JAMAICA, Va. – Virginia Motor Speedway officials have released the dates for the speedway’s marquee events next season.

The season’s first marquee event will be held Thursday, April 16, with the return of 410 sprint cars for a $10,000 to win, $1000 to start event. Thursday Night Thunder will once again feature the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions in action. The UMP Modified division will again be the support class.

May 30 will see the return of the Ultimate Super Late Model Series for the $20,000-to-win King of the Commonwealth, along with a $3,000 to win FASTRAK National event for Pro Late Models.

On Aug. 1, the Ultimate Super Late Model Series stars and cars will return for the 44th annual USA 100, which pays $20,000-to-win. There will also be a $3,000-to-win FASTRAK National event for Pro Late Models.

The FASTRAK Racing Series Touring Series competitors will get one more chance to get dialed in for the $50,000-to-win FASTRAK World Championship on Saturday, August 22nd, with the $3,000-to-win Prelude to the World Championship. The event will mark the third $3,000-to-win event of the season for the Pro Late Model division.

Finally, the FASTRAK World Championship will be held Sept. 18-19, with Sept. 19 main event paying a whopping $50,000 to the winner and $2,050 to start. The UMP Modified division will be the support division once again.

“We are thrilled to be returning to Virginia Motor Speedway for four great race events in 2020. We certainly appreciate everything the Sawyer family and the entire VMS do to put on these events as they are no small undertaking. We look forward to the King of the Commonwealth, USA 100, Prelude to the World Championship and the 2020 FASTRAK World Championship at this remarkable facility,” commented FASTRAK International Executive Vice-President DJ Irvine.

PORT ROYAL, Pa. – With inclement weather projected to hit Port Royal Speedway Saturday evening, World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and track officials are taking the proactive step of moving up the start times for Saturday’s race.

Front gates and pit gates will open at 11 a.m. Cars are now scheduled to be on track for motor heat and Hot Laps by 1 p.m. and opening ceremonies is scheduled for 2 p.m.

All times are tentative based on the weather.

Tickets already purchased for Saturday’s event will still be honored.

Everything you need to know about this weekend's Premier League action, all in one place.

Jump to: Will Spurs learn their lesson? | Who will Emery pick vs. Palace? | Sheffield United out for revenge | Fantasy tips | Stats of the weekend | Kane replacing Eriksen? | Match to watch | Man United need some luck | What will VAR do next? | Predictions

THE WEEKEND'S BIG QUESTIONS

Will Spurs take lessons from United (Manchester and Sheffield) to face Liverpool?

It wouldn't be fair on a few other teams, most notably Sheffield United, to say that Manchester United provided a blueprint of how to stop Liverpool last weekend. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was not the first manager to use wing-backs to push up and halt the forward raids of Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, thus cutting off one of Liverpool's more threatening attacking options, but he was the first this season for whom it worked in any tangible sense, in that they actually took points off Liverpool.

You would almost be surprised if Tottenham don't do that on Sunday, not least because they're used to the required 3-5-2/3-4-3 system, so the question probably then becomes: What can Liverpool do to stop being stopped? Because they will have to at some point; as opposition managers see the tactic working, they will use it more and more, so Liverpool must figure out a way to combat it.

Who will Unai Emery pick against Crystal Palace?

Arsenal have only actually lost twice in the Premier League this season, so from that extremely basic perspective it might seem odd to witness the discontent grow in their fan base. Then you actually watch them play.

There are several questions about how Unai Emery is managing Arsenal at the moment, but a big one is his team selection: Why, given that his best two players are strikers and seem to enjoy playing with each other, has he not figured out a way to get Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the team every week? Why is Joe Willock being played in a different role most games? Why isn't Lucas Torreira playing more? Why did Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney have very promising run-outs in the Carabao Cup more than a month ago, but have subsequently only appeared in the Europa League? And why, even if you acknowledge his performances have not justified his talent, has Mesut Ozil been ostracised so unequivocally?

In short, it's going to be fascinating to see who Emery picks to face Crystal Palace on Sunday, which, even considering the 3-2 win over Vitoria Guimaraes on Thursday, is a colossal game for both club and manager.

Will there be a little extra edge to Sheffield United vs. West Ham?

Neil Warnock still talks about the 2006-07 season. That was his first shot at the Premier League, with his hometown club Sheffield United, but, in his mind at least, they were cheated out of survival by an illegitimate player. West Ham eventually agreed to pay the Blades £20 million after being found guilty of breaching third-party ownership rules over Carlos Tevez, but for Warnock it was already too late. His chance at the top flight was gone, United relegated on the final day, at least in part because of Tevez's astonishing late-season run of form.

Saturday will see the first meeting of the two clubs since that season, and while current Blades manager Chris Wilder said this week that it was all "water under the bridge," it won't be a surprise if there is just a little extra edge to this game.

- ESPN Premier League fantasy: Sign up now!
- VAR in the Premier League: Ultimate guide
- Ogden: Man Utd need Kane. Are they bold enough to get him?

FANTASY TIPS

Kieran Darcy has some tips for the weekend action. Read his full preview here and set your team lineup!

Must-have player: Raheem Sterling, Tier 1 midfielder

Manchester City scored five goals in their Champions League win over Atalanta on Tuesday. Sterling provided the assist on the first one, drew the penalty for the second, and then scored the final three himself.

Worth considering: Daniel James, Tier 2 midfielder

James hasn't scored in his past five games but got an assist against Liverpool last week, and now faces Norwich City, who have conceded 21 goals in nine games -- no team have conceded more.

Avoid at all costs: Teemu Pukki, Tier 2 forward

Pukki hasn't scored in four straight games against Burnley, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Bournemouth, and now he'll be up against Manchester United, who are tops in the league in terms of xG (expected goals) conceded at 9.06.

STATS OF THE WEEKEND

Information provided by ESPN Stats & Information

- Tammy Abraham is tied with Sergio Aguero as top scorer in the Premier League this season with eight goals and is the top away scorer (six).

- Aston Villa lost their past nine Premier League away meetings vs. Manchester City by an aggregate score of 30-4. Their last league win against City away from home was a 2-0 victory in April 2007.

- The home team has never won in eight previous Premier League meetings between Watford and Bournemouth (0-2-6 W-L-D). No fixture in Premier League history has been played more without a home win (Leicester-West Brom also eight).

