Sports Picks & Predictions

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES CHARGERS for our NFLX Sunday Enforcer. The threat of Hurricane Hilary approaching the west coast led to discussion about this game either being moved or canceled but it will go on as scheduled thanks to SoFi Stadium being able to close up. New Orleans is coming off a 26-24 win over Kansas City last week as it built a big early lead only to see it slip away but scored the final nine points to secure the victory. All three quarterbacks played solid for the Saints with Derek Carr getting the start and it is still unclear how much he will play tonight. Saints head coach Dennis Allen said that starters will likely not see the field in the same fashion as a week ago which could mean no playing time for some. The Chargers rolled over the Rams thanks to a massive rushing night with 214 yards on the ground. The system from offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has looked good throughout camp and we should see more passing this time around. The quarterback situation on this side is still an unknown as well as Justin Herbert, who did not play last week, likely will not suit up again. Backup Ethan Stick did not compile a ton of yards but was efficient by going 14-21 and a touchdown and we will likely see more of Max Duggan who was limited to only three passing attempts. 10* (430) Los Angeles Changers

This is a play on the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS for our NFLX Game of the Week. This number has steamed up considerably but for good reason as official news has come in on the gameplans for these teams and we will be backing the first time head coach seeking his first victory in his home debut. Bears head coach Matt Eberflus announced after joint practices this week that he saw enough from most of his starters and that they will not play this week, namely quarterback Justin Fields. It will be P.J. Walker under center to at least start the game and he was shaky at best last week and then Nathan Peterman and Tyson Bagent to follow so the quarterback rotation is not strong. The Colts lost in Buffalo last week and head coach Shane Steichen will be seeking his first win and he will want it in front of the home crowd. Quarterback Anthony Richardson came out slow last week with an early pick but settled down with a pair of good drives that resulted in a turnover on downs and a missed field goal. Gardner Minshew and San Ehlinger were both very efficient during their time and Indianapolis does have the edge in the rotation. 10* (414) Indianapolis Colts

This is a play on the HOUSTON TEXANS for our NFLX Afternoon Annihilator. With a couple notable injuries already taking place in camp, Miami will simply aim to get out of Texas unscathed and like the game last week against Atlanta, we are not going to see many veterans on the field. Last season, the Dolphins played Tua Tagovailoa in the second preseason game but we likely are not going to see him today based on his own injury history from last season. Mike White and Skylar Thompson will see the most time on the field and while both are very capable, they looked bad last week and playing with a bunch of unproven pieces makes that difficult. The quarterback situation in Houston has been outlined better with CJ Stroud getting a few more reps after tossing only four passes last week and then being backed up by veterans Case Keenum and Davis Mills who both looked very good against New England last week. The Texans picked up the victory for first year head coach DeMeco Ryans and he wants to keep that winning mentality going which he brought over from San Francisco and will certainly want to bring that in front of the home fans even though it is only preseason. 10* (410) Houston Texans

This is a play on the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES for our NFLX Thursday Enforcer. This was not an advantageous line move from -3 to -3.5 but the key numbers have lost some of their value in the NFL because of longer extra points and more frequent two-point conversion attempts and this is especially the case in the preseason where key numbers mean nothing. Based on rotations and playing time in this matchup, a big edge goes to the Eagles after a week of joint practices. It was announced that Deshaun Watson will not play and Joshua Dobbs remains questionable for Cleveland which means rookie fifth-round pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson should get the start and most of the playing time. While he has looked good in two games, those were against the lowest of the depth players and this Eagles defense is deep past the starters. On the other side, Marcus Mariota will get the start for Philadelphia and this is exactly who you want playing the majority of the first half in a preseason game, a league veteran with numerous starts to his credit. This was the plan for Gardner Minshew in the second preseason game lat year so we are expecting the same script. Philadelphia dominated the joint practices and that should carry over and while winning is not the biggest objective, the Eagles will want this one after their inexcusable loss last week against the Ravens despite winning the yardage battle by 60 yards and time of possession by over 10 minutes. 10* (402) Philadelphia Eagles

This is a play on the NEW ORLEANS SAINTS for our NFLX Sunday Enforcer. This is one of the rare preseason opening games where we will see longer than usual play from the starters and in the case of New Orleans, its key backups. For Kansas City, the offensive starters are going to open the game and play an opening series and if all goes well, that will likely be it. If the Chiefs stall, we could see them on the field for another drive but only if they come up with a stalled first possession. Three key players on offense will not dress as running back Isiah Pacheco, tight end Jody Fortson and wide receiver Kadarius Toney have all been declared out. The back end of the receiving corps is thin with rookie Rashee Rice, second year wideout Justyn Ross and veteran Richie James getting plenty of snaps. The gameplan is more set on the other side. As reported by beat writer Jeff Duncan, New Orleans will go with its offensive starters for two drives not exceeding 15 snaps while the second unit will see double that action meaning viable playing time for the veterans. This line has come down, which was short for the home team to begin with, despite a big majority of the money coming in on New Orleans creating a rare preseason reverse line move. 10* (132) New Orleans Saints

