Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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09-22-18 | Troy v. UL-Monroe +5 | Top | 35-27 | Loss | -109 | 51 h 8 m | Show |
This is a play on the UL-MONROE WARHAWKS for our CFB Game of the Week. We were on the Warhawks last week as a four-touchdown underdog and it was a competitive game as they were down by just 14 points with six minutes left in the third quarter but the Aggies went on to score 24 points over the final 18 minutes of the game. UL-Monroe returns home for its conference opener after playing the last two games on the road which included an upset of Southern Mississippi. The Warhawks are capable of a big bounceback and the Trojans have a history of letdowns after big wins. Case in point last season when they defeated LSU on the road only to get bounce the following week at home against South Alabama as 19-point favorites. Troy is coming off a huge win last week at Nebraska but it was a game it never should have won, or one that Nebraska never should have lost. The difference was a fake fair catch on a punt that led to a touchdown as the Trojans were outgained by 111 total yards and lost the first down battle 22-12. Troy is expected to contend in the SBC East just like the Warhawks are expected to contend in the SBC West so the home team should have a significant edge, especially in a night game. UL-Monroe falls into a great situation where we play on teams in the first month of the season, after closing out last season with two or more straight losses, returning eight or more offensive starters including quarterback going up against an opponent returning five or fewer defensive starters. This situation is 62-29 ATS (68.1 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (398) UL-Monroe Warhawks |
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09-22-18 | North Texas v. Liberty +13.5 | Top | 47-7 | Loss | -105 | 50 h 59 m | Show |
This is a play on the LIBERTY FLAMES for our CFB Saturday Enforcer. North Texas is another team coming off a huge win over a Power 5 team as it rolled over Arkansas by 27 points on the road. Saying the Mean Green dominated the Razorbacks would be an overstatement however as they did outgain them, but only by 40 yards, as they benefitted from six interceptions. One that was returned for a touchdown as well as returning a punt for a touchdown. This is a big letdown spot, especially with a lookahead game against Louisiana Tech who is the leading contender in C-USA West. Liberty opened its first season at the FBS level with a blowout win over Old Dominion as an underdog. The Flames followed that up with a loss at Army that was not as bad as the final score indicated as they lost the turnover battle 3-0. They were supposed to play last week but the game was postponed due to Hurricane Florence and it actually helped as they were able to rest some nagging injuries and were able to start prepping for North Texas three days sooner. they have a high-powered offense led by quarterback Stephen Calvert who has thrown for 652 yards and six touchdowns with just one interception this season. The Flames are 7-6 in games in which head coach Turn Gill and his staff have extra time to prepare. Liberty will be out to prove itself here after applying to get into C-USA and getting denied and settling for Independent status. North Texas is 4-15 ATS in its last 19 road games off an upset win as an underdog while Liberty is 12-1 ATS in its lined games. 10* (402) Liberty Flames |
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09-22-18 | Northern Illinois v. Florida State -10 | 19-37 | Win | 100 | 48 h 34 m | Show | |
This is a play on the FLORIDA ST. SEMINOLES for our CFB Saturday Supreme Annihilator. All week, and for most of the season since day one really, Florida St. has heard how bad it is. So the Seminoles went back to basics this week in practice and worked on fundamentals following a players only meeting over the weekend. While a positive attitude might not guarantee positive results, Florida St. head coach Willie Taggart said he is pleased with the way his players have approached practice this week and that can go a long way in ending the early season frustrations. He said that he half-expected the Seminoles to return to Tallahassee with their heads held low after losing last week at Syracuse, but he is happy to have been wrong. If there is one area where the Florida St. offense could fare favorably, it could be taking shots against the Northern Illinois secondary. As a team, the Huskies have been good defensively this season, but they have given up some big plays through the air. On the other side, the Seminoles have to play defense with a chip on their should as athletically, they should shut down the Huskies. Northern Illinois has been outgained in all three games while putting up just 241.0 ypg and 12.3 ppg. The Huskies will need to be better throwing the ball than they have been through the early going of the season, as they average under 110 ypg passing but truth be told, the rushing offense has stunk as well. Huskies defensive end Sutton Smith is the real deal and while he was through to have an edge over the depleted Iowa offensive line, the Hawkeyes took care of him and Florida St. will do the same. 9* (332) Florida St. Seminoles |
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09-22-18 | Louisville v. Virginia -4 | 3-27 | Win | 100 | 44 h 15 m | Show | |
This is a play on the VIRGINIA CAVALIERS as part of our CFB Saturday Trifecta. Louisville is coming of a nail-biter last week as it defeated Western Kentucky by just three points and escaped overtime when the Hilltoppers missed a game-tying field goal at the end of regulation. It was a very fortunate victory as the Cardinals were outgained by 136 total yards as this offense clearly misses Lamar Jackson. This is a team on the rebuild as the Cardinals have the least experienced team in the ACC and while the offense misses Jackson, the defense has just four starters back from last season. This is the first true road game of the season for Louisville. Virginia rolled over Ohio last week in Nashville as quarterback Bryce Perkins threw for a career-high 379 yards on 25-30 passing last week and that is the key to beating Louisville. Additionally, senior running back Jordan Ellis and senior receiver Olamide Zaccheaus both posted career-highs in yards. On the other side, the defensive line has improved throughout each game and they should get a boost as Ohio St. graduate transfer Dylan Thompson is expected to make his debut. If Virginia's defense comes out strong and puts good pressure on the Cardinals, the Cavaliers should be able to force Louisville to continue to struggle offensively, thus keeping the Cardinals off the scoreboard. Freshman Malik Cunningham will get the start at quarterback after taking over last week and while he can run, he struggled with just 88 yards passing and the Cavaliers will be ready. Virginia is 7-0 ATS in its last seven games after playing two straight non-conference games while Louisville is 0-6 ATS in its last six road games against teams outscoring opponents by 10 or more ppg on the season. 9* (348) Virginia Cavaliers |
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09-22-18 | Akron v. Iowa State -18 | Top | 13-26 | Loss | -110 | 44 h 46 m | Show |
This is a play on the IOWA ST. CYCLONES as part of our CFB Saturday Trifecta. Some beat writer in Ames said he could not believe that 0-2 Iowa St. is close to a three-touchdown favorite over Akron and called in incomprehensible. That is what most of the public is probably thinking after the Zips upset Northwestern last weekend as 21.5-point underdogs. But scores sometimes do not tell the true story and that is the case there as Akron trailed 21-3 at halftime but were able to generate three defensive touchdowns in the second half so it was a very misleading final. It was the first win over a current Big Ten opponent for Akron since 1894. Not a typo. Iowa St. played well last week against Oklahoma with backup quarterback Zeb Noland surprisingly shredding the Sooners defense with 360 yards passing and two touchdowns. The Cyclones managed only three points in its opener against Iowa but that is when starting quarterback Kyle Kempt got hurt and Noland was forced into the game with no preparation. In last year's game against Akron, when Iowa St. ran out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and outgained Akron, 170-34 in total yards, the lessons that followed are things that are still engrained in the Cyclones memory this year. This is going to be a very emotional game for the Cyclones and they will be honoring and playing for slain golfer Celia Barquin Arozamena and you can bet they will be giving 110 percent. Akron is 0-8 ATS in its last eight games following a win as a double-digit underdog while Iowa St. is 6-0 ATS in its last six games following a loss. 9* (312) Iowa St. Cyclones |
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09-22-18 | Nevada v. Toledo -10.5 | 44-63 | Win | 100 | 44 h 44 m | Show | |
This is a play on the TOLEDO ROCKETS as part of our CFB Saturday Trifecta. Toledo hosted Miami last week as it hung around for a while, trailing by just seven points with a minute left to go in the third quarter but the Hurricanes closed on a 21-3 to end the game. It was a game the Rockets were not supposed to win but it more of a test for a team that lost 10 starters including quarterback Logan Whiteside and leading rusher Terry Swanson. Despite the 25-point loss, you can call it a passing grade. Quarterback Mitch Guadagni, who made his first career start against VMI and was outstanding, looked sharp against the Hurricanes and while the running game got stuffed, the defense this week will be a lot less resistant. Toledo has bounced back well in the past and we can expect it again here as it is 15-5 ATS in its last 15 home games after a loss by 17 or more points. Nevada rolled over Portland St. in its season opener but the Vikings were overmatched over an FBS opponent so while the Wolf Pack felt good about that victory, reality set in quickly. They travelled to Vanderbilt and got crushed by 31 points while getting outgained by 218 total yards. Nevada bounced back with a win over Oregon St. last week but it was a game it had no business winning as they were outgained by 183 total yards while allowing the Beavers to rack up 459 passing yards and they won thanks to a last second missed 33-yard field goal. The whole winning thing, especially a rare win over a Power 5 team, is the good part but it comes with a potential problem of a huge letdown plus they have only one road win in their last 15 tries. 9* (346) Toledo Rockets |
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09-21-18 | Washington State v. USC -3.5 | Top | 36-39 | Loss | -108 | 58 h 44 m | Show |
This is a play on the USC TROJANS for our CFB Friday Enforcer. Everybody is down on the Trojans and with the way they have played, rightfully so. This team is much better than what its 1-2 record shows and to its credit, the Trojans have played the sixth toughest schedule in the nation. Offensively, the line has struggled, especially last week against Texas as it did not generate any push for the running backs while allowing three sacks. The good news is the last two games were on the road and now the Trojans head home and they remain undefeated at home in 16 games during Clay Helton's tenure and they will be looking to increase that streak to 17. The Trojans are 14-5 ATS in their last 19 games following a straight up loss. Washington St. has rolled over its first three opponents as it has outscored Wyoming, San Jose St. and Eastern Washington by a combined score of 131-43. Those three teams have given the Cougars a strength of schedule ranking of No. 135 which is the easiest of any Pac 12 team and is the 28th easiest schedule in the nation. Washington St. brought back only four starters on offense and while it has put up a ton of yards, again, the schedule has a lot to do with that. The USC defense will be tested still but it should pass as long as it does the right things. Between Texas and Stanford, there have been far too many penalties and missed tackles the past two weeks, and if this team wants to keep any hope alive of playing in a respectable bowl game at seasons end, the defense needs to be more consistent from top to bottom. 10* (310) USC Trojans |
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09-20-18 | Jets v. Browns -3 | Top | 17-21 | Win | 100 | 27 h 17 m | Show |
This is a play on the CLEVELAND BROWNS for our NFL Thursday Enforcer. Cleveland is a couple kicks away from being 2-0 on the season, instead it remains winless since December 24, 2016 as it has gone 19 games without a victory. This is one of the last big chances to grab a victory as the upcoming seven-game schedule is not easy as the Browns have three difficult road games and the four home games are against the Ravens, Chargers, Chiefs and Falcons. Cleveland was fortunate to tie with Pittsburgh as it was outgained by 145 yards but it won the yardage battle last week against New Orleans as this defense has come to play thus far in the early part of the season. The players know they are close and are in a good spot in a nationally televised game. The Jets shocked many on opening Monday night as they defeated the Lions thanks to a 31-point third quarter but despite winning by 31 points, they only outgained Detroit by 10 yards. They did a better job on the stat sheet last week against Miami as Sam Darnold threw for 334 yards but he threw two picks and was not nearly as efficient as in his first game. This is a very difficult spot for a rookie quarterback coming off a Sunday game and playing on the first short week of his career. Additionally, this is the third game in 11 days for New York and Darnold will have to deal with a hyper-aggressive defensive coordinator in Gregg Williams, who loves to call blitzes, especially against young quarterbacks. In the first two games, the Browns blitzed 40 times out of 84 dropbacks, a league-high 47.6 percentage, against two Hall of Fame quarterbacks and that number figures to climb against Darnold. 10* (302) Cleveland Browns |
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09-20-18 | Tulsa v. Temple -7 | Top | 17-31 | Win | 100 | 31 h 43 m | Show |
This is a play on the TEMPLE OWLS for our CFB Thursday Star Attraction. We played on Temple two weeks ago against Buffalo and it lost on a late touchdown by the Bulls, which are showing they are MAC contenders. The Owls bounced back last week with a blowout win over Maryland and the 21-point victory was backed up by a 234-yard differential over the Terrapins and that momentum comes at the right time heading into their conference opener. Temple backup quarterback Anthony Russo got the start last week over Frank Nutile who sat with an undisclosed injury and he was very solid so whoever gets the start this week will be in good shape as the Tulsa defense is allowing opponents a .682 completion percentage. Temple is 12-1 ATS in its last 13 games against teams allowing a .580 or higher completion percentage while going 15-3 ATS in its last 18 games after one or more consecutive wins against the spread. Tulsa opened the season with a less than impressive win over Central Arkansas and backed that up with a pair of losses against Texas and Arkansas St. While the two losses ended up being somewhat close, the Golden Hurricane fell behind 21-0 and 27-7 and made their comebacks late when the opposition was playing prevent. They have been on the same level as Temple on offense but the defense has been much worse and they have just four sacks, which is No. 93 in the nation, and have yet to intercept a pass. On top of it, this is a tough trip for Tulsa as it has to travel east on a short week whereas Temple got to make a short trip homer from Maryland. 10* (304) Temple Owls |
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09-17-18 | Seahawks v. Bears -4.5 | Top | 17-24 | Win | 100 | 12 h 8 m | Show |
This is a play on the CHICAGO BEARS for our NFL Monday Star Attraction. Chicago blew a big chance last week as it blew a 20-0 lead against Green Bay but it did show that the Bears have turned a corner after four straight miserable seasons where they have gone 19-45. The Bears are back in Chicago for their home opener as head coach Matt Nagy looks for his first victory. It has not been a good start for first year head coaches as they have gone a combined 2-11 heading into tonight but Chicago has a good matchup edge. The Seattle defense is in rough shape for tonight. Linebacker Bobby Wagner became the third Pro Bowl veteran ruled out tonight as he will miss with a groin injury and this is a big deal. Second-year free-agent Austin Calitro will start for Wagner and since he cannot play weakside linebacker Mychal Kendricks to play weakside linebacker against the Bears after just two practices with the team. Both starting cornerbacks are hurt and rookie right cornerback Tre Flowers is doubtful to play while they cut their starting defensive tackle Tom Johnson for concern with depth behind banged-up strong safety Bradley McDougald. The offense struggled last week against Denver as it managed only 306 total yards. The goal heading into this season was to run the ball better and Seattle managed only 64 yards on 16 carries and it will not get any easier on Monday night. The offensive line allowed six sacks and although a couple of those were on quarterback Russell Wilson for not throwing the ball away, it was clear right tackle Germain Ifedi was outclassed by linebacker Von Miller. Now comes Khalil Mack. The Bears offense was vertical in the first half but they pulled back in the second half for no apparent reason. Of 21 passing attempts after halftime, nine did not even cross the line of scrimmage while five more were within 5 yards of the line. The Bears need to open it back up. 10* (290) Chicago Bears |
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09-16-18 | Patriots v. Jaguars +1.5 | Top | 20-31 | Win | 100 | 28 h 59 m | Show |
This is a play on the JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS for our Sunday NFL Enforcer. The Jaguars went to New York and took care of the Giants behind their powerful defense as they allowed just 324 total yards and 68 of those came on one play, a touchdown run by Saquon Barkley. The challenge will be tougher this week however but Jacksonville should be up for that challenge as it has had this game circled for eight months. The Jaguars have a chance to erase the bad feelings that came from a tough loss in the AFC Championship and they are well aware of the magnitude of this game. Jacksonville was second in the NFL last season in takeaways with 33 but it only had one in the last meeting and that is the key to winning or losing against New England. When the Patriots have a positive turnover differential in the Belichick era, they are 143-15 and when they lose the turnover battle, they are 37-42. The Jaguars style offensively and defensively gives them a chance to win this statistic no matter the opponent. More good news is that Jacksonville pass rusher Dante Fowler, who sacked Brady on two occasions in the AFC Championship, will make his season debut after sitting out the opener due to suspension for violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy. The Patriots were firing on all cylinders last week against Houston as the offense put up 389 yards of offense but it will be tougher heading out on the road in what is expected to be a tough environment. The defense played well also and while the Jacksonville offense is not going to put a scare into anybody, it is efficient and limits its mistakes. Quarterback Blake Bortles can extend plays and hurt defenses with his legs, as seen on his 41-yard run against New York last weekend. Jacksonville has covered seven straight games as an underdog going up against an opponent off a win. 10* (284) Jacksonville Jaguars |
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09-16-18 | Colts +6 v. Redskins | Top | 21-9 | Win | 100 | 25 h 48 m | Show |
This is a play on the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS for our NFL Game of the Week. One of the takeaways from Week One into Week Two is overreaction from the first game of the season. That is represented in several lines this week with this being one of those. The Colts are coming off a loss in the first game back for Andrew Luck as they were defeated by the Bengals by 11 points but it was misleading. Indianapolis was driving late in the fourth quarter down four points but tight end Jack Doyle fumbled the ball and Cincinnati returned it for a touchdown. The Colts outgained the Bengals by 50 yards but because of the loss and the big Washington win, the early line from last week of -3 went up to -5 at the true open and has gone up even more since then. While Luck may not be 100 percent in his comeback, he played well last week and this has been a great spot throughout his career as the Colts are 22-6 ATS when coming off a loss with Luck at quarterback. Washington was very impressive against Arizona in its opener as it outgained the Cardinals by 216 yards and held them to just six points which was a garbage touchdown with five minutes left with the score at 24-0. Again, an overreaction to one game and while the Redskins did dominate, doing it again seems unlikely even though they do head home. Most impressive was the fact they ran for 182 yards on 42 carries (4.3 ypg) which caused them to hold the ball for over 17 more minutes than the Cardinals. That being said, playing out west in the opener was a disadvantage because of travel to and from. The Redskins are 0-4 ATS in their last four games after allowing less than 250 total yards in their previous game while the Colts are 4-0 ATS in their last four games following a double-digit loss at home. 10* (261) Indianapolis Colts |
