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PLAYERS TO PICK UP

MIKE SOROKA (SP Josh Hill Jersey , Atlanta Braves, 38 percent owned in Yahoo) – Soroka returned from the disabled list Wednesday, and despite being on a pitch limit, he made the most of his return to the mound against the Mets. He allowed just one hit and one walk in 6.1 innings, while striking out four batters. He won’t ever be a huge strikeout pitcher, but he should be owned in the majority of leagues as a fourth starter.

WILLY ADAMES (SS, Tampa Bay Rays, 11 percent) – Adames will get every chance to earn the everyday shortstop role for the Rays. He has the upside to contribute across the board, and he should be owned in 12-team leagues with a middle infielder.

MIGUEL SANO (3B, Minnesota Twins, 81 percent) – Sano is owned widely but might be at his low as a fantasy asset. The Twins shocked the baseball world by sending him to Triple-A on Thursday, as he’s struggled to get it going after his 2017 All-Star season. If you have the patience and the room, now’s the time to buy low on Sano, who has out-of-this-world potential.

TOM MURPHY (C, Colorado Rockies Jarvis Jenkins Jersey , 1 percent) – If a catcher has a pulse, fantasy owners should be interested. Chris Iannetta or Tony Wolters aren’t a threat, as they aren’t even hitting their weight. Murphy, meanwhile, was hitting .289 in Triple-A, and he just got the call to Colorado. He’s a power-hitting catcher with a pedigree, and that gives him a real chance to be a top 5 catcher in fantasy going forward if he gets everyday at-bats.

TWO-START PITCHERS TO STREAM

DYLAN COVEY (SP, Chicago White Sox, 18 percent) – Covey has been a pleasant surprise for fantasy owners this season with his good strikeout rate, low walk rate and 2.29 ERA for the White Sox. There are better matchups out there than Cleveland and Oakland, but Covey should earn your trust in a two-start week.

MIKE MONTGOMERY (SP, Chicago Cubs, 17 percent) – Montgomery has filled in admirably for the injured Yu Darvish. He gives an added boost to those in points leagues, as he has relief pitcher eligibility. Montgomery is slated to start against the Dodgers and at the Reds next week.

JAIME BARRIA (SP, Los Angeles Angels Mark Ingram Jersey , 27 percent) – With Shohei Ohtani out for the foreseeable future, Barria will get his shot to stick in the Angels rotation on a full-time basis.

HITTERS TO STREAM

BRIAN ANDERSON (3B, Miami Marlins, 46 percent) – If Anderson were in any other market, he’d be more highly owned. Anderson and the Marlins get six games against the Giants and the Rockies on the road next week. He’s worth streaming and owning for the long run.

JAY BRUCE (OF, New York Mets, 34 percent) – The newly-signed three-year deal hasn’t quite worked out for Bruce or the Mets yet, but Coors Field could be the scenery he needs to get going.

DUSTIN FOWLER (OF, Oakland Athletics 4 percent) – In Oakland’s six games next week, only one is scheduled to be against a lefty, which benefits Fowler. The Padres and White Sox are both in the top 10 for stolen bases allowed by a team this year. Expect Fowler to get plenty of run.

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This column was provided to The Associated Press by the Fantasy Sports Network,

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans did their best to protect their starters for the regular season, letting Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota lead the cheers from the sidelines.

Rookie Daniel Carlson kicked field goals of 39 and 22 yards, and Kyle Sloter added a 24-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter as the Vikings beat the Tennessee Titans 13-3 on Thursday night as the teams wrapped up the preseason.

“We’re excited to get the preseason over with and start focusing on somebody else and game planning 12th Fan Jersey ,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said.

Titans three-time Pro Bowl tight end Delanie Walker did not play a snap this preseason and said he’s ready for the regular season. He then shared a quote from linebacker Brian Orakpo.

“The varsity is taking the field now,” Walker said.

Carlson rebounded from missing a pair of 42-yarders wide left a week ago after beating out Kai Forbath for the job. Carlson connected from 39 yards late in the first half, tying it 3-3. He added a 22-yarder midway through the third quarter, giving the Vikings (3-1) a 6-3 lead.

The Titans finished first-year coach Mike Vrabel’s first preseason winless, though he made clear protecting starters for the regular season mattered more than notching an exhibition victory. Vrabel said he feels much better about the health of his roster than two weeks ago, and that he focused on coaching the Titans who’ve worked hard for the team against the Vikings.

What does Vrabel know about the Titans after his first preseason?

“We’ll find that out when we go to Miami,” Vrabel said. “We’ll really find out what kind of team we’ve got, how conditioned we are and how talented we are and what kind of coaches when we get done with Miami.”

The starters who did play were the kickers, and the Titans kept Pro Bowl punter Brett Kern very busy. He punted five times before his backup took over.

In the battle of the backups, the Titans dominated the first quarter, outgaining Minnesota 77-8 and holding the ball for more than 12 minutes. Rookie Luke Falk, a sixth-round draft pick out of Washington State, played the whole game. Falk outplayed Cousins’ backup Trevor Siemian at least in the first quarter, when the Vikings went three-and-out twice.

The Vikings sacked Falk four times, and he threw for 114 yards. Siemian lasted the first half and was 6 of 11 for 55 yards. Zimmer said he thought Siemian played better and helped out the Vikings’ young receivers. Siemian said it was a slow first quarter.

“You get a small sample size and you’d like to keep playing Terron Armstead Jersey , but that’s kind of how it goes,” Siemian said.

POSITION BATTLES

Vikings undrafted rookie Mike Boone had 15 carries for 56 yards. He also caught two passes for 53 yards. Roc Thomas, fighting Boone for the third running back slot, hurt his left ankle when tackled at the end of a screen pass early in the second quarter, and finished with four carries for 12 yards.

INJURIES

Minnesota linebacker Kentrell Brothers, suspended for the first four games of the season , suffered a concussion in the first half. Cornerbacks Horace Richardson and Craig James each hurt hamstrings.

Devin Ross, who started with a chance to push for one of the last wide receiver slots, hurt his right ankle on the first play of the Titans’ second series.

ANTHEM WATCH

No protests were seen by either the Vikings or the Titans. Even Tennessee wide receiver Rishard Matthews, who stayed in the tunnel last season after comments by President Trump in September, was on the sideline during the anthem. He was just removed last weekend from the physically unable to perform list.

UP NEXT

Vikings: Host San Francisco on Sept. 9.

Titans: Open season Sept. 9 at Miami.

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