Colts’ Jacoby Brissett expected to play vs. Jaguars

Jacoby Brissett in line to play in Week 11.

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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett will practice in a full capacity on Wednesday and is expected to play in Week 11 against the Jacksonville Jaguars at home.

Brissett missed the Week 10 loss against the Miami Dolphins, and head coach Frank Reich opened the week saying if the 26-year-old practices in full Wednesday then he would play against the Jaguars.

Brissett suffered an MCL sprain in Week 9. He felt he could have played against the Dolphins, but Reich decided against it. It seems now, though, the Colts will get their starting quarterback to return against the Jaguars.

It should be noted that nothing is official in Brissett starting on Sunday. Until the injury report comes out this weekend or if the team announces it. As long as he’s healthy enough to play, Brissett will be the starter.

The Colts will release their first injury report of the week on Wednesday, and it should include Brissett as a full participant.

Meet the 2019-20 ALL-USA Preseason High School Girls Basketball Team

The 2019-20 ALL-USA Preseason Girls Basketball Team has been announced. Check out who the top hoopers are in the country heading into the season.

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USA TODAY High School Sports is unveils the ALL-USA Preseason Girls Basketball Team for the 2019-20 season with the selection of 25 players.

The team was selected by the USA TODAY Sports Staff in consultation with various recruiting analysts and high school coaches.

BOYS: 2019-20 ALL-USA Preseason Boys Basketball Team

Statistics are from last season, except where otherwise noted. Players are listed in alphabetical order.

BREAKDOWN: ALL-USA Preseason Girls Basketball Team

Click through the gallery to meet the players:

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IN REVIEW: 2018-19 ALL-USA Girls Basketball Teams

BY STATE: 2018-19 ALL-USA State Girls Basketball Teams

Bellator 234 weigh-in results: Linton Vassell gives up 22 pounds to Sergei Kharitonov

The weigh-ins are in the books for this week’s Bellator 234 event, and the fighters on the main card all hit their marks.

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(Editor’s note: The weights for Kharitonov and Vassell initially were listed incorrectly based on Bellator’s press release but have since been corrected.)

The weigh-ins are in the books for this week’s Bellator 234 event, and the fighters on the main card all hit their marks.

In the main event, heavyweight contender Sergei Kharitonov (29-6 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) will attempt to continue to make his case for a title shot when he takes on Linton Vassell (18-8 MMA, 7-5 BMMA), who is looking for his first win in the heavyweight division.

Kharitonov tipped the scale roughly 22 pounds heavier than Vassell, but both men came in under the 266-pound heavyweight limit, so the fight is official.

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Bellator 234 takes place Thursday at Menora Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv. The main card airs on Paramount and the following day via tape delay.

Complete Bellator 234 weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD

  • Sergei Kharitonov (260.2) vs. Linton Vassell (238.6)
  • Roger Huerta (155.6) vs. Sidney Outlaw (156)
  • Zaka Fatullazade (152.6) vs. Aviv Gozali (156)
  • Haim Gozali (170.2) vs. Artur Pronin (171)
  • Grachik Bozinyan (185.8) vs. Austin Vanderford (184.2)

PRELIMINARY CARD

  • Sinead Kavanagh (145.4) vs. Olga Rubin (145.4)
  • Ameer Bashir (173.4)* vs. Robson Gracie Jr. (170.8)
  • Vladimir Fedin (217.2) vs. Adam Keresh (256.5)
  • Illia Hladkii (169.2) vs. Shimon Smotritsky (170.4)
  • Vugar Keramov (157.8)** vs. Gustavo Wurlitzer (158.8)**
  • Akhmed Fararzha (151.6) vs. Kirill Medvedovsky (157)
  • Raz Bring (135.6) vs. Naziri Daniliuk (134.2)
  • Mikail Dulgher (153.6) vs. Ofir Leibel (154.4)
  • Ron Becker (135.8) vs. Artem Kazartsev (132.2)
  • Ben Cohen (134) vs. Maksym Tkachuk (132.4)
  • Eli Aronov (202.8) vs. Sari Hleihil (197)
  • Itay Lipszyc (125.2) vs. Itzik Yakobov (123)
  • Rafael Aronov (169.8) vs. Nika Ben Tuashy (171)
  • Nisim Rozalis (221) vs. Noam Voldman (219.4)
  • Elias Mamadov (144.6) vs. Itay Tratner (144)
  • David Malka (164.2) vs. Tomer Maslis (168.4)