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09-16-18 | Panthers v. Falcons -6 | 24-31 | Win | 100 | 25 h 38 m | Show | |
This is a play on the ATLANTA FALCONS as part of our Sunday NFL Trifecta. Atlanta came up pretty small last week in Philadelphia but we like the Falcons to bounce back this week as they are coming off a mini bye and will be desperate to not open up the season 0-2. The Falcons actually outgained the Eagles by 67 yards but they were unable to execute when needed. Atlanta's offense managed just nine points in five redzone trips, failing on a fourth-and-1 on the opening possession and coming up empty again on the final drive where they could have won the game. Matt Ryan outplayed Nick Foles but failed to get it done late for the second straight game against the Eagles, the first coming in the Divisional Playoffs last season. The Falcons were just 5-3 at home last season but are historically good and they have defeated the Panthers here in each of the last three years. Carolina is coming off an ugly win over Dallas as it had a 16-0 lead before allowing a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter and was able to hold on. The defense was great but it was partly due to the Cowboys offensive line playing awful as they allowed six sacks and Ezekiel Elliott rushed for just 69 yards. However, offensively things were not great as the Panthers managed only 293 total yards and they got more bad news as the team placed starting right tackle Daryl Williams on injured reserve, where he joined starting left tackle Matt Kalil. That is not a good situation against a strong Falcons pass rush. We should expect to see a more balanced attack from the Falcons as they ran the ball just 18 times and they are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games after accumulating less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game. Ryan has lost only one home opener in his career and we expect that to continue here. 9* (264) Atlanta Falcons |
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09-16-18 | Texans -2.5 v. Titans | 17-20 | Loss | -130 | 25 h 37 m | Show | |
This is a play on the HOUSTON TEXANS as part of our Sunday NFL Trifecta. We were on the Texans last week and as soon as Deshawn Watson lost a fumble on the first snap of their first possession, you knew it was not going to happen. They did end up making it a game by scoring with two minutes left but failed to stay within the number. Expectations are high in Houston and starting out the season 0-2 is not in the cards and it cannot afford a loss here against the team picked to finish last in the AFC South. Watson called his play against the Patriots terrible but it was not that bad and now he has a chance to redeem himself. Houston coach Bill O'Brien said he is hopeful wide receiver Will Fuller, who missed the season opener with a hamstring injury, will return. Fuller had a big game last season against Tennessee in his return from a broken collarbone, catching two touchdown passes from Watson. The Patriots were able to key on DeAndre Hopkins last week so getting another big play receiver back is big. Last season in the four games Watson and Fuller played together, Fuller caught seven touchdown passes. Tennessee is going to struggle on offense. On Friday, Titans coach Mike Vrabel said he expects both quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Blaine Gabbert to play on Sunday and that is not a good thing. Protecting them from the ferocious Houston pass rush is already going to be a problem and making matters worse, the offensive line is already banged up. Starting left tackle Taylor Lewan has been ruled out for the game, along with Jack Conklin. Dennis Kelly did not practice two days this week, and his status is uncertain. Losing tight end Delanie Walker for the season is a huge blow. Here, we play against home teams where the line is +3 to -3 coming off a road loss, in September games. This situation is 105-61 ATS (63.3 percent) since 1983. 9* (269) Houston Texans |
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09-16-18 | Chiefs v. Steelers -4.5 | 42-37 | Loss | -122 | 24 h 26 m | Show | |
This is a play on the PITTSBURGH STEELERS as part of our Sunday NFL Trifecta. The Steelers put up a dud last week in Cleveland as we expected and ended up finishing in a 21-21 tie. It was definitely better than a loss but the Steelers looked inept at times on offense as they committed six turnover including three interceptions by Ben Roethlisberger. That was the main factor as they outgained the Browns by 145 total yards but came away with little from it. Heading home is a very good thing to prove what they are made of and they are in for a challenge and that is a good thing. We can expect different play calling this week as well. The Steelers became passive, and Randy Fichtner's play-calling shifted from a game plan designed to attack the Browns to one playing not to lose. Pittsburgh was fine defensively as linebacker T.J. Watt was a beast against the Browns. He had four sacks and a team-high eight tackles. Watt also preserved the tie by blocking the potential game-winning field goal by Cleveland in overtime. The Chiefs went to Los Angeles and put it to the Chargers but expect a much different atmosphere this week in Pittsburgh where over 60,000 fans will be in full force compared to the just over 25,000 fans in attendance last week in the StubHub Center. While Kansas City won by 10 points, special teams was the difference as the Chiefs were actually outgained by 179 total yards so it was a misleading final. The Chiefs defense did not play well against the Chargers as they allowed 7.3 yppl, the third worst average by any team from last week. They will be shorthanded again as well as safety Eric Berry remained on the sidelines at practice with a sore heel and has been ruled out as has linebacker Ben Niemann with a hamstring injury. Pittsburgh is 12-3 ATS in its last 15 home games after gaining 450 or more total yards in their previous game. 9* (272) Pittsburgh Steelers |
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09-15-18 | Washington v. Utah +5.5 | Top | 21-7 | Loss | -110 | 56 h 34 m | Show |
This is a play on the UTAH UTES for our CFB Game of the Week. Washington lost its opener against Auburn which took place in Atlanta and it was a poor performance from the offense. Granted, the Tigers possess a strong defense but the stop unit the Huskies face this week is no slouch either as the Utes are ranked No. 1 in the nation in total defense. The Huskies bounced back with a 42-point win over North Dakota last week but it was not overly impressive as they made plays when they should have, but it was far from the crisp domination expected from a top-10 team facing an FCS opponent. Washington has struggled running the ball and it will be difficult getting it going this week against a Utah defense that allowed 117 yards rushing to Northern Illinois last week, but only 2.7 ypc. The Utah offense has been vanilla in their two wins and while it is not exotic, there will be a few new wrinkles that the Huskies have not seen. The offensive line needs to be better after allowing six sacks last week but this is an experienced unit that brought back four starters, three of which are seniors with the other two being juniors. One aspect of the offense that goes unnoticed is the offensive coordinator. Troy Taylor is in his second year which is big as when he arrived at Utah he was the ninth offensive coordinator in ten years so no turnover is important. Washington is 4-14 ATS in its last 18 road games after allowing nine points or less last game while Utah is 15-3 ATS in its last 18 games after allowing 275 or fewer total yards in two consecutive games. Additionally, we play against road favorites of 3.5 to 10 points in a game involving two teams outgaining opponents by 100 or more ypg, after gaining 6.25 or more yppl in their previous game. This situation is 54-22 ATS (71.1 percent) since 1992. 10* (206) Utah Utes |
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09-15-18 | UL-Monroe +27.5 v. Texas A&M | 10-48 | Loss | -110 | 53 h 39 m | Show | |
This is a play on the LOUISIANA-MONROE WARHAWKS for our CFB Ultimate Underdog. Texas A&M cannot be in a worst spot here as the Aggies are in a sandwich with the bread consisting of the two national championship contenders from the last three seasons, Clemson and Alabama. Recovering from last week will be a challenge for the Aggies as they had a chance to tie the game against the Tigers but failed on a two-point conversion with less than a minute remaining. This followed a 52-point win over an FCS creampuff and while they would normally name the score here, there my be some focus issues. While Louisiana-Monroe is coming off a second straight 4-8 season, the Warhawks are expected to contend in the SBC West as they bring back 17 starters. They squeezed past Southern Mississippi last Saturday with a 21-20 upset road win. It was the first time ULM had downed its regional rival since 1987. The Warhawks possess a potent offense that is currently ranked No. 47 in the nation with 454 ypg which is four ypg shy of what they averaged last season. Quarterback Caleb Evans is athletic and does a good job of making reads at the second level of a defense. The unit has been functional and avoided turnovers while the Aggies have not forced any turnovers so far and do not generate a lot of pressure. The Aggies biggest problem so far this year has been allowing big plays due to a combination of coverage issues and tackling. Here, we play on road underdogs in a game involving two good rushing teams, both outrushing opponents by 50 or more ypg, after allowing 75 or fewer rushing yards last game. This situation is 36-11 ATS (76.6 percent) over the last five seasons. 9* (197) Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks |
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09-15-18 | Alabama -21 v. Ole Miss | 62-7 | Win | 100 | 52 h 18 m | Show | |
This is a play on the ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE for our CFB Supreme Annihilator. Alabama has rolled through its first two games as it defeated Louisville in Orlando by 37 points and last week, took out Arkansas St. by 50 points. While the offense is looking unstoppable behind Tua Tagovailoa, the defense gets the credit early on as the Crimson Tide returned just three starters as was able to shut down two very good passing offenses. They do not rebuild, they reload. It will be a test this week against an explosive Mississippi offense which feature three big wideouts and a solid quarterback in Jordan Ta'amu. The Rebels rolled over Texas Tech, which is picked to finish only ahead of Kansas and Baylor in the Big XII, and Southern Illinois of the FCS and that was a three-point game at halftime. The Crimson Tide offense has been especially effective on third down this season, converting 20 of its 30 third-down attempts for a 66.7 percent conversion rate after finishing 10-15 in each game so far. Tagovailoa is a perfect 10-10 for 207 yards and four touchdowns this season. The back-to-back 50-plus point games to open the 2018 season are its first to begin a year since 1925. This may seem like a big number but if any team can cover it, it is Alabama as it has proved in the past by going 16-4-1 ATS in its last 21 games as road favorites or more than two touchdowns. Here, we play against home underdogs of 14.5 or more points after allowing 37 points or more last game going up against an opponent after allowing seven points or less in the first half in two straight games. This situation is 38-8 ATS (82.6 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 9* (181) Alabama Crimson Tide |
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09-15-18 | Calgary -1 v. Hamilton | Top | 43-28 | Win | 100 | 6 h 6 m | Show |
This is a play on the CALGARY STAMPEDERS for our CFL Saturday Enforcer. We have been high on Hamilton all season and we won with the Tiger-Cats but we are going against them here in what is tough spot. Hamilton enters the game riding a three-game winning streak and looks to extend it as they eye the first-place position in the East Division. After a 7-0 start, Calgary has gone just 2-2 over its last four games, both losses coming on the road against West Division opponents. The Stampeders lost a tight one last week in Edmonton and they have not lost back-to-back meaningful games since early 2012. There is an asterisk with this as they lost their last three regular season games last year but those were not meaningful as they had everything wrapped up. Not counting those, Calgary is 21-0 in its last 21 regular season games following a loss in a game that means something which is pretty impressive to say the least. The Stampeders have dominated in this series as they have won their last 13 games against the Tiger-Cats dating back to Sept. 25, 2011. We have two solid situations in play. First, we play on road teams coming off an upset loss to a division rival as a favorite going up against an opponent off a road win. This situation is 39-15 (72.2 percent) since 1996. Second, we play against teams where the line is +3 to -3 after two or more consecutive wins against the spread, with a winning record in the second half of the season. This situation is 48-22 ATS (68.6 percent) since 1996. 10* (661) Calgary Stampeders |
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09-15-18 | Vanderbilt v. Notre Dame -13.5 | Top | 17-22 | Loss | -108 | 48 h 46 m | Show |
This is a play on the NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH for our CFB Star Attraction. Notre Dame is coming off a closer than expected win over Ball St. as it won by just eight points as a 34-point favorite. The Cardinals went 2-10 last season so the line was based on that but they were young and injuries took their toll and they are expected to be one of the most improved teams in the nation. But give credit to the Notre Dame defense as after giving up an 85-yard scoring drive on the Cardinals' first offensive possession, the Fighting Irish allowed only 36 total yards on the next 19 plays. It was the second close win against the Irish, the first coming against Michigan two weeks ago. This is a big game to remain undefeated as they travel to Wake Forest next week, which is a sneaky tough spot and then they have tough games at home against Stanford and at Virginia Tech. Vanderbilt is also off to a 2-0 start. The Commodores defeated Middle Tennessee St. by 28 points but outgained the Blue Raiders by just 53 yards and last week they took care of an overmatched Nevada team. Look across the internet and people are putting Notre Dame on upset alert but Vanderbilt is not a team that should be able to keep up here. The Commodores are picked to finish dead last in the SEC East by a lot of outlets as they have just 12 starters back. The effort for Notre Dame last week was not good and head coach Brian Kelly shouldered the blame for that and vowed to have his team better prepared this week. Vanderbilt has had its struggles on the road under head coach Derek Mason as it is 5-16 in 21 games. 9* (138) Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
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09-15-18 | Oklahoma -17.5 v. Iowa State | Top | 37-27 | Loss | -106 | 45 h 19 m | Show |
This is a play on the OKLAHOMA SOONERS for our CFB Saturday Enforcer. Oklahoma is off to a 2-0 start with easy victories over Florida Atlantic and UCLA and this will be the first road game of the young season for the Sooners. There will be plenty of motivation for Oklahoma after losing at home to Iowa St. last season, snapping an 18-game winning streak in this series while also snapping the Sooners 14-game winning streak. With a home game against Army on deck, these is no lookahead factor so we will see a fully focused team that can run the table in getting into the playoffs with the chances of a Pac 12 team making it now very unlikely. Oklahoma has lost just nine games at home since 2005 and in the eight follow up meetings, the Sooners have gone a perfect 8-0 straight up and ATS. That is important here after Iowa St. went into Norman last season and defeated the then-No. 3 Sooners 38-31. That is not good news for Iowa St. which lost its season opener last week against rival Iowa by 10 points as the Cyclones managed just three points and 188 total yards. Making matters worse, they lost their starting quarterback Kyle Kempt with a knee injury and he is out this week. Last season in nine games, he completed 66.3 percent of his passes while throwing 15 touchdowns and just three picks. They will have to try and run the ball but they struggled last week with just 19 yards on 25 carries (0.8 ypc) and going back, the Cyclones are 14-34-3 ATS in their last 51 games after accumulating less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game. This being a game at starts at 11 AM local time, that does help the home team. 10* (127) Oklahoma Sooners |
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09-13-18 | Ravens v. Bengals +1.5 | Top | 23-34 | Win | 100 | 13 h 0 m | Show |
This is a play on the CINCINNATI BENGALS for our NFL Thursday Star Attraction. Public reaction after one week has the Ravens as one of the top teams in the NFL following their convincing 47-3 win on opening Sunday. Granted, this is a good team but we are not ready to put them at the top of the football hierarchy just yet. Baltimore has not made the playoffs since 2014 and there is no significant difference in its roster with the exception of upgrades at wide receiver. The win last week came against one of the worst rosters in football so getting carried away with it is a bit of an overreaction. Joe Flacco had a great game and is getting all of the accolades but the other side cannot be overlooked. The Bengals took care of the Colts last week thanks to a late turnover that stalled a possible winning drive and put the game out of reach. Andy Daulton is constantly being criticized but last week, he completed 21 of 28 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Indianapolis. Dalton has plenty of dangerous targets, from perennial Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Green to tight end Tyler Eifert to running back Joe Mixon. The running game could be a big difference as the Ravens do not have one. Ravens starting running back Alex Collins carried just seven times for 13 yards and lost a fumble while Mixon put together a solid opening game. With the exception of two Week 17 meetings, five of the last seven meetings has seen this line falls between 2.5 and 3.5 which is typical for a divisional game such as this so the value is on the home side anything under a field goal. Additionally, road teams that are coming off a win in their season opener where they scored 40 or more points are 10-21-2 in the last 33 instances. 10* (102) Cincinnati Bengals |
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09-13-18 | Boston College v. Wake Forest +7 | Top | 41-34 | Push | 0 | 55 h 48 m | Show |
This is a play on the WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS for our CFB Thursday Star Attraction. Boston College and Wake Forest have both opened with a pair of wins and even though the Eagles have blown out their two opponents, the quality of competition has been awful and both of those games were at home. They are coming off a 7-6 campaign where they closed 5-1 during the regular season so they do have some solid momentum going. The problem here is the line as they have no business laying this number considering they have not been a conference road favorite this big since 2014 which ironically came here in a non-cover against the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest survived Tulane in overtime in its season opener but that was not an easy road trip. The Demon Deacons returned home last week and rolled over an overmatched Towson team in a 31-point victory. Dave Clawson has done a great job in turning this program around as Wake Forest has put together two straight winning seasons after posting seven consecutive losing campaigns. With 14 starters back, including eight from an offense that averaged 466 ypg and 35.3 ppg, another bowl game is on the horizon. Wake Forest is 11-2 ATS in its last 13 games as an underdog and it falls into a spectacular situation where we play on underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points in a game involving two teams outgaining opponents by 100 or more ypg after gaining 475 or more total yards in two consecutive games. This situation is 28-5 ATS (84.8 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (104) Wake Forest Demon Deacons |
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09-12-18 | Storm v. Mystics -3.5 | Top | 98-82 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 56 m | Show |