MEN TO WATCH

Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen

Watching Tottenham blitz Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday, it was interesting to note the developing role of Kane -- who now looks like their best creator as well as their best goal scorer -- and what impact that will have on the rest of the squad. Eriksen is the most obvious man who could lose out, and not just this time because he wants to leave and is being marginalised by Mauricio Pochettino accordingly.

Kane cannot literally perform the roles of a No. 9 and No. 10 simultaneously, but him switching between the two only really works with some dynamic attackers behind him, who will push on when he drops deep. Son Heung-Min, Erik Lamela, Dele Alli and Lucas Moura are all better suited to that job than Eriksen, who frankly would probably just get in the way when Kane moves back. It's possible that Kane's development as a player is, for now at least, making Eriksen's role obsolete.

THE GAME YOU'RE NOT PLANNING TO WATCH -- BUT SHOULD

Everton vs. Brighton

What to make of Everton this season? At times they've looked pretty good, at times they've been absolutely desperate. Last weekend's win over West Ham came after four straight defeats, a run that was starting to make Marco Silva's position look a little precarious. Equally Brighton, whose performances under Graham Potter have been generally quite positive but their results inconsistent, need to start picking up points before that positivity starts to be consumed by a relegation battle. This could be a fascinating tussle.

THE TEAM THAT NEEDS A BIT OF LUCK

Manchester United

You could argue that Manchester United got their luck last weekend when, after a perfectly planned first hour or so against Liverpool, they were fortunate to escape with a draw after they dropped so deep that they invited the Premier League leaders to attack, attack and attack for the final 30 minutes. But Solskjaer would probably say instead that it was a fine result that gave some reward to performances that have deserved just that over the past few weeks.

After a long journey back from Belgrade this week, they could have done without a potentially ticklish trip to Norwich, and while the Canaries have only picked up a point since beating Manchester City in September, they tend to save their best performances for the big teams. United would take a spot of fortune leading the way this time.

ONE THING THAT WILL DEFINITELY HAPPEN

VAR will overturn a penalty decision

Well, it's got to happen at some point, surely?

It's becoming increasingly hard for proponents of VAR in the Premier League to make convincing cases in its defence, as every week seems to bring an example of how it is merely confusing matters rather than making them clearer and fairer. We have seen a wide selection of obvious penalties not given by the video review system this season, the latest example coming last weekend when Gerard Deulofeu was clearly tripped by Toby Alderweireld, only for the erroneous on-field decision to be backed. We're told that VAR is an evolving process, that tweaks are being made, but at the moment the failure of the video assistant referee to use video to assist the referee is embarrassing and hugely unfair.

PREDICTIONS

Southampton 1-2 Leicester City

Manchester City 4-0 Aston Villa

Watford 1-1 Bournemouth

West Ham United 2-2 Sheffield United

Brighton & Hove Albion 0-1 Everton

Burnley 1-3 Chelsea

Newcastle United 1-2 Wolves

Norwich City 2-2 Manchester United

Liverpool 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Arsenal 1-2 Crystal Palace

They heaved, they cheered, they even sang 'happy birthday' to Abhimanyu Mithun, who had a 30th to remember. If you happened to be at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday and closed your eyes, you could have imagined you were at an international game. Or perhaps an IPL match because chants of "Aaaar Ceeee Beeee" kept ringing out.

It was not a match involving either India or the Royal Challengers. The occasion was the Vijay Hazare Trophy final, pitting traditional rivals against each other: Karnataka v Tamil Nadu. Two teams that have shared the most number of titles in this domestic one-day tournament.

The old rivalry was lent new spark by the number of high-profile players participating. Eleven of the 22 players on show - Mayank Agarwal, Manish Pandey, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Mithun, R Ashwin, Dinesh Karthik, M Vijay, Vijay Shankar, Washington Sundar and Abhinav Mukund - have played for India at one time or the other in the past few years.

The importance of the game was underlined by the presence of Ashwin and Agarwal in particular. They didn't need to be there for the game - they chose to dash from Ranchi, the venue of India's final Test against South Africa, to join their respective teams before the semi-finals.

The Bengaluru crowds came in a body to witness the match, and its multiple one-on-one contests, making for a pleasant change from the domestic cricket cliche of three men and a dog as the only viewers. It wasn't a full house, not even close. It was approximately 4,000 strong - but 4,000 can make the noise of forty thousand when they chant in unison. And 4,000 at a domestic match is, quite simply, unheard of. In early 2013, when the Ranji Trophy-winning Mumbai side were playing against Rest of India, the most the Wankhede Stadium had on any of the five days of the game was 1,000 spectators - and that was on the day Sachin Tendulkar was scoring an immaculate century. The Wankhede couldn't draw more than 1,000 when Tendulkar was batting - that's how big the 4,000 figure is.

A Karnataka State Cricket Association official who has barely missed a match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium since the early 1970s reckoned that this was the largest crowd he had seen for a domestic match here in 20 years.

They came to see two teams with a storied history taking on each other, but they came in droves because of the players in those two teams.

Even those who didn't have an India cap yet were still relatively well known. There was Devdutt Padikkal, the tournament's highest run-getter, K Gowtham, familiar through IPL exploits, and Shahrukh Khan, who has shot into the limelight by dint of name and deeds, along with the likes of B Aparajith, M Ashwin and T Natarajan who have all been part of IPL and/or India Under-19 teams.

That rain eventually curtailed the finish did not dampen spirits, of the crowd or the players.

"It's always a nice feeling to play in front of a crowd, that's what you play sport for," Tamil Nadu captain Karthik said. "At the end of the day, sport is about entertainment and you want to have people watch you, clap for you, and go through all the emotions that you go through on the field. So it's always good to have a crowd. I was really happy that people turned out in numbers. If we can find ways to get probably a little more engagement from the public, it'll be even better."

For Karnataka captain Pandey, it was the passionate support that mattered. "We were glad we had a game in Bangalore, because the crowd is always behind us from the first ball," he said. "Not only these one-dayers but even in the Ranji Trophy, they always come and back us. Maybe it's more numbers today, but any voice from outside beyond the 11 guys playing inside definitely helps. Great bunch of people coming and supporting us, it was definitely an advantage."

The turnout for this match in the light of what new BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said about making domestic cricketers his first priority is significant. While Ganguly spoke in terms of increasing remuneration, this match showed that domestic cricket could be a draw for fans too.

