Month: September 2020

This week in Steelers history: CB Joe Haden came to Pittsburgh

Three years ago this week, the Steelers signed CB Joe Haden after he was cut by the Browns.
Pittsburgh gave Haden a three-year deal and he’s performed at a high level since.
Haden had offers from other teams, but he chose to sign with the Steelers over the Saints, Cowboys and Chiefs.
In three seasons with the Steelers, Haden has eight interceptions and 36 passes defensed

Three years ago this week, the Steelers signed CB Joe Haden after he was cut by the Browns.
Pittsburgh gave Haden a three-year deal and he’s performed at a high level since.
Haden had offers from other teams, but he chose to sign with the Steelers over the Saints, Cowboys and Chiefs.
In three seasons with the Steelers, Haden has eight interceptions and 36 passes defensed

This week in Steelers history: CB Joe Haden came to Pittsburgh

Three years ago this week, the Steelers signed CB Joe Haden after he was cut by the Browns.
Pittsburgh gave Haden a three-year deal and he’s performed at a high level since.
Haden had offers from other teams, but he chose to sign with the Steelers over the Saints, Cowboys and Chiefs.
In three seasons with the Steelers, Haden has eight interceptions and 36 passes defensed

Three years ago this week, the Steelers signed CB Joe Haden after he was cut by the Browns.
Pittsburgh gave Haden a three-year deal and he’s performed at a high level since.
Haden had offers from other teams, but he chose to sign with the Steelers over the Saints, Cowboys and Chiefs.
In three seasons with the Steelers, Haden has eight interceptions and 36 passes defensed

Raiders WR Bryan Edwards projected to total 700 yards during rookie season

Raiders WR Bryan Edwards projected to total 700 yards during rookie season

With the way things are trending for the Las Vegas Raiders, it appears that they are on track to start two rookies receivers in Week 1.

It won’t be surprising at all to see Henry Ruggs III in the starting lineup after the team used the No. 12 selection on him during April’s draft. But to potentially see third-round pick Bryan Edwards with the starters, that’s quite a surprise given how his offseason went.

Edwards missed all of the pre-draft process with a broken foot as he was unable to participate in the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine. Due to his injury, he fell to the middle of the third round to a team that had already taken a receiver.

However, Edwards was just too good of a value to pass up and he is already paying dividends on that selection. He’s been a star in camp and is slated to start at the “X” receiver spot in Week 1.

But what type of numbers can we expect from Edwards during his rookie season? At The Huddle, they have the former South Carolina star projected at 700 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Here is a quick look at their thoughts on Edwards heading into the season:

“The 3.17 pick by the Raiders has received nothing but positive reviews and is expected to become a starter. His long-term value is higher, but he has a chance to offer up some plug-n-play fantasy value even as a rookie. With Tyrell Williams banged up with a bad shoulder for the year, Edwards stock just jumped up more.”

700 receiving yards by a rookie is pretty rare. Since 2015, only 14 receivers have reached that mark and only three were selected past pick No. 80. However, the list of receivers that do hit that total has a pretty good track record of long-term success in the NFL.

If Edwards is able to come anywhere close to that number this season, that would be an excellent sign for his longterm outlook for the team. Look for Edwards to see plenty of targets this season for the Raiders and for 700 yards to be his goal during his rookie season.

Dominate your fantasy football league with TheHuddle.com. Custom rankings! Sleepers! New customers, take 20% this year’s subscription. Order now!

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Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Tuesday’s Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers sports betting odds and lines, with MLB betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Arizona Diamondbacks (14-21) and Los Angeles Dodgers (26-10) open a three-game series Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. First pitch is at 9:40 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze the Diamondbacks-Dodgers MLB betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.

Diamondbacks at Dodgers: Projected starting pitchers

LHP Alex Young vs. LHP Julio Urias

Young: 1-1, 4.70 ERA, 24 K, 23 IP, 10 games (3 starts)

  • Dodgers 1B Max Muncy has three hits, including two home runs, in four at-bats against Young.
  • The lefty swingman has allowed four homers in 12 innings of work in his career against the Dodgers.

