Dreams, Dashes, and Division Surprises
The Friday morning edition of “Eight things to know before 8 a.m.” is live
Rookies, retirements, and rising teams in MLB are making headlines Friday. From Kansas City’s wide receivers in Rice and Worthy to the Atlanta Dream’s trio under a first-year head coach dominating the East, plus MLB’s late-season shakeups — here’s what you need to know before the day starts.
1. Dream flying high atop WNBA Eastern Conference
The Atlanta Dream (20–9) lead the Eastern Conference behind the WNBA’s second-best defense (76.8 ppg allowed) and a league-leading +8.4 rebound margin. In her first year with the team after eight years with the Connecticut Sun, Brionna Jones has been a force in the paint, averaging 14.8 points and 8.7 rebounds while shooting 55% from the field. Paired with Rhyne Howard (18.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.1 apg) and Allisha Gray (15.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg), the Dream boast a legitimate one-two-three punch that has fueled their 8–2 post-All-Star break surge — a run that includes wins over the Aces, Liberty, and Sun. Atlanta is on track for its first top-two playoff seed since 2011.
Another reason for the Dream’s rise in the East? Their first-year head coach Karl Smesko, formerly of Florida Gulf Coast University, whose women’s team accrued at least 22 wins for 17 straight seasons (2007 - 2024) and a NCAA Tournament berth for five straight years. His offensive genus as a Golden Eagle head coach converted the worst WNBA offense from a year ago (77 ppg) to fifth-best (84.3 ppg)
The Dream won their first game of a ‘home and home’ against the Seattle Storm on Tuesday, with Rhyne Howard’s 25 points leading the way for Atlanta. The highlight was her nailing three consecutive three-pointers in the 30-second stretch to end the third quarter. That sent the reeling Storm to their sixth straight loss, with the rematch tonight (10 p.m. ET) in Vancouver.
2. Browns’ rookie RB Judkins cleared of charges
Cleveland rookie Quinshon Judkins will not face charges after a recent investigation into an off-field incident, the team confirmed Wednesday.
Judkins was arrested on July 12 on a misdemeanor domestic violence and battery charge in Florida. He allegedly punched a woman with a closed fist near the chin area while driving. This, after reading text messages and showing frustration thereafter.
The 21-year-old, drafted in the fourth round out of Ole Miss, totaled 2,725 rushing yards and 31 TDs over two college seasons and was a two-time first-team All-SEC selection. In training camp, Judkins has rotated with third-year back Jerome Ford (1,058 rushing yards, 9 TDs last season) and rookie Dylan Sampson — the former Tennessee playmaker who averaged 5.9 yards per carry and scored 17 rushing TDs over two college seasons. Cleveland plans to deploy all three backs situationally, with Judkins’ vision, Ford’s burst, and Sampson’s change-of-pace quickness giving them a versatile ground game.
Fantasy Football aspect: Judkins will be in a timeshare with Sampson and Ford, making such a difficult decision to draft any of the Browns’ trio ahead of each other. Plus, Judkins hasn’t officially signed a contract with the Browns. He still needs to learn the offense as well. I would draft Judkins or Sampson late in deeper leagues (12+ teams) as potential wild card fliers.
3. Rookie WR Bond avoids charges, signs with Browns
Undrafted rookie Isaiah Bond will also not face charges following a separate legal matter.
Bond was arrested in April after a woman made an accusation of sexual assault. He was released after posting bail of $25k, and Bond said on social media that the accusation was “false.”
The 5’11”, 182-pound former Alabama speedster posted 48 catches, 668 yards, and 4 TDs last season for the Crimson Tide, including a game-winning TD against Auburn in the Iron Bowl.
On Twitter Thursday early evening, Bond signaled that he will be signing with the Cleveland Browns.
Bond’s 4.33 speed potentially gives Cleveland a deep-threat option in a WR room that now features Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, and rookie Jamari Thrash. The Browns’ coaches could see Bond as a slot weapon with special teams upside, especially in the return game.
Fantasy Football aspect: Negligible. Not worth drafting, even in the deepest (18+ members, like guillotine) leagues.
