Sports Picks & Predictions

This is a play on the PITTSBURGH STEELERS for our NFL Thursday Star Attraction. Pittsburgh and Cleveland are both off to 1-1 starts with all four of the games coming down to the final plays. Cleveland is coming off a brutal loss against the Jets as it blew a 13-point lead with under two minutes remaining as it had a blown coverage, allowed a successful onsides kick and let the Jets drive right down the field for the winning score. That thwarted a shot at the Browns starting a season 2-0 for the first time since 1993 after winning their first game on a 58-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining. Rebound or regression this week? Obviously, playing a divisional opponent will have Cleveland ready for this game but that loss is going to sit for a while and it does not have a great matchup here and Cleveland is laying more than it should be after opening as a field goal favorite. Myles Garrett is listed as questionable and there is a good possibility that he will not play but either way, he will not be 100 percent which will help out the Pittsburgh offense that has predicably struggled out of the gate. The Steelers escaped Cincinnati with an overtime victory thanks to the Bengals kicking game but were not as fortunate last week as the offense was horrible, putting up only 243 total yards so the fact they only lost by three points was fortunate. The defense played well without T.J. Watt and should do so again here against Jacoby Brissett who was solid last week but that was against a Jets defense and he was not good in the first game against the Panthers. Stopping the run will be at the forefront here for the Steelers and they have been good as they are tied for No. 10, allowing 4.0 ypc. Cleveland does not lay points very often in divisional games as the Browns are 0-6-1 ATS in this role the last two seasons. With a pair of solid defenses playing to a low total, the value is on the Steelers with an overinflated line and while going against a big, early line move can be the wrong way to look, it is too much of an adjustment with what we have seen over the first two weeks. Here, we play against home favorites of 3.5 to 10 points that had a winning percentage between .400 and .499 last season, in conference games. This situation is 40-14 ATS (74.1 percent) since 1983. 10* (301) Pittsburgh Steelers

This is a play on the GEORGIA ST. PANTHERS for our Sun Belt Conference Game of the Month. Coastal Carolina is coming off a win over Buffalo to move to 3-0 on the season but it was not as easy as it should have been. The Bulls were in the game for a while as nearing the end of the first half, they went 80 yards to take a two-point lead into the break. The Chanticleers retook the lead for a good on a fumble recovery for a touchdown as it outscored Buffalo 21-7 in the fourth quarter. They outgained the Bulls 504-337 including 221-59 on the ground (7.9 ypc to 1.3 ypc) so the game should not have been as tight but costly mistakes have played a role early in the season. Coastal Carolina did struggle in the previous game against FCS Gardner Webb as it won by only four points while getting outgained by 141 total yards and that is playing into this line which is shorter than it probably should be so the public is all over the 3-0 chalk going up against the 0-3 underdog. This is the first road game for Coastal Carolina. It has been a disappointing start for the Panthers as they are 0-3 after coming into the season with a projected win total of 7.5 and a likely contender in the Sun Belt Conference although the latter is still more than possible as they have been on the wrong end of some bad breaks. They are coming off a bad loss against Charlotte as it was a back and forth game no thanks to a bad break as Georgia St. was driving to take a 14-point lead in the second quarter but Charlotte returned a fumble 58 yards for a touchdown and then put up another offensive touchdown to take it first lead. The Panthers looked to have put it away as they took a six-point lead with 1:43 remaining but the 49ers went 69 yards in 1:16 to score the game winner. Georgia St. won the yardage battle 602-501 and while that is a little skewed because of the number of plays ran, it kept the time of possession edge which is important in this matchup. The Panthers also outgained South Carolina and were outgained by only 46 yards against North Carolina so they have basically been on the right side in all three games but failed to come away with a victory. Here, we play on teams coming off a home loss by three points or less, in the first month of the season. This situation is 76-30 ATS (71.7 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (306) Georgia St. Panthers

This is a play on the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES for our NFL Monday Star Attraction. The Eagles are coming off a win over the Lions by just three points while the Vikings took care of the Packers with no problem and because of those wins, the Eagles are underpriced. For Philadelphia, it dominated the majority of the game against Detroit but the Lions made it close with garbage yards and points so the Eagles +69 yards is also skewed. The running game dominated the Lions are they rushed for 216 yards on 39 carries (5.5 ypc) and this has been a consistent going back to last season as the Eagles have one of the best offensive lines in the league. Jalen Hurts can have a big game through the air as the Vikings were not tested against Green Bay and they possess a pair of below average cornerbacks so both A.J. Brown and Devonta Freeman could have great games. Defensively, Philadelphia was solid up until late in the game and they have the defense that can keep the Minnesota passing offense in check as Darius Slay and James Bradberry are two of the better shutdown corners. Minnesota was never in danger against the Packers as it scored early in the first quarter and was never pressed. The offense had 395 yards with Justin Jefferson leading the way to a monster receiving game but again, the Eagles possess a much better secondary than Green Bay and coupled with a solid pass rush against Kirk Cousins, the Vikings passing game can be slowed down here. Minnesota ran for 126 yards on 28 carries (4.5 ypc) which was fairly solid and it will be up to the Eagles run stop unit that improved on paper to defend the run but did not do much against Detroit do a better job here. Minnesota finished No. 18 in DVOA last season with a preseason ranking of No. 20 so last week cannot show us a true indication of the how the defense is. The Vikings are 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games after accumulating more than 250 yards passing in their previous game while the Eagles are 4-1-1 ATS in their last six games after accumulating more than 150 yards rushing in their previous game. 10* (292) Philadelphia Eagles

This is a play on the DENVER BRONCOS for our NFL Sunday Supreme Annihilator. Denver is one of the three big favorites late Sunday afternoon and this one seems to set up the best for a runaway. The Broncos lost to the Seahawks Monday night in the return of Russell Wilson who was on the sidelines with the game on the line and that will have him ready to roll in his home debut in Denver. The Broncos should have won the game before that as they had two fumbles at the Seattle goal line that completely changed the flow of the game as well as going 0-4 in redzone efficiency. The Broncos outgained Seattle 433-253 as the running game on had 20 carries but had a 5.2 ypc average and Wilson was excellent going 29-42 (69 percent) for 340 yards and a touchdown with six different receivers having at least two catches. The defense did its job after allowing an opening touchdown as it settled in and has another great matchup here. The Texans are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games as a road underdog. The Texans came through with a tie against the Colts which can be considered a win as they were outclassed but got the breaks they needed. Houston was outgained 517-299 as Matt Ryan passed for 352 yards and Jonathan Taylor rushed for 161 yards and it has another brutal test here and we do not expect the defense to get the breaks. Davis Mills had a very solid game and one of the reasons we took the Texas was the home split for Mills as last season he had a 109.6 quarterback rating at home where he completed 69.7 percent of his passes for 1,725 yards with 12 touchdowns and one interception compared to a 63.1 rating on the road where he had just 939 yards with four touchdowns and nine interceptions. The running game had only 77 yards on 28 carries (2.8 ypc) and will get stuffed again. A couple misleading finals gives us value here and the fact it is double digits is no issue as these favorites have hit at a 60.4 percent clip since 2016. 10* (284) Denver Broncos

This is a play on the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS for our AFC Game of the Month. The Patriots obviously did not look very good last week as they scored only seven points but they did a decent job moving the ball as they got into Miami territory in all but two drives but they had three turnovers, including a fumble that was returned for a touchdown, while also turning it over on downs once. The offense had only 271 yards but the possessions where they gave it back definitely hurt the numbers and we should see a cleaner game here. Mac Jones was pretty pedestrian as the back issue might have played into it but he still did complete 70 percent of his passes. They will face a tough defense but a different one from last week. Defensively, New England looked good as they allowed 307 yards and just 20 points and that unit should flourish in this matchup. The rushing defense allowed only 65 yards on 23 carries (2.8 ypc) and anything close to a repeat of that is ideal. The Steelers got the job done last week in a very unconventional way as they were outgained 432-267 but benefitted by the defense forcing five turnovers with a lot of those taking place after Cincinnati was moving the ball. Pittsburgh needed a blocked extra point to force overtime and a missed field goal from Evan McPherson to pull out the victory. The Steelers rushed for just 75 yards on 22 carries (3.4 ypc) and now Najee Harris is banged up and while he will likely play, he is not 100 percent. Mitch Trubisky was, well, Mitch Trubisky as he checked down constantly and was just 21-38 (55.3 percent) and if the Patriots can sack Tua three times, they will have no problem applying pressure here. With the exception of the turnovers, the defense was not good as they allowed 133 yards rushing on 34 carries (3.9 ypc) and while Joe Burrow was intercepted four times and lost a fumble, the offensive line had a negative say in that. To top it off, T.J. Watt is likely out for the season which cannot be understated. 10* (275) New England Patriots

This is a play on the MIAMI DOLPHINS as part of our NFL Sunday Underdog Three Pack. Baltimore was never in danger against the Jets but it was outgained by 104 total yards and while a lot of that was due to garbage time yards for the Jets, the Ravens offense was off. Lamar Jackson came out slow and ended up completing only 57 percent of his passes and while the weather did play a small part, his receiving corps is not very good and they did not get a lot out of tight end Mark Andrews. Additionally, they ran for only 63 yards on 21 carries (3.0 ypc) and Baltimore took a blow by losing tackle Ja'Wuan James for the season. They will be banking on the defense early on until there is more cohesion on the offensive side and while the Jets did not provide much to throw at the Ravens, this is a much tougher matchup as the Miami speed could cause some problems. Another season ending injury occurred on this side of the ball as well as cornerback Kyle Fuller is done. Miami won a pretty ugly game as it continued the home dominance against New England and while the overall grade for the Dolphins is mixed, getting that first game out of the way with a lot of new parts provides positive movement going forward. Tua Tagovailoa was solid as he went 23-33 (69.7 percent) for 270 yards and a touchdown and the dynamic duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle combined for 163 yards and that one touchdown. The running game needs a push as newcomers Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert had just 41 yard rushing on 17 carries (2.4 ypc) and while the matchup is not great, the improved offensive line should get better game by game. This number opened at -4.5 in most places last Sunday and the early non-public money came in to knock it down to -3.5 and getting the hook above that key number is big. Here, we play against home favorites of 3.5 to 10 points that had a winning percentage between .400 and .499, in conference games. this situation is 39-14 ATS (73.6 percent) since 1983. 10* (263) Miami Dolphins

This is a play on the NEW ORLEANS SAINTS as part of our NFL Sunday Underdog Three Pack. Tampa Bay won on opening night in Dallas as it was not a great effort and the Buccaneers were fortunate to face a bad offense that eventually lost Dak Prescott for a good part of the game. Tom Brady was average as he threw for only 212 yards and he struggled against pressure and while he was sacked only twice, he was hurried a lot and a lot of that comes down to the offensive line that was banged up entering the game and now they have to deal with an injury to left tackle Donovan Smith and is listed as questionable. The star of the offense was running back Leonard Fournette who ran for 127 yards on 21 carries (6.1 ypc) and he will definitely be a focal point for the Saints to slow down. As mentioned, facing a poor offense aided the defense but will have a tougher time here against the Saints that possess a lot more weapons. The Saints rallied past the Falcons on a 51-yard Will Lutz field goal in the final minute after falling behind 26-10 early in the fourth quarter. That provides some solid momentum heading into another divisional matchup and a much bigger one at home but are catching points. Jameis Winston took a while to get going but he closed the game strong in the comeback victory and he finished 23-34 (67.6 percent) with two touchdowns and most importantly, no interceptions. Jarvis Landry was the big target as he caught seven passes for 114 yards while Michael Thomas returned off a long layoff to grab a pair of touchdowns. Alvin Kamara only ran the ball nine times but at a 4.3 ypc clip and he can be effective hear as well after Ezekiel Elliott ran for 52 yards on 10 carries (5.2 ypc) until Dallas abandoned the run. The defense will have to improve as the normally strong rushing defense allowed Cordarrelle Paterson to run for 120 yards. Here, we play on home teams off a win against a division rival, in a game involving two teams that had winning records last season. This situation is 39-14 ATS (73.6 percent) since 1983. 10* (272) New Orleans Saints

This is a play on the CAROLINA PANTHERS as part of our NFL Sunday Underdog Three Pack. The Giants pulled off the upset in Tennessee as they fell behind 13-0 at halftime, which could have and should have been a lot worse, and now they head home as the favorite which is too overaggressive after just one game. Saquon Barkley led the offense as he ran for 164 yards on 18 carries (9.1 ypc) with a big 68-yard run being a big part of that. Daniel Jones was not horrible as he was accurate by going 17-21 for 188 yards but that included a 65-yard touchdown pass so it was far from explosive other than that and he was also sacked five times. That will be problem here again. The defense did a good job in stopping the run as they allowed 93 yards but did give up 4.0 ypc as Tennessee did not need to run with Ryan Tannehill throwing for 266 yards on a strong 13.3 yards per completion. Defensive ends Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari did not play last week and both are questionable again. Carolina lost a tough one against Cleveland as it took the lead with 1:13 remaining but allowed the Browns to get into field goal range where they hit the 58-yard game winner. The running game was non-existent as the Panthers ran the ball only 19 times and the biggest part of the offense was absent from the awful gameplan as Christian McCaffrey had just three touches in the first 25 minutes in the game. Baker Mayfield was okay in his debut as he was 16-27 for 235 yards with a touchdown but did have one interception. He was sacked four times from the great Cleveland pass rush but that should not be a worry here. The one concern is the Panthers rushing defense as they allowed 217 yards last week and Barkley looked explosive again but we expect that to be better here against a poor offensive line. The strength of the passing defense will hardly be tested here. Here, we play against home favorites that had a losing record last season, in conference games. This situation is 163-97 ATS (62.7 percent) since 1983. 10* (273) Carolina Panthers

This is a play on the BOWLING GREEN FALCONS as part of our CFB Saturday Underdog Three Pack. Marshall is coming off an upset victory at Notre Dame to move to 2-0 on the season following a 55-3 win over Norfolk St. This is an epic win for the Thundering Herd and now trying to get up on the road once again against a much lesser opponent is going to be a tough task. Notre Dame took the lead early in the fourth quarter but the Thundering Herd got the lead back late in the quarter and then iced the game returning an interception 37 yards for a touchdown. Marshall outgained the Irish by 13 total yards with nearly even time of possession and both teams were just 4-13 on third down and while the Marshall effort was impressive, it really showed how bad the Notre Dame offense really is. The win is the second victory against a top-10 ranked team in program history with the first coming in 2003 against then-No. 6 Kansas St. Not much was expected of the Thundering Herd coming into the season as they had a 5.5-win total with only 11 starters back and a No. 103 returning production ranking. After losing to UCLA in the season opener, the Falcons are coming off a disappointing loss against Eastern Kentucky where they were favored by over a touchdown but this is a very experienced team that can regroup. Bowling Green jumped ahead 10-0 after the first quarter but Eastern Kentucky went on a 31-7 run that included four straight scoring drives that totaled 276 yards which was sandwiched around a fumble recovery for a touchdown. The Falcons responded with three straight touchdowns to take a seven-point lead but allowed the Colonels to drive 75 yards on 14 plays to tie the game with no time left in regulation. Eastern Kentucky knocked down a pass in the seventh overtime to seal the win. Last season, Bowling Green was one of the most inexperienced teams in the country as it played numerous underclassmen so it can be excused but this season, the Falcons have the most experienced team in the nation as far as returning production. Here, we play on teams off an extremely close home loss by three points or less, in the first month of the season. This situation is 71-28 ATS (71.7 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (166) Bowling Green Falcons

This is a play on the COLORADO ST. RAMS for our CFB Saturday Enforcer. Washington St. is coming off an upset over Wisconsin and while it is chalked up as a Cougars win, it can be classed more of a Badgers loss. After scoreless first quarter, Washington St. took its first possession of the second quarter 53 yards to take a 7-0 lead. Wisconsin took the ensuing kickoff and went 65 yards to tie the game and then forced a punt with 55 seconds remaining in the first half and went 45 yards in 35 seconds to take a seven-point lead into the half. The Cougars opened the second half with a field goal and went ahead midway through the third quarter with a touchdown following an interception. Wisconsin got inside the Cougars 12-yard line on its last two possessions but turned it over both times. The Badgers outgained Washington St. 401-253 but the turnovers did them in as did 11 penalties for 106 yards. In their first game, the Cougars snuck by Idaho 24-17 as they managed only 360 yards on offense so with two games with 613 total yards, beating a number this big will be a challenge. The Cougars are 2-7 ATS in their last nine nonconference games. It was an ugly loss for the Rams last week as Middle Tennessee St. jumped out to a 34-0 lead before Colorado St. made it look more respectable. The Blue Raiders returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the game and the offense did its part after that, scoring on five of its first eight possessions with another 10 points coming off turnovers by the Rams. The defense was the real story as Middle Tennessee St. allowed 57 total yards in the first nine Colorado St. possessions, forcing three turnovers and six punts. The Blue Raiders outgained the Rams 380-246 including giving up -10 yards rushing 34 attempts (-0.3 ypc) in part due to having nine sacks for 70 yards. This came after a blowout loss at Michigan and head coach Jay Norvell is not off to a great start after coming over from Nevada. Sacramento St. is on deck for the Rams so there is no chance of a lookahead and this is a great opportunity for the defense to get back on track and the underdog price gives them a lot of leeway. The Rams are 21-9 ATS in their last 30 road games against teams with a winning home record. 10* (161) Colorado St. Rams

