The NFL has upheld Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans' one-game suspension for his actions during last week's game against the New Orleans Saints.

Evans was deemed to have violated unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct rules when he knocked Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore to the ground during the fourth quarter of Tampa Bay's 20-10 win. He was ejected along with Lattimore, who provoked the incident by getting in the face of Bucs quarterback Tom Brady before Evans intervened with a blindside shove that prompted a brief melee between the teams.

The four-time Pro Bowler will miss Sunday's game at the Green Bay Packers after appeals officer and former NFL wide receiver James Thrash denied Evans' request to overturn the penalty.

Evans' absence further depletes a Buccaneers receiving corps that was already shorthanded last week with Chris Godwin and Julio Jones both inactive. Godwin is reportedly expected to miss multiple games after injuring his hamstring in Tampa Bay's season-opening win at the Dallas Cowboys, while Jones sat out the New Orleans game with a knee injury and is uncertain to return against the Packers.

The Buccaneers did sign veteran slot receiver Cole Beasley to the practice squad on Tuesday, though it is unclear if he'll be ready to help out immediately.

Evans, the only player in NFL history to begin his career with eight consecutive seasons of 1,000 or more receiving yards, leads Tampa Bay with eight catches and 132 receiving yards through two games.

The 29-year-old was previously suspended one game in 2017 for a similar confrontation with Lattimore.

In this latest incident, NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan determined that Evans' actions were excessive and unnecessary and broke league safety and sportsmanship rules.

"After a play had ended, you were walking toward your sidelines. When you noticed your team-mates engaged in a confrontation with Saints' players, you ran toward that area on the field and violently threw your body into and struck an unsuspecting opponent who was part of that confrontation," Runyan wrote in a letter to Evans informing him of the decision.

"You knocked your opponent to the ground and a melee ensued involving players from both teams. Your aggressive conduct could have caused serious injury to your opponent and clearly does not reflect the high standards of sportsmanship expected of a professional."

Justin Thomas has little sympathy for LIV Golf Invitational Series players' complaints over not receiving world ranking points, describing it as "their own fault".

The Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) does not currently recognise LIV Golf events, leading to arguments from defectors such as Open champion Cameron Smith, who says LIV Golf's roster "warrants" ranking points.

All 48 players who featured at the weekend's LIV Golf Chicago event sent a collaborative letter to OWGR chairman Peter Dawson to encourage the granting of ranking points to players on the controversial Saudi-backed tour.

But two-time major winner Thomas is unsympathetic to those requests, telling reporters: "I mean, I don't understand. It's very obvious and written there right in front of them.

"They just naturally want what's best for them. Just like the decision they made to go there [LIV Golf].

"I totally understand if I was [in] the same situation, I would want it, but that doesn't necessarily make it right.

"The governing bodies have created a system for a reason, and that's to try and create the best system possible to determine the best players in the world.

"Now, is it going to be skewed because some of the top players aren't in there? Yeah, but that's their own fault."

Smith closed with a three-under 69 for a three-shot victory in Chicago for his first title since switching to LIV Golf.

"Anticipation has the habit to set you up for disappointment."

That refrain from The Arctic Monkeys song 'The View From The Afternoon' applies perfectly to the world of fantasy football, where high expectations are often not reflected by the end result.

While it is too early in the NFL season to be writing off teams and players who have not lived up to their hype as yet, there will already be fantasy owners getting impatient with certain players they drafted to help their team to glory.

Fans of the Las Vegas Raiders will certainly be irritated by their winless start while two offensive stars in the NFC West have yet to deliver much for differing reasons.

Keep that theme and that division in mind as Stats Perform dives into this week's edition of fantasy picks.

Quarterback: Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders @ Tennessee Titans

Is it time to panic in Vegas after an 0-2 start? It certainly will be if the Raiders do not get it done against the also winless Titans.

Recent evidence quite clearly points to the Raiders' quarterback putting Las Vegas in a position to finally get up and running against a Tennessee defense that was shredded by the Buffalo Bills in Week 2.

The Titans are giving up seven yards per pass play, the seventh-most in the NFL, while the six passing touchdowns they have conceded are the third most.

Las Vegas' offense may not be on the same level as that of Buffalo, but the Raiders should have more than enough to consistently take advantage of a Titans defense that has been hit by injuries and reward fantasy players willing to give Carr a shot.

