Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott find new homes in AFC East. Plus, explaining the Michael Oher lawsuit.

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Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Let's get right to it.

😎 Good morning to everyone but especially ...

DALVIN COOK AND EZEKIEL ELLIOTT

Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott took their time choosing their next teams. Then they made their decisions within a few hours of each other, and now they're division rivals. Cook agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $8.6 million with the Jets shortly after Elliott joined the Patriots on a one-year deal worth up to $6 million.

The Vikings released Cook, 29, in late June despite him being the only player in the NFL with at least 1,100 rushing yards each of the last four seasons. Minnesota cleared about $9 million with the move.
Cook is the latest big name to join the Jets, who added Aaron Rodgers this offseason in an attempt to jumpstart a dreadful offense and jump into the Super Bowl conversation.
Cook underwent offseason shoulder surgery and joins a backfield that also includes Breece Hall, who is coming off a torn ACL after a promising start to his rookie season. Michael Carter, Zonovan Knight and rookie Israel Abanikanda could also be in the mix.

Elliott, 28, registered career lows in yards rushing (876) and yards per rush (3.8) last season but still managed 12 touchdowns, 11 of which came from 10 yards and in. The Cowboys decided to move on from Zeke in early June to save some money and feature Tony Pollard more in the offense. Elliott figures to be the short-yardage complement to Rhamondre Stevenson, who is an excellent receiver and solid runner.

Now, I'm sure you're thinking "How does this affect the Fantasy landscape?" We have that answer and more. Here's Chris Towers on the New England backfield:

"I don't think Elliott will play enough of a role to matter much for Fantasy, I also don't think we should just write off the impact it may have on Stevenson. If Elliott takes even 40% of the goal-line touches in what will probably be a mediocre offense and the Patriots don't throw to their running backs as often as we've gotten used to, the path to a top-12 RB finish becomes a lot narrower."

Here are our thoughts on the Jets backfield.

👍 Honorable mentions

Jalen Hurts signed with Jordan Brand.
A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart are putting on an MVP race for the ages, writes Jack Maloney.
The Caitlin Clark effect: Iowa women's basketball sold out its season tickets.
Missouri landed five-star 2024 defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri.
Zack Martin and the Cowboys reached a new deal.

😬 And not such a good morning for ...

JAMES HARDEN, DARYL MOREY AND THE PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

It's one thing to not show up to work. It's another thing to burn every bridge to the point that not only does your work not want you to show up, you potentially made it harder for yourself to find work ... anywhere. With one stunning, scorched-Earth diatribe, James Harden has taken things to a whole new level.

During an event in China, Harden said, "Daryl Morey is a liar, and I will never be part of an organization that he's a part of. Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be part of an organization that he's a part of."
Morey, of course, is the 76ers team president. But he's also more than that to Harden: As Rockets general manager, Morey brought Harden to Houston, where he became MVP, before also bringing him to Philadelphia. I mean, this is a guy who once said Harden is the greatest scorer in NBA history. So, these Harden comments are alarming in several respects.
The comments came days after the 76ers ended trade talks regarding Harden and reports leaked that he planned to skip training camp. Harden opted into his player option for this season in June with hopes of being traded.

What was a tense, uncomfortable situation in Philadelphia is now irrevocably broken. Jasmyn Wimbish looked at what could happen next for Harden, and the options are none too appealing.

Bill Reiter, meanwhile, opines that Harden is failing to understand the situation he's facing:

"Let's start with the rank hypocrisy of it all, this notion from Harden that Morey, or any other front-office figure running an NBA team, owes him anything beyond the words on his contract. It's impossible to know if Morey lied to Harden about something big or small -- Philly sources insist unequivocally he did not -- but it doesn't actually matter. ... He had a clear path forward if he wanted to play somewhere else -- like the Clippers -- without having to worry about the Sixers' view of things. But Harden wanted to have his cake, eat it, too, and get paid well beyond his market value."

👎 Not so honorable mentions

Ozzie Albies (hamstring) is on the IL.
Justin Verlander had "constructive criticism" during his time with the Mets.
Former Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria did not hold back about Derek Jeter.