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES RAMS for our NFLX Game of the Week. Chargers head coach Brandon Staley does not take the preseason serious as far as winning and playing his starters and that will be the case again this season. Quarterback Justin Herbert will not see the field and starting will be Easton Stick and Staley said Stick would "play a lot. I'm really looking forward to Easton playing a lot in the preseason." In this case, he is likely to play the first half and rookie Max Duggan will relieve him at some point in the second half. With Kellen Moore the new offensive coordinator, it will be brand new to everyone. On the other side, Rams head coach Sean McVay did not play his starters in the preseason a year ago, but he has stated that will change this season as he takes a "very different approach". Quarterback Matthew Stafford will not see any action so the main snaps will be taken from rookie Stenson Bennett who has looked great in camp and Brett Rypien who are battling for the backup role so there is plenty at stake. They will be facing a defense that is a new one as the Chargers are moving to a 3-4 scheme under new defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley. This line has moved but for good reason based on what we expect on the field and this is a game the Rams want more after the disaster that took place last season to get a winning attitude back. 10* (130) Los Angeles Rams

This is a play on the PITTSBURGH STEELERS for our NFLX Friday Enforcer. With the retirement of Tom Brady, the Buccaneers are out looking for their starting quarterback and neither Baker Mayfield nor Kyle Trask has taken the lead as the No. 1 guy. Mayfield will get the start tonight and his training camp has been inconsistent so even though he is a proven starter will many reps under his belt, it is still a new system with new players. Trask will get into the game as well and likely followed by John Wolford so there are veterans leading the way but very unproven. On the other side, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has already confirmed quarterback Kenny Pickett will be starting and stated "everyone who's healthy" will play. How long they will play is still unknown but Tomlin is planning to utilize players that will be starting and/or playing significant time this season in an effort to help Pickett get comfortable and be more ready to start the regular season. Behind Pickett are two veterans at quarterback as well in Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph and the difference here is that they have been here under this system so they know what they are doing. Pittsburgh is the road favorite which is not typically the case in the preseason but the experience factor is playing into this. 10* (109) Pittsburgh Steelers

This is a play on the NEW YORK JETS/CLEVELAND BROWNS UNDER for our NFL HOF Game Totals Dominator. We get started Thursday with the first preseason game of the season and there is simply no matchup breakdown as this is purely a situational play that has cashed for years. The Hall of Fame Game is typically a very low scoring game as in this stage of the preseason, the defenses are a step ahead of the offense. Nine of the last 14 Hall of Fame games have stayed under the total, including seven of the last 11 and while those past outcomes do not predict future results, it does show how defenses are more in sync early in the preseason. Going back to 1984, only seven of the 36 HOF games have eclipsed 40 points and a lot of that is due to fluke plays. This includes an interception return for a touchdown taking place in five of the last seven games that have gone over 40 points so simply avoiding that gives us a great opportunity to cash in a low scoring game. 16 of the 36 games have seen totals of 27 of less points scored. Seven years ago, the Hall of Fame game was canceled because of poor field conditions and of course 2020 was canceled because of COVID so those are not part of the averages. According to the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players association, teams cannot hold training-camp practices more than two weeks before their first preseason game, so preparation has been limited on both sides. That affects the offenses more than the defenses and we will once again see the defenses have the advantage. Additionally, with this being the first game, offensive starters will see limited if any action. 10* Under (101) New York Jets/(102) Cleveland Browns

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 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 LAS VEGAS RAIDERS/JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS UNDER for our NFL HOF Game Totals Dominator. We get started Thursday with the first preseason game of the season and there is simply no matchup breakdown as this is purely a situational play that has cashed for years. The Hall of Fame Game is typically a very low scoring game as in this stage of the preseason, the defenses are a step ahead of the offense. Nine of the last 13 Hall of Fame games have stayed under the total, including seven of the last 10 and while those past outcomes do not predict future results, it does show how defenses are more in sync early in the preseason. Going back to 1984, only seven of the 35 HOF games have eclipsed 40 points and a lot of that is due to fluke plays. This includes an interception return for a touchdown taking place in five of the last six games that have gone over 40 points so simply avoiding that gives us a great opportunity to cash in a low scoring game. 16 of the 35 games have seen totals of 27 of less points scored including seven years ago when Pittsburgh and Minnesota tallied just 17 points combined and the last two have seen 24 and 19 points. Six years ago, the Hall of Fame game was canceled because of poor field conditions and of course 2020 was canceled because of COVID so those are not part of the averages. According to the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players association, teams cannot hold training-camp practices more than two weeks before their first preseason game, so preparation has been limited on both sides. That affects the offenses more than the defenses and we will once again see the defenses have the advantage. Additionally, with this being the first game, offensive starters will see limited if any action. 10* Under (101) Las Vegas Raiders/(102) Jacksonville Jaguars