Running Back: Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Commanders

The Eagles' offense is built around quarterback Jalen Hurts, with his ability to thrive running the ball a critical component of their early success this year.

But Sanders' 20 touches in the win over the Minnesota Vikings illustrated that he too is a key part of the attack.

Through two weeks, he is averaging 88 yards per game on the ground and this week gets to face a Commanders defense allowing 7.48 yards per rush, the highest average in the NFL.

Sanders should, therefore, be a high-floor fantasy play at running back this week, though Hurts' involvement in the ground game somewhat limits his ceiling.

Wide Receiver: Allen Robinson, Los Angeles Rams @ Arizona Cardinals

The highly anticipated return to form for Robinson following his move to Los Angeles has yet to come to fruition, though he did find the endzone last week against the Atlanta Falcons.

In Week 3, he has a clear opportunity to build on that showing against a Cardinals team whose failures should not be masked by their incredible comeback win over the Raiders.

The Cardinals have allowed 7.65 yards per pass play in the first two games and seven passing touchdowns, the most in the NFL.

In other words, the Rams should have little problem moving the ball on Arizona, putting Robinson in position to have a big day as a mismatch in the red zone.

Tight End: George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers @ Denver Broncos

The Niners should get Kittle back from a groin injury this week, and the fact the Jimmy Garoppolo has had to step in for the injured Trey Lance is unlikely to have any negative impact on his production.

Kittle's chemistry with Garoppolo is well-established and, though theoretically he has a tough matchup against a stingy Broncos defense, there is room for optimism he will immediately hit the ground running in his season debut.

That optimism stems from the Broncos' performance against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, when Denver allowed eight catches for 102 yards and a touchdown to tight ends, an average of 12.75 yards per reception.

If Kittle is allowed to do similar damage, then arguably the best yards after catch threat at his position could make it a long night for Denver and a great one for fantasy players with him on their roster.

Defense/Special Teams: Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints

OK. Listing the 0-2 Panthers here might elicit a double take, but there's logic behind this pick, believe it or not.

The Panthers may be heading to a complete teardown come the end of the year, but the defense is not the reason behind their struggles.

They have given up just 4.31 yards per play, the fourth-best average in the NFL, and just three offensive touchdowns.

Yes, the Saints are the better team, but they are also starting a quarterback in Jameis Winston who has four fractures in his back.

A low-scoring struggle is the most likely outcome in this NFC South matchup and, for that reason, the Panthers are a defense worthy of streaming for fantasy players in a bind at that spot.

The top two seeds were eliminated in the second round of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo as Paula Badosa and Caroline Garcia both crashed out on Wednesday.

Badosa was defeated in just 78 minutes by Zheng Qinwen, with the number one seed going down 6-3 6-2.

It was 19-year-old Zheng's first completed win against a top 10 opponent in her career, and she said afterwards: "Even though the score was like this, there were a lot of emotions for me in this match and I'm very proud of myself. It's not a surprise. I always knew I had the level, I just had to make it."

Second seed Garcia hit 27 aces in her match against Zhang Shuai, the most in a single WTA-level contest since Kristyna Pliskova against Monica Puig in Luxembourg 2019 (28), but it was not enough as she lost two tie-breaks to lose 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5).

Number three seed Garbine Muguruza had more success as she beat Greek opponent Despina Papamichail 6-4 6-2, while Claire Liu also eased to a win against Elise Mertens 6-4 6-1, and will play Zheng in the quarter-finals.

Eighth seed Elena Rybakina suffered a first-round exit as she lost to Liudmila Samsonova 6-2 6-4, who will play Xinyu next.

The seeds fared better over at the Korea Open, with Emma Raducanu sealing a first-round win against Moyuka Uchijima 6-2 6-4, while Magda Linette also eased past Arianne Hartono, 6-2 7-5, though fifth-seed Varvara Gracheva was knocked out by Anna Blinkova 6-4 7-6 (7-1).

In the second round, third seed Ekaterina Alexandrova is through after beating Han Na-lae 6-1 6-3, as is Lin Zhu of China following her straightforward 6-1 6-3 victory against India's Ankita Raina.

There were also wins for Tatjana Maria against Kimberly Birrell, and 17-year-old Andorran Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva against eighth seed Rebecca Marino.

