VIRGINIA WATER, England – Ernie Els still has a month and a half before he has to name his four captain’s picks for this year’s Presidents Cup but he said Thursday at Wentworth that the team is starting to come into focus.

Last week’s victory by Chile’s Joaquin Niemann at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier caught the captain’s attention.

“He was on the fringes. [Now] he’s definitely out of the fringe and right into the main part,” he said. “I’ve always loved his game. I played with him at the end of last year at the RSM Classic and he has a great control game. He’s got a nice ball flight. He’s right there [in consideration for a pick].”

Els, who opened with a first-round 68 at the BMW PGA Championship, said he has a pretty good idea of his picks at the moment and doesn’t expect there will be any surprises when he rounds out his team on Nov. 4.

“You might have a debate for one or two of the players but I think there are two guys who are pretty obvious,” Els said. “On paper, again, we are not in the same ballpark [as the U.S. team], but I can assure you these boys are getting ready.”

Australia’s Jason Day finished ninth on the final International points list and would likely be one of Els’ “obvious” picks for the matches that will be played in December at Royal Melbourne.

Mason Greenwood scored his first senior goal for Manchester United in a 1-0 win over Astana in Europa League Group L at Old Trafford on Thursday night.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer started a mostly young and heavily rotated side against Astana, with Tahith Chong, Angel Gomes, Axel Tuanzebe and Greenwood all getting spots in the XI. Nemanja Matic took the captain's role in the absence of Ashley Young and goalkeeper David De Gea.

- Europa League group stage: All you need to know
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United looked dangerous from the off with Fred clattering the crossbar from distance and Marcus Rashford having a point-blank chance saved by Astana keeper Nenad Eric inside of 10 minutes.

Despite dominating possession and seeing Rashford have another excellent chance saved by Eric, Astana kept a clean sheet in the first half as the teams went to the dressing room locked in a goalless draw.

It was more of the same for United in the second half as they continued to have the majority of the ball and create chances with no end product as the match remained goalless.

Solskjaer brought on Juan Mata for Gomes and Jesse Lingard for Chong -- with both receiving a solid ovation from the home support as they left the pitch -- in search of a winner and three points to start their European campaign.

On a night when youth took center stage, it was fitting that the 17-year-old Greenwood broke the deadlock with an excellent individual effort and finish from the right side to make it 1-0.

The goal made Greenwood the youngest player ever to score for Manchester United in European competition at 17 years, 353 days, beating out the previous record-holder Rashford, who did it at 18 years, 117 days.

"We made it hard for ourselves," said Solskjaer, relieved at least to be leading Group L after Partizan Belgrade and AZ Alkmaar drew 2-2 in Serbia. "It's pleasing, though, that we got three points, got off to a decent start.

"In and around the box he [Greenwood] is one of the best finishers we've got and I'm happy he got his goal. I'm sure he'll go home tonight and be happy with that one."

Diogo Dalot should have doubled the lead just past the 80-minute mark but he somehow fired his close-range shot over the goal from a rebound after Lingard had smashed one off the post from 20 yards out.

"It was a hard game. First half we tried to open the game and to score a fast goal but they had a solid defence," Matic said. "It's good for the [young players] to have the opportunity to play these games. They have to use that, to work hard to get more chances."

Next up for United in the Europa League is an away match against AZ Alkmaar on Oct. 3, while Astana will host Partizan Belgrade on the same day.

The Saudi prince who has taken full control of Premier League club Sheffield United says he would be happy to do business with the family of Osama bin Laden, insisting it "is not a disgraced name or something that I should hide."

Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad won a London court battle with co-owner Kevin McCabe this week over ownership of the northern English team after their business partnership broke down. A judge has ordered McCabe to sell his 50% share of the club to the prince for £5 million ($6 million).

The prince discussed his plans for the future at a news conference on Thursday and spoke about links with a member of the Bin Laden family who was interested in investing in Sheffield United.

"Every family may have one bad person but they are a very respectable family," the prince said at Bramall Lane, the club's home ground. "I have not done business with them in the past but I will be very happy to do business with them. The Bin Laden family is not a disgraced name or something that I should hide."

"When I see the Bin Laden family as a dirty name," he added, "I get really offended."

As leader of terrorist organization al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden oversaw attacks that included the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, as well as the bombing of the USS Cole off Yemen. He and others plotted and executed the 2001 attacks against the United States that led to the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.

U.S. Navy SEALs killed him in a raid on a house in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in 2011.

The Saudi Binladin Group is a major construction company in Saudi Arabia founded by Osama bin Laden's father, Mohammed. It secured a near-monopoly on mega-expansion projects in Islam's two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina, throughout the reigns of successive Saudi monarchs, but recently fell on hard times after being implicated in a crane collapse at Mecca that killed over 100 people during hajj in 2015.

Arsenal survived an uncomfortable first half to emerge comfortable 3-0 victors against a wasteful Eintracht Frankfurt side in their Europa League group-stage opener on Thursday.

Positives

Two of Arsenal's youngsters combined for the opener, and the performances of Joe Willock and Bukayo Saka will provide plenty of encouragement for fans and management alike. It was also a welcome return to form for Shkodran Mustafi, who was making his first appearance of the season at the heart of the Gunners defence.

Negatives

The visitors were a huge threat going forward, but had nowhere near enough defensive nous in midfield to keep the game under control. A lack of shape caused the match to stretch early on, and if it weren't for some poor Frankfurt finishing, Arsenal could have found themselves in trouble.

