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With the first pick in the 2021 Fantasy Football Draft, Austin Ekeler selects ... AUSTIN EKELER!!!! -- 'cause the Chargers star tells TMZ Sports he's betting on himself to lead his team to victory this year.

26-year-old Ekeler has been a fantasy weapon for years as a dual-threat running back ... but unfortunately, went down with a tough hamstring injury during week 4 of the 2020 season.

While AE was able to return to the action, he says he was never back at 100% for the rest of the year ... leaving folks wondering what to do when the new fantasy season ramps up in 2021.

But, rest assured all you fantasy nuts -- Ekeler says he's feeling great and ready to dominate this season ... and is SO confident in what he'll be able to do, he's taking himself right at the top of his draft!!

"I would definitely be skeptical, too, absolutely," Ekeler tells us. "I'm picking myself #1 overall because I'm betting on myself. Feeling great, feeling explosive. Ready for these preseason games to be over with so we can get on the dang field."

Austin even makes a pitch to those who may be timid about drafting him ... saying he's just as dominant as he's always been and will have plenty of opportunities to rack up the points for his fantasy owners!!

Ekeler knows what he's talking about -- he's become a huge fantasy nut over the past few years ... and he's even hosting a weekly show with Yahoo Sports on the topic called "Ekeler's Edge."

But, if you needed any more incentive to get AE for your team, the dude is giving back to his supporters with an awesome giveaway ... by gifting an autographed jersey each week of the season to one lucky FF player who wins their matchup with Ekeler in the lineup.

Before this cool kid was showing off her trending dance moves on TikTok, she was just another girl in glasses gettin' wild for the camera in Lafayette, Louisiana.

This little lady is best known for her online celebrity personality ... she gets millions of views on her self-produced videos on social media and has even been caught catching some rays by the pool with her BFF Kourtney Kardashian.

Now, this weekend she will make her film debut with her starring role in the remake of a classic 1999 romantic comedy flick streaming on Netflix.

Rachel Nichols is out of a TV hosting gig, but not the big paycheck that comes with it -- 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the network will honor Nichols' deal, and continue to pay her.

Nichols -- who's been with ESPN since 2004 -- was removed from the network's NBA coverage on Wednesday ... and saw her show, "The Jump" canceled.

Question is, with all her current responsibilities taken away, what's the veteran TV host and reporter's future with ESPN?

The answer ... well, no decision has been made.

Our ESPN sources tell us that while Nichols was solely concentrating on the NBA, the network has not yet decided whether they will use her in another capacity.

We're told Nichols' contract doesn't expire anytime in the near future -- and rather than try and find a way out from underneath the lucrative deal -- ESPN has decided to continue to pay the star TV anchor.

Of course, Nichols was at the center of an explosive controversy back in June ... when the NY Times released audio of Rachel venting to a top PR consultant about fellow ESPN employee, Maria Taylor.

Nichols was heard blasting ESPN for attempting to move her aside to make way for Taylor -- a Black woman -- in light of the current racial climate and the network's "crappy longtime record on diversity," as Nichols phrased it on the recording.

As for Taylor, she turned down a big-money offer from ESPN, and left for NBC.

Nichols acknowledged the move on social media, writing ... "Got to create a whole show and spend five years hanging out with some of my favorite people, talking about one my favorite things."

"An eternal thank you to our amazing producers & crew — The Jump was never built to last forever but it sure was fun. More to come..."

ESPN recently charged Senior VP Dave Roberts with overseeing their NBA coverage. We're told the decision was ultimately made by Roberts.

On Wednesday, Roberts issued a short statement on the shakeup, saying both sides "mutually agreed that this approach regarding our NBA coverage was best for all concerned."

Roberts continued ... "Rachel is an excellent reporter, host and journalist, and we thank her for her many contributions to our NBA content."

Nichols reportedly has about a year remaining on the deal ... and will likely have no trouble finding work when her current deal expires.

Khloe Kardashian and Kris Jenner are inching closer to the move-in date that will make them next-door neighbors, as construction crews work to finish their custom mansions.

We've obtained pics showing the progress that's been made in and around the modern farmhouses Khloe and Kris are building a stone's throw from each other in Los Angeles.

There's still a lot of work to be done, but the massive estates are taking shape. Both structures now have roofs that will include solar panels ... and both places will have massive pools.

