The Vikings shrugged off the Aaron Jones concern. How so? Simply by failing to list him with an injury designation moving into Week 3,
The availability (or lack thereof) of Minnesota’s veteran RB1 had been a focus through the week due to his hearty workload in Week 2. The team’s injury report had been listing him, creating some doubt along the way. Afterwards, the runner was feeling sore, leading to some roster maintenance to shore up the depth.
He’s not on the injury report any longer, meaning the Vikings will be rallying around Aaron Jones yet again to be the workhorse.
What’s discouraging is that a different player isn’t available: rookie punter Brett Thorson. To replace the Australian young fella, the Vikings will turn toward Johnny Hekker, the accomplished veteran who had been competing for a specialist spot on Minnesota’s offseason roster.
Advertisement
Otherwise, the only other injury is to backup center Nick Samac, meaning the C2 job likely belongs to Joe Huber.
The Vikings Shrug Off RB1 Concern, List P1 as Out
Last week, Aaron Jones more than earned his paycheck.
Minnesota stuffed the ball into his hands 23 times. By the end of the day, Jones had gone for 105 yards, working out to a healthy 4.6 yards-per-carry average. His most explosive carry went for 20 yards. Nobody watches him and thinks back to prime Chris Johnson or Adrian Peterson. What he can offer, though, is consistent production and tough yards. Few are as patient and boast the vision that he does.
Advertisement
The solid veteran, in short, offered a rock solid day. Minnesota will want more of that in Week 3.
Sep 20, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. (33) runs the ball against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images – Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Meanwhile, Thorson is going to get the chance to rest for another week.
Being able to lean on Hekker as a replacement is a nice luxury. He already knows the system since he spent the offseason in Minnesota. Better yet, he’s got built-in chemistry working with Andrew DePaola and Will Reichard, so the operation should be clean on field goal.
The Vikings appear likely need to shuffle a decent workload onto Kyler Murray’s shoulders. Last week, Carson Wentz completed just 11 passes but that’s not a sustainable approach. Rather, that was in response to some brutal weather in The Windy City.
On Sunday, the Vikings will want to ignite the passing attack while still maintaining a commitment to the ground game. The point is being multiple and tough to predict, unable to be shutdown and fully neutralized if one part of the attack isn’t working. Arriving at better rhythm on offense is going to be key going forward.
Advertisement
Sep 20, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Vikings placekicker Will Reichard (16) shakes hands with punter Brett Thorson (4) after kicking a thirty-nine yard field goal against the Chicago Bears during the fourth quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images – Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
A talking point all week has been on the desperation that Tampa Bay is going to play with as they look to avoid dropping down to 0-3. Maybe the key to pulling off the win against an ultra motivated crew is to withstand an early onslaught while trying to settle into the game. Slowing things down by picking up first downs and controlling the clock in a methodical manner could therefore be the way to go in the 1st quarter.
Note that Tampa Bay will be without edge rusher Rueben Bain and linebacker Josiah Trotter. Losing those two will mean that Aaron Jones has a better shot at another productive day at the office.
Ejike Ugboaja calls for fair NBBF Election as Leadership battle heats Up
Former D’Tigers player Ejike Ugboaja has declared his intention to become the next president of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, while calling for a fair and transparent election as the federation prepares for a major leadership change.
Ugboaja formally declared his intention to contest for the NBBF presidency on Thursday and questioned the way stakeholders are being informed about the electoral process.
“How can you organise a congress without properly communicating with some of the biggest stakeholders?” Ugboaja said, arguing that those who have contributed to Nigerian basketball deserve to be involved in decisions affecting the sport.
Advertisement
He also raised concerns over reported changes involving some state basketball associations ahead of the election, saying such developments could affect the fairness of the contest.
“My position is simple: we need a fair election,” he said.
The federation has announced October 15, 2026, as the date for its elective congress in Abuja to elect a new administration expected to take over after the current board’s tenure.
Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz recovers after falling during the men’s singles quarter-final tennis match against USA’s Ben Shelton on day ten of the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City on September 9, 2026. (Photo by Leonardo MUNOZ / AFP via Getty Images)
Carlos Alcaraz has called for a change to late-night scheduling at Grand Slam tournaments after his US Open quarter-final against Ben Shelton ended at 3:33 am.
Speaking to reporters in London on Thursday, September 24, ahead of the Laver Cup, the seven-time Grand Slam champion said the current scheduling can go too far.
“I think it’s too much,” Alcaraz said.
Advertisement
He then suggested that tournaments should consider setting a maximum finish time of 11pm.