*Bashir forfeits 20 percent of his purse to Gracie Jr.; fight continues
** Karamov vs. Wurlitzer fines cancel out after both missed weight; fight continues

Report: Bengals will evaluate Colin Kaepernick’s NFL workout

A new report says the Bengals will have an eye on the workout.

The Cincinnati Bengals will keep an eye on Colin Kaepernick’s NFL workout over the weekend.

According to Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the team will evaluate the details of the process. No word on if the front office will have anyone in attendance, but it sounds like the Bengals will indeed join the fray of at least getting the film to evaluate the happenings.

The NFL announced Tuesday that Kaepernick would partake in a workout for teams on Saturday in Atlanta, including on-field work and interviews. Teams have been invited, though we’ve yet to see official attendance sheets make the rounds.

Kaepernick turned 32 earlier this month and hasn’t played since 2016.

From a Bengals perspective, paying attention to the happenings there makes some sense with Andy Dalton clearly on his way out the door, leaving — for now — only Ryan Finley as the future of the position.

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Tight end Ed Dickson should be activated with Luke Willson injured

With tight end Luke Willson now out with a hamstring injury, Seattle Seahawks will likely activate Ed Dickson back to the 53-man roster.

The Seattle Seahawks just continue to suffer injuries at the tight end position. In Week 10 against the San Francisco 49ers, Luke Willson left the game with a hamstring injury and was unable to return leaving Jacob Hollister as the team’s only true tight end on the roster.

Willson had been battling a rib injury heading into the contest.

“Luke’s got a legit hamstring – legit meaning that it’s not just a little cramp or something,” coach Pete Carroll said Tuesday after Willson had been further evaluated. “It showed up in the MRI testing of it. But it might be a couple weeks for him, we’ll just have to wait and see.”

With Willson potentially out for the near future, the Seahawks will look to tight end Ed Dickson for additional support at the spot. Dickson, who is now eligible to be activated back from the injured reserve, should be healthy to play.

“Yes, he’s ready to go,” Carroll confirmed. “Fortunately, if Luke is unable to play then we would like to think we can go right to Ed and get him going.”

Dickson has been able to practice with the team but must be added back to the 53-man roster before he can make his 2019 season debut.

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Panthers bring back Greg Dortch for practice squad, Browns sign Bryan Cox Jr.

The Panthers didn’t miss Greg Dortch for long.

The Panthers didn’t miss Greg Dortch for long. Just days after waiving the wide receiver/return specialist, the team has brought him back for the practice squad, signing him off the Jets’. To make room, they released wide receiver Quadree Henderson.

Dortch had a strong debut for Carolina against the Titans two weeks ago. He posted 52 yards on two kickoff returns and 11 yards on two punts.

In Green Bay, the Panthers replaced Dortch by going with D.J. Moore as their punt returner and DeAndrew White on kickoffs. Both did pretty well, so until that dynamic changes we probably won’t see Dortch called up to the 53-man roster.

In related news, the Browns picked up defensive end Bryan Cox Jr., who was also recently released by the Panthers.

Cleveland is arguably the most disappointing team in the AFC this season. They come into this week at just 3-6 despite high expectations.

Cox flashed several times for the Panthers, so he might be able to carve out a respectable backup role for himself with the Browns’ tough defensive line.

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LFA to UFC Fight Pass official, includes full library, 46 live events

Following a recent initial announcement, details are now set for LFA’s move to UFC Fight Pass.

Following a recent initial announcement, details are now set for LFA’s move to UFC Fight Pass.

UFC officials today revealed the deal calls for UFC Fight Pass to serve as the exclusive global streaming provider for 46 live LFA events, which will stream on the digital subscription service through 2021, beginning with LFA 78 this Friday in Belton, Texas.

