.

2. New England Patriots (3): It’s quite tempting to declare the team with the NFL’s best record (11-2) as the league’s best. But as much as QB Drake Maye and Co. have shown this season, we need to see just a little more − and against better competition.

4. Green Bay Packers (5): Beat the archrival Bears on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep of the NFC North in a three-week period, and the Pack might just find itself atop the conference standings.

5. Denver Broncos (4): In some respects, they resemble a Rocky Mountain version of the Seahawks, sporting an often dominant D and a quarterback who can be great … and also a total wild card.

6. Houston Texans (11): The Seahawks allegedly have the best defense in the world, but the numbers support the Texans − who are allowing the fewest points and yards per game in the league. Now, is it good enough to snap a five-game losing streak to the Chiefs?

7. Buffalo Bills (12): The league’s No. 1 rushing attack is fresh off producing a season-high 249 yards − which are also the most gained at Pittsburgh in half a century.

8. Chicago Bears (15): They’ve swept the NFC East. They’ve swept Pennsylvania. If the team currently sitting atop the NFC can win at Lambeau Field on Sunday, then any notions of fraudulence should be fully put to bed.

10. San Francisco 49ers (14): They’ll only leave Silicon Valley once more in the regular season and, at 9-4, the Niners are very much in the mix to snag home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

13. Indianapolis Colts (8): They’ve won once since acquiring CB Sauce Gardner, who’s out for an indefinite period with a calf injury.

16. Baltimore Ravens (10): They’re averaging 20 points and nearly three turnovers per game over the past three weeks, though QB Lamar Jackson did look a bit more spry in the Thanksgiving loss to Cincinnati.

17. Carolina Panthers (20): Getting RB Chuba Hubbard reintegrated into the offense seems like a wise move. It sure paid off in Sunday’s upset of the Rams, when he had a season-high 19 touches and 124 yards.

19. Los Angeles Chargers (17): Better to go into a Monday night game against a salty Philly D with a quarterback fresh off surgery for a broken (non-throwing) hand? Or Trey Lance?

20. Cincinnati Bengals (23): As obviously important as it is to have QB Joe Burrow back in the lineup, this team’s story might be equally influenced by a defense that the locker room almost universally cited for beating Baltimore. Cincy has certainly been much better on that side of the ball in recent weeks.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers (18): You actually don’t want to fire Mike Tomlin, yinzers. You want to trade him for a first-round draft pick.

25. Washington Commanders (27): Their valiant play in Sunday night’s loss to the Broncos is a pretty good testament to coach Dan Quinn and a team that could easily have packed it in by now.

30. New York Giants (28): To summarize for any prospective head coaches − the rookie quarterback is determined to play recklessly, and the rookie pass rusher seems determined … not to play all that much.

There’s nothing but turkey bones, sweet potato scraps and stale biscuits left over from Thanksgiving.

Black Friday has come and gone and Cyber Monday has passed.

But now is the time for Major League Baseball executives to jump on the phones, letting everyone know this week who is actually available on the trade market. It’s shopping season for teams to make their best offers before the winter meetings.

Teams are envious of the heist Craig Breslow and the Boston Red Sox pulled off a year ago when they traded for Chicago White Sox starter Garrett Crochet, who finished second in Cy Young voting and led his new team to the playofs.

Who can forget Dave Dombrowski sending six players to the Florida Marlins in the winter of 2007 for young Miguel Cabrera, who spent the next 16 years of his career in Detroit becoming one of the greatest hitters in history?

There was no greater winter-meeting blockbuster the last 40 years than the 1990 trade between the Blue Jays and Padres. First baseman Fred McGriff and shortstop Tony Fernandez went from Toronto to San Diego for second baseman Roberto Alomar and outfielder Joe Carter. The trade was so sensational that the assembled media actually broke into applause. Alomar and McGriff went into the Hall of Fame and Carter hit the biggest home run in Blue Jays history.

And no one rebuilt their team at the winter meetings using a series of trades more than St. Louis Cardinals GM Whitey Herzog in 1980, who engineered three trades involving 23 players, including future Hall of Famers Bruce Sutter, Rollie Fingers and Ted Simmons. Two years later, the Cardinals won the World Series with Herzog as manager.