The lot is essentially being subdivided in 2. It once had a single family home on the entire property, but when a developer bought it in 2012, he razed the house. It sat vacant for years ... that is until Khloe and Kris each plunked down north of $10 million for the properties and began construction.

When all is said and done ... Khloe's home -- the darker of the two -- will have 8 bedrooms, 9.5 bathrooms and 18,000 square feet. Kris' palace is similar at 17,000 square feet.

You'll recall Kris was PISSED after claiming on 'KUWTK' a shady contractor stole the deeds to the houses and while the legal mess got sorted out, construction came to a screeching halt.

Ron Jeremy has just been indicted on a slew of sexual assault and rape charges ... and prosecutors say there are now a staggering 21 alleged victims.

The famous porn star is now facing more than 30 sexual assault counts for alleged incidents dating back more than 20 years ... according to an announcement Wednesday from Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón.

Prosecutors say a grand jury returned the indictment Thursday and it's just now been unsealed.

Jeremy pleaded not guilty Wednesday to 12 counts of forcible rape, 7 counts of forcible oral copulation, 6 counts of sexual battery by restraint, 4 counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object, 2 counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious or asleep person and 1 count each of sodomy by the use of force, assault with intent to commit rape and lewd act upon a child under the age of 14 or 15.

Prosecutors are accusing Jeremy of sexually assaulting 21 women during a 23-year period dating all the way back to 1996 ... with the alleged victims ranging from 15 to 51.

Among the allegations, prosecutors say Jeremy stands accused of raping a 19-year-old woman during a photoshoot in the San Fernando Valley back in October 1996, raping a 26-year-old woman at a nightclub in 2000, and raping a 17-year-old girl at a home in Woodland Hills in 2008.

Kendall Jenner was having some fun in the sun with her favorite Sun on Tuesday ... cruising on a yacht with her BF, Devin Booker, in Italy -- and the pics are piccante!!

As we previously reported, KJ and the Phoenix Suns star hopped on a private jet and flew to their romantic getaway last week ... and they've been spending the majority of their time lounging around in some barely-there swimwear ever since.

When we saw Kendall and Devin on Friday, they were floating around in Sardinia ... but now, they've made their way over towards Capri.

The couple cranked up the heat while working on their tans yesterday afternoon ... showing off their incredibly fit figures and chatting it up on the deck of the yacht.

24-year-old Booker -- who's fresh off winning a gold medal at the 2020 Olympics with Team USA -- had to cool off for a bit by hopping in the pool ... and yeah, he looks shredded as ever.

"Zoey 101" star Alexa Nikolas just accused her ex-husband, Michael Milosh, in a new lawsuit of preying on her as a minor, grooming her, sexually assaulting her and manipulating her into marrying him.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Alexa doesn't mince words ... claiming the lawsuit's "about a libertine musician who preyed on the innocence of a minor fan to manipulate and coerce her into succumbing to his repeated sexual assaults of her."

She adds that the Canadian singer-songwriter behind the pop group, Rhye, "utilized his power" and "years of sexual grooming" toward her when she was minor to "manipulate" her into trusting him ... which she claims ultimately led her to marrying him in 2012 when she was only 19.

In docs, Alexa says it all started when she reached out to him on MySpace when she was 16 and filming the TV movie, "Children of the Corn."

Alexa claims she didn't expect a reply but says Milosh replied almost immediately. He was 33 at the time. She claims their communication quickly became sexually explicit.

She claims they finally met in person right after she turned 18 ... when she claims Milosh sexually assaulted her after he "digitally began penetrating [her] in her anus.” She claims she told him to stop but he refused.

Sometime in 2010 or 2011 ... Alexa claims he coerced her into allowing him to record them having sex. She claims Milosh then used this audio throughout his entire album “Jetlag” several years later ... and claims a portion of the audio was used in the song “Don’t Call It” ... where she says she can be heard saying "no" in response to him anally penetrating her.

Alexa claims Milosh eventually convinced her to marry him so he could obtain a green card. They separated in 2016 and before finally getting a divorcing in 2019.

Kanye West isn't requiring folks to be vaccinated or test negative for COVID-19 to enjoy his "Donda" event in Chicago ... but the good news ... fans can get inoculated on site.

