Bill Hader Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Bill Hader-whose latest project "The Cat in the Hat" releases in theaters on Thursday.

Bill Hader's Filmography Ranked:

30.Year One (D)

29.You, Me and Dupree (C-)

28.It: Chapter Two (C-)

27.The Addams Family 2 (C)

26.They Came Together (C)

25.The To Do List (C)

24.Inside Out (C)

23.Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (B-)

22.Lightyear (B-)

21.Beau is Afraid (B)

20.Monsters University (B)

19.Adventureland (B)

18.The Brothers Solomon (B)

17.Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (B)

16.Finding Dory (B)

15.Paul (B)

14.Pineapple Express (B)

13.Power Rangers (B)

12.IF (B+)

11.Men in Black III (B+)

10.Sausage Party (B+)

9.Forgetting Sarah Marshall (B+)

8.Tropic Thunder (B+)

7.The Skeleton Twins (B+)

6.Trainwreck (A-)

5.Toy Story 4 (A-)

4.Knocked Up (A)

3.Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (A)

2.Superbad (A+)

1.Hot Rod (A+)

Top Dog: Hot Rod (2007)

Hot Rod isn't just a movie that made me laugh a ton, it recalibrated my entire sense of humor. Ever since I saw this in an effectively empty theater on a rainy August afternoon 19 years ago, I've gravitated towards comedy that is offbeat, absurd and playful more than anything else. This huge revelation paired with its endless rewatchability is why Hot Rod is my favorite comedy of all time.

Bottom Feeder: Year One (2009)

Seeing a legend like the late Harold Ramis go out on a note as disastrous as Year One is a serious bummer. His Book of Genesis spoof is one of those rare comedies where the material is so weak that it drains the powers of its actors to the point where it becomes impossible for them to help improve it. What makes this particular case of this rare cinematic phenomenon so mystifying is how Ramis was able to pull it off with a cast that features a deep roster of stellar comedic performers including Jack Black, Michael Cera, Olivia Wilde, Oliver Platt, David Cross and Hank Azaria that have been elevating projects throughout their careers. That would be like if you put Tyrese Maxey, Shai Gilegous-Alexander, Cooper Flagg, Jayson Tatum and Victor Wembanya on the floor together and they were so out of sync with each other that they lost to a group of guys who play together once a week at their local rec center. Alas, bad miracles somehow find a way to happen and Year One is among the most egregious I've ever seen. 

Most Underrated: The Skeleton Twins (2014)

One of the biggest highlights of my time watching Saturday Night Live was watching Hader and Kristen Wiig work together. It's just so rare to watch two performers have such a fundamental understanding of each other that they can make any situation feel natural. Seeing them explore the dynamic they built at 30 Rock in a dramatic piece of work made me develop an even deeper appreciation for their beautiful creative partnership. They navigate the complicated relationship between twin siblings who have become estranged as adults after being inseparable as kids with the utmost grace, and their ability to find the honesty in these character's earnest efforts to reconnect in the face of immense tragedy is the main reason The Skeleton Twins doesn't drift into clunky melodramatic territory.  

Most Overrated: Inside Out (2015)

Full disclosure: I haven't seen Inside Out since its initial release and did enjoy the sequel quite a bit, so it's very possible that my opinion on it has changed. However, my current feelings towards it are very blah. The big emotional arc involving Richard Karn's imaginary friend character Bing Bong didn't land with me at all and the volume of laughs is surprisingly low for a movie from Pete Docter.  

John Turturro Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of John Turturro-whose latest project "The Only Living Pickpocket in New York" is now playing in select theaters and expands nationwide today.

John Turturro's Filmography Ranked:

23.Exodus: Gods and Kings (D-)

22.You Don't Mess with the Zohan (D+)

21.Anger Management (D+)

20.Transformers: The Last Knight (C-)

19.Cars 2 (C-)

18.Gloria Bell (C-)

17.Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (C)

16.Fading Gigolo (B-)

15.The Room Next Door (B-)

14.Hands of Stone (B-)

13.Transformers: Dark of the Moon (B-)

12.Transformers (B-)

11.Mr. Deeds (B)

10.The Taking of Pelham 123 (B)

9.Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (B) 

8.Landline (B)

7.Quiz Show (B)

6.He Got Game (B)

5.The Big Lebowski (B+)

4.O Brother, Where Art Thou? (B+)

3.Rounders (A-)

2.The Batman (A+)

1.Do the Right Thing (A+)

Top Dog: Do the Right Thing (1989)

Spike Lee's magnum opus is one of the most blistering and potent portrayals of race relations in the United States ever committed to screen. It would be awesome if the day arrived where this movie became an artifact of a bygone era, but that's definitely wishful thinking, if not full-blown delusion at this point in time. 

Bottom Feeder: Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)

It's a testament to the clout that Ridley Scott holds in the industry that his career didn't stall for a second after this gigantic piece of shit lost 20th Century Fox boatloads of money. This movie is such a listless slog that even the battle scenes play like a nursing home potluck, At least the talented but largely woefully miscast ensemble led by Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton and Turturro got a trip to Spain out of this rotten affair. 

Most Underrated: Landline (2017)

Gillian Robespierre got unfairly demoted to TV director mercenary hell after Landline failed to replicate the success of her previous feature Obvious Child and has remained there ever since. While I do slightly prefer Obvious Child, this is still a funny, smart and well-acted slice of life movie about a family (Jenny Slate, Abby Quinn, Edie Falco, Turturro) that begins to implode when they discover that the patriarch is having an affair. Hopefully, Robespierre is liberated from the TV ranks and gets to make another movie at some point in the near future.

Most Overrated: Transformers (2007)

My 15-year-old self would be absolutely disgusted with how I feel about Transformers now. A rewatch in 2023 ahead of the release of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts left me stunned to discover that this movie devotes much more time to convoluted mythology/worldbuilding than robots smashing the shit out of each other. Honestly, I don't even think is notably better than Michael Bay's other "standout" Transformers entry (2011's Dark of the Moon) or the aforementioned Rise of the Beasts and the only reason I'd still say that it's the best entry outside of Bumblebee is the comedy value of this scene. Good luck with your reported new Transformers movie with Bay back at the helm Paramount... 

2026 NFL Power Rankings: Week 8

 ()=Previous Ranking

1.(3) Minnesota Vikings (6-0) Week 8 opponent: Detroit Lions

2.(1) San Francisco 49ers (6-1) Week 8 opponent: Bye

3.(2) Kansas City Chiefs (5-1) Week 8 opponent: Denver Broncos

4.(4) Buffalo Bills (5-1) Week 8 opponent: Baltimore Ravens

5.(5) Denver Broncos (5-2) Week 8 opponent: Kansas City Chiefs

6.(7) Chicago Bears (5-2) Week 8 opponent: Seattle Seahawks

7.(10) Cincinnati Bengals (4-2) Week 8 opponent: Tennessee Titans

8.(8) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2) Week 8 opponent: Indianapolis Colts

9.(12) Seattle Seahawks (4-3) Week 8 opponent: Chicago Bears

10.(6) New England Patriots (4-3) Week 8 opponent: Miami Dolphins

11.(13) Detroit Lions (4-2) Week 8 opponent: Minnesota Vikings

12.(14) Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) Week 8 opponent: Cleveland Browns

13.(11) Green Bay Packers (4-3) Week 8 opponent: Carolina Panthers

14.(16) Cleveland Browns (5-2) Week 8 opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers

15.(9) Baltimore Ravens (4-3) Week 8 opponent: Buffalo Bills

16.(18) Los Angeles Rams (3-4) Week 8 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers

17.(20) Atlanta Falcons (3-4) Week 8 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

18.(21) New York Giants (4-2-1) Week 8 opponent: Bye

19.(15) Carolina Panthers (3-3) Week 8 opponent: Green Bay Packers

20.(23) Dallas Cowboys (3-4) Week 8 opponent: Arizona Cardinals

21.(17) Houston Texans (2-5) Week 8 opponent: Bye

22.(19) Las Vegas Raiders (3-4) Week 8 opponent: New York Jets

23.(29) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-5) Week 8 opponent: Atlanta Falcons

24.(22) New Orleans Saints (2-5) Week 8 opponent: Bye

25.(24) New York Jets (2-5) Week 8 opponent: Las Vegas Raiders

26.(27) Indianapolis Colts (2-5) Week 8 opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars

27.(25) Philadelphia Eagles (2-5) Week 8 opponent: Washington Commanders

28.(28) Washington Commanders (1-4-1) Week 8 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles

29.(26) Arizona Cardinals (2-5) Week 8 opponent: Dallas Cowboys

30.(32) Miami Dolphins (1-5) Week 8 opponent: New England Patriots

31.(30) Tennessee Titans (1-6) Week 8 opponent: Cincinnati Bengals

32.(31) Los Angeles Chargers (0-6) Week 8 opponent: Los Angeles Rams

Week 7 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers: 2026 Edition

Quarterback

Biggest Winner: Joe Burrow (Bengals)

Burrow pulled off one hell of an in-game turnaround Sunday, using his passing heroics (292 YDS, 4 TD's) to help his team erase a 13-0 halftime deficit in the blink of an eye and hang 35 unanswered points on the Ravens in a huge divisional win. The Bengals star QB could be in line for another big day in Week 8 when he squares off against the Titans.

Honorable Mentions: Drake Maye (Patriots), Bo Nix (Broncos), Dak Prescott (Cowboys)

Biggest Loser: Brock Purdy (49ers)

Not having Mike Evans or Deebo Samuel out there on Sunday really screwed up Purdy's flow and it led to his most mistake-laden game (288 YDS, TD, 2 INT's) of the 2026 campaign so far in a pretty ugly road loss to the Falcons. The 49ers have a very well-timed bye in Week 8, and Purdy will definitely be crossing his fingers that Evans and/or Samuel will be good to go for their Week 9 contest with the Raiders.

Dishonorable Mentions: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), Bryce Young (Panthers), Tyler Shough (Saints)

Running Back

Biggest Winner: Tony Pollard (Titans)

Weekly RB3 Pollard going off against the Browns stingy run defense was one of the most pleasant fantasy surprises of the 2026 season so far. Early success on the ground and Cam Ward's inability to get anything going in the passing attack yet again earned Pollard his biggest workload of the season to date (28 touches), which he turned into an impressive 139 YDS and 3 rushing scores and 26 receiving YDS on 3 receptions in what ended up being a narrow loss for Robert Saleh's squad. He'll look to overcome the odd for a second straight week when he goes up against another tough run defense in the Bengals.