In an offseason in which we’ve already seen the New York Mets and Texas Rangers swap the big contracts of Brandon Nimmo and Marcus Semien; the Los Angeles Angels trade slugger Taylor Ward to the Baltimore Orioles for starter Grayson Rodriguez; and the Red Sox acquire starter Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals, here are the top 10 trade candidates heading into baseball’s winter meetings that commence Monday in Orlando:

1. Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers

He’s the ultimate prize on every contender’s wish list. He’s easily the finest pitcher available with Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes going nowhere. What team wouldn’t want Skubal leading the way to the World Series? The trouble is that the price tag will be enormous for only one year of service, unless someone is willing to offer $450 million on the spot. The Tigers will trade Skubal only if they get completely blown away, delaying any tough decision until next summer. But it doesn’t hurt to ask – and the Tigers are willing to at least listen.

2. Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers

Peralta, who went 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA and 204 strikeouts, can certainly fit into anyone’s budget. He earns only $8 million in the final year of his contract and would cost less than Skubal in terms of a trade. Yet, after reaching the NLCS last year, the Brewers are hungry for more and believe they have the rotation that could vault them to their first World Series appearance since 1982. Just like the Tigers, the Brewers would have to be presented a package impossible to ignore to move on from Peralta.

3. Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks continue to have operators standing by ready to field your phone calls. They have told anyone and everyone they are willing to listen to offers for their All-Star second baseman, who signed a six-year, $116.5 million deal last spring with $46 million in deferred money. The D-backs want pitching, and lots of it, in return. They spent a franchise-record last winter, missed the playoffs and will open next season without free agents Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly – and ace Corbin Burnes on the injured list for most of the season. They need help, and Marte is their most valuable trade chip. The Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and Tampa Bay Rays, who have plenty of pitching, are all on the radar.

4. Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians

They nearly traded him at last year’s deadline, and it was the best move they didn’t make with their dramatic comeback to win the AL Central. Kwan, a four-time Gold Glove winner, is projected to earn $8.8 million in his second year of salary arbitration, according to MLB Trade Rumors. Certainly, the Guardians are a better team with Kwan, but he’s the best outfielder on the trade market and would be a much more reasonable option than high-priced free agents Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger.

5. Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins

The Red Sox nearly pulled off a deal for Ryan at last year’s deadline, only for them to run out of time. He’s one of the premier starters on the market with three years of control and projected to earn just $5.8 million in his first year of salary arbitration. He was 13-10 with a 3.42 ERA last season despite his struggles down the stretch, going 1-5 with a 6.47 ERA in his last seven starts. The biggest question is whether Ryan really is available this winter. The Twins, trying to reduce their debt, are trying to decide whether to move Ryan or starter Pablo Lopez, who has two years left at $21.5 million a season.

6. MacKenzie Gore, Washington Nationals

He’s controllable, he’s cheap, and he still has the talent that every team believes they unlock and turn into a front-line starter. If Paul Toboni, the new man in charge, wants to rebuild the farm system, Gore is the perfect player to kick-start the project. Gore, 5-15, 4.17 ERA last season, earned $2.9 million last season and is projected to earn $4.7 million in 2026. He still is under club control two more years.

7. Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays raised eyebrows by picking up Lowe’s option, considering it will cost them $11.5 million a year before he hits free agency. After resisting trade offers for him the past two seasons, this is the ideal time to move the All-Star. The question now is whether the Rays’ new ownership would really want to move a fan favorite as they try to generate some good will as the team returns to Tropicana Field.

8. Jarren Duran, Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox listened, but never came close to trading Duran at last year’s deadline. Now, it makes little sense to keep him. They already have Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu in the outfield, and have engaged on free agents Alex Bregman and Pete Alonso. Duran, who hit 16 homers with 84 RBIs, is still under control for three more years.

9. Brendan Donovan, St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals’ rebuild began last week with the trade of Sonny Gray, and before spring training, will dump Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado, who plans to waive his full no-trade clause. Yet, their biggest trade piece will be Donovan, their All-Star who can play second base, shortstop and the outfield, with two more years of club control.

