Winners Club: American League, National League Division Series Start Today
The wild-card round came and went over the weekend, and now the American and National League division series are here.
All eight remaining playoff teams are in action from the afternoon until late at night, and we’ll get our first look at the top-seeded Dodgers and Astros after they each topped 105 wins in the regular season.
In today’s Winners Club, you’ll find:
- MLB Division Series previews
- World Series odds
- Fantasy football waiver wire
- Super Bowl odds risers and fallers
- Stanley Cup odds
Astros, Dodgers Pennant Favorites as Division Series Begin
Only one series of the expanded wild-card round did not end in a sweep.
The Mets, who tied for the third-best record in baseball, forced a winner-take-all Game 3 at Citi Field. New York was held to one hit in a season-ending, 6-0 loss to the Padres Sunday night.
San Diego was one of the four teams to move on from the wild card to the division series, which begins this afternoon, the others being the Guardians, Mariners and Phillies.
SI Betting broke down each series from a bettor’s perspective, offering insights into each team’s strengths and weaknesses. Before the action gets underway this afternoon, check out the betting preview for each series, the World Series odds and the schedule for the next two days.
Phillies vs. Braves
Philadelphia (+160) | Atlanta (-213)
“The Phillies can only go as far as Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola can take them. Atlanta holds a significant edge if games are close after the sixth inning.” — Shawn Childs.
Mariners vs. Astros
Seattle (+180) | Houston (-250)
“These two teams are no strangers to each other, and Houston enters this series as the AL West champions, and the Mariners enter via a Wild Card berth after finishing 16 games behind the Astros for the regular season.” — Jen Piacenti.
David J. Phillip/AP
Guardians vs. Yankees
Cleveland (+170) | New York (-250)
“Gerrit Cole starts in Game 1 for the Yankees, and he should be in control of this matchup. Cole is known to surrender the long ball, but the Cleveland Guardians logged the second-fewest home runs in the league during the regular season.” — Piacenti.
Padres vs. Dodgers
San Diego (+188) | Los Angeles (-250)
“Los Angeles dominated the Padres in the regular season (14-5) by outscoring them 109-47. Their best chance to take out the Dodgers will be in one-run games (L.A. went 16-15), as Los Angeles won 42 of its 111 games by five runs or more.” — Childs
SI Sportsbook World Series Odds
Dodgers +260
Astros +333
Braves +400
Yankees +450
Phillies +1000
Padres +1000
Mariners +1100
Guardians +1300
John Minchillo/AP
Tuesday
1:07 p.m. ET (FOX): Phillies vs. Braves (-200) | NLDS Game 1
3:37 p.m. ET (TBS): Mariners vs. Astros (-225) | ALDS Game 1
7:37 p.m. ET (TBS): Guardians vs. Yankees (-213) | ALDS Game 1
9:37 p.m. ET (FS1): Padres vs. Dodgers (-213) | NLDS Game 1
Wednesday
4:35 p.m. ET (FOX): Phillies vs. Braves | NLDS Game 2
8:37 p.m. ET (FS1): Padres vs. Dodgers | NLDS Game 2
Bye Weeks Begin Week 6, Sending Managers to Waivers
If your fantasy team has had enough injury luck so far, you likely haven’t had to live on the waiver wire to find replacement player after player. Well, injuries or not, that changes this week!
The first bye week of the season is Week 6, and the four teams that will be idle—Lions, Raiders, Texans and Titans—all have their fair share of fantasy contributors. How do you deal with not having Davante Adams or Derrick Henry this week?
I have a few ideas in this week’s top waiver wire pickups piece. And managers will also have to find a replacement for Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny, who is out for the season with a fractured fibula.
And be sure to check out Matt De Lima’s weekly IDP waiver wire report as well.
Derick Hingle/AP
As always, Michael Fabiano has 10 takeaways from Week 5. He addressed the awesome performances of Austin Ekeler and Leonard Fournette, touches on the best game of Taysom Hill’s career and dishes on Matthew Stafford’s sluggish start.
