It's time.

It's clearly time.

You see, two weeks ago, as you may have seen (or heard), the official Arizona Cardinals twitter handle trolled fantasy players pretty hard, telling everyone with a very cutesy cartoon that they should have started Chase Edmonds. After the fact. In a game in which starter David Johnson was active, got the first carry and then left the game, claiming to not feel right. Edmonds came in and absolutely dominated ... while sitting on almost everyone's bench. Which was understandable, especially given the fact that Johnson had practiced more that week (two days) than he had the week before (one day), when he had 18 touches for more than 100 yards and two scores.

So it was understandable ... to everyone except the Arizona Cardinals Twitter handle -- the official handle for the team. The way the organization communicates with the public. Instead, they trolled us. And well, I took exception to that. And then all of a sudden it went "viral" and a lot of blogs and newspapers and radio stations were writing about it or talking about it, and I even got a bunch of interview requests, which almost never happens around a specific piece of content. But on this one -- an unplanned rant I went on during the podcast -- I did. Don't worry, this isn't a column about that rant, I promise.

What was interesting was reading the reactions to the rant. Most people got it, but not everyone did. Certainly, you could tell who played fantasy and who didn't when you read the comments. But the thing that some of them missed was that my anger wasn't directed at Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, the team or any of the players. It was entirely about the Twitter account. Trolling fantasy players. With an incredibly obvious and trolly observation after the fact. So much so that this week, we introduced a character on The Fantasy Show on ESPN+ named "Little Red." (The actual Cardinals mascot is "Big Red.") Little Red is a small Cardinal puppet that appeared -- and will continue to appear -- to give me very obvious and not helpful fantasy advice and takes after the fact. He's my new favorite character. I digress.

The point is about how the team's official Twitter handle spoke to us, fantasy players. Contrast that with a Keenan Allen tweet from this past Sunday, Oct. 27. In it, after a game in which a clearly not 100% Allen was surprisingly active and gutted out seven catches for 53 yards, Allen tweeted, "Apologies fantasy guys. I owe y'all 1!" followed by emojis for the red "anti" symbol and a hat to suggest he struck out in some way. It was a wonderful gesture by Allen, but not at all necessary.

I quote tweeted Allen's tweet and tweeted back at him with my own: "Appreciate the thought but you owe us nothing. Congrats on the win."

To which, I was thrilled to see, many fantasy players agreed. Like any NFL player, Allen should worry only about helping his NFL team win. Which he did on Sunday for a much-needed Chargers victory over the Bears. Like I said, many fantasy players agreed.

But not all. Like @Wolf_Bray, who tweeted at him, "Thank you for admitting your mistake, Keenan. Just please go off next week." Slap face emoji.

Allen likely shouldn't have even been playing, but it was a desperate time for the Chargers and he gutted it out. It was incredibly impressive. His fantasy production comes not only from his play, but from the entire Chargers offensive line, from Philip Rivers, from the playcalling, from the defense he faces. "Thank you for admitting your mistake." Arghh. It's a good thing I'm not on the podcast right now. I'd be ranting about this clueless self-absorbed guy right now. His mistake.

And by the way, that was one of the polite ones.

Allen's tweet got a lot of traction and I was thinking about both tweets this week. It's Halloween, a night when people dress up in costume. Where they act different, speak different and pretend to be something they are not. Just like social media.

So many people use fake names, pictures, bios and more on social media and especially Twitter. Saying things to people they've never met, things that they would never utter in a million years in real life. If @Wolf_Bray ever met Keenan Allen, he would ask for an autograph, a picture or be starstruck. But he certainly wouldn't demand an apology for not getting him enough fantasy points while playing hurt against one of the better defenses in the NFL.

It was clear to me that we needed some guidance. That fantasy Twitter is getting out of hand, wild even, with some of its behavior. Speaking with a bunch of friends and colleagues, we agreed that while there are many aspects of Twitter that are truly awful (just try wading into politics Twitter sometime. Yeesh.), fantasy Twitter is among the worst.

Twitter is a crucial platform for breaking news, and fantasy football is an important subset of that. Being on Twitter -- if you know whom to follow and where to look -- can have a huge benefit for fantasy success. It's also an awful, depressing, demeaning and hateful place where not nearly enough has been done by the platform to curb and prevent the worst tendencies of people.

Look, I'm certainly not great at Twitter and don't claim to be a social media expert by any stretch. But I have been on the platform a long time, I am on it multiple times every day and I have a nice-sized audience, so I see a lot of interactions, all specific to fantasy Twitter.

So while I am not claiming this to be the end all, be all, I will say these are my rules for interacting on fantasy Twitter.

1. Don't tag players: We care about this dumb game, they don't. And they shouldn't. Don't tag players when they didn't meet your expectations, don't tag them to tell them how many points you need, don't tag them to yell at them or demand an apology. If you want to say something nice, sure, I guess. But in general, don't tag them. It's not a good look and it reflects poorly on all of us fantasy players.