"We have to make sure the best tournament in the country is competitive, and it remains important to everyone now because that's where you get the Kohlis and MS Dhonis, Ajinkya Rahanes and Rohit Sharmas of Indian cricket," Ganguly had said. "So that structure has to be the best, both structure-wise and financially, and that will happen. That will be the first thing that will be done by the Apex Council."

The more top cricketers are available to play in domestic competitions, the more competitive it will be. And part of the 'structure' that Ganguly spoke of, is surely properly marketing the domestic game. Imagine if it could receive the treatment that international series or the IPL gets. Granted, all domestic games won't have international stars and the pull that this final had - but domestic players can also be made into stars with the proper exposure. And giving domestic cricketers a wider audience is part of looking after them.

This Vijay Hazare Trophy final has charted a path, and it's upto the BCCI to now take it.

Worcestershire have announced that chief executive Matt Rawnsley has left the club with immediate effect.

In a terse statement, the club offered its thanks to Rawnsley and said that the board "wish him every success in the future".

Club chairman Fanos Hira will handle club matters while the position is vacant, while the club's 'cricket steering group' will continue to take control of cricketing affairs.

The circumstances of Rawnsley's departure are unclear, though the club said that further comments would be made "in due course".

Since Rawnsley re-joined the club in March 2018, Worcestershire had won their maiden T20 Blast title in 2018, and again reached the final this season where they suffered a last-ball defeat to Essex.

But they only finished eighth in the Championship in 2019 having been tipped by most for a promotion challenge, which represented their worst finish since the introduction of two divisions in 2000.

Rawnsley also sat on the board of Birmingham Phoenix - the Edgbaston-based side in the Hundred - and was an advocate of the new competition. It is expected that his successor will replace him in that role too.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs top the list of college basketball regular-season win totals posted Friday by DraftKings.

The Bulldogs' win total for the regular season opened at 27.5. Memphis is next at 26.5, followed by Duke and Michigan State, each at 25.5.

Kentucky, North Carolina and Villanova opened at 24.5, followed by Kansas at 24. Defending national champion Virginia opened at 23.5, with Louisville, Ohio State and Texas Tech at 22.5.

The win totals bet is for the regular season only and does not include conference or any other postseason tournaments.

Gonzaga lost several key contributors from its 2018-19 squad, which went 29-2 in the regular season, including forwards Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke and guard Zach Norvell Jr.

The Bulldogs, ranked eighth in the preseason, will play at No. 21 Arizona and host No. 9 North Carolina in December.

While Gonzaga has the highest season win total, Michigan State is the consensus favorite to win the national title. The Spartans are 11-2 at Caesars Sportsbook, followed by Kentucky and Kansas at 6-1. Memphis is 8-1, and Duke is 10-1.

Gonzaga is 25-1.

The college basketball season begins Nov. 5.

PHILADELPHIA -- Recently released cornerback Orlando Scandrick ripped his former team, the Eagles, during a television appearance Friday, taking shots at everyone from respected safety Malcolm Jenkins to general manager Howie Roseman.

"Let's just say, where there's smoke, there's fire," Scandrick said on FS1 when asked about the rumblings of locker room turmoil. "That locker room is different. I'd tell guys when I came there that I felt like they were still living off that Super Bowl high. It's over. They're living in the past."

Scandrick, 32, was released by the Eagles on Monday following a blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys. He said the move "felt kind of scapegoat-ish."

"The problem in Philadelphia is much, much bigger than me," he said.

"The way it was explained to me by Howie -- and I don't believe anything Howie says. Howie is one of the people that if you told me it was raining outside, I'd probably get some shorts just in case. He put it to me as he wanted to play some younger players and they're a mess on defense and they needed to get some defensive linemen, so we'll see how that works out for them this weekend up in Buffalo."

When asked about the state of the defense, Scandrick said he felt "they've stuck together pretty good" before adding that he believes "there's some selfish people in that defense, though," and made it apparent he was referencing Jenkins.

"I think Rasul Douglas -- he's a good friend of mine -- I think he took some unwanted heat for some blown coverages on some other people's selfish play. And we don't even have to say names. They know who they are," said Scandrick, referencing the big plays the Eagles gave up to Minnesota Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs in a 38-20 loss the week before.

"I think when you wear a 'C' on your jersey, it's your job to bring guys along. It's your job. Sometimes you need to take the hard down, you need to take the hard job and you need to bring the thing together. I don't know if that's the case.

"You look at everything that happened. You hold out for a contract. You come in. You're not really making any plays, like splash plays. Then you go down to Minnesota and you're supposed to be in the half of the field and you end up playing a crosser? That's not a rookie we're talking about. It's a two-time Super Bowl champ."

Jenkins took accountability for the play Scandrick brought up immediately after the Vikings game.

Scandrick appeared in three games for the Eagles. He was cut before the start of the season and was brought back prior to the Week 5 game against the Jets, where he had two sacks and returned a fumble for a touchdown.

"There are some accountability issues there," Scandrick said, "and it starts from the top."

The NFL trade deadline is red-hot and it's not even here yet. Last week, the Rams made three trades in one day. This week, the Patriots made a trade less than eight hours after beating the Jets 33-0, then made another one two days later. The 49ers, the league's other undefeated team, followed New England's deal on Tuesday with one of their own.

There have been 17 trades since the season began Sept. 5, and the consensus opinion in front offices across the league is that there are plenty more to come ahead of Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline.

How did this happen? The NFL trade deadline used to be a perennial dud -- nothing like its MLB, NBA or NHL counterparts for activity. General managers used to hoard draft picks and believe the juice of a midseason acquisition wouldn't be worth the squeeze, so difficult is it to school players in new offensive and defensive schemes on the fly.

But now it's more trades for higher prices and ideas that would have been laughed off half a decade ago. Two first-round picks from the Rams to the Jaguars for Jalen Ramsey? A second-round pick from the Patriots to the Falcons for Mohamed Sanu? A first-rounder this time last year from Dallas to Oakland for Amari Cooper?

This is the new way of the NFL trade-deadline world, and it's actually pretty cool. Keeps things interesting. Gives fans a fresh way of staying engaged. We're here for it.

As for why it's happening, based on conversations with front-office executives around the league, there are a few reasons:

A fresh perspective on the concept of trading

As a new, younger generation of general managers has pervaded the league, front offices just look at trading from an entirely different point of view than their predecessors. They see how players move around in the NBA, they see how short NFL players' careers are, they realize they're not going to have these players forever and they're more willing to think outside the box in terms of ways to improve their teams for the immediate future.

