WATSON WATCH
Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson has eliminated one team from his list
Mar 17, 2022, 11:26 am
The Browns are out! Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images.
Week 1 fantasy football rankings
According to Adam Schefter, the Cleveland Browns have been informed that Deshaun Watson will not waive his no-trade clause for a trade to Cleveland.
Browns notified they’re out of the running on Deshaun Watson, per team official.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2022
We've heard rumors that Deshaun prefers not to play for a cold weather team, so eliminating the Browns makes sense in that aspect. And after reports from Aaron Wilson about Watson having a second meeting with the Saints on Wednesday night, it's starting to look like the Saints are the favorites to land Watson.
New Orleans Saints met with Deshaun Watson for second time while simultaneously clearing salary-cap space to acquire his $156 million contract, according to league sources. One source described general manager Mickey Loomis as "determined" and "aggressive" to land Watson
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 17, 2022
Not only does New Orleans look like Deshaun's favorite destination at the moment, but the Saints are making multiple moves to clear cap space, and it appears they almost have enough cap space to make the trade, according to Field Yates. We're also hearing from Aaron Wilson that Saints guard and former 1st round pick, Cesar Ruiz, could be a part of this trade.
There is still no Matt Ryan contract restructure in Atlanta, nor any agreement on one.
And the Saints can almost already afford Deshaun Watson if the quarterback wanted to go to New Orleans. https://t.co/GpMeIfki4k
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2022
Let's focus on the Falcons for a moment because the clock is ticking for them. Per ProFootballTalk, "Ryan is due to receive a $7.5 million roster bonus tomorrow. Which means that, if he’s not off the roster by 4:00 p.m. ET today, the cap charge for a pre-June 1 trade moves to $48.025 million."
With this in mind, don't be surprised if Watson has to let the Falcons know his intentions today, so they can make a decision on Ryan's contract.
As far as the Panthers, they feel like a long shot at this point. Watson has met twice with the Saints, so it would be very surprising if Watson picks the Panthers. But anything is possible, we'll see. Bottom line, I believe Watson makes his decision today, but we might not hear about it right away.
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The Houston Astros kick off a pivotal weekend series against the Boston Red Sox on Friday night at Fenway Park — and they'll do so with a familiar face back in the lineup. Carlos Correa, reacquired in a stunning trade deadline move on Thursday, is set to make his return to the Astros and will hit cleanup in his first game back with the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2012.
Correa rejoins a Houston club that sits atop the AL West at 62-47 and is coming off a resounding 9-1 win over Washington on Wednesday, fueled by Jose Altuve’s four-hit performance. The Astros are 27-23 on the road and enter Friday with the fourth-best on-base percentage in the American League (.321).
The Red Sox, meanwhile, have won six of their last 10 games and hold a 34-21 record at home. Boston enters the weekend third in the competitive AL East at 59-51. Outfielder Jarren Duran has been a spark plug, hitting .265 with 29 doubles and 12 triples on the year.
Houston will send right-hander Hunter Brown (9-5) to the mound, while Boston will counter with RHP Cooper Criswell (1-0).
Friday marks the first meeting of the season between these two clubs.
All eyes will be on Correa’s return in a stadium where he’s delivered countless postseason moments. Now, he begins the next chapter of his Astros career, joining a team counting on him to help fuel their playoff push.
Starting lineup
So how will Joe Espada deploy his new toys? Pena is back at shortstop and leading off, with Altuve hitting second and serving as the DH. Jesus Sanchez gets his first Astros, start hitting third, and playing left field. Correa begins his Astros reunion hitting fourth and playing third base.
Big night in Beantown.
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Yainer Diaz (C) will hit fifth, followed by Christian Walker (1B), and Taylor Trammell (CF). It's interesting to see Cam Smith hitting so far down the lineup at eighth. He'll play right field and finally, Mauricio Dubon will hit ninth and play second base.
Betting odds
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -134, Red Sox +113; over/under is 8 runs
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