2. Don't cheer or root for injuries: They play a brutal game and, on every play, there is tremendous risk to not only their livelihood but also their ability to fully enjoy life later on. So I get it, you want fantasy points. We all do. But when Jamaal Williams is lying motionless on the field and they are bringing out a stretcher, you whining that you started him in your flex, or you being happy because you have Aaron Jones, is an even worse look. Thankfully, Williams was ultimately fine.

3. Don't reply to a tweet from a fantasy analyst, especially one that has nothing to do with fantasy, with your start/sit questions: I could tweet something like "Happy Halloween!" and I'll get a ton of "Hey, pick two ..." I do rankings, podcasts, TV shows, a column and then a three-hour show on Sunday. If you don't know how I feel about a certain player in a given week, you're not listening.

4. Don't ask for an opinion on a player and then argue back: This one drives me up the wall. You ask me whom I would start, I tell you whom I would start, don't start arguing back. I'm not interested. Because it's my opinion. This is the player I would start. You wanna start the other guy, go for it. It's your team. But then why are you asking my opinion?

5. If after consuming all the content that I, or any other fantasy analyst, put out there, you still feel the need to ask for advice, don't tag a bunch of fantasy analysts: It looks so desperate and that you don't care about the advice, you just need someone, anyone, to make a decision for you. Come on, man. You're an adult. At some point, you're gonna need to coach your fake football team all by yourself.

6. When all is said and done, you control your team: You drafted it, you started them, this is on you. No one claims to be able to tell the future, least of all me. I give advice and reasoning as to why I think something will happen. Take it or leave it. But be adult enough to own your decisions. And if you're not, at least don't blame others for something that is more in your control than anyone else's. "You convinced me to start so and so" is among the lamest things you can say.

7. Don't follow someone you don't like: This seems obvious, but I see people say vile, hateful things, and then you look and you're like ... why are you following me (or someone else you've said that to)? You clearly are not a fan, but you have actively sought out a person to follow and engage with them. It's such odd behavior. I hope you call it out when you see it.

8. Don't be a snob: So many times I see people say, "That's not a real league," "Play in a high-stakes league," "Play in a super flex," "He's not available in my league, what are you, in an eight-man league?" And so on and so forth. Fantasy snobs are the absolute WORST. It's a game, man. A game people play for fun. And there are millions upon millions of leagues out there. Yes, I am sure some are not as competitive as yours. But you shouldn't judge a person's house, job, looks, bank account ... so why are your judging their fantasy league? I play in some very deep leagues (a 12-team, 33-man roster super flex dynasty is one of them) and often they are easier than an eight-team league. In an eight-team league you have many choices. In deep leagues, you're just rolling with the players you have. Either way, stop judging. Or if you do, keep it to yourself, fantasy snob.

9. If you're going to joke, please be original: To make sure I didn't forget anything for this column, I crowdsourced folks, asking what they hated about fantasy Twitter. It got (as of this writing) 570 responses. I think I read the first 100 or so and in those I think 12 or so were some version of "You" or "Your takes." I blocked them all (except Field, whom I just muted). Not because my feelings were hurt -- I mean, seriously, my kids say worse stuff than that to me -- but because it's such a lame and obvious joke. Come on. Put a little effort into it.

10. To that end, in case you think you are being original, scroll through some replies to see if you are: As a helpful starting point, here are the most obvious and lamest lines I see every day -- not just to me, but to many analysts, players and personalities: "I do the opposite of what ___ says and I win." Any use of an eye-roll GIF. Any use of an eating popcorn GIF when two others are having any sort of discussion that isn't filled with hugs and sunshine. But probably the most overused are the sarcastic "Great call" and "This tweet aged well." Two of the easiest, 20/20 hindsight things you can say. You use that line and you might as well run the Arizona Cardinals Twitter account.

As always, if I have blocked you, you can get unblocked by donating to the Jimmy V Foundation for cancer research. Any amount will do, as everyone can afford different amounts. Just send a copy of the receipt and your twitter handle to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

In general, it's clear from the thread I started that fantasy Twitter has a bad reputation for being a really toxic place among NFL players, among analysts and among other fantasy players. Let's all see if we can't be a little nicer to each other. Our hobby could use that.

In the meantime, my thanks to "Thirsty" Kyle Soppe of the Fantasy Focus 06010 podcast and the Stat-a-Pillar Damian Dabrowski from The Fantasy Show on ESPN+ for their help at various points in this column. Let's get to it.

Quarterbacks I love in Week 9

Dak Prescott, Cowboys (at Giants): Prescott is always strong off a bye (multiple touchdown passes in every game he's played immediately following a bye) and always strong against the Giants (past five against the G-Men: 310.4 passing yards per game with 13 TDs and 0 INTs). One thing that bodes well here is that Prescott's throwing deeper than normal this season, as his air yards per pass are up 31.5% from last season. The Giants allow both completions and touchdowns on deep throws at the third-highest rate in the NFL.