This is a play on the WASHINGTON MYSTICS for our WNBA Wednesday Enforcer. The Mystics nearly pulled off the Game Two upset as they held a three-point lead going into the fourth quarter but Seattle opened the final period on a 12-4 run and Washington was never able to get its lead back. Now its back is against the proverbial wall as it is one loss away from being eliminated in its quest for a first ever WNBA Championship. One thing we noted going into Game Two on Sunday was the fact that the Mystics had nothing from downtown, going just 3-21 (14.3 percent) from long range so we definitely expected a better effort. Well, that did not happen as Washington was 0-16 from behind the arc but it was still able to cover. Now a combined 3-37 (8.1 percent) on threes, things can only get better we assume and if they do, Washington should be in good shape. The Mystics have won five of six playoff elimination games dating back to last season, a history that gives Washington confidence heading into tonight. The Mystics are 14-6 at home and while they have not played any postseason games at their normal home of Capital One Arena, they will be playing at EagleBank Arena, which seats 10,000 and it should provide for an intimate atmosphere as Washington looks to extend the series. Here, we play on favorites that are revenging two straight losses where opponent scored 75 or more points, with a winning record on the season. This situation is 36-10 ATS (78.3 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (618) Washington Mystics |
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09-10-18 | Rams v. Raiders +5 | Top | 33-13 | Loss | -105 | 15 h 43 m | Show |
This is a play on the OAKLAND RAIDERS for our NFL Monday Star Attraction. Most of the talk about Oakland has been negative, centering on how new head coach Jon Gruden has not been on the sidelines for ten years and the poor handling of the linebacker Khalil Mack situation. Gruden made a lot of moves this offseason by bringing in so many veteran players as he turned over a roster that has done very little, in a very long time. There is concern over his old style and how he is going to adjust after not coaching for 10 years but that is offset by the fact he showed nothing during the preseason so the Rams have little to go off of. There is concern that the Raiders are the oldest team in the NFL but that is overblown completely especially when the average age is 27.4 years. As for the Rams, they upgraded their roster with a lot of high-profile moves but early season cohesiveness could be an issue. The Rams rested their offensive starters all preseason, only giving suspended guard Jamon Brown any work. The starting defense only played seven snaps in the third game against the Texans, but that was barely two series of action. As for that defense, while all of the talk is about the strength of the defensive line, there are issues at linebacker and that could be a big problem against the Raiders power running game. This is a great early season situation for the Raiders as going back to 1980, Monday Night home underdogs is season opener are 15-5 ATS. 10* (482) Oakland Raiders |
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09-09-18 | Mystics +5.5 v. Storm | Top | 73-75 | Win | 100 | 6 h 47 m | Show |
This is a play on the WASHINGTON MYSTICS for our WNBA Sunday Enforcer. Seattle came through in a big way for us on Friday but are going the opposite way today with Washington having its back against the wall. Friday was ugly for the Mystics as they trailed by as many as 26 points as they had nothing from downtown, going just 3-21 (14.3 percent) from long range so we definitely expect a better effort on Sunday. Elena Delle Donne, playing with a large brace on her left knee after suffering a bone bruise in the last semifinal series, had 10 points and seven rebounds before sitting out the fourth quarter. Guard Kristi Toliver was limited to five points on 2-of-11 shooting, including 1-8 from three-point range. Seattle improved to 17-4 at home with the victory including eight straight wins and the early consensus is all over the Storm in Game Two. Despite 75 percent of the offshore bets placed on Seattle, this line has not moved which is an indication of the linesmakers knowing where sharp money would fall should it move. The Mystics are 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a straight up loss while the Storm are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up win. Additionally, we play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points that are shooting 44 percent or better on the season, after a game where they made 15 percent of their three-point shots or worse. This situation is 24-5 ATS (82.8 percent) since 1997. 10* (615) Washington Mystics |
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09-09-18 | Texans +7 v. Patriots | Top | 20-27 | Push | 0 | 25 h 46 m | Show |
This is a play on the HOUSTON TEXANS for our NFL Game of the Week. Houston and New England met last September and that was the Deshawn Watson breakout game. While he did throw two picks, he went 22-33 for 301 yards and two touchdowns and the Texans easily covered. He is healthy and Houston is in for a big season. The Patriots not favored by nearly as much this time around but this number is too high for a depleted New England team to be laying. Tom Brady is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league but we could see some struggles early in the season as he has no one to throw to. Additionally, he could struggle here staying upright as the Patriots lost left tackle Nate Solder to the Giants in free agency, and then proceeded to lose first-round pick Isaiah Wynn to a torn Achilles back in August. While New England has been a perennial strong starters, it is just 2-2 over the last four years, and the win gap for those two victories has only gotten smaller with an average of 4.5 ppg and it has failed to cover four of its last five season openers. The Texans defense was one of the worst last season but they should get back to form this year as defensive end J.J. Watt and linebacker Whitney Mercilus return and they added safely Tyrann Mathieu to help in the secondary. While Watson is the key to the offense, this is a big spot for Lamar Miller to put up a big game to keep the Patriots defense off balance. 10* (465) Houston Texans |
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09-09-18 | Steelers v. Browns +5 | 21-21 | Win | 100 | 25 h 42 m | Show | |
This is a play on the CLEVELAND BROWNS as part of our NFL Sunday Trifecta. This line has come down since it opened at 6.5 but there is still value to be had. The Steelers are a popular choice to win the AFC this season but the season has not even started and there is turmoil going on with the whole Le'Veon Bell fiasco. This is still a very talented team from top to bottom but Pittsburgh has notoriously laid an egg on the road in games it should dominate, case in point last season when it came here and won by just three points in the season opener. The Steelers are a pedestrian 11-11 ATS as road favorites the last four seasons. Going back, the Steelers are 1-8 ATS in their last divisional road openers. No team needs to win more than the Browns do opening week. The Browns are a team that desperately needs to erase the zero from the win column as soon as they can as eliminating the zero would lift a burden that figures to grow heavier each week. We know they have not won a season opener since 2004, which is comical to be honest, but this is a different team with a different attitude that overhauled 59 percent of their roster. Players said the roster turnover makes for a fresh start for a team eager and ready to forget 2017 in its entirety. New quarterback, receivers and running back as well as a stronger defense is going to put Cleveland in place to win this season and it has to start here. 9* (454) Cleveland Browns |
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09-09-18 | 49ers +7 v. Vikings | 16-24 | Loss | -115 | 25 h 41 m | Show | |
This is a play on the SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS as part of our NFL Sunday Trifecta. While still rebuilding, the 49ers come into the 2018 season with a full head of steam as they won their final five games last season. They went 6-10 but were much better than that record indicates as five of those losses were by three points or less including two in overtime. Jimmy Garoppolo is still a work in progress but the talent is there and we have seen in the past what Kyle Shanahan can do with quarterbacks and he looked sharp in those games last season. His completion rate of 67.4 percent was far above average. His 8.8 ypa showed he has the ability to push the ball downfield with the best of them. His 96.2 passer rating was solid and his 80.7 QBR was even better. One of the concerning trends from the Vikings defense in the preseason was their susceptibility to short and screen passes and that is where San Francisco can exploit them. On offense, the Vikings spent the offseason investing $84 million in quarterback Kirk Cousins but placed a lower priority on the offensive line and that could come back to haunt them on Sunday. Minnesota lost last season's guards and have inserted a center they traded for only two weeks ago. This is the first test of the new Vikings offense, featuring a new quarterback and a new offensive coordinator. They were inconsistent in camp, and there might be a fair amount of growing pains as these new players get to know one another. 9* (455) San Francisco 49ers |
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09-09-18 | Jaguars v. Giants +3 | 20-15 | Loss | -105 | 25 h 39 m | Show | |
This is a play on the NEW YORK GIANTS as part of our NFL Sunday Trifecta. It was a miserable season for Big Blue in 2017 as early season injuries put them in a hole they could not climb out of. Expectations are high this season however yet this line looks to be based mostly on the failures from last season and the success of the Jaguars. For the Giants, who face a tough four-game stretch to start their 2018, the Jaguars are a very good test to see just how far they have come under new head coach Pat Shurmur. Jacksonville made an unlikely run to the AFC Championship last season with the defense leading the way. We will see early on if the Jaguars are for real or if they go back to their same old ways. One key here for the Giants is to establish the run with heralded rookie Saquon Barkley as the Jaguars were susceptible to the run at times last season. This is actually two-fold as it means the offensive line, which was horrendous last season but much improved, is doing its job which also means they will be protecting Eli Manning. If Manning has time, the Giants have big play options that can hurt the Jaguars. On the other side, New York has to control Leonard Fournette and his strength of running between the tackles is also the Giants strength on defense. Do this and they will make Blake Bortles beat them and that is the goal. Jacksonville went 5-9 in games last season in which Bortles was sacked more than once and 2-5 in games in which the quarterback tossed an interception. 9* (462) New York Giants |
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09-08-18 | Penn State v. Pittsburgh +9.5 | 51-6 | Loss | -110 | 56 h 1 m | Show | |
This is a play on the PITTSBURGH PANTHERS as part of our CFB Saturday Trifecta. At first glance, the Pittsburgh offense looks to be in trouble as it lost its top two quarterbacks and its top receiver. However, it is far from in trouble. Max Browne who came over from USC as a graduate transfer played sparingly last season and was eventually lost for the year because of injury. True freshman Kenny Pickett took over late in the season and nearly led the Panthers to an upset at Virginia Tech and then in his first career start, he led them to a win over then No. 2 Miami. While the top receiver may have left, the next four in yards and catches are all back and Pickett played very well last week against Albany. The defense improve immensely last season as the Panthers allowed nearly 10 ppg less and 56 ypg fewer than in 2016 and that was with just three starters returning. Now they have nine starters back on defense including the entire front seven. They will not have two deal with Saquon Barkley as well as two of the other top four receivers that have left. Penn St. escaped a near upset last week as it defeated Appalachian St. in overtime thanks to a 16-yard touchdown pass with less than a minute remaining in regulation. Trace McSorley is a solid quarterback but he did show some struggles last week and now he hits the road in what is going to be a hostile environment. The Nittany Lions are usually known for a tough defense but they struggled last week against a sophomore quarterback with no experience as the loss of eight starters on defense was evident. Pittsburgh is 11-0-1 ATS in its last 12 games as a home underdog of eight or more points. 9* (386) Pittsburgh Panthers |
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09-08-18 | Cincinnati v. Miami-OH | 21-0 | Loss | -116 | 56 h 52 m | Show | |
This is a play on the MIAMI OHIO REDHAWKS as part of our CFB Saturday Trifecta. The battle of the Victory Bell continues this Saturday in this western Ohio rivalry and the RedHawks look to have their best shot in a long time to try and halt the 12-game losing streak in this series. While revenge has been on the plate for the last 11 years, there is a little added motivation for Miami Ohio thus week. In 2017, Cincinnati won the yardage battle 361-291 but scored just once through three quarters as it had two interceptions, a missed field goal and a turnover on downs. Miami kicked a field goal with 4:45 left in the game to take a 17-6 lead but Cincinnati went 75 yards on eight plays to pull within three points and then three plays later, picked off a Gus Ragland pass and returned it 14 yards for the winning score. They dropped their opener to Marshall last week despite a solid performance from Ragland but they were unable to get anything going on the ground. That can change here as Miami returns its top six running backs and the entire offensive line and now faces a Cincinnati defense that has been a sieve for years. The Bearcats are coming off a supposed upset at UCLA but the Bruins are junk as they are picked to finish last in the Pac 12 South and are learning a new system. Cincinnati is coming off consecutive 4-8 seasons and returns just 12 starters while coming in as the No. 101 experienced team in the country. Here, we play against teams in the second game of the season coming off a win as an underdog of a touchdown or more going up against a non-conference team seeking revenge. This situation is 15-2 ATS (88.2 percent) since 1993. 9* (380) Miami Ohio RedHawks |
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09-08-18 | Fresno State v. Minnesota -2.5 | 14-21 | Win | 100 | 56 h 34 m | Show | |
This is a play on the MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS as part of our CFB Saturday Trifecta. Minnesota made some noise last season as it opened 3-0 but faltered down the stretch to finish 5-7 after losing its last two games by a combined 70-0 against Northwestern and Wisconsin. It was still considered a successful season for the Gophers as they were one of the youngest teams in the nation but now bring back 14 starters with higher expectations. Head coach PJ Fleck is taking this program in the right direction and after turning around Western Michigan in just two seasons, he is looking for that here. Minnesota is coming off a 38-point win over New Mexico St. after a slow start to dominate all facets of the game. The Gophers allowed just 38 yards rushing on 20 carries (1.8 ypc) and going back, they are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games when allowing 40 or fewer yards. Fresno St. checked in as one of the biggest surprises a year ago as it went from 1-11 in 2016 to 10-4 last season which included an 11-2-1 ATS mark, tied with Iowa St. for best in the country. The Bulldogs defeated Idaho last week 79-13 but it was not a complete domination as they benefitted from seven Vandals turnovers. They broke open a competitive game with a pair of blocked fields goals for touchdowns and an interception returned for a touchdown to close out the first half. Head coach Jeff Tedford has done an amazing job through just 15 games but this is the first time since early last season facing a Power Five Conference. This victory over the Aggies made it eight straight non-conference win for Minnesota and with a shot line, a win likely means a cover here as well. 9* (376) Minnesota Golden Gophers |
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09-08-18 | Florida International v. Old Dominion +1 | Top | 28-20 | Loss | -110 | 56 h 48 m | Show |
This is a play on the OLD DOMINION MONARCHS for our CFB Saturday Enforcer. One angle we like to look at early in the season is playing on teams that are expected to be improved from last season but came out of the gates slow. If they truly are supposed to be better, they will bounce back sooner rather than later and we are expecting that with Old Dominion this Saturday. The Monarchs got crushed against Liberty which was playing its first game in the FBS as they lost by 42 points and were outgained by 290 yards. Those are some ugly numbers but in this case, it brings the spread down this week for a team that is already in desperate need of a win before the season spirals out of control, especially with this being an early conference game. Florida International played a better game last week as it lost to Indiana by just 10 points but the game was at home and the Panthers were still outgained by 138 yards. We should see some regression from them this season as they went 8-5 but half of their wins came by just one possession and that usually spells a step back the next year. Butch Davis is a solid coach but this is just his second year here so most of his experienced players are those recruited by Ron Turner. Here, we play on teams that were outgained by 75 or more ypg last season, returning 8 or more offensive starters and QB going up against an opponent returning five or less defensive starters. This situation is 30-8 ATS (78.9 percent) over the last five seasons. Additionally, home underdogs in Game Two that lost straight up as road favorites are 7-2 ATS since 1988. Meanwhile, the Panthers are 2-6 ATS their last eight September games. 10* (320) Old Dominion Monarchs |
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09-08-18 | Georgia v. South Carolina +10 | Top | 41-17 | Loss | -108 | 52 h 42 m | Show |
This is a play on the SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS for our CFB Saturday Star Attraction. Georgia had its chance last season as it nearly won the National Championship but lost to Alabama in overtime in what was a classic final. The Bulldogs had no issues with Austin Peay in their opener last week as they rolled to a 45-0 win but the competition takes a big step up this week. It is hard to gauge how the offense will shape up with the loss of running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel who combined for an incredible 2,608 yards rushing last season and as good as Jacob Fromm is, losing that tandem is tough to adjust to. Last season, Georgia possessed one of the best defenses in the country as it returned 10 starters but things will not be quite as stout this season as they lost six starters including All-American linebacker Roquan Smith whose 137 tackles are just short of their top three returning tacklers. South Carolina went through a mediocre three-year stretch before putting together a solid 9-4 season last year and big things are expected in 2018. The Gamecocks also rolled in their season opener against Coastal Carolina so that does not give a great indication of what to expect either. One thing we can take from that is the performance of quarterback Jake Bentley who looked extremely sharp and he has one of his top targets back in Deebo Samuel who was lost after three games last season. South Carolina falls into a simple yet effective situation where we play on home underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points that had a winning record last season. This situation is 84-44 ATS (65.6 percent) since 1992. 10* (348) South Carolina Gamecocks |
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09-08-18 | Buffalo v. Temple -4.5 | 36-29 | Loss | -106 | 52 h 38 m | Show | |
This is a play on the TEMPLE OWLS for our CFB Saturday Supreme Annihilator. This line has come down since opening based on results from last week but we should see things return to order this week. Buffalo rolled over Delaware St. by 38 points but it should have dominated more based on the 44.5-point spread and on top of it, the Bulls only outgained the Hornets by 79 yards so it was a misleading final score. Buffalo should be an improved team this season from its 6-6 2017 squad that missed out on a bowl game as it has 14 starters back but the Bulls are in a tough spot hitting the road for the first time this season. While Buffalo was winning, Temple lost against Villanova but the Wildcats are no pushover as they came into season ranked No. 30 (Delaware St. came in ranked No. 117) in the FCS but the Owls still never should have lost. They made it to their third straight bowl games last season after finishing third in the AAC East and they are expected to be contenders this season along with UCF and USF. The Temple defense regressed last season by close to 100 ypg and over a touchdown from 2016, but it only brought back four starters and the Owls are much more experienced this year. The offense was bad last week with just 251 total yards but we will see a better effort this week and going back, the Owls are 21-6 ATS in their last 27 games after accumulating less than 275 total yards in their previous game. Additionally, they are 8-1 ATS in their last nine games following a loss. Meanwhile, the Bulls are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 road games while going just 2-11 straight up in those games. 9* (346) Temple Owls |
