Sports
PGA Tour pros do this to their wedges every week, should you?
I recently took a trip to PING headquarters in Phoenix and had an incredible experience having Adam Harding, from the Ping tour truck, custom-grind me a wedge.
When we visited Ping previously for Fully Fit, I was having trouble finding the right lob wedge, which was disappointing because I liked how they felt off the face and they were spinning more than anything else that I had tried the rest of the week. Thankfully, we were on another trip out west, and I got to work with Adam, whom I had been texting for weeks about my quest to dial in the wedge.
I’ve already gotten comments from viewers and followers that this isn’t a “normal” thing, and it’s tough to compare the experience to what a consumer can get. That, however, is wrong, and I’m really happy to let you guys in on this little secret.
;)
Josh Goedker / GOLF
How did I know I needed a custom grind?
When we went out for Fully Fit at Ping, I really, really enjoyed the new S259 wedges. On full shots with the gap wedge and the sand wedge, I was impressed by the feel, and more importantly, the penetrating flight the wedges produced with more spin than I had seen from anything I tested. This was confirmed throughout the week-long trip.
The problem was that we couldn’t figure out the lob wedge. I typically play a lower-bounce lob wedge to prioritize the ability to open up the face without exposing the leading edge. This helps add effective bounce while allowing me to be creative.
Weirdly enough, the best option of the day at Fully Fit ended up being the W grind, but it was mostly because I could make the wedge work for more types of square-face shots. Leaning the shaft, keeping the hands back, or going toe down was easy and the wedge was very forgiving, but I had to abandon the option of opening the face on little shots around the green. With that wide of a sole and that much bounce, it just wasn’t something I was comfortable looking at or executing.
This is where the custom grind comes in.
A friend of mine used to work on all my golf clubs, and a couple of years ago, we discovered that a significant reduction in the heel of any lob wedge is good for my game. I love to swing the face way open, and knocking down the heel helps a lot with that.
I also like to add a bit of skid to the leading edge to ensure that I don’t create a knife that digs into the ground and never comes out. In 2024, I played a Mizuno T24 that was custom ground with leading-edge camber and heel relief, and for 2025, I did the same with a Cobra King, a fresh grind of which is the current front-runner for the bag.
There was just something about these Ping S259 wedges that I really liked, so I texted Adam about potentially making some changes to the H-Grind, which was really close in testing. It worked well around the greens, but it was too sharp on longer pitch shots or full shots. Digging really hard and not getting out of the turf properly is a common issue with the H-Grind, and I had the same problem.
Adam was confident that he could help. He texted me to say that he had explored some options for that exact problem whenever I was able to see him next. You can see the entire interaction in the YouTube video we created.
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Figuring out what the custom grind needed to be
We started by hitting a couple of shots with the “contenders”. Adam wanted to use the S259 S-Grind as the base test because it’s PING’s “standard” grind. It’s something that works for lots of players and has a unique way of showing what a player may need from a wedge. It’s not quite the grind for me.
Sure enough, I shanked one off the hosel. Definitely not the one we were going to move forward with. Next, we went back to test the H-Grind. We were pretty sure this one was going to work for me around the green, so it was more of a fun test just to show off a little bit. The H-Grind has about 90% of what I am looking for on the shorter shots around the green, but I could still feel the heel making contact with the turf before the ball.
;)
Josh Goedker / GOLF
Lastly, Adam, for his own research, wanted me to hit the newly designed E-Grind.
The E-Grind takes the classic Ping Eye-style grind and modernizes it for today’s game. It still has the Eye grind-style material cutout in the sole, which gives it two leading edges and two trailing edges in a way.
The idea is to keep the front of the wedge lower bounce for ease of use around the greens, but high enough in bounce to hit the fuller shots. Unfortunately for me, the shape of the leading edge was still just a bit too sharp for how steep I get on pitch and full shots. Even trying to open it around the greens, I struggled to get past that “second cut” on the sole. We moved back to the H-Grind to hit a few more shots and decided that was going to be our starting point.