LFA 79 will close out the promotion’s 2019 schedule on Nov. 22 in Broomfield, Colo. Current plans then call for 20 live events in 2020 and 24 live event in 2021.

Additionally, UFC Fight Fight Pass will host LFA’s entire event library, beginning in 2020.

“It’s great to have LFA as the newest member of the UFC Fight Pass family,” UFC president Dana White stated. “LFA has a long tradition of developing fighters that go on to compete at the next level, whether its ‘Dana White’s Contender Series,’ ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ or on the biggest stage with UFC. I’m thrilled to give these up-and-coming fighters a platform to showcase their abilities, while also providing a new home for LFA.”

LFA previously broadcast its events on AXS TV, though that relationship was abruptly terminated by the network earlier this year.

According to UFC officials, a total of 176 LFA athletes have transitioned to UFC, including UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo, UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and UFC
women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. Additionally, LFA currently has alumni in every UFC weight class, 31 of whom are currently ranked, including former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm, as well as current contenders Maycee Barber, Curtis Blaydes, Brian Ortega and Dominick Reyes, among others

“I couldn’t be more excited about partnering with UFC Fight Pass,” LFA CEO Ed Soares stated. “With LFA being the industry leader in developing talent, and UFC being the industry leader in our sport, it’s a partnership that has all of the ingredients for success.”

Ball security at a premium against the Steelers defense

The Steelers have at least 3 takeaways in 5 consecutive games

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Looking for a reason why the Pittsburgh Steelers have won four games in a row and surged into the AFC’s No. 6 seed even though Ben Roethlisberger has been on injured reserve since Week 3? The answer is easy.

Takeaways.

Pittsburgh’s defense has been masterful at getting the ball back from opposing offenses. The Steelers have 26 takeaways in nine games, one behind league-leading New England. That includes an NFL-high 12 fumble recoveries. Pittsburgh has at least three takeaways in each of its last five games.

One of the big keys is Minkah Fitzpatrick. Trading their 2020 first-round pick to Miami for the versatile defensive back has proven eminently worthy. Fitzpatrick has five takeaways of his own in the last three weeks, scoring two touchdowns on returns. He’s exactly what the doctor ordered for coordinator Keith Butler’s defense.

Cleveland’s own ball security has dramatically improved since the bye week. Sure, there were the three consecutive snaps in the loss to New England where the Browns infamously gave the ball away. Those are the only three giveaways in the three weeks since the break.

Baker Mayfield has thrown just one interception, the botched shovel pass to Jarvis Landry in the Patriots game, in his last 111 pass attempts. Mayfield remains No. 2 on the season with 12 picks thrown, but he’s been much better at not putting the ball at risk of late. His receivers haven’t volleyball set the ball to a defender in weeks, too.

 

LeBron James to Kyle Kuzma after big 4th quarter: ‘Welcome back lil bro’

LeBron James was thrilled to see his Los Angeles Lakers running mate Kyle Kuzma looking good in Tuesday nights win at Phoenix.

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The Los Angeles Lakers earned a quality road win during Tuesday night’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns, with Kyle Kuzma making huge shots both early and late in the victory. It was something of a breakout game for Kuzma, who just returned to the Lakers lineup less than two weeks ago.

Kuzma had 23 points, including a couple of personal runs that helped keep the Lakers close early and helped them pull away late. It was the type of performance that lends credence to his hopes and those of the Lakers that he can be the 3rd best player on the Lakers. Following the game, LeBron “welcomed back” Kuzma on Instagram.

via @KingJames

Before Tuesday’s game, Kuzma had only cracked double-digits twice in his first five games. And despite his play last night, Kuzma is still only shooting 25% from the 3-point line. Last night he did a better job of rolling hard to the rim and running the floor to get easy buckets, before hitting a couple of big 3-pointers to close the game out.

With Anthony Davis likely out Wednesday as he nurses several injuries, the Lakers will need Kuzma to once again get buckets as they host the Golden State Warriors.

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