Honorable Mentions: Bucky Irving (Buccaneers), Quinshon Judkins (Browns), Rhamondre Stevenson (Patriots)

Biggest Loser: Derrick Henry (Ravens)

Even before the Bengals post-halftime scoring avalanche forced the Ravens to abandon the rushing attack late in the 3rd quarter, Henry was a complete non-factor. He was completely bottled up on nearly every carry (45 YDS on 17 rushes) and made his usual minimal contributions in the passing game (1 reception for 4 YDS) as the Ravens offense once again only found success with splash passing plays with Lamar Jackson missing a 3rd straight game with an ankle injury. A matchup with a weak Bills defense in Week 8 should give Henry a shot to right the ship after back-to-back poor showings. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Kenneth Walker III (Chiefs), Chase Brown (Bengals), Chuba Hubbard (Panthers)

Wide Receiver

Biggest Winner: Jaxson Smith-Njigba (Seahawks)

The Chiefs did everything they could to try and deter the Seahawks from throwing to JSN and it didn't really work all that well. The star wideout was all over the field making plays once again, catching 9-of-12 targets for 150 YDS and a TD as the defending Super Bowl Champs picked up a much-needed blowout win on SNF. Smith-Njigba should have no trouble slicing through the Bears shaky secondary on Monday night.

Honorable Mentions: Tee Higgins (Bengals), Zay Flowers (Ravens), Jameson Williams (Lions)

Biggest Loser: Nico Collins (Texans)

A strong showing from top corner Deonte Banks and pretty quiet day for C.J. Stroud led to Collins being a complete non-factor (2 receptions for 6 YDS on just 5 targets) versus the Giants. Collins heads into the Texans Week 8 bye with a 24/329/3 line in 5 games played and should be locked in as a high-end WR2 for the back half of the 2026 slate.

Dishonorable Mentions: Jalen Coker (Panthers), Garrett Wilson (Jets), Denzel Boston (Browns)

Tight End

Biggest Winner: Trey McBride (Cardinals)

An extended garbage time run was enough to power McBride to his best game of 2026 so far against the Broncos as he hauled in 10 balls for 111 YDS and a TD. McBride could very well end up topping this stellar performance in Week 8 versus the Cowboys horrendous defense. 

Honorable Mentions: Colston Loveland (Bears), Tucker Kraft (Packers), T.J. Hockenson (Vikings)

Biggest Loser: Sam LaPorta (Lions)

LaPorta's lack of involvement (1 reception for 18 YDS on just 2 targets) in the passing attack during Sunday's win over the Packers will unquestionably fuel speculation that the Lions are punishing him for publicly saying he would go elsewhere after contract extension talks between him and the team broke down last week. It might not be a bad idea to sit LaPorta in a Week 8 matchup with a Vikings defense that left Jared Goff absolutely flummoxed in their final meeting last season. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Isaiah Likely (Giants), Juwan Johnson (Saints), Mark Andrews (Ravens)

Defense/Special Teams

Biggest Winner: Vikings

It was another productive day at the office for the Vikings defense as they picked up 4 sacks and an INT to help their team remain undefeated with a 16-10 victory over the Colts. Brian Flores will be hoping for a repeat of Week 17 last season when his defense ruined Jared Goff's life for 4 quarters, sacking him 5 times and forcing 5 turnovers, when they travel to Detroit on Sunday.

Honorable Mentions: Seahawks, Steelers, Bengals

Biggest Loser: 49ers

For only the 2nd time this season, the Falcons managed to finish a game without giving the ball away. To make matters for the 49ers defense, they also failed to sack Michael Penix and allowed 29 points as they suffered their 1st loss of the season on the road. This group has been pretty average on the whole this season and they'll probably only be worth playing in juicy matchups moving forward.

Dishonorable Mentions: Texans, Rams, Patriots

Quick Movie Reviews: You Can See Everything, Street Fighter, Whalefall, Clayface, Wicker

You Can See Everything: Enough people have seen You Can See Everything at this point to compromise the walls of secrecy that A24 put up around this project while Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim spent the last 3 years quietly putting it together. In the interest of not contributing to the spoiler-driven dialogue that's all over the internet right now, I'm going to avoid discussing the events of the film in any specific detail. What I will say is that I feel that what Fielder and Oppenheim did here is absolutely brilliant. Elizabeth Holmes is this figure that's really difficult to get a read on and by simply following her and her spouse Billy Evans around during the months leading up to her going to prison in 2023 then circling back in 2025 to see what's transpired since she began serving her sentence for defrauding investors in Bryan, Texas, she manages to become an even bigger enigma. The conversations/debates that can be had about perception vs reality when it comes to every single aspect of Holmes' life from the origins of Theranos to what she's doing now, whether or not Fielder has become sympathetic towards her plight after spending so much time with her and Evans' actions-particularly after she goes to jail are plentiful and there's no doubt in my mind that plenty of people have had time upon leaving the theater. On top of the fascinating conversations its producing, the movie is incredibly funny at times and gripping to the point where its epic runtime (174 minutes) absolutely flies by. The Oscars pundits believe it has a real chance to become the first documentary ever nominated for Best Picture and I wouldn't be at all surprised if it ended up happening. 

Grade: A

Street Fighter: Move over Resident Evil, another great video game adaptation has arrived on the scene. Street Fighter takes pride in being a hyperactive live action martial arts cartoon that celebrates the pervasive horniness, lowbrow comedy and self-aware ridiculousness that made 90's action movies tick without ever sinking into obnoxious meta commentary territory. As a purveyor of lizard-brained movies from all eras, it was such a joy to watch a movie that was bursting at the seams with passion and enthusiasm for this underutilized form of art. It also didn't hurt that the frequent fight scenes are playful, dynamically choreographed rippers and the technical elements are tremendous (special shoutout to Ken Seng's crazy vibrant cinematography and the stunning hand drawn animation that was used for the flashback sequences). I would be delighted if Kitao Sakurai got the chance to make 10 more of these movies.

Grade: B+

Whalefall: "Austin Abrams gets swallowed by a whale" is one of the most inherently ridiculous sales pitches of any movie released this year. Once you look past the goofy logline, Whalefall reveals itself to be a sentimental, melodramatic survival story about a young man trying to make peace with the rocky relationship he had with his late father (Josh Brolin) while simultaneously trying to escape from the belly of a whale before his oxygen tank runs out (he was looking for his diver father's remains underwater when he gets swallowed by the whale). The visceral sound design, impressive practical sets that vividly bring various parts of the whale's insides to life and tight closeups of his grimacing face do a great job of immersing the viewer in the uniquely dire form of suffering Abrams' character is experiencing and while it's unbelievably corny at points, the father/son story is coming from a sincere enough place that I didn't feel compelled to groan or roll my eyes all that much at all of the sappiness on display. I will say that I do think it'll play way better in a theater than at home, so any interested party should try to make it out to theater sometime in the next week and a half or so before it gets cast out to sea to make way for all of the high-profile November releases. 

Grade: B

Clayface: In the interim at least, James Gunn and Peter Safran will retain their jobs as the heads of DC Studios at the now Skydance-controlled Warner Brothers. This development didn't surprise me all that much as Gunn and Safran are still very much locked into the early stages of their overhauled DCU and all of the ballyhooing about the mixed bag reception and massive box office failure of Supergirl got wiped out immediately by how big of a home run Lanterns was for HBO/HBO Max. Clayface, which marks the third Gunn and Safran-backed DC movie to hit theaters, is another win for the duo that could end up helping their case to remain as the heads of the superhero brand for the foreseeable future. 

Clayface focuses on Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries), a young man who clawed his way out of the gutter in Gotham to become a celebrated actor, only to find himself becoming the kind of monster he grew up fearing after voluntarily signing up for an experimental procedure that he hopes will fix his face that became disfigured following an attack by a powerful mobster (David Dencik). Rhys Harries does a terrific job of capturing the subtle sadness derived from a life full of stinging betrayals that lies behind his slow but steady transformation from decent man to vengeful maniac, Naomi Ackie is her reliably great self as the kind scientist developing a potentially revolutionary nanite technology designed to rapidly restore damaged tissue in the body who Hagen's procedure then quickly grows quite fond of him at a time where not very many people want anything to do with him and having the film play out like a tragic spin on a classic vigilante tale without holding back on the gnarly R-rated body horror transformations and bloody kills the marketing teased was a great creative choice by director James Watkins that helps further establish its unique identity. 

Honestly, the only real missteps Clayface makes are in its choppy opening 20 minutes that feels like an extended montage designed to rapidly establish Hagen's success as an actor, the circumstances that led to the attack and players who he'll extract revenge on later in the movie. Whether that was a deliberate choice by Watkins to get to the true heart of the story as quickly as possible or an unintended side effect of the reshaping of the movie that took place once he decided to cut the flashback scenes involving Hagen's childhood is a mystery that we'll probably never get the answer to, but kudos to him for staging such a swift, graceful recovery and delivering a movie that is ultimately pretty great.

Grade: B+

Wicker:  Writer/director duo Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson (Save Yourselves!) clearly had a lot of fun putting together this farcical period fable about an ostracized fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) who sends her entire remote seaside village into a state of disarray when she commissions the local Basketmaker (Peter Dinklage) to make her a husband (Alexander Skarsgård) out of wicker. There are some big laughs and quite a bit of charm present as Wicker examines how this unusual relationship completely challenges what the village knows about love, gender roles and sex and the prosthetics/VFX work that went into bringing the film's wooden humanoid creations to life are stellar, especially when you consider that this is an indie production with a budget of roughly $10 million. It's easy to see why this has been playing so well with audiences since it debuted at Sundance back in January and I fully expect this to become a cult favorite in short order.  

Grade: B

Sacha Baron Cohen Ranked

 Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Sacha Baron Cohen-whose latest project "Ali G: Who Iz I?" releases in theaters for a limited 2-day engagement tomorrow and will begin streaming on Prime Video at a TBD date. 

Sacha Baron Cohen's Filmography Ranked:

12.Balls Up (C-)

11.Madagascar (B-)

10.Hugo (B-)

9.Ali G Indahouse (B-)

8.The Brothers Grimsby (B)

7.Bruno (B)

6.Luca (B)

5.The Dictator (B+)

4.Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (B+)

3.The Trial of the Chicago 7 (B+)

2.Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (B+)

1.Borat (A)

Top Dog: Borat (2006)

Seeing Borat on opening weekend was one of those cultural touchstone moments that any nerd that was lucky enough to be there will talk about for the rest of their lives. I spent 3 hours on an early November Friday night toiling around the Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers, Massachusetts with a couple of my friends and one of their moms waiting for the next showing after the one we intended to go to sold out before we arrived (nobody expected it to be such a hit, so it was only playing on 1 screen) and all that time we spent bored out of our skulls watching miscellaneous stock footage on 72' TV's at Best Buy ended up being well worth it once we finally entered the theater. Superbad is the only comedy I've ever seen in theaters that I can definitely say played better with the audience that I saw it with and to this day, the naked wrestling scene remains in contention for the hardest I've laughed at anything in my entire life. Do I have my doubts about how well it holds up 20 years later? Absolutely, but I'm not overly eager to find out the answer to that question and may just allow the magic of that theatrical screening be what I remember it by forever. 