This is a play on the TROY TROJANS for our CFB Saturday Ultimate Underdog. After falling a two-point conversion short two weeks, Appalachian St. rebounded with a major upset at Texas A&M. The Mountaineers struck first after a fumble recovery led to a 29-yard touchdown drive but the Aggies responded by going 75 yards in seven plays and then their offense completely shut down. Texas A&M had only five possessions after that as its other touchdown came on a 95-yard kickoff return after Appalachian St. took a 14-7 lead and the Aggies mustered only 95 yards of offense while missing a game-tying field goal in the final minutes. The Mountaineers outgained Texas A&M 315-186 and held it to just nine first downs while possessing the ball for nearly 23 more minutes. It was a great performance following the disappointment against North Carolina and Appalachian St. in now in the double-letdown situation as an overpriced favorite that is feeling pretty good about themselves. The Mountaineers are 1-5 ATS in their last six games after allowing less than 275 total yards in their previous game. Troy opened the season with a loss at Mississippi but bounced back last week with a win against Alabama A&M. Against the Rebels, a slow start doomed the Trojans as Mississippi jumped ahead 21-0 as Troy could get nothing going on offense as it managed only 59 total yards on its first five possessions. The second half was bad for both teams as the Rebels scored a touchdown to open the half but their next five possessions ended with three turnovers and two punts while gaining only 57 yards. The Trojans had more production as they had six drives that totaled 220 yards but scored only one touchdown as they had a fumble, an interception and turned it over on downs three times. The offense got it going last week, albeit against an FCS team, but it was a much needed game to get things right and the passing game will play a big part here as the Trojans have averaged 375 ypg through the air and the Mountaineers secondary could be susceptible here which is always a bonus with a sizable underdog than can sneak in a backdoor cover if it comes down to that. The Trojans are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games after accumulating less than 275 total yards in their previous game. 10* (155) Troy Trojans

This is a play on the UAB BLAZERS for our CFB Saturday Supreme Annihilator. UAB is coming off a disappointing loss at Liberty as it went on the road as a favorite and could get nothing going on offense and that changes here. After forcing a three and out to open the game, UAB fumbled on its first offensive play but no damage was done. The Blazers punted on their next possession and fumbled again on the next drive but Liberty missed a field goal and UAB took advantage by going 80 yards in four plays to take a 7-0 lead. The Flames tied the game early in the second quarter which ended the scoring for both teams before the half. Liberty added a pair of touchdowns and was ready to put the game away but fumbled on its own 20-yard line and UAB punched it in but the Blazers never got the ball back as Liberty was able to run out the clock. The Flames outgained UAB 390-355 and benefitted from four fumbles. The Blazers put up 59 points and 478 total yards in their opener against Alabama A&M and they have a chance to light it up again here. Georgia Southern is coming off a monumental win at Nebraska. Just how big? It is the first time in 215 home games at Memorial Stadium that Nebraska has lost while scoring 35 or more points. The Eagles had second half leads twice before Nebraska took a 42-38 lead with 3:05 remaining but Georgia Southern went 75 yards in 11 plays to take back the lead and Nebraska missed a game tying field goal as time expired. The Eagles outgained the Huskers 642-575 and while Nebraska won the turnover battle 2-0, it was hurt by 10 penalties that awarded the Eagles four first downs. The offense is no joke but it will be challenged here as the UAB defense was No. 16 in total defense and No. 41 in scoring defense last season and with eight starters back, they are in great form. While the Eagles offense hummed along, the defense showed signs of the big step back it took a year ago because last season was a disaster as the Eagles allowed 441.7 ypg which was No. 109 in the country and only five starters are back. Here, we play against underdogs of 10.5 to 21 points after gaining 6.75 or more yppl in their previous game, with five defensive starters returning. This situation is 31-10 ATS (75.6 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (154) UAB Blazers

This is a play on the OHIO BOBCATS as part of our CFB Saturday Underdog Three Pack. Iowa St. brought the Cy-Hawk Trophy back to Ames for the first time since 2014 as it finally broke through against its bitter rival but it was far from pretty. The Cyclones had the advantage of facing one of the most inept offenses of the power five conference so far in the early part of the season as Iowa scored its lone touchdown on a 16-yard drive following a blocked punt and the Hawkeyes finished with 92 yards passing and 58 yards rushing. The Cyclones were not efficient either as they had three turnovers and had two punts blocked while managing only 313 total yards. The go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter went 99 yards on 21 plays that took 11:49 off the clock. This came after a 42-10 win over SE Missouri St. but it took three second half touchdowns to put the game away. The Cyclones host Baylor next week in their Big 12 opener so coupled with the win last week, they are trapped in this sandwich game. Ohio is coming off an expected blowout loss at Penn St. as the Bobcats were never in it as four-touchdown underdogs. Now they are getting another big number that is just over a touchdown less than last week against a far more inferior team than the Nittany Lions. The Ohio defense was far from good but they allowed only three third down conversions in 12 attempts and had five sacks and will be a less potent offense here. The Bobcats opened the season with an upset over Florida Atlantic as they held off a late charge from the Owls. Florida Atlantic took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards for a score to take a 7-0 lead and never trailed in the first half, taking a 17-13 lead into the break. Ohio scored touchdowns on three of its first four possessions of the second half to take a 17-point lead but the Owls scored three late touchdowns and got the ball with 1:37 remaining in the game but turned the ball over on downs with 32 seconds to go. Here, we play against home favorites good rushing defense from last season allowing 125 or fewer rushing ypg, after allowing 100 or less rushing yards last game. This situation is 48-18 ATS (72.7 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (127) Ohio Bobcats

This is a play on the NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS as part of our CFB Saturday Underdog Three Pack. It took three games into the season for Nebraska to fire head coach Scott Frost and that arguably was something that should have happened at the end of last season. Following a loss against Northwestern in the season opener, the Huskers bounced back with a win against North Dakota and gave it back last week with a home loss against Georgia Southern. It was a game that was back and forth throughout and the Huskers were in good position to take it but the defense came up small at the end. The Eagles had second half leads twice before Nebraska took a 42-38 lead with 3:05 remaining but Georgia Southern went 75 yards in 11 plays to take back the lead and Nebraska missed a game tying field goal as time expired. The Eagles outgained the Huskers 642-575 and while Nebraska won the turnover battle 2-0, it was hurt by 10 penalties that awarded the Eagles four first downs. The horror stories of summer/fall camp are now in the past and we are going to see a much looser team under interim head coach Mickey Joseph. Oklahoma hits the road following a pair of easy home wins but the Sooners were not very dominant last week against a team from the MAC. It started the game with four straight punts and Kent St. was able to take a 3-0 lead early in the second quarter before the Sooners finally got the offense going with a 76-yard drive capped by a 36-yard touchdown pass with 18 seconds left in the first half. Oklahoma scored on its first four second half possessions to put the game away but they struggled again late with only 31 total yards in the fourth quarter on four possessions. The Sooners won the yardage battle 430-295 as the Golden Flashes did do a good job keeping the ball away from Oklahoma as they had the ball for over 12 more minutes while the Sooners were just 3-12 on third down. The Sooners will be fired up for this old rivalry but this is too many points to be laying with a team not clicking as of yet. Here, we play on teams off an extremely close home loss by three points or less, in the first month of the season, after closing out last season with two or more straight losses. This situation is 34-10 ATS (77.3 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (124) Nebraska Cornhuskers

This is a play on the AIR FORCE FALCONS for our MWC Game of the Month. Air Force is off to a 2-0 start with a pair of blowout wins over Northern Iowa of the FCS and Colorado as it has won by a combined score of 89-27 and it won the yardage battle by 286 and 317 yards. This is the first road game of the season but the road has not been an issue as the Falcons were 5-0 last season and this should not be a matchup to worry about. Quarterback Hazziq Daniels is back after finishing second on the team in rushing and while the passing game was limited as he completed only 45.7 percent of his passes, he led the country with 22.6 yards per completion. Leading rusher Brad Roberts returns and there is a decent amount of depth behind him and the offensive line has three starters back with all five up front having solid experience. The top three rushers this season have gained 597 yards on 69 carries (8.7 ypc). Good rushing performances for the Falcons have been followed up with more of the same as they are 8-0 ATS in their last eight games after gaining 350 or more rushing yards last game. Wyoming has bounced back from an opening loss at Illinois 38-6 with a pair of wins as it defeated Tulsa in overtime and then defeated Northern Colorado of the FCS last week 33-10. In the win over Tulsa, the Cowboys were outgained 521-399 as their points were also bolstered by defense and special teams as they had a sack/fumble that was recovered in the endzone for a touchdown and also blocked a punt for a touchdown. While the rushing defense has been solid the last two games, those were against inept running teams and Wyoming allowed 260 yards rushing on 41 carries (6.3 ypc) against Illinois and with only four starters back overall and two of those along the defensive line, this is an issue as the rushing defense was the liability last season. Offensively, they only have four starters back as well and the Cowboys had only 294 yards against Northern Colorado last week. Here, we play on road favorites of 10.5 to 21 points with four or more total starters and an experienced quarterback returning going up against teams with new starting quarterback. This situation is 38-13 ATS (74.5 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (107) Air Force Falcons

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES CHARGERS for our NFL Thursday Star Attraction. Week Two of the NFL season is all about overreactions. One game in and in a lot of cases, opinions are formed based on those performances and while it can hold some water, the circumstances play a part which can lead to these overreactions. Everyone knew Kansas City was going to be one of the top teams in the league and after its performance in the desert, the Chiefs are going to be even more of a public team than before and this is where a circumstance does come into play. They faced an Arizona defense that was decimated with injuries, so being favored on the road and covering while dominating the game comes as no surprise and because they outgained the Cardinals by 206 yards in a 23-point win, this line has moved off the key number of the -3 opener. Patrick Mahomes looked awesome last week and he should have but now he faces a completely different defense that will be applying pressure all night, something Arizona was unable to do as it registered no sacks. The Chargers gained some revenge last week with the win over the Raiders who kept them out of the playoffs last season after the season ending loss in overtime. Hitting the road on a short week is never easy but it is not as bad in Week Two as opposed to later in the season when fatigue is more of a factor. Los Angeles put up 355 yards of offense which was pretty average as the running game could get nothing going as they rushed for just 76 yards on 31 carries (2.5 ypc) and should have more success here. Justin Herbert was excellent even after Keenan Allen went down as he was 26-34 for 279 yards and three touchdowns. He spread the ball around to nine different pass catchers that each had at least two receptions. Going back to the pressure on the quarterback, Los Angeles sacked Derek Carr six times. This series has been tight over the last few years with Kansas City winning five of the eight meetings since 2018 and all three of those Chargers wins were in Kansas City. In the eight games, Los Angeles outgained the Chiefs six times with the two exceptions coming last season in the 1-1 split. Here, we play against home favorites of 3.5 to 10 points after a game where they forced one or fewer turnovers. This situation is 127-72 ATS (63.8 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (103) Los Angeles Chargers

This is a play on the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS for our NFL Monday Star Attraction. This game sets up pretty similar to that of the Eagles/Lions game where we have a very public Super Bowl side future laying a touchdown on the road and the said public all over that side in Game One. Denver got the top quarterback prize in the offseason, trading for Russell Wilson and trading a lot for him but other than that, this is pretty much the same team that has missed the playoffs for six straight seasons. The big narrative heading into this season in that the last two Super Bowl champions had a losing record in the previous season, brought in a new quarterback and won it all but that is such a meaningless reason to back a team. Wilson struggled last season but to his credit, he did play part of the season hurt with an injured finger yet he had better weapons in Seattle in D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett although he does have an upgraded offensive line. Still, not a reason to be laying a touchdown on the road. Seattle is expected to be one of the worst teams in the NFC but do not tell that to the Bears as we saw Sunday, Week One is very volatile and there were trap lines all over the place. The Seahawks will go with Geno Smith at quarterback who is a below average starter but he went 3-0 against the number last season in the three games he played without Wilson and he has been around this league long enough to know how to manage a situation as does his head coach. Clearly, the Seahawks will want to have success running the ball to shorten the game and keep the ball away from Wilson and the fact that linebacker Josey Jewell is out for the Broncos is a huge break for Seattle. This line opened at 3.5 and has been bet through the roof and we are going against that here in what looks like another live underdog opening week. 10* (482) Seattle Seahawks

This is a play on the MINNESOTA VIKINGS for our NFL Divisional Game of the Month. Green Bay enters the season the favorite to win the NFC North yet again at -175 and is second to Tampa Bay to win the conference at +400 but there are concerns that should be weeded out by midseason but early on, there could be some chemistry issues on offense. The loss of receiver Davante Adams, who accounted for over one-third of the Packers receiving yards, is the obvious big absence as he has been reunited with his college quarterback in Las Vegas and the lone major holdover at receiver is Allen Lazard and he is banged up heading into the season opener and listed as questionable. The offensive line will be better as the season goes along with the return of left tackle David Bakhtiari who played only one game last season but he is also on the injury list as questionable. The Green Bay defense was one of the worst against the run as far as average carries as it allowed 4.7 ypc which was third worst in the NFL. Aaron Rodgers has done it in the past with a skeleton offense but this is not the ideal opening game. Minnesota made changes on the sidelines with Kevin O'Connell taking over as head coach, coming over from the Rams where he was the offensive coordinator and he has an exceptional offense already in place to work with. Quarterback Kirk Cousins is one of the most criticized signal callers in the league and probably for simply not taking his team deep into the playoffs as his numbers speak for themselves. He was No. 4 in quarterback rating last season, ahead of Brady, Mahomes and Allen and over the last three seasons, he is tied for No. 5 in the PFF ratings and he is underrated. Eight of the Vikings nine losses last season came by eight or fewer points so being competitive is not a problem. The Vikings are 17-6 ATS as a home underdog over the last 10 years and while they are a small dog here, they probably should not be as we have this one as a pickem and the extra point and a half is important for teaser players as it crosses four key numbers. 10* (476) Minnesota Vikings

This is a play on the CLEVELAND BROWNS for our NFL Sunday Enforcer. Cleveland enters the season as an unknown because of the quarterback situation but that aside, the Browns still have one of the best rosters in the league. Jacoby Brissett is capable to handle this offense and he will not be asked to win but to just maintain control and use everything around him. His receiving corps is stacked with newly acquired Amari Cooper, rookie David Bell and a very underrated Donovan Peoples-Jones, he has a great offensive line in front of his and has one of the best running backs behind him in Nick Chubb. Cleveland will face a tough defense in the Panthers which finished No. 2 in the NFL in total defense but No. 21 in scoring defense and Cleveland has the pieces to exploit this unit. This is a big year for Carolina and head coach Matt Rhule who is on the hot seat after winning just 10 games in his first two seasons. A lot of the problems were with injuries, namely Christian McCaffrey who has played in only 11 of the past 33 games, and quarterback where there has been no consistency. Enter Baker Mayfield who won the starting job over Sam Darnold which was not a difficult thing to do and the big narrative here is Baker playing his former team in the first game of the season, thus adding a revenge factor. It is unlikely that he is going to step up his play just because of the opponent and this is the first game of the season for both teams so there is no added incentive on either side. No narrative. With the Deshaun Watson status still up in the air over the summer, Cleveland opened as a 4.5-point favorite and was bet up to -5 in some spots and now the line is +1.5 or +2 so we are seeing a swing of up to seven points and sorry, no player is worth a line shift like that unless the backup is completely incompetent which is not the case here. A year ago, Cleveland was a sleeper Super Bowl pick and this year, it is nothing close to that so the pressure aspect of needing to win is gone so simply playing looser is beneficial which makes them a live dog here. 10* (459) Cleveland Browns

This is a play on the PITTSBURGH STEELERS for our NFL Sunday Star Attraction. Much is said about the Super Bowl hangover and how the losing team from the big game tends to struggle the following season and we can totally see that here. Cincinnati will have the target on its back heading into the season following that disappointing three-point loss to the Rams and many are projecting a pretty big drop off in the highly potent AFC. The Bengals won 10 regular season games, but caught fire in the playoffs toward their Super Bowl run with the MVP not being Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase or Joe Mixon but kicker Even McPherson. The biggest issue last season was pass protection as Burrow was dropped 70 times and while there was an offensive line upgrade in the offseason, it could take some time for the three new pieces to fall into place. Another concern is Burrow himself who missed time in camp due to an appendectomy and he had to fight through an infection where he apparently lost 20 pounds. He is not 100 percent. The Steelers are not on many radars this season and they probably should not be but with head coach Mike Tomlin on the sidelines, this is always a dangerous team. They were not a very good football team last season but still were able to sneak into the playoffs before succumbing to the Chiefs and it is now 15 consecutive seasons that Tomlin has not produced a losing record as the Pittsburgh coach. Obviously, the big change is Ben Roethlisberger has retired and Mitch Trubisky will take over as the starter and while some see this as a downgrade, it is not. Roethlisberger finished last season No. 25 in QBR and if he can take them to the playoffs, Trubisky can. The offensive line is a slight concern but do not have a horrible matchup here. The Steelers defense is not what it used to be but can still get to the quarterback and that alone should be enough to keep them in this game. In the meeting here last season in November, the Bengals were 3.5-point favorites and now it is nearly double that and that is too much of an overadjustment. 10* (461) Pittsburgh Steelers

This is a play on the HOUSTON TEXANS for our NFL Sunday Ultimate Underdog. Another new look Colts team takes the field in 2022 with yet another new quarterback at the helm. This is the sixth straight season that Indianapolis will be starting a different quarterback (Jacoby Brissett twice sandwiched around Andrew Luck) as it is starting to rival the Browns in this category. Carson Wentz was not horrible last season as he finished No. 9 in the NFL in QBR but the last two games of the season doomed him as all they needed was one win and they lost to the Raiders and Jaguars to miss the postseason. Is Matt Ryan really an upgrade? Only time will tell and while he had a worse roster to work with last season, he was No. 21 in QBR, his lowest since 2015 and his 20 touchdowns were the fewest since his rookie season. He definitely has better pieces around him in Indianapolis as well as a better defense but laying this many points on the road in a divisional game is a lot to ask. Houston is once again expected to finish near the bottom in the AFC with a lot of questions all over the field. That being said, it is a new season with every team on a level playing field, to an extent, and the Texans will come out and see where they stand against a divisional opponent. Last season, they rolled over Jacksonville in the season opener and while the Jaguars/Colts comparison is not a fair one, it does show that things can be different early in the season. David Mills remains the starting quarterback and there is a mix of opinions of him being a band-aid to the heir apparent or having the upside to become a full time starter. Like Ryan, only time will tell. One thing is certain and that is he plays much better at home than on the road. He had a 109.6 quarterback rating at home where he completed 69.7 percent of his passes for 1,725 yards with 12 touchdowns and one interception compared to a 63.1 rating on the road where he had just 939 yards with four touchdowns and nine interceptions. Defensively, stopping Jonathan Taylor will be the key and while Houston allowed the second most rushing yards last season, they were ran on the second most, ahead of only the Jets. 10* (468) Houston Texans