Manager rating out of 10

8 -- Unai Emery chose the right time to bring Mustafi back into the fold, and was rewarded with a solid display, while his continued use of youngsters is really starting to bear fruit.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Emiliano Martinez, 7 -- The Argentine had a busy first half that saw him make a host of decent stops, and surprisingly had a lot less to do in the second as Eintracht failed to make much of an impression as an attacking force.

DF Calum Chambers, 6 -- Arsenal's right-back had a tough first half against the tricky Filip Kostic, but the 24-year-old improved in the second half and forced the Serbian into defensive work that ultimately negated his attacking threat. Booked for holding back Kostic as Eintracht looked to counter.

- Europa League group stage: All you need to know

DF Shkodran Mustafi, 7 -- Can find himself on the wrong end of flak at times, but this was an assured display on his return to Emery's side. The German will have done his chances of a Premier League return no harm at all here.

DF David Luiz, 6 -- Had his occasional moments of uncertainty against the physical Bas Dost and the clever movement of Andre Silva, but never found himself in a great deal of danger.

DF Sead Kolasinac, 6 -- The Bosnian was the more defensively assured of Arsenal's full-backs, dealing well with the threat of Eintracht wing-back Danny da Costa, but was desperately short of quality with his final ball going forward. Booked for time wasting before being subbed off for Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the final 10 minutes.

MF Granit Xhaka, 6 -- Almost found the net in brilliant fashion with a looping free kick that caught everyone by surprise, but the Gunners' skipper still needs to do more when his side are out of possession.

MF Joe Willock, 8 -- Benefited from a huge deflection to put his side ahead not long before half-time, but deserved his slice of luck thanks to an excellent display of ball carrying and distribution. Unfortunate to be subbed off for Dani Ceballos with 20 minutes to go.

MF Lucas Torreira, 6 -- Fluffed his lines with the goal at his mercy early on, and the Uruguayan doesn't look suited to a midfield role that sees him operate on the right of a three. Needs bodies around him if he's going to be effective in this system.

FW Emile Smith-Rowe, 5 -- Should have scored when put through on goal just after the half-hour mark, and the youngster will be disappointed he couldn't grab his chance in the side with both hands. Moments of naivety and sloppiness in possession fortunately went unpunished. Subbed off for Nicolas Pepe after an hour.

FW Bukayo Saka, 8 -- Good work from the 18-year-old released Willock for Arsenal's opener, before he found space on the edge of the penalty area and fired an excellent finish past Kevin Trapp to make it 2-0. An assist for Arsenal's third was the cherry on top of a superb performance.

FW Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 6 -- The main man for Arsenal was shackled well by the Eintracht backline, but found the net in the dying embers with a simple finish.

Substitutes

FW Nicolas Pepe, 5 -- The Ivorian failed to make an impression in his half-hour cameo.

MF Dani Ceballos, N/R -- No impact from the Spaniard.

DF Ainsley Maitland-Niles, N/R -- Slotted into the Arsenal defence for the closing stages.

MANCHESTER, England -- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has done the impossible: gotten Manchester United fans excited about the Europa League.

By serving notice that he intends to use this competition to blood the latest batch of youngsters coming through Carrington, the Norwegian has made these games must watch for supporters keen for a glimpse into the future. Make no mistake, Solskjaer does not want to be playing on Thursday nights, but he is at least prepared to make the most of the opportunity it presents.

Against FK Astana of Kazakhstan, that meant full debuts for 19-year-olds Angel Gomes and Tahith Chong. Mason Greenwood, 17, and Marcus Rashford, 21, also started in a front four made up entirely of academy graduates with an average age of 19. Another academy product, 21-year-old Axel Tuanzebe, started at centre-back.

It wasn't quite Sir Alex Ferguson throwing in the Class of '92 at Aston Villa in 1995, but it wasn't far off. That game ended in a 3-1 defeat at Villa Park but this 1-0 win, narrow as it was, was a far more promising start.

It could have 4-0 after 20 minutes.

- Europa League group stage: All you need to know

Fred, making his first start in 148 days, hit the bar from 30 yards after just three minutes. Rashford forced Astana goalkeeper Nenad Eric into two point-blank saves and Greenwood flashed a fierce left-footed drive just past the far post.

The visitors had their moments, but more often than not Tuanzebe was there to sweep up the danger with an elegance that would have reminded some inside Old Trafford of Rio Ferdinand. Tuanzebe starred for Aston Villa on loan last season as they won promotion to the Premier League, and he would have been welcomed back in the summer had Solskjaer not made a point of keeping him in Manchester.

Chris Smalling -- a title winner and capped 31 times by England -- has been allowed to join Roma on loan in order to give Tuanzebe more opportunities. Comfortable on the ball, commanding in the air and dangerous from set pieces, he took his chance here.

He has work to do to remove one of Harry Maguire or Victor Lindelof from Solskjaer's first-choice XI, but he is not far away. Lindelof, in particular, cannot afford many more mistakes like the ones that cost goals against Crystal Palace and Southampton, and that is exactly the way Solskjaer will want it. Young players knocking on the door, keeping the senior stars on their toes.

Gomes was also impressive.

United's fans chanted "Borat, Borat give us a song" at the visiting support, but Astana are no joke. They racked up eight points in the Europa League group stage last season and arrived at Old Trafford having lost just one of their past six European trips.