Bottom Feeder: Balls Up (2026)

The funniest thing about Balls Up is that Peter Farrelly followed it up with a movie that could get nominated for Best Picture (I Play Rocky, which hits theaters less than 8 months after this debuted on Prime Video). Unlike his last joint Ricky Stanicky, Balls Up is a pretty weak attempt by Farrelly to return to his raunchy gross-out comedy glory days of the 90's/00's. Maybe he would've gotten better results if he had paired Paul Walter Hauser with John Cena instead of Mark Wahlberg, but I'm not confident that there's an actor out there who could've elevated a movie where 8 out of every 10 jokes completely miss the mark. 

Most Underrated: The Dictator (2012)

Baron Cohen's comedy is at its peak when real people are reacting to his insane bits. Despite lagging a bit behind his guerilla-style mockumentaries/satires on the whole, most of his fully scripted stuff works better than its given credit for. The Dictator stands out as the biggest gem from this portion of his filmography, largely because its protagonist General Aladeen is the closest any character he created has come to matching the endearing cartoonish ignorance that defined the trio he introduced to the world (Ali G, Borat, Bruno) on Da Ali G Show 26 years ago. 

Most Overrated: Madagascar (2005) 

As I said last month in the DreamWorks Animation piece, I think Madagascar is a minor animated movie in the grand scheme of things and don't agree with the classic status that it's picked up in recent years.

2026 NFL Power Rankings: Week 7

 ()=Previous Ranking

1.(1) San Francisco 49ers (6-0) Week 7 opponent: Atlanta Falcons

2.(2) Kansas City Chiefs (5-0) Week 7 opponent: Seattle Seahawks

3.(3) Minnesota Vikings (5-0) Week 7 opponent: Indianapolis Colts

4.(4) Buffalo Bills (5-1) Week 7 opponent: Bye

5.(7) Denver Broncos (4-2) Week 7 opponent: Arizona Cardinals

6.(11) New England Patriots (4-2) Week 7 opponent: Chicago Bears

7.(12) Chicago Bears (4-2) Week 7 opponent: New England Patriots

8.(6) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2) Week 7 opponent: Bye

9.(8) Baltimore Ravens (4-2) Week 7 opponent: Cincinnati Bengals 

10.(10) Cincinnati Bengals (4-2) Week 7 opponent: Baltimore Ravens

11.(15) Green Bay Packers (4-2) Week 7 opponent: Detroit Lions

12.(5) Seattle Seahawks (3-3) Week 7 opponent: Kansas City Chiefs

13.(13) Detroit Lions (3-2) Week 7 opponent: Green Bay Packers

14.(14) Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) Week 7 opponent: New Orleans Saints

15.(16) Carolina Panthers (3-2) Week 7 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

16.(17) Cleveland Browns (4-2) Week 7 opponent: Tennessee Titans

17.(23) Houston Texans (2-4) Week 7 opponent: New York Giants

18.(9) Los Angeles Rams (2-4) Week 7 opponent: Las Vegas Raiders

19.(19) Las Vegas Raiders (3-3) Week 7 opponent: Los Angeles Rams

20.(18) Atlanta Falcons (2-4) Week 7 opponent: San Francisco 49ers

21.(20) New York Giants (3-2-1) Week 7 opponent: Houston Texans

22.(28) New Orleans Saints (2-4) Week 7 opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers

23.(21) Dallas Cowboys (2-4) Week 7 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles

24.(24) New York Jets (2-4) Week 7 opponent: Miami Dolphins

25.(22) Philadelphia Eagles (2-4) Week 7 opponent: Dallas Cowboys

26.(29) Arizona Cardinals (2-4) Week 7 opponent: Denver Broncos

27.(25) Indianapolis Colts (2-4) Week 7 opponent: Minnesota Vikings

28.(26) Washington Commanders (1-4-1) Week 7 opponent: Bye

29.(27) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-5) Week 7 opponent: Carolina Panthers

30.(31) Tennessee Titans (1-5) Week 7 opponent: Cleveland Browns

31.(30) Los Angeles Chargers (0-6) Week 7 opponent: Bye

32.(32) Miami Dolphins (0-5) Week 7 opponent: New York Jets

Week 6 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers: 2026 Edition

Quarterback

Biggest Winner: Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars)

It was quite the QB duel in London between C.J Stroud and Lawrence on Sunday and while the Texans ultimately won the game on a Ka'imi Fairbairn field goal at the end of regulation, Lawrence (306 YDS, 4 TD's, INT, 11 Rushing YDS) proved to be the top dog in fantasy. The Jaguars franchise quarterback has been an up-and-down QB1 play through 6 weeks, and his owners will be hoping for a little more consistency after his Week 7 bye. 

Honorable Mentions: Tyler Shough (Saints), Drake Maye (Patriots), C.J. Stroud (Texans)

Biggest Loser: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)

Mahomes had a largely uneventful showing against the completely aloof and defeated Chargers, throwing for 272 scoreless YDS, an INT and picking up 16 YDS on the ground as the Chiefs cruised to victory. He'll be a questionable starting option for this week's tough road game in Seattle. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Dak Prescott (Cowboys), Matthew Stafford (Rams), Brock Purdy (49ers)

Running Back

Biggest Winner: Kenneth Walker III (Chiefs)

In a shocking development coming off the bye, The Chiefs offense once again ran through Walker. Their big free agent pickup needed just 21 touches (19 carries, 2 receptions) to hang 139 scrimmage YDS and 2 rushing TD's on the Chargers abysmal defense. Walker has been unstoppable to start 2026 and his old friends on the Seahawks are going to have put together one hell of showing in order to become the first defense this season to slow him down. 

Honorable Mentions: James Cook (Bills), Bhayshul Tuten (Jaguars), D'Andre Swift (Bears)

Biggest Loser: Derrick Henry (Ravens)

The Browns defense took advantage of the Ravens banged-up offensive line and Tyler Huntley's presence under center and completely stifled Henry-holding him to 58 YDS on 17 carries and forcing him to lose a huge fumble in the 4th quarter that led to the only TD they scored in their 13-10 upset victory. Henry's weekly YPC hasn't exceeded 4.3 YDS since his Week 1 eruption over the Colts, and he could have a tough time returning to his top form this week against a Bengals defense that has been pretty stingy thus far. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Bijan Robinson (Falcons), Bucky Irving (Buccaneers), Rhamondre Stevenson (Patriots)

Wide Receiver

Biggest Winner: Tre Tucker (Raiders)

One of this week's top wire targets delivered in a big way, torching the Bills poor secondary for 97 YDS and 2 TD's on 5 receptions. While it's unlikely that he'll turn into a weekly starting option with Brock Bowers gobbling up so many targets from Kirk Cousins, Tucker's status as the Raiders de facto WR1 and explosive play ability should be enough to keep him rostered in most leagues moving forward. 

Honorable Mentions: Malik Nabers (Giants), Germie Bernard (Steelers), Matthew Golden (Packers)

Biggest Loser: A.J. Brown (Patriots)

It was an ugly return to action for Brown, who was activated from IR on Saturday morning after missing 4 games with a high ankle sprain. The Patriots wideout dropped 5 (!) passes and showed an alarming lack of chemistry with Drake Maye as he finished with just 3 catches for 27 YDS in a win over the Jets. Until Brown shows some form of life with his new team, he should be riding the bench in all leagues that have 12 teams or less. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Jaylen Waddle (Broncos), Michael Wilson (Cardinals), Denzel Boston (Browns)

Tight End

Biggest Winner: Isaiah Likely (Giants)

An in-game QB change didn't impact Likely in the slightest as negative gamescript caused the Giants to throw the ball like crazy in the second half as they attempted to (and just fell short) off pulling a crazy comeback win over the Saints. While Malik Nabers was the top dog in both receptions and YDS, Likely found the endzone, was on the receiving end of a 2 PT-CNV and turned his 6 receptions into an excellent 99 YDS. Whether it's Jameis Winston or J.J. McCarthy under center for the Giants on Sunday against the Texans, Likely will remain a must-start TE1. 

Honorable Mentions: Kyle Pitts (Falcons), Colston Loveland (Bears), George Kittle (49ers)

Biggest Loser: Juwan Johnson (Saints)

It was an odd day for the Saints offense as Tyler Shough threw for 3 TD's but only completed 15 passes for 144 YDS and turned to their running game down the stretch as they jumped out to a 34-10 lead with 11:31 left in the game. This unique situation left Johnson completely out in the cold as he failed to catch either of the targets that came his way and put together his 2nd straight dud after being a top fantasy TE through the opening 4 weeks of the season. Johnson will look to return to fantasy relevancy in Week 7 when the Saints travel over to Paris to take on the Steelers. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Harold Fannin Jr. (Browns), Mark Andrews (Ravens), Jake Ferguson (Cowboys)

Defense/Special Teams

Biggest Winner: Chiefs

The Chargers anemic offense got completely picked apart by Steve Spagnuolo on Sunday, registering 4 sacks, an INT and fumble recovery in a commanding 22-6 win for the still undefeated Chiefs. This strong fantasy D/ST has another plus matchup in Week 7 against a Seahawks team that has struggled with allowing sacks and giveaways of late.

Honorable Mentions: Broncos, Steelers, Ravens

Biggest Loser: Texans

As you can safely assume, the aforementioned great play of C.J. Stroud and Trevor Lawrence were coupled with dismal showings from their respective defenses. Despite them being good enough on the last drive to help secure the win, Lawrence's status as the top fantasy QB made the Texans a slightly weaker option. They were held without a sack for the 1st time this season and a redzone INT by Calen Bullock proved to be their lone fantasy highlight in the 34-31 victory. A return to the top of the board is very much in play in Week 7 as they face a Giants team that has turned the ball over an absurd 9 times in their past 3 games. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Jaguars, Rams, Seahawks

Eric André Ranked

 Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Eric André-whose latest project "Street Fighter" releases in theaters today.