Ahead of his retirement from tennis, Roger Federer has said he "totally overachieved" in the game.

The 20-time grand slam champion announced last week he will bring an end to a highly decorated career after the upcoming Laver Cup.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Federer admitted his disappointment in being forced to retire through injury, but reflected on one of the most impressive careers the sport has ever seen.

"The last three years have been tough to say the least," he said. "I knew I was on very thin ice for the last year ever since I played Wimbledon.

"I tried to come back but there was a limit to what I could do. And I stopped believing in it, to be honest."

After a scan earlier in the year that Federer said was "not what I was hoping for", he added: "Very quickly we realised this was it.

"Then the question becomes 'How do you announce and when do you announce?' This is when it becomes reality. It was OK but stressful."

The 41-year-old had been spending the last few weeks preparing his retirement statement, and said that part of the process almost felt like "rehab".

"It's been an emotional few weeks to go through those words to try to get them right, that they reflect how I'm feeling and thanking all the people who have helped along the way," he said.

"I always pushed my retirement thoughts away. I said, the more I think about it, the more I'm already halfway retired and this is not the way to go to work, you know, for me as a tennis player, so we'll deal with it when it comes. And it did. And I dealt with it.

"I think writing those words was, for me parts, partially also like rehab, like going myself through all those words, feeling them."

Federer has spent 750 weeks in the top 10 of the men's singles rankings, the highest tally for a male player since they were first published in 1973.

The Swiss maestro has also won more men's singles main draw matches in grand slam tournaments than any other player in the Open Era (369).

"I don't think anybody grows up and thinks they're gonna win this much," he added. "You know, you're happy with winning a Wimbledon title, which is already crazy, or becoming number one, being the best.

"But then you don't think how many weeks, this is only the media and the fans talking about breaking records.

"Before it was just, I hope to be on tour one day. Just to make it into the top 100 is a huge deal. Coming from a small country, we don't have a base of so many players.

"I totally overachieved in my mind. It's been an absolute dream that I've had for so long. And I know that, and that's why I'm totally happy to step away as well."

Federer also praised the "incredible storytelling" in the game, and reminisced about the period of dominance after his emergence was followed by Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray through the 2000s.

"When I came up, we didn't expect it either," he said. "We were more on a bit of a downslope after [Pete] Sampras retired. What's gonna come next, right? Well, here I came, and then came Rafa. And then there was Novak, and then Andy, all together.

"All of a sudden, there was this beautiful mix, we're all winning for 10 plus years, all the same tournaments, almost nobody else could win anything else. It was like a lock on the big tournaments.

"So I think, also for the fans, it's been a joy to watch, and I'm sure some fans will be sad I'm leaving, of course, but then again, there will always be wonderful new people.

"I think our tour allows for incredible storytelling so that's why I know that the game is very safe, and I'm sure it will see incredible new superstars."

Raul Rosas Jr., the UFC's new youngest fighter, has outlined his aim to become a champion by the time he is 20.

The Mexican bantamweight fighter is only 17 but defeated Mando Gutierrez by unanimous decision on Dana White's Contender Series on Tuesday.

Rosas was offered a deal by White before the end of the show to make him the youngest contracted fighter in the UFC's history.

And speaking afterwards, Rosas revealed his intention to secure a belt as soon as possible.

"I'm the new king in here, so I'm coming for that belt now," he said. "Respect to everybody, but I'm going to be champion when I'm 20, or even earlier. Nobody is going to stop me."

The youngest UFC champion to date is legendary light-heavyweight fighter Jon Jones, who captured his belt in 2011, aged 23, when he defeated Brazilian Mauricio Rua by technical knockout.

Rosas could also become the youngest person to fight in the UFC should he compete in the next 216 days, taking that record from Dan Lauzon (18 years, 198 days).

It seems the teenager has no plays to slow any time soon, adding: "I'm ready to fight every week, every month – all gas, no breaks.

"I'll rest when I'm retired, when I'm old, but right now we are just getting started."

Rosas is unbeaten in his six professional fights so far, with his debut bout only taking place in November last year. His bout on Tuesday was his first to go the distance, with all previous bouts finishing via submission or TKO.

White, the UFC president, was certainly enthused by what he saw.

"I've never seen anything like it," he said. "He's absolutely, positively talented. He's special, he's different."

Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Bobby Hart has been suspended for one game after hitting a Tennessee Titans coach.