This is a play on the NORTHERN ILLINOIS HUSKIES for our CFB Saturday Enforcer. Northern Illinois has some big expectations this season and there is no reason to believe that the Huskies will not reach and/or exceed those. Last season they went 9-5 and won the MAC Championship for the fourth time in 10 years as the Huskies welcomed back 19 starters and head coach Thomas Hammock could be building something really good again. They have 18 starters back this season while being ranked No. 8 in returning production and a repeat is the goal. They opened the season against Eastern Illinois and won 34-27 and that closer than expected finish is going to worry some but this is a veteran team that will regroup and all that narrow victory did was give us line value this week. The Huskies led by 22 points in the second half on two different occasions and instead of going for the jugular, they took the foot off the gas so a lot of the Panthers output was after the game was pretty much decided. Nonetheless, they have to play better which we are expecting they do. Tulsa put up a dud last week against Wyoming as they lost in overtime by three points as there were facets of the game that they failed at against what was considered a pretty bad team coming off a 38-6 loss against Illinois where the Cowboys could do nothing. The Golden Hurricane could not run the ball, turned it over more than they should have and special teams was horrible. The one big positive was quarterback Davis Brin who threw for a career-high 460 yards and three touchdowns but still could not get it done against a Cowboys defense that returns just four starters and have just one holdover in the secondary so he should have gone off. This line should be in the field goal range so we get value there in a game the Huskies can win outright. Here, we play on underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points that averaged 425 or more total ypg last season, with eight or more offensive starters including the quarterback returning, in the first month of the season. This situation is 29-8 ATS (78.4 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (385) Northern Illinois Huskies

This is a play on the KANSAS JAYHAWKS as part of our CFB Saturday Underdog Three Pack. We bet the Kansas over win total of 2.5 and we are almost halfway there and while one victory over an FCS team is not going to say the Jayhawks are now a force to be reckoned with, it was a very positive step and an additional one that goes back to last season. There have been seven coaches on the Kansas sideline during this putrid 13-year stretch but good things happened down the stretch last year and if Lance Leipold was able to turn things around in Buffalo, he has a chance to do it here, in time of course. At the end of last season, Kansas defeated Texas in a wild 57-56 overtime upset and then lost its final two games by just nine points combined. Why is this important? Quarterback Jalon Daniels took over those games and was excellent and over the last four games, he is 80-110 (72.7 percent) for 895 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions. He was efficient last week and now teams have to pay attention not only to the running game, but to the passing game. West Virginia is coming off a tough loss against Pittsburgh in the Backyard Brawl which puts them in a tough spot as it could get guilty of looking past Kansas. Against Pittsburgh, West Virginia had 190 rushing on 33 carries (5.8 ypc) while the Panthers had just 76 yards rushing on 38 carries (2.0 ypc) so that goes to the Mountaineers but Pittsburgh threw for 308 yards (19.3 yards per completion) compared to the Mountaineers passing for 214 yards (9.3 yards per completion). Daniels has every chance to be successful again here. The Kansas defense was one of the worst in the country last season but there is plenty of experience and the depth has increased thanks to the transfer portal. They allowed only 10 points and 190 total yards and while that was Tennessee Tech, the recent history of FCS games has not been good so this is a big thing and a huge thing to build on. Not much was expected with a 5.5 win total and just 12 starters returning with a No. 111 returning production ranking. 10* (371) Kansas Jayhawks

This is a play on the IOWA HAWKEYES for our CFB Saturday Rivalry Rout. How bad was the Iowa offense last week against South Dakota St.? The Hawkeyes managed just one touchdown in the 7-3 victory. Correction, it was not even a touchdown as their scoring came from a field goal and a pair of safeties so the offense was even worst than that seven-point total can possibly look. The offense managed 166 yards of offense, quarterback Spencer Petras was 11-25 for 109 yards, running back Leshon Williams was the leading rusher with 72 yards and the MVP was punter Tory Taylor who punted 10 times with seven of those being downed inside the 20-yard line including five inside the 10-yard line. Injuries played a role last week but they will be more healthy this week and the playing time of the younger players was a big edge even though the performances were not there. Iowa St. looked much better in its opener against an FCS opponent as it defeated SE Missouri St. 42-10 but it was not as dominating as that score might indicate. The Cyclones won the yardage battle 469-320 and had a fairly narrow 7.0 to 5.3 yard per play edge. If there is good news for the Iowa passing game it is that the Redhawks threw for 222 yards on an 11.7 completion average, the same as the Cyclones. Iowa St. quarterback Hunter Dekkers is a redshirt freshman that saw limited action last season so there is not much for teams to look at on film but the Hawkeyes have firsthand experience as he faced them in relief duty last season, going 11-16 for 114 yards and a touchdown and while those numbers were good, Iowa has a big edge having played against him. Iowa will have a much better defense than that of SE Missouri St., and because of this, the Cyclones need to use the clock to their advantage and that is what the Hawkeyes will plan on taking away. No one will be backing Iowa here and as of Wednesday morning, 60 percent of the action is on the Cyclones and from just a scoreboard analysis from last week, it is not hard to imagine that. There is more to it than that. 10* (368) Iowa Hawkeyes

This is a play on the TEXAS A&M AGGIES for our CFB Saturday Supreme Annihilator. We lost with Appalachian St. last week while some may have pushed and we are going against the Mountaineers here in a much different matchup and situation. That was a heart-wrenching loss as they came all the way back with a monster fourth quarter but came up just short in a game they had circled all summer and the biggest home crown in program history went home disappointed. Picking up the pieces will not be easy and this is where a cupcake would come in handy but they are not so lucky. Looking at the stats shows a masterful quarterback performance from Chase Brice who threw for six touchdowns and 361 yards against the Tar Heels and many people will go by that and think that this attack is now balanced and can give the Aggies fits but two weeks ago, North Carolina allowed 279 yards on 28-39 passing with a 7.2 yard per attempt average against Florida A&M from the FCS so the Brice numbers do not look as sparkly. Texas A&M toyed with Sam Houston St. last week in a 31-0 victory that might not look very impressive score-wise but it was a pure domination. The Aggies put up 497 yards of offense on 7.4 yards per play and looking at the drive chart shows it took a while for that offense to get rolling in the first game of the season as they had 184 yards in their first seven possessions, one accounting for 77 of those, but they tallied 303 yards over the final six possessions. Haynes King was great at quarterback despite a pair of picks as he threw for 364 yards and three touchdowns on 65 percent completions. The defense, despite down six starters from last season, did what was expected as it held the Bearkats to 198 yards and 10 first downs and will give the Mountaineers fits unlike how North Carolina tried. Here, we play on favorites of 10.5 to 21 points that averaged 4.75 or more rushing ypc last season, with an experienced quarterback returning as starter, in the first month of the season. This situation is 74-31 ATS (70.5 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (354) Texas A&M Aggies

This is a play on the GEORGIA ST. PANTHERS as part of our CFB Saturday Underdog Three Pack. Georgia St. lost to South Carolina last week 35-14 but it was a misleading final as the Panthers were in the game but special teams did them in. They were down by just five points at halftime and picked off a pass on the second play of the third quarter and converted that into a touchdown for their first and only lead. South Carolina scored the final 23 points to pull away thanks to a pair of blocked punts returned for touchdowns. If those did not happen and the final score was closer to 10 points, this line would not be nearly as high. Georgia St. won the yardage battle 311-306 and take a big step down in opposing defense this week. Quarterback Darren Grainger was not great last week but he can go off here just like Chase Brice did last week as he threw for six touchdowns and 361 yards with a very similar offense to that of the Panthers run first option. North Carolina may be 2-0 but it has not been impressive. This defense is not good and will keep many teams around so a look at a home underdog is always an option, especially one that is coming off a solid game against an SEC team. The Tar Heels let Brice go off and the argument will be that the Mountaineers were down huge and had to throw. Sure that is the case but the defense knew it was coming and had no answers. This after giving up 279 yards on 28-39 passing with a 7.2 yard per attempt average to Florida A&M of the FCS. The North Carolina offense is strong but will be facing an underrated defense. The Panthers were great against South Carolina and going back to last season, they improvement immensely by giving up only 20.3 ppg over the final eight games and have seven starters back led by linebackers Blake Carroll and Jordan Veneziale who combined for 169 tackles and 9.5 sacks last season and had 10 and one last week. Here, we play on home underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points team that had a winning record last season, in non-conference games. This situation is 83-35 ATS (70.3 percent) since 1992. 10* (322) Georgia St. Panthers

This is a play on the SOUTHERN MISS GOLDEN EAGLES as part of our CFB Saturday Underdog Three Pack. Southern Mississippi is coming off a loss to Liberty in four overtimes and now must change directions quickly. Liberty outgained Southern Mississippi 447-391 but needed 15 more plays to do so and the Golden Eagles had the better yard per play average and this team is expected to be a much improved program. They stumbled to a 3-9 record under first year head coach Will Hall and Southern Mississippi brings back 16 starters and has the No. 7 ranked returning production in the country so they have the experience that will be ready. The quarterback situation is still in the air but that is a position that was already low coming in. While one player cannot make a difference in a game, something says Frank Gore, Jr. has had this game circled for a while coming off a career-high 178 yards on a career-best 32 carries and a pair of rushing scores last week. The Hurricanes hung 70 points on Bethune-Cookman which comes as no surprise as the offense did what it wanted but the defense was not great, allowing 342 yards on a 6.1 yard per play average and this is a game it should have dominated on defense. Now after one big victory over an FCS school, there is already talk about the U being back. We need to pump the brakes a bit here even though this team is no doubt going to be heading in the right direction under new head coach Mario Cristobal but it is too soon. For starters, even though it was a game against an FCS team, this is an awful spot with the letdown/lookahead situation. Letdown? Yes. Over 56,000 fans came to watch the debut of the new look Hurricanes in primetime and now they have a noon kickoff against a team no one in Florida cares about and with a game at Texas A&M next week, not only the lookahead there but for this game, they will keep things simple and not show their cards. Here, we play on teams off a home loss by three points or less, in the first month of the season. This situation is 67-27 ATS (71.3 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (327) Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES RAMS for our NFL Thursday Kickoff Winner. We think Buffalo will have a chip on its shoulder this season and why not take it out on the defending Super Bowl Champions. The last time we saw Buffalo, or actually did not see them as they did not get a chance on offense in overtime against the Chiefs, we saw a disappointed team and one that is going to hungry from the start. The linemakers have agreed with this, making them the favorite to win the Super Bowl and they have seen a big move here, going from an underdog to a favorite on the road. The Bills are legitimately improved from last season, albeit slightly, with some key additions at wide receiver and on the defensive line. While the Bills offense gets most of the credit and probably rightfully so with Josh Allen and co. marching up and down the field at will but the Bills defense was the best in the NFL last season, finishing No. 1 in opponents scoring, opponents yards per game and opponents yards per play. They will be without corner Tre'Davious White which is a tough loss but safety Jordan Poyer looks good to go after having elbow issues during the preseason and of course the signing of Von Miller is a big bonus. They will have a test against the Rams offense that is nearly back in place from last season with Robert Woods gone and replaced by Allen Robinson which was their only major weapon change and it is a wash, and the retirement of tackle Andrew Whitworth is the other big one. Not much has changed on either side enough to not be able to base a lot of the numbers from last season and the Rams should be a slight favorite or a pickem but not an underdog of this size. We have the Super Bowl hangover in play as past champions have struggled to make the playoffs the following season in a lot of cases but it does not start with the opening game. Since the inception of the NFL Kickoff Game where the defending Super Bowl Champions host the opening Thursday night game, with two exceptions in 2013 and 2019, the defending champions have gone 14-2 and they have never played an inferior team so it is not a skewed record. Additionally, we play on underdogs or pickems that averaged 24 or more ppg last season. This situation is 43-16 ATS (72.9 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (452) Los Angeles Rams

This is a play on the CLEMSON TIGERS for our CFB Monday Star Attraction. While this might be considered a home game for Georgia Tech, it will not be as Clemson will be making the trip with a huge fan base in tow for what in reality is a neutral site game to open the ACC for both teams. A 10-win season was a downer for the Tigers and what they need is a quick start this season after stumbling out last year with a 4-3 start that included losses against NC State and Pittsburgh with three wins coming by 15 points combined against non-bowl teams. This included a 14-8 win over Georgia Tech at home and Clemson has not forgotten that one. Last year was the first one since 2014 that Clemson was not ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll at some point in the season as it got to No. 3 and finished No. 14, the third lowest in the 11 years. The quarterback play has to improve as the offense was abysmal last season but nine starters are back with playmakers at both wide receiver and running back to go along with a veteran offensive line. Defensively, the strength is along the front line with four potential NFL players manning a great run stopping unit and the ability to get to the quarterback. Clemson finished No. 8 in rushing defense and had 42 sacks which was tenth most in the nation so they will once again be all over the place in opponent backfields. Georgia Tech has a lot of work to do and no time to do it. Head coach Geoff Collins was hired after two successful campaigns at Temple and nothing has gone right. He has gone 9-25 in three years and after ending last season with six straight losses including getting shutout against Notre Dame and Georgia in the final two games by a combined 100-0, the fact he still has a job is a little shocking. Only eight starters are back including five on offense that is rebuilding its offensive line, not idea facing Clemson out of the gate. They are worse off defensively with only three starters back after finishing No. 117 in total defense and No. 112 in scoring defense. Clemson should name the score here and the motivation is there to do so. 10* (235) Clemson Tigers

This is a play on the HAMILTON TI-CATS for our CFL Monday Enforcer. Hamilton has lost two straight games, both on the road, to fall to 3-8 on the season and the road has been the ultimate demise. The Ti-Cats are now 0-6 on the highway but are a much more respectable 3-2 at home with the two losses coming by a combined seven points against teams from the West Division. One of those wins came against Toronto in their last home game and the Argonauts got their revenge last week so now it is payback time for Hamilton. Dane Evans will be the starting quarterback again after Matthew Shiltz was hurt after replacing Evans last week so a return home can only do him good after a poor outing against Hamilton. The home team is 7-0 in the last seven games for Hamilton. Toronto improved to 5-5 on the season but it has had a very favorable schedule this far with seven of the 10 games taking place at home and this is the start of six road games over the last seven so things could get ugly down the stretch. The Argonauts are 1-2 on the road with both losses coming by a touchdown or more with the victory being an impressive one over Saskatchewan but they are at the wrong end of the revenge angle this week and one intangible in our favor is a contrarian one. Turnovers have been a big difference for Toronto as after six games, the Argonauts were -10 in turnover margin but over last four games they are +10 in turnover margin and this latter part of the angle cannot be sustainable. Here, we play on favorites after two consecutive games where they forced one or less turnovers going up against an opponent after a game with a turnover margin of +3 or better. This situation is 25-5 ATS (83.3 percent) since 1996. 10* (696) Hamilton Ti-Cats

This is a play on the SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS for our CFL Game of the Week. Winnipeg bounced back from its first loss of the season with a two-point win over Calgary last week and is back on the road where it is a perfect 6-0. While the Blue Bombers have a 10-1 record, they have not exactly dominated as six of the 10 wins this season have been by seven points or less. Saskatchewan bounced back as well as it defeated B.C. on the road following a home loss to the Lions the previous week to move back over .500 at 6-5, one of four teams in the West Division with a winning record. The Roughriders are just 3-3 at home and that record is partially playing into this number along with the overall Winnipeg record. It was a good sign from quarterback Cody Fajardo last week as he threw for 321 passing yards with two touchdowns while completing 79.2 percent of his passes. This is the first of three meetings in the next four games so Saskatchewan has a chance to make a move with a big September run. 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 61-31 ATS (66.3 percent) since 1996. 10* (694) Saskatchewan Roughriders

This is a play on the TEXAS ST. BOBCATS for our CFB Saturday Ultimate Underdog. We lost by going against Nevada last week but we were on the right side, the breaks just went the wrong way. The Aggies got inside the Nevada 30-yard line on its first two possessions but missed a field goal and threw an interception and they had four turnovers on seven drives in the half and were unable to score. The second half was much better where they gained 198 yards on their last three possessions but resulted in a touchdown, a field goal and another turnover at the Nevada nine-yard line in the final minute. Nevada was actually outgained 303-257 but benefitted from those five turnovers while not turning the ball over on offense. That offense has work to do as it had only 78 yards passing with just a 3.4 yard per attempt average while the rushing game averaged only 4.0 ypc. The public sees a win and a cover and will be all over this short number. The Bobcats have endured seven straight losing seasons, compiling a 19-65 record over that stretch. Current head coach Jake Spavital is entering his fourth season and while a 4-8 record last year is hardly a big move, it was the best record over the past seven years. Texas St. returns 16 starters and has a No. 23 returning production ranking including No. 7 on offense where some big steps forward are expected. Taking over at quarterback is Arkansas St. transfer Layne Hatcher who was not very good on a very bad team last season but this offense can fit his style. The receiving corps is solidified with Javan Banks and Marcell Barbee combining for 1,068 yards and 10 touchdowns. The defense improved by over 60 ypg and five ppg but it was still bad yet brings back good depth and experience and the Nevada offense is not going to scare anyone. This is the first time in a while that there are expectations to improve even more and if things can go the Bobcats way, the first ever bowl game is within reach. 10* (207) Texas St. Bobcats