From there, Adam went to work.
;)
Mark Hannan / GOLF
He started by grabbing a fresh S259 H-Grind from the truck drawer (with no weight port installed) and taking it to the grinding belt. Using a coarser, more aggressive belt, he began removing material.
Since Adam had done a similar grind for himself, it didn’t take him long to get there. He took a bunch of material off the heel, and what used to be a bit of a knuckle in that area became nice and flat. He then smoothed the rest of the wedge with a finer, less-aggressive belt to help blend before tackling the leading edge.
To make it less sharp without adding too much additional bounce, he had to be careful about the angle he chose to grind this new “skid”. By blunting the front edge a bit more and creating a skid, I can stay aggressively down in attack angle without worrying about the wedge getting stuck in the ground on pitch shots or more full shots.
Again with this, he started with a coarse belt to get the shape down and take away material, and then finished it up with a finer belt for blending it back into the wedge. Since this was a Hydropearl 2.0 Chrome finish, it’s easy to spot the work done, but Adam did a fantastic job blending the grind, even with the finish removed.
Making sure we didn’t screw it up
After Adam ground up the new wedge, he built it up to my specs with a Project X 6.5 Wedge shaft and a GolfPride Tour Velvet Cord grip.
The cool part about building up a PING wedge from scratch is the access to the CTP weights (pictured above). The heads start without a weight in the port, so they can build the wedge without having to worry about tip weights or swing weight at all, really, and then the appropriate CTP weight can be placed in the build at the very end to ensure proper swing weight.
This is especially cool when it means that there’s zero trouble in building a unique length and, in my case, building it to the same length as a gap wedge.
;)
Josh Goedker / GOLF
Once the wedge was dry, we headed back to the PING Proving Grounds chipping green to hit the same shots we had started with.
I could feel the difference immediately.
It was so easy to open up the wedge and get aggressive on my attack angle without ever fearing that I was going to stick the wedge into the ground. We quickly hit some fantastic shots and then headed over to the range to hit some full shots. This is where we were going to find out if the entire experiment was worth it.
The good news: it was a breeze. The wedge didn’t get stuck in the ground a single time. It got into the turf fast, which helps me make confident ball-first contact, but came out quickly enough that spin values stayed consistent, impact location and strike consistency improved. The flight window I was seeing was nearly perfect. One shot after another, Adam’s leading-edge grind proved its worth. I was a very happy golfer with a new tool.
;)
Jake Morrow Custom S259 Heel Grind
Tour experiences are great… but how can the regular golfer get this?
One of the common comments I’ve received since this content went live is that it’s not fair to show an experience the average consumer can’t get.
But that’s not true.
There are lots of private bay fitters who do custom wedge fittings and grinds, as well as plenty of online resources for places to send your wedge with notes of how you want it ground. Remember, some things will require more investment. If you really think that you have no options in the wedge market, investing a few more bucks to get one ground the way you need it is absolutely worth it. It is to me, anyway. But that’s not even the best part.
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The cooler news is that this type of experience is available through Ping Custom. An authorized Ping dealer can work with Ping through what’s called the Ping WRX program. It’s sort of an “if you know, you know” program, but it’s one of the cool ways that Ping separates itself.
Offerings like it are part of the reason that Ping doesn’t sell directly to the customer. They want to make sure the gear has been properly tested or, preferably, fitted. Working with authorized dealers on things like Ping WRX, it allows customers and their fitters to get specific about what they are looking for from Ping and bring this sort of experience to the regular consumer.
For more information on that program, visit your local authorized PING dealer. I’d probably stay away from the big box stores with this one, though, and find a local fitter or a local golf shop near you to help order properly.