Eric André's Filmography Ranked:

12.The Lion King (D+)

11.Balls Up (C-)

10.I Love Boosters (C-)

9.The Internship (B-)

8.Happy Gilmore 2 (B-)

7.Little Brother (B)

6.Jackass 4.5 (B+)

5.Rough Night (B+)

4.The Mitchells vs. the Machines (B+)

3.Bad Trip (A)

2.Jackass Forever (A)

1.Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (A)

Top Dog: Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)

The brutal commercial failure of Popstar nine years after Hot Rod faceplanted at the box office has effectively killed any chance of The Lonely Island getting the opportunity to make another movie. If Popstar does prove to be the last time the comedy trio get to make a movie together, at least they went out with a bang. Parodying the record label PR-driven music documentaries of the early-to-mid 2010's provided them with the perfect vehicle for their goofy absurdist sense of humor and it leads to some of the funniest songs/situational comedy they've ever written. Special shoutout to them for recognizing that Tim Meadows is one of the funniest people alive and handing him a role that allows him to show that off in literally every scene he's in. 

Bottom Feeder: The Lion King (2019)

Of all the Disney "live action" remakes that I've seen, this is the most soulless and useless. This film feeling like it's about 20 minutes long despite being nearly a half hour longer than the original is a magic trick so grand that it would blow Criss Angel's mind. Guess that's just the power of recreating all of the major scenes from the animated version via CGI without injecting any of the emotion or colorful visuals that made them so special in the first place. 

Most Underrated: Bad Trip (2021)

Handing André a real budget to do his chaotic hidden camera pranks and weaving in a simple but effective road trip narrative to tie them all together leads to easily one of the funniest movies released this decade. It sucks that Bad Trip ended up being a COVID streaming casualty (the pre-Amazon acquistion MGM regime sold it off to Netflix in May 2020) because this would've ripped even harder in a theater full of degenerate André fans.

Most Overrated: I Love Boosters (2026)

This isn't the fairest inclusion as the reception hasn't been particularly rapturous and it didn't even hit $10 million during its box office run this spring/summer. However, I Love Boosters has just enough cache in cinephile circles to push into this spot. I've been very vocal about my disdain for Boots Riley's debut Sorry to Bother You and while this is certainly an improvement over that obnoxious trainwreck, it's still an unfocused and mostly unfunny satire that can't parlay its good politics into a good movie. 

2026 NFL Power Rankings: Week 6

 ()=Previous Ranking

1.(1) San Francisco 49ers (5-0) Week 6 opponent: Washington Commanders

2.(2) Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) Week 6 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers

3.(4) Minnesota Vikings (5-0) Week 6 opponent: Bye

4.(5) Buffalo Bills (4-1) Week 6 opponent: Las Vegas Raiders

5.(3) Seattle Seahawks (3-2) Week 6 opponent: Denver Broncos

6.(7) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-1) Week 6 opponent: Houston Texans

7.(9) Denver Broncos (3-2) Week 6 opponent: Seattle Seahawks

8.(10) Baltimore Ravens (4-1) Week 6 opponent: Cleveland Browns

9.(8) Los Angeles Rams (2-3) Week 6 opponent: Arizona Cardinals

10.(11) Cincinnati Bengals (3-2) Week 6 opponent: Bye

11.(14) New England Patriots (3-2) Week 6 opponent: New York Jets

12.(6) Chicago Bears (3-2) Week 6 opponent: Atlanta Falcons

13.(19) Detroit Lions (3-2) Week 6 opponent: Bye

14.(20) Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2) Week 6 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

15.(23) Green Bay Packers (3-2) Week 6 opponent: Dallas Cowboys

16.(16) Carolina Panthers (2-2) Week 6 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles

17.(12) Cleveland Browns (3-2) Week 6 opponent: Baltimore Ravens

18.(17) Atlanta Falcons (2-3) Week 6 opponent: Chicago Bears

19.(13) Las Vegas Raiders (3-2) Week 6 opponent: Buffalo Bills

20.(22) New York Giants (3-1-1) Week 6 opponent: New Orleans Saints

21.(15) Dallas Cowboys (2-3) Week 6 opponent: Green Bay Packers

22.(21) Philadelphia Eagles (2-3) Week 6 opponent: Carolina Panthers

23.(25) Houston Texans (1-4) Week 6 opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars

24.(26) New York Jets (2-3) Week 6 opponent: New England Patriots

25.(18) Indianapolis Colts (2-3) Week 6 opponent: Tennessee Titans

26.(27) Washington Commanders (1-3-1) Week 6 opponent: San Francisco 49ers

27.(30) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-4) Week 6 opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers

28.(24) New Orleans Saints (1-4) Week 6 opponent: New York Giants

29.(28) Arizona Cardinals (1-4) Week 6 opponent: Los Angeles Rams

30.(29) Los Angeles Chargers (0-5) Week 6 opponent: Kansas City Chiefs

31.(31) Tennessee Titans (0-5) Week 6 opponent: Indianapolis Colts

32.(32) Miami Dolphins (0-5) Week 6 opponent: Bye

Week 5 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers: 2026 Edition

 Quarterback

Biggest Winner: Drake Maye (Patriots)

Remarkably, Maye was even better in Week 5 against the Raiders than he was in Week 4 against the Bills. The Patriots quarterback was dialed in from the jump, slicing through the Raiders defense for 398 total YDS (374 passing 25 rushing) and 5 scores. Best of all, he didn't the turn ball over after logging a league-high 9 giveaways through the opening 4 games. Maye will hope to make it 3 great showings in a row when the Jets come to Gilette Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Honorable Mentions: Jayden Daniels (Commanders), Jared Goff (Lions), Jacoby Brissett (Cardinals)

Biggest Loser: Tyler Shough (Saints)

Frankly, Shough didn't stand much of a chance squaring off against the Vikings ferocious defense behind a makeshift offensive line and the results were predictably awful. Being under siege all day and having to rely on sheer gunslinging desperation to try and move the ball downfield led Shough to produce one of the worst lines you'll see from a starting QB this season (96 YDS, 0 TD's, 2 INT's). He's a terrific bounceback candidate for Week 6 against a Giants defense that has had its share of struggles defending the pass so far this season.

Dishonorable Mentions: Dak Prescott (Cowboys), Jalen Hurts (Eagles), Bo Nix (Broncos)

Running Back

Biggest Winner: Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions)

After a very quiet showing by his lofty standards against the Panthers last week, Gibbs returned to his normal elite form by absolutely obliterating the Cardinals defense (207 scrimmage YDS and 2 rushing TD's on 30 touches) in a blowout win for the Lions. Gibbs' owners will have to shoulder the burden of inserting a vastly inferior RB into their lineup while the dual-threat fantasy monster is on bye.

Honorable Mentions: Jaylen Warren (Steelers), Bucky Iriving (Buccaneers), Derrick Henry (Ravens)

Biggest Loser: Jeremiyah Love (Cardinals)

Gibbs' counterpart on the Cardinals offense had a much less productive outing. Love got completely stuffed on the ground, turning his 12 carries into just 22 YDS and failed to catch his only target on the day as the Cardinals pivoted to a pass-dominant attack early in the second half once the Lions blew the game wide open. Love, who is playing through the ankle injury he suffered back in training camp, will be a shaky RB2/FLEX play in Week 6 against the Rams.

Dishonorable Mentions: Chase Brown (Bengals), Omarion Hampton (Chargers), Cam Skattebo (Giants)

Wide Receiver

Biggest Winner: Puka Nacua (Rams)

While Nacua wasn't making huge splash plays against the Bills last night, Matthew Stafford was going his way on basically every other pass he threw for the entire game. The star wideout set a new career-high by hauling in 17 receptions on 24 targets, which he turned into 138 YDS and a TD as the Rams lost a heartbreaking OT shootout on their home field. Up next for Nacua is a dream matchup with the lowly Cardinals secondary. 

Honorable Mentions: Christian Watson (Packers), Parker Washington (Jaguars), Malik Nabers (Giants)

Biggest Loser: Jaylen Waddle (Broncos)

Sean Payton snatching the playcalling duties from his alleged understudy Davis Webb did nothing to help Waddle's output this week. The Broncos big offseason acquisition was once again pretty invisible despite having a favorable matchup against the Chargers, catching 2-of-5 targets for 19 YDS and gaining 9-YDS on his lone rush attempt. Waddle's next opportunity to put a stop to the incredibly underwhelming start to his Broncos career will be Thursday night against the Seahawks.  

Dishonorable Mentions: Carnell Tate (Titans), Tee Higgins (Bengals), Michael Wilson (Cardinals)

Tight End

Biggest Winner: Isaiah Likely (Giants)

Likely was one of the key cogs in the Giants improbable second half comeback that led to one of the most absurd ties in NFL history against the Commanders on Sunday, hauling in a career-high 11 receptions for 94 YDS and 2 TD's. After a quiet first couple games with Jameis Winston under center, Likely has forged a strong connection with the veteran QB and it's incredibly encouraging that his target share hasn't really been impacted by Malik Nabers' return to elite form over the past couple of weeks.

Honorable Mentions: Brock Bowers (Raiders), Tyler Warren (Colts), Sam LaPorta (Lions)

Biggest Loser: Harold Fannin Jr. (Browns)

Deshaun Watson went back to struggling mightily in the Browns ugly Week 6 loss to the Jets and only Denzel Boston escaped unscathed from a fantasy perspective. Fannin Jr. suffered a particularly cruel fate, catching just 1-of-4 targets for 4 YDS on the day. The talented 2nd year tight end could find himself in a tough spot once again in Week 6 if Watson struggles to get anything going against a Ravens defense that is starting gain confidence after back-to-back strong showings. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Dalton Kincaid (Bills), Colston Loveland (Bears), Juwan Johnson (Saints)

Defense/Special Teams

Biggest Winner: Texans

After 5 weeks, the Texans D/ST has finally showed off the elite form that made them the kings of this position a year ago. The porous Cam Ward-led Titans offense got completely stomped out by their division rivals from Southeast Texas, surrendering 4 sacks, an interception and fumble recovery in a 26-3 loss. The Texans are going to have to dig deep to put up another strong performance this week when they travel to London to take on the AFC South-leading Jaguars.