Still, they struggled to cope with Gomes, who found pockets of space behind Rashford. There one second and gone the next, picking up the ball and laying it off, he was United's creative hub. Early in the second half he turned so sharply inside the box that two yellow shirts were almost sent back to Kazakhstan. His pass found Marcos Rojo but the Argentinian's cross evaded both Greenwood and Chong.

In his programme notes before the game, Solskjaer assured supporters that the Europa League "is a competition we want to win this season," and midway through the second half he showed it, throwing on the experience of Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard for Gomes and Chong. The United manager faces a delicate balancing act in the Europa League this season: providing enough chances for his young players while also trying to win a trophy that leads back into the Champions League.

Fittingly, though, it was a youngster who ensured any potential embarrassment was avoided.

Greenwood jinked past Dorin Rotariu on the right and slid his shot underneath Eric for his first senior goal. He has already got a song -- "Mason Greenwood's dynamite, he scores them with his left foot and scores them with his right" -- and this was the perfect time for another chorus.

Of all the young players the club believe have a chance of making the grade, they are most excited about Greenwood, now the youngest player to score for United in Europe. Still only 17 but with technical ability that allows him to take penalties and corners with both feet, he is the one to watch. Solskjaer was so impressed with the teenager during the summer tour that he allowed Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez to leave for Inter Milan without signing replacements.

Rashford launched his United career in the Europa League with two goals against FC Midtjylland three and a half years ago, and he used the platform to become one of the best young players in the world. Solskjaer has given the latest group off the conveyor belt the chance to do the same.

Recently the owners at Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) carried out a complete overhaul of the coaching staff, brining in former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson as team director and appointing former Australia batsman Simon Katich as the head coach.

On Friday, in Bengaluru, both Hesson and Katich had a media interaction where they discussed a wide range of issues including why they feel Royal Challengers, which is lead by India captain Virat Kohli, can be realistic about winning their maiden IPL title in 2020.

Excerpts:

Royal Challengers Bangalore haven't made the playoffs for three seasons now. How can you turn it around?

Mike Hesson: We have spent a lot of time in the last two weeks looking at how we want to structure things as a support staff. With the structure we have got and people we've got around us, we're well aware that we have to make a few tweaks in the squad to get the balance that we think we need moving forward. We are not going to talk about player names, obviously we are not going to give too much away, but there has certainly been a lot of behind the scenes thinking about how we want to structure things.

ALSO READ - RCB overhaul: Kirsten, Nehra out, Hesson, Katich in

Has there been any thought at all at looking at a different captain?

Simon Katich: Not at all.

How will the team management set-up work in the new structure?

Hesson: I will be having input pre-game, but Simon and Virat will be in charge on game days in terms of the XI they put on the park. The dealings I had with both are inclusive as well. I am sure coaches that have experience at certain venues against opposition, but it's a collective agreement. But Simon and Virat will be in charge on game days.

"You need to have guys who are prepared to put the team first over their individual needs of trying keep getting a game, or just potentially do well for the next option." RCB's head coach on what he expects

Kohli has lead for the past seven seasons. The outside perception is he calls the shots. Is that a strength or do you have any apprehensions about working with him?

Katich: From our point of view, we have been aligned about how we are going to go about things. We haven't got that perception about Virat at all. Potentially there is a learning from that and the fact that what he has done in the past, maybe he has learnt from that and wants to go about things differently moving forward. But from what we've discussed with him so far, he is very much been aligned about how we want to move forward, and happy to take advice from our experience and how we see things.

There is always going to be different opinions, but it is about what is best for the team and I think we have both (him and Hesson) spoken about it over the last couple of weeks. There's no question, for us Virat is captain.

How easy or difficult is it to talk to with superstar players like Kohli or Brendon McCullum (at New Zealand when he was head coach) to have an open discussion on decision-making?

Hesson: Simon, Virat and myself, everybody have been working together to this point and so far those relationships have been very good. There is a time and place for everything, but the three of us have to be brutally honest with each other behind closed doors around every decision.

There will be decisions we all make where we might say: "hang on, what we were thinking there?" And it might not necessarily be saying you have done something wrong. It's just asking for clarity on what you were thinking. I think this is responsibility of all of us to challenge the three of us as a leadership group to make sure we are getting the best out of each other. We are not gonna be passive and not be afraid of having honest discussions. There is no value in that for anybody.

Royal Challengers have never been short of talent. As a coach how do you get that talent work together?

Katich: A big part of it is identifying what sort of style of players will bat well with each other or potentially bowl well in partnerships together in different phases of the innings. So that's something we are working through at the moment. But then when it comes to a team's style of play, you need to have guys with that character that they are prepared to put the team first over their individual needs of trying keep getting a game, or just potentially do well for the next option.

So that's the balancing act of trying to put a squad together and that's where the character side of it comes into it because yes, they are a lot of players out there with lots of talent but are they playing in winning teams and how are they contributing in being part of winning teams? So that's all the things we have to weigh up when we are making these judgments over the next few months.

How do you make sure the Chinnaswamy pitch will favour RCB so that they utilise home advantage, a crucial determining factor in making play-offs?

Katich: It was probably the first thing I mentioned when I first came on about the job, was asking the question about the wicket because I have seen it evolved over the last four years. Obviously in 2017, it was a different type of wicket given what happened with the drainage. And obviously it affected the balance of the team because it was playing differently to what the team had been used to in the past.