The NFL confirmed the ban for an action at the end of the Bills' 41-7 victory over the Titans on Monday.

Hart was deemed to have taken a swing at an opposing player and missed, making contact with a coach instead, although the NFL did not identify either Titan.

In a letter to Hart, NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan wrote: "As both teams were heading to the tunnel, you walked directly across the field to seek out your opponent.

"You approached him near the end zone and a coach had to hold you back as others shook hands.

"Once you and your opponent were in the end zone near the tunnel, you confronted him and immediately swung at him with a closed fist, striking the head of a Tennessee coach.

"Your aggressive conduct could have caused serious injury and clearly does not reflect the high standards of sportsmanship expected of a professional."

ESPN reported Hart, who played three games for Tennessee last year before joining the Bills, would appeal against the suspension.

Having played in a quarter of Buffalo's offensive snaps during Monday's game, Hart is eligible to return to their active roster following Week 3, in which the Bills play the Miami Dolphins.

Travis d'Arnaud focused on the Atlanta Braves' "marathon" pursuit of the New York Mets after their postseason place was confirmed for a fifth straight year on Tuesday.

The defending World Series champions defeated the Washington Nationals 3-2 at Truist Park, with their playoff spot clinched shortly afterwards as the Mets rallied to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-5.

It was not necessarily the outcome the Braves wanted, however, as a victory for the Brewers would have seen Atlanta level with the Mets atop the NL East.

As it is, the Braves are one game back, but d'Arnaud warned their rivals they have plenty still left in the tank.

"It's a marathon, it's not over," d'Arnaud said. "So we'll just keep going after it until the end."

All-Star catcher d'Arnaud had extended his career-high home run total to 18, while William Contreras, his backup, has 19.

They are just the fourth catching duo in NL or AL history to each hit at least 18 homers in a season with at least two-thirds of their games played at catcher.

And Arnaud was effusive in his praise of Contreras, adding: "It's been so much fun.

"The energy he brings every day honestly inspires me and makes me feel young. So I don't know if I'd be having as good of a year if he wasn't here."

The Braves face the Nationals again on Wednesday, looking for a clean sweep as the Mets do likewise against the Brewers.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone credited Aaron Judge for "igniting" a stunning ninth-inning turnaround with his 60th home run of the season.

Judge is now one shy of the American League record after yet another homer in the Yankees' 9-8 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Yankees were 8-4 down heading to the bottom of the ninth, but the team's superstar outfielder turned the game on its head with a homer on a 3-1 count.

That set the stage for a stunning revival, which was complete with Giancarlo Stanton's walkoff grand slam.

The Yankees became the first team in MLB history to have a player reach 60 home runs and a player hit a walkoff grand slam in the same season – and Judge and Stanton achieved the feat in the same inning.

"I think there's something to be said for that kind of igniting," Boone said of Judge's hit.

"In a game we're down four runs, igniting some kind of magical spark that kind of went tonight in that inning. That was a special one."

But Judge, who already held the AL record for the most homers by a right-hander, is staying focused with further milestones and a pennant to chase.

"I don't think about the numbers," he said.

"When you talk about [Babe] Ruth and [Roger] Maris and [Mickey] Mantle and all these Yankees greats that did so many great things in this game, you never imagine as a kid being mentioned with them.

"It's an incredible honour. It's something I don't take lightly at all. But we're not done.

"We still have a couple games left in this season and hopefully a couple of more wins come with them.

"I'm trying to enjoy it all, soak it all in, but I know I still have a job to do out on the field every single day, and I just have to keep my head down, keep preparing and stay mentally focused."

This approach has amazed Stanton, who added: "He hit 60 tonight, and it's like nothing happened.

"He's got more work to do, and that's the mindset, and that's how it will always be. It's fun to be a part of."

Taro Daniel has booked a matchup against top overall seed at the San Diego Open Daniel Evans after defeating Emilio Nava 6-4 6-3 in the opening round on Tuesday.

Daniel started beautifully, securing a break in the first game of the match, and his superior returning ability would carry him through the first set, winning 51 per cent (21-of-41) of his return points in the opening frame.

It was Daniel's serve which controlled the second set, winning 80 per cent (16-of-20) of his service points while allowing no break point opportunities for Nava, finishing the job in 94 minutes.