“I would like to change the schedule a little with a maximum finish at 11 p.m., or whatever would be better.”
Alcaraz’s comments came after his five-set US Open quarter-final defeat to Shelton became the latest finish in the tournament’s history, ending at 3:33 am in New York.
Advertisement
The Spaniard also pointed out that late finishes can affect the atmosphere inside the stadium, noting that more fans could have watched the match if it had been played earlier.
There were fireworks and flames on a balmy September night and, perhaps, at the end of an encounter that nonetheless produced the expected result, something resembling hope for Harlequins. 12 months ago, almost to the day, a club soon shown to be in turmoil were beaten by a below-their-best Bath in a performance that rather set the tone for a season of tumult and trouble. Handed the same tough task to open another Prem season and more than a dollop of misfortune beforehand, there was just enough pluck and punch to suggest brighter times may be to come – even if the hosts cannot yet compete with this division’s best.
It did not help, of course, to be down four figures like Marcus Smith, Alex Dombrandt, Fin Baxter and new recruit George Furbank – comfort can be taken from the fact that all bar Dombrandt are expected back in the next couple of weeks. To have lost both Smith and Furbank during the course of their final preseason game was a tough break indeed given both the leadership and quality they provide – and there were encouraging signs of a sort in their absence with a Santiago Carreras wonder-try that caused a 14-point swing the real difference between the teams.
Harlequins battled hard (Getty)
The spunk, spice and spite about their side’s performance would have pleased a Stoop crowd that increasingly grew unfaithful last year – even if a few nagging concerns about the state of what feels a strangely shallow squad remain. Indeed, the eventual margin of defeat remained unchanged; in pure accounting on the table, a pointless outing for the hosts. There is much, much more work to be done. “There were moments today that last year Bath would have run in three tries really quickly,” head coach Jason Gilmore said. “We created a lot of line breaks out there and then were just a bit impatient. I’m proud of the boys efforts and we definitely competed hard, but disappointed that we blew a few chances.”
It was one of those bitty games of rugby characteristic of these opening skirmishes of the season, one in which the ball seemed to spend as much time on the deck as safely in the grasp. Indeed, both of Harlequins’ first half scores found the bounce of the ball looking kindly upon them – first Will Porter after a lineout and then Oscar Beard from an aerial contest making the most of a friendly ricochet, with the second score finished off by a long-striding Chandler Cunningham-South.
Yet things always looked closer to clicking for Bath. Dan du Preez, lured south from Sale to fill an Alfie Barbeary-shaped hole at the base of the scrum, had given them an early lead with a punchy short-range try, and Joe Cokanasiga was similarly muscular as he cut a sharp angle on Tom Carr-Smith’s shoulder. Their third try, meanwhile, was a moment of magic – Carreras jutting out a leg to intercept what should have been a scoring pass to Beard, before dashing beneath his flick up and under the posts.
“He’s done some things in training that are amazing,” Bath boss Johann van Graan explained. “In my view, that is try of the season for us in round one. That decision, firstly, to use his foot, and then the skill level to kick it up, gather on the touchline, keep his head and finish it. What a moment and what a player.”
Advertisement
The Argentina playmaker had struggled to show the best of himself during his first season at the Rec but here was a reminder of the quality lurking in Johann van Graan’s ranks. When they had come here last year, the Bath boss had been forced to deploy Max Ojomoh in the No 10 shirt but if the playmaking partnership of Carreras and Finn Russell find their groove under new attack coach Mike Prendergast, Bath may look a complete attacking proposition again. Re-finding the scalpel to go with the bludgeon that took them to two semi-finals last season may prove the difference this.
That up-front heft remains, mind, even without Thomas du Toit, Barbeary and a couple of other departees. Dan Frost was the beneficiary of a driving maul to bag a bonus point before half time. But Harlequins stuck in there, upping their own physicality in a manner they had failed to at times last year. Pedro Delgado gave them hope and compatriot Guido Petti should really have given them more, only to be turtled by two Bath tacklers as he strove for the line.
(Getty)
It proved costly as Bath regained their grip on the contest. Ewan Richards and the rest of a power-packed bench produced a rumbling mass that Harlequins could not stop. There may be a bit of pain yet before they turn the promise into points.
James Pater scored a hat-trick for Northampton (PA)
Tommy Freeman also crossed thrice in a fine start to the season for the defending champions – though Werner Kok snatched a bonus point for the Red Bulls at the last to root Harlequins to the bottom.
Christian Eriksen has agreed to terminate his contract with German soccer club Wolfsburg, nearly four months after the Danish midfielder collapsed on the field for the second time in his career, the team said Wednesday.