"Somewhere along the line, people started asking different questions," one personnel director said. "It's like, 'We'd sign a free agent off the street because he could help us right now, what's the difference between that and bringing in someone from another organization?' So once you start turning over old ways of looking at things, a lot of new stuff comes into play."

Trading offers other advantages over free agency as a player-acquisition method. In some cases, it offers cost certainty. The Patriots have Sanu for this year and next, if they want him, and they know he's scheduled to make $6.5 million. If he plays well and they want to keep him, that's a better solution than going out on the market next March and having to outbid another team for a similar player who might get $8 million or $9 million a year. Still another advantage is that trading for a player doesn't cost teams anything in the compensatory draft pick formula, whereas signing a free agent does.

"A lot of these deals," Rams GM Les Snead said in a phone interview a few days after acquiring Ramsey, "are done with the long term in mind. That's an important thing to remember."

Improved salary-cap management

The fact that trades became more prevalent in the latter years of the current collective bargaining agreement should not be a surprise. As teams grew more and more familiar with the rules of the league's economic system, some of them began to structure contracts in ways that allowed for more flexibility. In many cases, you're seeing teams putting more of the contract money -- even the guarantees -- into base salary and roster bonuses as opposed to signing bonuses, which can make trading players more difficult.

Example: If a player signs a five-year, $20 million deal with a $10 million signing bonus, that signing bonus is prorated over the life of the deal for salary-cap accounting purposes -- $2 million per year against the cap. If a team wants to trade that player after, say, Year 2, the cap hit is the same as it would be if it released him at that time. All of the remaining signing bonus proration -- in this case, $6 million -- accelerates onto the current year's cap, whereas the salary -- even if guaranteed -- becomes the responsibility of the acquiring team.

To use Sanu as a real-word example: The five-year, $32.5 million contract he signed with the Falcons in 2016 included a $7 million signing bonus. So when they traded him, only one-fifth of that ($1.4 million) accelerated onto the Falcons' salary cap for this year. The Patriots will have to pay the $3.53 million of his remaining salary, so Atlanta actually saved cap room by trading him. Had Sanu's signing bonus been $14 million, the hit for Atlanta would have been twice as large and would have made it more difficult to move him.

Increased emphasis on analytics in addition to traditional scouting

Giants GM Jerry Reese used to say he viewed the draft as the "Super Bowl for the scouts." This reflected an old-school GM view that the best way to draft was to rely on your scouting evaluations, take the "best player available" and build your team based on your scouts' best guesses as to which 20-year-olds would have the best professional careers. This, time and research have proved, is not the best way to maximize success in this endeavor.

But as teams have more deeply incorporated analytical studies of asset allocation, the view of the draft has changed in many front offices. Draft picks aren't viewed as untouchable treasures, but instead as assets to be evaluated the same way others are. Which is how the Cowboys ended up, a year ago, deciding Cooper was worth a first-round pick. They figured they'd be drafting somewhere in the second half of the first round. They looked at the receivers that would be available in that part of the round. They decided they liked Cooper -- who at the time was still just 24 -- better than any of those college players, so they made the deal. When the 2019 draft came around, Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones joked that they'd be watching Cooper highlights when it came time for the Raiders to use the pick they sent them (No. 27).

And you're seeing this happen in a lot of places. The Bears decided last September that Khalil Mack was a better use of their 2019 and 2020 first-rounders than whatever college players they'd have drafted with those picks would have been. The Rams decided the same thing about Ramsey vis-à-vis their 2020 and 2021 first-rounders. The Steelers decided the same thing about Minkah Fitzpatrick vs. their 2020 first-rounder.

"You see a guy who's still young, who you have under control for two, three, four more years, and who's already shown he can have success in the league," an AFC general manager said. "It's not crazy to say that's a better use of your draft capital than a pick that could come late in the first or second round."

Can it backfire? Of course. ESPN's Football Power Index projects the pick the Steelers sent to the Dolphins for Fitzpatrick to be the No. 16, and it could get a lot better if Pittsburgh has a rough second half without its starting quarterback. But the way the Steelers see it, Fitzpatrick is 22 years old and under contract for three more years after this one (assuming they pick up his 2022 option). Could they have drafted a better player in next year's first round? Maybe. But they see Fitzpatrick as better than a "maybe."

Job security

John Dorsey was fired as GM of the Chiefs in June 2017, six months after the team finished a 12-4 season and less than two months after he drafted Patrick Mahomes. A month later, the Panthers fired GM Dave Gettleman 17 months after they played in the Super Bowl. Just this past offseason, the Texans fired GM Brian Gaine after one year on the job -- a year in which they won the AFC South title.

The message? You might not have this job for very long, so you need to go for it when and where you can. GM jobs used to carry more job security than coaches' jobs did, but the gap is narrowing. Very few teams and fan bases can stomach long rebuilding projects. Five or six new teams make the playoffs every year. It's a league where your fortunes can turn quickly, and because of that team executives feel as if they have to grab their chances to win when they can.

Add the stuff we already mentioned about fresh perspectives on ways to improve your team to an increased level of urgency among those making the decisions, and what do you get? Trades, ladies and gentlemen. Let the trading begin. Oh, wait. It already began. Let the trading rage on!

The Week 8 NFL slate is stacked with great matchups. Our NFL Nation reporters bring us the keys to every game, a bold prediction for each matchup and final score predictions.

Additionally, ESPN Stats & Information provides a stat to know for each game, and the Football Power Index (FPI) goes inside the numbers with a matchup rating (on a scale of 1 to 100) and a game projection. ESPN Fantasy's Kyle Soppe and ESPN Chalk's Mackenzie Kraemer hand out helpful nuggets as well. It's all here to help get you ready for a loaded weekend of NFL football.

Let's get into the full Week 8 schedule, including Aaron Rodgers in prime time against the Chiefs.