A spokesperson for Soldier Field, the football stadium where Kanye is hosting his next listening party for his upcoming album, tells TMZ ... there will be more than 1,500 doses on hand for Kanye fans who want to roll up their sleeves.

We're told the doses are split between the two-shot Pfizer and one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccines. For anyone getting their first shot of Pfizer, which just got full FDA approval, we're told officials from the Chicago Department of Health will be on-site to help set up appointments for the second dose.

Kanye's not the one pushing the vax ... we're told the folks who run Soldier Field, ASM Global Management, worked with the City of Chicago to make this happen.

It'll be interesting to see how many folks roll up their sleeves before listening to Kanye's upcoming album ... vaccines were available at Ye's last listening party in Atlanta, but only a measly 4 out of 40,000 got the shot.

There won't be quite as many folks allowed into Soldier Field ... the home of the NFL's Chicago bears is operating under reduced capacity ... with only 38,000 allowed inside instead of the usual 63,000.

Letitia Wright was injured during an overnight shoot for "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," and while it's not super serious ... it's serious enough that she's been taken to a hospital.

Wright got hurt in an incident with a stunt rig while filming a scene in Boston, and a spokesperson for Marvel told Deadline she was hospitalized with minor injuries. She's expected to be released soon.

Wright's injury will reportedly not have an impact on the shooting schedule for the upcoming sequel to "Black Panther," in which the actor's reprising her role as Shuri.

As we reported ... Wright was on set in full costume this weekend with Danai Gurira, as the 2 were filming scenes together at the MIT campus in Cambridge, MA.

Chinese Olympics gold medalist Zhu Xueying's new hardware is already losing some shine ... 'cause the trampoline gymnast says it's PEELING!!!

The 23-year-old athlete went to social media to show off the alleged damage this week ... asking fellow Olympians if they had experienced anything similar with their medals.

"#olympic-medal Was your medal ... peeling off like this?" she asked on Weibo.

Zhu says she initially thought the mark was just dirt, but the spot grew bigger and bigger.

FYI -- the medals aren't solid gold ... they're actually made from mostly silver and, for the 2020 Games, reused metals donated by the public ... and coated least 6 grams of pure gold.

The Olympic committee ended up sending a response to Zhu ... saying the peeling is actually a protective coating and claiming the medal is perfectly fine.

But, if something were to ever happen to a medal, the committee keeps a mold and can always crank out some new ones ... for a fee.

Terry Crews hasn't lost a move since "White Chicks" — or a lyric either, for that matter.

The actor took 'AGT' fans on a trip down memory lane this week with an impromptu performance of Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles" ... which he, of course, famously did in the movie.

As good as that cover was on camera all those years ago, this one might be right up there as far as commitment ... 'cause the dude was all in on the lip-synching, not to mention the moves he added for extra gusto.

Check it out — Terry goes all out here, mouthing the lyrics to a T and adding accompanying steps ... ones he might not have had a chance to perform in the flick. You'll recall, his character did the whole 'Thousand Miles' in the confines of a car. So now, we’re getting the full-body number!

The 'Got Talent' crowd ate it up ... they seemed to be singing along, and gave him his props at the end — and how could they not??? This is top-notch entertainment.

Kim Kardashian went to L.A.'s finest to get rid of the sun and dark spots on her face.

Kim hit up celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Ashkan Ghavami in L.A. where she revealed she's been undergoing a laser treatment called Potenza Radio Frequency Microneedling.

She posted video of herself explaining the procedure and gave the good doc -- who has treated the likes of Amber Rose and Iggy Azalea -- a shout-out from inside his office. She wore an all-black tight outfit and some Yeezy shoes.

The laser treatment -- which can cost upwards of $2,300 -- consists of ultrafine needles and radio frequency energy to penetrate the skin. This process triggers the skin's natural repair process ... resulting in the skin looking smooth, supple and tight. The treatment can also be used to treat uneven skin tone, scarring, blemishes and stretch marks, among other things.

LeVar Burton might still be the fan favorite to take over as the permanent host of "Jeopardy!" following Mike Richards' exit, but he's never been seriously considered for the role ... TMZ has learned.

Production sources tell us ... Sony Studios execs loved the "Reading Rainbow" star as a guest host, but they didn't think he was the right fit for the daily syndicated quiz show ... and the same can be said about almost all the other guest hosts.