Gardner Minshew II, Jaguars (vs. Texans in London): No doubt Minshew will be a popular Halloween costume Thursday night and this weekend, but there is nothing scary about his game, he said, his Segue of the Year award no doubt being shipped as we speak. With 21 or more fantasy points in three of his past four games, Minshew should continue the good times against a Texans secondary that has given up at least three TD passes in four consecutive games.

Josh Allen, Bills (vs. Redskins): With multiple touchdown passes in three straight and a rushing touchdown or at least eight rush attempts in six of seven games this season, there's a nice floor for Allen in a game where the Bills are a double-digit favorite. Among the many things Washington fails to do is bring pressure (fourth-lowest rate in the league), and that's going to help Allen find open receivers. When Allen isn't pressured, his career completion percentage is 64.5% (when pressured, just 33.1%).

Kirk Cousins, Vikings (at Chiefs): It helps if Patrick Mahomes is back for this one for Kansas City, but even if he's not, Matt Moore should be good enough that Cousins will have to throw. And when he does, he will be successful. The Chiefs allow the fifth-most yards per deep completion (hello, Stefon Diggs), and over the past three weeks, opponents have completed 67.9% of passes vs. K.C. With one of the highest over/unders on the slate and my expectation that the Chiefs sell out to stop Dalvin Cook, Cousins should be able to take some deep shots here. Remember, Cousins is one of the best play-action QBs in the league.

Others receiving votes: I know it's been ugly since Sam Darnold returned, but five of the seven quarterbacks to face Miami this season have scored 20-plus fantasy points. The Dolphins give up the fourth-most points to QBs, the second-most yards per attempt, the second-most TD passes per game, and there will be no ghosts this weekend. Miami is averaging the third-fewest sacks per game. Gimme Darnold this weekend against a team on a short week that made Mason Rudolph look like Big Ben. ... So last week, my bold prediction on Fantasy Football Now (and he was listed as a "love" in this section last week) was 20 points for Matt Moore against the Packers. He got 19. I bring this up only slightly to humblebrag a nice, non-obvious call (please ignore my whiff on Kenny Stills, though), but mostly to point out that the 19 points was 63.3% above Moore's career average. Carson Wentz scored 16.8% above his season average against Green Bay. Derek Carr was 11.1% above his season average. All of which is a long way of saying I like Philip Rivers as a QB2 with upside at home this weekend against Green Bay's pass defense, ranked 32nd over the past four weeks. ... Finally, I know last weekend against San Francisco was brutal for Kyle Allen, but it's been that way for everyone. Back at home against a Titans secondary that's 12th-worst the past four weeks, I like Allen's chances at 15 points or more. Rivers, Jameis Winston, Minshew and Josh Allen each scored at least 17.5 fantasy points against Tennessee this season.

Quarterbacks I hate in Week 9

Kyler Murray, Cardinals (vs. 49ers): Insert QB playing San Francisco here. Yes, it hasn't always been the best competition, but quarterbacks facing the 49ers are averaging 6.1 points per game. Yes, 6.1. Or, to put in another way, half of what Eli Manning averaged this season. Only two QBs have scored more than seven points against the 49ers. Having failed to throw a touchdown pass in four of his past five games, Murray will need the rushing or a big play to pay off this weekend. The rushing is a question mark, though, as you can't be encouraged that he had only two rushing attempts last weekend. And as for a big play, the Niners have allowed a league-low 12 completions of 20-plus yards. They also have the NFL's second-best red zone defense, and this is a short week when the Cards are likely to be without their best offensive weapon in David Johnson (and Chase Edmonds, as well).

Lamar Jackson, Ravens (vs. Patriots): Remember how Baker Mayfield scored 11.6 points against New England last weekend? You thought it was a bad game, but he's the only QB to score double-digit points against the Pats this season. Sure, some of it is the competition, but come on. This is an elite defense. New England has allowed only two TD passes all season while intercepting 19 passes. Jackson is unlikely to have a big day as a passer, so it comes down to the running. Since the beginning of last season, the Patriots have played five games against very athletic quarterbacks (Josh Allen twice, Deshaun Watson, Mitchell Trubisky and Blake Bortles). Those QBs averaged "just" 42.4 rushing yards, with two rushing scores in those five games (not bad, but not what you are hanging your hat on). I love Lamar Jackson, but in this matchup, I'm taking Bill Belichick.

Jacoby Brissett, Colts (at Steelers): For all the struggles of the Steelers' offense, the defense is pretty good. Pittsburgh has allowed the ninth-fewest yards per completion this season (and third-fewest on deep completions), and also has the sixth-best red zone defense thus far. I bring up the red zone defense because Brissett needs the red zone to be effective. Only Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson have more red zone fantasy points among QBs than Brissett. Meanwhile, he ranks 25th among QBs in points outside of the red zone. He's failed to throw a touchdown in two of his past three games, and Caesars has this game (as of Wednesday afternoon) with an over/under of 42.5. In games that finish with 50 or fewer points scored, Brissett is averaging just 12.3 fantasy points per game this season.

