Lamar Jackson and Tony Pollard among the best franchise tag options

Several NFL teams have big decisions to make in the coming weeks regarding their pending free agents.

The franchise-tag window opened Tuesday afternoon and the clock is ticking for the Ravens, Giants, Cowboys and other teams around the league.

In today’s Winners Club you’ll find:

NFL Franchise Tag, Free Agency Primer

Now that the franchise-tag window is officially open, teams have until March 7 to tag their unrestricted free agents and keep them rostered—without a long-term extension—for at least another season.

Gilberto Manzano wrote about some of the teams that have one or more players who may be worth a franchise tag. For fantasy football purposes, not all players are applicable, but here are some of the big names being discussed:

Lamar Jackson, Ravens QB: Will Baltimore use the exclusive or non-exclusive tag on the former league MVP?

Daniel Jones, Giants QB: New York can get another look at its quarterback under Brian Daboll before committing to the former No. 6 pick long term.

Saquon Barkley, Giants RB: Teams can only tag one player and the value of a quarterback trumps that of a running back. What’s next for Barkley?

Tony Pollard, Cowboys RB: Will Dallas retain its Pro Bowl running back coming off a broken leg and high ankle sprain?

Josh Jacobs, Raiders RB: The Las Vegas lead back won the rushing title this past season, but has made it clear he doesn’t want to be tagged.

About a week after the franchise tag window closes, NFL free agency officially opens March 15, though negotiations can begin March 13.

Michael Fabiano put together a free agent cheat sheet for interested fantasy fans.

There are some notable names at quarterback and running back, several of which you saw mentioned above as players with potential to be tagged, but the wide receiver class is not as full of fantasy stars. Jakobi Meyers and Juju Smith-Schuster are the best pass catchers available on the market.

And for those of you looking ahead to the fantasy impact of the April 27 NFL draft, Craig Ellenport analyzed the latest first-round mock draft, which includes four quarterbacks and four wide receivers in the top 31 picks.

Find out what the projected landing spots mean for top prospects like Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and USC wide receiver Jordan Addison.

MLB Division Betting Previews Begin

Spring Training is well underway and Opening Day isn’t far off, so get ready for another MLB season with Jen Piacenti’s division betting previews.

Four of the six divisions are already accounted for with the AL and NL West still to come. Despite the Cardinals being tied for the 10th-best odds to win it all, they’re the heaviest favorite of the four divisions below to win their division.

AL East

Yankees +100
Blue Jays +188
Rays +350
Red Sox +1600
Orioles +2500

AL Central

White Sox +138
Guardians +138
Twins +300
Tigers +2200
Royals +4000

NL East

Mets +125
Braves +140
Phillies +300
Marlins +4000
Nationals +15000

NL Central

Cardinals -118
Brewers +145
Cubs +600
Pirates +6000
Reds +6600

Top Teams by 2023 World Series Odds via SI Sportsbook

Astros +550
Dodgers +600
Mets +700
Yankees +800
Blue Jays +900
Braves +900
Padres +1000
Phillies +1600
Mariners +1600
Cardinals +2200
Rays +2200

In Other News

Hawks Fire Head Coach Nate McMillan: Atlanta, which is currently in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, fired McMillan on Tuesday in the midst of his third season leading the team. Assistant coach Joe Prunty will take his place in an interim capacity.

Where NBA Coach of the Year Odds Stand: Celtics first-year coach Joe Mazulla is the favorite to win the award for coaching Boston to the best record in the league so far. But there are a few other contenders, like Mike Brown of the Kings and Michael Malone of the Nuggets, who have compelling cases.

March Madness Bracketology Update: North Carolina, the preseason No. 1 team, has fallen out of the field in SI’s latest projection and is in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament altogether. See where things stand with less than a week left in February.

Debut SI World Golf Rankings Top 100: John Rahm is in the top spot in the debut rankings, which will be updated every Monday morning. See who else made the list and find out more about the methodology used to rank the best golfers in the world.

Colts Hire Jim Bob Cooter as OC: Indianapolis tapped the Jaguars’ passing game coordinator to lead the offense under new coach Shane Steichen. Cooter returns to the Colts after a brief stint as an offensive assistant from 2009-11.

Thanks for reading Winners Club! I’ll be back in your inbox on Friday.

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