So that was one of the first questions asked because you want to really utilise your home ground advantage for seven games and if you make it a fortress which others teams have done at their venues, whether it's at Chennai (Chennai Super Kings) or whoever it is, that becomes a big determining factor whether you can make it to the playoffs. So that's one thing we certainly will be taking into account and making sure that it suits the balance of our team and so we have to understand how it is going to play.

Warwickshire 488 (Sibley 215*, Hain 76) and 271 for 2 (Sibley 109, Burgess 61*) beat Nottinghamshire 498 (Mullaney 179, Clarke 125) and 260 (Clarke 112, Hannon-Dalby 4-54) by eight wickets

Dominic Sibley followed his unbeaten first-innings double century with another hundred as Warwickshire completed a successful run chase on the final day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.

Sibley, who scored an undefeated 215 in the first innings, followed up with 109 as the visitors reached their target of 271 from a minimum of 58 overs with eight wickets to spare. The 24-year old opener Sibley scored his runs from 147 balls, with 10 fours, and shared in an opening stand of 146 with Will Rhodes, who made 65.

Having been on the field for virtually the entire match, Sibley was eventually bowled by Paul Coughlin, who took 2 for 85.

By that stage the victory was already in sight, with Michael Burgess hitting an unbeaten 61 after coming in at No. 3.

Earlier, the day had looked as if it might belong to Joe Clarke, who registered his second hundred of the match.

Clarke followed up his first innings score of 125 with 112 as Notts made 260 in their second innings. He was last out, bowled by Oliver Hannon-Dalby, who took 4 for 54, with Jeetan Patel picking up 3 for 52.

Clarke's championship season had begun with scores of 112 and 97 not out against Yorkshire in early April but off-field issues disrupted his campaign and he had failed to reach 50 in any of his 17 Division One innings since then.

Dropped for the previous match, he returned to the starting XI as Notts rested players ahead of this weekend's Vitality Blast Finals Day. His return to form now puts him in contention to figure on Saturday as well.

The former Worcestershire batsman reached his sixteenth first-class century from 130 deliveries, having hit 15 fours.

"Firstly, Dom Sibley is a man in form and has played unbelievably well," Clarke said. "As a close mate of mine, hopefully I can see him in England colours this winter.

"It was nice for me after missing out last week. I was gutted, so coming back in I worked really hard to show people I don't want to be left out again."

On the prospect of playing at Finals Day on Saturday, he added: "I felt like I went ok in the T20s and feel confident but the decision is in other people's hands, not mine. I'll have a swing and be prepped to go if I get the nod."

Resuming from their overnight score of 105 for 5, a lead of 115, the home side had an early set-back when Coughlin was given out caught behind off Henry Brookes for 16.

Ravi Ashwin joined Clarke and kept the scoreboard moving in a partnership of 73, made in only 13 overs.

George Garrett broke the stand, gaining a positive lbw verdict against Ashwin, who made 42. The same bowler wasn't able to build on his success, clutching his thigh as he limped out of the action during his next over.

Clarke was on 89 when he lost his next partner, Luke Fletcher, popping Patel into the hands of Sam Hain at short leg.

Patel dismissed Zak Chappell for a promising 29 soon after lunch and the innings was completed when Clarke was bowled trying to farm the strike. In his disappointment he knocked out a stump with his bat - apologising immediately to the umpires.

Brendan Taylor, who made 114 and 105 not out against Durham in 2016 was the last Nottinghamshire batsman to record two hundreds in the same match.

The visitors began well, reaching tea on 82 without loss, with Sibley unbeaten on 48 and Rhodes on 34.

Gradual accumulation saw the openers advance the score to 146 before they were separated. Rhodes, who had hit Ashwin for two leg-side sixes in his 80-ball half-century, picked out Chappell in the deep, upper-cutting Coughlin.

A tired-looking Sibley then wandered across his stumps but Burgess reached his 50 from 51 balls, leaving Matt Lamb to hit the winning run.

The match aggregate of 1,517 runs is the largest in the competition this summer but leaves Notts still without a victory at the foot of the table. They now turn their attention to Finals Day on Saturday, before completing their red-ball season against Surrey at The Kia Oval next week.

Warwickshire move up to sixth in the table with their victory and host Yorkshire in their final encounter.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- In a limited media availability on Thursday, New England Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown deflected a question on whether he's heard from the NFL about being able to play throughout the 2019 season.

"I appreciate that question. I'm just here to focus on ball," Brown said in an interview that lasted just one minute. "I look forward to getting out there in the home stadium and being with the team."

Brown and the Patriots host the New York Jets on Sunday.

"I'm super grateful to be here, to play for Bill Belichick, Tom Brady. I got a lot of the offense to learn, and catch up. But I'm excited and grateful to be here and be a part of these guys," Brown said, when asked if he is in good standing with the NFL.

This marked the first time Brown has addressed reporters since joining the Patriots on Sept. 9.

Brown called working with Brady a "tremendous honor," saying he is a "great guy to be around" who inspires teammates.

Brown was not directly asked a question about his reaction to the civil lawsuit brought against him by his former trainer, Britney Taylor, which includes allegations of sexual assault and rape.

Asked what the process has been to get used to everything in New England, Brown said: "It's football. I'm grateful to play football. Every time you walk in the doors here, you do your best for the team. So every time I walk in here, I just want to make sure I'm preparing and giving these guys my best."

