Dodgers win Kyle Tucker sweepstakes; NFL playoffs divisional round preview; Australian Open storylines

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Good morning and happy Friday! It's an especially happy Friday if you're a Dodgers fan and an even better one if you're Kyle Tucker's bank account. I, for one, wish I had an extra $240 million lying around. It's Carter Bahns behind the keyboard today with a rundown of the biggest storylines in sports entering the weekend, and there is nowhere else to start but with the biggest free agency deal of the baseball offseason.

But before we move on with our day, we'll also look ahead at the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, preview the Australian Open and discuss a whole lot of news on the basketball court.

Let's go.

⚾ Five things to know Friday

1. Kyle Tucker will reportedly sign with the Dodgers. There it is: the biggest move of the hot stove season. Tucker, CBS Sports' top-ranked free agent, is set to join the defending two-time World Series champions as a massive addition to the Los Angeles outfield -- one who posted at least 4.6 Wins Above Replacement each of the last five seasons. It is reportedly a four-year, $240 million deal for Tucker, whom the Blue Jays and Mets also courted down to the wire. The $60 million average annual value makes Tucker the highest-paid player in MLB history after deferrals and sets the Dodgers up for a $416.4 million projected payroll. The Cubs will receive a compensatory pick in the draft because Tucker did not accept their qualifying offer and instead signed with another team.
2. Federal prosecutors charged 26 people, including college basketball players, in an alleged point-shaving scheme. The indictment lists 17 former college basketball players as defendants in one of the largest gambling conspiracies in college sports history. More than 39 players on at least 17 Division I teams allegedly "fixed and attempted to fix" at least 29 games. That includes four current players, the most notable of which is preseason Conference USA Player of the Year Simeon Cottle of Kennesaw State. Players at small schools accepted deals of $10,000 to $30,000 to intentionally compromise games for sports betting purposes, the FBI says.
3. Jonathan Kuminga demanded a trade from the Warriors. Kuminga's relationship with Golden State soured throughout an offseason negotiation saga, deteriorated further when he fell out of the rotation and ultimately led to his request to be moved. The former first-round pick wasted no time asking out, as he made the request upon becoming officially trade-eligible on Thursday. Where will Kuminga land? We have five options in mind.
4. Boomer Sooner! John Mateer will return to Oklahoma. While he could have bet on himself in a weak quarterback class and entered the NFL Draft, Oklahoma's veteran signal-caller will instead suit up for one more year of college football. Mateer, the No. 1 prospect in the 2025 transfer portal cycle, has plenty of room for growth after an up-and-down debut season in the SEC but established himself as a premier runner with eight touchdowns on the ground last season. With Mateer's decision final, here are the top 10 draft prospects to return for the 2026 campaign.
5. The 2026 NWSL schedule is here. Soccer is just around the corner. Year 14 of the NWSL kicks off March 13 with two expansion teams, Boston Legacy and Denver Summit, making their debuts. Match dates, times and broadcast information are set, and you can see the full schedule, including the plethora of matches set to unfold across CBS platforms. The best part of it all? The NWSL Championship will air in primetime on CBS and Paramount+ for a fifth consecutive year.

🎾 Do not miss this: The Australian Open begins Saturday

The first grand slam of the year is upon us. The biggest stars have descended upon Melbourne for the Australian Open, where Jannik Sinner is the betting favorite (-125 at FanDuel) to win for the third consecutive year. Aryna Sabalenka is the favorite (+180) on the women's side and has a chance to return to glory after falling in last year's final.

While a 16-hour time difference between the United States' East Coast and Melbourne will create a few viewing challenges throughout the tournament, you can tune into the first matches Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Check out Brad Crawford's preview of the Australian Open, which emphasizes four key storylines: a 23-year drought for American men, Sabalenka's razor-sharp focus, Novak Djokovic's search for a 25th major title and Coco Gauff's outlook after two straight years with a major win.