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09-08-18 | Hamilton -5.5 v. Toronto | Top | 36-25 | Win | 100 | 3 h 28 m | Show |
This is a play on the HAMILTON TIGER-CATS for our CFL Saturday Enforcer. Typically, this would be a good spot to go contrarian and back the home underdog but right now, there is a huge variance between these two teams. It is hard to believe that Toronto is the reigning Grey Cup champions as it is 3-7 and it just goes to show how important the quarterback is in this league. Ricky Ray has been the face of this franchise since 2012 but he was injured in the season opener and is done for the year. Ray led the Argonauts to Grey Cup victories in 2012 and 2017, and he also claimed the CFL championship in 2003 and 2005 while with the Edmonton Eskimos. In ten games, Toronto has been outgained nine times including last week at Hamilton by 322 yards. The Tiger-Cats are just 5-5 but remain a sleeper team for the postseason as they have played better than their record indicates. They have been outgained only twice all season as they own the top offense and the second ranked defense and their 126.9 ypg differential is the best in the CFL. Entering Week 13 of the regular season, Hamilton holds a four-point advantage over the Argonauts and the idle Alouettes for second place in the East Division and are looking to win their third consecutive game. Speaking of quarterback play, Jeremiah Masoli has been exceptional as he has thrown for at least 300 yards in eight of their 10 games, including a 385-yard output against the Argonauts on Monday. 10* (653) Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
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09-07-18 | Mystics v. Storm -4.5 | Top | 76-89 | Win | 100 | 10 h 18 m | Show |
This is a play on the SEATTLE STORM for our WNBA Friday Enforcer. The points look tempting here but this is not a good spot for Washington in the opener of the WNBA Finals. The Mystics overcame a 2-1 deficit against Atlanta in the semifinal round to win the final two games and it was somewhat surprising considering what they were handed. Elena Delle Donne went down with a knee in jury in Game Two and while she came back after missing Game Three, she clearly was not 100 percent. In the first two games of the series, she averaged 29.5 ppg and 13.5 rpg on 48.5 percent shooting but the last two games, she put up just 14.5 ppg and 10.5 rpg, while shooting just 39.2 percent. This is not good against the athletic and active frontcourt of Breanna Stewart and Natasha Howard. Seattle had to survive a Game Five as well as it defeated the Mercury after dropping the two games in Phoenix. From a logistics standpoint, the Storm remain home for the opener while Washington has a tough travel schedule, going from Atlanta on Tuesday to back home and now having to travel out west. The home team won all three meetings this season and Seattle has not forgotten the last matchup in Washington where the Mystics won by 23 points, the worst loss of the season for the Storm. Here, we play on favorites that are revenging a loss by 10 points or more going up against that opponent after two consecutive covers as a favorite. This situation is 48-21 ATS (69.6 percent) since 1997. 10* (614) Seattle Storm |
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09-06-18 | Falcons v. Eagles +1 | Top | 12-18 | Win | 100 | 31 h 8 m | Show |
This is a play on the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES for our NFL Thursday Season Opening Enforcer. Everyone has likely heard of the Super Bowl hangover but it does not pertain to the first week of the next season. Since the NFL began its current format for the Kickoff Opener with the winners of the previous Super Bowl playing host to the first game of the season, defending champions are 11-2 in those games (not counting Baltimore in 2013 since its game was moved to the road because of an Orioles scheduling conflict). The defending home team went 8-4-1 ATS. Going back further prior to the Thursday Kickoff Opener, defending Super Bowl Champions have gone 15-2 straight up and 11-5-1 ATS the last 17. One of those two losses was last season when Kansas City surprised the Patriots but it was definitely a fluke as the Chiefs scored three fourth quarter touchdowns thanks to the emergence of Kareem Hunt, who at that time was a relevant unknown. The Eagles look to keep their momentum going from their Super Bowl win over New England and they will go with Nick Foles at quarterback to give Carson Wentz another 10 days to be fully cleared. We know what Foles can do and we take advantage of this based on the line move that has gone under the key number of three. Atlanta will be playing with some revenge after coming two yards short of advancing to the NFC Championship. We are not an advocate of road revenge especially in a case like this with a short number against a team celebrating its first ever championship. The Eagles are 7-2 ATS in their last nine home games while going 6-0 ATS in its last six games where the line is +3 to -3 over the last two seasons. 10* (452) Philadelphia Eagles |
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09-03-18 | Edmonton +8 v. Calgary | Top | 20-23 | Win | 100 | 4 h 50 m | Show |
This is a play on the EDMONTON ESKIMOS for our CFL Monday Enforcer. It has been an up and down run for Edmonton as it looks to bounce back from its worst game of the season. The Eskimos only lost by a point to Hamilton but they were outgained by 195 yards in an ugly loss where they blew a 14-point lead. Edmonton comes into today with a 6-4 record and sits in second place in the West Division, four points back of the 8-1 Stampeders for first place. Prior to Hamilton, the Eskimos outgained their previous seven opponents and they are in good position to get back into this rivalry as the Eskimos have not won on Labour Day since the 2011 season and they have not had a lead on Labour Day since the 2012 game. Calgary bounced back from its first loss of the season with a 13-point win against Winnipeg last Saturday and it remains the class of the league. While the Stampeders have surrendered just nine offensive touchdowns in the nine games they have played this year, this is the first time they will face an offense led by Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly, who leads the league in both passing touchdowns, with 22, and rushing touchdowns, with eight. Edmonton falls into a spectacular contrarian situation where we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 10 points after outgaining their last opponent by 70 or more total yards going up against an opponent after being outgained by its opponent by 70 or more total yards last game. This situation is 59-28 ATS (67.8 percent) since 1996. 10* (645) Edmonton Eskimos |
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09-02-18 | Miami-FL -3.5 v. LSU | Top | 17-33 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 17 m | Show |
This is a play on the MIAMI HURRICANES for our CFB Sunday Star Attraction. LSU is one of the most inexperienced teams in the country as it is ranked No. 129 out of 130 teams so the schedule is not in its favor to open the season. Sure, there is talent as there always is in Baton Rouge, but it may take some time for this program to click. Head coach Ed Orgeron has replaced most of his staff after finishing 9-4 in 2017 so they have implemented new schemes. After trotting star running backs to start each of the last five seasons, this may be the first instance in a long time that the Tiger running game may not actually be a strength. Making matters worse, the offensive line is a mess. Starting right guard Ed Ingram is suspended indefinitely, forcing the Tigers to turn to JUCO transfer Damien Lewis to solve the issue on the offensive interior. The turnaround in Miami is officially in place and it once again is a national title contender. The Hurricanes opened last season with a 10-0 record but lost their last three games because of a banged up offense. They bring back 14 starters, seven on each side, and the real strength is the defense which is not a good thing for the Tigers and the offense that is breaking in a quarterback, running back and wide receivers along with the aforementioned offensive line. Joe Burrow is talented at quarterback but he never had the opportunity to play in meaningful snaps at Ohio St. and he will be facing a Miami defense that is loaded at all three levels. 10* (217) Miami Hurricanes |
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09-02-18 | Winnipeg v. Saskatchewan -3.5 | Top | 23-31 | Win | 100 | 6 h 60 m | Show |
This is a play on the SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS for our CFL Sunday Enforcer. We have the advantage of a small number here based on the fact these two teams are going in opposite directions. The Roughriders have been trotting along since quarterback Zach Collaros returned from injury, going 2-1, including handing the Stampeders their first loss of the season. They are a half-game behind Edmonton in the West Division, which plays Calgary tomorrow, so they could be sitting in second place come tomorrow provided they take care of business in the annual Banjo Bowl. Saskatchewan has won the yardage battle in three of its last five games and the two it did not, it was outgained by only 12 and 13 yards. The Roughriders are 3-2 at home but one of those losses was against Calgary and while the other one was an inexcusable one against Montreal, it was due to four thrown interceptions by the two backups. Winnipeg has lost two straight games and neither were really close but the problem actually goes back further. Despite victories over Hamilton and Toronto prior to that, the Blue Bombers have been outgained in all four games and by an average of 91.8 ypg so it has been a significant discrepancy. Winnipeg running back Andrew Harris continues to lead the league in rushing yards, but faces a strong defensive line anchored by the August Top Performer Charleston Hughes, who leads the league with 12 sacks. Saskatchewan is second in the CFL in rushing defense as it allowed just 78.3 ypg and that will be an issue here for Winnipeg considering its passing offense has not been good enough this season to carry it. 10* (644) Saskatchewan Roughriders |
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09-01-18 | Louisiana Tech -10 v. South Alabama | Top | 30-26 | Loss | -105 | 75 h 28 m | Show |
This is a play on the LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGS for our CFB Game of the Week. Laying a significant number on the road is never ideal but it is justified here. Louisiana Tech has put together four straight winning seasons and while last year was the worst of the bunch, the Bulldogs went on to win their fourth consecutive bowl game. One thing that has eluded them is a C-USA Championship as they have gone to the title game twice, only to fall short. This could be one of their best team over this stretch as they bring back 15 starters and are the tenth most experienced team in the nation. They are led by quarterback J'Mar Smith who threw for almost 3,000 yards and 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions and in front of him are four returning starters on the offensive line. South Alabama will be going through some early season struggles. The Jaguars have a new head coach in Steve Campbell who has never been a head coach, or even a coordinator at the FBS level. He is bringing in a high powered aerial offense but the personnel is not in place for it to succeed quite yet. The Jaguars are still unsettled at the quarterback position as there were three possible starters listed on the depth chart released this week. Redshirt freshman Cephus Johnson won the job and this will be his first start. Overall, the Jaguars are one of the least experienced teams in the nation. In front of Johnson is just one returning starter as the offensive line is ranked No. 124 out of 130 teams in experience with just 23 total starts. The Jaguars are 8-17 ATS in their last 25 home games while Louisiana Tech has covered its last six game against the Sub Belt Conference. 10* (177) Louisiana Tech Bulldogs |
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09-01-18 | Northern Illinois +10.5 v. Iowa | 7-33 | Loss | -108 | 72 h 2 m | Show | |
This is a play on the NORTHERN ILLINOIS HUSKIES for our CFB Saturday Ultimate Underdog. Iowa finished 8-5 last season and went to its fifth straight bowl game, defeating Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl 27-20. The Hawkeyes had a big win over Ohio St. and nearly upset Penn St. but it was a pretty vanilla season overall. They come into this season with a lot of holes to fill as Iowa has just 13 seniors, so this is a young roster with 23 freshmen and sophomores on the depth chart. Northern Illinois got back to its winning ways after a losing season in 2016 and the Huskies are the team to beat in the MAC West. They bring back 14 starters including their quarterback and all five offensive linemen. Offensive line experience is very important early in the season and there is a big disparity here. Northern Illinois has the No. 11 offensive line experience in the nation while Iowa comes in at No. 107 and it is even worse than that for the opener. Sophomore offensive tackles Alaric Jackson and Tristian Wirfs have been suspended and they accounted for 18 of the 43 starts so in reality, the Hawkeyes are ranked No. 124 in that category. This is especially bad against the Huskies, who finished fifth in the nation in sacks (43.0) and tied for the lead in the country with 114.0 tackles for loss. They are led by Sutton Smith who was a consensus All-American as a defensive end/outside linebacker. He also was the MAC Defensive Player of the Year after collecting 63 tackles, 29.5 for loss, and 14 quarterback sacks. Northern Illinois is 13-4 ATS in its last 17 games as a road underdog of 7.5 to 14 points and the Huskies are 10-3 ATS as a road underdog under head coach Rod Carey. 9* (171) Northern Illinois Huskies |
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09-01-18 | Washington State v. Wyoming +1.5 | 41-19 | Loss | -115 | 72 h 45 m | Show | |
This is a play on the WYOMING COWBOYS for our CFB Saturday Supreme Annihilator. We won with Wyoming last week and will jump on board again this week. The Cowboys did not look great on offense against the Aggies but they were not throwing everything out there is hopes of keeping some things for this week. While many think there will be a dropoff due to the loss of first round draft pick quarterback Josh Allen, there should be no dropoff. Allen was not great last season as he completed just 56.3 percent of his passes while throwing for only 1,812 yards and 16 touchdowns. Even better news is that only one other starter on the offense has to be replaced. They were awesome last week on defense and while it can be argued it played a bad offense, the one this week has its issues. The Cowboys allowed just 135 total yards last week and it was no fluke as they did it with defense last season as they cut their ppg allowed nearly in half to just 17.5 ppg and shaved 118 ypg off from 2016. Washington St. cracked the top ten last season after a 6-0 start but went just 3-4 down the stretch and has to replace a lot of parts. The Cougars have just 10 returning starters and have a new defensive coordinator after Alex Grinch left for Ohio St. Only two starters are back on the offensive line, which is ranked No. 111 in experience with only 41 starts and that spells trouble going up against the Wyoming defensive front. They also have to replace all-time Pac 12 passing leader Luke Falk and whoever it is, they did not play a snap last season. While the Cougars do have one of the best receiving corps in the nation, keeping Wyoming out of the backfield will be a test and it could be a long afternoon. 9* (206) Wyoming Cowboys |
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08-31-18 | Storm v. Mercury -2 | Top | 66-86 | Win | 100 | 8 h 47 m | Show |
This is a play on the PHOENIX MERCURY for our WNBA Friday Enforcer. The Mercury are backed into a corner and need three straight wins to avoid being bumped from the playoffs. After losing Game One by four points, Phoenix, which was still down by 17 points with 6 minutes left, went on a 23-6 run to end regulation, tying it on a three-pointer by Diana Taurasi with 3.7 seconds left. The Mercury eventually lost in overtime and now they are back home tonight and Sunday should they stay alive tonight. The key to success for Phoenix is getting off to a better start as Seattle has dominated the first three quarters of the series thus far, outscoring the Mercury 146-118 in that span. A return home can cure that in a hurry. The Storm are proving why they are the best team in the WNBA but we can definitely see a letdown tonight after that overtime victory on Tuesday. There is no desperation at this point with a 2-0 series lead and knowing they have a guaranteed game remaining at home even after the weekend. Seattle has not covered consecutive games against winning teams since the start of the moth while the Mercury are 5-0 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning straight up record. Additionally, we play on home favorites that are averaging 77 or more ppg going up against an opponent after two straight wins by six points or less. This situation is 28-9 ATS (75.7 percent) since 1997. 10* (604) Phoenix Mercury |
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08-31-18 | Colorado State +8 v. Colorado | Top | 13-45 | Loss | -110 | 79 h 26 m | Show |
This is a play on the COLORADO ST. RAMS for our CFB Friday Ultimate Underdog. The college football season kicked off last weekend with Hawaii and Colorado St. and we saw the Rams get embarrassed on national television as they lost by nine points as 17-point favorites. They made a late charge after falling behind by 30 points, but it was too little too late. Colorado St. outgained the Warriors by 36 total yards, so it was a game it could have and should have won. That loss will direct the betting public to Colorado and we have seen a move already as this line was seven points before the action last week and we have seen it rise to -7.5 in most places as 80 percent of bets placed at offshore books are on the Buffaloes. Colorado was looking to make it to two straight bowls last season and was well on the way to do so starting off 5-4 but it dropped its last three games to miss out. Some expect the Buffaloes to improve this season, but it could take some time as they bring back only 10 starters and are just No. 107 in the experience rankings heading into the season. With a multi-dimensional offensive attack to defend, Colorado will have their hands full come Friday. Their run defense struggled mightily a year ago and has two inexperienced starters at both end positions. The Buffaloes allowed 451 ypg last season which was 108 more ypg than the previous year. They do bring back starting quarterback Steven Montez Jr. but they lost their top three receivers as well as leading running back Phillip Lindsay who rushed for 1,507 yards. Here, we play on underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points after gaining 525 or more total yards in their previous game. This situation is 116-61 ATS (65.5 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (147) Colorado St. Rams |
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08-30-18 | Wake Forest v. Tulane +7 | Top | 23-17 | Win | 100 | 77 h 52 m | Show |
This is a play on the TULANE GREEN WAVE for our CFB Thursday Enforcer. Tulane was three points away from its first bowl game since 2013 as it lost the regular season finale by a field goal to SMU when the Mustangs scored a touchdown with two minutes left. That gave the Green Wave plenty of motivation in the offseason and they will need to finish games better than they did a year ago, when they dropped four games by six or fewer points. They have 14 starters back including nine on the offense that had its best season since 2007. Wake Forest went to its second straight bowl game last season as it defeated Texas A&M in a thriller 55-52. Despite an 8-5 record, the Demon Deacons only outgained opponents by 9 ypg. Tulane has two big edges in this game. The first is at quarterback. Wake Forest starting quarterback Kendall Hinton was suspended for the first three games of the season by the coaching staff and true freshman Sam Hartman is slated to start and he is a pretty big unknown at this point. On the other side, junior-college transfer senior Jonathan Banks returns to lead the triple option based offense. He ran for 729 yards on 128 carries last season and was solid through the air as well which can be rare for an option quarterback. They run the option attack from the shotgun and pistol formations, using a no huddle style to keep opponents from subbing. Last year, the Demon Deacons had a trouble stopping the Georgia Tech triple option, giving up 427 yards on 6.5 ypc. Head coach Willie Fitz has been tough to prepare for early in the season as his teams are 12-3 ATS in the first month of the season. 10* (140) Tulane Green Wave |