⚽ Spain reach Women's World Cup final

Spain v Sweden: Semi Final - FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 — Getty Images

The Women's World Cup semifinal between Spain and Sweden sprung to life with three goals in the final nine minutes to pave the way for La Roja to reach the final. It was the 19-year-old Salma Paralluelo, already a U-17 and a U-20 World Cup winner, who stole the show for Spain after coming on in the 57th minute for Alexia Putellas. It was her goal that broke the deadlock. Sweden fought back with one substitute, Lina Hurtig, heading it across goal for another, Rebecka Bluqvist, to finish. But an absolute laser strike from Olga Carmona off a short corner kick in the 90th minute gave Spain the go-ahead goal and their first trip to the Women's World Cup final.

As for Sweden, their star attacker Kosovare Asllani summed it up after the match. "I'm tired of crying big tournament tears." This is the nation's second straight Women's World Cup semifinal loss. They were also semifinalists at the 2021 Euros, and silver medalists at the Tokyo Olympics.

Spain will face will face the winner of Australia-England, which means another early morning/late night for viewers in the United States. Here's our preview for that one.

😞 Michael Oher sues Tuohy family alleging he was never adopted, cut out of 'The Blind Side' profits

In a stunning and extremely sad turn of events, Michael Oher -- the former Ole Miss and NFL offensive tackle who was the subject of the movie "The Blind Side" -- has filed a lawsuit against the Tuohy family alleging he was never actually adopted by the Tuohys, and instead, the family used his story for financial gain. Furthermore, Oher's lawsuit says the Tuohy family cut him out of the film's profits.

Here are some details:

The suit alleges Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy didn't adopt Oher as the movie portrays but instead entered him into a conservatorship while telling him it was essentially the same thing as adoption.
The conservatorship -- which Oher signed shortly after turning 18 in 2004 -- allowed the Tuohys to allegedly enter deals without Oher's consent and take over his finances.
The four biological members of the Tuohy family each received $225,000 and 2.5% of "defined net proceeds" from the film, which grossed over $300 million. Oher allegedly received nothing for signing his rights over to 20th Century Fox Studios.

Oher's petition asks the court to end the conservatorship, prevent the Tuohys from using his name and likeness and have the Tuohys pay Oher his fair share of profits, among other requests.

🏅 Preseason AP Top 25: Three SEC teams in top five

One week after the Preseason Coaches Poll dropped, the preseason AP Top 25 has arrived in grand style. Here's the top five, with first-place votes in parentheses:

1. Georgia (60)
2. Michigan (2)
3. Ohio State (1)
4. Alabama
5. LSU

A notable difference between the Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25 is Alabama: The Crimson Tide were voted third by the coaches but are fourth for the AP voters -- the first time they're outside the initial top three since 2009. Barrett Sallee maintains Nick Saban's squad is still overrated at that:

"The quarterback position is a major point of concern that seems to be overlooked by both groups of voters. The trio of Tyler Buchner, Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson have a combined total of four starts. That's not good. Milroe isn't an accomplished passer, Simpson is a complete unknown and Buchner's brief career as Notre Dame's starter was comparable to a roller coaster that was always close to rolling off of the tracks."

Here's the full top 25 and here's Barrett's entire overrated/underrated list.

🏈 Former NFL running back Alex Collins dies at 28

Alex Collins died at 28 years old after a motorcycle accident Monday morning.

Collins played his college ball at Arkansas before the Seahawks selected him in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He played his rookie year in Seattle before joining the Ravens in 2017 -- when he rushed for a career-high 973 yards -- and 2018.
He did not play in 2019 and returned to the Seahawks for the 2020-21 seasons. Collins most recently played for the Memphis Showboats of the USFL.
"Alex was cherished by his family and friends as well as supporters from all around the world," Collins' family said as part of a statement. "All who truly know him can attest to his drive, determination, and larger-than-life personality. We kindly request your thoughts and prayers for our family during this difficult time."