Urias: 2-0, 3.67 ERA, 24 K, 27 IP, 6 starts

  • Urias allowed two runs and five hits over six innings in one start against the Diamondbacks this season.
  • He has not fared well in his last two starts, allowing 14 baserunners and five runs over 5 2/3 innings.

Get some action on this game or any other matchup in the 2020 season with an MLB bet at BetMGM in NJ, IN, CO and WV. Bet now!

Diamondbacks at Dodgers: Key injuries

(Get the latest injury news here.)

Dodgers

  • 3B Justin Turner (hamstring) questionable
  • 3B Edwin Rios (hamstring) out
  • RP Joe Kelly (shoulder) out

Also see: BaseballHQ Fantasy Baseball

Diamondbacks at Dodgers: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 9:25 a.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML)

The Dodgers are heavy favorites at -250 and the D-Backs are +225 underdogs. The Dodgers have won eight of their last 10 and the Diamondbacks have lost nine of 10. They struggle offensively and the Dodgers are rolling. Take the DODGERS (-250).

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Dodgers to win returns a profit of $4.

Run line/Against the spread (ATS)

LA is also favored at -1.5 (-121) to win by 2 or more runs. The Diamondbacks have covered in only 33% of their games, while the Dodgers have the fourth-highest cover percentage in the league. There is only one way to go. Take the DODGERS 1.5 (-121).

Over/Under (O/U)

The total is set at 9 runs. Dodgers games average 8.8 runs per game. D-backs games average 9.3 but have gone Under in nine of their last 11 games. Take the UNDER 9 (-110).

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.

Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Buccaneers sign former Titans K Ryan Succop

Former Titans kicker Ryan Succop will look to resurrect his career with the Bucs.

Former Tennessee Titans kicker Ryan Succop has signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team announced on Tuesday morning.

In a corresponding move, Tampa Bay reportedly waived fellow kicker, Elliot Fry, leaving Matt Gay as Succop’s only competition for the starting job.

Succop was cut by the Titans earlier in the offseason after struggling mightily in 2019. He started off the season on IR and was simply ineffective upon his return, making 1-of-6 kicks. He ultimately landed back on IR, ending his season.

Prior to a lost 2019 season, Succop was one of the more reliable kickers in the league during his tenure in Nashville. In six seasons with the Titans, Succop made 83.6 percent of his attempts and was never below an 83.3 percent success rate in any with Tennessee season before last.

Succop will now have a chance to resurrect his career with Tampa Bay, a team that wasn’t satisfied with what looked like lackluster options for its starting kicker competition.

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Darius Leonard says he’s been PED tested 3 times in training camp

The league sees a big year for Leonard.

The NFL must believe that Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard is heading for a big season in 2020 because they haven’t been shy about testing him for performance-enhancing drugs, according to the linebacker himself.

Leonard tweeted on Monday that the league has already had him test three times for PEDs since training camp started, and the All-Pro linebacker is seeing a trend.

There have been countless cases of players being tested for PEDs at a high rate. As Leonard enters his third season already with an All-Pro and Pro Bowl nod under his belt, the league must be expecting a big year for the South Carolina State product.

Dubbed “The Maniac,” Leonard has been flying around the field at Colts training camp making plays left and right. The former second-round pick has another set of high goals for himself in 2020, but he plans on achieving them without the benefit of PEDs.

Leonard is one of the most exciting players in the league and is headed for a big season so this likely isn’t the last time he will be tested for PEDs in 2020.

Where does Bills’ Matt Barkley rank as a backup QB?

Pro Football Focus ranks Buffalo Bills quarterback Matt Barkley.

Backup quarterbacks are just one snap away from being at the top of the depth chart. There’s a chance that the man holding the clipboard one week will make the most of his chance on the field, a la the Titans’ Ryan Tannehill, who took over for the Tennessee and parlayed his performance into a four-year, $118 million extension.