Running backs I love in Week 9

Derrick Henry, Titans (at Panthers): With at least 15 carries in every game this season, Henry has been has been responsible for 71.9% of Tennessee's carries (the fourth-highest rate in the NFL). That volume means plenty of chances to break one for the 6-foot-3, 247-pounder. Especially when you consider Carolina is 28th in yards per carry allowed after first contact. If they have trouble tackling in general ... wait 'til they get a load of, uh, this load. Especially in the red zone, where Henry gets 75% of his team's carries (fourth most in the NFL) and the Panthers are the fourth-worst red zone defense.

Tevin Coleman, 49ers (at Cardinals): Coleman is the No. 6 RB in fantasy since he came back from injury. He has 20 touches or more than 15.5 fantasy points in four straight games, helped no doubt by multiple catches in four of five games this season. With Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert showing up on the injury list Wednesday, there should be a solid amount of work for Coleman as the lead back in pro football's run-heaviest offense. With a 17-2 edge in red zone carries over Breida since his return, I like Coleman's chances to get into the end zone against an Arizona defense that is tied for the second-most red zone drives allowed per game.

Josh Jacobs, Raiders (vs. Lions): Blind résumé time ...

Player A: 64.6% of team's carries, 67.4% of team's rushing yards, 5.0 yards per carry and 2.24 yards per carry after first contact

Player B: 65.8% of team's carries, 69.3% of team's rushing yards, 5.1 yards per carry and 1.96 yards per carry after first contact

Player A is my ride-or-die, Josh Jacobs, in 2019. Player B is ... Ezekiel Elliott as a rookie. That's what we are dealing with here. As the centerpiece of the NFL's fourth-most run-heaviest offense, expect a strong game from Jacobs against a Lions squad coughing up the ninth-most yards per carry this season. By the way, only two teams have scored at least 24 points in each of their past four games: the New England Patriots and ... the Oakland Raiders. Shoutout to Thirsty Kyle for finding a stat to work "New England and Oakland" into an exclusive list this week.

Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman, Broncos (vs. Browns): Cleveland is tied for the seventh-most red zone drives allowed per game and the NFL's second-worst run defense the past four weeks, so this is an inviting matchup for a Denver team likely to lean on the run even more in quarterback Brandon Allen's first NFL start. Lindsay has at least 17 touches in three of his past four games, while Freeman has expanded his game to more of a pass-catcher, with at least four catches in five of his past six games.

Others receiving votes: Matt Breida, if he's active, or Raheem Mostert, if he's not (or Jeff Wilson Jr., if both are out), should have some flex appeal on, once again, the NFL's run-heaviest team against a Cards team allowing the eighth-most rushing yards per game (130.1). ... Among the RBs with 70-plus carries this season, Carlos Hyde actually ranks second in percentage of carries gaining at least 5 yards (41.5%). The Jaguars allow the sixth-most yards per carry before first contact. ... After playing 67% of the snaps last week, Devin Singletary is primed for a nice game as a double-digit home favorite against a Redskins team that gives up the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs. ... Don't look now, but Jamaal Williams has scored in three straight games, and if you exclude the game in which he left very early due to injury, he's averaging more than 11 touches per game. In the past four weeks, the Bolts are the third-worst run defense in the NFL and allow the third-highest completion percentage when opponents target their RBs (84.8%). ... Sure, there's a #revengegame narrative to build around Jordan Howard, but I don't think you need it. Miles Sanders is banged up, and even if he plays, he'll be at less than 100%. So expect decent volume for Howard, who is coming off a 23-carry effort against Buffalo. Very quietly the Bears have sprung some leaks -- they are just 19th against the run in the past four weeks and they allow a TD on red zone carries at the eighth-highest rate in the NFL. Chicago has given up top-three RB weeks to Latavius Murray and Josh Jacobs in two of the past three and gave up a combined 21.6 points to Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler last week, which would have ranked 10th against running backs last week.

Running backs I hate in Week 9

LeSean McCoy, Chiefs (vs. Vikings): McCoy has no more than 12 carries in any game this season (and that includes the ones he didn't fumble in!). He faces an uphill battle against a Vikings team that's given up just one rushing touchdown in 181 carries this season. The Vikes are also one of two defenses yet to allow a rushing TD of 5 yards or more ... so the combination of low expected volume, the Week 8 benching and limited big-play/scoring equity makes Shady merely a "cross your fingers and hope" flex for me this weekend.

