As the quarterbacks move, the value of Texas A&M receiver Mike Evans goes up, as does that of defensive linemen who continue to rise. Houston Texans — Blake Bortles, QB, UCF
Free agency has come and mostly gone, and the Texans didn’t address the quarterback position outside of signing Ryan Fitzpatrick. They’ve all but made it clear, especially after letting Matt Schaub walk, that they’re taking a quarterback first overall....

There are some notable changes in the projected picks for the Steelers and Cowboys, who join the Eagles, Patriots and Raiders as marquee teams being eliminated. Knowing which teams are still in the playoffs, the shakeup is felt through the end of the first round. With the College Football season finished and Georgia crowned as the champion, that means the Senior Bowl and other key all-star events will soon be here to kick off the draft scouting before the Combine....

Some of the questions that remain as the season gets closer: Will the Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott reach a new deal before the season starts? What does Jerick McKinnon’s return from a season-ending ACL injury mean for the 49ers? When will Panthers quarterback Cam Newton make his preseason debut and is he fully healthy? We look at each of those topics and more in this edition of NFL news and notes....

We take a look at those transactions and more in this edition of NFL news and notes. Three things that matter Broncos trade Emmanuel Sanders to 49ers It was reported that Denver dealt the two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver and a fifth-round pick to San Francisco, with NFL Media noting the 49ers were in on Mohamed Sanu before he went to the Patriots. In return, the Broncos received third- and fourth-round picks in 2020 from the Niners....

During the period between minicamp and training camp, players have a lot of idle time that’s filled with choices to make. Some players get involved in activities that could be detrimental to their careers, but most choose to do great things for their communities. I want to shed light on those positive acts players do throughout the country. Most assume all football players use free time in a reckless manner — partying and getting into trouble — because it’s all that’s seen in the media....

Addressing the controversy that began with Colin Kaepernick taking a knee during the national anthem wasn’t part of that process at the league’s annual owners meeting here. Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations, said the league didn’t discuss setting a standard protocol for all players during the pregame playing of the anthem, the way U.S. Soccer did earlier this month. STEELE: Prove Kaepernick isn’t being blackballed...

Although there are five undefeated teams and five winless teams, there also are 22 teams in between with little separation. That should make for some more interesting action. Here’s how Sporting News is navigating through all the numbers for another full slate of 16 matchups: (Game odds courtesy of FanDuel ) NFL POWER RANKINGS:Rams overtake Buccaneers at No. 1; 49ers, Chiefs, Steelers fall big for Week 4 NFL picks against the spread for Week 4 Game of the Week: Cardinals at Rams (-4, 54....

That’s a leading question when looking at four 5-7 teams with that opportunity. The Raiders, Lions, Browns and Steelers all are operating on the fringe of that playoff discussion. Las Vegas gets the Thursday Night Football spotlight against the Rams. Derek Carr, who has multiple TD passes in five straight games, could get the Raiders back in the mix. The other three teams have divisional games that matter. The Lions host the Vikings, and Detroit is favored....

That starts with the matchup between the Chargers and Browns. Los Angeles has survived some injuries and Justin Herbert leads the NFL with 1,250 passing yards. Cleveland’s Nick Chubb ranks second in the league with 459 rushing yards, and the Browns continue to rally around Jacoby Brissett. It’s a huge game for Cleveland when you look at the future schedule. Tom Brady is trying to get the Buccaneers back on track after a two-game losing streak and has a history of tormenting the Falcons....

MORE: Get the latest NFL playoff odds, lines & spreads here Although the slate drops from six games during wild-card weekend to a combined four this Saturday and Sunday, there’s still plenty of good two-day action between the AFC and NFC matchups. There are two strong favorites and two mild favorites among the home teams this week. Here’s to trying to build on our solid success navigating through the numbers from last week:...

The seedings for the Super Bowl 55 tournament are officially attached to every team that’s still alive to win it all. But history shows those numbers can be misleading. These playoffs should be more unpredictable than usual because of only two teams getting byes, limited home-field advantages and little separation between teams with gaudy records, regardless of division-winning or wild-card status. Here then are Sporting News’ power rankings for every NFL playoff team from 1-14, from the team with the best chance to win the Super Bowl to the team with the longest odds of lifting the Lombardi Trophy in Tampa Bay....

It’s a tough task, especially because they have home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The Seahawks are 24-2 at home including the playoffs the past three years and have the league’s longest current winning streak at six games. Still, the Seattle would have to do it one step at a time. That’s how we’re predicting the entire NFL postseason, a game at a time, from Wild Card Weekend to Super Bowl XLIX:...

New Orleans was up first with a chance to clinch a playoff berth with a win in Dallas on Thursday night. Not only did the Saints fail to do that with their loss to the Cowboys, but they also lost their chance to win the NFC South this week. That leaves the Rams as the only team with a chance to clinch their division this week, while the Chiefs, still being stalked by the Chargers in the AFC West, can only clinch a playoff berth....

With only two more games left for every team, there’s room for several more changes before the regular season ends and the playoffs begin. The latest upsets shook things up at the top and created more of a muddled middle. MORE: NFL playoff picture | Updated draft order Without further ado, here’s how all the teams stack up from No. 1 through No. 32 in the eyes of Sporting News....

Elsewhere, fellow veteran quarterback Matt Ryan will shoulder the Atlanta Falcons’ hopes of upsetting its rivals, while the Carolina Panthers begin a rebuilding process. Here’s what to expect from the NFC South ahead of the upcoming NFL season. All odds are courtesy of DraftKings. New Orleans Saints It’s difficult to pick holes in the Saints’ roster, which has been bolstered by the additions of key veterans like Malcolm Jenkins and Emmanuel Sanders....

The former Oklahoma Sooners star went three-for-eight for just 12 yards and was twice flagged for false starts. For both Murray and the Cardinals it’s way too early to panic but some major improvements are needed. Murray wasn’t the only rookie quarterback to struggle, as Daniel Jones, the sixth overall pick of the draft, endured a roller-coaster of a game against the Chicago Bears. The New York Giants signal caller finished 11-of-14 and one touchdown, but fumbled the ball twice....

According to a report from the Houston Chronicle, the Texans told reporters that Wednesday would be the final day before the team switched to regular-season mode Thursday. Per NFL policy, however, “all daily practices must be open in their entirety to local media through Aug. 26,” putting the kibosh on Houston’s attempts to keep reporters away. The Chronicle reported that the press will continue to attend practice until two days prior to the Texans’ final preseason game, which is scheduled for Aug....

The Boston Herald reported Friday that after the search, a league employee “interrogated” three Patriots employees, taking photos of their security badges and requesting to look at their radios and smart phones. MORE: Will Pats go undefeated? | 10 terrible decisions by the NFL A source told the Herald that the NFL employee’s actions toward the Patriots workers was “unprecedented.” The NFL conducted the search after the Jets asked the NFL to sweep their locker room for listening devices....