He will play world number 25 Evans next, who he has beaten in two of their past three meetings, although they have only gone head-to-head once since 2015 – in 2019, when Daniel won in straight sets.

Meanwhile, Mitchell Krueger ended a three-match losing streak against American compatriot Christopher Eubanks with a 6-4 6-4 triumph.

Eubanks had the power advantage, winning the ace count nine-to-four and the winner count 25-to-18, but he was also far sloppier, committing all four of the match's double faults as well as totalling 20 unforced errors to Kreuger's four.

In a clash between two veterans, 30-year-old Denis Kudla proved to be too much for 38-year-old Fernando Versaco, winning 6-3 6-3 to relegate the Spaniard to four losses from his past five matches.

In the final match of the night, Brandon Nakashima overcame Zachary Svajda 7-5 7-6 (7-5) after a gruelling 69-minute second set, contesting 96 points in the second frame after 66 in the first.

Aaron Judge hit his 60th home run of the season to kick-start an incredible last-inning 9-8 comeback win for the New York Yankees against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday.

Judge, who has 20 more home runs than any other player this campaign, is now one away from tying the Yankees and American League record for home runs in a single season, set by Roger Maris in 1961.

Against the Pirates, the Yankees found themselves trailing 8-4 entering the final inning after Pittsburgh's Rodolfo Castro's three-run homer in the eighth frame, with Bryan Reynolds and Jason Delay each driving home a pair of runs earlier in the contest.

Judge finished the game one-for-four at the plate, but his one hit was emphatic, leading off the ninth inning with a 430-foot launch over the left-field wall to trim the margin to 8-5.

An Anthony Rizzo double, followed by a walk to Gleyber Torres and a single to Josh Donaldson loaded the bases, allowing Giancarlo Stanton a chance to be the hero.

On a 2-2 count, Stanton connected with a changeup on the outer-half of the plate and pulled it 410 feet into the New York sky to end the game, sending the Yankees fans wild.

With the win, the Yankees remain five-and-a-half games clear of the Toronto Blue Jays atop the AL East, and they trail only the Houston Astros for the best record in the American League.

Lindor's grand slam delivers a Mets win

Two big home runs were the key for the New York Mets in their 7-5 win against the Milwaukee Brewers, highlighted by Francisco Lindor's grand slam.

The Mets trailed 4-0 heading into the sixth inning, where Pete Alonso blasted a three-run home run. An inning later, it was Lindor's turn for a big bomb, launching his grand slam 413 feet to left-field to grab the lead.

After a late RBI single to Willy Adames, Mets closer Edwin Diaz came in to finish the job, striking out three of the four batters he faced for his 31st save of the season – the seventh most in the majors.

Blue Jays win a 29-run shootout

A combined 14 runs were scored in just the last two innings of the Toronto Blue Jays' 18-11 win against the Philadelphia Phillies, with the teams combining for 36 hits.

Despite being on the losing side, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto had a memorable day at the plate as he finished five-for-five with a home run and a double. 

For the Blue Jays, Teoscar Hernandez went four-for-five with two doubles, while All-Star catcher Alejandro Kirk went three-for-five, and Danny Jansen was three-for-six.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to sign veteran wide receiver Cole Beasley to their practice squad, according to sources.

With Mike Evans facing a one-game suspension, and the duo of Chris Godwin (hamstring) and Julio Jones (knee) dealing with injuries, Tampa Bay will add Beasley, a 10-year veteran who spent the past three seasons with the Buffalo Bills. It is expected that he will be elevated to the active roster in the near future.

Beasley was released by the Bills in March despite matching a career high with 82 receptions in 16 games last season. He had been granted permission to seek a trade before he was released but was eventually let go in a move that created roughly $6.1million in salary-cap space.

Tampa Bay will likely enter this Sunday’s Week 3 showdown against the Green Bay Packers without Evans, unless the suspension for his role in a brawl with the New Orleans Saints on Sunday is overturned. Godwin and Jones, meanwhile, both missed the 20-10 victory and are questionable to face the Packers.

Evans’ appeal of his suspension was heard Tuesday, sources told ESPN, and a ruling is expected possibly as soon as Wednesday.

Beasley has been a reliable slot receiver during his career with the Bills and Dallas Cowboys, accumulating 550 catches for 5,709 yards with 34 touchdowns in 149 games.