Sony Michel, Patriots (at Ravens): Nick Chubb. There. I've now listed every running back to have more than 65 rushing yards in a game vs. Baltimore this season. The Ravens allow just 1.1 yards per carry after first contact (fewest in the league) and that's a problem, because so far this season, Michel has the second-fewest yards per carry after first contact (minimum 70 carries). There's always a chance he gets into the end zone, because it's the Patriots and he's (usually!) their goal line guy. But since Week 5, Baltimore ranks as the fifth-best red zone defense.

Melvin Gordon, Chargers (vs Packers): You already know I think the Bolts are going to have to pass to keep up in this one (see Rivers, Philip). Yes, he scored last week. If you want to bank on another 19-yard touchdown run, go for it. But you need a score to bail you out here, and that's unlikely, as the Pack is top 10 in both preventing red zone drives and preventing touchdowns when opponents do manage to cross the 20-yard line. Gordon has yet to have a game this season with even 50 total yards, and his 11 catches have gained just 37 yards.

All Lions RBs (at Raiders): Ty Johnson, Tra Carson, J.D. McKissic ... Pick one. Might as well, because it doesn't seem like Detroit wants to. They had an almost even split of snaps last week (Johnson 37.7%, Carson 31.1%, McKissic 26.2%), so it's hard to see a big game for any player getting one-third of the run against a Raiders squad that very quietly has been the sixth-best run defense in the NFL since Week 5.

Pass-catchers I love in Week 9

Amari Cooper, Cowboys (at Giants): An obvious name, but as of this writing I'm the only ESPN ranker with Cooper as a top-four play this week. Nine times this season a WR has seen at least seven targets against the Giants. Those players have averaged 24.0 fantasy points per game. That number includes Amari's own Week 1 performance of 22.6. Cooper is averaging, you guessed it, seven targets per game. The Cowboys are a touchdown road favorite against the G-Men in this one, and so far this year, when Dallas wins, Cooper averages 19.9 PPG.

Allen Robinson II, Bears (at Eagles): With at least five catches in five straight games (only the second time in his career he has done that), A-Rob is the one part of the Bears passing attack that's working. With more perimeter targets than any other Bears pass-catcher, this is a matchup made in heaven for Robinson. No team in the NFL allows more perimeter yards, attempts or touchdowns than the Philadelphia Eagles.

DJ Chark Jr., Jaguars (vs. Texans in London): You want bad Texans stats? You want bad Texans stats that are different than the ones I gave you for Gardner Minshew? I got you. The Texans allow a league-high 43.1 PPG to opposing WRs this season, and an individual WR has scored at least 18 points vs. Houston in four straight games. In fact, multiple WRs have scored 18-plus points against the Texans each of the past two weeks. So we know at least one pass-catcher is likely to go off in this game, and logic dictates it'll be Chark. Since Week 4, Chark owns the 11th-highest target share in the NFL (25.9%, ahead of Stefon Diggs, Odell Beckham Jr. and Mike Evans, among others). He went 7-55-1 in his first game against Houston this season, and assuming health (he popped up on the injury report Wednesday), he has a good shot to improve upon it this Sunday in London.

John Brown, Bills (vs. Redskins): With more than 50 receiving yards in every game this season and at least five catches in six of seven games, Brown is in line for another solid game against Washington. The Skins allow a TD on deep throws at the fifth-highest rate this season and give up more than 29 yards per deep completion, eighth most.

Others receiving votes: You know I'm on Sam Darnold this week, so it makes sense I also like the receiver with more receptions from Darnold than anyone else. Jamison Crowder should have a nice game against a Miami team that's tied for the highest touchdown percentage from the slot allowed and has given up almost 16 yards per completion from the slot, the second most in the NFL. ... By the way, don't be scared to fire up Robby Anderson, either. A bad Dolphins secondary got worse when Xavien Howard was placed on IR earlier this week. ... Oakland really struggles defending the deep ball this season, and sneakily this is one of the highest over/unders on the slate. Gimme some Marvin Jones Jr. in this one. ... Given how often Russell Wilson looks for him in the end zone and how good the Bucs are against the run, I could certainly see DK Metcalf scoring this week, just like he did twice last week. ... With at least 9.9 fantasy points in four of his past six games, Darren Fells makes for an interesting streamer facing a Jags team that coughs up the seventh-most yards per TE reception this season.

Pass-catchers I hate in Week 9

Courtland Sutton, Broncos (vs. Browns): We didn't see the bump we had hoped for following the Emmanuel Sanders trade with just a 23.3% target share in Week 8 (he had a 24.3% share in Weeks 1 through 7). And now he gets Brandon Allen under center. We have no idea what Allen can or can't do, but it wouldn't shock me if he was bad under pressure, you know? Many QBs are. The Browns bring pressure at the second-highest rate in the NFL and that's a recipe for disaster, as Allen makes his NFL starting debut behind a Broncos line that allows pressure at the sixth-highest rate.