10. Luis Severino, Athletics

The Athletics, who celebrated his arrival a year ago when they signed him to a three-year, $67 million contract, now could be cheering his departure. Severino has not been shy letting everyone know how much he hates pitching at home in Sacramento, and has the stats to prove it. He was 2-9 with a 6.01 ERA in 15 home starts, and was 6-2 with a 3.02 ERA in 14 road starts. He is scheduled to earn $20 million in 2026 with a $22 million player option in 2027. Could a change of scenery make the difference? The A’s are trying to persuade teams to believe it.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

Penn State fired James Franklin on Oct. 12, and remains the biggest pony left in this year’s college football coaching carousel. While Franklin was quick to find a new home, Penn State is still searching.

The best move on the market has been to be linked with the Penn State job. It usually meant good news for your bank account. Western Pennsylvanian Curt Cignetti (Indiana), PSU alum Matt Rhule (Nebraska), Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri) and Clark Lea (Vanderbilt) all had their names mentioned with the opening. All got new deals, and the latest name, BYU’s Kalani Sitake, appears to be in line for the same.

The SEC Gone Wild has dominated the coaching cycle, leaving State College out in the cold… so far. With Sitake reportedly remaining at BYU, Happy Valley is running out of options.

Here’s the latest on the Penn State coaching search:

HIT REFRESH FOR UPDATES.

Kalani Sitake to stay at BYU

It’s hard to stray away from home.

After a great deal of hype, Sitake is reportedly staying in Provo, per Pete Thamel. As the Cougars prepare for a Big 12 championship bout with Texas Tech and a possible playoff run, Sitake is in-line to get a big extension after a successful season, making him just the latest coach to use Penn State interest as leverage.

BYU optimistic it can keep Kalani Sitake

As much as Penn State may want Kalani Sitake as its next coach, his current employer isn’t letting him leave without a fight.

Crumbl Cookie co-founder wants to help BYU keep Kalani Sitake

That’s how the cookie crumbles apparently for a Penn State coaching search. Kalani Sitake’s name popped up prominently in the PSU search on Monday. That caused BYU booster and fan Jason McGowan, the co-founder of Crumbl Cookie, to take to social media. ‘Some people are not replaceable. Sounds like it is time for me to get off the sidelines and get to work,’ McGowan posted.

He followed that post on X with another, imploring Cougars fans to let Sitake feel the love.

BYU’s Kalani Sitake ‘focus’ of Penn State job

A Dec. 1 report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel says BYU coach Kalani Sitake is ‘the focus’ of Penn State’s search.

Sitake has built the Cougars into one of the Big 12’s premier programs. The 50-year-old coach and BYU alum has the school in Saturday’s Big 12 Championship game with a spot in the College Football Playoff on the line.

Sitake was asked, on Monday, about his possible connection to the Penn State job:

‘This is a great distraction to have, let’s be honest,’ Sitake said, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. ‘I’ll address it with the team. … But they are used to me saying, ‘Hey, this is a good sign that things are going well for us.’ But I will say that this isn’t about me.

‘I’m all about the Big 12 championship and keeping our team focused on that. We’re going to avoid all of the distractions.’

Potential Penn State target Bob Chesney hired at UCLA

Bob Chesney was another name loosely linked to the Penn State job. But the James Madison coach is headed west to coach UCLA.

Brian Dabol, Kalani Sitake prediction favorites for Penn State job

BYU coach Kalani Sitake and recently-fired New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll are Monday’s favorites to become the next PSU leader, according to Kalshi, the federally regulated exchange and prediction market.

Players advocate for Terry Smith to get Penn State job

Interim coach Terry Smith went 3-3 after Franklin’s dismissal as the Nittany Lions clawed their way back to bowl eligibility. PSU players lobbied for Smith to get the job permanently.

After the Nov. 22 win over Nebraska, Smith seemed to stake a claim for the job during a postgame on-field interview while players behind him held signs that read ‘Hire Terry Smith’ and fans chanted his name.

“The emotion is I love my guys. I love my locker room, and you see how hard my guys play,’ Smith said. ‘These guys play inspired football. They’re motivated. And we finished once again tonight… These guys listen to me. They trust me. And they’re going out there playing great football.

‘It’s my locker room.”

What about Josh Heupel for Penn State?

Tennessee fans mocked USA TODAY columnist Blake Toppmeyer when he suggested Josh Heupel swap Knoxville for Happy Valley and maybe get ahead of a growing frustration with some sects of Vols fans. In those same predictive markets, Heupel was sitting at 18% Not a favorite. But nothing to laugh at either.