A team official, who had indicated it would be a short interview at the outset, ended the session after four questions.

Move over, Zion. There's a new dunker in Durham.

Duke freshman Cassius Stanley broke the school record for maximum vertical leap on Wednesday, a record set last year by Wooden Award winner and No. 1 NBA draft pick Zion Williamson.

There was no measurement announced by Duke, nor was there one when Williamson did it in July 2018.

Stanley, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Sierra Canyon High School (California), finished his high school career ranked No. 32 in the ESPN 100 for the 2019 class. Early in high school, Stanley was considered one of the elite prospects in the country due to his athleticism, resulting in a number of viral highlights and YouTube mixtapes showcasing his dunking ability.

?? MAX VERT RECORD ??

? @cassius_stanley ‼️

We've had some alarmingly athletic hoopers. Cassius has the new record. ??⚠️ pic.twitter.com/2xLlsX2P3I

— Duke Basketball (@DukeMBB) September 18, 2019

It looks as if it's carried over to college.

Stanley is part of the nation's No. 2-ranked recruiting class, the sixth straight year Duke has finished with a top-two recruiting class. He committed to the Blue Devils in late April, choosing Duke over a final list that included UCLA, Oregon and Kansas. Duke jumped into the picture late for Stanley, but began pursuing him in February and brought him on an official visit in April.

Duke opens its 2019-20 campaign with a showdown against Kansas at the Champions Classic in Madison Square Garden on Nov. 5. The Jayhawks rank No. 2 in ESPN's final Way-Too-Early Preseason Top 25, while Mike Krzyzewski and Duke slot in at No. 6.

We are all prisoners of the moment.

Hard not to be, right?

Especially in an emotional game such as fantasy football, in which way too often our heart, eyes and brain are in conflict.

"He plays for my favorite team and I drafted him early!"
"But he looks awful and hasn't had a good game in a month!"
"But they play the Dolphins!"

An NFL fantasy weekend results in a wide range of emotions for a fantasy player, as we go on a roller coaster filled with highs, lows, dread, hope, anger, prayer, yelling, cheering and cursing.

These are our guys.

We scouted them, we studied them, we drafted them, we started them and we watched them.

These are our guys.

At least they are supposed to be.

Until you look up at the leaderboard and realize that Joe Mixon is 56th at RB, just 0.2 points ahead of RB57, Dare Ogunbowale.

How could you not freak out? Joe Mixon! You could have had Dalvin Cook, but no, the idiot site you were on had Mixon ranked higher, so you took Mixon, even though podcast fans know exactly what happens whenever you count on the Bengals.

But you took him early, and then Donnie, stupid Donnie, with his dumb laugh and annoyingly loud voice, who showed up late with no draft materials and has been farting up a storm, asks someone who the next-highest running back is and some jerk tells him it's Cook, so he takes him one pick before it comes back around to you. And now Donnie -- moronic, gassy Donnie -- is in first place and hasn't even logged onto the site yet, but you're stuck with Mixon, and why the hell do you play this stupid game anyway?

So I get it, gentle reader. I have heard from you on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. I hear from you when I meet you. I hear from you on the podcast and in texts from my friends.

I get it.

But if I may, before we go too far down a shame spiral, I'd like to offer a few blind résumés:

Player A: 18.2 total points, 26.5% target share
Player B: 21.8 total points, 26.4% target share

(Player A is George Kittle through the first two weeks of 2018. Player B is George Kittle through the first two weeks of 2019. Kittle finished last season as TE3.)

Player C: 21.4 total points, with one game under 7.5 points and another over 14
Player D: 22.8 total points, with one game under 7.5 points and another over 14

(Player C is Robert Woods through the first two weeks of 2018. Player D is Robert Woods through the first two weeks of 2019. Woods finished last season as WR11.)

Player E: 10.7 points
Player F: 14.9 points

(Player E is Mike Evans in Weeks 9-10 in 2018. Player F is Mike Evans through the first two weeks of 2019. Despite a two-week stretch when he was brutal, Evans still finished 2018 as WR11.)

Player G: 39.5 points (QB12)
Player H: 37.7 points (QB14)

(Player G is Matt Ryan through the first two weeks of 2018. Player H is Matt Ryan through the first two weeks of 2019. Ryan finished 2018 as QB2.)

Player I: 39.5 points, a TD reception in both games, 18 targets (6 deep) with 3 deep receptions, 89.8% of snaps played.
Player J: 40.7 points, a TD reception in both games, 16 targets (7 deep) with 4 deep receptions, 89.4% of snaps played.

(Player I is A.J. Green in the first two games of his rookie season. Player J is Terry McLaurin through the first two weeks of 2019. Green was WR17 as a rookie.)

Player K: 32.8 points through Week 2 (his previous worst start to a season in his career), 56.7% completion rate, 2 TDs
Player L: 27.3 points through Week 2, 62.5% completion rate, 3 TDs

(Player K is Aaron Rodgers at the start of 2009. Player L is Aaron Rodgers so far this season. Rodgers finished 2009 as QB1.)

I could do this all day. It's two weeks, kids. Last season, through the first two weeks ...

• Tarik Cohen was RB51 (10.6 points) ... finished as RB11.

• Chris Carson was RB45 (11.3 points) ... finished as RB15.

• Dak Prescott was QB26 (23.6 points) ... finished as QB10.