Mark Andrews, Ravens (vs. Patriots): Can't imagine you have a lot of better options, so you most likely have to start Andrews, but I'm nervous. Volume could be an issue, as opponents are attempting just 3.1 passes to opposing TEs against New England this season (some of that is competition and talent-based, but still, that's less than half the league average). The Patriots are known for trying to take away a team's biggest threat, and Andrews has a good chance to be the focal point of Belichick's defense. So potentially low volume and then there's the whole "they don't give up touchdown passes" thing, too. Odds are against Andrews getting into the end zone here.

Terry McLaurin, Redskins (at Bills): Oh, how I wish this wasn't true, and considering I have to start him in a couple of deep leagues this week, I hope I'm really wrong on this one. But I'm worried I won't be. With four or fewer catches in four straight games, things don't get easier for McLaurin this week against a Bills team that has allowed just two TDs to wide receivers this season. In tough matchups this season (Patriots, 49ers, Vikings), McLaurin finished as WR45 or worse. And on Wednesday, Dwayne Haskins took the majority of first-team reps at QB. I prefer the Bills defense this week to any Redskins offensive player.

Jarvis Landry, Browns (at Broncos): Denver is allowing the third-fewest yards per slot pass attempt this season (6.1) and is sixth best in terms of limiting yards after the catch. Considering Landry has yet to score this season and that this game has one of the lowest over/unders on the slate, it's hard to feel great about Landry against the third-best-scoring defense in the NFL the past four weeks.

Matthew Berry -- the Talented Mr. Roto -- is still working on his rules for Instagram.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Barring any setbacks, Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma will make his season debut on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks.

After participating on Wednesday in a practice with the South Bay Lakers, the team's G League affiliate, Kuzma went through his first practice with his Lakers teammates on Thursday prior to the team's flight to Dallas.

"Yesterday was kind of the most running I've done, so to wake up and not really have too much discomfort was a good sign," Kuzma said. "Getting out here and doing the same thing [on Thursday], and so hopefully it's the same for tomorrow's game."

Lakers coach Frank Vogel said the team's training staff will monitor Kuzma's recovery but that he expects the third-year forward to play on a limited basis on Friday night.

"[The training staff is] saying around 20 minutes," Vogel said. "So there'll be a little bit of a restriction there."

Kuzma suffered a stress reaction in his left ankle in August while playing for Team USA in advance of the FIBA World Cup. Kuzma was projected to make the final roster but had to miss the competition because of the injury. He's been undergoing an intensive rehabilitation regimen, everything from underwater treadmills to a battery of upper-body exercises to maintain his strength.

"It's going to take him a little bit to get into game shape," LeBron James said. "He hasn't played since USA basketball when he had the stress reaction. Obviously he's been training and working out, but like I always tell you guys, there's no substitution for game fatigue and game stamina. That will come, though. It's great to have him back on the floor."

Teammate Anthony Davis, who has been nursing a sore shoulder, said he "felt fine," but added that Thursday's practice was light in contact.

"You can't really simulate -- well, you can, but you don't want to really simulate -- stuff that happens in games and have a chance of reaggravating it in practice," Davis said. "So it felt good during practice, and we'll see how it feels [Friday]."

Davis offered praise for Kuzma for his commitment to the recovery process.

"He works his ass off to get back every day before practice, after practice," Davis said. "He's one of those guys you got to pull off the floor. He's been doing a great job with [assistant] coach Phil [Handy] on adding to his game, staying in the weight room, getting stronger, making sure his foot is OK, and it all paid off. The more I see him work, the more he inspires me."

Selected No. 27 overall by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2017 NBA draft, Kuzma was immediately dealt to the Lakers with Brook Lopez in exchange for D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov. During his rookie season in Los Angeles, Kuzma quickly established himself as one of the most productive players in his draft class, averaging 16.1 points and 6.3 rebounds with a true shooting percentage of 54.9 as a rookie. Last season, Kuzma started 68 games and produced comparable numbers, though no player in the league who attempted 300 3-pointers shot a lower percentage (30.4) other than Russell Westbrook (29.0).

When the Lakers assembled their blockbuster trade for Anthony Davis last summer, Kuzma was the only member of a young core of assets that included Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart -- along with multiple first-round draft picks and swaps -- the Lakers declined to include in the deal.

Kuzma has expressed a desire to diversify his offensive game and improve his defense as he integrates himself into a Lakers team with title aspirations. Both at camp with Team USA and during individual workouts sessions with the Lakers staff during his recovery, Kuzma has been working on specific skills to bolster his skill set.

"I think that with me being a guy who can dribble, handle -- in pick-and-roll I can pop, post, shoot 3s, come off screens -- I think it's going to serve [the Lakers' ambitions] well," Kuzma said.

Kuzma said he's particularly eager to play in units that feature a front line of Davis, James and himself. He noted that Davis has traditionally excelled when playing the center position in smaller lineups.