‘As Heupel’s stock absorbs a hit in Tennessee, candidates with his credentials remain in short supply within this wild coaching carousel,’ Toppmeyer wrote in early November. ‘He’d be a boon for Penn State. Now’s his time to strike, while his resume remains catchy.

‘Before Heupel’s Tennessee revival, Franklin staged one at Penn State. Franklin stayed too long. The posse got him.

‘Exiting Tennessee for Penn State would be a lateral move, but it’s a move with an easier path to the playoff. That’s what this sport is now, for programs like Penn State or Tennessee: Playoff or bust.’

One of the most prominent voices in college football media is going to be sticking to sports after all.

Longtime college football pundit and radio host Paul Finebaum will not be running for a soon-to-be-vacant U.S. Senate seat in Alabama, he said to AL.com on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

While Finebaum told the outlet he was ‘deeply moved by so many people in Alabama who have reached out encouraging me to run,’ he has decided against a campaign.

‘It’s time for me to devote my full attention to something everyone in Alabama can agree upon – our love of college football,’ he said in a statement.

Finebaum’s decision brings an end to more than two months of speculation over whether he would launch a bid to run for the Senate seat currently occupied by former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville, who is abdicating the seat to run for Alabama governor.

In a Sept. 29 interview with Outkick’s Clay Travis, Finebaum first expressed an interest in a Senate bid, citing the Sept. 10 assassination of right-wing political commentator and organizer Charlie Kirk as an inspiration for a potential campaign. He added that he would run if asked by President Donald Trump.

‘The biggest issue is the direction of ‘Where are we going (as a country)?’’ Finebaum said at the time. ‘And I don’t like some of that.’

The deadline for Finebaum or any other candidate to enter the primary is Jan. 23, 2026.

The 70-year-old Finebaum recently moved from North Carolina back to Alabama, where he first rose to prominence as a columnist for the Birmingham Post-Herald and as a sports talk radio host who amassed a colorful collection of callers.

Finebaum joined ESPN in 2013 and has about a year-and-a-half remaining on his contract with the network. About a week after his initial interview with Finebaum, Travis reported that ESPN had cancelled all of Finebaum’s scheduled appearances on platforms across its family of networks. ESPN swiftly denied Travis’ claim, calling it ‘totally false.’ Finebaum was back to appearing on ESPN shows later that week.

In his statement to AL.com, Finebaum thanked his bosses at ESPN for ‘allowing me to explore this opportunity.’

The final test of the fantasy football regular season is here for fantasy managers. Many will be fighting for playoff spots in Week 14 while missing some of their top playmakers during the NFL’s final set of bye weeks.

Four total teams will be on bye in Week 14: the Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. That will knock plenty of playmakers out of action, including Drake Maye, Christian McCaffrey, Rico Dowdle and many, many more.

As such, fantasy managers on the cusp of making it into the fantasy postseason will have to make some key start ’em, sit ’em decisions to replace these contributors. Those lineup choices could end up making or breaking their respective seasons as the fantasy playoff push reaches its final stages.

Who can you start and sit in fantasy football for Week 14 of the NFL season? USA TODAY Sports outlines eight players to start and eight to sit.

Fantasy football players to start in Week 14

Quarterbacks

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (vs. Dallas Cowboys)

Goff continues to be a steady producer at quarterback, as he has logged at least 250 passing yards in five straight games while logging multiple touchdowns in four of those five contests. Now, he gets to face a Cowboys defense that has surrendered a league-high 28 passing touchdowns and the most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to quarterbacks.

Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers (vs. Chicago Bears)

Love has been hit or miss this season, but he performed at an MVP level in the Packers’ Thanksgiving win over the Lions. The 27-year-old should find similar success against the Bears, who are tied with the Lions for the second-most passing touchdowns surrendered to quarterbacks this season.

Running backs

Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings (vs. Washington Commanders)

Mason has taken a backseat to Aaron Jones in recent weeks, but Jones suffered a shoulder injury against the Seahawks. It isn’t clear whether that will cause the veteran to miss time, but either way, it could create more opportunities for Mason. The former 49er has generated between 42 and 47 rushing yards in his last three outings while averaging 6.7 carries per game. He could post better numbers with more volume against a Washington defense that has surrendered the fourth-most FPPG to RBs this season.

Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams (at Arizona Cardinals)

Wide receivers

Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions (vs. Dallas Cowboys)

Since Detroit’s bye week, Williams is averaging 83.4 receiving yards over five games with four touchdowns. On Thanksgiving, he racked up a season-high seven catches for 144 yards after Amon-Ra St. Brown left the contest with an ankle injury and did not return. Expect Williams to have another big game against a Cowboys defense that has allowed a league-high 21 receiving touchdowns to wideouts this season.

Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens (vs. Pittsburgh Steelers)

Flowers is coming off a Thanksgiving dud against the Bengals, but he has largely remained consistent despite Lamar Jackson’s recent struggles. The Boston College product has posted at least 58 receiving yards in seven of his last nine games and gets an appetizing matchup against a Steelers team that has allowed a league-high 2,061 receiving yards to wide-outs this season.

Tight end

Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins (at New York Jets)

Waller returned to action after missing four games with a pectoral injury. He totaled a team-high 47 yards on just two catches but nearly logged his fifth touchdown of the season, narrowly failing to get both feet down in the end zone. Waller remains a big-time red-zone threat and should have plenty of scoring chances in a favorable matchup against a Jets defense against which he scored twice in Week 4.

Defense/special teams

Cleveland Browns (vs. Tennessee Titans)

No quarterback has been sacked more times than Cam Ward this season (48). Myles Garrett is on pace to set the NFL’s single-season sack record, as he has 19 sacks through 12 games. Add in that the Titans are averaging a league-low 14.2 points per game and this seems like a smash spot for the Browns.

Fantasy football players to sit in Week 14

Quarterbacks

Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals (vs. Los Angeles Rams)

Brissett has been incredibly consistent since taking over for Kyler Murray, logging two passing touchdowns in six of his seven starts and averaging a whopping 312.6 passing yards per game. But backing him against a Rams team that has only allowed multiple passing touchdowns four times in 12 games this season doesn’t seem like a formula for success.

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (vs. Philadelphia Eagles)

Herbert and the Chargers seem confident he’ll play despite the quarterback suffering a fracture in his left, non-throwing hand. Still, backing a quarterback at less than 100% against a strong defense like the Eagles doesn’t seem like a winning formula. Philadelphia has limited opposing quarterbacks to 12 passing touchdowns this season, tied for second-fewest in the league, so Herbert has a low floor/ceiling combination in this one.

Running backs

Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. Houston Texans)

The Chiefs eased Pacheco into action in his first game back from a knee injury that sidelined him for three games. He could eventually work his way back into a larger role, but he appears to be playing second fiddle to Kareem Hunt for now. That makes it hard to trust him against a Texans defense that ranks No. 1 overall league-wide in defensive EPA per play, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.

Woody Marks, Houston Texans (at Kansas City Chiefs)

Trusting either running game in the Texans-Chiefs contest seems risky. The Chiefs have allowed the sixth-fewest FPPG to running backs this season while Marks has averaged just 3.6 yards per carry despite overtaking Nick Chubb in Houston’s backfield rotation. Chubb could also vulture potential scores from Marks, so this just seems like a situation to avoid.

Wide receivers

Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons (vs. Seattle Seahawks)

Many believed Kirk Cousins’ return to the lineup would help Mooney regain the form he displayed during his career-best 2024 season. Instead, he has managed just five catches for 99 yards and a touchdown across Cousins’ two starts. Mooney will remain an inconsistent deep threat, as such, which makes him hard to trust against a Seahawks defense that has allowed the second-fewest receiving yards to wide-outs this season.

DJ Moore, Chicago Bears (at Green Bay Packers)

Moore has been wildly inconsistent during his second season working with Caleb Williams. The 28-year-old veteran had a two-touchdown game in Week 12 but has surrounded that with three games in which he totaled three catches and 35 yards. Moore certainly has boom potential, but he comes with a lot of risk against a Packers defense that is allowing the fifth-fewest points per game league-wide this season (20).

Tight end

Oronde Gadsden II, Los Angeles Chargers (vs. Philadelphia Eagles)

Gadsden has had a couple of monster showings during his rookie season, but he hasn’t been as productive of late. The 22-year-old is averaging just two receptions for 27 yards over his last three games and hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 8. It’s best to sit him against an Eagles defense that has allowed the third-fewest FPPG to tight ends this season, especially with Herbert banged up.