This is a play on the SOUTH FLORIDA BULLS for our CFB Saturday Underdog Shocker. South Florida has been awful over the last two seasons and this line has a lot to do with that. There is a lot of pressure at the top as head coach Jeff Scott has to make a positive move forward. He has gone 3-18 in his first two seasons and entering 2022, there are no excuses as 19 starters are back from a 2-10 team with the only FBS win coming against Temple. Almost everyone is back from the offense that finished No. 102 in total offense and No. 99 in scoring offense and help is on the way at the most important position. Former Baylor quarterback Gerry Bohanon will step into the starting role for Timmy McClain who could not get the offense rolling. On the other side, the Bulls were No. 124 in total defense and No. 117 in scoring defense and there is plenty of experience back to improve in all areas. Be disruptive is the goal and there are pieces in place to do so. The linebackers are the strength as Antonio Grier and Dwayne Boyles both return after combining for 159 tackles. Going 21-4 over the last two seasons has put BYU back on the map and it is loaded for another big year with 19 returning starters and a ranking of No. 2 in returning production. Offensively, BYU took a step back last season from 2020 on offense as it averaged more than 70 fewer ypg and put up 11 fewer ppg. Quarterback Jaren Hall took over last season and was solid in 10 games where he threw for 2,583 yards and 20 touchdowns with just five interceptions and he should be even better. The Cougars lost leading rusher Tyler Allgeier who ran for over 1,400 yards so they will take a step back behind one of the better offensive lines in the country. The defense was not great last season as BYU finished No. 74 overall, No. 77 in passing and No. 66 in rushing but it was opportunistic with 25 takeaways that led to a good scoring defense and turnovers cannot be counted upon. 10* (168) South Florida Bulls

This is a play on the BOWLING GREEN FALCONS for our CFB Saturday Enforcer. Bowling Green head coach Scott Loeffler has compiled a 7-22 record in his three seasons with the Falcons and this season is likely the last stand if there is not a major turnaround. Last season, Bowling Green was one of the most inexperienced teams in the country but this season, the Falcons have the most experienced team in the nation as far as returning production. Offensively, the Falcons have 10 starters coming back so there should be massive improvements all around. Quarterback Matt McDonald was decent with 2,555 passing yards but threw only 12 touchdowns and tossed seven interceptions but with the experience around him, the redshirt senior transfer can flourish. He has players everywhere around him as the two top targets are back and there is plenty of depth with four players behind them that has at least 100 yards receiving. The two top running backs return also as well as four starting offensive linemen. UCLA is getting the love once again as it typically does but it is hard to be sold on this team. UCLA snapped a five-season losing streak last year with an 8-4 record with head coach Chip Kelly responsible for three of those losing campaigns and while things look to be on the upturn, there are a lot of questions going into this season. They had 20 starters return in 2021 so expectations were high but this season, only eight starters are back and this could be a massive trap. The Bruins are set at quarterback with Dorian Thompson-Robinson but he needs players to step up big around him. the Bruins have to replace nine starters from a defense that finished No. 70 overall, allowing 384.4 ypg while giving up 26.8 ppg, which was No. 74 in the nation. UCLA was not clutch on this side of the ball as it allowed opponents to convert 43.6 percent of its third down opportunities, tied for No. 110 in the country. 10* (199) Bowling Green Falcons

This is a play on the APPALACHIAN ST. MOUNTAINEERS for our CFB Nonconference Game of the Month. North Carolina has a game played this season and while that may seem like an advantage, it is actually a disadvantage in some cases and that includes this one as North Carolina rolled over Florida A&M but did not look good in doing so. It also gives the current opponent a whole game of film to dissect. Last week after a first possession punt, North Carolina scored touchdowns on its next three drives and eight of the next 10 to pull away. Florida A&M did have success of its own on offense as after two punts to open the game, it scored on four of its next six possessions with the last cutting the lead to 35-24 late in the third quarter before the Tar Heels pulled away with three fourth quarter touchdowns. North Carolina outgained the Rattlers 608-335 with the rushing game being the difference as it had 314 yards on 40 carries (7.9 ypc) while allowing just 56 yards on 27 carries (2.1 ypc). The area for concern for the Tar Heels was giving up 279 yards on 28-39 passing with a 7.2 yard per attempt average. While that rushing defense for North Carolina was solid, it takes a big step up in class here. Quarterback Chase Brice returns following a very successful campaign where threw for 3,020 yards, 23 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 61.9 percent of his passes. Receivers do have to step up. He has the best offensive line in the conference in front of him with four starters back and both Nate Noel and Camerun Peoples return along with their 2,463 rushing yards. Defensively, the Mountaineers lost five of their top seven tacklers but there is still plenty in the cupboard to make another run. The rushing defense, which led the Sun Belt last season, is the key to success on this side of the ball as Appalachian St. is undersized and inexperienced along the defensive line so the linebacking strength will have to keep this unit stout. 10* (178) Appalachian St. Mountaineers

This is a play on the TEMPLE OWLS for our CFB Friday Night Lights Winner. The last two seasons have seen a significant drop off as Duke has gone 5-18 and in comes new head coach Mike Elko to try and turn things around. The Blue Devils closed last season with eight straight losses with the defense allowing a whopping 46.6 ppg and no team can succeed with that. Only 11 starters are back in 2022 and they have one of the worst returning production rankings in the country so it could take some time for any sort of significant improvement in Durham. The offense this season is basically starting over with new players at the key positions but they can build around an experienced offensive line that returns four starters. Duke will turn to Riley Leonard at quarterback where he saw limited action last season. The defense was one of the worst in the country last season and one of the worst in program history as Duke was ranked No. 130 in total defense and No. 129 in scoring defense. Yes, Duke should be the favorite here but not by anything close to a touchdown After a 3-2 start last season, Temple closed with seven straight losses, all by 20 or more points and the writing was on the wall before the season ended as the team quit on head coach Rod Carey. It is not a complete rebuild but this is more about turning around the culture that went south fast. New head coach Stan Drayton comes over from Texas and has that winning culture in his back pocket in his first head coaching gig and the schedule is in their favor early on. On offense, quarterback D'Wan Mathis showed promise last season but was unable to stay on the field as he missed two games early as well as the final three games so keeping him healthy is goal number one. That will be the priority of the offensive line that has three starters back and should not have an issue with the Duke front. The defense has been gashed over the last two seasons, allowing close to 38 ppg and an inability to stop the run where they gave up nearly 5.0 ypc. This is the ideal matchup for a season opener to gauge where the unit stands. Here, we play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points that were outscored by opponents by 17 or more ppg last season. This situation is 36-11 ATS (76.6 percent) since 1992. 10* (159) Temple Owls

This is a play on the PURDUE BOILERMAKERS for our CFB Thursday Enforcer. Last season, Purdue finished 9-4 that included quality wins over Iowa, Michigan St. and Tennessee and the four losses against teams with nine or more wins. 15 starters are back along with a No. 37 ranked recruiting class means Purdue could be here to stay now and for the foreseeable future. This is a statement game right out of the gate and the Boilermakers have the talent and experience to pull the upset. Quarterback Aiden O'Connell was outstanding in his first year as the full time starter as he threw for 3,712 yards with 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing over 72 percent of his passes. The Purdue defense has typically been a sieve but it has improved in each of the last four seasons yardage-wise and last year was No. 48 in total defense and No. 34 in scoring defense and it was actually better than that as those rankings are inflated because of their bowl game. Penn St. closed last season 2-6, with the wins coming against Maryland and Rutgers, including closing with a dud against Arkansas in the Outback Bowl. It has been a very average stretch of late with Penn St. going 14-13 over its last 27 games going back to the end of the 2019 season and the Nittany Lions have only 11 starters back. Offensively, they bring back some excellent talent but the big question going into the season is the offensive line as only two starters are back and they will be mixing in some transfers and young players and it might take time to come together in finding the right rotation. Defensively, the Nittany Lions were solid against both the run and the pass and the main area of concern will be up front. Their sack leader is gone and the pass rush was not great to begin with as they had only 27 sacks and their 2.1 sack per game average was tied for No. 74 in the country. going back a level, the linebacking corps loses their top two tacklers that combined for 148 stops so the entire front seven is going to be a work in progress. Here, we play on home underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points that had a completion percentage of 62 percent or better, with an experienced quarterback returning as starter, in the first month of the season. This situation is 26-6 ATS (81.2 percent) since 1992. 10* (146) Purdue Boilermakers

This is a play on the NEW MEXICO ST. AGGIES for our CFB Saturday Enforcer. New Mexico St. has been dreadful for years and another rebuilding project is in store but they are getting no respect here at home and with a significant new coaching advantage. The good news is that Jerry Kill is on the sidelines once again after numerous health problems took him from coaching for a few years after being at Minnesota but came back as an interim coach at TCU last year. The hope is a great pedigree will bring some sort of turnaround. The Aggies are pretty much starting over on offense and that is not a bad thing as they have only three starters back which is part of the No. 129 ranked returning production offense. Kill is in place to turn around a running game that averaged 100.4 ypg, which was No. 104 in the country, and having lost its leading rusher, the Aggies turn to a pair of transplants to get it going. The offensive line is the most experienced group where those three starters return. The Aggies were horrible on defense last season but nine starters are back and this is an ideal offense to go against in their first game. First year head coach Ken Wilson, who was in the program for 21 years, inherits a Nevada team that was the most experienced in the country heading into last season with 22 returning starters to the least experienced coming into 2022 with only six starters back. Nevada has had four straight winning seasons including an 8-5 record last season that included three losses by two points apiece and those eight wins are tied for the most since 2010 but this year looks to be a rebuild from the start especially with an incoming recruiting class ranked No. 116. On offense, two starters are back, the running back and an offensive lineman and every other position will be up for grabs. Quarterback Carson Strong threw for 4,175 yards with 36 touchdowns and eight interceptions and will be impossible to replace and it will be either Shane Illingworth from Oklahoma St. or Nate Cox who threw only 43 passed last season for the Wolf Pack while the top five pass catchers are all gone. The defense is nearly as inexperienced with just four returning starters. 10* (304) New Mexico St. Aggies

This is a play on the EDMONTON ELKS for our CFL Game of the Month. Football in Edmonton used to be a big deal but it has been some trying times for a while now. The Elks are 3-7 on the season with a playoff berth at least another year away but they have played better of late as all three of those wins came within their last seven games and the four defeats over this stretch have come against teams from the West Division. Additionally, all three wins have come on the road as the Elks are 0-4 at home and they have not won a home game in over 22 months as they are 0-12 over their last 12 home games. Thanks to some improved play over the last two weeks and the back end of a home-and-home series, this one sets up perfectly for the streak to end. Ottawa opened the season with three solid efforts with two games against Winnipeg and a game against B.C. resulting in losses by a combined 12 points but have struggled much more of late with four of their last five losses coming by at least a touchdown and the only victory on the season came at Toronto despite winning the yardage battle by just 26 total yards. The overall numbers are not horrible as Ottawa is ranked No. 5 in total offense and No. 7 in total defense but the quarterback situation remains a mess. Caleb Evans will take a seat and Nick Arbuckle will make the start on Saturday and while he has completed 66.7 percent of his passes in mop up duty, he has not thrown a touchdown while tossing two interceptions. The RedBlacks are 8-21 ATS in their last 29 games following a straight up loss. 10* (688) Edmonton Elks

This is a play on the NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS for our CFB Big Ten Game of the Month. It has been a forgettable run for the once proud Nebraska football program as it has had five straight losing seasons, the last four under current head coach Scott Frost. They have gone 13-31 in the Big Ten during this five-season slide and while the 3-9 record last season was the worst of them all, it was arguably the best of them all as far as competitiveness. All nine losses were by single digits and by an average of 6.2 ppg so Nebraska was painfully close to putting together a winning season. Taking over at quarterback will be Casey Thompson who transferred in from Texas following a great season where he threw for 2,113 yards with 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The top two receivers are gone and while there are a few holdovers, three solid transfers enter the picture. The Huskers are experienced on defense and to be a success, they need to take the ball away more and generate a bigger pass rush. The sacks should spike as the Huskers welcome defensive end Ochaun Mathis where he started 34 games at TCU and had 15.5 sacks. The defensive front did ok in stopping the run and that should also get better especially with Luke Reimer and Nick Henrich at linebacker, the two top tackling leaders, where they combined for 208 stops as a sophomore and freshman respectively. Last season, Northwestern went through a rebuilding year with only eight starters back and it showed with a 3-9 record, matching the 2019 team that had only 11 starters return, which are the two worst in the 16 seasons under head coach Pat Fitzgerald. They are experienced on offense but the quarterback situation is still a concern. Ryan Hilinski will get a second chance after throwing for just 978 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions. Defensively, only five starters are back with the top guy being linebacker Bryace Gallagher who was second on the team with 90 tackles and will have to be the leader with two new starters on the outside around him. The lone starter back on the defensive line is Adetomiwa Adebawore who led the team with 4.5 sacks from the middle and he will need help with most of the other sack producers having moved on while the secondary is a question mark as the best player is gone. 10* (300) Nebraska Cornhuskers

This is a play on the SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS for our CFL Friday Enforcer. The B.C. train keeps rolling along as the Lions are 8-1 on the season but they still train Winnipeg by a game in the West Division. They are coming off a win at Saskatchewan last week to make it five straight victories but the near future took a massive hit. Quarterback Nathan Rourke was hurt last week and is out for an undetermined period of time which is a huge loss. He passed for 375 yards in the abbreviated outing in Week 11 for his league-leading 6th game of the season with 300 or more yards and he has multiple touchdown passes in all nine of his starts. This will be the first career start for Michael O'Connor who was 5-5 last week when the game was already out of reach. Saskatchewan has now lost four of its last five games to fall to 5-5 on the season and it hits the road where it is 2-2 and a win here pulls it to within a half-game of Calgary in the West Division. Even without Rourke going for the Lions, this is not an easy matchup and while the value may seem to be on the other side, this is the contrarian side with the public biting on the smaller than anticipated number. The Roughriders will go with Cody Fajardo tonight after he was benched near halftime of the loss last week to the Lions and there is not a more motivational situation than this. The Roughriders are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up loss. Here, we play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points off in two straight division games. This situation is 133-75 ATS (63.9 percent) since 1996. 10* (685) Saskatchewan Roughriders

This is a play on the SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS for our CFL Game of the Week. Saskatchewan snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over Edmonton last week and it heads back home trying to out an end to a two-game home losing skid. Injuries have played a role in the Roughriders 5-4 record and the big one has been quarterback Cody Fajardo who continues to play through his nagging knee injury and has done so while wearing a brace which has limited his running ability bit did score twice last week against the Elks. We are getting excellent value in this number as B.C. came here last month with the game listed as a pickem and now the Lions are laying a big number on the road in the second of three meetings in a span of four games. Saskatchewan is 24-11 ATS in its last 35 games against teams averaging 325 or more passing ypg. B.C. continues to play at a high level and it is coming off a thrilling 41-40 win over rival Calgary as it trailed 40-31 with just over two minutes remaining but closed with a pair of scores including the game-winning 25-yard field goal with five seconds remaining. That was a huge victory that kept the Lions within a game of first place in the West Division behind Winnipeg. They are 3-0 on the road including that win here last month and they have dominated in doing so, outgaining the three opponents by an average of 236.7 ypg and that is playing into this number that opened at 3 and has been steamed up to as much as 5.5 in some places. Here, we play on underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points off two straight division games. This situation is 180-120 (60 percent) since 1996. 10* (694) Saskatchewan Roughriders

This is a play on the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS for our NFL Thursday Enforcer. Seattle heads home for its lone preseason game here and there will be some added incentive in front of the home crowd especially coming off a loss to Pittsburgh last week. Head coach Pete Carroll has taken winning in the preseason more importantly than some other NFL head coaches and he will be expecting his team to bounce back tonight. Word came out Wednesday that Seattle quarterback Drew Lock tested positive for COVID and will not play on Thursday meaning Geno Smith will get the start and it is far from a downgrade. Smith has gotten almost all of the reps with the first-team offense in training camp practices as well as all but one series in its mock game. He is expected to play the entire first half. It is a rebuilding season in Chicago as they have a new coach in Matt Eberflus and the players are still getting used to the new schemes. Chicago is coming off a win over Kansas City in its preseason opener and does not have a lot of room to get ready for this one with just a five-day window in-between games. Eberflus plans only to play his starters between six to 10 snaps against the Seahawks. This includes starting quarterback Justin Fields who looked decent against the Chiefs in the win last week but the first string offense failed to put points on the board. In the preseason, Seattle is 29-13 ATS after one or more consecutive straight up losses. 10* (402) Seattle Seahawks

This is a play on the HAMILTON TIGER-CATS for our CFL Friday Enforcer. We won with Toronto last week as it defeated Hamilton 34-20 as a one point favorite at home and now comes in as a road favorite and the normal venue switch would make the Argonauts the dog here. Toronto has won three of its last four games and has a sizable lead in the East Division at 2.6 games over Hamilton and Montreal. Five of the Argonauts seven games have been at home and are 1-1 on the road. Toronto benefitted from an interception returned for a touchdown as well as a kick return for a touchdown so the game was closer than the final score indicates as Toronto was actually outgained by 91 total yards. The big reason for the line switch is that Matthew Shiltz will be starting over Dane Evans who is listed as doubtful but he will be facing a Toronto defense that has been vulnerable against the pass, allowing 277.9 ypg through the air. Despite the 2-6 record, Hamilton has outgained five of eight opponents and is +28.6 ypg in differential on the season. On defense, Hamilton is No. 2 in the CFL against the pass and will have to continue to get to the quarterback after registering three sacks last week. Here, we play on home underdogs or pickems after failing to cover the spread in five or six out of their last seven games, in weeks 10 through 15. This situation is 45-16 ATS (73.8 percent) since 1996. 10* (684) Hamilton Tiger-Cats

This is a play on the DETROIT LIONS for out NFL Friday Enforcer. This is the only home preseason game for Detroit which may not play a huge factor but the value is in this number and with all of the hype around head coach Dan Campbell, this will be a motivated sideline to get the win to get the fanbase a little excited. Per Michigan Live, the plan is for the Lions first string to play about a quarter which is a benefit with a young roster. After Jared Goff sits at quarterback, Tim Boyle and David Blough will split the rest of the snaps under center and both have plenty of experience even though their regular season numbers are not good, that makes no difference here, especially going up against backups and rookies trying to make the team. Matt Ryan is gone and Marcus Mariota will take over the starting spot this season and indications are the Falcons will play their starters around one quarter on Friday via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The difference here as opposed to the Lions who will be playing veteran backups, the Falcons are planning to get a long look at rookie Desmond Ridder under center. While the Lions went 0-3 in the preseason last year, they were competitive and Atlanta also went 0-3 with three big losses so the motivation level for Arthur Smith does not seem to be there and there is more interest in the development of the younger players to help fill numerous holes. 10* (110) Detroit Lions