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08-30-18 | Bills +3 v. Bears | Top | 28-27 | Win | 100 | 11 h 17 m | Show |
This is a play on the BUFFALO BILLS for our NFLX Thursday Enforcer. The final week of the preseason is here and in most cases, the games are meaningless with deep roster spots being the only remaining factor before the regular season starts. Rarely do we see ant starters on the field, let alone quarterbacks, but because of the situation in Buffalo, that is not the case here. Although the Bills aren't likely to play most of their starters, Buffalo will likely evaluate players competing for starting spots. Entering the preseason finale, the Bills are still evaluating players competing for starting jobs at numerous positions including quarterback which is obviously the big one to look at here. We still do not know who the starter is going to be but all three in competition will be playing all out tonight depending on the time they get. This is a very good situation and one that is rare going into the final week of the preseason. On the other side, Mitchell Trubisky and Chase Daniel are fully entrenched as the No. 1 and No. 2 respectively so it will be Tyler Bray for the entire games tonight as he will be out to try and convince head coach Matt Nagy that the Bears should be keeping three quarterbacks. That likely will not happen though. Much of the Bears, who also played in five preseason games this offseason due to the Hall of Fame game, starters likely will not suit up at all on Thursday. Buffalo falls into a favorable situation as well as we play on underdogs or pickems that are coming off an upset loss as a home favorite, with a losing record. This situation is 47-21 ATS (69.1 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (117) Buffalo Bills |
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08-28-18 | Mystics v. Dream +2 | Top | 75-78 | Win | 100 | 10 h 30 m | Show |
This is a play on the ATLANTA DREAM for our WNBA Tuesday Enforcer. Washington took Game One of this series making this a must win game for Atlanta as it needs to avoid going to Washington down 2-0 in this series. Typically, we avoid must win sides because the linesmakers tend to shade the line based on them knowing the public will be on that must win team but that is not the case here. Granted, the line did come down one point from Game One, but the Dream are still the underdog so that point shift is insignificant. Atlanta is now 13-5 at home and the one big difference in Game One was turnovers. The Dream, who forced more turnovers than any other team in the WNBA this season, lost the turnover battle with the Mystics, forcing just four and committing eight. Washington has now won 11 of its last 12 games including two in the playoffs and it hits the road against with its 11-7 record on the highway. The Mystics shot only 38.9 percent from the floor but did go 11-26 from long range which means they shot just 36.9 percent on two-pointers. Additionally, they were perfect from the free throw line, going 20-20. Despite the loss, Atlanta is still 16-4 ATS in its last 20 games against teams allowing 73 or more ppg while going 11-2 ATS in its last 13 games after allowing 80 or more points in its last game. 10* (318) Atlanta Dream |
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08-26-18 | Mercury v. Storm -6 | Top | 87-91 | Loss | -102 | 6 h 7 m | Show |
This is a play on the SEATTLE STORM for our WNBA Sunday Star Attraction. Phoenix made it through two single-elimination rounds to get to this point, defeating Dallas at home on Tuesday and then travelling to Connecticut on Thursday and upsetting the Sun. The Mercury have been a solid road team this season and that includes a win here but that was way back in May in the season opener for both teams. Since the adaptation of the single-elimination rounds, Phoenix is an incredible 13-0 in those one-and-done games. The Storm, after posting the best record in the regular season, earned a double-bye into the semis which gave them an opportunity to get home, get some rest and prepare as they awaited their opponent. Seattle will surely come out with some fire and going for some payback as Phoenix defeated Seattle in the 2007 semifinals enroute to the WNBA Championship, again in the 2011 semifinals, and last year in the first round of the playoffs. Seattle is 13-4 at home and on the season, the Storm are 7-0 ATS against teams that are outscoring their opponents by three or more ppg. Additionally, we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points after allowing 45 points or more in the first half last game going up against an opponent after scoring 80 points or more. This situation is 32-10 ATS (76.2 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (314) Seattle Storm |
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08-25-18 | Wyoming -3.5 v. New Mexico State | Top | 29-7 | Win | 100 | 127 h 48 m | Show |
This is a play on the WYOMING COWBOYS for our CFB Saturday Enforcer. Wyoming has made it to a bowl game in each of the last two seasons and while many thing there will be a dropoff due to the loss of first round draft pick quarterback Josh Allen, there should be no dropoff. Allen was not great last season as he completed just 56.3 percent of his passes while throwing for only 1,812 yards and 16 touchdowns. Even better news is that only one other starter on the offense has to be replaced. Head coach Craig Bohl is the real deal and the rebuild seems to finally be complete. Now it is time to take it to the next level like he did at North Dakota St. where he went 43-2 from 2011-13 with three straight national titles. The Cowboys did it with defense last season as they cut their ppg allowed nearly in half to just 17.5 ppg and shaved 118 ypg off from 2016. Wyoming brings back eight starters from that unit. The Aggies made it to their first bowl game in 57 years, but it will be difficult making it to two straight despite a favorable overall schedule. While the defense should be formidable for New Mexico St., the offense has to replace five starters including their quarterback, top running back and two top receivers. The offense was terrific thanks to the high-powered passing game that finished sixth in the nation averaging 340 yards per game and while there is potential this season, it may take a while to get going. Three starters return to a line that struggled in pass protection and there is no depth whatsoever. While both teams have solid defenses, the Wyoming offense is much more experienced than that of the Aggies which will be the ultimate difference. 10* (291) Wyoming Cowboys |
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08-25-18 | Saskatchewan v. BC -2.5 | Top | 24-21 | Loss | -113 | 15 h 0 m | Show |
This is a play on the B.C. LIONS for our CFL Game of the Month. We were on Saskatchewan last week as they pulled off the huge upset over then undefeated Calgary and we know what we can expect this week and that is a major letdown. The Roughriders improved to 3-2 at home with that victory but they are just 1-2 on the road and their inconsistent play hurts them even more coming off that big victory. This rivalry has not gone their way of late when having to travel as the Roughriders have struggled in B.C., losing each of their last four regular season meetings and seven of their last nine dating back to October 31st of 2010. The Roughriders are 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a straight up win. B.C. is coming off a tough one-point loss in Toronto last week and a win would have given the Lions their first road win of the season, but they fell to 0-5 on the highway. Conversely, they are 3-0 at home including a pair of impressive wins over Winnipeg and Edmonton and this is an extremely important game when looking at the big picture. A victory means B.C. and Saskatchewan are likely in a battle going forward for a playoff spot, but a loss means not only would the Lions fall four points back, they would also be behind the eight ball in terms of the head to head tiebreaker. While the season is just half over, and we do not back teams just because they are in must win spots, this one is different because of the situation. 10* (368) B.C. Lions |
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08-25-18 | Chiefs -3 v. Bears | Top | 20-27 | Loss | -125 | 5 h 8 m | Show |
**Note 1:00 PM ET Start** This is a play on the KANSAS CITY CHIEFS for our NFL Saturday Enforcer. This is a perfect example of why not to bet preseason games early. We have seen a significant line shift in this games, upwards of five points in some places, but it is justified. The Bears announced late Friday night that they will not be playing most of their first-team players tonight against Kansas City. After their best week of practices so far in 2018, Matt Nagy met with the team to inform them most starters, including Mitchell Trubisky, will not play. Nagy's reasoning is that the Bears have practiced more than every other NFL team, because they began a week early due to their participation in the preseason-opening Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 2. While not fair to the home fans, it makes complete sense. Meanwhile, the Chiefs will play their starters into the third quarter. Since 2007 there have been roughly 20 quarterbacks who have started their careers and played eight or more games in a season and of those 20 teams, Patrick Mahomes offensive personnel is the best according to a report from PFR so this has the potential to be a really powerful offense. According to Gary McKenzie, since the NFL merger, no team has replaced their starting quarterback with a 1st or 2nd year quarterback after gaining more than 6,000 yards of offense in the year prior so Mahomes is walking into the best scenario for a young quarterback in over 50 years. 10* (265) Kansas City Chiefs |
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08-24-18 | Lions +3 v. Bucs | Top | 33-30 | Win | 100 | 30 h 34 m | Show |
This is a play on the DETROIT LIONS for our NFLX Friday Enforcer. Detroit is off to a 0-2 start in the preseason and along with Tennessee, they are the only two remaining winless teams that have new head coaches. Matt Patricia certainly brings in a winning mentality from New England and while player evaluations and health are at the top of the list during this exhibition season, getting a winning attitude into the Lions is necessary. Patricia said he plans to give more playing time to his starters, without divulging how much they will actually play, but it will be at least one half and said the Lions have taken a more comprehensive approach to planning for Friday's game against the Buccaneers, scouting an opponent for the first time this summer. Matthew Stafford did not look very good last week but given the fact he and his wife had a baby the night before the game, and he was not exactly playing well-rested, it is only fair we give Stafford a pass. He should see even more time in this game, and it will simply be good to get a sense of where he is at in what is likely his final tuneup before the regular season. Last week for Tampa Bay, Jameis Winston threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns after coming off the bench in the second quarter. Ryan Fitzpatrick had accuracy issues which he will try and overcome as he will get the start and play with the first team to get ready for the season opener. Detroit falls into a great preseason situation as we play against favorites after a win by 14 or more points going up against an opponent after scoring three points or less in the first half last game. This situation is 23-5 ATS (82.1 percent) since 1993. 10* (259) Detroit Lions |
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08-23-18 | Eagles v. Browns -3 | Top | 0-5 | Win | 100 | 9 h 3 m | Show |
This is a play on the CLEVELAND BROWNS for our NFLX Thursday Star Attraction. Injury info will play a big role on this game as a lot of significant names have been confirmed for the Eagles. While we will not see Carson Wentz tonight, and likely not at all during the preseason, the Eagles are dealing with other significant injuries. Nick Foles is not 100 percent but will play tonight after jarring hos shoulder last week against the Patriots. Left tackle Jason Peters and running back Darren Sproles will sit out Thursday as both are coming off reconstructive knee surgeries. Additionally, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery remains on the physically unable to perform list and is unlikely to make an appearance this preseason while fellow wideout Nelson Agholor and running back Jay Ajayi are dealing with lower-body injuries. Cleveland is pretty healthy, and the starters are expected to play into the third quarter. While the Browns have stunk the last two years and even beyond that, they are significantly improved this season with their roster and they will be out to prove something tonight as their preseason has been pretty solid thus far. Cleveland falls into a solid preseason situation as we play on teams that are coming off an upset loss as a home favorite going up against an opponent off a road loss. This situation is 31-12 ATS (72.1 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (252) Cleveland Browns |
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08-23-18 | Edmonton +3.5 v. Hamilton | Top | 24-25 | Win | 100 | 28 h 27 m | Show |
This is a play on the EDMONTON ESKIMOS for our CFL Thursday Enforcer. We have been high on Hamilton this season, justifying that it is better than its record shows and we still believe in that. The Tiger-Cats lost at Winnipeg in their last game two weeks ago. so they do have the benefit of having an extra week of preparation here as they try to move to a game under .500. The problem for Hamilton is that it has struggled against the better teams it has played, going 1-4 against the West Division. That lone win came at Edmonton so while many will think Hamilton has the matchup edge which is not the case and the Eskimos will be out for payback. One of the biggest things hampering Hamilton is they give up a lot of sacks and getting to the quarterback has been a strength of Edmonton so far this season. Hamilton possesses the second best defense in the CFL, but the Eskimos are not far behind, allowing fewer than 17 ypg more. The Edmonton offense is scary good, led by quarterback Mike Reilly. Even more impressive could be the receiving corps as Duke Williams leads all CFL receivers with 831 yards while Derel Walker is right behind him with 816 yards. Since 1958, players from the same team have finished first and second in receiving yards only six times. The Eskimos rebounded from a loss at B.C. with a blowout win over Montreal last week and in nine games this season, they have won the yardage battle in eight of those. Edmonton is ranked No. 2 in the CFL Power Rankings and this has turned into a big game as a win here gets the Eskimos to within a game of first place Calgary heading into their bye week and with a game at Calgary following that. Here, we play against home teams where the line is +3 to -3 coming off a non-conference game. This situation is 41-11 ATS (78.8 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (361) Edmonton Eskimos |
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08-23-18 | Sparks v. Mystics -4.5 | Top | 64-96 | Win | 100 | 9 h 44 m | Show |
This is a play on the WASHINGTON MYSTICS for our WNBA Thursday Star Attraction. We played against Los Angeles on Tuesday and while Minnesota outshot the Sparks 46 percent to 43.5 percent and dominated the offensive glass, the Lynx were only 4-15 from long range and hit a mere six free throws. Los Angeles now has to head east on short notice and it brings in an unimpressive 8-9 road record including four straight losses on the highway. Washington will have a significant home advantage tonight. It will not be in its usual home, the cavernous, 18,000-capacity Capital One Arena as renovations will have the Mystics move to the Smith Center on the George Washington campus that seats just 5,000. Considering Washington averaged 6,136 fans this season, it will be a full house that is right on top of the players and that is a huge home edge. Washington is all too familiar with this type of situation as last season, Minnesota had to relocate from the huge Target Center to the much smaller Williams Arena during the playoffs and the smaller venue was a big advantage with the Lynx winning games against the Mystics by 10 and 20 points. Rest is a significant edge for Washington as it has been home since Sunday while this is the fourth game in seven days for Los Angeles and all have involved travel in the days in-between. The Sparks are 2-12 ATS in their last 14 games when playing their fourth game in seven games and this is not a good situation for any team. 10* (310) Washington Mystics |
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08-21-18 | Lynx +6.5 v. Sparks | Top | 68-75 | Loss | -115 | 12 h 54 m | Show |
This is a play on the MINNESOTA LYNX for our WNBA Tuesday Enforcer. This has a weird look to it as Minnesota and Los Angeles have been the two best teams in the WNBA over the last couple years as they have met in the WNBA Finals the last two seasons and now they are meeting in the first round in a play-in game where it is win or go home. Los Angeles got the home game as it finished a game better than Minnesota as these teams have been pretty equal then and now. However, this line is telling us something different as there is significant value on the Lynx. Over the 2016 and 2017 regular seasons and playoffs, the Lynx and Sparks met 16 times, with each winning eight games. This season, Los Angeles took three of four meetings but one of those was by just one point, so it was nearly a wash again. Los Angeles has regresses on both sides of the ball as it averaged 78.9 ppg compared to 83.5 ppg and 83.0 ppg over the last two seasons. Additionally, the Sparks allowed 77.0 ppg comparted to 75.2 ppg in 2017 and 75.9 ppg in 2016. Both teams average the same amount of points on offense and while the 77 ppg allowed by the Sparks leads the WNBA, Minnesota allows 78.3 ppg which is second best in the league. Minnesota does not want to go out like this, especially with Lindsay Whalen retiring after the season and getting her back home at some point. A win Tuesday would send the Lynx cross-country to either Washington or Connecticut for another single-elimination game Thursday. A win there and the Lynx would begin their best-of-five league semifinals on the road Sunday. Here, we play against home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points that are allowing 44 percent shooting or worse on the season going up against an opponent after three straight games allowing 45 percent shooting or higher over their last three games. This situation is 30-8 ATS (78.9 percent) since 1997. 10* (307) Minnesota Lynx |
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08-19-18 | Calgary v. Saskatchewan +7 | Top | 27-40 | Win | 100 | 10 h 2 m | Show |
This is a play on the SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS for our CFL Sunday Enforcer. Calgary has been the class of the CFL for upwards of the last decade and it is showing it again this season with a perfect 7-0 record. The Stampeders will not be going undefeated this season and coming off a bye week, they are in a vulnerable spot tonight against a desperate team. Showing how dominant they have been, they have been up by at least 14 points in all seven of their games this season and only three teams have done that in seven consecutive games in CFL history, and no team has ever made it to eight straight. This is the best defensive team in the league, but the Roughriders have a solid defense of their own and if it turns into a low scoring game, the underdog has the significant advantage. Adding to it, a home underdog of a touchdown has an even bigger advantage. The Roughriders are also coming off a bye week and it helps more than hurts coming off a pair of losses including a loss to Edmonton in their last game as they were up by two points late in the fourth quarter before eventually losing by seven points. Saskatchewan has already lost at home once to Calgary this season as it fell by 12 points, but it outgained the Stampeders as special teams ended up being the difference. The fact the Roughriders gave up 24 points in the first quarter did not help either so getting off to a better start this time around is crucial. Here, we play on underdogs or pickems that are coming off a loss against a division rival, with a winning percentage between .400 and .499 on the season. This situation is 41-15 ATS (73.2 percent) since 1996. 10* (378) Saskatchewan Roughriders |
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08-18-18 | Raiders -1 v. Rams | Top | 15-19 | Loss | -111 | 5 h 21 m | Show |