Jump to a matchup:
TB-TEN | LAC-CHI | ARI-NO
DEN-IND | SEA-ATL | PHI-BUF
CIN-LAR | NYG-DET | NYJ-JAX
CAR-SF | CLE-NE | OAK-HOU
GB-KC | MIA-PIT

Thursday: MIN 19, WSH 9
Bye: BAL, DAL

Buccaneers (2-4) at Titans (3-4)

1 p.m. ET | Fox
Matchup rating: 52.3 | Spread: TEN -2.5 (45.5)

What to watch for: Keep an eye on how Ryan Tannehill and the Titans' receivers do against the Bucs' defense, which is giving up an NFL-worst 304.5 passing yards per game. Tennessee will need to score points against the Bucs, who have scored 24 or more themselves in four consecutive games. -- Turron Davenport

Bold prediction: Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston will throw two interceptions, while Tannehill will throw for 300 yards in consecutive weeks for the first time since 2016. Winston is coming off one of the worst outings of his career, throwing five interceptions against the Panthers and turning the ball over six times. The Titans have an opportunistic secondary that gets its hands on a lot of passes -- that's not a great recipe for a bounce-back game. -- Jenna Laine

Stat to know: Tampa Bay's Chris Godwin has posted 125 receiving yards in three straight games, the longest streak in Buccaneers history. The last player in the NFL to do it in four straight games was Odell Beckham Jr. in 2014.

What to know for fantasy: No player has more than 68 rushing yards this season against Tampa Bay, and that includes two games of Christian McCaffrey. See Week 8 rankings.

Betting nugget: Tennessee is 0-4-1 against the spread (ATS) this season when the line is between +3 and -3. The only time it pushed was last week when the Chargers fumbled at the 1-yard line down by three with under a minute left. Read more.

Laine's pick: Titans 26, Buccaneers 21
Davenport's pick: Titans 27, Buccaneers 24
FPI prediction: TB, 50.5% (by an average of 0.2 points)

Matchup must-reads: Top draft picks at a crossroads: What went wrong for Winston and Mariota ... 'No risk it, no biscuit': What Bruce Arians' coaching lingo teaches us ... Titans' DL Simmons caps ACL recovery with disruptive debut

Chargers (2-5) at Bears (3-3)

1 p.m. ET | Fox
Matchup rating: 52.3 | Spread: CHI -4 (41)

What to watch for: Can Mitchell Trubisky move the ball through the air against a vulnerable Chargers pass defense? He is 29th out of 31 eligible quarterbacks in Total QBR (34.3) and is averaging just 5.2 yards per attempt (34th in NFL). However, opposing quarterbacks have a 66.3 QBR (No. 25 in NFL) against the Chargers and are allowing 8.2 passing yards per attempt (No. 28). -- Jeff Dickerson

Bold prediction: The Bears' defense will force a minimum of three turnovers. Chicago led the league last year in takeaways and interceptions but is tied for 13th with just 10 takeaways in 2019. However, Los Angeles' offense is tied for 22nd with 12 giveaways. -- Eric D. Williams

Stat to know: Melvin Gordon is averaging just 2.3 yards per rush this season, second worst in the NFL among those with at least 30 attempts. And the Chargers are averaging only 2.1 yards per rush since Gordon's return (last in NFL).

What to know for fantasy: Allen Robinson II is on pace for 110 catches and eight touchdowns despite playing in a Bears offense that ranks 29th in passing yards per game. See Week 8 rankings.

Betting nugget: Philip Rivers is 30-14-1 ATS in his career as a road underdog of at least three points, including 6-3-2 ATS since the Chargers franchise moved to Los Angeles. Read more.

Wiliams' pick: Chargers 24, Bears 20
Dickerson's pick: Bears 20, Chargers 13
FPI prediction: CHI, 64.2% (by an average of 5.0 points)

Matchup must-reads: Bears reach crossroads with Trubisky ... Now you see me, now you don't: The Austin Ekeler experience ... Chargers OT Okung to make season debut against Bears

Cardinals (3-3-1) at Saints (6-1)

1 p.m. ET | CBS
Matchup rating: 51.2 | Spread: NO -10.5 (47.5)

What to watch for: Drew Brees appears to have a good chance of returning just five weeks after thumb surgery, but the Saints could decide to play it safe and let backup Teddy Bridgewater try to extend his record to a perfect 6-0 with one last clip for his free-agent audition tape. Either way, the Saints should be licking their chops against a defense that ranks in the NFL's bottom five in both yards and points allowed. -- Mike Triplett

Bold prediction: Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson will hold Saints receiver Michael Thomas to fewer than 50 receiving yards while shadowing him the entire game. Peterson didn't shadow any receivers Sunday in his return from a six-week suspension, but that will change with Thomas on deck. -- Josh Weinfuss

Stat to know: Kyler Murray has four total touchdowns and zero interceptions in his past three games -- all wins -- after being responsible for five total touchdowns but also four interceptions in his first four games. The Cardinals have gotten more success from Murray by finding more balance; he dropped back to pass 53.7% of the time in the past three games as opposed 73.3% in the first four.

What to know for fantasy: Saints tight end Jared Cook has scored in his past two games, and Josh Hill scored last week as a fill-in option. The Cardinals have allowed 161 tight end fantasy points this season, 52 more than any other defense. See Week 8 rankings.

Betting nugget: Arizona is 5-1 ATS as an underdog this season (3-2-1 straight up), including three straight outright wins. Read more.

Weinfuss' pick: Saints 31, Cardinals 24
Triplett's pick: Saints 34, Cardinals 19
FPI prediction: NO, 83.1% (by an average of 13.0 points)

Matchup must-reads: Murray's freedom to check plays 'rare for a rookie quarterback' ... Payton making early Coach of the Year case in Brees' absence ... 'Pass-rush assassin' Jones, CB Patrick Peterson fuel each other

Broncos (2-5) at Colts (4-2)

1 p.m. ET | CBS
Matchup rating: 50.3 | Spread: IND -6 (43)

What to watch for: Look for the Colts get back to their running game, because the Broncos have the third-stingiest pass defense in the NFL, giving up only 195.3 yards per game through the air. The Colts were limited to just 62 yards on the ground against Houston in Week 7 after rushing for at least 167 yards in three of their first five games. -- Mike Wells

Bold prediction: Wide receiver Courtland Sutton will have the second 100-yard receiving game of his career. In six games this season, the Colts have surrendered five such games, including two in last week's win over the Texans. Sutton is now the unquestioned No. 1 after the trade of Emmanuel Sanders. -- Jeff Legwold

Stat to know: The Colts are the third team since the 1970 merger with a winning record through six games and with all games having been decided by seven points or fewer (1995 Colts, 1983 Colts). No team in that time has started 5-2 or better with all seven games decided by seven points or fewer.

What to know for fantasy: Sutton is one of three players with at least 75 receiving yards in each of his past three games, and the Broncos traded away Sanders earlier this week. See Week 8 rankings.