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Sports
T20 World Cup: Zimbabwe stuck in India amid closure of airspace in Middle East | Cricket News
TimesofIndia.com in New Delhi: Already out of the T20 World Cup semi-final race, Zimbabwe readied for the dead rubber against South Africa in New Delhi on Sunday. As they went through their paces on a hot Saturday afternoon a day prior, their focus shifted to their phones and news channels by the evening.After the US and Israel’s airstrikes on Iran and their counter-attack on US military installations around the Gulf, it has affected the airspace in the global business hub of Dubai. Zimbabwe were due to fly out through that region on their way back home after a positive tournament.“You still believe that the focus is on the game. At the end of the day, it is on the back of everyone’s minds. You know you’re going home, when you’re going home, how you’re going home, the conversations are happening in the groups. No clarity on travel plans, focus on game since,” said Zimbabwe coach Justin Simmons after their 5-wicket loss to South Africa.As a result, Zimbabwe and their travelling fans are forced to look at alternative routes. The team was due to leave in three batches, revealed Simmons, but have no clarity as things stand. One of the players in the squad, Graeme Cremer, lives in Dubai. The team and their fans are considering the possibility of flying for Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, and then taking their onward journeys.South Africa, meanwhile, have more days left in India. They will now fly to Kolkata for the semi-final against New Zealand. The reality of the world outside, though, is not lost on the Proteas contingent.“Obviously it comes up in every conversation, so you can’t wish it away because it’s there. We’ve just got to try and nail our yorkers. So whilst it’s (in) conversations, we’ve managed to just move that aside,” said South Africa coach Shukri Conrad after they kept their unbeaten run going.“And obviously our manager, together with the ICC, we firmly believe that all the right decisions will get made. All our focus is on Kolkata and playing New Zealand on Wednesday,” he added.On Saturday, ICC, headquartered in Dubai, had issued a statement clarifying that they were monitoring the developing situation. “The International Cricket Council (ICC) is closely monitoring the evolving situation in the Middle East and has activated comprehensive contingency plans to safeguard the travel, logistics and well-being of all stakeholders associated with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, currently underway in India and Sri Lanka,” said the statement.“While the crisis in the Middle East has no direct bearing on the conduct of the tournament, the ICC acknowledges that a significant number of personnel – including players, team management, match officials, broadcast teams, and event staff – rely on Gulf hub airports, particularly Dubai (DXB), as key transit points for onward travel to their home countries upon concluding their commitments at the event,” it continued.As of Sunday, Indian airlines have cancelled 350 international flights due to the disruptions caused by the escalating conflict in the GUlf region.“In view of airspace restrictions arising from geopolitical developments in the Middle East, a total of 350 flights operated by Indian domestic carriers have been cancelled on 01.03.2026,” the civil aviation ministry said in a post on X at 1634 hours on Sunday.
Sports
T20 World Cup: South Africa coach’s ‘cupcake’ jibe after another ‘chokers’ reminder | Cricket News
TimesofIndia.com in New Delhi: South Africa are on an unbeaten run in the T20 World Cup. Except for the double Super Over against Afghanistan, they’ve steamrolled top teams, including India, whom they beat by 76 runs. On a seven-match winning streak, South Africa hopes to shed their ‘chokers’ tag.The legacy of that tag has followed the Proteas for the past two decades. It started with the 1999 World Cup loss to Australia and persisted until the 2024 T20 World Cup, losing the final to India in the Caribbean.
Now, the reigning World Test Championship winners are the team to beat in the T20 World Cup being played in India and Sri Lanka. Their winning run continued with a 5-wicket win over Zimbabwe on Sunday. Coach Shukri Conrad was asked if this brings pressure and the much-dreaded reminder of being chokers?“There’s always pressure. I think it’s what you do with that pressure and how you shift the pressure. As for the C-word [chokers], I think there’s another one for that – ‘cupcakes.’ I’m sure we kind of enjoyed that,” said Conrad.The cupcake reference relates to a TV advert in the lead-up to the India vs South Africa Super Eight match where an Indian fan jokingly told a South Africa supporter about “repeating history” from the 2024 T20 World Cup while teasing them over a cupcake. But after South Africa’s resounding win against India in Ahmedabad, that dig flipped on its head.“No, there’s always pressure and it’s really about embracing that pressure. And we don’t do things any differently. We’re going to prepare exactly the same way for New Zealand. Whether we start as favourites? Probably because we’re the only unbeaten side in the competition. But I don’t know if that adds to the pressure,” continued Conrad.“I think the semi-final is pressure enough. Playing a tough side in New Zealand is pressure enough. So there’s no added pressure.“I’m glad that we’re favourites because I always felt that as a South African team you want to be able to play as a favourite because it’s easy being an underdog. The expectation isn’t that much. But if we can continue doing what we’re doing then we need a little bit of luck along the way as well.“Hopefully that will give us the result on Wednesday and then on to our ‘home ground’ in Ahmedabad,” he finished cheekily.