For the Bills, Matt Barkley is the guy who’s one play away from jumping in with the first-team offense in lieu of a Josh Allen injury, week in and week out. With Tannehill previously near the top of the charts as a backup QB in the NFL, where does Barkley stack up against the competition?

Pro Football Focus ranked the best backup quarterbacks ahead of the 2020 season. Unfortunately, PFF does not see Barkley inspiring confidence if he were to play in a substantial chunk of games, slotting the veteran as the 23rd-best second-string quarterback in the league.

In a simulation of 100,000 situations, PFF estimated where Barkley falls among the league’s backups. In fewer than half of the simulations (42.4-percent), Barkley was viewed as a top-16 quarterback. In a longshot scenario of Barkley taking the helm for an extended time and finishing as a top-10 quarterback in the league, Barkley lands in this range in only five percent of the scenarios.

Barkley solidified his place as the Bills backup during Buffalo’s tumultuous 2018 quarterback season, one in which the team traded a quarterback prior to the start of the season and started four quarterbacks in the regular season. Barkley exploded with a 232-yard passing day that year, leading the Bills to a 41-10 victory over the New York Jets.

Flash forward to 2020 and Barkley is entering the final year of his contract with Buffalo. The team drafted Jake Fromm in the fifth-round of this April’s draft, adding some intrigue to the quarterback depth chart. Fromm won’t challenge Barkley in the short term. However, things could get interesting depending on Barkley’s progress during this year.

Really the most telling thought behind Barkley’s place on the Bills is the idea that he’s the “veteran backup” to Allen. Yes, he is older, but veteran? Allen has 27 starts to Barkley’s seven in their respective careers. The Bills front office brass will need to make a decision if Barkley will earn another contract extension with the team as safety option if Allen were to miss time… or does Fromm or another younger option fit behind their starter?

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Denzel Ward cracks the top 20 on PFF’s list of top CBs

Ward is also the youngest player on the list

Denzel Ward is quickly garnering real respect around the NFL. After just two seasons, the Browns cornerback is consistently mentioned as one of the top young CBs in the NFL.

Pro Football Focus released its top 25 cornerbacks entering the 2020 NFL season, and Ward shows up in the middle of the list. At No. 16 overall, Ward proudly represents the Browns and the promising young premium talent the team has assembled on defense.

Ward’s position is bolstered by his impressive coverage figures,

Denzel Ward’s NFL career is still a work in progress, but he is already on the brink of being one of the very top corners in the game. For his career, he has allowed under 50% of passes thrown his way to be caught, and that dropped to 44.9% in Year 2. He surrendered just one touchdown and was beaten for a mere 58.0 passer rating on the season.

Still just 23 years old, Ward is the youngest player in the top 25, too. If he can stay healthy for a full 16-game season, something he’s yet to do, expect Ward to move up this list in coming years.

WATCH: JuJu Smith-Schuster wants to show you his new undies

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has collaborated with MeUndies for a new campaign.

Staying true to “it’s litty” form, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster recently partnered with MeUndies to create a limited edition pair of Litty-print skivvies.

Courtesy of MeUndies

JuJu and MeUndies mission is one and the same: Authentic self-expression.

“Being authentic is what people want. It’s what people love,” said Smith-Schuster in his MeUndies “Litty” spot. “At the end of the day, if you’re true to yourself, everyone will love you for who you are.”

Because of his affection for onesies, JuJu wanted to make sure Litty was also available in onesie style. Of course, he collaborated with MeUndies to make it so! “Being a kid, I was able to run around in onesies. Being an adult, it’s still fun to this day,” said JuJu. “When I put this on, I feel like I have some special powers — and I’m litty.”

JuJu and his “right-hand man” Boujee are both staying litty. Courtesy of MeUndies

Litty can be purchased in men’s and women’s sizes at MeUndies in the following styles: Undies, bralettes, socks, lounge pants, and onesie.

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