"If you look back at the New Orleans Pelicans days when [Davis] was there, he played his best basketball when [Nicola] Mirotic was at the 4 and he was at the 5. I'm kind of similar in that aspect, spacing the floor and giving him space to operate down there. You can't really double him when me, Bron and him are on the floor. It's going to be exciting."

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Artifacts from the World Series are headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame, including the ball hit by the Washington Nationals' Howie Kendrick off the right-field foul pole for the go-ahead home run in Game 7.

Following the Nationals' 6-2 win over the Houston Astros on Wednesday night, the Nationals and players donated several pieces. Other items include a jersey worn by World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg in his Game 6 victory, a cap worn by starting pitcher Max Scherzer in Game 7 and the ball Juan Soto hit for a home run in Game 1.

The bat used by Kendrick to hit a grand slam in Game 5 of the NLDS and the batting helmet worn by ALCS MVP Jose Altuve of the Astros throughout the postseason were donated earlier.

All of the items will be featured in the Autumn Glory exhibit when it opens.

PALMETTO, Fla. – Andersen Promotions has announced that Bell Helmets has become an official partner of the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires, providing a variety of benefits to competitors on the world’s leading driver development platform.

The new collaboration will take place effective immediately – for an initial period of three years – to offer drivers cost-savings in the off-season as they prepare for the start of Road to Indy competition in March of 2020.

Bell Racing Helmets, founded in 1954, has long been regarded as the frontrunner in state-of-the-art head protection and is the leading supplier of helmets in both IndyCar and Formula 1. The company manufactures purpose-built designs utilized in all forms of motorsports worldwide.

Its U.S. headquarters is housed in Champaign, Ill., serving both North and South America, with its Indy Pro Shop in Speedway, Ind., and the new Charlotte Pro Shop in Mooresvile, N.C.

“From the view of Bell Helmets, it’s really impressive what Andersen Promotions continues to do with the Road to Indy,” said Chris Wheeler, Director of Business Development and Innovation at Bell Racing USA. “We are happy to formally have a technical partnership with them moving forward for the next three years minimum. We’re looking forward to providing trackside services to all the future stars as they come up through the Road to Indy and we’re excited to meet all the new drivers in 2020 and beyond.”

All drivers on the Road to Indy will have the opportunity to benefit from a discounted helmet program as part of the new partnership.

In addition to a Road to Indy scholarship to advance to the next step on the ladder, each of the 2020 champions will also receive a one-year Bell Helmet Athlete Contract, which includes an FIA-8860 required helmet and accessories for that year.

Bell Helmets will also be providing social media support to the Road to Indy and its competitors and has the world’s largest motorsports safety social media footprint.

The Road to Indy Pace Car Program – which provides numerous guests at each race event on the calendar with VIP track lap experiences – will be outfitted with new Bell open-face helmets.

“We are excited and proud to officially welcome Bell Helmets to the Road to Indy family,” said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions. “Bell already has a solid presence in our paddock and to be able to expand that support with a discounted program for all of our drivers, special offerings for our champions and social media promotion is tremendous.

“Chris [Wheeler] has long been a friend to the Road to Indy and we look forward to a great partnership with he and Bell Helmets for many years to come.”

CONCORD, N.C. — Parker Price-Miller will have one of the top opportunities of his career when he straps in for the season-ending Can-Am World Finals Nov. 7-9 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

Price-Miller has been tabbed to drive Christopher Bell’s No. 21 sprint car for the final event on the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series calendar and will become the first driver other than Bell to steer that entry.

Price-Miller told Sprint Car & Midget this week that the opportunity developed after a discussion between he and Bell during the recent Nittany Showdown at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway.

“So Christopher had been texting me all during the day while (we were) at Port Royal, just asking what kind of wings I ran and little things like that, because they were struggling at Port Royal,” Price-Miller recalled. “I got a call probably about 9 p.m. or so, and I thought he just wanted to talk about wings again … so I was like, ‘Hey, I have this set of wings here if you want to try it out next time you race,’ and he said, ‘Well, actually, that’s not what I called for, but I appreciate it.’ And he wanted to know if I’d be interested in running his car.

“He had to talk to Chad (Boat) a bit because Chad takes care of the car quite a bit and they use Chad’s truck and trailer, so he had to make sure that Chad was OK with everything, but they both texted me Sunday afternoon and said it’s a go and that they were excited to work with me,” he added. “Hopefully, we can have a good run and make some noise.”

The chance to drive for Bell, someone that Price-Miller grew up racing with and considers a good friend, is one most drivers would relish.

The 21-year-old from Kokomo, Ind., is no exception to that sentiment.

“It’s really cool,” said Price-Miller of running for Bell’s team. “Obviously, the little kid inside me gets pretty excited, because guys like that are one percenters and to drive for one of them is pretty cool. I’ve actually been friends with Chris since before he was known as Christopher Bell. We used to race micros together, and actually we both worked with Rick Ferkel for a while, so we’ve always kind of known each other and been friends.

