Winners Club: Fantasy Football Championship Week Begins

Only one more week remains in the fantasy season as the NFL schedule winds down and the playoff race heats up.

Welcome to fantasy football championship week! The penultimate game is later than usual and it took jumping through more hoops than usual to get here, so congratulations to the managers who navigated their way through the season to get to this point.

If you’re not playing for your league’s title, catch up on the latest action across the NFL, NBA, college football and college basketball. There are still plenty of ways to win.

NFL and Fantasy Football

The Dolphins’ defense swarmed Saints rookie quarterback Ian Book Monday night to the tune of eight sacks and a pair of interceptions. Miami wasn’t inspiring offensively—259 total yards and one touchdown—but it still did more than enough to score its seventh consecutive win and sneak into the final playoff spot in the AFC, for now.

Waiver Wire: Jen Piacenti recommends players to pick up at each skill position for those with important games this weekend. “With COVID news often dropping at the very last minute, be sure you have an insurance policy in place for each of them,” writes Piacenti.

Best and Worst Fantasy Matchups: Craig Ellenport analyzes the top fantasy performers who have cakewalks in championship week and the top-tier players who draw tough matchups in the most important week. “Now, as is the case every week, matchups are crucial,” writes Ellenport.

Photo credit: Grace Hollars/USA TODAY NETWORK

Jaguars James Robinson Tears Achilles: Jacksonville’s second-year running back is out for the final two games after leaving Sunday's game early with a non-contact injury that interim coach Darrell Bevell confirmed afterwards to be a torn Achilles.

NFL Power Rankings: NFC teams hold four of the five top spots in the latest rankings, but the Chiefs hold the No. 1 spot following their eighth straight win. “We know all about their rocky start, and plenty of people have written about their defense’s turnaround during this eight-game winning streak. What else is left to say?” writes Mitch Goldich.

College Football

Bowl season continues all day Tuesday with five games featuring teams across the Power 5 conferences. Read Richard Johnson’s bowl game composite model for picks, and check out the Data Skrive game breakdowns below.

Auburn vs. Houston: The Tigers and Cougars kick off at noon ET. Auburn is a 1.5-point favorite despite losing its last four games.

Photo credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Louisville vs. Air Force: The Cardinals and Falcons meet at 3:30 p.m. ET. Air Force is a 1-point favorite and is riding a three-game winning streak.

Mississippi State vs. Texas Tech: The Bulldogs and Red Raiders clash at 6:30 p.m. ET. Mississippi State is a 10-point favorite.

NC State vs. UCLA: The Bruins and Wolfpack kick off at 8 p.m. ET. NC State is a 1.5-point favorite and is riding a two-game winning streak, while UCLA is victorious in its last three.

Minnesota vs. West Virginia: The Gophers and Mountaineers get a late start at 10:15 p.m. ET. Minnesota is a 4.5-point favorite after winning its final game of the regular season against then-No. 14 Wisconsin.

NBA Action

Tuesday evening has eight NBA games on the schedule, two of which SI Editor Matt Ehalt and I will be picking for the latest edition of NBA SO/UP.

Visit si.com/betting later today to find our bets for 76ers-Raptors and Nuggets-Warriors.

NBA Shortens Length of Quarantine: Players, coaches, referees and staff members who are vaccinated now only have to quarantine for six days, as opposed to 10, if they are no longer infectious, according to a report.

Photo credit: Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports

NBA Power Rankings: Golden State beat Phoenix on Christmas Day and took back the No. 1 ranking in the process. Jeremy Woo called it “a strong statement from the Warriors, who should get Klay Thompson back in January.”