Defense/special teams

Houston Texans (at Kansas City Chiefs)

The Texans have one of the NFL’s best defenses and just limited one of the NFL’s best offenses, the Colts, to just 16 points. It may be hard for them to do the same against the Chiefs after Patrick Mahomes and Rashee Rice enjoyed a breakout game in Kansas City’s Thanksgiving loss to the Cowboys.

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It’s lobbying season in college football, with coaches, administrators and fans breathlessly presenting their most compelling cases for why they believe their teams should be included in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

Sometimes, that politicking is even done by actual, in-the-flesh politicians.

During a meeting between President Donald Trump and members of his cabinet on Tuesday, Dec. 2, Secretary of State Marco Rubio put personal rooting interests to the side and used his designated speaking opportunity to campaign for Miami’s inclusion in the playoff.

“I’m a Florida Gator, but if the University of Miami gets screwed out of the College Football Playoffs, after going 10-2 and beating Notre Dame, the whole thing should be scrapped and (Trump) is gonna have to take over next year,” Rubio said.

Rubio’s a Miami native and former U.S. Senator from Florida who attended Florida as an undergrad before earning a law degree from Miami. His connection to the Florida football program goes beyond cheering for them on Saturdays. His son, Anthony, is a sophomore running back for the Gators.

Miami is one of the most hotly debated teams heading into Sunday’s reveal of the final playoff field. The Hurricanes went 10-2 during the regular season, with both of their losses coming in conference play by a combined nine points. Thanks to a convoluted and controversial series of tiebreakers, they were left out of the ACC championship game, meaning they have no chance at earning an automatic berth to the playoff as one of the sport’s five highest-ranked conference champions.

Still, there’s a potentially valuable bullet point on Miami’s resume, one that could ultimately earn it a spot in the playoff — a 27-24 season-opening victory against a Notre Dame team that has an identical 10-2 record, but was ranked three spots ahead of the Hurricanes in last week’s playoff selection committee rankings.

The committee will release its newest set of rankings on the night of Dec. 2.

Pray for Jake Paul.

So said heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk when asked about the upcoming boxing match between Paul and former world champion Anthony Joshua.

“If Anthony Joshua wants, he (can) kill this guy,’’ Usyk told Boxing Scene, comparing Joshua to a Rolls-Royce and Paul to a Fiat. “… I will pray (for) Jake Paul because I want (to) fight Jake Paul in the Octagon.’’

The projections seem to be growing more dire with Paul set to fight Joshua Dec. 19 at the Kaseya Center in Miami in an eight-round bout to be livestreamed by Netflix.

Joshua has held the unified heavyweight championship twice. Paul has fought the likes of retired MMA fighters, a retired NBA player and a 58-year-old Mike Tyson.

Tony Bellew, a retired boxer who was 30-3-1 and now works as a commentator, said Paul is in for a terrifying experience against Joshua.

“When (Joshua) touches him for the first time with a pair of 10-ounce gloves on, he’s going to get the fright of his life,’’ Bellew told IFL TV.

Bellew also expressed doubt the fight will take place, saying of Paul, “I don’t believe he’s going to get in the ring with 10-ounce gloves on.’’

David Haye, a former heavyweight champion, told Sky News that Paul’s life will be at risk when the 6-foot-1 social media-star-turned-boxer climbs into the ring against the 6-foot-6 Joshua.

‘It could be his last day on Earth,’ said Haye, 45, who held world titles as a heavyweight and cruiserweight.

But Louis Durkin, president of the Association of Ringside Physicians, told USA TODAY Sports he has no safety concerns about the boxing match.

‘Although Jake should be a considerable underdog, he has real skills and AJ is a little past his prime,’ said Durkin, Chairman of Emergency Medicine at Mercy Medical Center in  Springfield, Massachusetts. ‘Should be a good match and I think (a) strong chance it goes the distance.’

On safety concerns being aired by others, Durkin said, ‘They don’t want to believe a YouTuber is good enough. He took the shortcut to the top.’

Durkin said the difference between Paul and Joshua in terms of experience and size counts ‘on paper.’

‘But if you look at the individual fighters, I don’t think it rises to the level of safety concern,’ Durkin said. ‘Now whether (Paul) deserves a shot at Joshua is a different question. But I think that gets confused with the level of danger.’