• Andrew Luck was QB21 (30.8 points) ... finished as QB5.

And it's not just about slow starters. Last season, through the first two games (all stats below are on a per-game basis, so as not to be influenced by injury) ...

• Javorius "Buck" Allen was RB16 ... finished as RB64.

• Nelson Agholor was WR20 ... finished as WR51.

• Jesse James was TE2 ... finished as TE32.

• Will Dissly was TE3 ... finished as TE17.

It's two weeks. I get it. I really do. But it's two weeks. There's a long way to go.

By the way, here's one final intriguing fact: 11 WRs had at least 40 points through two weeks in 2018. Eight of those 11 WRs went on to play at least 13 games ... and all eight finished in the top 10 among WRs last season.

This year, there are 15 WRs with at least 40 points through two weeks. Will all of them finish in the top 20?

Sammy Watkins (57.7)
John Ross III (56.0)
Emmanuel Sanders (48.4)
Marquise Brown (47.3)
Keenan Allen (44.1)
DJ Chark (43.1)
T.Y. Hilton (43.0)
Julio Jones (42.7)
Odell Beckham Jr. (42.2)
Michael Thomas (41.2)
Calvin Ridley (40.9)
Larry Fitzgerald (40.7)
Terry McLaurin (40.7)
Chris Godwin (40.4)
DeAndre Hopkins (40.1)

Food for thought, as is this Love/Hate for Week 3. As always, this is not a start-or-sit column. I don't "love" or "hate" players. I do, however, "love" or "hate" their ESPN projection for PPR leagues. So that's what this is. Players who are "loves" are players I believe will generally meet or exceed their ESPN projections. "Hates" are players I believe will fall short of their ESPN projections. That simple. For specific "this player or that player" questions, please consult my rankings, which are constantly updated all the way through Sunday at kickoff. You also can watch The Fantasy Show on ESPN+, which expanded to four episodes a week this year, and of course Fantasy Football Now, every Sunday morning on ESPN2. Thank you as always to "Thirsty" Kyle Soppe of the 06010 podcast and the Stat-a-pillar from The Fantasy Show on ESPN+, Damian Dabrowski, for their help at various points in this column.

Here we go:

Quarterbacks I love in Week 3

Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (vs. Dolphins; ESPN projection: 21.6): The hottest QB in the league takes on the worst defense in the league. Do you need more? Dak is the first player with 25 completions, 330 yards of offense and 3 TD passes in three straight games since Drew Brees in 2012. Las Vegas is projecting 33 to 34 points for the Cowboys in this game. Prescott averages 24 PPG for his career when the Cowboys score 28-plus points. Gimme the over on 21.6.

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (vs. Bengals; ESPN projection: 19.1): You had me at Bengals. Cincy is giving up 11 yards per attempt this season (second most). It's a good matchup for the strong-armed Allen, and with a banged-up run game, expect the Bills to take some deep shots here. Allen's rushing keeps his floor high; he has six rushing scores in his past six games.

Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Giants; ESPN projection: 17.2): What's the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? I'm definitely crazy. But here I am, writing in front of you, putting Winston on the love list. What is wrong with me? Someone send me to rehab. In the meantime, he is at home and has had 10 days to prepare for a Giants team that has allowed opponents to complete 71% of their passes (seventh highest) for 642 yards (third highest) and has only three sacks on the season.

Others receiving votes: Despite not running very much so far, Kyler Murray is the 12th-best QB in fantasy. Only Patrick Mahomes has attempted more deep passes than Murray. I like the over on 16.7 points at home against a Panthers team that is giving up 9.0 air yards per target (eighth most in the NFL). ... Opponents have completed 75% of passes against the Steelers this season for 640 yards, 6 TDs and no INTs, making Jimmy Garoppolo a viable option for two-QB leagues or those streaming QBs in the wake of injuries to Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees and (maybe?) Cam Newton. ... Speaking of Newton, if he misses this game, I like Kyle Allen as a dirt-cheap DFS play and/or deeper-league fill-in. Allen is a better QB than you think. He impressed in his Week 17 start last season (16-of-27 for 228 yards and 2 TDs, and he ran in a third), and I like him against the group of people Arizona calls a defense.

Quarterbacks I hate in Week 3

Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams (at Browns; ESPN projection: 16.4): Currently below Derek Carr in yards per attempt and touchdown percentage, Goff has struggled on the road recently. Since the start of 2018, he averages just 237.4 passing yards and 13.3 fantasy points per game away from home. Myles Garrett & Co. have been great at getting to the QB this season, as the Browns rank third in pressure percentage. When Goff is pressured, he struggles. Since Goff has been in the league, he ranks 24th with just a 3.4% career TD rate when pressured. I'll take the under on 16.4.

Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns (vs. Rams; ESPN projection: 15.9): Fair warning -- the initial over/under for this game was 50.5, one of the highest of Week 3, so there's a decent chance putting Goff and Mayfield on the "hate" list is going to blow up in my face worse than putting Aaron Jones on it did last week. But here I am because, honestly ... I thought Mayfield looked bad on Monday night, throwing into double coverage and missing open receivers. He got two amazing Beckham plays -- and hey, he'll have OBJ on Sunday night, and those kind of plays are certainly in his wheelhouse. But those two crazy plays accounted for 59.2% of Mayfield's Week 2 points. Without those two big plays, Mayfield's season features a 59.2% completion percentage, just a single TD pass and four interceptions. The Rams, meanwhile, are giving up the fourth-fewest yards per pass attempt this season. I love Mayfield long term and am a fan, but on a short week against the seventh-best pass defense in the NFL, I'm a bit nervous here.

Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh Steelers (at 49ers; ESPN projection: 14.9): I think Rudolph will be fine for the Steelers pass-catchers you care about, but there are other fill-in/streaming types I prefer more than him traveling across the country to face a better-than-you-think Niners defense. San Francisco has the eighth-best scoring defense this season, it is sixth best in completion percentage against and it has more interceptions than touchdown passes allowed thus far.

Running backs I love in Week 3

Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers (vs. Texans; ESPN projection: 17.7): Since the start of 2016, here is the entire list of players who have had consecutive games of at least 55 yards rushing and 65 receiving yards: Melvin Gordon, Le'Veon Bell, Alvin Kamara, David Johnson and ... Austin Ekeler. The Texans allow a league-high 4.52 yards per carry before first contact this season. Ekeler has played 74% of the snaps and is locked in as an RB1.

Sony Michel, New England Patriots (vs. Jets; ESPN projection: 13.3): I expect the sun to come up tomorrow morning. I expect the sun to go down tomorrow night. And I expect the Patriots to crush the Jets at home. And when the Patriots are up big against New York, expect a heavy workload for Michel against a Jets team that has allowed the 10th-most yards per carry before first contact this season. Patriots running backs have run for more than 115 yards AND a touchdown in four of the past five games against the Jets. I say it becomes five of the past six on Sunday with Michel doing a good chunk of the damage.

Todd Gurley II, Los Angeles Rams (at Browns; ESPN projection: 14.3): I'm taking the over on 14.3 for Gurley on the road in what should be a raucous prime-time game. With the Rams wanting to take the crowd out of it and protect Jared Goff (see above), expect a nice workload for Gurley, who has been the ball carrier for 18 of the Rams' 24 drives this season. You can run on the Browns, as those with Derrick Henry or Le'Veon Bell have discovered this year. Bell wasn't efficient, but he got 31 touches and, given the rest of the offense, performed pretty well.

David Montgomery, Chicago Bears (at Redskins; ESPN projection: 12.2): The bell-cow usage is starting to come for Montgomery, as he got 18 of the Bears' 25 RB carries (72%) in Week 2, up significantly from 54.5% in Week 1. Montgomery's five goal-to-go carries this season are tied for the most in the NFL (all came last week!). And you couldn't ask for a better matchup, as the Skins are giving up 5.17 yards per carry.

Others receiving votes: I'm already on the hook for Jameis Winston, so what the hell. Might as well dive all the way in. I don't think Peyton Barber is anything more than just a guy, but he's currently the guy for the Bucs and now gets a Giants team that has allowed a league-high four rushing touchdowns in two games. ... Assuming Devin Singletary misses the game Sunday with that hamstring injury, Frank Gore should be flex-worthy against a Bengals team that has allowed the third-most rushing yards this season. ... There should be enough volume to give both Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert flex consideration. The Niners are the league's second-run-heaviest team this season, trailing only the Vikings, and the Steelers are a bottom-10 run defense traveling west as a 6.5-point underdog.

Running backs I hate in Week 3

Le'Veon Bell, New York Jets (at Patriots; ESPN projection: 18.0): You have to start him, of course, but I'm taking the under on 18 points here. The Patriots allow just 2.6 yards per carry this season (second best) and opponents have completed just 60% of passes to RBs against them this season (fifth lowest). Now, one of those games was against the Dolphins, so it shouldn't really count, but still. Pretty sure Bill Belichick will sell out to stop Bell and take his chances with Luke Falk. Volume and junk time will help, but I'm going under on 18.

Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals (at Bills; ESPN projection: 14.1): Brutal, I mean BRU-TAL, offensive line and a concern that he may not be 100% after last week's game-time decision don't make you feel good. But even if Mixon is healthy, I don't have a ton of optimism against a Bills defense that, despite facing Le'Veon Bell and Saquon Barkley to start the season, is top 10 against the run so far. With a pretty low over/under for Week 3 (and you know I like Josh Allen in this one), I fear we see a lot more Giovani Bernard in the passing game than you'd want.

James Conner, Pittsburgh Steelers (at 49ers; ESPN projection: 14.6): I'm not sure he's going to play, and if he does, I'm not sure how much it'll be. And regardless of if he plays, this is a tougher matchup than you might think. The Niners are allowing just 3.24 yards per carry this season (seventh best) and my expectation is Jaylen Samuels gets more run in this game. Just like with Bell, you have to play Conner if he's active, but I would lower expectations here.

Kerryon Johnson, Detroit Lions (at Eagles; ESPN projection: 13.5): I believe the release of C.J. Anderson means more about the Lions' confidence in Ty Johnson than it does anything about CJA or wanting to get Kerryon more work. Tough matchup here for Kerryon, who will need significant passing-down work to earn his keep. The Eagles cough up just 2.83 yards per carry this season (fifth best) and have yet to allow a rushing TD. The way you beat Philly is by attacking its secondary (wait 'til we get to pass-catcher love) and given that Johnson (as of this writing) is less than 100 percent, I'm taking the under here.