Honorable Mentions: Broncos, Vikings, Bengals

Biggest Loser: Rams

Neither defense looked particularly good -especially in the second half and OT-during the back-and-forth battle between the Rams and Bills last night, but the losing team was the only one that was owned/played by a good amount of fantasy players. While Chris Shula's group did get a sack, INT and fumble recovery, any good they did was undone by the fact that they had allowed 37 points by the time the final whistle blew. Fortunately for them, redemption could be imminent as they're set to square off with the reeling 1-4 Cardinals in Week 6. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Jaguars, Steelers, Cowboys

Quick Movie Reviews: Verity, Other Mommy, The Social Reckoning

Verity: There's a serious conundrum that exists at the core of Verity that largely dictated how I ended up feeling about it: It's committed enough to its trashiness to go down as a competent wine mom psychological thriller but restrained enough to make you wonder why they refused to crank up the volume of the camp. Who is the main culprit behind Verity's miscalculated timid streak? Well, it's definitely not the cast. Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett do a pretty good job of selling the slowly escalating flirtation that turns into a tryst that really puts their characters into a jam that they're going to have a hard time wiggling out of while Anne Hathaway relishes the opportunity to chew up some scenery as the titular author who brings all these crazy kids together whenever she's liberated from the catatonic state she spends most of the film in. Screenwriter Nick Antosca also deserves to be (mostly) exonerated. While his script definitely runs into some roadblocks as it lays out its absurd plot that's reverse engineered to inspire debate about the reality of what transpired in the film once the big twist is revealed, but the blueprint for fun trash never falls out of sight and it even becomes pretty fully realized when the temperature finally rises from slightly simmering to a decent boil in the final act. This narrows the suspect list down to one person and he is indeed the guilty party: director Michael Showwalter. Unlike his fellow comedy vet Paul Feig-who pretty seamlessly adapted to this world with his efforts on A Simple Favor and The Housemaid, Showalter has no feel for composing the twisty, trashy rhythms a film like this requires to thrive. His direction is far too icy and distant for such an in-your-face story, and his low energy approach bogs the movie down until the sheer ridiculousness of the material becomes so powerful that it drags his overmatched ass across the finish line despite his best efforts to halt the momentum. Seeing his name pop up in the end credits felt like watching Landry Shamet celebrate on the floor when the Knicks won the title back in June: He may have been on the floor a lot, but he didn't ultimately contribute much of anything to the winning effort. If Showalter has any interest in coming back to direct something like again, he's going to need get back in the gym and work on his jumper (and by jumper, I of course mean not being afraid to go for broke when making a movie that's designed to be a larger-than-life carnival of unapologetically silly excess). 

Grade: B-

Other Mommy: Rob Savage has made a movie that is so breathless that there's basically no time to think about its underwritten story, goofy CGI or predictable scare patterns. I'm not being hyperbolic when I say that Other Mommy takes maybe five minutes to introduce its shape-shifting demonic entity that takes the form of a lonely, unhappy seven-year-old girl's (Arabella Olivia Clark) mother (Jessica Chastain) and never takes its foot off the gas until the credits roll roughly 85 minutes later. The sheer relentlessness of the entire affair paired with the solid performances from Chastain and Clark and Savage's inspired stylized shot compositions that features plenty of playful camerawork made this a nice October diversion.

Grade: B-

The Social Reckoning: Drawing constant comparisons to The Social Network was the inevitable fate that Aaron Sorkin created for himself when he elected to revisit the impact Mark Zuckerberg has made on our society for The Social Reckoning. Having to live in the shadow of a beloved, era-defining piece of cinema is a frankly a no-win game, especially when this new film that has been accurately described as more of a companion piece than an actual sequel is a telling a much drier, less cinematic story and sees Sorkin himself taking over for David Fincher in the director's chair. Despite these albatrosses looming large over the project, Sorkin is able to forge ahead and make something worthwhile.

Underneath all of the tech jargon and creative liberties Sorkin takes to push forth this narrative centered around Facebook data engineer's Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison) unexpected journey to becoming a reluctant whistleblower after she contacts Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White) upon discovering how the company's changes to its algorithm that were aimed to increase time spent on the platform led to a significant jump in the spread of misinformation, hate speech, etc,  The Social Reckoning paints a pretty damning picture of how much social media companies have helped erode the concept of truth in our world. While the revelations in The Social Reckoning aren't overly surprising to anyone who uses the internet and/or has experience talking to people who've been radicalized by reading fabricated ragebait/fearmongering stories masquerading as fact-based reporting online , it's still chilling to watch a movie that lays out how the people running these platforms knowingly sold out the well-being of the world just to collect bigger checks and endear themselves to politicians who would support the further deregulation of their industry. There was part of me that was concerned that Sorkin was going to paint Haugen's whistleblowing efforts as a bigger triumph than they actually were once she finally decides to go on the record late in the movie. To my surprise, he instead decided to soberly acknowledges that while she did inflict some financial/PR damage to Zuckerberg's empire, she failed to topple the behemoth of unchecked toxicity and lies that serve as the main drivers of his platforms. Framing Haugen and Horwitz's work on the story that became known as The Facebook Files as merely a small victory in a larger war that may or may not be able to be won strengthened everything that came before it and confirmed that Sorkin is much less naive about what truth actually means in today's society than some other of the AARP-aged filmmakers out there today. A solid, well-acted (in addition to Madison and White's strong work in the lead roles, Jeremy Strong's fragile, deeply pathetic take on Zuckerberg is kind of mesmerizing and Betty Glipin threatens to steal the show in her limited screen time as Horwitz's snarky hardass editor at The Wall Street Journal) journalism movie was the best-case scenario for this project and I hope that this won't be the last time that Sorkin gets the chance to sit in the director's chair. 

Grade: B

Way Too Early Oscar Predictions: 2026 Edition

Feel free to file this away and throw it in my face if it proves to be wildly inaccurate, but this year's Oscar races are looking a lot clearer than they usually do at this stage of the process. All of the acting categories save for Best Actor already appear to be down to fields of seven or eight contenders for the five nominations while Best Picture is starting to look like a two-horse race between Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and Spanish epic drama La bola negra-which is aiming to become Netflix's first ever BP winner. Why does there appear to be so much certainty compared to the last few years where chaos reigned? I'm not quite sure, but so many heavy hitters either debuting at Cannes in May or releasing before the fall certainly feels like it played a role.

It needs to be noted that despite my belief that the field already feels relatively settled, there are still a handful of potential contenders out there including Dune: Part Three, The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, Werwulf and The Mosquito Bowl that have yet to screen publicly that have the potential to shake up the landscape if they generate enough fanfare. With that important caveat now out of the way, here are my way too early predictions for the 2026 Oscars excluding Best Original Song and the Short Film categories. 

 *Indicates the predicted winner

Best Picture:

All of a Sudden

The Debut

Dune: Part Three

Fjord

The Invite

La bola negra

Obsession

The Odyssey*

Project Hail Mary

Wild Horse Nine

Best Director:

Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, La bola negra

Martin McDonagh, Wild Horse Nine

Christopher Nolan, The Odyssey*

Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Part Three

Olivia Wilde, The Invite

Best Actor:

Matt Damon, The Odyssey 

Ryan Gosling, Project Hail Mary

John Malkovich, Wild Horse Nine* 

Robert Pattinson, Primetime

Andrew Scott, Elsinore 

Best Actress:

Virginie Efira, All of a Sudden

Sandra Hüller, Rose

Julianne Moore, The Debut*

Inde Navarrette, Obsession 

Olivia Wilde, The Invite

Best Supporting Actor:

Andrew Garfield, Artificial 

Paul Giamatti, The Debut*

Guitarricadelafuente, La bola negra

John Leguizamo, The Odyssey 

Sam Rockwell, Wild Horse Nine 

Best Supporting Actress:

Penélope Cruz, La bola negra

Mariana di Girolamo, Wild Horse Nine

Anne Hathaway, The Odyssey*

Samantha Morton, The Odyssey

Tao Okamoto, All of a Sudden

Best Adapted Screenplay:

All of a Sudden

The Invite

La bola negra*

The Odyssey

Project Hail Mary

Best Original Screenplay:

Artificial 

Fjord

The Debut

Obsession

Wild Horse Nine*

Best Animated Feature:

Forgotten Island

Ray Gunn

Tangles

Toy Story 5

Wildwood*

Best Documentary Feature:

American Doctor

NAZA

Nuisance Bear

Once Upon a Time in Harlem

You Can See Everything*

Best International Feature:

All of a Sudden

Fjord

La bola negra*

Minotaur

Possible Love

Best Casting:

The Debut

La bola negra

Obsession 

The Odyssey*

Wild Horse Nine

Best Cinematography:

Dune: Part Three

La bola negra

The Odyssey*

Project Hail Mary

Werwulf

Best Film Editing:

Dune: Part Three

La bola negra

The Odyssey*

Project Hail Mary

Wild Horse Nine

Best Original Score:

Behemoth!

Disclosure Day

Dune: Part Three

The Odyssey*

Project Hail Mary

Best Costume Design:

Dune: Part Three

The Odyssey* 

Sense and Sensibility

Werwulf 

Wuthering Heights

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

Digger

Dune: Part Three

Michael

The Odyssey

Werwulf*

Best Production Design:

Backrooms

Dune: Part Three

The Odyssey*

Project Hail Mary

Werwulf

Best Sound:

Dune: Part Three

Godzilla Minus Zero

Michael

The Odyssey*

Project Hail Mary

Best Visual Effects:

Dune: Part Three

Godzilla Minus Zero

The Odyssey

Project Hail Mary*

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

2026 NFL Power Rankings: Week 5

 ()=Previous Ranking

1.(1) San Francisco 49ers (4-0) Week 5 opponent: Seattle Seahawks

2.(3) Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) Week 5 opponent: Bye

3.(5) Seattle Seahawks (3-1) Week 5 opponent: San Francisco 49ers

4.(6) Minnesota Vikings (4-0) Week 5 opponent: New Orleans Saints

5.(2) Buffalo Bills (3-1) Week 5 opponent: Los Angeles Rams

6.(7) Chicago Bears (3-1) Week 5 opponent: Green Bay Packers

7.(8) Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1) Week 5 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles

8.(10) Los Angeles Rams (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Buffalo Bills

9.(4) Denver Broncos (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers

10.(11) Baltimore Ravens (3-1) Week 5 opponent: Atlanta Falcons

11.(9) Cincinnati Bengals (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Miami Dolphins

12.(16) Cleveland Browns (3-1) Week 5 opponent: New York Jets

13.(12) Las Vegas Raiders (3-1) Week 5 opponent: New England Patriots

14.(18) New England Patriots (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Las Vegas Raiders

15.(17) Dallas Cowboys (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

16.(21) Carolina Panthers (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Bye

17.(24) Atlanta Falcons (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Baltimore Ravens

18.(20) Indianapolis Colts (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers

19.(13) Detroit Lions (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Arizona Cardinals

20.(15) Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Indianapolis Colts

21.(14) Philadelphia Eagles (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars

22.(23) New York Giants (3-1) Week 5 opponent: Washington Commanders

23.(27) Green Bay Packers (2-2) Week 5 opponent: Chicago Bears

24.(19) New Orleans Saints (1-3) Week 5 opponent: Minnesota Vikings

25.(25) Houston Texans (0-4) Week 5 opponent: Tennessee Titans 

26.(26) New York Jets (1-3) Week 5 opponent: Cleveland Browns

27.(22) Washington Commanders (1-3) Week 5 opponent: New York Giants

28.(28) Arizona Cardinals (1-3) Week 5 opponent: Detroit Lions

29.(29) Los Angeles Chargers (0-4) Week 5 opponent: Denver Broncos

30.(30) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-4) Week 5 opponent: Dallas Cowboys

31.(31) Tennessee Titans (0-4) Week 5 opponent: Houston Texans

32.(32) Miami Dolphins (0-4) Week 5 opponent: Cincinnati Bengals

Week 4 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers: 2026 Edition

Quarterback

Biggest Winner: Drake Maye (Patriots)

If you remained firm in your belief in Maye this week, you were rewarded in a big way. While it wasn't a perfect showing for the Patriots QB as he added to his obscene early season turnover total with another pick and lost fumble, he looked like the guy that finished second in MVP voting last year for the first time this season as he unleashed his full arsenal of skills (269 passing YDS and 3 TD's, 54 rushing YDS on 8 carries) on the Bills defense in an arguably season-saving upset road victory for the defending AFC champions. Maye will face an interesting test in Week 5 when the Pats return home to play a frisky Raiders defense that currently leads the league in takeaways.   

Honorable Mentions: Joe Burrow (Bengals), Bryce Young (Panthers), Jared Goff (Lions)

Biggest Loser: Matthew Stafford (Rams)

Unlike Maye and Joe Burrow, Stafford wasn't able to cancel out his turnovers (2 INT's) with TD's in a crazy comeback win over the Eagles and finished the day with 327 scoreless YDS (317 passing, 10 rushing). Stafford will look to get back in the good graces of his fantasy owners in a very favorable Week 5 matchup against a weak Bills defense that is currently being further hampered by a banged up corner group.

Dishonorable Mentions: Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars), Jalen Hurts (Eagles), Kyler Murray (Vikings)

Running Back

Biggest Winner: Kyren Williams (Rams)

Williams proved to be the catalyst for the Rams insane second half comeback against the Eagles, ripping off 16 carries for 80 YDS and 2 TD's and catching a whopping 10 passes for 67 YDS. Even with Blake Corum continuing to cut into his workload to varying degrees on a weekly basis, Williams has been a solid low-end RB1 option to open the 2026 season and should remain on that level for this week's game against the Bills.

Honorable Mentions: Kenneth Walker III (Chiefs), Javonte Williams (Cowboys), Chuba Hubbard (Panthers)

Biggest Loser: Bucky Irving (Buccaneers)

As expected, Irving was leaned on heavily as undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels made his 1st career start in place of the injured Baker Mayfield at home against the Packers. Unfortunately, Irving only gained 61 YDS on his 16 carries, received 0 targets in the passing game and got a redzone TD vultured by Sean Tucker-who only earned 3 carries the whole game. Irving will have another chance to make a big impact against a suspect defense on Thursday night when the Bucs take on the Cowboys.

Dishonorable Mentions: D'Andre Swift (Bears), Jeremiyah Love (Cardinals), David Montgomery (Texans)

Wide Receiver

Biggest Winner: Tetairoa McMillan (Panthers)

With Jalen Coker out of the lineup with the quad injury he suffered against the Browns last week, McMillan became the overwhelming focus of the Panthers passing attack against the Lions abysmal, injury-depleted secondary. The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year wasn't just dominant; he was crazy efficient-hauling in 14-of-16 targets for 192 YDS and 2 TD's. McMillan will follow up his busy night against the Lions with some well-deserved rest this week as the Panthers head on bye. He'll have a date with the Eagles when they return to action in Week 6. 

Honorable Mentions: CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys), Nico Collins (Texans), Puka Nacua (Rams)

Biggest Loser: Parker Washington (Jaguars)

Washington was abnormally quiet against the Bengals on Sunday, catching just 1-of-3 TGTS for 7 YDS and logging a single carry for 3 YDS as the Jags offense leaned heavily on Brenton Strange and Bhayshul Tuten in their hard-fought road win. There's no reason to believe that Washington won't be more involved this Sunday when the Jaguars head over to their second home in London to take on the Eagles. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Garrett Wilson (Jets), Emeka Egbuka (Buccaneers), Josh Downs (Colts)

Tight End

Biggest Winner: Sam LaPorta (Lions)

The Panthers weren't the only ones eating good in Charlotte on Sunday night. The Lions passing offense had a field day of their own against a beat-up Panthers corner group and LaPorta was the second biggest beneficiary of this explosion behind Jameson Williams (6 REC, 102 YDS) as he caught 8 balls for 84 YDS and a TD in this tough shootout loss. LaPorta could be back in this spot in Week 5 as the Lions have another terrific matchup against the Cardinals.

Honorable Mentions: Brock Bowers (Raiders), George Kittle (49ers), Tucker Kraft (Packers)

Biggest Loser: Travis Kelce (Chiefs)

For the first time this season, Kelce made a minimal impact-catching just 2-of-4 targets for 15 YDS against a Raiders defense that had struggled to cover tight ends prior to this game. Kelce will have a prime opportunity to return to the TE1 ranks when the Chiefs square off against the embattled Chargers upon their return from bye in Week 6.

Dishonorable Mentions: Dalton Kincaid (Bills), Kenyon Sadiq (Jets), Dalton Schultz (Texans)

Defense/Special Teams

Biggest Winner: Seahawks

Speaking of the embattled Chargers, the Seahawks defense had some fun with them on Sunday. While they surprisingly allowed 23 points to Mike McDaniel's struggling offense, Mike Macdonald's group offset that damage by logging 4 sacks and 4 takeaways over the now 0-4 Bolts. The Seahawks are effectively a lock to have a much quieter day in Week 5 when they host the 4-0 49ers. 

Honorable Mentions: Vikings, Packers, Bears

Biggest Loser: Broncos

The Broncos D/ST has not gotten off to a great start this year and unsurprisingly, they weren't able to turn things around against the 49ers on the road. Their only highlight in this 24-14 loss where they failed to log any sacks or takeaways was a blocked field goal right before halftime. Despite the rash of injuries they're currently dealing with among their starters, they should be able to make some noise in Week 5 against the frequently aforementioned embattled Chargers.

Dishonorable Mentions: Texans, Bills, Chiefs

Jessica Chastain Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Jessica Chastain-whose latest project "Other Mommy" releases in theaters on Thursday. 

Jessica Chastain's Filmography Ranked:

22.The Tree of Life (F)

21.Interstellar (D+)

20.The Debt (C-)

19.Mother's Instinct (C-)

18.It: Chapter Two (C-)

17.Miss Sloane (C-)

16.The Zookeeper's Wife (C)

15.The Forgiven (B-)

14.Ava (B-)

13.The Eyes of Tammy Faye (B-)

12.Dark Phoenix (B)

11.The 355 (B)

10.The Good Nurse (B)

9.Armageddon Time (B)

8.Zero Dark Thirty (B)

7.The Help (B)

6.A Most Violent Year (B)

5.Lawless (B+)

4.The Martian (B+)

3.Crimson Peak (B+)

2.Take Shelter (B+)

1.Molly's Game (B+)

Top Dog: Molly's Game (2017)

Aaron Sorkin receives a lot of flak for the quality of his directorial output, and the volume of that discourse will surely get turned up again later this week when his latest feature The Social Reckoning inevitably fails to reach the heights of its spiritual predecessor The Social Network. While I would never argue his work as a director is on the level of his work as a writer, I do believe that he's good at the job and gets far more shit than he deserves. His debut behind the camera Molly's Game is an absorbing, energetic film that makes for a nice addition to his collection of strong legal dramas. Chastain is in top form as Molly Bloom-a former Olympic skier who made millions running high-stakes poker games in Los Angeles and New York City until she got tied up in an FBI investigation that (flimsily) tied her to the Russian mob, the story does a really good job of painting Bloom as a woman who maintained her integrity in the face of tremendous pressure from powerful forces that were trying to intimidate her into accepting a fate that she didn't deserve without letting her off the hook for some of the bad decisions that put her in this precarious position  and the dialogue often crackles with the biting wit that you've come to expect from a Sorkin script.

Bottom Feeder: The Tree of Life (2011)

The Tree of Life will never be anything more than me a pretentious snoozefest masquerading as a profound meditation on life. Terrence Malick is great at capturing imagery that belongs on the pages of National Geographic, but when these beautiful nature images are paired with dry voiceovers from Sean Penn, random bursts of melodrama and a whole of lot scenes where characters are just staring into the abyss, these snapshots of Earth's beautiful landscapes suddenly become hideous monuments to one man's obnoxious love affair with his own artistry.

Most Underrated: Crimson Peak (2015)

At this stage of his career, Guillermo del Toro is no stranger to glowing praise. He's got a trophy case full of awards including 3 Oscars and damn near everything he's made over the past 25 years has been beloved. If there's anything that I personally feel he deserves more credit for, it's Crimson Peak. Sandwiched in between the commercially successful kaiju blockbuster Pacific Rim and Best Picture winner The Shape of Water, this gothic horror romance has managed to become a footnote in del Toro's filmography. While it's not quite as full of wonder or heart as his finest work, it's still a great movie filled with eerie haunted house atmospherics, lush visuals/production design and fun twists that add a dash of campy madness to an otherwise classical horror tale.

Most Overrated: Interstellar (2014)

Some asshole out there has to think that Interstellar sucks and that asshole is me. Christopher Nolan completely flounders in his attempt to make a sentimental ode to fatherhood with this laughably corny, overlong and dull sci-fi epic. 

Josh Hartnett Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Josh Hartnett-whose latest project "Verity" releases in theaters today.

Josh Hartnett's Filmography Ranked:

15.Pearl Harbor (D)

14.40 Days and 40 Nights (D+)

13.Wicker Park (C-)

12.Hollywood Homicide (C)

11.Trap (C)

10.The Virgin Sucides (B-)

9.The Faculty (B-)

8.Fight or Flight (B)

7.30 Days of Night (B)

6.Oppenheimer (B)

5.Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (B)

4.Black Hawk Down (B)

3.Lucky Number Slevin (B)

2.Wrath of Man (B+)

1.Sin City (A+)

Top Dog: Sin City (2005)

Seeing Sin City at 13 years old was sincerely one of the most unbelievable experiences of my life. The meticulously crafted black-and-white visuals that feel like they're ripped from the pages of its graphic novel source material, immersive sleazy noir atmosphere and outstanding performances from the veteran actors (Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis and Powers Boothe are the top standouts to me) who were tasked with bringing this collection of mortally dubious characters to life will never cease to blow me away. Plus, the whole thing is just relentlessly cool and badass. 

