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How fantasy sports, gambling are affected by coronavirus; odd team surfaces for Tom Brady

Tim Benz
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AP Photo
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady walks to the sideline after throwing an interception late in the second half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Tennessee Titans, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Bill Sikes)

Sports is a multibillion-dollar business.

So is sports gambling.

So is the fantasy sports industry.

And a lot of people in those lines of work are being impacted by the absence of sports because of the coronavirus outbreak. Much like the casual players and big-money investors.

Our friend Jeff Erickson of Rotowire joins us for his weekly fantasy sports podcast. And we talk about what the future holds for him and his peers in the business.

When it comes to baseball, Erickson suggests going ahead with the drafts. He tells you why. And how to adjust.

We also talk about some injured MLB players who may be positively affected by this, in the sense that they will have more time to heal from offseason injuries now that opening day has been pushed back at least two weeks. The New York Yankees and Houston Astros may be major beneficiaries of that news.

If hockey gets rebooted, some teams such as the Penguins may see a similar effect with Jake Guentzel. We investigate that.

Hypothetically, what might become of the NFL and its draft? The fact that it is in Las Vegas will be a big deal. And it will probably get peeled back in scale, if not pulled out of town entirely because of coronavirus.

On the field, pitcher injuries continue to be a concern. One player in the National League Central is on the rise in Erickson’s eyes. He tells you who that is.

On the NFL front, an odd team in the NFC may be making a run at Tom Brady. We get into that and Le’Veon Bell trade talk, as well.

LISTEN: How to handle MLB fantasy drafts, plus NFL draft discussion

Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.

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Categories: MLB | NFL | Sports | Breakfast With Benz
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