4. Chiefs’ Rice hearing set; will play first four games
Kansas City WR Rashee Rice’s legal hearing is scheduled for Sept. 30, ensuring he’ll be active for the team’s first four games of the 2025 season.
Rice pleased guilty in district court to two third-degree felony charges earlier this year. One for a vehicle collision involving serious bodily injury and another for racing on a highway, causing bodily injury.
Rice and another driver were traveling at high speeds in sports cars back on Mar. 30, 2024, causing a chain reaction car crash that involved a half-dozen vehicles on a Dallas highway. According to an NFL.com story from July, “Prosecutors said that after the crash, Rice failed to check on the welfare of those in the other vehicles and fled on foot.”
The 24-year-old is entering his third year after leading KC last season with 79 receptions, 938 yards, and 8 TDs, while also topping the team in red zone targets (19) and catch rate (74.5%). Rice will again be the reliable possession option for Patrick Mahomes, while second-year WR Xavier Worthy stretches the field. Worthy made headlines off the field Wednesday when Taylor Swift gave him a shoutout on the New Heights podcast with Travis and Jason Kelce.
"I became like a person who was running through the halls of my house screaming, 'We drafted Xavier Worthy!' And my friends are like, 'Who body snatched you? What do you mean we drafted Xavier Worthy?' "
- Taylor Swift, on the Chiefs drafting Worthy 28th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, in Wednesday’s New Heights podcast
Fantasy Football aspect: I would not draft Rice in any league, as any possible suspension could kick in at any point of the regular season, making starting/bench Rashee such a headache from Week 5-onwards. Had a decision of his hearing been made and the NFL suspended him to start the season (like the Vikings’ Jordan Addison), I would draft-and-stash Rice on my bench for the first several games.
5. MLB standings flip in late summer
Late-season surges have pushed the Toronto Blue Jays (71-51), Philadelphia Phillies (69-51), Milwaukee Brewers (MLB-best 76-44), and San Diego Padres (69-52) into first place in their divisions, displacing leaders from earlier in the year.
Toronto’s rotation owns an MLB-best 2.88 ERA since the All-Star break, led by Blue Jays’ ace Kevin Gausman’s 1.95 mark over his last six starts.
Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper has 9 HR and a 1.164 OPS (On Base Percentage, plus Slugging) in his last 21 games, while Milwaukee’s bullpen has been nearly untouchable with a 1.92 ERA in August.
San Diego has seen a resurgence in its pitching staff, with a 2.43 ERA and 11 saves since the trade deadline, while their hitters have driven in 57 runs over the last 20 games, powering a 15–5 stretch that’s vaulted them into first place.
Meanwhile, some of the league’s early-season leaders have completely fallen off. The New York Yankees (6.5 games back of the Jays) have struggled with injuries to Aaron Judge and error-prone Anthony Volpe (16 errors leads all of MLB), and their bullpen has posted a 5.67 ERA since July, blowing six saves in the last month.
The New York Mets (5 GB of the Phillies) have lost nine of its last 10 games (and 11 of its last 13), including series sweeps by the Brewers, Cleveland Guardians and Padres. The Mets’ pitchers have allowed seven or more runs in four straight games, prior to Thursday night.
The Chicago Cubs (8 GB of the Brewers) have been hit by a combination of slumping hitters and pitching woes: the outfielders of Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, and Kyle Tucker have combined for a .224 batting average over the last 20 games, while the Cubs’ bullpen ERA has ballooned to 5.31.
The Los Angeles Dodgers (1 GB of Padres) have also struggled down the stretch: Mookie Betts is hitting just .248 with 2 HR and 9 RBI over his last 20 games and Freddie Freeman is batting .261 with just 1 HR and 7 RBI during the same stretch. The Dodgers’ bullpen has allowed 18 runs in 16 innings since the trade deadline and a 10-13 record after the All-Star break, allowing the Padres to take first place in the NL West for the first time since April.