This is a play on the TENNESSEE TITANS for our AFC Preseason Game of the Month. The public will be flocking on the Ravens in their preseason opener based on their success over the last few years as they have gone 20-0 straight up and 18-2 ATS over their last 20 games. The linemakers hands were forced to make them a slightly over than typical home favorite in the preseason which is -3 taking home field into consideration and then adjusted based on matchups and info on playing time but that is not the case here. Quarterback Lamar Jackson, tight end Mark Andrews, cornerback Marlon Humphrey, safety Marcus Williams and outside linebacker Justin Houston are among the players who will be sitting out this game and very likely all of the others as Baltimore will be taking precautions to avoid injuries after running back J.K. Dobbins was injured in the preseason last year and had to miss the entire season. As for Tennessee, the rotation is still unclear on whether Ryan Tannehill will see any action in the opener and if he does, it will be just one series at most. There will be a quarterback battle for the backup spot between Logan Woodside and rookie Malik Willis with Woodside sitting No. 2 after the first depth chart release. He will get the majority of the snaps and knowing the system definitely helps. He was solid in the preseason last year, going 29-40 (72.5 percent) for 248 yards with three touchdowns and one interception and while Willis is new, he has had a good camp and will be an unknown to the Ravens as he can get it done with a very solid deep game as well as with running the ball. Running back Derrick Henry will not suit up for any of the preseason games which was announced prior to camp even opening. We are grabbing the value and going against the masses that have driven this line from the opener of -2.5 to its current number of over a field goal. 10* (107) Tennessee Titans

This is a play on the TORONTO ARGONAUTS for our CFL Game of the Week. After a 0-4 start to the season, Hamilton has won two of its last three games but neither were overly impressive as they came against Ottawa and Montreal by a combined nine points and both of those were at home. The Ti-Cats hit the road again where they are 0-3 while getting outgained by 44.4 ypg. To their credit, all three of those games have come against the much tougher West Division but they do now face the strongest team from the East, albeit a 3-3 squad. Quarterback Dane Evans has put up a decent amount of yards but he is completing only 67.4 percent of his passes and has tossed nine picks to his nine touchdowns and was given off a few series last week which we should see again here. Going back, the Ti-Cats are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games overall. Toronto possesses the second best offense in the CFL as it is averaging 376.7 ypg and the problem has been getting the ball into the endzone as well as simply turning it over too much at the wrong times as it is averaging only 19.8 ppg but it is going up against a defense with the opposite effect. Hamilton in second in the league in total defense, allowing 350.0 ypg but is has given up 25.0 ppg which is No. 6 in the CFL and that is where the Argonauts can take advantage, especially at home. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson has been solid for the most part as he has thrown for 1,713 yards at a 71.4 percent completion rate but his six interceptions have cost him at times and he needs to cut those down. The Argonauts are 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine games following a straight up loss. 10* (696) Toronto Argonauts

This is a play on the MONTREAL ALLOUETTES for our CFL Thursday Enforcer. We played against Winnipeg last week as it came from behind to defeat Calgary to improve to 8-0 on the season. The two-time reigning Grey Cup champions have won 10 straight games going back to last season and the Blue Bombers have been far from dominant as they have been outgained in four of their seven games and on the season, they have been outyarded by over 15 ypg as they possess the No. 7 offense and No. 4 defense, which are not typical rankings for a 8-0 team. This is no doubt a letdown spot as after opening with four straight games against the East, the last four have come against the West including a pair over rival Calgary and this is the last of three straight road games and the first cross country trip. Montreal is coming off a loss against Hamilton which was its third in four games to fall to 2-5 on the season. The Alouettes have played better than that record as they have been outgained by just over eight ypg and they bring in the No. 6 ranked offense and defense which is certainly nothing special but they are close to being in the top half on both sides. Five of the first seven games have been on the road so this marks just the third home game of the season after starting 1-1. A one-point loss to Edmonton was not good but a 24-point win over Saskatchewan was a solid victory. Here, we play against favorites of 3.5 to 10 points off a close win by seven points or less over a division rival, in the first half of the season. This situation is 33-12 ATS (73.3 percent) since 1996. 10* (692) Montreal Alouettes

This is a play on the CALGARY STAMPEDERS for our CFL Game of the Month. After a 4-0 start, Calgary is coming off a loss against Winnipeg on the road as it was coming off a bye week and is now coming off another bye and back home playing with revenge. The Stampeders are 2-0 at home and have failed to cover either of those games and that brings some value as does the public love for the opponent. Calgary is ranked No. 2 in total offense while ranked No. 6 in total defense and it has outscored its opponents by close to 10 ppg while winning the yardage battle by 23 ypg. Bo Levi Mitchell has been as solid as always, completing 64.3 percent of his passes for 1,299 yards with seven touchdowns and just three picks. Winnipeg is off to a 7-0 start and the reigning Grey Cup champions have won nine straight games going back to last season. The Blue Bombers have been far from dominant as they have been outgained in four of their seven games and on the season, they have been outyarded by close to 28 ypg as they possess the No. 8 offense and No. 5 defense, which are not typical rankings for a 7-0 team. They have help opponents out of the end zone but have faced a slew of poor offenses and while Calgary managed just 297 yards in the first meeting, expect a bigger effort at home. Here, we play on teams where the line is +3 to -3 off a road loss, with a winning record on the season playing another winning team. This situation is 39-15 ATS (72.2 percent) since 1996. 10* (686) Calgary Stampeders

This is a play on the SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS for our CFL Friday Enforcer. B.C. opened the season 3-0 before getting thumped at home against Winnipeg but it bounced back last week with a win against Hamilton and comes in as the road favorite which is just its second road game of the season. After dominating their first three games, the Lions have been outgained in each of their last two games and have fallen back into normalcy. They still lead the league in offense as they are averaging 447.2 ypg but have a tough matchup here. B.C. has scored only 39 combined points the last two games, and now faces a Roughriders defense that has allowed the second-fewest yards in the CFL and leads the league in sacks with 26. The Lions are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games overall. Saskatchewan opened the season 4-1 but has lost its last two games as it was swept against Toronto in back-to-back games. The Roughriders are coming off their worst effort in a 10-point loss to the Argonauts as they were outgained by 377 yards and while that is keeping the betting market off of them, they were severely shorthanded as many players were out due to a COVID outbreak. Quarterback Cody Fajardo missed that game with a knee injury and COVID issues but is now listed as probably which is big as Jake Dolegala struggled as his replacement. The Roughriders are 5-1 ATS in their last six games against teams with a winning record. Here, we play against teams with a winning percentage of .50 or better after one or more consecutive losses against the spread, playing a team with a winning record. This situation is 59-30 ATS (66.3 percent) since 1996. 10* (684) Saskatchewan Roughriders

This is a play on the HAMILTON TI-CATS for our CFL Thursday Enforcer. Hamilton has gone from a team that was a win away from winning the Grey Cup to a team that is off to a 1-4 start but has some momentum on its side following a win over Ottawa last week. Quarterback Dane Evans completed 21 of 28 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns and that is a big confidence boost. The Ti-Cats have not played as bad as the record shows as two losses have come by a combined seven points and they have outgained three of their five opponents. This is a big contrarian play as reading the Canadians papers shows that everyone loves the Ti-Cats to fall big but momentum is a big thing, especially against a team continuing to be overpriced. Hamilton is 10-2 ATS in its last 12 road games against teams averaging 325 or more passing ypg. B.C. came back down to earth after a dominant 4-0 start as it lost to Winnipeg by 21 points two weeks ago and while it is coming off a bye week, the real Lions may have finally been exposed. Despite that, they are still being priced as the undefeated team and it is hard to be sold on a team that was so bad last season and has turned it around at the flip of a switch. Here, we play on underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points off a win over a division rival, in July games. This situation is 33-11 ATS (75 percent) since 1996. 10* (693) Hamilton Ti-Cats

This is a play on the CALGARY STAMPEDERS for our CFL Friday Enforcer. While 3 is a key point spread number in football, it does not really pertain to the CFL as much but there is still value in this number as we can give 3 to home field and Calgary is getting value over that and as of this point in the season, it has been the better of the two undefeated teams. The Stampeders are off to a 4-0 start and while the opposition has not been great, that can be said for both sides and they have been more dominant. Calgary is ranked No. 2 in total offense while ranked No. 5 in total defense and it has outscored its opponents by 14 ppg while winning the yardage battle by close to 45 ypg. Bo Levi Mitchell has been as solid as always, completing 69 percent of his passes for 1,112 yards with six touchdowns and just two picks. Calgary is 8-1 ATS in its last nine games as an underdog while going 18-8 ATS in its last 26 games against the West Division. Winnipeg is 5-0 and it has not been overly impressive with the exception of the win over B.C. last time out but the Lions are not the team many think that started off. The Blue Bombers have gotten off to a slow start on offense is they are ranked No. 7, ahead of only Hamilton and Edmonton while the defense is ranked No. 6 in total defense but to their credit, they have kept the points off the board but those were against some anemic defenses. Overall, Winnipeg has been outgained by 34.8 ypg and it still gets the love based on the last two Grey Cup wins and the undefeated start. Here, we play against favorites of 3.5 to 10 points off a win over a division rival, in July games. This situation is 47-16 ATS (74.6 percent) since 1996. 10* (683) Calgary Stampeders

This is a play on the SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS for our CFL Game of the Week. This is the second of a home-and-home between Montreal and Saskatchewan after the Alouettes rolled over the Roughriders last week 37-13. Montreal is now 1-2 on the season and has covered all three games as it lost to Toronto by a point and Calgary by a field goal, both on the road. The win last week was deceiving however as the Alouettes outgained Saskatchewan by only five total yards as they returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and took advantage of two interceptions by Cody Fajardo, one returned for a touchdown. Additionally, the Roughriders did not help their cause by committing 11 penalties for 106 yards. That win was the first this season by a team from the East over a team from the West and on the season, the East is 1-9 against its counterpart division. Saskatchewan opened the season with a pair of double-digit wins against Hamilton and Edmonton and while those are two of the worst teams in the league, Montreal is not that much better and the loss last week can be blamed on the intangibles more than anything. To be fair, Fajardo was not good last week as he threw for only 191 yards to go along with those two picked and had a passer rating of 51.3 after posting ratings of 110.3 and 118.6 in his first two games. The Roughriders are ranked No. 2 in overall defense and No. 1 against the run and they held Montreal to just 60 yards on the ground last week. Expect the defense to come up strong again against either Trevor Harris or Vernon Davis, Jr. Here, we play on home teams that are averaging between 385 and 420 ypg going up against teams averaging between 345 and 385 ypg, after allowing 7.6 or more yppl in their previous game. this situation is 25-6 ATS (80.6 percent) since 1996. 10* (686) Saskatchewan Roughriders

This is a play on the OTTAWA REDBLACKS for our CFL Thursday Enforcer. B.C. has been the early season surprise in the CFL as it is off to a 2-0 start which is one win shy of its win total from all of last season. The Lions have destroyed both of their opponents by a combined score of 103-18 while winning the yardage battle by an average of 247 ypg but those were against two teams not expected to make much noise this season. B.C. hits the road for the first time this season and are travelling cross country on a short week and while playing another team that is not predicted to do a whole lot, the situation is not a good one. Quarterback Nathan Rourke has shredded the first two defenses he has faced as he has completed an amazing 87.8 percent of his passes while throwing seven touchdowns and no interceptions but we will see what he can do against a defense that has had plenty of time to prepare. Ottawa is off to a 0-2 start but has looked good in doing so if that makes sense. The RedBlacks have played two-time Grey Cup Champion Edmonton twice and shut down the potent Blue Bombers offense both times, allowing only 19 points in each game. They outgained Winnipeg by 152 and 82 total yards and while it is only a two-game sample, they have the No. 2 ranked defense in the CFL and while the results are opposite of B.C., it can be argued their start is just as impressive. The offense has not produced on the scoreboard but quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has thrown for 355 ypg and 9.9 ypa and will test the Lions defense for the first time this season as they have faced Nick Arbuckle and McLeod Bethel-Thompson. Overall, the RedBlacks are ranked No. 2 in total offense so it is up the unit to produce in the clutch which has been the issue. Ottawa is coming off its first bye week which adds to the situational advantage as it has not left home in 19 days. 10* (682) Ottawa RedBlacks

This is a play on the TORONTO ARGONAUTS for our CFL Game of the Week. Both Toronto and B.C. are just one game into the season and while both are 1-0, the results were much different and because of this, we have seen the line climb from 3 to 4.5 and the big value is on the road team. Toronto escaped in its season opener following a bye in Week One as it defeated Montreal by a point, avoiding a loss with the Alouettes missing a field goal in the final seconds. The Argonauts were the top team in the East Division last season and hosted a playoff game but lost to Hamilton and they are coming into this season with some high expectations once again. They have failed to cover six of their last seven games going back to last season and that could also be playing a factor into this number. They have the edge of playing last week while B.C. had some momentum cut short with a week off. The Lions rolled in their season opener over the worst team in the CFL as they defeated Edmonton 59-15 thanks to a huge first half where they scored four touchdowns on four red zone trip while also adding rushing touchdowns of 36 and 21 yards. It was a very impressive victory based on final score and overall production but B.C. takes a big step up in competition here. The Lions were just 5-9 last season and did not do much to improve on the offensive side. They lost veteran Mike Reilly at quarterback who retired and while Nathan Rourke was impressive in his first starts, that was against the Elks and he will have a bigger challenge here against a defense that was average last season and made some strong upgrades. Here, we play against favorites of 3.5 to 10 points off a win over a division rival, in the first month of the season. This situation is 33-9 ATS (78.6 percent) since 1996. 10* (697) Toronto Argonauts

This is a play on the MONTREAL ALOUETTES for our CFL Thursday Enforcer. Montreal is off to a 0-2 start but both games could have gone either way. The Alouettes opened the season with a three-point loss at Calgary and followed that up with a one-point loss at Toronto last week as they missed a field goal in the last seconds of the game. They are now back in Montreal for their home opener and look to build off those first two impressive performances. Montreal outgained the Stampeders by 31 total yards and were outgained by just 19 total yards against the Argonauts and the season has started like what happened all of last season as the Alouettes lost four of their seven games by five points or less so they have been close to turning the corner. Vernon Adams, Jr. is out at quarterback but that is not a bad thing as Trevor Harris is the best backup in the league and threw for 270 yards in relief last week. The Roughriders are off to a 2-0 start , but those results are a little skewed. They opened the season against Hamilton and it was a close game until they pulled away in the fourth quarter and then last week against Edmonton, they trailed going into the final quarter and ended up with another double-digit win. The defense has carried the team thus far late in games and are at a scheduling disadvantage here. Saskatchewan heads east for the first time and has had two fewer days off than Montreal which is an issue as the shortened turnaround hurts when trying to prep for two quarterbacks as it had to early in the week. Saskatchewan is 5-15 ATS on its last 20 games after two consecutive games with a turnover margin of +2 or better. Here, we play against teams off a win over a division rival, team that had a winning record last season playing a team that had a losing season. This situation is 25-5 ATS (83.3 percent) since 1996. 10* (692) Montreal Alouettes

This is a play on the EDMONTON ELKS for our CFL Game of the Week. Saskatchewan opened the season with a 30-13 win over Hamilton but it was not overly dominant as it outrushed the Ti-Cats by just 49 yards and outpassed them by just 41 yards. The Roughriders benefitted from five Hamilton turnovers and the ones that happened late decided the game as Saskatchewan was up by just a score of 15-13 with less than four minutes left and scored 15 unanswered points over that final stretch. Hamilton also hurt itself by getting in tough situations as on 17 occasions, it faced a second and long and those catch up quickly. Sure, the Roughriders defense can be given some credit on those first down stops but overall, it was a clearly misleading final score as Saskatchewan in now overvalued hitting the road for the first time. The Roughriders are 0-4 ATS in their last four games against teams with a losing record. Edmonton is coming off an awful opening game against B.C. as it lost 59-15 but was outgained by a more respectable 153 total yards which is by no means good, but that does not correlate to the final score. Quarterback Nate Arbuckle was 20-29 for 254 yards but tossed three interceptions and falling behind 42-6 at halftime was an insurmountable deficit. The Elks are coming off a 3-11 season and not much is expected this year as they are +2,500 to win the Grey Cup, easily the longest odds in the league but there are improvements even though they were not fully on display in the first game. The Elks are 4-0 ATS in their last four games against teams with a winning record. Here, we play against favorites after one or more consecutive straight up wins, team that had a winning record last season playing a team that had a losing season. This situation is 30-9 ATS (76.9 percent) since 1996. 10* (688) Edmonton Elks

This is a play on the OTTAWA REDBLACKS for our CFL Friday Enforcer. This is the second of a home-and-home between Winnipeg and Ottawa with the Blue Bombers escaping with a 19-17 win and it should have not been that close, going the other way. The RedBlacks outgained Winnipeg 441-289 but had some costly penalties and were forced into three field goals and a single as they could not execute deep when needed while ending the first half at the Winnipeg 22-yard line with timeouts remaining but inexplicably let the time run out. Jeremiah Masoli had a big game in his first start for Ottawa as he was 24-34 for 380 yards with a touchdown and an interception and despite losing, Ottawa has to be encouraged in its season opener. The game was decided by a Winnipeg field goal with six seconds left which left the RedBlacks despondent but an early revenge spot at home will have them ready. The RedBlacks are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games in June. Winnipeg should be better but this is clearly a bad matchup and a big factor here is the line. The Blue Bombers closed as a 6.5-point favorite at home and now they are favored by just a couple points less on the road which is not the typical line swing based on home field. The fact Winnipeg won is the one thing that the common bettor will look at and not take advantage of digging deeper into the game to see exactly what transpired. The Blue Bombers are the team with the bulls-eye on its back and they continue to be overvalued going back to last season as they are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games as a road favorite. Here, we play against favorites after one or more consecutive straight up wins, team that had a winning record last season playing a team that had a losing season. This situation is 30-9 ATS (76.9 percent) since 1996. 10* (684) Ottawa RedBlacks

