
Zeke Elliott should have a big week. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images
QB
- Matt Ryan vs. PIT
- Cam Newton vs. NYG
- Drew Brees vs. WAS
- Ben Roethlisberger vs. ATL
- Tom Brady vs. IND
- Jared Goff @ SEA
- Philip Rivers vs. OAK
- Aaron Rodgers @ DET
- Deshaun Watson vs. DAL
- Patrick Mahomes vs. JAX
- Matt Stafford vs. GB
- Kirk Cousins @ PHI
- Alex Smith @ NO
- Blake Bortles @ KC
- Andrew Luck @ NE
RB (Standard)
- Todd Gurley @ SEA
- Ezekiel Elliott @ HOU
- Melvin Gordon vs. OAK
- Saquon Barkley @ CAR
- Christian McCaffrey vs. NYG
- Alvin Kamara vs. WAS
- Kareem Hunt vs. JAX
- James Conner vs. ATL
- Sony Michel vs. IND
- David Johnson @ SF
- Chris Thompson @ NO
- TJ Yeldon @ KC
- Marshawn Lynch @ LAC
- James White vs. IND
- Kerryon Johnson vs. GB
- Carlos Hyde vs. BAL
- Adrian Peterson @ NO
- Mark Ingram vs. WAS
- Giovani Bernard vs. MIA
- Matt Breida vs. ARI
- Jay Ajayi vs. MIN
- Alex Collins @ CLE
- Aaron Jones @ DET
- Tevin Coleman @ PIT
- Dion Lewis @ BUF
- Nyheim Hines @ NE
- Phillip Lindsay @ NYJ
- Royce Freeman @ NYJ
- Derrick Henry @ BUF
- LeSean McCoy vs. TEN
WR (Standard)
- Antonio Brown vs. ATL
- Julio Jones @ PIT
- Michael Thomas vs. WAS
- DeAndre Hopkins vs. DAL
- Juju Smith-Schuster vs. ATL
- Keenan Allen vs. OAK
- Odell Beckham Jr. @ CAR
- Adam Thielen @ PHI
- Stefan Diggs @ PHI
- Davante Adams @ DET
- AJ Green vs. MIA
- Brandin Cooks @ SEA
- Golden Tate vs. GB
- Calvin Ridley @ PIT
- Tyreek Hill vs. JAX
- Kenny Golladay vs. GB
- Corey Davis @ BUF
- Cooper Kupp @ SEA
- Robert Woods @ SEA
- Jarvis Landry vs. BAL
- Amari Cooper @ LAC
- Alshon Jeffery vs. MIN
- Emmanuel Sanders @ NYJ
- Tyler Boyd vs. MIA
- John Brown @ CLE
- Marvin Jones vs. GB
- Julian Edelman vs. IND
- Demaryius Thomas @ NYJ
- Keelan Cole @ KC
- Sterling Shepard @ CAR
- Devin Funchess vs. NYG
- Dede Westbrook @ KC
- Nelson Agholor vs. MIN
- Doug Baldwin vs. LAR
- Mike Williams vs. OAK
- Michael Crabtree @ CLE
- Tyler Lockett vs. LAR
- Jordy Nelson @ LAC
- Kenny Stills @ CIN
- Will Fuller vs. DAL
TE (Standard)
- Zach Ertz vs. MIN
- Travis Kelce vs. JAX
- Rob Gronkowski vs. IND
- Jared Cook @ LAC
- Jordan Reed @ NO
- Jimmy Graham @ DET
- George Kittle vs. ARI
- Kyle Rudolph @ PHI
- Eric Ebron @ NE
- Vance McDonald vs. ATL
- Ricky Seals-Jones @ SF
- David Njoku vs. BAL
- Austin Hooper @ PIT
- Ben Watson vs. WAS
- Antonio Gates vs. OAK
D/ST
- Rams @ SEA
- Titans @ BUF
- Ravens @ CLE
- Broncos @ NYJ
- Panthers vs. NYG
- Jets vs. DEN
- Bengals vs. MIA
- Chargers vs. OAK
- Patriots vs. IND
- Texans vs. DAL
- Vikings @ PHI
- Eagles vs. MIN
- Cowboys @ HOU
- Browns vs. BAL
- Jaguars @ KC
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The Houston Astros are in the middle of a midseason surge that’s turned heads across the American League, but don’t let the win streak distract from one key truth: they’re doing this with less.
So what’s powering the Astros’ recent run? It starts with elite pitching. Despite an offense that's been merely middle-of-the-pack — 14th in OPS, 20th in runs scored, and 17th in slugging — Houston ranks fifth in team ERA and leads the majors in batting average against (.218). That’s how they’re winning series while missing key pieces of their core.
Still, there’s more to this run than numbers. Is the resilience we’re seeing tangible evidence of the Astros’ winning culture? Absolutely — especially lately. Rookie Cam Smith is the latest example. He delivered the first walk-off hit of his career over the weekend and looks like he belongs in the big leagues. Meanwhile, the lineup has caught fire over the last week hitting:
- Jose Altuve: .429
- Jeremy Peña: .417
- Cam Smith: .304
- Yainer Diaz: .292
- Christian Walker: .278
And all of this has come without one of Houston’s top two hitters being unavailable for the Twins series, Isaac Paredes, who remains sidelined with a sore hamstring.
With 71 games in the books, the conversation around second-year manager Joe Espada is beginning to shift — from quiet confidence to serious consideration for AL Manager of the Year. The case is strong. Espada has navigated a bruised and bruising season that’s seen Yordan Alvarez miss extended time with a fractured bone in his hand and three key starting pitchers (Spencer Arrighetti, Hayden Wesneski, Ronel Blanco) land on the shelf — two of them for the year.
So, what would it take for Astros owner Jim Crane to give GM Dana Brown the green light to aggressively pursue help at the deadline? History suggests pitching would be the priority. But with young arms like Colton Gordon, Ryan Gusto, and Brandon Walter stepping up, a move may not feel necessary, especially if it means exceeding the luxury tax threshold.
The Astros might be banged up, but they’re thriving and proving they don’t need to be at full strength to play like contenders.
There's so much more to cover! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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