More news of note: The Panthers fired Matt Rhule on Monday after a 1-4 start brought his record with the team to 11-27. Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield has a high ankle sprain and is expected to miss a few weeks, free agent receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (ACL) is targeting a mid-November return to the NFL, Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins’ Week 7 return is right around the corner, the Browns traded a late-round pick for Falcons linebacker Deion Jones, potential coaching candidates have already emerged to replace Rhule in Carolina, and other teams have already swooped in and made calls about D.J. Moore and Brian Burns.
NFC East Reigns Supreme With Best Record in Football
Remember a few years back when the Commanders—at the time, the Football Team— won the NFC East with a 7-9 record?
The division is no longer the doormat of the NFL. In fact, it’s currently the best division in the league and is propping up a lackluster NFC. The Eagles are 5-0, and the Cowboys and Giants are both 4-1. The 1-4 Commanders are dragging down the division, and Ron Rivera made headlines Monday when he said quarterback is the reason the team’s NFC East foes have left them behind.
The NFC East has two top 10 teams in the MMQB’s weekly power rankings, and the Giants find themselves in the top half of the league following their upset win. See below which team’s Super Bowl odds at SI Sportsbook improved and worsened following Week 5.
Risers
Super Bowl: +800 → +700
Philadelphia just keeps on winning. The Eagles escaped Arizona with a 20-17 win over the Cardinals thanks to a missed 43-yard field goal. Second-half scoring continues to be an issue, but Philly’s defense holds strong even when its offense falters.
Super Bowl: +2500 → +2000
Dallas turned Matthew Stafford over three times in Los Angeles and scored a resounding 22-10 win over the floundering Super Bowl champs. The Cowboys ran the ball well on the Rams, but their vaunted defense won them the game and kept Cooper Rush’s record as a starter unblemished, with Dak Prescott potentially ready for a Week 6 return.
Super Bowl: +10000 → +5000
With hardly any healthy receivers, the Giants upset the Packers, 27-22, in London as nine-point underdogs Sunday morning. New York’s defense blanked Green Bay in the second half (aside from an intentional safety), and Brian Daboll’s squad legitimized its promising start with a big win.
Alastair Grant/AP
Fallers
Super Bowl: +1000 → +1400
Green Bay dropped a stunner to New York as its defense wavered, and its offense disappeared in the second half. It doesn’t help that the Vikings outlasted the Bears to take sole possession of first place in the NFC North. This defeat follows a near-loss to the Patriots in overtime the week prior.
Super Bowl: +4000 → +5000
Denver is on prime-time again next week against the Chargers after it was held out of the end zone in a 12-9 loss to the Colts on Thursday night. Russell Wison and Matt Ryan each tossed a pair of picks, but Indianapolis won the field goal battle to send the Broncos to 2-3.
Super Bowl: +5000 → +6600
Arizona fell to 0-3 at home this season after losing to Philadelphia. The pending return of Hopkins can’t fix what’s wrong with this team, which plays four of its next five games against division opponents.
In Other News
Stanley Cup Futures Odds: The Avalanche, the defending champions, are the favorite to win the title once again, and there’s a steep drop off from them to the next tier of contenders, which includes the Maple Leafs, Hurricanes and Panthers. The season officially began on Friday in the Czech Republic, but the puck drops stateside tonight.
Alabama Falls to No. 3 in AP Poll: Georgia took back the top spot in the AP Top 25 after it throttled Auburn, and Ohio State leaped the Crimson Tide after it beat Michigan State. Alabama struggled against Texas A&M without Heisman quarterback Bryce Young, and it has a tough game this week against No. 6 Tennessee on the road.
MLS Playoff Picture is Set: Postseason berths were sealed over the weekend on Decision Day and Los Angeles FC and Philadelphia Union each earned first-round byes in the 14-team field. Playoff action begins Saturday and runs through the first week of November.
Updated CFB Bowl Projections: Alabama is out, and Georgia is back in the CFP in the latest lookahead to bowl season. And undefeated Illinois will qualify for its first bowl game in three years and its best bowl in a decade.
Thanks for reading Winners Club! I’ll be back in your inbox Thursday morning. Until then.