Betting nugget: Thirteen of the past 15 Denver games went under the total, including each of the past three. Overall, Denver games are 17-5-1 to the under in the past two seasons, the best under percentage in the NFL. Read more.

Legwold's pick: Colts 27, Broncos 16
Wells' pick: Colts 27, Broncos 10
FPI prediction: IND, 63.5% (by an average of 4.7 points)

Matchup must-reads: Joe Cool or Joe Blow? Flacco doesn't care what you think ... Prolific game validates Colts' confidence in Brissett ... For moody Broncos, winning streaks and titles are just a fable

Seahawks (5-2) at Falcons (1-6)

1 p.m. ET | Fox
Matchup rating: 45.8 | Spread: SEA -6.5 (52.5)

What to watch for: Atlanta coach Dan Quinn knows Russell Wilson well from his days as the Seahawks' defensive coordinator, but that doesn't mean he will find a way to pressure him. The Falcons haven't recorded a sack since Week 3 against the Colts and have a league-low five sacks. Wilson could have a field day. -- Vaughn McClure

Bold prediction: Wilson will throw four touchdown passes. His 29-7 record following an in-season loss is the best by a quarterback since the 1970 merger. Now he faces a defense that ranks next-to-last in pressuring opposing QBs. -- Brady Henderson

Stat to know: The Falcons have allowed 223 points this season, their second most allowed through seven games in franchise history (they allowed 250 through the first seven games of the franchise's inaugural season in 1966).

What to know for fantasy: Seattle receiver Tyler Lockett is on pace for a career-high 91 catches this season, but he has yet to score a touchdown on an even-numbered week. See Week 8 rankings.

Betting nugget: Atlanta has failed to cover in five straight games and is now 6-17 ATS over the last two seasons, the worst record in the NFL. It is 2-7 ATS as an underdog in that span (1-4 this season). Read more.

Henderson's pick: Seahawks 31, Falcons 25
McClure's pick: Seahawks 35, Falcons 17
FPI prediction: SEA, 53.5% (by an average of 1.3 points)

Matchup must-reads: Seahawks hope Reed can spark their lagging pass rush ... WR Sanu swap shows Falcons could be busy before trade deadline ... CB Diggs: I was 'blindsided' by trade from Lions to Seahawks

Eagles (3-4) at Bills (5-1)

1 p.m. ET | Fox
Matchup rating: 43.4 | Spread: BUF -2.5 (43.5)

What to watch for: Philadelphia allows the sixth-most passing yards per game in the NFL, but Buffalo's passing game ranks 21st. It's yet to be seen which team is more capable of exploiting the other's weakness, but the Eagles can't afford to get into a multiple-score deficit against an elite Bills defense. -- Marcel Louis-Jacques

Bold prediction: Carson Wentz will throw three touchdown passes against that tough Buffalo defense, and Eagles cornerback Jalen Mills, in his second game back from a foot injury, will create a turnover. -- Tim McManus

Stat to know: The Eagles have allowed 75 points over the past two weeks. Dating to 1967, they have allowed 35 points in three straight games only once in franchise history.

What to know for fantasy: Buffalo's Josh Allen was undrafted in 79.3% of leagues, while Wentz was an eighth-round pick this summer. But over their past three games, Allen has outscored Wentz by 8.1 fantasy points. See Week 8 rankings.

Betting nugget: Eagles coach Doug Pederson is 12-7 straight up and ATS as an underdog of four or fewer points. Read more.

McManus' pick: Eagles 23, Bills 17
Louis-Jacques' pick: Bills 20, Eagles 14
FPI prediction: PHI, 52.9% (by an average of 1.0 points)

Matchup must-reads: Pederson stands between the Eagles and a great collapse ... Bills' McDermott recalls Eagles days fondly ... Would Bills trade for a WR? Adding options makes sense

Bengals (0-7) at Rams (4-3), London

1 p.m. ET | CBS
Matchup rating: 40.4 | Spread: LAR -13 (48)

What to watch for: The Bengals have one of the worst offenses in the NFL, averaging 305 yards and 16 points per game. That's unlikely to bode well against a Rams defense that's trending in a positive direction behind Aaron Donald and recently acquired cornerback Jalen Ramsey. -- Lindsey Thiry

Bold prediction: Donald will have two sacks. The Bengals' offensive line has done a better job of protecting quarterback Andy Dalton in recent weeks, but Donald should be able to take advantage of a very favorable matchup. -- Ben Baby

Stat to know: Cincinnati running back Joe Mixon is tied with Devonta Freeman for the most rushes in the NFL without a touchdown this season (84).

What to know for fantasy: Todd Gurley II is RB10 on a per-game basis over the past four weeks, despite zero of his 63 touches gaining more than 13 yards. There have been 10 running backs to record a 14-plus yard touch this season. See Week 8 rankings.

Betting nugget: Favorites are 22-12-1 ATS all time in international games (16-10 ATS in London games). And favorites of at least seven points are 6-1 ATS in international games. Read more.

Baby's pick: Rams 31, Bengals 10
Thiry's pick: Rams 35, Bengals 10
FPI prediction: LAR, 79.2% (by an average of 11.0 points)

Matchup must-reads: What's happened to Mixon? There's no easy fix for Bengals ... McVay: Bengals' future bright with 'resilient' Taylor

Giants (2-5) at Lions (2-3-1)

1 p.m. ET | Fox
Matchup rating: 34.4 | Spread: DET -7 (50)

What to watch for: Ty Johnson should be the focal point of Detroit's running game after Kerryon Johnson's injury, and the rookie can both run through the middle or show speed to get to the outside. After seeing what Chase Edmonds did to the Giants a week ago, Johnson could have a big day in his first major role with Detroit. -- Michael Rothstein

Bold prediction: Saquon Barkley runs for 150 yards. The Giants' star running back should be healthier in his second game back from a high ankle sprain, and he's going against the league's 28th-ranked run defense, which allows almost 140 yards per game. But it's still not going to be enough for the Giants to get the victory. -- Jordan Raanan

Stat to know: Giants QB Daniel Jones is 0-3 with 566 passing yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions over his past three starts. It's a far cry from the 2-0 start to his NFL career, in which he threw for 561 yards, three touchdowns and only two interceptions.

What to know for fantasy: Ty Johnson averaged 7.6 yards per touch during his four seasons (348 carries) at Maryland and now steps into a feature role after Kerryon Johnson was placed on injured reserve. See Week 8 rankings.