Bottom Feeder: Pearl Harbor (2001)

Any regular reader of this blog is aware that I'm an ardent defender of the work of Michael Bay. However, there are a smattering of titles of his that I won't go to bat for and Pearl Harbor tops that list. While Bay's maximalist action proficiency come out in full force when the time comes to stage the attack, the rest of the movie is a melodramatic slog driven by a love triangle between Kate Beckinsale, Ben Affleck and Hartnett that is so relentlessly flat that it's borderline psychotic that so much of the film's attempts at building up emotional weight are centered around it.  

Most Underrated: Wrath of Man (2021)

Even Ridley Scott would be stunned by the ridiculous level of output Guy Ritchie has produced during the 2020's. Over the last 6 years, the 58-year-old British icon has released 7 movies, has another 2 that are already shot and awaiting release and is currently involved in 3 television series in some capacity. When it comes to the movie slice of this insanely large creative pie, I believe that Wrath of Man is the best of the bunch. Ritchie reuniting with Jason Statham for the first time since 2005's Revolver provided him with enough of a creative jolt to break free from his quippy crime comedy mold and make a propulsive heist movie that prioritizes meathead grit over snarky levity. 

Most Overrated: Oppenheimer (2023)

There's really not much to say here that I haven't said ad nauseum recently. Oppenheimer is a textbook example of Christopher Nolan undercutting his gift for delivering top-notch spectacle with his overly cute non-linear storytelling, questionable writing of every single major supporting character and steadfast refusal to use ADR during scenes where there's a shitload of background noise that drowns out the dialogue. 

2026 NFL Power Rankings: Week 4

 ()=Previous Ranking

1.(2) San Francisco 49ers (3-0) Week 4 opponent: Denver Broncos

2.(3) Buffalo Bills (3-0) Week 4 opponent: New England Patriots

3.(4) Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) Week 4 opponent: Las Vegas Raiders

4.(10) Denver Broncos (2-1) Week 4 opponent: San Francisco 49ers

5.(1) Seattle Seahawks (2-1) Week 4 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers

6.(8) Minnesota Vikings (3-0) Week 4 opponent: Miami Dolphins

7.(12) Chicago Bears (2-1) Week 4 opponent: New York Jets

8.(11) Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1) Week 4 opponent: Cincinnati Bengals

9.(5) Cincinnati Bengals (2-1) Week 4 opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars

10.(6) Los Angeles Rams (1-2) Week 4 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles

11.(13) Baltimore Ravens (2-1) Week 4 opponent: Tennessee Titans

12.(18) Las Vegas Raiders (3-0) Week 4 opponent: Kansas City Chiefs

13.(20) Detroit Lions (2-1) Week 4 opponent: Carolina Panthers

14.(9) Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) Week 4 opponent: Los Angeles Rams

15.(22) Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) Week 4 opponent: Cleveland Browns

16.(25) Cleveland Browns (2-1) Week 4 opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers

17.(16) Dallas Cowboys (1-2) Week 4 opponent: Houston Texans

18.(7) New England Patriots (1-2) Week 4 opponent: Buffalo Bills

19.(14) New Orleans Saints (1-2) Week 4 opponent: Atlanta Falcons

20.(24) Indianapolis Colts (1-2) Week 4 opponent: Washington Commanders

21.(15) Carolina Panthers (1-2) Week 4 opponent: Detroit Lions

22.(28) Washington Commanders (1-2) Week 4 opponent: Indianapolis Colts

23.(23) New York Giants (2-1) Week 4 opponent: Arizona Cardinals

24.(31) Atlanta Falcons (1-2) Week 4 opponent: New Orleans Saints

25.(19) Houston Texans (0-3) Week 4 opponent: Dallas Cowboys

26.(21) New York Jets (1-2) Week 4 opponent: Chicago Bears

27.(17) Green Bay Packers (1-2) Week 4 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

28.(26) Arizona Cardinals (1-2) Week 4 opponent: New York Giants

29.(27) Los Angeles Chargers (0-3) Week 4 opponent: Seattle Seahawks

30.(29) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-3) Week 4 opponent: Green Bay Packers

31.(30) Tennessee Titans (0-3) Week 4 opponent: Baltimore Ravens

32.(32) Miami Dolphins (0-3) Week 4 opponent: Minnesota Vikings

Week 3 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers: 2026 Edition

Quarterback

Biggest Winner: Brock Purdy (49ers)

While the 49ers certainly weren't in top form in their win over the Cardinals, their QB sure was. Purdy erupted for 297 YDS and 4 TD's through the air and gained an impressive 34 YDS on the ground on just 2 carries. The Brockstar is off to a good start to 2026 and is probably worth starting in most leagues against the Broncos in Week 4.

Honorable Mentions: Tyler Shough (Saints), Bo Nix (Broncos), Matthew Stafford (Rams)

Biggest Loser: Drake Maye (Patriots)

If you weren't already panicking about Maye, now is the time to start. The reigning MVP runner up outdid his poor showings in the opening pair of games with an absolutely dreadful performance down in Jacksonville (199 YDS, 0 TD's, 2 INT, 18 Rushing YDS, FUM Lost) as the Patriots got run over by the Jaguars. Maye's odds of finally getting out of the gutter in Week 4 aren't overly high as the struggling Patriots have the misfortune of having to play the 3-0 Bills on the road. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Jalen Hurts (Eagles), Justin Herbert (Chargers), Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)

Running Back

Biggest Winner: Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions)

As expected, Gibbs' transition to being a workhorse back is going very well. The Lions superstar held down an even larger share of touches (27) than usual versus the Jets as Amon-Ra St.Brown had a very quiet game by his standards (4/19/1) and was able to turn that slightly increased workload into 164 scrimmage YDS (99 rushing, 65 receiving) and 3 scores. Gibbs is a real threat to clear 200 scrimmage YDS for the 1st time this season this week when he goes up against a Panthers defense that has had zero answers for running backs so far. 

Honorable Mentions: Bijan Robinson (Falcons), Derrick Henry (Ravens), Kenneth Walker III (Chiefs)

Biggest Loser: Omarion Hampton (Chargers)

For the first time this season, Hampton didn't find the endzone. Without a touchdown to boost his line, Hampton's lack of passing game productivity (0 receptions on just 1 target) and inefficient running (56 YDS on 15 carries) that's at least partially brought on by his woeful offensive line play landed him in this unfavorable spot as the Bolts dropped to 0-3 with a loss to the Bills. Things won't get any easier for Hampton this week as he'll be tasked with trying to find rushing room against the Seahawks stout front.

Dishonorable Mentions: TreVeyon Henderson (Patriots), David Montgomery (Texans), Bucky Irving (Buccaneers) 

Wide Receiver

Biggest Winner: Jaxson Smith-Njigba (Seahawks)

JSN's blazing hot start to 2026 continued in Week 3 as he caught 10-of-14 targets for 128 YDS and 2 TD's in what was otherwise a surprisingly ugly performance for the Seahawks in an upset road loss to the Marcus Mariota-led Commanders. Assuming he can remain healthy and the Seahawks rushing game continues to struggle, he's going to have a good chance of repeating as the #1 fantasy WR in 2026.

Honorable Mentions: Drake London (Falcons), Garrett Wilson (Jets), Ja'Marr Chase (Bengals)

Biggest Loser: Tetairoa McMillan (Panthers)

It was a very weird afternoon for the Panthers top pass-catchers as both McMillan and Jalen Coker were held under 20 YDS (McMillan caught 2 balls for 17 YDS) on a day where Bryce Young threw for 291 YDS and they suffered a shocking 21-18 loss to the Browns. McMillan should be back in business against the Lions porous secondary this Sunday night, especially if Coker is forced to sit out with the quad strain he sustained against the Browns that knocked him out of the game in the 3rd quarter.

Dishonorable Mentions: Jaylen Waddle (Broncos), Malik Nabers (Giants), Brian Thomas Jr. (Jaguars)

Tight End

Biggest Winner: George Kittle (49ers)

Kittle was the top beneficiary of Purdy's big day against the Cardinals, hauling in 6 receptions for 82 YDS and 2 TD's. After back-to-back strong performances, the 32 going on 33-year-old star looks to have fully recovered from the Achillies tear he suffered back in January and can be comfortably fired up as a weekly TE1 in all leagues.  

Honorable Mentions: Brock Bowers (Raiders), Harold Fannin Jr. (Browns), Juwan Johnson (Saints)

Biggest Loser: Dalton Kincaid (Bills)

It was a pretty ugly showing for the entire Bills offense as they turned the ball over a whopping 5 times against the Chargers. Unlike James Cook and Josh Allen, Kincaid wasn't able to redeem himself with a TD after losing a fumble in the 3rd quarter and ended up here in fantasy purgatory thanks to his modest 2 reception/38 YD output. Kincaid will look to get back to the elite form he showed in Weeks 1 and 2 against the Patriots on Sunday afternoon.

Dishonorable Mentions: Isaiah Likely (Giants), Tucker Kraft (Packers), Kyle Pitts (Falcons)

Defense/Special Teams

Biggest Winner: Vikings

What a glorious day for the Vikings D/ST in Tampa. Their 6 sack/2 INT/punt return TD effort was ultimately the difference in a 23-16 victory that kept the Vikes unbeaten on the year. The Vikings defensive talent, Brian Flores' motivation to embarrass his former employers and the Dolphins lack of talent/interest in winning football games seems like the perfect recipe for this group to end up in this very spot for a second straight week.

Honorable Mentions: Jaguars, Broncos, Texans

Biggest Loser: Eagles

Being on the receiving end of Case Keenum's stunningly productive return to NFL action is a tough pill to swallow. This talented group didn't log a single sack or takeaway as the 38-year-old journeyman who was standing on the sideline with an earpiece a week ago punched them in the mouth for 4 quarters and led the Bears to a stunning 27-7 blowout victory. Despite their issues with turnovers so far, playing them this week against the Rams doesn't seem like the best idea.