This is a play on the BOSTON CELTICS for our NBA Thursday Enforcer. Game Five continued the common theme of the series as a close game was opened up by a big, late run as Golden St. opened the fourth quarter on a 10-0 run and Boston could not recover. Going in, if you said Steph Curry would have 16 points and not make a single three-pointer, then Boston would be back home with a series advantage but Andrew Wiggins stepped up and gives the Warriors a shot on Thursday for their fourth NBA Title in the last eight years. Golden St. is just 4-5 on the road in the postseason, one win coming here in Game Four where Curry went off and obviously Boston has to contain him again to force a Game Seven. The other big difference was Golden St. committed only six turnovers compared to 18 for Boston. The Warriors are 2-7 ATS in their last nine road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. Boston is coming off consecutive losses in the postseason for the first time and it will haver to avoid its first three-game losing streak since dropping three in a row from December 25-December 29. The Celtics have gone 4-0 since then following consecutive losses and are 16-3 over their last 19 games following a loss, covering 15 of those against the number. Boston returns home where honestly it has not been great in the playoffs with a 6-5 record but the positive energy here in a must win game needs to be taken advantage of. Jayson Tatum did his best, scoring 27 points and grabbing 10 rebounds while going 5-9 from long range, but the rest of the team combined to go just 6-23 (26.1 percent). Boston is 13-4 ATS in its last 17 games off a road loss by 10 points or more. Here, we play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points after having covered four or five of their last six games against the spread, in a game involving two teams with winning percentages between .600 and .750. this situation is 67-28 ATS (70.5 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (528) Boston Celtics

This is a play on the BOSTON CELTICS for our NBA Game of the Year. Steph Curry saved the day for the Warriors as he poured in 43 points to go along with 10 rebounds and four assists and it will likely take another effort like that here for the Warriors to take their first series lead. After four games, we are seeing Golden St. as fortunate to be tied in this series as Draymond Green has struggled with matchup disadvantages and Klay Thompson is a step or two slower and is not close to the same defender he was because of his past injuries. The Warriors are favored at home again thanks to their solid playoff record at home as they are 10-1 but the lone loss did come against Boston in what is turning into their toughest matchup in the postseason so far. The Warriors are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games following a straight up win. All four games of this series have been decided by double-digits and we are so overdue for a competitive game late as it was once again a blowout in the fourth quarter in Game Four that was the deciding factor. That favors the underdog obviously which gives us two outs here with the better team as the Celtics cane win outright or lose a close one. While the Warriors home record is outstanding, the Celtics are a very solid 8-3 on the road in the playoffs while going a mediocre 6-5 at home. The one common theme in this series as the team that won the points in the paint battle went on to win the game and Boston is coming off a Game four where it was just 19-47 from two-point range which directly affects the paint numbers and we should see the Celtics have a much better effort down low. The Celtics are 22-7-1 ATS in their last 30 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. Boston is 10-2 ATS after a loss by 10 points or more this season and that includes a 16-point win at home following a loss in Game Two. Here, we play on road teams revenging a same season loss against opponent off a win by 10 points or more as an underdog. This situation is 59-28 ATS (67.8 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (525) Boston Celtics

This is a play on the GOLDEN ST. WARRIORS for our NBA Friday Enforcer. Boston gained control of the Finals with a 116-100 win on Wednesday to give it a 2-1 lead in the series and can put Golden St. in a world of hurt with a Game Four victory. The Big Three for the Celtics came up big in Game Three as Jaylen Brown led all scorers with 27 points while Jayson Tatum added 26 points and Marcus Smart chipped in 24 points. The third quarter has been the downfall of the Celtics as they have been outscored 106-63 in the first three games coming out of halftime. They have dominated other nine quarters in total with a 261-219 advantage but have not completely dominated individually as six of those quarter were decided by six points or less, split between the two teams. Boston is 6-14 ATS in home games after a win by 10 points or more this season. Golden St. rallied to within four points at the end of the third quarter in Game Three but the Warriors managed only 11 points in the fourth quarter, the second time in this series they were crushed in the final quarter and that has been the difference just like how Boston has been dominated in the third quarter. Golden St. is 3-5 on the road in the postseason but three of those losses came right after a win on the highway and the Wednesday loss was the first one in the first of back-to-back road games. The Warriors are in a great spot as they have been perfect in the postseason following a loss, going 5-0 after a defeat, winning those games by an average of 15.4 ppg. Golden St. is 20-6 ATS revenging a road loss this season while going 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games as an underdog. 10* (523) Golden St. Warriors

This is a play on the OTTAWA REDBLACKS for our CFL Friday Enforcer. Winnipeg is coming off its second straight Grey Cup as it defeated Hamilton last December in overtime, coming back from a 20-10 fourth quarter deficit. The pieces are in place for another run but there has been some turnover in key areas that could take some time early in the season for this team to display its full potential. The Blue Bombers were the class of the West Division last year with an 11-3 record but the division is better and this line is based on the results from last season. Quarterback Zach Collaros had a solid season with Winnipeg last year and carried the Blue Bombers to their second straight Grey Cup but he has lost several key weapons on offense that includes running back Andrew Harris and league-leading wide receiver Kenny Lawler. They led the league in scoring and were by far the best defense in the league but with that repeat championship comes high expectations and every opponent will be out for the upset. Ottawa is the first one on the schedule and the RedBlacks have gone through an overhaul following a disappointing 3-11 record in 2021. The front office has changed and with that came numerous roster changes and many for the good as this is not really considered a rebuild but a retooling that looks much better on paper. Ottawa signed quarterback Jeremiah Masoli in free agency and he is a proven commodity and the RedBlacks also brought back running back William Powell who rushed for 2,389 yards in 2017-2018 before a couple solid years in Saskatchewan. The defense is a concern but holes were filled there too and this could easily be a team on the rise. 10* (693) Ottawa RedBlacks

This is a play on the CALGARY STAMPEDERS for our CFL Non-Division Game of the Month. The CFL season gets underway Thursday and this will be the first normal season in three years as COVID cancelled 2020 and minimized the schedule in 2021. Calgary plays host to the first game in Week One and while the Stampeders have made the playoffs 16 years in a row, it has been a mediocre last couple years. Last season, Calgary lost to Saskatchewan in the opening round of the playoffs in overtime which resulted in an overall record of 8-7 and things should be better this season. The main reason for the average 2021 campaign was the play of quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell who played through the season with shoulder injuries and managed only 10 touchdowns after averaging over 27 touchdowns in his previous four seasons and had a career low 83 quarterback rating. The good news is that he is fully healthy and has most of his weapons back including running back Ka'Deem Carey, wide receiver Reggie Begelton, and slot back Kamar Jorden. Calgary went just 3-4 at home last season but that changes this year beginning right out of the gate. Montreal went 7-7 during the regular season before losing to Hamilton in the playoffs and the Alouettes are in position to make another playoff run but catch a tough opener. Vernon Adams is back as the starting quarterback after going down with a season ending injury in October and he can be dangerous but faces a tough defense that finished third in the league in points allowed last season at 18.8 ppg. Montreal was just 2-4 against the West Division and will be tested right away against a team that is ready to make it back to the elite status in the CFL. 10* (692) Calgary Stampeders

This is a play on the BOSTON CELTICS for our NBA Game of the Week. Golden St. got back into the series and avoided a 2-0 Finals deficit and while it lost home court advantage, it has new life. That being said, the Warriors are in a tough spot and not because of travel since both teams are doing the same thing, but because of being on the road against an elite defensive team looking for payback. The Warriors led by two points at halftime but outscored Boston by 21 points in the third quarter as the defense allowed only 14 points which put the game away. Golden St. is just 25-23 on the road and while going 10-1 at home in the postseason, the Warriors are just 3-4 on the highway in the playoffs. Their defense is really good and probably considered underrated since most everyone talks about the offense but the defensive rating goes down away from home. Golden St. is 4-12 ATS in road games when playing only its 2nd game in five days this season. Boston took Game One thanks to incredible efforts on both ends of the floor in the fourth quarter and while it allowed 107 points in Game Two, the defense played pretty well overall. The problem that the Celtics need to work is matching Golden St. down low. They have been outscored by 33 points in the first two games within the first 64 minutes with their lineup of two big men consisting of either Robert Williams, Grant Williams, Al Horford or Daniel Theus. Boston is 33-17 at home and while the playoff record is just 5-4, injuries played roles in some of those losses. The Celtics lead the league in defensive rating and steps up again at home. Boston is 10-1 ATS this season after scoring 95 points or less including 7-0 ATS after scoring 90 points or less this season. 10* (522) Boston Celtics

This is a play on the GOLDEN ST. WARRIORS for our NBA Sunday Enforcer. Game One was typical of what we have seen throughout the playoffs where we have a team blowing a big lead only to get blown out. Golden St. had Boston against the wall as it took a 12-point lead after three quarters only to get outscored 40-16 in the fourth quarter. It was the first home loss in the playoffs for the Warriors which were 9-0 heading into Thursday and outscoring opponents by 13.4 ppg over that stretch. Now we can see what this team is capable of in a must win spot as one bad quarter cannot derail the mission they are on. The extra day off is good to kill off any Boston momentum and to make some necessary adjustments. Golden St. is 23-9 ATS in its last 32 home games after one or more consecutive losses. The three-point shooting for Boston was off the charts as it went 21-41 (51.2 percent) from long range and we do not expect to see that again. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were just 3-11 but most everyone else were lights out, mostly in that final quarter. The Celtics have won eight of their last 10 road games which is hard to do in the postseason against quality opponents but this has been an atypical postseason where we have seen it all. Boston does have to given a lot of credit for making important adjustments defensively in the fourth quarter and now the strong Warriors defense will have to do the same in Game Two. Here, we play against road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points after having covered four or five of their last six games against the spread, in a game involving two teams with winning percentages between .600 and .750. this situation is 65-28 ATS (69.9 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (520) Golden St. Warriors

This is a play on the GOLDEN ST. WARRIORS for our NBA Game of the Month. Boston knocked off top seed Miami to make it to the NBA Finals for the first time in long time for this storied franchise. The Celtics have the No. 1 defense in the league, but the Warriors finished the regular season with the No. 2 offense so it is strength against strength and playing Game One on the road will be a tough one. Going through the Nets, Bucks and Heat has put this team battle tested but the matchup here is not one they have seen. The Celtics are 2-5-1 ATS in their last eight games following a straight up win. Golden St. is 9-0 at home in the playoffs, having outscored opponents by 13.4 ppg and have done it with an underrated defense that counters its great offense. The rest aspect is big here as the Warriors had two more days of rest before the Memphis and Dallas series and then went out and won each and this time, they have three more days of rest than the Celtics and the latter is moving cross country. The Warriors are 24-8-1 ATS in their last 33 home games against teams with a winning road record. Here, we play against road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points after having covered four or five of their last six games against the spread, in a game involving two teams with winning percentages between .600 and .750. this situation is 65-27 ATS (70.7 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (518) Golden St. Warriors

This is a play on the BOSTON CELTICS for our NBA Eastern Conf. Game of the Week. Miami has been able to maintain its home court advantage thanks to a win in Game Six in Boston and it is back home where this series comes down to one game. The Heat are 36-14 at home while outscoring opponents by seven ppg. The Boston defense gets the most pub which is legit but Miami is ranked No. 4 in scoring defense, No. 4 in shooting defense and No. 2 in three-point shooting defense but we expect Boston to bounce back. Miami got a great effort from Jimmy Butler as he poured in 47 points and while that is great momentum, the Boston defense will make the adjustment. The Heat are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 playoff games as an underdog. Certainly, there is a lot on the line for not just now but Boston has gone 0-4 in its last four chances to make it the NBA Finals and the role from Butler to Jayson Tatum is key in this matchup. He is coming off a 30-point game and likely will need more as well as more help from the bench. Derrick White was the top guy off the bench in Game Six and that was basically it as the Celtics got only two other bench points. The Celtics are 6-0 ATS in their last six games following a straight up loss. Here, we play on favorites revenging a straight up loss as a home favorite of seven points or more, off an upset loss as a home favorite. This situation is 38-12 ATS (76 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (509) Boston Celtics

This is a play on the MIAMI HEAT for our NBA Friday Enforcer. The broken record continues. The awful NBA basketball postseason keeps chugging along and this series is right at the top. There have been leads by at least 20 points in each game and overall, of the 35 games played since the start of the Conference Semifinals, 29 games have been decided by seven points or more with 22 of those being by double-digits with another taking place in the east on Wednesday. Boston took control of this series with a 13-point win in Game Five on the road and have a chance to meet the Warriors in the NBA Finals with a win on Friday at home. Because of the lead and the type of games we have seen, Boston is favored by its biggest amount in this series and a closer game either way cashes this one. Boston is 7-19 ATS in its last 26 home games after a win by 10 points or more. Despite opening with the home court advantage and having the top seed, Miami was not the favorite coming into this series and now it must win the final two games to advance. The Heat are coming off two bad games offensively and a lot of that can be put on Jimmy Butler. He has been injured but Boston has adjusted well as it is limiting his ability to drive and forcing him to take jumpers. The has scored 27 points the last three games combined following a 4-18 performance in Game Five and like Jayson Tatum in Game Four, the star needs to bring it. The Heat are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games following a double-digit loss at home. Here, we play on road teams revenging a same season loss, off a home loss by 10 points or more. This situation is 116-66 ATS (63.7 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (505) Miami Heat

This is a play on the GOLDEN ST. WARRIORS for our Western Conference Game of the Week. Dallas played with an inspired effort on Tuesday following the horrific tragedy in Texas as it remained alive in this series with a 119-109 victory in Game Four where it led by as many as 29 points. The Mavericks shot 50 percent from the floor including 47 percent from long range which was their best offensive effort in the series but they are now back on the road where they shot a combined 44.2 percent in the first two games. Dallas is 26-24 on the road and has been outscored and outshot overall and finds itself in another difficult spot against a defense that prides its game on defense. Dallas did get extra production from its bench in Game Four but those efforts have been few and far-between. The Mavericks are 1-5 ATS in their last six road games against teams with a winning home record. Golden St. definitely had a tough time on Tuesday as it was unable to close the series out but is still in great shape to make it to the NBA Finals. The Warriors return home where they are 39-10 including an 8-0 record in the postseason, outscoring opponents by an average of 15.4 ppg in those eight playoff games. As we have talked about before, this defense is the centerpiece which does not seem typical for this team but the Warriors are ranked No. 3 in points allowed, No. 2 in shooting defense and No. 3 in three-point shooting defense. Despite the loss, the Warriors still won the battle down low with a 44-36 advantage in the paint and they have done so in all four games and are still shooting over 60 percent from two-point range. Golden St. is 19-6 ATS revenging a road loss this season. 10* (504) Golden St. Warriors

This is a play on the MIAMI HEAT for our NBA Wednesday Enforcer. The awful NBA basketball continues and this series is right at the top. There have been leads by at least 20 points in each game and overall, of the 33 games played since the start of the Conference Semifinals, 27 games have been decided by seven points or more with 20 of those being by double-digits. Miami has been able to maintain its home court advantage thanks to a win in Game Three in Boston and it is back home where this series should continue to be more chippy. The Heat are 36-12 at home while outscoring opponents by seven ppg. The Boston defense gets the most pub which is legit but Miami is ranked No. 4 in scoring defense, No. 4 in shooting defense and No. 2 in three-point shooting defense and has the edge with this line. Miami is 10-1 ATS in its last 11 home games after scoring 100 points or less this season. Boston picked up the must win in Game Four to prevent a 3-1 deficit in this series. We expected a big game from Jayson Tatum and he produced after an awful Game Two although he was just 1-7 from long range. Injuries have played a big role in this series and both teams have a key player questionable in Game five as Tyler Herro and Marcus Smart are both questionable but we will likely see both play. The Celtics are 28-20 on the road which is solid and they have been great against the top teams but catching Miami in this spot after that loss is a tough one. While Tatum bounced back, we will see the same from Jimmy Butler who scored only six points on just 3-14 shooting and this will be his game to take over. The Celtics are 1-4-1 ATS in their last six games following a straight up win. 10* (502) Miami Heat

This is a play on the GOLDEN ST. WARRIORS for our NBA Tuesday Enforcer. We played Dallas in Game Three with the thought it would do a better job with the interior defense as well as getting more production from the bench and while Spencer Dinwiddie helped the latter with 26 points, the Mavericks produced just two other points from their bench. Taking away the 11-23 from Luka Doncic, the rest of the team shot just 19-52 (36.5 percent) in Game Three and this has been the case throughout the entire series and against the Warriors, more results like that will lead to a very early exit for the Mavericks. The home floor has been good in the postseason but that is negated with this matchup as Dallas cannot compete against the fully healthy Warriors roster. Dallas is 2-12 ATS in its last 14 home games after having lost four or five of their last six games. After breaking down the tape, by someone else, it is clear the Warriors have a big advantage down low and it has not been fluky situations. The breakdown shows Dallas has been concerned with the outside shooting of the Warriors and their defense is not big enough down low or quick enough up top to counteract that as the defense has not been able to collapse which has led to numerous open looks down low for easy baskets. Golden St. has outscored the Mavericks 152-96 in the paint have converted on a whopping 60.9 percent of its two-point shots. The Warriors are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games as an underdog. Here, we play against teams where the line is +3 to -3 after having lost three of their last four games going up against an opponent after having won five or six of their last seven games. This situation is 103-69 ATS (60 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (567) Golden St. Warriors

This is a play on the BOSTON CELTICS for our NBA Eastern Conference Game of the Week. We have witnessed some awful basketball since the end of the first round in the NBA Playoffs. Of the 31 games played since the start of the Conference Semifinals, 25 games have been decided by seven points or more with 19 of those being by double-digits and those have been involving eight of the top teams in the league so that kind of disparity has been unwatchable. Game Three of this series ended up being a six-point win for Miami but that game was never in question as the Celtics never led and the Heat led by as many as 26 points. Each game is its own separate entity but it just shows these big spreads can be beat in the right spots. The Heat are 2-5 ATS in their last seven playoff games as an underdog. Boston had a scare with Jayson Tatum leaving the last game but did return and is listed as questionable but Celtics head coach Ime Udoka called the injury a stinger and said it is not serious so we can expect a big effort following his 10-point, six-turnover performance on Saturday. Boston is now 32-16 at home and this one has turned into a must win as a loss going back to Miami down 3-1 will be tough to overcome and the energy in TD Garden will be off the charts on Monday. The Celtics are 5-0 ATS in their last five games following a straight up loss. Here, we play against road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points after having covered four or five of their last six against the spread, in a game involving two teams with winning percentages between .600 and .750. This situation is 64-27 ATS (70.3 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (566) Boston Celtics

