| Khalil Mack trade sends shockwaves across NFL ahead of start of 2018 season |
| Hey, sports fans! We're just three short days away from the 2018 regular-season opener between the Atlanta Falcons at the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. |
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Trade shocker: Bears acquire Mack |
| Trading a potential future Hall of Fame player in the prime of his career? |
| Seems like an ill-advised move to make, but the Oakland Raiders did just that when they traded Khalil Mack - the 2016 NFL defensive player of the year - to the Chicago Bears, who send two first-round draft picks to the Raiders in exchange for the pass rusher. |
| This is a massive gamble by new Raiders coach Jon Gruden, writes USA TODAY Sports' Mike Jones (@ByMikeJones). Elite pass rushers are hard to come by, and time will tell if the Raiders made the right decision. |
Key story lines |
| - Don't be fooled by Pederson's childish outburst: The Eagles are preparing Nick Foles - the MVP in Super Bowl LII - to be the starting quarterback in the season opener against the Falcons. On Sunday, Eagles coach Doug Pederson - tired of questions about his quarterback situation - unleashed venom on the local media. It came across as childish, but USA TODAY Sports' Jarrett Bell ( @JarrettBell) writes that Pederson knows exactly what he's doing. |
| - The deepest cuts: NFL teams had a 4 p.m. ET deadline on Saturday to trim their rosters to 53 players. Among the surprise cuts were New York Giants backup QB Davis Webb, former Denver Broncos first-round pick Paxton Lynch and (spoiler alert!) some stars from the HBO show Hard Knocks. |
Join our NFL Facebook group! |
| If you love talking football, we have the perfect spot for you. Join our new Facebook Group, The Ruling Off the Field, to engage in friendly debate and conversation with fellow football fans and our NFL insiders. Sign up now! |
Week 1 games |
| (All times Eastern) |
| Thursday
Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:20 p.m. (NBC): Defending champs host team it beat in playoff en route to Super Bowl glory. |
| Sunday
Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. (CBS): When the Bills made the playoffs for the first time in 18 years, it was at the expense of the Ravens. |
| Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Giants, 1 p.m. (FOX): What do Jaguars have in store as an encore to last year's run to AFC title game? |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. (FOX): Bucs get difficult road divisional game without suspended QB Jameis Winston. |
| Houston Texans at New England Patriots, 1 p.m. (CBS): Deshaun Watson, J.J. Watt return for Texans. |
| San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. (FOX): The Kirk Cousins era in Minnesota begins against Jimmy Garoppolo, who hasn't lost a regular-season start. |
| Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. (FOX): Ryan Tannehill returns after missing the entire 2017 season. |
| Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m. (CBS): Andrew Luck might be back, but can the Colts compete in a division they once owned? |
| Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. (CBS): For the second consecutive season, the Browns host the division rival Steelers in Week 1. |
| Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:05 p.m. (CBS): Second-year QB Patrick Mahomes makes his first NFL start for the Chiefs. |
| Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos, 4:25 p.m. (FOX): The Seahawks' famed Legion of Boom is finished, which should help new Broncos QB Case Keenum in his first start in Denver. |
| Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers, 4:25 p.m. (FOX): Who will emerge as Dak Prescott's new go-to receiver? |
| Washington Redskins at Arizona Cardinals, 4:25 p.m. (FOX): Two starting quarterbacks - Alex Smith and Sam Bradford - debut for new teams. |
| Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers, 8:20 p.m. (NBC): Will the newly acquired Khalil Mack play for the Bears at Lambeau? |
| Monday
New York Jets at Detroit Lions, 7:10 p.m. (ESPN): Rookie QB Sam Darnold's pro debut takes place on national stage. |
| Los Angeles Rams at Oakland Raiders, 10:20 p.m. (ESPN): Jon Gruden's first game as Raiders head coach since the famous "Tuck Rule" game. |
Fantasy football draft tips |
| If you need some last-minute fantasy football draft advice, you're in luck! Our panel of experts has you covered as you prepare for fantasy football domination this season. |
| - Top 200 rankings: Here's how the best players stack up for the 2018 fantasy football season. |
| - Stock watch: QBs | RBs | WRs |
| - Best spots in draft: There are a few slots where you'll have a greater advantage than others. |
| - Studs, duds and sleepers: Steve Gardner and Trysta Krick break down the players you need to focus on in your fantasy football draft. |
| - Assessing the rookies: We'll all be focused on Saquon Barkley of the Giants. But what other rookies should you keep an eye on? |
| - All-Risk Team: Players who could make or break your team this season. |
| - All-Value Team: Players who should outperform their draft slot this season. |
| - Rankings by position: Breaking down the top options at every position. |
| - Too high or too low? Here are 10 players being drafted too high or too low. |
| - RB sleepers: Here are five possible unheralded running backs to target in drafts. |
| - Trend advantage: Recognizing these trends will help you ace your fantasy football draft. |
| Want to keep this conversation going? Head to Facebook, and follow the USA TODAY Sports writers who put together this newsletter, Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, Jim Reineking and Michael Singer. |
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