Betting nugget: Matt Patricia is 5-0 ATS against teams that entered the game with a losing record. And since 2014, Detroit is 22-11-2 ATS against teams with losing records. Read more.

Raanan's pick: Lions 26, Giants 16
Rothstein's pick: Lions 31, Giants 17
FPI prediction: DET, 78.8% (by an average of 10.8 points)

Matchup must-reads: Why Lions' defense under Patricia has been woeful in 2019 ... RB Barkley in high spirits despite painful hit to injured ankle

Jets (1-5) at Jaguars (3-4)

1 p.m. ET | CBS
Matchup rating: 31.2 | Spread: JAX -6 (40.5)

What to watch for: The Jaguars are hurting at linebacker, with three players likely to miss the game (Leon Jacobs, Quincy Williams, Najee Goode), so that could mean a big day for Jets running back Le'Veon Bell. The last time he faced the Jaguars came in the playoffs after the 2017 season, and he ran for 67 yards and a TD and caught nine passes for 88 yards and another TD. -- Mike DiRocco

Bold prediction: Jets quarterback Sam Darnold won't be "seeing ghosts," but he will see a lot of Jaguars defensive end Calais Campbell, who will equal his season total in sacks with three on the day. The Jets' offensive line, an absolute mess, will have major problems with the hulking Campbell, who lines up everywhere on the line. Campbell is "playing as good as I've seen him play," Jets coach Adam Gase said. -- Rich Cimini

Stat to know: The Jets have allowed 26 sacks, second worst in the NFL this season, while the Jaguars' defense has 21 sacks (fourth). Darnold has been pressured on 35% of dropbacks this season (third-highest rate among qualified QBs), and his nine career interceptions under duress are tied for the most in the NFL over the last two seasons.

What to know for fantasy: Jacksonville's Leonard Fournette leads the league with 115 touches over the past four weeks (645 scrimmage yards in the process). See Week 8 rankings.

Betting nugget: Gase is 4-13 ATS in his career as a road underdog of at least five points (1-16 straight up). Read more.

Cimini's pick: Jaguars 27, Jets 10
DiRocco's pick: Jaguars 21, Jets 17
FPI prediction: JAX, 75.6% (by an average of 9.4 points)

Matchup must-reads: Gase has a chance to be 'ghost' buster -- or else? ... What's Doug Marrone's 2-point chart like? Don't ask the players ... With DL Williams as chip, Jets need 2020 vision as trade deadline looms ... Jaguars believe turnover binge a sign that defense can be 2017 good

Panthers (4-2) at 49ers (6-0)

4:05 p.m. ET | Fox
Matchup rating: 69.3 | Spread: SF -5.5 (42)

What to watch for: Over the past 15 years, only three quarterbacks have won five or more consecutive starts to begin their career. Two of them -- Jimmy Garoppolo and Kyle Allen -- will meet here, and both are facing stiff tests in two of the league's four best pass defenses in net yards per attempt allowed. -- Nick Wagoner

Bold prediction: Christian McCaffrey will score two touchdowns. The San Francisco defense is allowing an average of 163.6 total yards over the past three games. But the Panthers running back is averaging 153.8 yards from scrimmage per game this season. Strength vs. strength, and in this one, McCaffrey will reach his average game TD total. -- David Newton

Stat to know: McCaffrey has accounted for nearly 43.6% of his team's scrimmage yards this season, which is the highest mark by any player in the NFL. He has also accounted for the highest percentage of his team's touches (56%) and scrimmage touchdowns (53%).

What to know for fantasy: Emmanuel Sanders joins a 49ers team that does not have a top-70 fantasy receiver this season. See Week 8 rankings.

Betting nugget: Allen is 5-0 ATS and straight up as a starter, including 3-0 as an underdog. Only eight quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era have covered each of their first six career starts, with Patrick Mahomes and Brian Hoyer being the only two to do it in the last 10 seasons. Read more.

Newton's pick: 49ers 23, Panthers 20
Wagoner's pick: 49ers 27, Panthers 17
FPI prediction: SF, 70.4% (by an average of 7.3 points)

Matchup must-reads: What the 49ers know about Garoppolo after 16 career starts ... Win over unbeaten 49ers would elevate Panthers' status in NFC ... New 49ers WR Sanders says he 'needed a change of scenery' ... Panthers S Reid motivated to play 49ers, his former team

Browns (2-4) at Patriots (7-0)

4:25 p.m. ET | CBS
Matchup rating: 62.5 | Spread: NE -13 (45.5)

What to watch for: It'll be an interception party. Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield leads the NFL with 11 interceptions, the most by a Browns player through six games of a season since Paul McDonald in 1984 (12). Meanwhile, the Patriots' defense has totaled 18 interceptions. In the past 30 years, only the 1996 Packers had more picks through the first seven games of a season (20). -- Mike Reiss

Bold prediction: Nobody has scored more than 14 points against the Patriots, but Cleveland will become the first behind an inspired effort. Of course, it still won't be enough to win with Tom Brady on the other side. -- Jake Trotter

Stat to know: Odell Beckham Jr. recorded 101 receiving yards in his last game after having just 103 yards in his previous three combined. The Patriots have allowed just one 100-yard receiver this season (Golden Tate).

What to know for fantasy: Pats running back James White leads the league with 11 red zone targets this season, and the Browns are allowing 2.2 red zone touchdowns per game this season (tied for fourth most). See Week 8 rankings.

Betting nugget: New England is 28-0 at home (18-10 ATS) against quarterbacks under the age of 25 since 2001 (the start of the Brady era). Read more.

Trotter's pick: Patriots 28, Browns 20
Reiss' pick: Patriots 30, Browns 13
FPI prediction: NE, 84.9% (by an average of 14.0 points)

Matchup must-reads: Rare company: Belichick closing in on 300th NFL win ... Browns banking adversity will again make Mayfield better than ever ... Pats WR Gordon lands on IR ... WR Sanu trade gives Patriots the flexibility they covet

Raiders (3-3) at Texans (4-3)

4:25 p.m. ET | CBS
Matchup rating: 53.9 | Spread: HOU -7 (51.5)

What to watch for: Will either team have success running the ball? Both teams have done so well this season, but the Texans are ranked fourth in the NFL in run defense (allowing an average of 84.3 rushing yards per game), and the Raiders are ranked fifth (allowing 86.7 rushing yards per game). -- Sarah Barshop

Bold prediction: Oakland's Clelin Ferrell will sack former Clemson teammate Deshaun Watson. Ferrell, the No. 4 overall draft pick, has only one sack, but he knows Watson's mannerisms and tendencies and can potentially project where Watson will go when flushed out of the pocket. -- Paul Gutierrez

Stat to know: Darren Waller is second among tight ends with 44 catches this season, the most by a Raider through the team's first six games of a season in franchise history. He needs just three more Sunday for the most through seven games (Tim Brown, 46, 1999).