6. Orioles, Nationals hit the skids
The Washington Nationals (48-72) and Baltimore Orioles (55-66) — one team expected to play 0.500 baseball, the other, a potential World Series candidate — have also collapsed. Washington’s major offseason signings have underperformed or been traded: First baseman Nathaniel Lowe, designated for assignment Thursday, batted just .215 with 6 HR and 24 RBI before his release; pitchers Michael Soroka (Cubs) and Kyle Finnegan (Tigers) were traded midseason after struggling to stay healthy and effective, and Amed Rosario (Yankees) was also moved after hitting .246 with 3 HR over 62 games.
Both teams have been forced to rely heavily on minor league call-ups to fill gaps in both the rotation and lineup. For example, the Orioles’ current outfielders who started on Thursday were Daniel Johnson, Jeremiah Jackson and Greg Allen. Who, who and WHO??? A long ways away from the 2023 American League Championship finalists, who had Austin Hays (Reds), Cedric Mullins (Mets) and Anthony Santander (Blue Bays) as mainstays in the outfield.
Baltimore has been hit hard by injuries, particularly in its pitching staff. Zach Eflin has missed multiple starts with a strained oblique, and closer Felix Bautista has been on the IL with elbow inflammation and has been ruled out for the season, leaving the bullpen thin. Starter Kyle Bradish has also missed time with shoulder inflammation. These absences are just a few, but when combined with inconsistent offensive production, have left the Orioles in sell-mode at the trade deadline, relying on their young unknown prospects for the remainder of the season.
7. NBA’s 2025 schedule drops
The NBA released its 2025–26 schedule on Thursday, with games spread across ESPN, ABC, NBC, Peacock, and Amazon Prime Video (TNT and Turner broadcasting will no longer air NBA games). Opening night (Oct. 22) begins on ESPN, with a Donovan Mitchell-Jalen Brunson (Cleveland Cavaliers-New York Knicks) head-to-head match, followed by an all-Texas game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks. The latter will feature the No. 1 (Cooper Flagg) and No. 2 (Dylan Harper) picks in the 2025 NBA Draft.
The Christmas Day lineup is stacked: a rematch of opening day (Cavs-Knicks); Victor Wembanyama against the defending champions (Spurs-Oklahoma City Thunder); Klay Thompson versus his former team again (Mavericks-Golden State Warriors); Kevin Durant versus LeBron James (Houston Rockets-Los Angeles Lakers), and a 2024 Western Conference semifinals rematch between the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
However, a point needs to be made that the NBA developed this schedule months after NFL’s schedule release back in May. The Mavs-Warriors game (5 p.m. ET tip-off) is on the same Christmas Day as the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys-Washington Commanders (1 p.m.). The same can be said about the Minnesota Timberwolves (10:30 p.m.) and the Minnesota Vikings (4:30 p.m) and the Denver Nuggets (same 10:30 p.m. start) and the Denver Broncos (8:15 p.m.). The latter is the most egregious, as Denver fans will be flipping back-and-forth between Amazon Prime Video (Broncos-Chiefs) and ABC (T-Wolves-Nuggets).
NBC’s new “Sunday Showcase” will debut in January, following the NFL and NCAA football regular seasons, bringing marquee matchups in primetime to their network TV for the first time in over two decades.
8. Scherff retires after 9 NFL seasons
Three-time Pro Bowler Brandon Scherff, the fifth overall pick by Washington in 2015, is retiring from the NFL. The 32-year-old guard started 128 career games, earning an All-Pro nod in 2020 with the Jacksonville Jaguars and making the Pro Bowl five times in six seasons from 2016–2021. Known for his durability and run-blocking power, Scherff played his final three seasons with Jacksonville, helping quarterback Trevor Lawrence to back-to-back playoff berths.
I distinctly remember the-then Washington Redskins drafting Scherff in 2015, bypassing defensive lineman Leonard Williams. The league typically frowns upon an offensive guard drafted in the top-10, let alone, top-5, so Washington drafing Scherff was quite the stunner.
However, the former Iowa product has been a solid starter for nearly a decade with Washington and Jacksonville. Scherff was the prototypical rugged, burly offensive guard who played his heart out on every snap, on mediocre Washington teams. We will miss you, Mr. Scherff.
Well, that wraps up the Friday edition of Sameer’s Snippets. Enjoy the mid-August weekend! I’ll be back with another WNBA Power Rankings post on Monday.
Until next time, signing off.