“With his NASCAR path and his other commitments, we still are friends; we just don’t have the strong friendship we used to have,” Price-Miller noted. “But it’s always good to see him at the race track and for him to give me a call to go to a race like the World Finals and to have the confidence in me to put his car in a good spot is a pretty overwhelming.”

Considering the similarities in Bell’s equipment to what Price-Miller has run for much of the year — spending much of his time in the No. 71p Indy Race Parts entry under the guidance of Bernie Stuebgen — the young Hoosier believes the World Finals will be his time to shine.

“Obviously it’s gonna be a tough field, but I don’t think Chris would waste his money if he didn’t think we had a chance and I wouldn’t waste my time if I didn’t think I had a chance,” Price-Miller said. “I’ve been good at Charlotte before; last year (at the World Finals) I was quick time both nights and ran top 10 on Saturday, so I’m confident that we can have a good run. He’s got a good motor program and a good package that I’m pretty familiar with, all-around.

“They run the Speedway engines, which is what I run usually; it’s a Maxim (Chassis) race car, which is the cars I usually run; and Factory Kahne shocks, which is what I usually run, so it’s not like I’m sitting in something new. It’s something that I at least have a feel for.

“All in all, I think that all the pieces are there for us to have a successful weekend.”

CONCORD, N.C. – Due to a severe weather forecast for the evening, DIRTcar Racing and Charlotte Motor Speedway officials have postponed Thursday’s DRIVEN Racing Oil World Short Track Championship open practice session.

Thursday’s originally scheduled hot lap session will be moved to noon Friday and condensed to one session following the order of Flight 2, which includes all nine divisions.

Friday’s portion of the program remains as scheduled with grandstands opening at 3 p.m. and on-track action beginning at 3:30 p.m.

Friday’s pit pass sales and registration begins at 9 a.m. All-division drivers meeting is at 11 a.m.

VADO, N.M. – With roughly nine weeks remaining before the 2020 World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series season kicks off at the new Vado Speedway Park, several drivers across multiple different divisions of racing have now had the opportunity to turn laps around the track in local and regional competition.

This past weekend, series regular Cade Dillard made the 14-plus-hour tow from his hometown of Robeline, La., and climbed back into the seat of his S&S Fishing & Rental Inc. No. 97 Modified to compete in the Rancho Milagro USRA Fall Nationals.

“Thriller” made the most of his first look at the track, collecting the victory in the preliminary feature on Friday night, later dominating the 24-car field on Sunday for a $20,101 check, leading all 50 laps en route to his second win in three nights.

After all was said and done, Dillard returned home with a big smile on his face and a lot of positive takeaways from his first experience at Vado, particularly the track and surrounding amenities.

“The facility is definitely top-notch,” Dillard said. “Everybody involved has done a fantastic job with it, and it’s definitely one of the nicest in the country.”

“The track surface was very nice, very racy the whole weekend. No issues keeping it smooth, it got slick and raced really well, and I’m really excited to get there with the late model.”

Dillard said the three-day show moved along very smoothly as well – a testament to the staff and safety crew employed under the management of track owner Royal Jones and general manager Rue Stone.

“Everything went really smooth there. Everybody involved on the track did a good job. As far as the wrecker service, they got everything cleaned up fast with no long cautions. Everything was run very professionally, and I’d definitely rate it one of the top facilities in the country,” Dillard said.

When the Outlaws finally get to grace the track on the weekend of Jan. 2-5, many other parts of the continental United States will be covered in snow, but not New Mexico.

Dillard said the warm weather, the big-name drivers anticipated to attend, and the state-of-the-art establishment will be a big pull factor for both the locals and the nation’s die-hard dirt late model fans to come out and enjoy four nights of on-track action.

“For one, it’s in better weather than most places in the country that time of year,” Dillard said. “Plus, it’s not very often you get to attend a race with a facility of this caliber like Vado is.”

It’s often times very easy for a driver to take a liking to the tracks they’re more successful on, but Dillard agreed Vado is just an all-around great place to come race, largely due to its popular size, shape and banking configuration.

“The way they’ve got the banking done, it’s flat around the bottom, and then the progressive banking makes it more racy,” Dillard said.

Overall, it was another successful weekend at the track for the first-year Outlaw. Much like some of the other drivers planning to make the post-New Year’s trip to kick off 2020, Dillard will make his debut at The Dirt Track at Charlotte for the Can-Am World Finals next weekend to wrap up the 2019 World of Outlaws season.

But modifieds are where Dillard came from, and it’s good to see he’s still got it.

“To be able to hop in [the modified] a couple times a year and still be competitive every time makes it nice, and also says a lot about the caliber of cars that MB Customs builds,” Dillard said. “I feel like a lot of the things I’ve learned with the late model has really helped my modified program as well.”