The 34-year-old Eriksen hasn’t played since he collapsed after clutching his chest during Denmark’s friendly match against Ukraine in Odense, Denmark on June 7. His contract had been due to run until the end of June 2027.
“At the moment, it is important for me to be close to my family in Denmark. I’m pleased that we were able to find a solution together,” Eriksen said in a statement issued by the club. “It was a great pleasure for me to play for you, and I will look back fondly on this period.”
Advertisement
The incident in June brought back memories of Eriksen’s cardiac arrest at the European Championship five years earlier, as players formed a circle around him while he received medical attention. He was able to walk off the field by himself and was taken to a hospital.
(Photo by Bo Amstrup / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP via Getty Images) / Denmark OUT
Eriksen said in June he was “doing well” and that an implantable cardioverter defibrillator fitted to support his heart after the 2021 incident had done its job. He had been undergoing rehabilitation in Denmark since.
The former Manchester United and Tottenham player had joined Wolfsburg as a free agent before the 2025-26 season, which ended with the team being relegated from the Bundesliga.
Head coach Mike Babcock confirmed on Friday that Dickinson re-aggravated a foot injury that he had been dealing with during last year’s playoffs.
Dickinson left practice back on Sept. 18 and was hobbling as he got off the ice.
“It’s the same thing(from playoffs). He tweaked it,” Babcock told reporters. “I thought it was coming good, but yesterday was a tough day”
The 31-year-old signed a five-year deal with the Oilers with a $4 million cap hit back in June and was expected to be a part of the team’s bottom six.
Advertisement
Dickinson had seven goals and 10 assists in 64 games last season, marking his second straight campaign in which he failed to reach 20 points.
The Georgetown, Ont., native began the season with the Chicago Blackhawks, but was traded to the Oilers halfway through the year alongside Colton Dach for Andrew Mangiapane and a conditional first-round pick.
Jared Macaluso rushed for 175 yards on 17 carries and caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Owen Curran in the first quarter to lead the East Catholic high school football team to its 8-6 win over Bristol Eastern. Macaluso’s two-point conversion run proved to be the difference.
Defensively, East Catholic (3-0) was led by Parker Barnes’ 15 tackles and Nick Galatie’s 13 tackles and one sack.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Jacob Kingsley scored on a 6-yard run in the fourth quarter. for Bristol Eastern (0-3).
EAST CATHOLIC 8 0 0 0 – 8 BRISTOL EASTERN 0 0 6 0 – 6 EC – Jared Macaluso 4 pass from Owen Curran. (Macaluso Run) BE – Jacob Kingsley 6 run (conversion failed)
The current generation of City fans only know about success, but those from yesteryear know all about watching their side playing in the old Division Two.
Their promotion via the play-offs at the end of the 1998-99 season came after facing the likes of York City, Oldham Athletic and Chesterfield in the league.
Fast forward almost three decades, City now possess one of the best strikers in the world in Erling Haaland, who reached 100 Premier League goals faster than anyone in the competition’s history.
City sit top of the table after winning all five of their league games so far and their first game after the international break is a trip to face Liverpool at Anfield.
Advertisement
City fan Matt said on 5 Live: “I think I need therapy now. It has escalated over the last few hours. It’s so hard to be a die-hard Blue. The decision is made, yet we haven’t appealed it or really made a statement yet.
“I was there when Paul Dickov scored back in Division Two. We celebrated that success and went on to do incredible things. We have a song about going down with a billion in the bank.
“If we get titles taken off us, point deductions, we come out of this league, then we will fight until the end. I can’t wait to see Erling Haaland bag a hat-trick against Grimsby.
“You go through the good times and the hard times. We have to go to Liverpool and it’s going to be very interesting to see how we react. We boo the Champions League anthem, well what about the Premier League?”
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle was once again unable to practice on Friday due to a toe injury. He is now trending in the wrong direction to play in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
If Dowdle is unable to suit up this week, it should open up the door for Jaylen Warren to see a significant boost in snaps and opportunities in Week 3. This is a situation you should still be monitoring, but we would be surprised at this point if Dowdle is able to suit up on Sunday.
Advertisement
Fantasy Impact
RB Rico Dowdle, Pittsburgh Steelers
It’s not looking good for Dowdle this week after injuring his toe in Week 2. If he is listed as inactive, we will then have to begin to look forward to Week 4 and hope this isn’t a multi-week injury. We are hoping to get more clarity on this situation sooner rather than later, but if you were planning to start Dowdle this week, you should come up with a backup plan.