This is a play on the OAKLAND RAIDERS for our NFL Saturday Star Attraction. Like last night, we are going with the sharp line movement again today with the Raiders are they opened as three-point underdogs but are now favored by a point in some places. The move is identical to that of Kansas City last night based on late information coming through that starters would play a full half. In this case, it is the opposite as for the second game in a row, Rams head coach Sean McVay confirmed that he will keep nearly all starters sidelined to avoid injury. The decision to do so was made easier because the Rams play the Raiders again in a few weeks. Oakland will utilize their starters a little bit more but because these teams meet in Week One of the regular season, it will be a pretty vanilla approach. One big factor after the starters depart is that there is a quarterback competition going on for the backup spot. Connor Cook was the first quarterback off the bench last week against Detroit, and he took full advantage. A solid performance did not earn Cook the right to back up Derek Carr as head coach Jon Gruden insists that job remains competitive, and that E.J. Manuel would get more work against the Rams. On the other side, it is imperative that Sean Mannion or Brandon Allen step up their play as neither has looked good and Mannion was downright horrible last week against the Ravens. While both will be playing for the backup spot, comparing the Rams and Raiders quarterback situation gives a big edge to Oakland. Los Angeles looked clueless last week against the Ravens and many will flock to the Rams this week expecting a bounce back, similar to the public riding the Falcons last night but the line movement tells a lot once again. 10* (419) Oakland Raiders |
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08-18-18 | BC v. Toronto +3 | Top | 23-24 | Win | 100 | 6 h 54 m | Show |
This is a play on the TORONTO ARGONAUTS for our CFL Saturday Enforcer. Toronto is not getting much respect here as it is in the role of home underdog for the fifth time in five games. The difference here is the fact the first four times were against teams with winning records, three from the West Division and Ottawa which is 6-3 on the season. The Argonauts have played the toughest schedule in the CFL so the fact the reigning Grey Cup Champions are just 2-5 should not come as a huge surprise. Another factor is quarterback. Ricky Ray was lost for the season in Week Two and James Franklin took over, but he was ineffective. Enter McLeod Bethel-Thompson who made his first start two weeks ago against Ottawa and he was outstanding as he was 25-37 for 302 yards, four touchdowns and just one interception as he led Toronto back from a 24-point deficit. The Argonauts are coming off a bye week, which does not help the momentum from that victory, but it does give Bethel-Thompson an extra week of preparation which is important for his second career start. B.C. has been playing a lot better since Travis Lulay has taken over at quarterback, but it could be just an illusion. The Lions have been outgained in three of his four starts and six of their seven games overall. This includes getting outgained by 107 and 91 yards the past two games and the overall numbers are right there with Toronto so making the Lions the road chalk seems to be very aggressive, but it is based on public action and right now that action is all over B.C. 10* (374) Toronto Argonauts |
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08-17-18 | Ottawa +6.5 v. Winnipeg | Top | 44-21 | Win | 100 | 99 h 47 m | Show |
This is a play on the OTTAWA REDBLACKS four our CFL Friday Enforcer. Two weeks ago, Ottawa blew a 38-14 lead late in the third quarter as Toronto outscored the RedBlacks 28-3 the rest of the way to pull off the outright victory. Ottawa clearly came out flat last week against Montreal as it avoided the upset by scoring the final 13 points in the fourth quarter after trailing the Alouettes 17-11 after three quarters. So now the positive momentum is on their side heading into Week Ten. It was a game that should not have been that close as the RedBlacks rung up 587 yards of net offense Saturday night, including a 69-yard touchdown drive that closed out the victory, with 15 seconds left on the clock. They outgained Montreal by 330 total yards and while the challenge will be more difficult here, the linesmakers have made a number based on a score and not what really transpired. Ottawa is 9-0 ATS in its last nine road games after one or more consecutive losses against the spread while going 7-0 ATS in its last seven games as a road underdog of seven points or less. Winnipeg comes in with an identical 5-3 record as it has won three straight games including a six-point victory over Hamilton last week. The Blue Bombers were outgained by 120 yards, so this was also a game that differed from what really happened, and it was the Tiger-Cats that hurt themselves with a pair of lost fumbles and 13 penalties. This score is also playing into the linesmakers number, the same way the Ottawa games from last week is as well. The Blue Bombers are 1-3-1 ATS in their last five games following a straight up win. Ottawa falls into a great situation where we play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points coming off two straight division games. This situation is 116-66 ATS (63.7 percent) since 1996. 10* (371) Ottawa RedBlacks |
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08-17-18 | Aces v. Wings -3.5 | Top | 102-107 | Win | 100 | 9 h 30 m | Show |
This is a play on the DALLAS WINGS for our WNBA Supreme Annihilator. The final spot in the WNBA playoffs is on the line tonight between Las Vegas and Dallas which seasons have gone in opposite directions, but we feel the home team will come through in desperate measures. The rest of the season is simple. The Aces make the playoffs if they win their final two games while the Wings make the playoffs if they beat the Aces tonight as they would own the tiebreaker with a 3-0 season sweep. While this is a must win for Las Vegas to stay alive, it is also a must win for Dallas based on what has happened and what lies ahead. The Wings have lost nine consecutive games, fired coach Fred Williams on Sunday and will close the regular season at the top-seeded Seattle Storm on Sunday. The Aces have won their last two games, at home against the league's two worst teams New York and Indiana, after breaking a five-game losing streak. If there is any good news looking forward for Dallas it is the fact Seattle can clinch the No. 1 seed tonight with a win over New York which is a near lock, so the Storm will rest starters on Sunday. At the same time, the Aces play Atlanta on Sunday and the Dream likely would rest their starters as well having clinched the No. 2 seed. While it is a must win for both, Dallas does not want to have Sunday matter. Here, we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points after a loss by 15 points or more going up against an opponent after scoring 80 points or more. This situation is 46-20 ATS (69.7 percent) since 1997. 10* (310) Dallas Wings |
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08-17-18 | Chiefs -1 v. Falcons | Top | 28-14 | Win | 100 | 8 h 2 m | Show |
This is a play on the KANSAS CITY CHIEFS for our NFLX Friday Supreme Annihilator. We obviously missed the good number here as Atlanta opened as a three-point home favorite, but the Chiefs have shifted to the favorite based on information late in the week. We will gladly take new number in this case as opposed to grabbing an early number on the other side which many did based on the Falcons getting shut out last week and expecting a bounce back this week. Andy Reid confirmed to the media that Chiefs starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the Chiefs starters will get an entire half of play. Reid also said that the second team will get the third quarter and the third team the fourth quarter. This is exactly why we wait during the preseason, so we can get this valuable information and most of the time, the line movement does not even come into play. Mahomes is a special talent with a big arm that we will see more of tonight. Last week, of 44 dropbacks on Thursday night against the Texans, the Chiefs ran only eight route concepts that threatened the Texans vertically. They are expected to open it up more tonight as Reid has already said the first game was simply about getting live game action under their belt. We played against the Falcons last week and they are not only in a tough matchup spot this week, they are not going to counter by going with their starters for long. Head coach Dan Quinn said Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman will be available but implied they will play very little, if at all. As mentioned last week, Quinn has made it clear he does not care about preseason results as Atlanta is now 0-5 both straight up and against the number going back to last season. 10* (409) Kansas City Chiefs |
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08-16-18 | Steelers +5.5 v. Packers | Top | 34-51 | Loss | -105 | 10 h 19 m | Show |
This is a play on the PITTSBURGH STEELERS for our NFLX Thursday Enforcer. Once news came out Ben Roethlisberger was out on injury protocol, this line went from 2.5 to 5.5 which is a huge overadjustment considering he would not have played much to begin with. Additionally, on the same day, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed that Aaron Rodgers would in fact be starting which helped drive up the line, but the Rodgers info means little. He will see a series, maybe two, as health is the bigger issue for Green Bay. Rodgers played three series and 26 plays last preseason and two series and 26 plays in the 2016 preseason. That is down from five series and 45 plays in 2015, eight series and 69 plays in 2014 and 16 series and 93 plays in Rodgers first season as the starter in 2008 so priorities are changing. Mike Tomlin said that Mason Rudolph and Josh Dobbs will be featured exclusively in the Steelers second game of the preseason and that is not a bad thing after seeing last week. Dobbs went 9-of-13 with a touchdown and an interception against the Eagles while Rudolph, who played the entire second half, went 7-of-12 for 102 yards. This was with no scheming but this week, both quarterbacks got a taste of the Packers defense and they were able to do some gameplanning. The Packers played a vanilla defense last week and defensive coordinator Mike Pettine confirmed they will be doing the same again this week. We will back the value as a line move of three points for a preseason game is absurdly too much. 10* (405) Pittsburgh Steelers |
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08-15-18 | Liberty +11 v. Aces | Top | 72-85 | Loss | -108 | 10 h 4 m | Show |
This is a play on the NEW YORK LIBERTY for our WNBA Wednesday Enforcer. As we near the end of the WNBA season, teams are vying for playoff spots and playoff seeds. Because of this and these must win spots, linesmakers have to overadjust lines because the public tends to go right after those teams in must win situations and we are seeing that tonight. Las Vegas is trying to chase down Dallas for the eighth and final playoff spot as it is percentage points behind, having one less victory but also having one less defeat, although the forfeit against Washington has not officially been added yet based on the standings. There are just two games left in the season after this one with one of those at Dallas on Friday and then the season finale against Atlanta, who could be resting their starters. This line is simply too high. New York is playing out the string of its extremely disappointing season as it has now lost nine straight games. However, all but one of those were against teams currently holding down a playoff spot but it has not been an easy stretch. New York has been a double-digit underdog three times this season and those were games at Washington, Connecticut and Los Angeles and Las Vegas does not fall into that group. Here, we play on road teams after three or more consecutive losses going up against an opponent after one or more consecutive wins. This situation is 55-22 ATS (71.4 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (303) New York Liberty |
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08-12-18 | Storm +1.5 v. Lynx | Top | 81-72 | Win | 100 | 9 h 34 m | Show |
This is a play on the SEATTLE STORM for our WNBA Sunday Enforcer. With the recent surge of Atlanta, Seattle has seen its lead for the top spot in the WNBA drop to two games over the Dream with three games remaining. A win today likely locks up the No. 1 seed as the Storm close the season with winnable home games against New York and Dallas. They have been the best road team in the league this season as they are 12-4 and coming off a loss at Washington by 23 points which should certainly motivate them tonight to close out their road slate for the season. The Storm are 7-0 straight up and ATS this season in their road games after allowing 80 or more points in their previous game. All of those wins have come by at least 13 points and by an average of 17.7 ppg. Minnesota is normally fighting for the No. 1 seed at this point in the season but right now it is part of a group of five teams within a game and a half of third place. Clearly, this is a big game for the Lynx, but this is a team on the decline and the fact they have beaten only one playoff team since July 7th is telling. Here, we play against home teams (that have made 45 percent or more of their shots over their last two games going up against an opponent that has allowed 45 percent or higher shooting over its last three games This situation is 49-21 ATS (70 percent) since 1997. 10* (607) Seattle Storm |
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08-11-18 | Chargers v. Cardinals -2.5 | Top | 17-24 | Win | 100 | 13 h 24 m | Show |
This is a play on the ARIZONA CARDINALS for our NFLX Saturday Enforcer. The first-year head coach is always a great angle to play in the preseason if given the right circumstances. I am a fan of playing first year head coaches in their first games as those guys want to infuse a new winning attitude into the team as it is usually the case that the previous season was far from a good one. This season, there are seven new head coaches in the league including Steve Wilks for the Cardinals. When he addressed the media Thursday morning, Wilks said all the quarterbacks will play on Saturday. That would include Bradford, rookie Josh Rosen, Mike Glennon and undrafted rookie Chad Kanoff. Wilks has stated previously that Bradford would be pulled before most of the starters and that Rosen was going to play quite a bit. Rosen said he has progressed each day over the last few weeks and he is playing more reactionary football with his first NFL action finally here. On the other side, if Philip Rivers plays at all, and if he does, it will likely only be one series, Geno Smith and Cardale Jones still will do the bulk of the quarterback work as the battle for No. 2 continues. It feels as if Smith, the more experienced of the two, has the edge because the Chargers know what it looks like when he leads a team. Jones, however, has the physical gifts to win the job if he looks comfortable in game situations. In his first season, Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn indicated player health was more important than wins, as they went 1-3, and we expect the same mindset this season. 10* (282) Arizona Cardinals |
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08-11-18 | Wings +6.5 v. Dream | Top | 82-92 | Loss | -108 | 3 h 57 m | Show |
**Note 2:05 PM ET Start** This is a play on the DALLAS WINGS for our WNBA Saturday Enforcer. Atlanta remains red hot as it has won 12 of its last 13 games but it will have to maintain momentum without one of its star players, All-Star forward Angel McCoughtry. She tore ligaments in her left knew on Tuesday and while the Dream won their game on Thursday in her first game out, it was one of those situations where players step up in their first gamed after a star player has been lost. Things could be tougher moving forward and they will be facing a desperate team today. Dallas looked to be a lock for a playoff spot, but it has lost six straight games and the final playoff spot is still up for grabs between the Wings, Aces and Sky. Dallas has a two-game lead over the Aces, but Las Vegas is playing the worst team in the league tonight so a loss here and that lead will likely be just one game. The schedule is brutal the rest of the way with only one home game left and the four road games against playoff qualifiers, so they need to step it up now. Dallas falls into a great contrarian situation where we play on road underdogs after three or more consecutive losses going up against an opponent after one or more consecutive wins. This situation is 50-17 ATS (74.6 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (305) Dallas Wings |
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08-10-18 | Fever v. Mercury -12 | Top | 74-94 | Win | 100 | 12 h 33 m | Show |
This is a play on the PHOENIX MERCURY for our WNBA Friday Star Attraction. Phoenix remains in a funk as it has lost two straight games, six of its last seven and nine of its last 11. The Mercury are still in line for a playoff berth at 16-14 as they need to win one more game or have Las Vegas lose one more game and they could not ask for a better matchup tonight. They have dropped five straight games at home, so they are due for an explosion especially against a team they have dominated the first two meetings this season, both on the road, as they defeated Indiana by 18 and 19 points. Indiana has had a miserable season but to its credit, it has been playing better of late, winning three of its last six games. The Fever have struggled this season against good offenses as they are 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games against teams averaging 73 or more ppg. As mentioned, this is a revenge game for Indiana and it has not responded well as it is 1-9 ATS it its last 10 games revenging a home loss by 10 points or more. Additionally, Phoenix falls into a solid situation where we play on home favorites in the second half of the season after having lost four of their last five games, with a winning percentage between .450 and .550. This situation is 55-27 ATS (67.1 percent) since 1997. 10* (304) Phoenix Mercury |
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08-10-18 | Hamilton +6 v. Winnipeg | Top | 23-29 | Push | 0 | 53 h 20 m | Show |
This is a play on the HAMILTON TIGER-CATS for our CFL Game of the Week. We won with Hamilton last week as it completely demolished Montreal and while a win over the Alouettes is nothing special, it does give the Tiger-Cats much needed confidence moving forward. They had lost three straight games prior to that and now sit at 3-4 but they have played better than this record shows. While the domination against Montreal skews the numbers slightly, Hamilton has outgained five of seven opponents and one of the games it was outgained in, it was against 7-0 Calgary and it was by just 29 total yards. Overall, the Tiger-Cats are outgaining opponents by 90.2 ypg which is the second best differential in the CFL. And making it more impressive in that they have played a tough schedule five of seven games against the West Division as well as a game against Ottawa. Winnipeg is coming off a bye week where it won its previous two games to improve to 4-3 on the season. The Blue Bombers have played an opposite type of schedule as they have played just one team with a winning record and of the six games against losing teams, five of those have been against opponents with two of fewer wins. They will be out for revenge following a 31-17 loss at Hamilton earlier in the season, but they do not match up well with the strong Hamilton running game that has been bolstered even more with the return of Alex Green. Going back, the Tiger-Cats have covered eight of their last 10 road games and they fall into a solid situation where we play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points coming off in two straight division games. This situation is 115-66 ATS (63.5 percent) since 1996. 10* (353) Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
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08-10-18 | Falcons v. Jets -3.5 | Top | 0-17 | Win | 100 | 8 h 29 m | Show |
This is a play on the NEW YORK JETS for our NFLX Friday Star Attraction. One of the keys to a successful preseason is backing teams that are trying hard as opposed to just going through the motions to evaluate young talent and fill non-starter roster spots. Atlanta is pretty much set on both sides of the ball in its key positions so there will be a lot of second and third string players trying to impress. The quarterback rotation is key on both sides. Matt Ryan will get a series for the Falcons and that will likely be it. After that. It will be Matt Schaub, likely that some people did not know he was still even in the league, and then into undrafted free agent Kurt Benkert and former third round pick Garrett Grayson for the bulk of the game. As for the Jets, there is a three-way battle for the starting spot as Josh McCown is currently listed as the starter but there will be a battle to unseat him between Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Darnold. McCown will see limited action and there likely will be equal reps for Bridgewater and Darnold which is a good thing as both have been very impressive during preseason camp. Falcons head coach San Quinn has made it clear he does not care about preseason results when Atlanta went 0-4 both straight up and against the number. 10* (276) New York Jets |
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08-09-18 | Bears +2.5 v. Bengals | Top | 27-30 | Loss | -105 | 25 h 38 m | Show |