This is a play on the DALLAS MAVERICKS for our NBA Sunday Enforcer. The Mavericks missed a golden opportunity as it blew a 19-point lead and the Warriors took control in the second half, outscoring Dallas 68-45. The Mavericks were dominated in the paint in both games and that obviously has to change at home where they are 34-13 including a 5-1 record in the playoffs that includes five straight wins. Jalen Brunson is doing his best take some of the pressure off Luka Doncic but they still need other help as the Mavericks got just 13 points from its bench in Game Two. Dallas has been here before as it lost the first two games at Phoenix in the Western Conference Semifinals and then went on to win next two games at home to get back into the series. The Mavericks are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 home games against teams with a winning road record. Giving the Warriors a glimmer of hope is not ideal which Dallas did Friday and this is where a change of venue hurts Golden St. The Warriors are 24-22 on the highway including a 2-3 record in the postseason with those two wins coming by six points total and both could have gone the other way. The Warriors are 0-5 ATS in their last five road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. Here, we play on home teams where the line is +3 to -3 after beating the spread by 42 or more points total in their last seven games going up against an opponent after going over the total by more than 18 points in their previous game. this situation is 60-30 ATS (66.7 percent) since 1996. 10* (564) Dallas Mavericks

This is a play on the MIAMI HEAT for our NBA Saturday Enforcer. Boston overcame an early 10-point deficit in Game Two to win by 25 points and stole home court advantage as it heads back home for Game Three. The Celtics are getting a lot of respect here as this is an eight-point line swing which is simply too much in a playoff game and value is on the road team. Boston shot 51.2 percent from the floor, including 50 percent from long range and it did show what it can do with a healthy roster. The Celtics are 32-15 at home but are two games under .500 against the number and have been average against the top teams. Boston is 7-18 ATS in its last 25 home games after a win by 10 points or more. Miami came out with good energy but lost it pretty quickly as the shots were not falling against the top ranked defense in the NBA and it will not get easier here but we are finally expecting a competitive game until the end, In Game Two, Miami made just 44.2 percent of its shots including 29.4 percent from behind the arc and the three-point shooting from both sides made the difference. The Heat are 26-20 on the road and are 16-10 ATS against teams with a winning record. It will be up to the defense to eliminate the hot Boston long range shooting. Miami is 16-5 ATS off an upset loss by 10 points or more as a favorite. Here, we play on road teams revenging a same season loss going up against an opponent off a win by 10 points or more as an underdog. This situation is 58-28 ATS (67.4 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (561) Miami Heat

This is a play on the GOLDEN ST. WARRIORS for our NBA Friday Enforcer. The NBA playoffs remain almost unwatchable with the number of blowouts we have encountered and the Finals have been no different so far. Golden St. rolled in Game One as its biggest deficit was a bucket and it led by as many as 30 points in its 25-point victory. The Warriors shot 56 percent from the floor but it was far from a perfect game as they went just 10-16 from the free throw line while committing 15 turnovers so they do have to shore some things up. Golden St. is now 37-10 at home which includes a 7-0 record in the postseason with the average margin of victory being 16.3 ppg and while going against the Warriors will be a popular play based on the bounce theory, they are rolling too much and present a very tough matchup as proven in the first game. Golden St. is 15-5 ATS in home games after two or more consecutive wins this season. Dallas has lost four of its last five games on the road with the one victory being that blowout over Phoenix to clinch a spot in the Finals. Those defeats were by an average of 20.5 ppg and in Game One, no one was able to pick it up behind a bad game from Luka Doncic. The Dallas offense is ranked No. 24 in scoring and No. 18 in shooting including No. 19 from behind the arc while Golden St. is top three in all defensive categories and we expect the Warriors to put the clamps down once again. The Mavericks are 1-4 ATS in their last five games as a road underdog. Here, we play against road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points after having covered four or five of their last six against the spread, winning between .600 and .750 of their games on the season. This situation is 96-47 ATS (67.1 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (648) Golden St. Warriors

This is a play on the BOSTON CELTICS for our NBA Thursday Enforcer. Boston lost Game One as it got off to a great start but the Celtics wore down in the second half as they were outscored 39-14 in the third quarter. They were already in a tough spot coming off a physical series against Milwaukee while playing with just one day of rest and they had to shift on the fly with Marcus Smart and Al Horford declared as out early Tuesday afternoon. Both are questionable with Smart the most likely to play and he will be a big presence to shore up the defense that allowed 49 percent shooting. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 53 points, 18 rebounds, 9 assists, and 5 steals in the loss and they will again step up in Game Two. Boston is 15-4 ATS in its last 19 games off a road loss by 10 points or more. Miami came into the series as a +150 underdog to make it to the NBA Finals and with the Game One win, the Heat are now -130 for the series at Draft Kings Sportsbook which is no surprise at this point. Jimmy Butler was outstanding in Game One with 41 points, including going 17-18 from the free throw line, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks in one of the best all-around efforts for a Heat player in the postseason in recent years. Miami is now 36-12 at home and one of those losses came against Boston in the lone regular season meeting played in Florida. The Heat are 7-0 at home in the postseason, winning by an average of 14.7 ppg, and that is putting the public behind Miami again here but Boston is in much better position than in Game One. Boston is now 20-5-1 ATS on the road against winning teams and is 16-8-2 ATS on the season as an underdog. 10* (543) Boston Celtics

This is a play on the GOLDEN ST. WARRIORS for our NBA Western Conference Game of the Week. For a series that went seven games, the Dallas/Phoenix series was one of the worst ever taking place in the postseason as the average margin of victory was 19.4 ppg and the closest game was decided by seven points. That being said, it might be difficult to figure out what we can expect here. What we do know is that Golden St. stepped up when it had to and defeated Memphis by 14 points at home in Game Six and this is a very veteran team and clearly knows what it is up against in Luka Doncic who once again stepped up in an elimination game. Golden St. cannot afford to get in that type of series and the number here is right to get out to a good start. Golden St. is 15-6 ATS in home games after a win by 10 points or more this season. Dallas won in impressive fashion over Phoenix in Game Seven but that was a Suns team that did not show up and that will be different here. The Mavericks lost the first three games in Phoenix before the Game Seven blowout and those defeats were by an average of 19 ppg. The Dallas offense is ranked No. 24 in scoring and No. 18 in shooting including No. 19 from behind the arc while Golden St. is top three in all defensive categories and the Warriors are 36-10 at home and while it was a split during the regular season here, Golden St. had just Steph Curry in the one loss. Here, we play against road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points after having covered four or five of their last six against the spread, in a game involving two teams with winning percentages between .600 and .750. this situation is 61-27 ATS (69.3 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (540) Golden St. Warriors

This is a play on the MIAMI HEAT for our NBA Tuesday Enforcer. This is a great situational spot for Miami in the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals as the Heat have been off since Thursday after coasting in their first two series. Despite winning the regular season and having home court in this series, Miami is a +150 underdog which is a great value play and while Boston has shown it can win big road games, this will be the toughest one to take. The Heat are 35-12 at home while outscoring opponents by seven ppg. The Boston defense gets the most pub which is legit but Miami is ranked No. 4 in scoring defense, No. 4 in shooting defense and No. 2 in three-point shooting defense and has the edge against a weary Boston team. Miami is 14-5 ATS against teams outscoring their opponents by three or more ppg this season. Meanwhile Boston is coming off a grueling and physical series against Milwaukee with just one day of rest to try and prepare as well as tossing in the travel aspect. The Celtics easily took out Milwaukee in Game Seven at home as they went on a 38-point swing after falling behind by 10 points only to build a 28-point lead to never look back. Boston has been the best team in the NBA this season when facing good teams on the road, covering 20 of 25 against teams with a winning record but this situation is totally different. Boston 14-27 ATS in its last 41 games revenging a straight up loss as a favorite. Here, we play on home favorites playing with three or more days of rest, in a game involving two teams with winning percentages between .600 and .750. this situation is 131-79 ATS (62.4 percent) since 1996. 10* (536) Miami Heat

This is a play on the PHOENIX SUNS for our NBA Sunday Star Attraction. We won with Golden St. on Friday in a similar situation and we are backing the Suns in a same spot scenario. The Suns are the best team in the NBA with a 73-21 record and it was a pathetic display in a closeout game in Dallas as Phoenix lost by 27 points after an awful second quarter it could not recover from. The Suns managed only eight fast break points which has been an issue this series and a return home should get them energized as they are 37-10 at home that includes three wins in this series by an average of 15.7 ppg which is closely above their nearly +10 ppg scoring differential on their home floor. Phoenix is 7-0 ATS revenging a straight up loss as a road favorite this season. Dallas has been impressive with basically a one-man show as Luka Doncic has carried the Mavericks throughout the first two series when he has been on the floor. They are 25-22 on the road and while they have done a great job of bottling up Chris Paul, who is averaging just six assists per game in the series after averaging double-digits during the regular season but part of that has been because of foul trouble. The defense has been solid most of the season which has carried them here but that offense is hard to look past as Dallas is ranked No. 24 in scoring and No. 18 in shooting including No. 19 from behind the arc. Here, we play on home teams revenging a road loss of 20 points or more, off an upset loss by 15 points or more as a favorite. This situation is 43-17 ATS (71.7 percent) since 1996. 10* (528) Phoenix Suns

This is a play on the GOLDEN ST. WARRIORS for our NBA Friday Star Attraction. We made a horrible call with Golden St. on Wednesday as the Warriors forgot they had a game, losing by 39 points, trailing by as many as 55 points and never having a lead. That was a complete aberration as Golden St. is arguably the second best team in the playoffs when fully healthy and while the Warriors are not at 100 percent, their core in fine and a return home will energize them in this closeout game as the last thing they need it having to win a Game Seven on the road. The Warriors defense has been very solid in this series prior to Game Five as they allowed the Grizzlies to shoot just 41.7 percent in the first four games and this has been reminiscent of the regular season as Golden St. finished No. 3 in points allowed, No. 2 in shooting defense and No. 3 in three-point shooting defense. Golden St. is 21-9 ATS in its last 30 home games after one or more consecutive losses. As mentioned in the Game Five analysis, the Grizzlies has been very good without Ja Morant on the floor and of the 22 wins without him, there are only four quality victories and that includes the win on Wednesday. They are 28-18 on the road including a 2-3 record in the postseason. While they have a top level scoring offense, with the help of Morant, they are just No. 16 in the NBA in shooting and while they shot over 47 percent in Game Five, they had the luxury of Golden St. committing 22 turnovers. The Grizzlies are 8-15 ATS in their last 23 playoff games as an underdog. Here, we play on home teams revenging a road loss of 20 points or more, off an upset loss by 15 points or more as a favorite. This situation is 42-17 ATS (71.2 percent) since 1996. 10* (518) Golden St. Warriors

This is a play on the PHOENIX SUNS for our NBA Thursday Enforcer. Phoenix has taken control of this series and will be out for the first road win from either team in this series as the host has won and covered the first five games which includes a 30-point win in Game Five. The defense played their best game of the series as they allowed the Mavericks to shoot just 38 percent from the floor and when that defense comes up like that and with the offense, the Suns are close to unbeatable. While they have a cushion where they cane lose and head home for a series finale, anything can happen in a Game Seven and bring in the No. 3 shooting defense inn the league so Tuesday was no fluke. Phoenix is 14-5 ATS on the road when the line is +3 to -3 this season. Dallas won its first two home games in this series by nine and 10 points despite getting outshot in both games as the Mavericks benefitted from 17 Phoenix turnovers in each game. The role players for Dallas has been the issue in this series and it was on fill display in Game Five where Luka Doncic scored 28 points and had only two other players behind him score in double-figures. He can take over a game but Phoenix has done a good job the last three games of limiting his scoring and there is not much behind that. Here, we play against home underdogs revenging a road loss of 30 points or more going against an opponent off a home win scoring 110 or more points. This situation is 54-22 ATS (71.1 percent) since 1996. 10* (513) Phoenix Suns

This is a play on the GOLDEN ST. WARRIORS for our NBA Western Conference Game of the Week. Following a pair of home wins, the Warriors have taken control of this series and can close it out Wednesday with a victory. Golden St. is 2-2 on the road in the postseason and are catching another break with the absence of Ja Morant who is out again with a knee injury. The Warriors defense has been very solid in this series as they have allowed the Grizzlies to shoot just 41.7 percent through the first four games and this has been reminiscent of the regular season as Golden St. finished No. 3 in points allowed, No. 2 in shooting defense and No. 3 in three-point shooting defense. Golden St. is 12-4 ATS off two or more consecutive home wins this season. While the series is not over, Memphis has a big hill to climb as it cannot afford a loss and has to win out without Morant. During the regular season, the Grizzlies were incredible without Morant as they won 22 of 24 games at one point in his absence but none of those were against a full strength Golden St. team. The Grizzlies took three of the four regular season meetings and in those three wins. Golden St. was not a full strength with Klay Thompson out for two and Steph Curry out for another. Memphis is 33-13 at home on the season but this spot is no good. The Grizzlies are 7-15 ATS in their last 22 playoff games as an underdog. Here, we play against underdogs off a road cover where the team lost straight up as an underdog, in a game involving two teams with winning percentages between .600 and .750. This situation is 63-19 ATS (76.8 percent) since 1996. 10* (509) Golden St. Warriors

This is a play on the MIAMI HEAT for our NBA Tuesday Enforcer. Miami had this series under control after a pair of blowout wins at home and one win in Philadelphia would have likely put an end to it. The return of Joel Embiid has obviously gotten the Sixers rejuvenated but those two wins came at home and we expect home court to be the difference once again. The Heat were favored by 7.5 points in the first two meetings at home and that number has dropped to 3 in some places for Game Five based on the Embiid return and the possible momentum shift and that is a little too aggressive. Miami allowed the Sixers to shoot 51.1 percent in the two road games following a shooting percentage allowed of 44.2 percent in the two games at home. Overall, the Heat are 34-12 at home and the defense that is ranked in the top four in the top three defensive categories is even better at home. The Heat are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games as a home favorite. Philadelphia has lost four of its last five road games where it is 29-17 on the season where the defense has been a real issue, allowing 107.5 ppg. The Sixers are 0-5-1 ATS in their last six road games against teams with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. Here, we play against underdogs in the second half of the season allowing between 104 and 108 ppg and after allowing 105 points or less in two straight games going up against teams allowing between 108 and 114 ppg. This situation is 32-11 ATS (74.4 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (502) Miami Heat

This is a play on the MILWAUKEE BUCKS for our NBA Monday Enforcer. Depending on the closing line, Milwaukee either ended up with a win, loss or push on Saturday as the Bucks blew a sizable, big lead and were down one with under a minute remaining but came through in the clutch to win by a bucket and now has a 2-1 series lead with home court fully on their side. The story in Game Two was the Boston defense but it was the Bucks defense that was on display in Game Three as they allowed a big fourth quarter but still forced the Boston offense to shoot just 37 percent from the floor. They only managed 40 percent shooting on their own but were able to dominate down low, outscoring the Celtics 52-32 down low in the paint. The Bucks are 4-1-1 ATS in their last six games against teams with a winning straight up record. The Celtics can get home court back with a victory but they are in another tough spot as they had no answer for Giannis Antetokounmpo as he has gotten progressively better highlighted by 42 points in Game Three. Boston comes in at 25-19 on the road and while it won and covered both games against Brooklyn away from home in the first round, it was not very dominant and the Celtics allowed the Nets to shoot 50.6 percent in those two road games. The aforementioned defense is ranked No. 1 in points allowed, shooting defense and three-point shooting defense and even without Kris Middleton, Milwaukee still has the balance to execute on its home floor where it is now 30-15. Here, we play against underdogs in the second half of the season allowing between 104 and 108 ppg and after allowing 105 points or less in two straight games going up against teams allowing between 108 and 114 ppg. This situation is 31-11 ATS (73.8 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (582) Milwaukee Bucks

This is a play on the MIAMI HEAT for our NBA Sunday Enforcer. Philadelphia was able to steal a game in this series as it won Game Three by 20 points as it held Miami to 79 points, which was its second lowest scoring output on the season. We figure this is it for the Sixers however even though they have increased their shooting percentage in all three games and have Joel Embiid back as a Miami bounce back is imminent. Philadelphia had to go six games against a depleted Toronto team for most of the series and it is now 26-18 at home which is solid but the Sixers finished with just the seventh best home record in the Eastern Conference during the regular season. Philadelphia is 1-8 ATS in home games after having lost two of their last three games this season. Miami had a horrible effort in Game Two as it shot just 35.1 percent from the floor and failed to crack 80 points for just the second time this season. The Heat will make their adjustments to try and duplicate the 112.5 ppg average in the first two games. Miami had won 12 of its previous 14 games before the loss on Friday and it has been incredible following bad games this season as the Heat are 12-2 following a game where they failed to reach triple figures in scoring. Miami is 13-4 ATS in its last 17 games off an upset loss by 10 points or more as a favorite. Here, we play on underdogs revenging a road loss of 20 points or more, off an upset loss by 15 points or more as a favorite. This situation is 34-10 (77.3 percent) since 1996. 10* (579) Miami Heat