Advertisement
RB Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
Warren had already been the better fantasy option of the two backs, but his value will skyrocket if Dowdle is ruled out. After playing on just 31% of the offensive snaps in Week 1, Warren saw his snaps climb to 71% in Week 2, with Dowdle injuring his toe. We would expect that number to climb even higher this week.
Advertisement
Through two games, Warren has carried the ball 21 times for 89 yards at 4.2 yards per carry, and caught seven of nine targets for 61 yards. We would expect that he will see 15-plus carries this week and at least five targets.
He is going to see plenty of opportunities this week and should be locked into lineups as a fantasy RB2 this week. Even in a matchup against the Bengals, who have been tough against fantasy running backs this season.
Advertisement
RB Eli Heidenreich, Pittsburgh Steelers
There is a faction of the fantasy community that is very excited about Heidenreich, which makes him worth mentioning. He was very good with the Navy last season and fits well in the Pittsburgh system; however, he would probably be a better fit if it were Warren instead of Dowdle missing time.
Advertisement
Nevertheless, he could be a factor in this backfield. There is also a chance that Travis Homer could be the next man up. In no world should you be starting Heidenreich this right, but he could be an intriguing option in some DFS tournaments.
The letter released this Friday and signed by the heads of the Bundesliga, the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A called for major changes to how FIFA operates — and for a greater say in decision-making.
“Football’s longstanding foundations have, in recent years, been threatened by a fundamental governance problem, whereby FIFA’s president has actively promoted exploitative ideas rather than safeguarding against them,” it said.
FFE private investment plan dropped
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has been facing a wave of criticism since late July, when his plan for private investment through a commercial vehicle, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), emerged. The idea was for FFE to organize FIFA’s tournaments while maximizing profits.
Vigorous opposition from UEFA, European football’s governing body, as well as CONCACAF (North and Central America plus the Caribbean) and the Asian Football Confederation led Infantino to quickly drop the plan.
However, the league bosses noted that this had not solved a deeper problem and appeared to dismiss a recent announcement by Infantino of an independent external review of FIFA governance as well as consultations on strengthening decision-making processes.
Advertisement
‘Fundamental governance reform essential’
“It is not enough for surface-level, process changes to be explored in the aftermath of FFE — fundamental governance reform is essential to restore clear constitutional boundaries within FIFA, including confidence that individual disciplinary matters remain demonstrably insulated from political interference,” Friday’s letter from the leagues said.
The last line was in reference to the widespread discontent around FIFA’s handling of the Folarin Balogun case, with the United States striker’s one-match ban being suspended to allow him to play a World Cup last-16 match against Belgium in July. While the ban was imposed by FIFA’s disciplinary committee, it came after US President Donald Trump had personally called Infantino asking for a “review” of the ban — something Trump publicly admitted.
The suspension of Folarin Balogun’s one-match World Cup ban following a call from Trump to Infantino caused controversyImage: Manu Fernandez/AP Photo/picture alliance
The leagues on Friday called for greater checks and balances to be implemented at FIFA, while at the same time demanding that they and others be given a say in decisions such as increases in the number of international matches.
Stakeholders ‘not meaningfully involved in process’
The letter went on to say that “… when FIFA takes major unilateral decisions directly affecting us — for example, by expanding the International Match Calendar (IMC) and extending the periods in which domestic competitions must pause — the stakeholders most affected are not meaningfully involved in the decision-making process.
“A FIFA governance that concentrates unchecked regulatory, commercial and political power in a single office, while relegating affected stakeholders to mere advisory status, is not fit for purpose.”
Advertisement
The letter, while implying much criticism of Infantino, did not call for him to step down 3 it didn’t even mention him by name.
Search for a challenger ongoing
The letter comes as UEFA has said it is looking for a suitable candidate to challenge Infantino in the next presidential election in March, in which Infantino has said he will run for reelection.
UEFA has also called for an independent external review of how the FFE plan was developed, and has filed legal applications through the US courts for the disclosure of documents related to the plan. This was with a view to a possible criminal complaint being lodged in Switzerland if it is established that Infantino undervalued FFE at $20 billion (€17.5 billion).
FIFA has described UEFA’s legal moves as a “smear campaign” against it but has not yet commented on Friday’s letter from the league bosses.
Infantino aims to discuss his proposals at a FIFA Council meeting in Zurich on October 15, a week after UEFA is to hold a meeting of all of its 55 member associations on October 8 in Berlin.
Advertisement
Any person aiming to challenge Infantino in the March 18, 2027 FIFA presidential election must register as a candidate by November 18.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login