This is a play on the CHICAGO BEARS for our NFLX Thursday Enforcer. The first-year head coach is always a great angle to play in the preseason if given the right circumstances. I am a fan of playing first year head coaches in their first games as those guys want to infuse a new winning attitude into the team as it is usually the case that the previous season was far from a good one. This season, there are seven new head coaches in the league including Matt Nagy who is coaching his second game. The Bears did not come away with a win, although they did cover, and there will be extra effort put forth to get that first win here. The starters did not play in Canton, but Nagy confirmed they will be out there this Thursday including quarterback Mitchell Trubisky for at least a couple series. Offensive line is a concern coming into the season as three of the five expected starters will be playing their first games with the Bengals, left tackle Cordy Glenn, right tackle Bobby Hart and rookie center Billy Price. Head coach Marvin Lewis said he expects the starters on the line to play longer than quarterback Andy Dalton so there could be issues along the line with continuity. Chicago also falls into a great preseason situation where we play on road teams where the line is +3 to -3 off one or more consecutive under. This situation is 50-24 ATS (67.6 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (253) Chicago Bears |
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08-09-18 | Browns v. Giants +1 | Top | 20-10 | Loss | -105 | 25 h 35 m | Show |
This is a play on the NEW YORK GIANTS for our NFLX Thursday Supreme Annihilator. The first-year head coach is always a great angle to play in the preseason if given the right circumstances. I am a fan of playing first year head coaches in their first games as those guys want to infuse a new winning attitude into the team as it is usually the case that the previous season was far from a good one. This season, there are seven new head coaches in the league with one of those being Pat Shurmur for New York. The Giants went 11-5 in 2016, so the 3-13 finish last year led to massive wholesale changes throughout the organization. Shurmur, like other coaches, has not disclosed playing time for any player and while the quarterback in the most important for that information, Eli Manning has not played in the preseason opener the last two seasons but because of the new system, he could play a series or two which would be an added benefit. Backup Davis Webb has had a great two weeks in camp and the Giants know he is a great athlete with a massively powerful arm, what they want to see is him come out and execute the offense efficiently. Baker Mayfield will see a lot of playing time for Cleveland which may not be a very good thing considering this will be his very first NFL game and he could struggle early. Mayfield, who's worked exclusively with the second-team offense, has struggled when pitted against the Browns starters. 9* (258) New York Giants |
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08-08-18 | Sun v. Wings +4 | Top | 101-92 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 40 m | Show |
This is a play on the DALLAS WINGS for our WNBA Wednesday Star Attraction. The last time these two teams met, Dallas was tied for fourth place in the standings while Connecticut was hanging on to the eighth spot. Since then, they have been trending in opposite directions. After winning seven of their last eight games, the Wings have lost five straight games and have only a two-game lead for the eighth and final playoff spot in the WNBA standings over the Las Vegas Aces. Connecticut has won four straight games and sits in fifth place in the updated standings and the recent streaks are what is driving this number to where it is. The Wings have suffered some tough losses during this stretch as it fell to Chicago by one points, turned the ball over 21 times in an embarrassing loss at Indiana and last time out, they led Washington by six points with two minutes remaining before guard Kristi Toliver hit a pair of three-pointers to tie the game and then drained the game-winning, fadeaway baseline jumper. Skylar Diggins-Smith is expected to return tonight after missing two games with a facial injury. Here, we play on teams that are revenging a straight up loss as a favorite going up against that opponent off a home win scoring 85 or more points. This situation is 76-39 ATS (66.1 percent) since 1997. 10* (612) Dallas Wings |
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08-07-18 | Aces +9 v. Dream | Top | 100-109 | Push | 0 | 8 h 35 m | Show |
This is a play on the LAS VEGAS ACES for our WNBA Tuesday Star Attraction. The team with the second best record in the WNBA comes from an unlikely spot as Atlanta is now 18-10 following its superb run of 10-1 over its last 11 games. The Dream have beaten some pretty solid teams along the way they are becoming overpriced in this spot. They have been favored by 6.5 or more points three times during this recent 11-game run and while they covered all of those games, those were against Indiana, Chicago and New York, none of which are competing for a playoff spot and are a combined 40 games under .500. This is not the case for Las Vegas which has a better record than all of those teams yet is getting the same number as Chicago was and two points more than what New York got despite being seven games better than the Liberty. The Aces are still in the playoff hunt as they are currently in ninth place and trail eighth place Dallas by just a game and a half with six games left. Las Vegas has lost two straight games by 11 and 21 points which adds value and going back, it is 7-0 ATS in its last seven games after two straight losses by 10 points or more. Additionally, we play on road underdogs coming off a road loss going up against an opponent off a road win where they scored 85 or more points. This situation is 47-21 ATS (69.1 percent) since 1997. 10* (601) Las Vegas Aces |
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08-05-18 | Dream v. Lynx -5 | Top | 86-66 | Loss | -105 | 9 h 48 m | Show |
This is a play on the MINNESOTA LYNX for our WNBA Sunday Enforcer. Not many would have expected Atlanta to have a better record than Minnesota at this point in the season but that is the case as the Dream are 17-10 which is good for the second best record in the league. Conversely, Minnesota is now 15-12 following its second straight loss in Seattle on Friday and it is in jeopardy of missing the playoffs should its skid continues. The Lynx are in seventh place but are only 2.5 games ahead of ninth place Las Vegas with just seven games remaining. They possess the second best defense in the WNBA but that has not been on display of late as they have allowed 82 ppg over their last three games. Historically, this has proven to be a great spot for Minnesota as it is 8-0 ATS in its last eight home games after allowing 75 points or more in three straight games. Additionally, we play against road underdogs that are averaging 77 or more ppg on the season going up against an opponent after a loss by 10 points or more. This situation is 101-54 ATS (65.2 percent) since 1997. 10* (308) Minnesota Lynx |
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08-04-18 | BC +12 v. Calgary | Top | 18-27 | Win | 100 | 12 h 43 m | Show |
This is a play on the B.C. LIONS for our CFL Saturday Enforcer. It is no secret that Calgary is the best team in the CFL and by a pretty wide margin. At 6-0, the Stampeders off to their best start since 1995 when they opened 7-0 under current Lions coach Wally Buono which adds another interesting dynamic to this rivalry. The Calgary defense has been unreal thus far as the Stampeders have allowed just four offensive touchdowns so far this season and lead the league in forced fumbles with 10. Calgary is tied for first in sacks with Edmonton at 17 and also tied for first in interceptions with seven with Winnipeg. The other side of the ball has not been as dominant but still above average although there are shortcomings heading into tonight. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and the Stampeder offense may lean a little more on the defensive contributions Saturday with star wideout Eric Rogers and No. 1 running back Don Jackson out with injuries. B.C. is coming off a bye week, which is always a big advantage against teams playing on a regular schedule. The Lions lost at Ottawa two weeks ago to fall to 2-3 on the season but there is plenty of optimism on offense as quarterback Travis Lulay has taken over for a struggling Jonathon Jennings, and his veteran leadership is big which will be buoyed by the return of running back Jeremiah Johnson. Lulay has passed for over 300 yards in two starts since taking over and certainly gives the Lions a fighting chance in what is considered an overinflated line. 10* (377) B.C. Lions |
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08-03-18 | Lynx +7 v. Storm | Top | 75-85 | Loss | -108 | 8 h 4 m | Show |
This is a play on the MINNESOTA LYNX for our WNBA Friday Star Attraction. We won last night playing against Minnesota, but we will be backing the Lynx tonight in a solid bounce back situation. They fell to 15-11 with the defeat, which is tied with Washington for fourth place in WNBA standings and those 11 losses are already two more than what they lost last season including the playoffs. This is a team that looks to be in transition as they are a very veteran team but still cannot be discounted given the right situation. As noted yesterday, Minnesota was on a 12-4 run prior to last night and the Thursday defeat can be blamed on a poor shooting night they it shot just 41 percent from the floor including going 1-10 from long range. Seattle meanwhile has won two straight games and owns the best record in the league at 20-7. The Storm are 10-4 at home but they are just 6-7-1 ATS and are now giving Minnesota the most points it has seen all season. Going back, Seattle is 0-7 ATS in its last seven home games coming off a double-digit conference win while going 1-10 ATS in its last 11 home games revenging a loss where opponent scored 85 or more points. Additionally, we play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points that are shooting 44 percent or better on the season, after a game where it made 15 percent or less of its three-point shots. This situation is 24-4 ATS (85.7 percent) since 1997. 10* (609) Minnesota Lynx |
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08-03-18 | Hamilton -7 v. Montreal | Top | 50-11 | Win | 100 | 28 h 7 m | Show |
This is a play on the HAMILTON TIGER-CATS for our CFL Game of the Week. The big storyline in this game is the debut of Johnny Manziel and while it is unknown how he is going to do in Canada, even if he becomes a star and plays well on Friday, the Alouettes have other issues to deal with. Th offense has definitely struggled, averaging a league-low 292 ypg, but the defense has been just as bad, allowing 420.3 ypg so their yardage differential is by far the worst in the CFL. There are holes all over the depth chart so just one player, even if he does not fail, cannot fill all of the holes. Hamilton is coming off of a disappointing loss to the RedBlacks at home in what was a fairly slow-moving game until the final minutes of the fourth quarter. It was the third straight loss for the Tiger-Cats as they are now 2-4 on the season but they have played better than that record shows. Hamilton has outgained four of six opponents and by an average of 65.6 ypg which is third best overall and tops in the East Division. That is even more impressive considering the Tiger-Cats have played five of six games against the West Division. Through six games, quarterback Jeremiah Masoli ranks 2nd in the CFL in passing yards with 1,914, completions with 144 and completion percentage (67%), however, he has thrown just five touchdowns to six interceptions. In what should help Hamilton with their lack of finish, receiver Luke Tasker is set to return after missing two weeks plus it will be facing a horrendous passing defense that allows close to 300 ypg. That is not a good thing for Montreal as it is 4-13 in its last 17 games when allowing 300 or more passing yards and it is 0-8 following three or more consecutive losses. 10* (375) Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
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08-02-18 | Lynx v. Sparks -3 | Top | 57-79 | Win | 100 | 11 h 45 m | Show |
This is a play on the LOS ANGELES SPARKS for our WNBA Thursday Star Attraction. Both Minnesota and Los Angeles have had down seasons by their standards as they have already surpassed their loss totals from last season. Minnesota got off to a 3-6 start but rebounded with seven straight wins only to take another step back with a 2-4 stretch. However, the Lynx have won three straight games to move into third place in the WNBA standings but two of those victories came against New York and Indiana which have a combined 10 wins. It has been an opposite type of season for Los Angeles as it started out 9-2 but has gone 6-9 over its last 15 games but things are looking up. The Sparks will have Nneka Ogwumike, the second leading scorer and rebounder, back in the lineup after not playing since July 15th as well as defensive specialist Alana Beard, who has been out since July 12th. Shockingly, Los Angeles has lost five straight games at home after dropping just one home game last year during the regular season. The Lynx are 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a straight up win while the Sparks are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games following a straight up loss and here, we play on home favorites that are averaging 77 or more ppg on the season going up against an opponent after two straight wins by six points or less. This situation is 27-9 ATS (75 percent) since 1997. 10* (604) Los Angeles Sparks |
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08-02-18 | Ottawa v. Toronto +6 | Top | 41-42 | Win | 100 | 32 h 9 m | Show |
This is a play on the TORONTO ARGONAUTS for our CFL Thursday Enforcer. We were on Toronto last week as it lost at Winnipeg 40-14, but it was a game that was not dominated by the winner but decided because of miscues. The Argonauts actually outgained the Blue Bombers by 27 total yards, but Toronto committed four turnovers and had a punt blocked and returned for a touchdown. It was the third straight loss and fifth in six games to start the season for the reigning Grey Cup Champions and now is the time we will see things regressing to the mean. The Argonauts have played the toughest schedule thus far as they got a brutal draw to open the season as the first six games have come against Western Conference teams. Ottawa is off to a 4-2 start as it has played an easier schedule but has been outgained in its last three games. Overall, the RedBlacks are getting outgained on the season despite the winning record and the numbers are skewed as they were able to outgain lowly Montreal by 158 total yards. While some may see this as a disadvantage, Toronto will start McLeod Bethel-Thompson at quarterback over the ineffective James Franklin and this can only help things. Bethel-Thompson has a chance to display his big arm against a RedBlacks defense that leads the league with 13 completions allowed of more than 30 yards. Additionally, they have no film to look at, so preparation will be non-existent, and adjustments will have to made on the fly. Toronto has a strong situation on its side as we play against favorites of 3.5 to 10 points that are coming off an upset win over a division rival as an underdog. This situation is 65-32 ATS (67 percent) since 1996. 10* (372) Toronto Argonauts |
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08-01-18 | Liberty v. Sun -9 | Top | 77-92 | Win | 100 | 10 h 41 m | Show |
This is a play on the CONNECTICUT SUN for our WNBA Wednesday Enforcer. With the Dallas loss last night, Connecticut is now tied with the Wings for seventh place in the WNBA. The Sun are just a game and a half ahead of surging Las Vegas for missing the playoffs altogether so there is a lot at stake for the final eight games. Five of those games come against teams that are still in the playoff picture but one of those is not tonight as New York, which came into the season with high expectations, has thrown in the towel for the season and will most likely finish with the second worst record in the league. The Liberty have lost four straight games and 12 of their last 15 with two of the wins coming against 10-17 Chicago and the other being an upset victory at Connecticut so revenge comes into play tonight which adds to the motivation and urgency. New York is 4-9 on the road and it has failed to cover six of its last eight games against teams with a winning record while going 1-6 ATS in its last seven games following an ATS win. Of their last seven losses, six have been by double-digits and have come by an average of 15.3 ppg so laying a number like this is not worrisome. New York did play well in its last road game at Minnesota but going back, it is 4-12 ATS in its last 16 games following a road loss. 10* (308) Connecticut Sun |
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07-31-18 | Storm v. Mercury +3 | Top | 102-91 | Loss | -105 | 10 h 19 m | Show |
This is a play on the PHOENIX MERCURY for our WNBA Tuesday Enforcer. The All Star Break could not have come at a better time for Phoenix as it has lost three straight games and six of its last seven. The Mercury had the best record in the league at one point but now it is tied for the fourth best record and is just two and a half games from missing the playoffs altogether. The schedule sets up well for success as after this game comes their last two road games of the season and they finish with five consecutive home games. Phoenix welcomes back Diana Taurasi who served a one game suspension in its last game due to exceeding the league technical foul minimum. Seattle has won four of its last five games including going 3-1 on this current roadtrip, The Storm possess the best record in the league which is another reason they come in as road favorites, but they come into this game at a bad time. They have been a strong road team all season, but they are 0-6 ATS in their last six games after a win by 20 points or more. Additionally, we play against road teams that are averaging 77 or more ppg on the season going up against an opponent after a loss by 10 points or more. This situation is 99-53 ATS (65.1 percent) since 1997. 10* (306) Phoenix Mercury |
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07-28-18 | Calgary v. Saskatchewan +7 | Top | 34-22 | Loss | -102 | 14 h 33 m | Show |
This is a play on the SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS for our CFL Game of the Week. For those that do not follow the CFL very close, the Calgary Stampeders are the equivalent of the New England Patriots in the NFL as they are on their way to their 11th straight season with double-digit victories. They have won the Grey Cup twice along the way but have also lost it three times and they can be vulnerable against the number as the linesmakers have no choice but to inflate their numbers as evidenced last week when they failed to cover a 19.5-point spread against Montreal. Saskatchewan is coming off a pair of wins over Hamilton to move back over .500 for the season and while this will be its first game against a team from the West Division, the same holds true for Calgary which has played nearly an identical schedule to open the season. The Stampeders know where they are as a team which makes this game a big one for the Roughriders as they do have a shot to bring Calgary back to the pack and even have a realistic shot at taking the West Division. There might be an opportunity at quarterback because starter Bo Levi Mitchell is nursing an injured knee that he suffered two weeks ago and while he started the following week against the Alouettes, there were mobility issues and the swarming Saskatchewan defense can take advantage. On the other side, despite Calgary ranking at the top in just about every offensive category, the Roughriders rank fairly close in many key statistics that could prove crucial in pulling off an upset against the lone undefeated team in the CFL. Here, we play against teams with a winning percentage of .750 or better after one or more consecutive losses against the spread, playing a team with a winning record. This situation is 54-23 ATS (70.1 percent) since 1996. 10* (368) Saskatchewan Roughriders |
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07-27-18 | Toronto +10 v. Winnipeg | Top | 14-40 | Loss | -105 | 13 h 47 m | Show |
This is a play on the TORONTO ARGONAUTS for our CFL Friday Enforcer. This is the second game of a home-and-home set for Toronto and Winnipeg with the latter easily winning the first meeting last week on the road. We are going absolutely contrarian here as the Argonauts could be considered one of the worst defending Grey Cup Champions we have seen in recent history. They are off to a 1-4 start and have been outgained in all five games and by an average of 143.6 ypg so things have not been going the way as planned. Injuries have taken their toll, but things are looking up this week Toronto is returning some key defensive players as back in the fold tonight will be defensive linemen Frank Beltre and Dylan Wynn, as well as linebacker Cassius Vaughn. This is huge for the worst defense in the league statistically. Winnipeg is now 3-3 and can move over .500 for the first time this season but this is a tricky spot, especially coming off a blowout win that can display overconfidence. The Blue Bombers have a Week Eight bye, and with every looming vacation there is the risk of being preoccupied mentally so Winnipeg could be at risk of thinking too far ahead. Even though past history can be meaningless, it is extremely difficult for teams to win twice against the same team in back-to-back weeks while also losing in consecutive weeks is usually not the norm. The Blue Bombers have played 42 sets of back-to-backs since 1996 and have swept only four of them while Toronto has played 34 back-to-backs and have only been swept nine times. Toronto falls into a contrarian situation where we play on road underdogs or pickems that are allowing 385 or more total ypg, after gaining 275 or less total yards in their previous game. This situation is 54-25 ATS (68.4 percent) since 1996. 10* (363) Toronto Argonauts |