The grips on your golf clubs have long been something of an afterthought. Even during a clubfitting, there’s often little time spent dialing in your grips. At the end of the process, you’re usually asked a simple question — What grip do you prefer? — and then you’re on your way.
The folks at Golf Pride don’t think this is the most prudent approach.
“We believe we’re designing equipment for your hands,” says James Ledford, Golf Pride president. “Not handles for your clubs.”
For Ledford, that distinction is more than semantics. Golf Pride thinks about grips as a true performance category, rather than just a finishing touch. While clubheads, shafts and balls have been studied for decades with standardized testing and performance metrics, grips have largely escaped the same level of scrutiny.
“There really haven’t been established protocols for how to study grips the way the industry studies equipment,” Ledford says. “We all understand clubhead delivery numbers. We don’t really have those standards yet for grips.”
That gap is what Golf Pride wants to close.
Instead of treating grips as passive components, the company is approaching them as active performance tools that influence strike quality, consistency and, most importantly, confidence. In Ledford’s view, the grip shouldn’t be the final decision in the fitting process, but the starting point. Most golfers think about the clubhead first, then work their way up the shaft, and only finally consider the grip. The company is deliberately flipping that order.
At Golf Pride’s state-of-the-art Performance Lab in Pinehurst, N.C., players go through a Tour-level grip fitting that takes into account hand size, climate conditions, texture and firmness to narrow down possible grip choices. Then it’s time to actually hit shots on a simulator until you find the grip that feels the best for your swing. It soon becomes clear just how influential the grip can be.
“This is where we’re really trying to understand grips as equipment,” Ledford says. “It’s about building real data around how grips influence performance.”
For years, grips have been the quiet constant in the bag. Golf Pride is betting that once golfers start treating them like real equipment — not an afterthought — that silence won’t last much longer.
The MCC™ (New Decade® MultiCompound) is an innovative hybrid grip that fuses the positive performance of rubber and cord. The MCC boasts the Golf Pride® exclusive Brushed Cotton Cord in the upper hand area for firm all-weather control, and a performance rubber material in the lower hand for ultimate feel and responsiveness.
Golf Pride MCC Grip
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The advantage of straight-course practice has been evident, with fillies from Lindsay Park taking out the top two spots at Flemington.
Ben, Will and J D Hayes’s Gin Twist and La Gitana grabbed the quinella in the Listed TAB We’re On (1000m) last Saturday, having shared an 800m jump-out on Flemington’s straight on February 20.
Ben Hayes commented that the trial was vital, unlike for the third Lindsay Park entry Jacaranda ($3.20 favourite), who missed it and finished fifth.
Luke Currie aboard Gin Twist ($3.50) guided her to a 1-¾ length success ahead of La Gitana ($5), as The Troubleshooter ($17) was 2-¾ lengths further adrift in third.
“Two-year-olds are very hard,” Hayes said.
“They either get it wrong, which we saw with Jacaranda, who dropped the bit early and didn’t look comfortable, they don’t know how to get into a rhythm, whereas the other two were professional, they jumped, got into a rhythm and gave good kicks.
“It’s a bit of a guessing game when you’re running them and I say that to the owners, they either handle it or they won’t.
“We say don’t worry about that as they will improve out of sight. Having a look and seeing how they handle it is very important.”
Hayes disclosed pressure applied by Tom Magnier of Coolmore Australia for his fillies to achieve a one-two-three.