🏈 NFL playoffs divisional round preview

Only two wins stand between the eight remaining NFL playoff teams and a trip to the Super Bowl. Their quest for the Vince Lombardi Trophy continues this weekend with two games on Saturday and two on Sunday. The top seeds in both conferences will make their postseason debuts after enjoying first-round byes, and both will be in action Saturday with the Broncos hosting the Bills and the Seahawks hosting the 49ers. Sunday's games see the Patriots welcome the Texans and the Bears take on the Rams.

Here is everything you need to get ready for the divisional round:

• Expert picks: Jordan Dajani and Jared Dubin went head-to-head with their picks for each of the four games. They reached a consensus against the spread for two games, and they are split on the straight-up winner between the Broncos and Bills.
• Injuries: Sam Darnold is questionable for the Seahawks' battle with the 49ers because of an oblique injury he sustained in practice, but he insisted that he will be "ready to go." On the other side of the matchup, San Francisco will not activate Fred Warner despite his return to practice this week.
• Power rankings: The best team does not always win. But our power rankings paint a clear picture of which squads have the best chances of not only winning in the divisional round but also making a run at the Super Bowl.
• Matchups to watch: Patriots rookie Will Campbell will have his hands full attempting to block Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter. That's one of the five key matchups we're monitoring this weekend.
• Viewer's guide: Only have time to watch one or two games? As unfortunate as that is, we've identified the ones you should prioritize.
• History lesson: Only 10 times in NFL playoff history has a road team been favored by four or more points. The Rams have a chance to be the first such team to do it twice in the same postseason. That's not the only history at stake for Los Angeles.
• Question marks: Can the Broncos overcome Bo Nix's inconsistency? We have a burning question for every team, and that's the one Denver has to answer on Saturday.

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

• One of Gonzaga's co-leading scorers, Braden Huff, will reportedly miss four to eight weeks with a knee injury. That timeline sets him up to return around the start of the NCAA Tournament.
• The fallout continues after the Giants closed in on John Harbaugh as their next coach. We graded the hire and outlined everything he needs to accomplish over his first 100 days on the job.
• Anfernee Simons went off for 39 points in the Celtics' win over the Heat, and his scoring punch is creating a deal-him-or-don't-deal-him situation ahead of the NBA's trade deadline.
• Patrick Mahomes provided an update on his torn ACL rehab and set a potential timeline for his return to game action.
• The Wizards will be without Cam Whitmore for the rest of the season as he continues to battle deep-vein thrombosis.
• No. 2 South Carolina avenged its only loss of the year with a 68-65 win over No. 4 Texas in women's college basketball action.
• Surprise! Clayton Kershaw will briefly come out of retirement to join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic.
• CBS Sports' Kate Scott will make her UFC broadcasting debut when she hosts the UFC 324 desk.
• Midseason grades are in for every Eastern Conference team in the NBA. 
• Don't get your hopes up for a potential Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight at the White House. Dana White said he will not book the fight for the UFC's highly anticipated event in Washington.
• Iowa State plummeted out of our women's college basketball power rankings amid a four-game losing streak.
• Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods and other golfers weighed in on Brooks Koepka's return to the PGA Tour. Not everyone is on the same page about his move from LIV Golf.
• Mike Axisa revealed his 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.
• The Clippers have won 11 of their last 14 games, and James Harden says they can fight their way back to contention after a putrid 6-21 start.
• Davante Adams urged the Rams' young players not to leave Los Angeles, warning that the grass will not be greener elsewhere.

📺 What we're watching this weekend

Friday

⚽ Atalanta at Pisa, 2:45 p.m. on CBS Sports Golazo Network/Paramount+
🏀 Cavaliers at 76ers, 7 p.m. on ESPN
⛳ Sony Open, second round, 7 p.m. on Golf Channel
🏈 Polynesian Bowl, 9 p.m. on NFL Network
🏀 Timberwolves at Rockets, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN

Saturday

⚽ Manchester City at Manchester United, 7:30 a.m. on USA Network
⚽ Brentford at Chelsea, 10 a.m. on NBC Sports Network
⚽ Burnley at Liverpool, 10 a.m. on USA Network
🏀 Butler at No. 25 Seton Hall (M), Noon on TNT/truTV
🏀 Kentucky at No. 24 Tennessee (M), Noon on ESPN
🏀 Minnesota at No. 13 Illinois (M), Noon on Big Ten Network
🏀 No. 3 UConn at Georgetown (M), Noon on Fox
🏀 No. 16 Virginia at SMU (M), Noon on ESPN2
⚽ Sassuolo at Napoli, Noon on CBS Sports Golazo Network/Paramount+
⚽ Arsenal at Nottingham Forest, 12:30 p.m. on NBC
🏀 No. 18 Alabama at Oklahoma (M), 1 p.m. on SEC Network
🏀 No. 19 Florida at No. 10 Vanderbilt (M), 2 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 2 Iowa State at Cincinnati (M), 2 p.m. on NBC Sports Network
🏀 Miami at No. 22 Clemson (M), 2:15 p.m. on The CW
🏀 No. 23 Utah State at Grand Canyon (M), 2:30 p.m. on FS1
⚽ Juventus at Cagliari, 2:45 p.m. on CBS Sports Golazo Network/Paramount+
🏀 No. 1 Arizona at UCF (M), 4 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 17 Arkansas at No. 21 Georgia (M), 4 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 No. 4 Michigan at Oregon (M), 4 p.m. on NBC
🏀 No. 8 Nebraska at Northwestern (M), 4 p.m. on Big Ten Network
🏀 No. 14 North Carolina at California (M), 4 p.m. on ACC Network
🏀 No. 12 Maryland at No. 3 UCLA (W), 4 p.m. on NBC
🏈 NFL playoffs: Bills at Broncos, 4:30 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏀 No. 6 Duke at Stanford (M), 6 p.m. on ACC Network
🏀 No. 12 Michigan State at Washington (M), 6 p.m. on Big Ten Network
🏀 No. 5 Purdue at USC (M), 6 p.m. on NBC Sports Network
⛳ Sony Open, third round, 7 p.m. on Golf Channel
🏀 Suns at Knicks, 7:30 p.m. on NBA TV
🏈 NFL playoffs: 49ers at Seahawks, 8 p.m. on Fox
🏀 No. 11 BYU at No. 15 Texas Tech (M), 8 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 20 Louisville at Pittsburgh (M), 8 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Lakers at Trail Blazers, 10 p.m. on NBA TV
🎾 Australian Open, first round, 10 p.m. on ESPN2
⚽ Puebla at Cruz Azul, 10 p.m. on CBS Sports Golazo Network/Paramount+

Sunday

⚽ Genoa at Parma, 6:30 a.m. on CBS Sports Golazo Network/Paramount+
⚽ Fiorentina at Bologna, 9 a.m. on CBS Sports Golazo Network/Paramount+
⚽ Newcastle United at Wolverhampton Wanderers, 9 a.m. on USA Network
⚽ Everton at Aston Villa, 11:30 a.m. on USA Network
🏀 NBA London Game: Magic vs. Grizzlies, Noon on Prime Video
🏀 No. 16 Ole Miss at Georgia (W), Noon on SEC Network
⚽ Roma at Torino, Noon on CBS Sports Golazo Network/Paramount+
🏀 No. 18 Iowa State at Oklahoma State (W), 1 p.m. on Fox
🏀 No. 9 Louisville at NC State (W), 1 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 No. 20 Tennessee at No. 21 Alabama (W), 2 p.m. on SEC Network
🏈 NFL playoffs: Texans at Patriots, 3 p.m. on ABC/ESPN
🏀 No. 6 LSU at No. 13 Oklahoma (W), 3 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Texas A&M at No. 4 Texas (W), 4 p.m. on SEC Network
🏀 Arizona State at No. 7 Houston (M), 6:15 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 NFL playoffs: Rams at Bears, 6:30 p.m. on NBC
🎾 Australian Open, first round, 7 p.m. on ESPN2
⛳ Sony Open, final round, 7 p.m. on Golf Channel
🏀 No. 15 Michigan State at No. 11 Iowa (W), 8 p.m. on Big Ten Network