Dishonorable Mentions: Seahawks, Patriots, 49ers

Movie Review: Primetime

NBC's To Catch a Predator only ran from November 2004-December 2007. For a show that only aired for a little over three years, it left behind quite a legacy. Host Chris Hansen is a pop culture icon who spawned multiple catchphrases ("Why don't you take a seat?", "You see how this looks right?") that remain in the lexicon today and the show's questionable ethics have become an even hotter topic of debate in recent years as several copycat shows have emerged on social media platforms like TikTok. 

It was just last year that a documentary examining the show's history and legacy entitled Predators received a limited theatrical release before heading onto Paramount+. Now, a dramatized look at the show and Hansen himself from director Lance Oppenheim- who is ironically a documentarian making his narrative feature debut-entitled Primetime has arrived to reignite conversations about To Catch a Predator among a much wider audience. 

Primetime is adapted from a 2007 Esquire article Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die" by Luke Dittrich. The entirety of the film is set in 2006 right after To Catch a Predator had been moved to a primetime slot (Wednesday nights at 9 EST) and largely deals with how Hansen and his team become obsessed with the idea of luring somebody of a higher societal status like a politician, celebrity or law enforcement official with the hopes of further boosting their ratings now that the show is airing in a slot where it's commanding more eyeballs than it was in its previous time slot on Friday nights at 10 PM EST. They got their wish when they entrapped an assistant district attorney from Dallas/FortWorth named Bill Conradt and caused him to commit suicide on camera when the show's crew arrived alongside local police at his home in Terrell, Texas to serve him multiple warrants that stemmed from the conversations he had with the people from the show that were posing as a underage boy. This incident proved to be the beginning of the end for the controversial show and Conradt's estate later successfully sued NBC for damages related to his suicide (the settlement took place outside of court, so it's not known about how much Condradt's estate received) 

To Catch a Predator is not a series that I saw much of when it was on. My parents weren't watching much Dateline before, during or after its run and ironically, I was spending my Wednesday nights watching Lost when it shifted to the Wednesday at 9 PM slot in the fall of 2006. Most of the knowledge that I have of the show is from watching miscellaneous clips online and seeing the flurry of memes that have been blasted all over the internet in the years after it went off the air. 

My take on the show isn't a particularly novel one: I view it as a very entertaining product on the surface that becomes very insidious once you think about all of the actions that go into its creation. As much Hansen tried to build himself up as this noble guy who had dedicate his whole life to taking pedophiles off the street, neither him nor anyone on were concerned about anything else other than getting good footage that would help boost their ratings. Nobody who was serious about stopping pedophilia would go about it in such an exploitative, public facing way that shows a deep disrespect for the people out there who've been legitimately preyed upon online. Not to mention, this shows produced an easily mimicked playbook for baiting prospective predators that has been used by people with even sketchier moral compasses than Hansen. Many of the aforementioned social media shows are just guys luring men to a location, so they can beat the shit out of them on camera. Nothing says "I empathize   with the plight of victims of child sexual abuse" quite like making videos where five guys pop out of the bushes and start wailing on the guy who thinks he's about to meet the 13-year-old he's been flirting with online for the past week or two. I'm sure the people who make and consume this content are similarly mad about The Epstein Files and the powerful people that are implicated in them. 

While Singh's script certainly would've benefited from digging a bit deeper into its subject matter, Primetime still make for an awfully haunting, absorbing snapshot into the legacy of the show and the people that made it possible. Entrusting Robert Pattinson to play Hansen provides Oppenheim with the unshakable foundation he needed to bring the rest of his vision into place. Pattinson is such an intuitive, committed performer that he knows when to lean into the theatrical showmanship that defined Hansen's television persona and when to be the pathetic, insecure coward that is gutted that the entire world doesn't view him as the benevolent hero that he views himself to be. It's yet another incredible performance that shows off a completely different side of him as an actor and as of today at least, it looks there's a pretty good chance that this effort will propel him to his first career Oscar nomination. 

Playing Hansen rightfully makes Pattinson the face and driving force of Primetime. What proved to be the most pleasantly surprising element of the movie for me seeing Merrit Wever and Skyler Gisondo do incredible work that is crucial to the film's examination of how this machine was run. Wever makes for the perfectly ruthless, self-absorbed partner to Hansen as the show's lead producer while Gisondo gives the most endearingly nuanced performance of his career as a struggling young actor who hopes that appearing on the show as a decoy will help him achieve his dream of becoming a working actor in Hollywood but isn't quite prepared to reckon with what the job actually entails or how his work is being viewed by his peers or audiences. Without this duo showing up and bringing plenty of additional depth to these characters, this movie wouldn't landed with the same force that it does-particularly during the pivotal final scenes where their characters are forced to directly confront the consequences of their actions and whether or not they can live with them in the name of keeping their popular television show afloat. 

Where Oppenheim goes as a feature director after this will be fascinating to watch. His understanding of the power of performance, knowing when to go big and when to let something breathe and coming up with creative visual compositions (cinematographer David Bolen does some seriously excellent work here, particularly in the surrealist moments where the lighting changes mid-scene) are incredible for someone coming from the world of documentary filmmaking. If his confidence, skill and visual eye are able to be combined with a sharper script, he could make something really incredible in the near future. 

Grade: B+

DreamWorks Animation Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm ranking the DreamWorks Animation filmography in honor of the release of their latest project "Forgotten Island"-which hits theaters today. 

DreamWorks Animation's Filmography Ranked:

27.Shark Tale (F)

26.Antz (D)

25.Monsters vs. Aliens (C-)

24.The Prince of Egypt (C)

23.The Road to El Dorado (C+)

22.Home (C+)

21.Dog Man (B-)

20.The Croods: A New Age (B-)

19.Madagascar (B-)

18.Kung Fu Panda 4 (B-)

17.Megamind (B-)

16.The Croods (B-)

15.Kung Fu Panda 3 (B-)

14.Shrek 2 (B-)

13.Puss in Boots (B)

12.Chicken Run (B)

11.Kung Fu Panda 2 (B)

10.Over the Hedge (B)

9.Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (B)

8.Rise of the Guardians (B)

7.The Bad Guys 2 (B)

6.How to Train Your Dragon (B)

5.The Bad Guys (B)

4.Kung Fu Panda (B)

3.The Wild Robot (B+)

2.Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (B+)

1.Shrek (B+)

Top Dog: Shrek (2001)

Shrek is one of the last animated movies that really hit for me as a kid. It was definitely the VHS tape that played the most at my house for the next couple of years after its initial release (Donkey was pretty much the pinnacle of comedy for me at that time) and the enthusiasm for the green ogre and co. remained high in my household until Shrek 2 was released and neither me nor my brother was overly impressed by it. As you can see from the above list, I didn't even bother to watch another Shrek-related movie until 2011's Puss in Boots and still haven't seen either of the latter two sequels in the main series. If I were to rewatch Shrek now, I'm confident that I'd be more appreciative of how it goes about satirizing and subverting traditional fairy tale tropes and go into a bit of a nostalgia haze watching something that brought me so much joy during a few years of my childhood. 

Bottom Feeder: Shark Tale (2004)

On Columbus Day weekend in 2004, I successfully convinced my friend to accompany his dad and 4-year-old sister to a showing of Shark Tale over going to see Ladder 49 by ourselves as I was concerned that the trailer for Seed of Chucky could play ahead of the PG-13-rated firefighter drama and didn't want to freak the fuck out in the theater. This proved to be a costly decision on my part as sitting through Shark Tale was one of the most miserable experiences I've ever had in a movie theater. In a shocking development, the whole application of mob movie tropes went clean over my head at the time, but that didn't stop me from finding the whole movie to be deeply grating, dull and unfunny. While it's certainly possible that I would view it more favorably today, my eagerness to give it another shot is very low. 

Most Underrated: The Bad Guys (2022)

Honestly, either installment of this franchise could be placed here. The animation is vivid, the titular band of bank robbing animals that pretend to become "good guys" for a gig, only for their leader (Sam Rockwell) to earnestly begin to experience a change of heart in the process of pulling off the con are a funny bunch with an entertaining buddy dynamic and above all, it unironically serves as a good introduction to the fun of heist/crime movies for younger audiences. 

Most Overrated: Madagascar (2005)

To be clear, there's nothing wrong with Madagascar. It's really as simple as Madagascar is burdened by the existence of so many talking animal movies existing in the American animated movie space and it doesn't have enough personality, laughs or heart to stand out from the pack.

2026 NFL Power Rankings: Week 3

 ()=Previous Ranking

1.(1) Seattle Seahawks (2-0) Week 3 opponent: Washington Commanders

2.(2) San Francisco 49ers (2-0) Week 3 opponent: Arizona Cardinals

3.(3) Buffalo Bills (2-0) Week 3 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers

4.(9) Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) Week 3 opponent: Miami Dolphins

5.(13) Cincinnati Bengals (2-0) Week 3 opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers

6.(12) Los Angeles Rams (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Denver Broncos

7.(7) New England Patriots (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars 

8.(11) Minnesota Vikings (2-0) Week 3 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

9.(8) Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) Week 3 opponent: Chicago Bears

10.(14) Denver Broncos (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Los Angeles Rams

11.(10) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) Week 3 opponent: New England Patriots

12.(4) Chicago Bears (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles

13.(5) Baltimore Ravens (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Dallas Cowboys

14.(24) New Orleans Saints (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Las Vegas Raiders

15.(23) Carolina Panthers (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Cleveland Browns

16.(22) Dallas Cowboys (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Baltimore Ravens

17.(18) Green Bay Packers (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Atlanta Falcons

18.(27) Las Vegas Raiders (2-0) Week 3 opponent: New Orleans Saints

19.(6) Houston Texans (0-2) Week 3 opponent: Indianapolis Colts

20.(15) Detroit Lions (1-1) Week 3 opponent: New York Jets

21.(20) New York Jets (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Detroit Lions

22.(16) Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Cincinnati Bengals

23.(17) New York Giants (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Tennessee Titans

24.(28) Indianapolis Colts (0-2) Week 3 opponent: Houston Texans

25.(32) Cleveland Browns (1-1) Week 3 opponent: Carolina Panthers

26.(19) Arizona Cardinals (1-1) Week 3 opponent: San Francisco 49ers

27.(21) Los Angeles Chargers (0-2) Week 3 opponent: Buffalo Bills

28.(25) Washington Commanders (0-2) Week 3 opponent: Seattle Seahawks

29.(26) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2) Week 3 opponent: Minnesota Vikings

30.(30) Tennessee Titans (0-2) Week 3 opponent: New York Giants

31.(29) Atlanta Falcons (0-2) Week 3 opponent: Green Bay Packers

32.(31) Miami Dolphins (0-2) Week 3 opponent: Kansas City Chiefs