In the midst of yearling sales season, Magnier was pushing for success from Home Affairs, sire to the three two-year-olds.
“We had a bit of pressure on us,” Hayes said.
“Tom said to us, if we didn’t get the trifecta with the Home Affairs fillies, we would be in trouble.
“Sorry Tom, we only got the quinella, hopefully that’s OK.
“It was an impressive win. I got a bit worried as she got a bit hot in the mounting yard and got a bit worked up, but she jumped, she looked like she was comfortable the whole race and went to the line quite easily.”
The stable intends to deliberate Gin Twist’s future assignments, not excluding a journey to Sydney targeting the Golden Slipper at Rosehill next month.
Find the best sports betting options and betting markets for the race on key events such as the Golden Slipper.
Best guess at this stage is that WR3 Jalen Nailor is going to be playing elsewhere in 2026.
The Vikings receiver has been a rare success story from the ten-person 2022 draft class. In fact, the argument could be made that he’s the success story as the lonely player to develop into an impact player. Redoing the event would surely lead to a team picking Nailor far higher than when he got scooped up, a sure sign that he has done well across his four seasons.
Prior to the 2025 season finishing, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (now an employee of the 49ers) pointed toward a desire to retain Mr. Nailor while nevertheless looping “economic realities” into the conversation. Doing so could be read as laying the groundwork for a goodbye.
Similarly worth remembering is that Nailor himself sounded like someone who would leave when he did his presser after the season concluded. Per Nailor, there was excitement for the arrival of free agency: “It’s going to be a pretty interesting offseason, but I’m just excited for what’s to come.”
Vikings Receiver Jalen Nailor Unlikely to Remain
More recently, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell took some time to chat with Paul Allen and Pete Bercich at the NFL Combine. O’Connell was his usually chatty and positive self, as is his wont. The Nailor question continued the trend even if the coach pointed toward where this thing is going.
O’Connell praises Keenan McCardell’s coaching as well as Nailor’s ability to persevere over early injury. There’s then a mention of Nailor being capable of doing “a lot of different things” while saying that “we’re not the only ones watching the tape.”
“We’ll see how these next few weeks play out,” O’Connell said.
To O’Connell’s eye, Nailor is a very good receiver who has pushed his game upward, largely due to being capable of getting shuffled around the offense. Nailor’s film is impressive, leading O’Connell to conclude that other teams have noticed what he’s capable of doing.
Folks, that’s the kiss of death.
The Vikings, of course, haven’t made a firm decision. Unexpected things happen all the time. Maybe reality arrives and Jalen Nailor keeps earning his pay as an employee of the Minnesota Vikings. Sure sounds, though, like Minnesota’s top coach is preparing for life without him.
Nicknamed Speedy, Nailor offered the Vikings 29 catches for 444 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2025. Modest, all things considered, and yet stats that arrived as the third receiver from within a mostly impotent passing attack. Plus, RB1 Aaron Jones and TE1 T.J. Hockenson were siphoning off targets in the passing game, as well.
Going to an offense where Nailor can get featured more prominently could lead to good things.
Last season, the pass catcher averaged an explosive 15.3 yards per reception. Of the 29 catches, there were 23 that went for a 1st down. Not too bad. The season before, Nailor averaged 14.8 yards per reception while turning 24 of his 28 catches into 1st downs. Again, impressive.
Originally a 6th-Round selection (No. 191 overall), Jalen Nailor has become a success story. He had a modest opening pair of seasons before becoming a weapon in his third and fourth seasons.
Whoever adds him will be getting someone who can play outside and in the slot, be someone who picks up a fresh set of downs, and who can score. Indeed, the sense one gets is that there’s some meat left on the bone. Put differently, Nailor has the potential to offer more than what he has shown in recent years.
He is listed as being 5’11” and 199 pounds. He’ll turn 27 on Monday, March 2nd.
Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.
Players who cover their mouths when speaking to opponents during confrontations should be sent off, says Gianni Infantino, the president of football’s world governing body.
Infantino told Sky News, external he thought referees should work from a presumption that players have said “something they shouldn’t have”.