As we first told you ... "Jeopardy!" honchos wanted Mayim Bialik to replace Alex Trebek as the sole host, but her busy schedule wouldn't allow it, so EP Richards got the daily gig. Of course, now they want her even more.

Our sources say Mayim and Mike were the ONLY guest hosts who had talks with Sony about hosting full-time ... so LeVar getting snubbed wasn't personal, and he wasn't alone.

However, we're told Sony did speak with LeVar about other projects outside of the "Jeopardy!" brand ... and those opportunities are still a possibility.

Sources close to LeVar tell us ... he has no hard feelings -- he got his shot at guest hosting, which is what he really wanted, and he gave it his all.

We're told he's fine with Sony's decision and is moving on ... which is a lot more than he had to say Tuesday about the "Jeopardy!" drama.

Our LeVar sources say he's had multiple other networks and Hollywood execs contact him about projects they can create with him ... including one with Ava DuVernay.

Dell Curry says his estranged wife, Sonya, cheated on him with a former New England Patriots tight end ... and then lied to him about it.

It's all spelled out in court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, in which Steph Curry's father says Sonya is, and has been, dating Steven Johnson -- a 6th-round pick in the 1988 NFL Draft.

In the docs, Dell says Sonya "began her extramarital affair with Mr. Johnson during the marriage and prior to the date of separation, and she lied to [Dell] each time she cheated on him."

Dell, in the docs, says Sonya is actually living with Johnson in Tennessee ... and claims she should not be entitled to alimony because of it.

For her part, Sonya said in responding documents that she is NOT living with Johnson -- claiming she's currently living on her own because Dell will not allow her to live at their home.

Sonya added that she is, however, currently in a dating relationship ... but denied cheating on Dell, saying the relationship began "months after" she and Dell agreed to legally separate in March 2020.

Sonya also said Dell cheated on her during the marriage ... claiming he hooked up with different women, and that family and close friends knew about it.

As we previously reported, Sonya -- who married Dell in 1988 -- filed for divorce back on June 14.

Johnson, meanwhile, was a solid player for Virginia Tech from 1984 to 1987, playing in 44 games while piling up 1,058 receiving yards and 8 receiving TDs.

The 56-year-old went on to play just one year for the Pats, starting 3 games in the 1988 season.

According to Johnson's business page, he's a fan of "road racing, fishing, golf, and travel."

The baby from Nirvana's famous "Nevermind" album art is all grown up ... and now he's suing the band for child sexual exploitation.

A man named Spencer Elden claims he's the naked baby famously pictured in a swimming pool on Nirvana's groundbreaking 1991 album cover ... and he's suing the band, its surviving members and Kurt Cobain's estate, 30 years after the album dropped.

According to a new federal lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Elden claims he could not consent to his image being used on the album art way back in the day, because he was only a 4-month-old baby ... and says his legal guardians didn’t consent to it either.

Elden's going even further ... in his suit, he claims the image is actually child pornography. He also claims the band made a promise to cover his genitals with a sticker but it was never incorporated on the album cover.

According to the docs, Elden claims Kurt, Dave Grohl and the rest of the band failed to protect and prevent him from being sexually exploited ... and he says having his naked baby body plastered on a famous album caused him to suffer lifelong damages.

Elden's going after the band, Kurt's estate and others for damages ... and he wants them to each cough up at least $150,000.

We reached out to reps for Nirvana and Kurt's estate ... so far, no word back.

Well that was fast -- OnlyFans has reversed course and will no longer be banning sexually explicit content on its platform starting October 1 ... after outcry from its creators and the general public.

The content subscription service -- where many sex workers make their living -- just made the announcement, saying ... "Thank you to everyone for making your voices heard. We have secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community and have suspended the planned October 1 policy change."

As we reported ... OnlyFans blamed its planned porn ban on conflicts with banking partners and payout providers -- suggesting they'd no longer do business with the site due to the sexual content -- but it seems those issues have been resolved.

OnlyFans adds that it "stands for inclusion and we will continue to provide a home for all creators."

That's definitely good news to creators like Maitland Ward -- who called the porn ban a "cowardly" -- and Courtney Tillia -- a former teacher who's become an OnlyFans star -- who can keep raking in the big bucks for the foreseeable future ... and keep making their subscribers happy.