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07-26-18 | Edmonton -8.5 v. Montreal | Top | 44-23 | Win | 100 | 12 h 25 m | Show |
This is a play on the EDMONTON ESKIMOS for our CFL Thursday Enforcer. Edmonton is off to a 3-2 start, yet it has covered just once game, which was the 41-22 home victory against B.C. More importantly, the Eskimos have outgained four of five opponents and by an average of over 50 ypg which sets them up in a great spot tonight coming off their bye week. This is an offensively driven league and right now, Edmonton leads the way as it is averaging a CFL-best 429.6 ypg thanks to a great start from quarterback Mike Reilly who leads the league with 1,648 yards passing and nine touchdowns. He has thrown six interceptions which would normally be a concern, but not in this matchup against a Montreal defense that is allowing a league-high 29.6 ppg and applies no pressure with a league-low six sacks. While Reilly has been a rock at quarterback for Edmonton for the last six seasons, the Alouettes have gone through 13 starters since Anthony Calvillo retired after the 2013 campaign. One of those is Vernon Adams, who is making the start tonight in his second stint with Montreal as Drew Wiley has an injured hand, both Jeff Mathews and Matthew Shiltz are also hurt, and Johnny Manziel has been in town for only two days. Montreal falls into a simple, yet effective, negative situation where we play against CFL teams after scoring nine or fewer points in their last game. This situation is 84-41 ATS (67.2 percent) since 1996. 10* (361) Edmonton Eskimos |
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07-25-18 | Sky v. Mercury -5 | Top | 101-87 | Loss | -108 | 4 h 50 m | Show |
This is a play on the PHOENIX MERCURY for our WNBA Wednesday Enforcer. We had to wait this one out based on injury information from Phoenix as Brittney Griner has been listed as questionable since yesterday with back spasms but has now been upgraded to probable. The line has still come down since opening with a lot of that attributed to Diana Taurasi being out today because of a suspension due to a seventh technical foul. The Mercury are shorthanded, but with this being the final game before the All Star break, it is big for them. Phoenix lost its second straight and fifth over the last six games as they lost Minnesota at home on Saturday. The Mercury are now 15-10 on the season and sit in fourth place in the WNBA playoff standings, three games behind Seattle for the top spot. Chicago is also coming off a loss as it fell to Los Angeles on Sunday to fall to 8-17 on the season, well out of the playoff picture. While Phoenix may be shorthanded, it will not come into play as the Sky possess the worst defense in the WNBA, allowing a whopping 90.1 ppg. This is a revenge game for the Mercury as we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points that are revenging a same season loss, off a loss against a conference rival. This situation is 162-104 ATS (60.9 percent) since 1997. 10* (622) Phoenix Mercury |
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07-24-18 | Mystics v. Sun -4.5 | Top | 68-94 | Win | 100 | 8 h 12 m | Show |
This is a play on the CONNECTICUT SUN for our WNBA Supreme Annihilator. The Eastern Conference in the WNBA has taken a reverse direction as Connecticut was in first place a couple weeks back but now finds itself in third place, 2.5 games behind Atlanta which now has the second best record in the league thanks to seven straight wins. The Sun are coming off an upset win at Dallas which halted a two-game slide and hopefully is the start of ending a miserable 5-11 run. Washington is also coming off a road win, but it was far from an upset as it defeated 7-17 New York, which snapped a two-game skid. That win also snapped a three-game road losing streak to push the Mystics a game over .500 on the highway. Washington has won two of the first three meetings, so Connecticut is not only playing with revenge but also playing to tie up the season series which is important for a playoff tiebreaker, especially when the teams are so close in the standings. The Mystics are 4-12 ATS in their last 16 games against teams that are outscoring their opponents by three or more ppg. Connecticut also falls into a spectacular league-wide revenge situation where we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points that are revenging a road loss by 10 points or more, with a winning percentage between .501 and .600, playing a winning team after 15 or more games. This situation is 27-6 ATS (81.8 percent) since 1997. 10* (614) Connecticut Sun |
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07-20-18 | BC v. Ottawa -7 | Top | 25-29 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 1 m | Show |
This is a play on the OTTAWA REDBLACKS for our CFL Friday Enforcer. Ottawa is coming off a humbling loss last week against Calgary, its second loss to the Stampeders this season, but it has dominated its other two games and we expect a big rebound tonight. The RedBlacks were outgained by 214 total yards and they managed only three points, their lowest point total since August of 2015, which also happened to come against Calgary. The 150-yard offensive output against Calgary was the lowest in team history over 76 games since rejoining the league in 2014. Going back, Ottawa is 16-4 ATS in its last 20 games after gaining 275 or less total yards in its previous game. B.C. meanwhile came back from a 17-0 half-time deficit to win 20-17 on a walk-off field goal in front of their home crowd against Winnipeg last week. The Lions are now 2-2 on the season, winning both games at home and losing both games on the road, but the one consistent is that they have been outgained in all four games thus far. Ottawa running back William Powell is third in the CFL with 372 rushing yards, averaging 5.9 ypc, despite getting shut down last week. That should prove to be another tough test for the B.C. run defense after they allowed Winnipeg running back Andrew Harris to eclipse the 100-yard mark in back to back meetings, and overall, the Lions are dead last in the league allowing 152 rushing ypg. Making matters worse, B.C. will be without its defensive leader as Solomon Elimimian was placed on the six-game injured list with a wrist injury. His 26 defensive tackles rank him fourth in the league so far this season after amassing 274 tackles over the previous two seasons. 10* (374) Ottawa RedBlacks |
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07-19-18 | Aces v. Mercury -8 | Top | 85-82 | Loss | -110 | 13 h 22 m | Show |
This is a play on the PHOENIX MERCURY for our WNBA Thursday Enforcer. Phoenix survived its toughest part of the schedule this season and it has a chance to make a run at the Storm for the best record in the league. The Mercury finally return to the Talking Stick Resort Arena for four straight games after having played eight of their last nine games on the road dating back to June 24. While they face some tough teams down the stretch, nine of their final 11 games are at home where have played only eight games compared to 15 on the highway. Las Vegas is coming off a 99-78 loss to the Sparks on the road Sunday and it was a tough loss as the Aces had a fourth quarter lead, but Los Angeles closed the game on a 21-3 run. Las Vegas had won four straight games prior to that, so while it was building confidence, that confidence came crashing down in a matter of minutes. The Aces are three games out of the final playoff spot and while there are plenty of games left, eight of their last 11 games are against teams with winning records so making a run will not be easy. Here, we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points after having lost three of their last four games going up against an opponent after having won three of their last four games. This situation is 46-19 ATS (70.8 percent) since 1997. 10* (314) Phoenix Mercury |
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07-19-18 | Saskatchewan +10.5 v. Hamilton | Top | 31-20 | Win | 100 | 12 h 50 m | Show |
This is a play on the SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS for our CFL Thursday Enforcer. The Roughriders and Tiger-Cats meet in the back end of a home-and-home series that, due to a bye week, has been stretched out an extra seven days. Saskatchewan prevailed in the first matchup 18-13 despite getting outgained by 131 total yards as its bend but do not break defense kept Hamilton out of the endzone despite amassing 429 total yards. It has been a struggle offensively for the Roughriders since Zach Collaros went down with a concussion. Quarterback Brandon Bridge is set to make his third straight start for Saskatchewan and the fourth of his career and he is returning to the site of his first start for the Roughriders as he helped them win in Hamilton last season. David Watford will also see time behind center as head coach Chris Jones confirmed that the two will split time again which does give them some extra wrinkles on offense. While Hamilton is looking for some revenge, this line is inflated in what very well could be another low scoring battle which gives a big edge to the underdog, especially one this big. The Roughriders defense has stepped up numerous times against highly-powered teams as they are 23-9 ATS in their last 32 games against teams averaging 325 or more passing ypg. Meanwhile, Hamilton is just 3-12 ATS in its last 15 home games against teams allowing 75 or fewer rushing ypg. 10* (371) Saskatchewan Roughriders |
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07-17-18 | Dream v. Sun -8 | Top | 86-83 | Loss | -115 | 14 h 36 m | Show |
This is a play on the CONNECTICUT SUN for our WNBA Tuesday Terminator. Connecticut held down the top spot in the Eastern Conference for much of the season until a 3-9 swoon in mid-June sent the Sun going the wrong way. They have recovered to win their last two games which happened to come against two top teams from the Western Conference and they look to regain their spot in second place with a victory tonight. It is no coincidence that the rough stretch had a lot to do with the absence of Alyssa Thomas who missed 10 games with a shoulder injury but is back healthy now. The schedule has not been on their side either as only eight of 22 games have taken place at home. Atlanta is the team that has taken over second place in the Eastern Conference thanks to four straight wins including a pair of victories over first place Washington. Three of those wins came at home however and this has been a notoriously tough spot for the Dream which are 12-24 ATS in their last 36 road games against teams allowing 73 or more ppg. Additionally, this is the third meeting of the season and with Atlanta winning the first two games, Connecticut falls into a great situation where we play on favorites revenging two straight losses where opponent scored 75 or more points, with a winning record on the season. This situation is 30-8 ATS (78.9 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (304) Connecticut Sun |
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07-15-18 | Sun v. Lynx -4 | Top | 83-64 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 33 m | Show |
This is a play on the MINNESOTA LYNX for our WNBA Sunday Terminator. Minnesota had a horrific start to the season based on its standards, but it was able to regroup and put together a seven-game winning streak. However, the Lynx have regressed by going 2-3 over their last five games with the three losses all coming against losing teams that are a combined 19-45. Connecticut snapped a three-game slide with a home win over Phoenix on Friday, but the road has been a challenge as the Sun are 2-9 ATS over their last 11 road games. They won the first meeting by 14 points but that is part of a great situation for Minnesota where we play on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points in the second half of the season that are revenging a road loss by 10 points or more, with a winning percentage between .501 and .600, playing a winning team. This situation is 27-6 ATS (81.8 percent) since 1997. 10* (622) Minnesota Lynx |
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07-14-18 | Winnipeg v. BC +4.5 | Top | 17-20 | Win | 100 | 15 h 34 m | Show |
This is a play on the B.C. LIONS for our CFL Game of the Week. This line was off the board all week waiting for the news of the B.C. quarterback situation and it has been confirmed Travis Lulay will be starting after suffering a knee injury last season. Jonathon Jennings has started the firth three games in his place and once considered one of the most promising young quarterbacks in the CFL, he has struggled to start the 2018 season, completing just 48 of his 72 passes for 487 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. This is the second game of a home-and-home between the Lions and Blue Bombers with the latter taking the first game last week with a 41-19 home win to even their record at 2-2. The Blue Bombers now lead the entire league in total points with 144 and points per game at 36 ppg, while the Lions are sixth overall in both categories so the return of Lulay is a big boost. Winnipeg was excellent on defense last week as it allowed just 280 total yards, but we can chalk that up as an aberration more than the norm as the previous week against Hamilton on the road, the Blue Bombers allowed 480 total yards. Defensively, the Lions need a better push up front as they did not register a sack last week and a change of venue can help that, especially with this being their first home game in a month following a bye week and two road games. Based on what we have seen through four weeks, the public is all over the Blue Bombers which is causing an inflated line considering Winnipeg was favored by just two points more last week and that game was at home. 10* (366) B.C. Lions |
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07-14-18 | Wings v. Storm -5.5 | Top | 84-91 | Win | 100 | 13 h 56 m | Show |
This is a play on the SEATTLE STORM for our WNBA Saturday Terminator. Dallas has been thorn for us the last couple games as the Wings have caught fire, winning five straight games to improve to 12-8 overall which has put them into fourth place in the WNBA playoff standings. They are coming off an upset win at Los Angeles as they took down the Sparks by 15 points and that was the second time they have beaten Los Angeles this season. Dallas has won only one other game the entire year as an underdog which came early in the season at Atlanta and it has gone 0-5 in its other five games when getting points. Seattle was also riding a five-game winning streak prior to facing Los Angeles on Tuesday where it lost to the Sparks by a bucket in overtime. It was an atypical game for Seattle as it blew a double-digit fourth quarter lead, went just 5-24 from long range and committed 21 turnovers. Despite that, the Storm still possess the best record in the WNBA at 15-6 and this has been a great spot play all season as they are a perfect 5-0 following a loss while going a perfect 8-0 when coming off a spreads loss. Seattle has the best home record in the league at 9-4 including an 8-0 run when scoring 80 or more points and that is significant as Dallas allows 84.2 ppg on the highway. Seattle falls into a solid contrarian situation as we play against road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points playing a conference opponent after beating the spread by 30 or more points total in their last three games. This situation is 49-21 ATS (70 percent) since 1997. 10* (612) Seattle Storm |
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07-13-18 | Toronto v. Edmonton -9.5 | Top | 15-16 | Loss | -105 | 13 h 4 m | Show |
This is a play on the EDMONTON ESKIMOS for our CFL Friday Enforcer. We won with Toronto last week as a home underdog as it snapped a two-game losing steak to start the season despite getting outgained by 64 yards. It was a game of momentum, in which Toronto scored 12 straight points to open the game, followed by 17 consecutive points by the Eskimos before the Argonauts put together the winning drive in the fourth quarter. While the Eskimos won the yardage battle, they lost an intangible that lost them yards, points and a possible win as they were penalized 12 times for 126 yards. This included one holding penalty that took a touchdown off the scoreboard. Additionally, they fumbled on their second play of the game which set up the second Toronto touchdown. The Argonauts have been outgained in all three games this season and taking nothing away from their Grey Cup Championship from last season, they have now been outgained in five straight games including 134 yards against Calgary in the final. Edmonton returns home where it is 1-1 and a more discipline team should be able to run away with this one. The Eskimos passed for 370 yards last week and Mike Reilly can go off again against an Argonauts defense that is ranked dead last in the CFL in passing defense. The home team has won eight of the last nine meetings in this series including four straight Edmonton wins by an average of 3.5 ppg. The Eskimos fall into a solid situation where we play on teams that are revenging a same season loss versus opponent, off an upset loss as a favorite. This situation is 106-58 ATS (64.6 percent) since 1996. 10* (364) Edmonton Eskimos |
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07-13-18 | Fever +9.5 v. Dream | Top | 74-98 | Loss | -104 | 8 h 52 m | Show |
This is a play on the INDIANA FEVER for our WNBA Game of the Week. Indiana has lost two straight games and eight of its last nine and on the season, it has just one victory. The Fever have been more competitive on the road than at home as they have been getting inflated numbers based on their straight up record and they have covered six of their nine road games on the season. Atlanta has won two straight games to move over .500 on the season and both of those wins were as underdogs. That sets up a perfect letdown spot here by facing the worst team in the WNBA and add to that, the Dream have a game on Sunday against Eastern Conference leading Washington. Going back, Atlanta is 2-10 ATS in its last 12 games when playing against a team with a winning percentage of .250 or worse while going 5-14 ATS in its last 19 games coming off a conference win. Indiana falls into a solid contrarian situation as we play on underdogs after failing to cover four or five of their last six games against the spread, winning 25 percent or fewer of their games on the season. This situation is 34-12 ATS (73.9 percent) over the last five seasons with the average scoring differential being just 3.2 ppg. 10* (603) Indiana Fever |
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07-12-18 | Calgary -3.5 v. Ottawa | Top | 27-3 | Win | 100 | 13 h 45 m | Show |
This is a play on the CALGARY STAMPEDERS for our CFL Thursday Enforcer. This is the second meeting of the season between Calgary and Ottawa which possess the best records in the CFL early in the season. Both teams top their respective divisions, with the Stampeders the lone undefeated team remaining while Ottawa will be looking to even the season series after dropping the first meeting 24-14 in Week Three. That game probably should not have been as close as the final score shows as the Stampeders defense did an outstanding job of putting RedBlacks quarterback Trevor Harris under pressure and limited him to 135 passing yards while he completed 13-of-29 pass attempts. They did not do a great job against the run but thanks to a bye week, Calgary will have Cordarro Law back in the lineup, giving them a potent front four that should give the RedBlacks offensive line serious trouble. Ottawa is back home after a pair of road games, including that game at Calgary two weeks ago, and a win over Montreal last week. The RedBlacks are at the disadvantage of having eight fewer days to prepare for this game as Calgary looks to break it recent curse at TD Place Stadium. The Stampeders haven't won a game Ottawa since a 32-7 victory in the RedBlacks inaugural season in 2014 as they have gone 0-1-2 At TD Place against Ottawa since, and suffered a 27-24 Grey Cup loss to Toronto at the stadium last fall. All said and done, the Stampeders are the better team by a significant margin. Calgary is 23-10 ATS in its last 33 games after one or more consecutive straight up wins while Ottawa is 0-6 ATS in its last six home games after gaining 450 or more total yards in their previous game and 3-11 ATS in its last 14 games after outgaining opponent by 70 or more total yards in their previous game. 10* (361) Calgary Stampeders |