He was speaking less than two weeks after Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni raised his shirt over his mouth while speaking to Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr during a Champions League game.
The Argentina international has been given a provisional one-match ban by Uefa for alleged use of racist language, which he denies.
The ban was imposed pending the result of a full investigation by an ethics and disciplinary inspector, and Prestianni could be punished further once the investigation is complete.
Infantino said individual cases should be dealt with by the relevant bodies, but football more broadly must “act and be decisive” to bring in something which has “a deterrent effect”.
The issue was discussed at the International Football Association Board (Ifab) annual general meeting in Wales this weekend.
It was agreed there would be consultation to develop measures to stop players hiding what they might be saying to an opponent.
Infantino said: “If a player covers his mouth and says something, and this has a racist consequence, then he has to be sent off, obviously.
“There must be a presumption that he has said something he shouldn’t have said, otherwise he wouldn’t have had to cover his mouth.
“If you do not have something to hide, you don’t hide your mouth when you say something. That’s it, as simple as that.”
The Minnesota Timberwolves dominated the Denver Nuggets in 2024-25, winning all four of their matchups. The Nuggets are one victory away from returning the favor this season.
Denver (37-23) attempts to complete a sweep of the 2025-26 four-game series when it hosts Minnesota (37-23) at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday at Ball Arena. The Nuggets won their first two meetings with the Timberwolves this campaign by double digits on the road before posting a 142-138 overtime victory at home on Dec. 25 at home.
The teams enter this showdown tied for fourth place in the Western Conference, a half game behind the Houston Rockets. Denver has lost seven of its last 11 contests, while Minnesota has won five of six.
There are 10 other games on Sunday’s NBA schedule, including a clash between the Memphis Grizzlies (22-36) and Indiana Pacers (15-45) at 5 p.m. ET at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Pacers are looking to halt a five-game losing streak, while the Grizzlies – who won the first meeting between the clubs this season – ended their three-game slide with Friday’s 124-105 triumph over the Dallas Mavericks.
The NHL has six games on its slate, one of which has the Calgary Flames (24-28-6) visiting the Honda Center to take on the red-hot Anaheim Ducks (32-23-3) at 8 p.m. ET. The Flames are hoping to bounce back from Saturday’s 2-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings as they face off against a Ducks team that has won four straight and 11 of its past 13 contests.
Almost two dozen games are on Sunday’s college basketball slate, with one being a Big Ten Conference battle between No. 13 Michigan State (23-5) and Indiana (17-11) at 3:45 p.m. ET on CBS at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. The Spartans enter with a three-game winning streak and cruised to an 81-60 home triumph against the Hoosiers, who have lost three straight, earlier this season.
The Nuggets are 3-point favorites against the Timberwolves in the latest consensus NBA odds, while the Pacers are 1.5-point favorites over the Grizzlies. The Ducks are -180 on the money line against the Flames and Michigan State is a 2.5-point favorite against Indiana.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Sunday, March 1. All times Eastern
NBA best bets, where to watch
Timberwolves at Nuggets
Time: 3:30 p.m. | Location: Denver | TV: ABC | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Timberwolves +130
Neither team was in action Saturday but the Timberwolves have had an extra day of rest as they haven’t played since improving to 2-0 on their three-game road trip by defeating the Los Angeles Clippers 94-88 on Thursday. The Nuggets are coming off a 127-121 overtime setback against the Thunder in Oklahoma City. Minnesota has performed well on the road of late, winning three straight and five of its last six, and the SportsLine Projection Model sees that trend continuing as the Timberwolves win this matchup in 59% of its simulations.