This is a play on the MILWAUKEE BUCKS for our NBA Eastern Conference Game of the Month. Milwaukee was able to steal home court advantage in this series thanks to a Game One win and after falling behind big early on Wednesday, the Bucks were unable to recover as they lost 109-86 which was their worst offensive performance of the season. Their previous low was 90 points scored back on December 18th against Cleveland so they will be out to get the offense back on track, the one that finished No. 3 in the league in scoring overall. They got a great dose of what the Boston defense is capable of when they limit shots as Milwaukee managed only 73 shot attempts and now they are back home where they have averaged close to 90 shots per game. the Bucks are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games following a straight up loss. Boston comes in at 25-18 on the road and while it won and covered both games against Brooklyn away from home in the first round, it was not very dominant and the Celtics allowed the Nets to shoot 50.6 percent in those two road games. The aforementioned defense is ranked No. 1 in points allowed, shooting defense and three-point shooting defense so Milwaukee knows what is coming at it. The Celtics have been solid on the road against the top teams but did lose both regular season games at Milwaukee by more than what they are getting this Saturday. Here, we play against underdogs in the second half of the season allowing between 104 and 108 ppg and after allowing 105 points or less in two straight games going up against teams allowing between 108 and 114 ppg. This situation is 31-11 ATS (73.8 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (572) Milwaukee Bucks

This is a play on the DALLAS MAVERICKS for our NBA Friday Enforcer. Dallas had Phoenix in a good spot following two-point lead at halftime and were looking good after halftime but the Suns went on an 11-0 fourth-quarter run that turned into a 23-2 rampage put the game away. The offensive performance was incredibly efficient as Phoenix shot a season-high and franchise playoff-record 64.5 percent from the floor and every player that took a shot from the field finished at 50 percent or better shooting, 11 players in total. Clearly, Dallas cannot keep up with this and while this series is likely going to the Suns, the Mavericks have to steal a game at home and this is the best opportunity as a 3-0 deficit will not have them focused for a Game Four. The Suns are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games playing on one day of rest. The Mavericks got another strong performance from Luka Doncic but as was the case in Game One, he got no support as he was 13-22 from the floor and the other four starters went a combined 10-25. Dorian Finney-Smith, Dwight Powell and Jalen Brunson scored a combined 15 points while committing 13 fouls and that is the help to no one. Dallas is 31-13 at home, which is six games better than its road record and the hope is that the home crown can get some of these role players more energized to get involved. The Mavericks are 5-0 ATS in their last five home games against teams with a winning road record. Here, we play against road teams with a winning percentage of .750 or better after three consecutive covers as a favorite, playing a team with a winning record. This situation is 84-48 ATS (63.6 percent) since 1996. 10* (552) Dallas Mavericks

This is a play on the DALLAS MAVERICKS for our NBA Second Rd. Game of the Year. We won with Phoenix on Monday but we are switching sides here as the Suns were able to narrowly cover despite what seemed like a dominating performance. The Suns opened the game on a 20-6 run and Dallas had no answers as Phoenix put up 69 points in the first half while shooting nearly 64 percent from the field. It was a much different second half as they scored just 52 points but they had the edge from the free throw line that made the difference as they were 18-18 from the stripe as well as grabbing 13 offensive boards compared to seven for Dallas. Phoenix has a big home court edge but that is again playing into the number. The Suns are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games playing on one day of rest. Dallas wasted a huge effort from Luka Doncic who poured in 45 points and outscored the other four starters combined and that was the problem. He clearly cannot do it himself against the best team in the Western Conference and he needs help, especially against a team that has won 10 straight meetings. That winning streak needs to be discounted however as it goes back over two years and of those 10 losses by Dallas, eight were by single-digits so some of those could have gone the other way including three that were decided by a possession. Dallas is 15-6 ATS in its last 21 games against teams outscoring their opponents by three or more ppg. Here, we play on road underdogs in the second half of the season shooting between 33 percent and 36.5 percent from long range and after 2 straight games making 16 or more three-point shots going up against teams allowing between 33 percent and 36.5 percent from long range. This situation is 32-8 ATS (80 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (543) Dallas Mavericks

This is a play on the BOSTON CELTICS for our NBA Tuesday Star Attraction. Boston came out really slow in this series as it fell behind early and could not recover as it fell behind as much as 17 points in the 12-point loss. The defense was up to the task as it allowed Milwaukee to shoot just 41 percent but the offense was awful, going 28-84 from the floor for just 33 percent shooting. The Celtics shot 36 percent from long range which is right at their average but they shot a mere 29 percent from inside the arc and that led to a big disparity in points in the paint 34-20. The biggest disappointment was Jaylen Brown who scored just 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting and committed seven turnovers. Additionally, Boston was simply outrun, getting outscored 28-8 on fast break points. It is already a must win for Boston and it is 9-0 ATS after scoring 95 points or less this season. Milwaukee did what it had to do on the defensive end in Game One but we are not expecting that again and we should see a better defensive effort from Boston on Giannis Antetokounmpo who finished with a triple-double. After the win, the Bucks are now listed as the second favorite to win the Eastern Conference at +195, down from +400, and Boston is now listed at +225 according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The Bucks have already taken over the home court edge and that will be big when they head home but not in this spot. Milwaukee is 8-21 ATS in its last 29 road games in the second half of the season against teams outscoring their opponents by three or more ppg. Here, we play against road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points after having covered four or five of their last six games against the spread, with a winning percentage between .600 and .750. This situation is 87-47 (64.9 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (532) Boston Celtics

This is a play on the PHOENIX SUNS for our NBA Monday Enforcer. Phoenix got a scare from New Orleans as the first round series was knotted at 2-2 before the suns were able to win the final two games to advance. The issue was the absence of Devin Booker who came back for Game Six and while he was off his game. his lone three-pointer came late in the fourth quarter at just the right time for Phoenix to pull away. The Suns are 34-10 at home and the added time off will help Booker as they are now back to full strength at the right time. The Suns are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games playing on three or more days of rest. After losing the series opener against Utah, Dallas won four of the last five games including victory in the finale by a bucket to punch a ticket into the conference semifinals. The Mavericks have held their own on the road at 25-19 but enter a very tough atmosphere in this series opener in an unfavorable matchup. The Mavericks lost all three regular season meetings and while they covered both games in Phoenix, they were getting 8 and 8.5 points and are getting nowhere near that now. The Mavericks are 1-4 ATS in their last five games playing on three or more days of rest. Here, we play against road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points after having covered four or five of their last six games against the spread, with a winning percentage between .600 and .750. This situation is 87-47 (64.9 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (524) Phoenix Suns

This is a play on the BOSTON CELTICS for our NBA Sunday Enforcer. Boston and Brooklyn had the makings of an all-time great first round series but the Celtics decided to control from start to finish and swept the Nets to move into the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the defending champions. The Celtics did not win a game by more than seven points so while they were not overly dominating, they made the spots needed on defense as that unit remains No. 1 in scoring defense, shooting defense and three-point shooting defense. The Celtics are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up win. Milwaukee took care of Chicago in five games, winning the last three by 30. 24 and 16 points but it was fortunate to catch a Bulls team that was not close to 100 percent as they were without Lonzo Ball for an extended time and then lost Zach LaVine to health and safety protocols. The Bucks are now listed as the third favorite to win the Eastern Conference at +400, behind +125 Boston and +160 Miami according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Obviously, the Kris Middleton injury did not hurt Milwaukee in the opening round but this is a much more difficult spot as the Bucks depth will be challenged against a Celtics teams that not only plays strong defense but has balanced scoring with six players averaging double-digits in scoring. The Bucks are 10-22 ATS in their last 32 games as an underdog. Here, we play on home favorites playing with three or more days rest, in a game involving two teams with winning percentages between .600 and .750. This situation is 129-78 ATS (62.3 percent) since 1996. 10* (514) Boston Celtics

This is a play on the UTAH JAZZ for our NBA Thursday NHL Enforcer. This has been a back and forth series with Utah jumping out to the early lead with a win at Dallas but has dropped three of the last four games including a brutal 25-point loss at Dallas on Monday. While it was a bad loss and it has their backs against the wall, the value of this line is off the charts for the Jazz as they were favored by 8.5 and 6 points in the first two home meetings and now they are actually getting points in some spots for Game Six. The home court has been great this season for Utah with is 30-13 while outscoring opponents by 9.2 ppg thanks to an offense hitting 48 percent from the floor. Overall, the Jazz are No. 7 in scoring offense and No. 6 in shooting offense and they are 17-8-2 ATS in their last 27 games playing on two days of rest. Dallas is in a great position as it has to win just one of the last two games knowing they can head back home for Game Seven. This was definitely a surprising start for the Mavericks as they opened the series without Luka Doncic for the first three games but produced a 2-1 which was all they could ask for as they probably would have been happy with a 1-2 deficit. The extra day off benefits the Jazz as it was one extra day that Donovan Mitchell was able to ret his balky hamstring and he will be the guy to step up here and send this to a deciding Game Seven. Here, we play against road teams where the line is +3 to -3 after beating the spread by 54 or more points total in their last ten games going up against an opponent after going under the total by more than 24 points in their previous game. this situation is 27-7 ATS (79.4 percent) since 1996. 10* (566) Utah Jazz

This is a play on the GOLDEN ST. WARRIORS for our NBA Wednesday Enforcer. Golden St. ran out to a 3-0 series lead before dropping Game Four on Sunday in Denver and now has a chance to close it out at home to avoid another trip to Denver. The Warriors won the first two meetings here by 16 and 20 points and we see a similar result on Wednesday to not only close out the first round but to extract some revenge from having their eight-game winning streak snapped. Golden St. has done a great job of limiting the Nuggets on the offensive end as it remains No. 3 in scoring defense and No. 2 in shooting defense including No. 3 from behind the arc. The Warriors are 19-6-1 ATS in their last 26 home games against teams with a winning road record. Denver played its best game of the season in the Game Four win as it shot 56 percent from the floor including 48 percent from long range even though it was dominated 56-46 in points in the paint and that is where the Warriors can take advantage again. The Nuggets are 25-18 on the road which is very solid but they have covered only 17 games this season against teams with a winning record. The Nuggets are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games against teams with a winning straight up record. Here, we play against underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points off an upset win as an underdog, playing four or less games in 10 days. This situation is 89-59 ATS (60.1 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (556) Golden St. Warriors

This is a play on the MIAMI HEAT for our NBA Tuesday Enforcer. This series should be over as Miami has dominated three of the four games with the lone loss coming by a point in Game Three. The Heat responded with a 24-point win on Sunday and can wrap up this series at home. They are 31-12 at home and their defense will once again come to the forefront as they are ranked No. 4 in both points allowed and shooting percentage allowed. Miami 19-7 ATS in 26 games after playing two consecutive road games this season. Atlanta has not been able to solve this defense with the exception of Game Three and in the first two games in Miami, the Hawks were 70-162 from the floor for just 43.2 percent. After rebounding from that, Game Four was worse as the Hawks shot just 40 percent from the field and they are not in a good mind frame to even try and get back in this series. Atlanta is 1-10 ATS in 11 road games after a loss by 10 points or more this season. Here, we play against underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points off a home loss by 10 points or more, with a winning percentage between .450 and .550 on the season. This situation is 54-26 ATS (67.5 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (540) Miami Heat

This is a play on the BROOKLYN NETS for our NBA Monday Enforcer. Obviously, the season is on the line for Brooklyn and a loss in any of the next four games means the series is over. This was expected to be one of the best 2-7 matchups in sometime but what was expected to be one of the best, turned into one of the worst. The Nets are down 3-0 and came in riding some solid momentum with a five-game winning streak prior to facing Boston but that fizzled quick. The Nets are 21-22 at home which is horrible for a playoff team but they have gone through so much with injuries and COVID issues and still have the talent to make it interesting even with Ben Simmons being held out again, which is not a bad thing as it would add some chemistry issues. The Nets are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. Boston is clearly in the drivers seat with a 3-0 lead and it can end the series but up 3-0 and with a healthy dose of days off upcoming before the Eastern Conference Semifinals and while rest is good, too much can cause an adverse effect so a loss here would not be the end of the world as pride comes into play on the opposing sideline. The Celtics defense has been the story and is the difference between being up 3-0 and possibly being down 2-1 so just up 2-1. The Celtics are 1-4 ATS in their last five playoff games as an underdog. Here, we play against teams where the line is +3 to -3 having won 20 or more of their last 25 games, with a winning record on the season. This situation is 51-25 ATS (67.1 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (532) Brooklyn Nets

This is a play on the MILWAUKEE BUCKS for our NBA Central Game of the Month. We were on the wrong side of this game on Friday as Milwaukee handed the Bulls a 30-point loss and while the playoff theory would lean Chicago based on that loss and line value, a point and a half jump is not a big move. The Bucks are 25-17 on the road and they come in with the third ranked scoring offense in the NBA, averaging 115.5 ppg and while that offense has been down in this series, the defense has picked up the slack by allowing just 93.7 ppg. The Bucks are 5-1 ATS in their last six road games. Chicago looked to have gotten back into the series with a four-point win in Game Two but gave it right back two days later and finds itself in a hole in what can be considered a must win game. the Bulls are a solid 27-15 at home but it has been a struggle of late overall as the Bulls are 8-17 over their last 25 games which includes a 3-7 record as home during that stretch. They have a shooting offense that can keep up but pace is an issue as is the fact their defense has been horrid and overall, Chicago is No. 26 in defensive scoring and No. 26 and No. 27 in shooting defense and three-point shooting defense respectively. Chicago is 7-19 ATS in its last 26 home games against teams outscoring their opponents by three or more ppg. Here, we play against underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points with a winning percentage between .450 and .550 off a home loss. This situation is 104-52 ATS (66.7 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (521) Milwaukee Bucks

This is a play on the BROOKLYN NETS for our NBA Saturday Enforcer. This is the series for Brooklyn as the Nets look to match what Atlanta did last night. This is the fourth game of the postseason where the home team had built a 2-0 series lead at home and the home team lost Game Three in the first two, Toronto and Denver, before the Hawks snuck one out late on Friday. It was a rough night for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Game Two on Wednesday as they went a combined 8-30 from the floor and had just 37 points between them and at least one has to show up to give Brooklyn a shot. It heads home where it is just 21-21 on the season but of course, a lot of that had to do with Irving not being able to play for most of the home games. The Nets are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning percentage above .600. Boston has looked every bit like a contender through the first two games of this series at home but this series could easily be tied right now. The Celtics are outshot 54 percent to 47 percent in Game One and in Game Two, Brooklyn built a 17-point lead only to see that go away in the second half. The Celtics are 23-18 on the road and have been on fire of late, winning 10 of their last 13 games on the highway but that is a benefit here which adds to the value in a must win game for the Nets. The Celtics are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 playoff games as an underdog. Here, we play on home teams where the line is +3 to -3 with a winning percentage between .450 and .550 after having won five or six of their last seven games. This situation is 59-26 ATS (69.4 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (516) Brooklyn Nets

This is a play on the CHICAGO BULLS for our NBA Friday Enforcer. Every series has gone at least two games heading into Friday so every game this weekend will feature all off the top seeds playing on the road and we could see some series get real interesting come Monday. This includes Milwaukee and Chicago as the Bucks hit the road after splitting the first two games at home. They took a hit in the Game Two loss as Kris Middleton suffered left MCL sprain and will be out at least a couple weeks so gone are 20.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 5.4 apg. Milwaukee is 24-17 on the road but it has struggled everywhere this season against good teams as it is the only top 12 team with fewer than 20 wins against the top 16 and Milwaukee is 4-14 ATS when playing against a team with a winning percentage between .501 and .600 this season. Chicago was able to steal a game in Milwaukee thanks to 41 points from DeMar DeRozan in Game Two as the Bulls played a very complete game where they build an 18-point lead at one point while limiting the Bucks to a lead of just three points being their biggest. Chicago is back home where it is 27-14 and this is a team with some what if questions, the biggest being what if Lonzo Ball did not get hurt as the chemistry between him, DeRozan and Zach Lavine was coming together perfectly. They slipped toward the end of the season but they showed they are no easy out and the Bulls are 5-1 ATS in their last six home games following a road trip of seven or more days. Here, we play against teams after failing to cover the spread in three or more consecutive games going up against an opponent after successfully covering the spread in three or more consecutive games. This situation is 67-35 (65.7 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (504) Chicago Bulls

This is a play on the UTAH JAZZ for our NBA Western Conf. Game of the Month. Dallas was able to tie up this series at a game apiece as it got a career high 41 points from Jalen Brunson to take over home court advantage in this first round series. The Mavericks were expected to be successful this season as they were counting on Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic to take this team as far as it could go but the former played just 34 games for Dallas before being dealt to Washington and the latter has missed the first two games of this series with more time likely on the shelf. The Mavericks are 30-13 at home but 23-18 on the road and while it is currently in the drivers seat, that will not last long as it is on the wrong end of the zag here. The Mavericks are 2-5 ATS in their last seven playoff games as an underdog. Utah came out slow in the fourth quarter in Game Two as it had a four-point lead heading into the final 12 minutes but were outscored by 10 points and return for Game Three at an unlikely disadvantage. The Jazz are 29-12 at home and they are catching a great number here following the Dallas Game Two win as they were favored by five on the road and we are seeing just a two-point swing despite a venue change. No one was added to the injury report so they come in close to full strength in a big game to get the series on track with home court advantage back to normal. The Jazz are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 playoff games as a favorite. Here, we play on road underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points after having covered four or five of their last six games against the spread, winning .600 and .750 of their games on the season. This situation is 87-44 (66.4 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (572) Utah Jazz

This is a play on the TORONTO RAPTORS for our NBA Wednesday Enforcer. Philadelphia has taken control of this series as it took care of Toronto with no issues in either of the first two games as it won by 20 and 13 points. Through the first two games of the playoffs for most teams, the Sixers and Warriors are looking like two of the top teams based on the eye test as well the strength of the opposition. The Sixers hit the road where they have actually been better than they have playing at home but they will be shorthanded as Matisse Thybulle will miss the trip since he is unvaccinated and while his numbers are not great, it is his defense that will be missed. The are 0-4 ATS in their last four games as a road favorite. Toronto has come up small to open this series and we expected that to be different especially in a matchup where the Raptors dominated this season by winning three of the four regular season games. Heading home could not have come at a better time as a change was needed to regroup and get back into this series with a must win game on Wednesday. Toronto is 24-17 on the road and like the Sixers they performed slightly better on the road than they did at home despite matching records. The Raptors are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 home games against teams with a winning road record. Here, we play against teams in a game involving two teams averaging between 108 and 114 ppg, after leading their last two games by 10 or more points at the half. This situation is 74-49 ATS (60.2 percent) since 1996. 10* (564) Toronto Raptors