What to know for fantasy: Kenny Stills steps in for an injured Will Fuller V this week, and he has seen 55.5% of his career fantasy points scored via the deep pass. See Week 8 rankings.

Betting nugget: Oakland is one of two teams to be an underdog in every game this season (Miami). It won three games outright and failed to cover in any of its three losses. Read more.

Gutierrez's pick: Raiders 23, Texans 21
Barshop's pick: Texans 20, Raiders 17
FPI prediction: HOU, 81.3% (by an average of 12.1 points)

Matchup must-reads: Gruden: Trio of tight ends 'life blood' of Raiders offense ... Reality check: Texans still need to fix 'self-inflicted' mistakes ... Texans bolster secondary, add CB Conley in trade with Raiders ... Conley trade part of Raiders' youth movement, Gruden's reshuffle

Packers (6-1) at Chiefs (5-2)

8:20 p.m. ET | NBC
Matchup rating: 76.9 | Spread: GB -3.5 (47.5)

What to watch for: Kansas City coach Andy Reid has a history of getting good play from backup quarterbacks temporarily elevated into the starting lineup. But that ability gets tested in this game, with Matt Moore replacing the injured Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs figure to need a significant number of points to beat Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, who are 10th in scoring at more than 26 points per game. -- Adam Teicher

Bold prediction: Rodgers won't score at will again as he did last week. That's bold only because of how well he's starting to play in new coach Matt LaFleur's system. The last time the Packers played a regular-season game at noisy Arrowhead Stadium, they saw their near-perfect 2011 season (15-1) suffer its only blemish. -- Rob Demovsky

Stat to know: The Chiefs' LeSean McCoy is averaging 5.4 yards per rush, third among all running backs with a minimum of 60 carries (trails Matt Breida and Dalvin Cook). McCoy ranks 23rd all time in rushing and is just 40 yards shy of passing Warrick Dunn for 22nd.

What to know for fantasy: Rodgers had as many total touchdowns as incompletions last week against Oakland (six), but no quarterback has thrown multiple touchdown passes in Arrowhead this season. See Week 8 rankings.

Betting nugget: Reid is 15-8 ATS in his career in the regular season with at least 10 days between games. Read more.

Demovsky's pick: Packers 23, Chiefs 20
Teicher's pick: Packers 27, Chiefs 23
FPI prediction: KC, 50.5% (by an average of 0.2 points)

Matchup must-reads: Rodgers is back in MVP race for first time in 3 years ... Hall of Fame-laden Chiefs of 50 years ago won only one title. Why?

Dolphins (0-6) at Steelers (2-4)

Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN App
Matchup rating: 38.1 | Spread: PIT -14 (44)

What to watch for: With Mason Rudolph back from concussion protocol, the Steelers should take significant steps toward finding a balanced offense against the woeful Dolphins. The Dolphins' pass defense ranks toward the bottom of the league, allowing 256.5 passing yards per game, while the rush defense is even worse at second-to-last with 160.8 yards per game. Look for another monster game from James Conner and perhaps a rebound performance for receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. -- Brooke Pryor

Bold prediction: The Steelers' Minkah Fitzpatrick gets an interception against his former team. The Dolphins traded Fitzpatrick to Pittsburgh in September, and he has a strong knowledge of how Miami's offense operates under quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is known to be a gunslinger. -- Cameron Wolfe

Stat to know: The Dolphins have been outscored by 93 points in the second half of games this season. That's the third-worst second-half scoring margin in NFL history through seven games, according to research by the Elias Sports Bureau (1950 Baltimore Colts, minus-106, and 1925 Milwaukee Badgers, minus-102).

What to know for fantasy: Conner has a rushing touchdown or has caught at least four passes in every game this season. That's not a bad trend to take into a game against a Dolphins team that is allowing 31.2 running back points per game (second most). See Week 8 rankings.

Betting nugget: Over the past 25 seasons, teams with 0-3 or worse records are 12-4 ATS in Monday games (8-8 outright). Read more.

Wolfe's pick: Steelers 27, Dolphins 17
Pryor's pick: Steelers 30, Dolphins 10
FPI prediction: PIT, 90.1% (by an average of 17.5 points)

Matchup must-reads: QB Rudolph says he has no memory of hit that left him dazed ... Dolphins' aggressive playcalling of late shows thirst for a win ... Steelers LB Chickillo placed on commissioner's exempt list

WASHINGTON -- A day after President Donald Trump said he plans to attend Game 5 of the World Series, the Washington Nationals announced that the ceremonial first pitch for that game would be thrown out by chef Jose Andres, a vocal critic of Trump's.

Four years ago, Andres withdrew from plans to open a restaurant in the Trump International Hotel in Washington following Trump's controversial comments about Mexican immigrants during the presidential campaign.

Trump Old Post Office, which runs the hotel as the landlord under a lease with the General Services Administration, sued Andres' companies, Think Food Group and Topo Atrio, in July 2015 for breach of contract and claimed damages in excess of $10 million.

Andres' companies filed a counterclaim, and the case in D.C. Superior Court was settled in 2017.

The Nationals made the announcement Friday. Major League Baseball said the decision on first pitches is made jointly between the host team and MLB.

Please, I don't want anyone to be nervous but......anyone has a baseball ball? Just in case, I need to practice...@Nationals @astros @MLB ??? pic.twitter.com/XE2AMjN2II

— José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) October 25, 2019

Washington leads the Houston Astros 2-0 in the best-of-seven series going into Game 3 on Friday, so a Game 5 on Sunday is not yet assured.

Trump would be the first sitting president to attend a World Series game since George W. Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch at New York's Yankee Stadium before Game 3 in 2001.

Other presidents who attended a World Series game were Woodrow Wilson (1915), Calvin Coolidge (1924), Herbert Hoover (1929, 1930, 1931), Franklin Roosevelt (1933, 1936), Dwight Eisenhower (1956), Jimmy Carter (1979) and Ronald Reagan (1983).