Grizzlies at Pacers
Time: 5 p.m. | Location: Indianapolis | TV: NBA League Pass | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Under 238.5 (-107) | Expert: Jaylen Wells Under 18.5 points + rebounds (-122, PropBetGuy)
The Pacers are one of the worst offensive teams in the NBA, ranking 28th with an average of 111.5 points. Six of the Grizzlies’ last eight games have finished Under the projected total for this matchup, and the teams combined for 231 points in their first meeting this season. The SportsLine Projection Model doesn’t expect them to produce much more on Sunday as its simulations have the Under hitting more than 59% of the time. Jaylen Wells has recorded more than 18 combined points and rebounds in only six of his last 30 outings, and SportsLine props expert PropBetGuy (114-81, +1962 on his last 195 NBA player prop picks) believes the Memphis forward, who is primarily a spot-up shooter, will miss that mark against a Pacers club that is second in the league in defending catch-and-shoot opportunities.
NHL best bets, where to watch
Flames at Ducks
Time: 8 p.m. | Location: Anaheim | TV: ESPN+ | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Under 6.5 (-121) | Expert: Ducks -1 (-116, Matt Severance)
The Ducks have scored at least four goals in every contest during their four-game winning streak, but they’re just 15th in the NHL in scoring with a total of 190 tallies. They face a Flames squad that has given up a total of three goals in its last two contests and ranks ninth in the league with 170 tallies allowed. Meanwhile, Calgary is dead-last in scoring with 144 goals and was blanked in its last outing. Therefore, the SportsLine Projection Model believes this will be a low-scoring matchup as the Under hits in well over 58% of its simulations. SportsLine expert Matt Severance (5-0-2, +502 on his last seven NHL spread picks) likes the Ducks to cover the spread against a Flames team that is just 9-18-2 on the road this season.
CBB best bets, where to watch
No. 13 Michigan State at Indiana
Time: 3:45 p.m. | Location: Bloomington, Ind. | TV: CBS | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Indiana +2.5 (-110)
These teams are trending in opposite directions, as the Spartans have won three consecutive games and the Hoosiers have lost three in a row. Michigan State’s last two victories were close ones, as it defeated Ohio State by six points and Purdue by just two. After a pair of blowout losses, Indiana fell to Northwestern by only four points. The Hoosiers covered the spread in two of their previous three meetings with the Spartans, winning outright both times. The SportsLine Projection Model sees them keeping it close in this showdown as its simulations have them covering 59% of the time.
The Minnesota Vikings have informed running back Aaron Jones and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave that they will be released at the start of the league year, barring a trade, according to ESPN. The Vikings would save $7.75 million against the salary cap by releasing Jones and $10.9 million by releasing Hargrave.
In total, they would save $18.65 million against the cap. According to Spotrac, the Vikings were about $44 million over the $301.2 million salary cap for the 2026 season before releasing any players.
The league new year and free agency signing period begin March 11 at 4 p.m. ET. By then, all teams must be in compliance with the salary cap.
Jones, 31, joined the Vikings ahead of the 2024 season as a free agent. In his first year in Minnesota, he started all 17 games and led the team with 1,138 rushing yards, along with five rushing touchdowns and two receiving scores. Last season, the veteran totaled 548 rushing yards — second-most on the team — to go with two rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown in 12 contests.
He began his career with the Green Bay Packers as a fifth-round pick and called Lambeau Field home for seven seasons before joining the Vikings. The Pro Bowler is entering his 10th year in the league.
Hargrave, 33, joined the Vikings ahead of last season and played in 16 games, making 15 starts. He finished the 2025 season with 52 tackles, including 18 solo stops, and six quarterback hits.
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected him in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft, and he played there through 2019. He then spent four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles (2020–23), earning one of his two Pro Bowl nods. Hargrave played for the San Francisco 49ers in 2023 and 2024, earning his other Pro Bowl honor before heading to Minnesota.
Entering his 11th NFL season, Hargrave will now reportedly look for his fifth landing spot.
The Minnesota Vikings may or may not make big changes to their running back room this offseason, as fans wonder if the club will release 31-year-old Aaron Jones in favor of a younger option. Well, if they do, ESPN just so happens to have a dynamic idea: trading with the Miami Dolphins for De’Von Achane.
If Miami listens, Minnesota’s price and fit questions would get loud fast — and rightfully so.