Pass-catchers I love in Week 3

Kenny Golladay, Detroit Lions (at Eagles; ESPN projection: 13.9): The same reason I am down on Kerryon Johnson this week is why I'm high on Golladay. The way you attack Philly is through the air, as the Birds have allowed 300-plus passing yards and three TDs in both games so far this season. With a 29.6% target share in his past four games and what should be a running game that will struggle, expect Golladay to get plenty of chances to beat 13.9. Gimme the over.

Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks (vs. Saints; ESPN projection: 12.9): Coming off of a career-high 10 catches at Pittsburgh, Lockett makes a repeat appearance on the love list after last week. Likely seeing a lot of Saints slot corner P.J. Williams in a matchup Lockett should win handily, this is another great spot for Lockett against a Saints team that since the start of 2018 has allowed a score on slot passes at the eighth-highest rate. Also since the start of 2018, Lockett has at least five catches or a touchdown in 15 of 18 games. He'll do it again at home against the league's sixth-worst scoring defense.

Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings (vs. Raiders; ESPN projection: 12.6): Weird game last week, and Diggs had a touchdown called back. But despite the low volume and inconsistent QB play so far for the Vikes, Diggs still has a 24.3% target share and is averaging 18.9 air yards per target. So far this season, the Raiders have allowed the most receiving yards (382) and the most TDs (four) on deep passes and the second-most deep receptions allowed (11). I'm digging Diggs this week. Sorry. I'll see myself out.

George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers (vs. Steelers; ESPN projection: 14.0): You know from the intro that I'm on team #patience with Kittle. He's still getting a significant target share (26.4%), the Steelers' issues with players out of the slot are well-documented and coming off a game where Will Dissly just hung five for 50 and two touchdowns on them, this might be your last chance to acquire Kittle at any sort of a discount.

Vance McDonald, Pittsburgh Steelers (at 49ers; ESPN projection: 9.6): He seemed to have a connection with Mason Rudolph, as he led Pittsburgh with four catches from Rudolph in Week 2, two of which went for scores. McDonald is playing heavy snaps and opponents are 11 for 15 when targeting the TE position against San Francisco this season (73.3%). Given the state of the position, McDonald is locked in as a TE1.

Others receiving votes: As I said earlier, I like Kyle Allen. So whether it's him or Cam Newton on Sunday, I'm in on the Panthers' offense. You were already starting DJ Moore, but Greg Olsen has run a route on 80% of Carolina's dropbacks this year. The Cardinals have given up an NFL-leading 273 receiving yards to opposing tight ends. I also like Curtis Samuel, who quietly had 13 targets last week and should see similar volume against Arizona's bottom-five pass defense. ... In the same game, the Cardinals are going to have to throw, so Christian Kirk (currently top 15 in the NFL in targets) is on the WR3 radar and deep-league managers and/or DFS dart-throw seekers should take a long glance at his teammate Damiere Byrd, who has run 92 routes this season (third most among all players) and has gotten seven targets in both games. Breakout game coming soon. Maybe it's Sunday. ... Much has been made of the connection Mason Rudolph and James Washington have from their days together at Oklahoma State. Allow me to be another one echoing that. I interviewed both of them at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere a few years ago and they could not have been more effusive about each other. Washington played 13 more snaps than Donte Moncrief last week and expect it to be even more this week. ... For the truly TE desperate, it's worth noting that Jason Witten has now scored in two straight weeks, Michael Gallup is out for this game and opposing tight ends are averaging 22 points a game against the Dolphins early on.

Pass-catchers I hate in Week 3

Brandin Cooks, Los Angeles Rams (at Browns; ESPN projection: 12.8): You already know I'm down on Goff in this one, so it stands to reason Cooks takes a hit as well. Especially because he has stark home/road splits as well, averaging just 10 points per game on the road as a Ram while averaging more than 19 a game at home. We talked about the high pressure rate Cleveland brings and, for his career, when Goff is pressured, he averages just 5.6 yards per attempt (a 33% decline over what he normally does). You still have to start Cooks, but I think this is a close-to-the-line-of-scrimmage Todd Gurley/Cooper Kupp game, so I'm taking the under here.

Tyrell Williams, Oakland Raiders (at Vikings; ESPN projection: 12.9): Xavier Rhodes isn't what he once was, but he's still good enough to create issues for Williams. Since the beginning of last season, the Vikings have allowed the third-lowest deep completion percentage (37.6%) in part because they rank fifth in pressure percentage (31.7%). Ten of Williams' 11 catches this season have come when Derek Carr is not pressured. Volume will help here, but not enough. I'm taking the under.

John Ross III, Cincinnati Bengals (at Bills; ESPN projection: 11.8): He has been a revelation this year and I'm on board with it being more legit than not. But I think the train derails a bit this week against a Bills defense that, so far this season, has allowed just one deep completion. He'll see more Tre'Davious White than I would like in this one, and given the expected low-scoring nature of this one, I'm going under 11.8.

T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions (at Eagles; ESPN projection: 8.9): One good game, one bad one ... that inconsistency isn't a shock from a rookie tight end. And I believe he's more likely to struggle again this week than have a huge game. Since the beginning of last season, the Eagles have the best red zone defense (45% of such drives have resulted in a TD) and have given up just three -- count 'em, three -- tight end touchdowns in 18 games. Not a top-10 play for me this week.

Matthew Berry -- the Talented Mr. Roto -- says that if Mike Evans or O.J. Howard don't do it against the Giants, then you can freak the hell out.