No. 1ALDS
Guardians score six in sixth, beat White Sox 9-5, force Game 5
Cleveland was down 2-0 early and 4-3 after five. Then the sixth inning happened. The Guardians sent a parade of baserunners around the bases, and Jo Adell's two-run single made it 9-4. José Ramírez hit a two-run homer in the fifth and drove in another run in the sixth. Gavin Williams, the Game 5 starter-in-waiting, had to close the game with 18 pitches, so Saturday's plan in Cleveland is a mystery. Chicago's Sean Burke, who hasn't pitched since Game 2, should get the bulk of the outs. Chicago hasn't clinched a postseason series at home since the 1906 World Series. The winner gets the Rays in the ALCS.
No. 2WNBA
A'ja Wilson wins 2026 WNBA MVP, her fifth overall
Wilson is now the first five-time MVP in league history and the first to win three in a row. She took 65 of 74 first-place votes, ahead of Olivia Miles, Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark. She averaged 26.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks, and won a third straight scoring title. She also led the league in blocks for the fifth straight season. The Aces went 31-13 and the No. 3 seed, and were plus-24.8 in net rating with her on the floor versus off it. The trophy is the easy part. Las Vegas trails Golden State 2-0 in the semifinals, with Game 3 on Friday night.
No. 3NFL
Backup quarterbacks are 8-4 as starters this NFL season
Jalon Daniels, the Buccaneers' undrafted rookie, led an upset of the Cowboys on Thursday night. That pushed teams to 8-4 in the 12 games started by backup quarterbacks this season. The Giants are 2-0 with Jameis Winston and the Bears are 2-0 with Case Keenum. The Vikings (Carson Wentz) and Seahawks (Drew Lock) are each 1-0. The Commanders are 1-1 with Marcus Mariota, and the Bucs are 1-1 with Daniels. The lone blemish is Atlanta, 0-2 with third-stringer Cooper Rush while Michael Penix and Tua Tagovailoa were both injured. Backups have won twice as many games as they've lost.
Why it mattersYou can stop treating a starting QB injury as an automatic season-ender when betting or setting your fantasy lineup.
Full story at profootballtalk →No. 4College football
College Sports Commission probes multiple Power Four programs over cap evasion
CBS Sports reports the CSC is running longer-term investigations into five to 10 Power Four programs, including multiple playoff contenders. Investigators have been on campuses doing interviews. The focus is third-party deals that may be getting around the revenue-share cap, which is around $21.5 million. Some football rosters are reportedly in the $40 million-plus range. The CSC also lacks teeth. Its participation agreement, meant to give it more authority, looks very unlikely to ever be adopted. No long-term investigation is finished, and some schools want action before the January portal window. Earlier reports linked LSU, Kansas and Nebraska to CSC inquiries.
No. 5NFL
Sean Payton takes back play-calling duties from Davis Webb in Denver
After four weeks, Payton said it plainly: "I'll call the plays." Webb took over the job this offseason, but the offense stumbled. Denver has scored only 13 first-half points, the fewest in the NFL, and ranks 27th in points per game. Webb stays involved in game planning, and Payton still called him a future head coach. Payton said the decision was harder than the one to give up the job, but he believes "there's more there" offensively. The first test is Sunday against the Chargers, who are 0-4. Then comes a Thursday night game against Seattle.