Miami appears to be in the middle of a full reset, and in theory, Achane could be on the trade block.
Achane Would Add Explosiveness to O’Connell’s Run Game
Fans would love this one.
ESPN: Vikings a Fit for an Achane Trade
ESPN ranked the league’s Top 15 trade candidates, and Achane was mentioned near the top of the list.
Dan Graziano wrote, “The buzz: The league seems to believe the Dolphins are in a full rebuild, which means they’re getting calls on all of their star players.”
“My sense is that they’re far more likely to extend Achane’s contract than to listen to those trade offers, but in their situation, you answer the phone when it rings. So, call any Achane trade a significant long shot that would take an awfully enticing package to get done. Predicted chance of getting traded: 10%. Potential team fits: Chiefs, Texans, Vikings.”
It’s the first time this offseason that Achane has been linked to Minnesota — at all. Some fans daydreamed about a trade near the 2025 trade deadline, but those plans were merely speculative.
The Frank Smith Connect
Minnesota hired Frank Smith last month, who served as Mike McDaniel’s offensive coordinator in Miami for all four seasons until McDaniel’s termination. Smith helped to onboard Achane into the NFL and obviously knows him well.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins have already pressed the button on full roster overhaul, dropping EDGE Bradley Chubb and wide receiver Tyreek Hill earlier this month.
In theory, Achane could be next for the right price; hence the placement in ESPN’s top trade candidate articles. The Vikings could release Aaron Jones as a cap casualty in the next couple of weeks, and if so, they would search for an RB1 replacement, assuming Jordan Mason wouldn’t earn the job outright.
If available via trade, inquiring about Achane’s price tag would be mandatory. He’s that electric.
Achane’s Production
Achane’s production and improvement are simply remarkable — and clockwork:
- 2023: 997 Yards from Scrimmage | 11 TDs
- 2024: 1,499 Yards from Scrimmage | 12 TDs
- 2023: 1,838 Yards from Scrimmage | 12 TDs
ESPN’s Ben Solak added on Achane, “The Dolphins valued Achane highly at the trade deadline, and they will likely do so again. The 24-year-old running back has game-breaking speed, high-volume receiving ability and much better toughness and tackle-breaking skills than his slight frame might suggest.”
“He’s a better — and younger — talent than anyone in the loaded free agent RB market. Achane ran for 1,350 yards and eight scores last season, and his 5.7 yards per carry ranked first in the NFL.”
Achane ran a 4.32 forty at the 2023 NFL Combine. He’s 5’9″ and 190 pounds and only 24. The guy is perfect as any team’s RB1 solution.
TheFantasyFootballers.com also noted this week that the Houston Texans could inquire about an Achane trade:
The Houston Texans are expected to make a “push for a top running back in the free-agent market,” but the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan M. Alexander also suggests the team could look to trade for Miami Dolphins running back De’Von Achane this offseason as they look to improve their RB room. In free agency, Kenneth Walker III, Travis Etienne Jr., and Rico Dowdle could all be targets.
The Dolphins aren’t exactly looking to trade Achane, though, and they want to build around him with their new front office and coaching staff, so the 24-year-old isn’t exactly going to come cheap. Achane was the RB6 in half-PPR scoring in 16 games last year, accumulating 1,350 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 238 carries while also adding 67 receptions on 85 targets for another 488 yards and four touchdowns.
He’d arguably become even more promising in fantasy football with a trade to Houston, although Woody Marks will have a role after a strong rookie campaign in 2025.
Achane would have a vast trade market if Miami put him on the trade block — not just the Vikings.
Fixing the Rushing Offense, Alas
The Vikings’ rushing offense is gradually improving under O’Connell. Here’s the situation per DVOA since 2022:
- 2022: 27th
- 2023: 27th
- 2024: 19th
- 2025: 13th
Drafting Jeremiyah Love, if he tumbles down the draftboard, or effectuating the ESPN trade for Achane would assuredly shove Minnesota in the Top 10.
It’s what O’Connell must do to unlock his offense’s highest potential: obtain a dynamic RB1.
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