This is a play on the CAROLINA PANTHERS for our NFLX Thursday Enforcer. After going through a ton of articles to get a good idea of playing time across the Thursday board, Carolina is the team to target tonight. The Panthers exercised caution with quarterback Cam Newton, running back Christian McCaffrey, linebacker Luke Kuechly and tight end Greg Olsen during the first two weeks of the preseason, opting to hold them out against Chicago and Buffalo. They are expected to see extended time tonight with them going likely four series and possibly into the second half. We are not quite sure what to expect from New England and how sharp they will be on the offensive line as this will be the first preseason action across all five players. Julian Edelman (non-football injury) and Demaryius Thomas (PUP) have been moved off their respective injury lists and while they are both healthy enough to practice, this does not necessarily mean they will play in the game, though. The New England defense has looked outstanding so far in training camp, with the starters regularly getting the best of the offense. Tonight, the scheme will be comparatively vanilla, the depth and overall level of talent will be tested against a talented Panthers offense. Carolina is 5-1 ATS in its last six preseason games as an underdog going up against an opponent off back-to-back wins while going 5-0 ATS in their last five games coming off a straight up loss as a favorite. 10* (255) Carolina Panthers

This is a play on the DALLAS COWBOYS for our NFLX Game of the Week. The Rams were dominated by the Raiders in their preseason opener as they were outgained 407-190 while committing a massive 19 penalties. They should be better this week with another week of prep but there will be plenty of unfamiliar faces and a lot of the guys that will be on the field likely will not be on the roster come Week One. Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay confirmed that RB Todd Gurley, QB Jared Goff and other starters will stay home while the team travels to Hawaii. After playing most of their available starters for one series in their preseason contest against the 49ers in Week One, fans should see increased snaps for the Cowboys starters in this matchup. Dallas lost to San Francisco in its preseason opener but it was nearly as lopsided as the Rams/Raiders game. It was outgained by just 45 total yards and the Cowboys were very disciplined by committing just five penalties. Even though the full Rams roster will not be here, Dallas will be playing with a chip on its shoulder following getting ousted by Los Angeles in the playoffs last season. 10* (421) Dallas Cowboys

This is a play on the TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS for our NFL Friday Enforcer. Like the Dolphins, the Buccaneers made a coaching change in the offseason when they hired former Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians. He put together a staff that features several former Dolphins coaches, including defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong, quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen and defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers which could be a slight edge against familiar personnel. The Buccaneers lost against Pittsburgh last week despite outgaining the Steelers by 140 totals and with this being the home opener, Arians will be out to win for the home fans to give them positive hope. The Dolphins defeated Atlanta in its opener and now hits the road for the first time this season. Head coach Brian Flores openly criticized Josh Rosen this week, then made him the first-team quarterback for his first practice on Wednesday. He admits his processing speed is not where it needs to be. 10* (416) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This is a play on the NEW ORLEANS SAINTS for our NFL Friday Enforcer. If there is one team this preseason that wants to come out with an opening game win, it is the Saints following their horrible end to last season in the playoffs. If for nothing else, a win would be good for the fans, or at least just to shut them up and they cannot let it go. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, now in his second season as Drew Brees backup with the Saints, figures to play plenty in the preseason opener. Having a veteran like that is big as is the fact another veteran, Tayson Hill should also see significant action. On the other side, it is a lot less stable. Sean Mannion will probably get most of the snaps in the second quarter and then rookie Browning should see a majority of the second half after Kyle Sloter gets some action. The Saints have the clear edge in the quarterback depth even if Brees plays just one series or not at all. The one thing that is keeping this line down is the fact that the Vikings are 17-4 in the past five preseasons under Head Coach Mike Zimmer and while that normally would be a slight cause for concern, motivation is clearly on the other side tonight. 10* (276) New Orleans Saints

This is a play on the BUFFALO BILLS for our NFL Thursday Enforcer. This is a line shift rarely seen in the preseason as Buffalo opened as a slight favorite but now the Bills are home underdogs which is the case for five teams tonight. Buffalo is in the best spot of them all based on game planning and what we are seeing at quarterback depth. Bills head coach Sean McDermott told the media his starters will play about a quarter which is considered a heavy load in the first preseason game. Quarterback Josh Allen will get to work a decent amount and he will be replaced by veteran Matt Barkley. After that, it will be Tyree Jackson who is an explosive rookie with great size and athleticism. Colts head coach Frank Reich said he is planning to sit out the majority of his starters and rest any players dealing with nagging injuries. The Colts will also call from a limited playbook on both offense and defense, as they plan to study certain plays and sets on film following the game. Jacoby Brissett will get the nod over Andrew Luck at quarterback and after that it is a sketchy. Philip Walker, an undrafted, third year pro who has spent most of his first two seasons on the Colts practice squad will get time as will . Chad Kell, the former Broncos and Ole Miss quarterback, who is battling to make an NFL roster. 10* (254) Buffalo Bills

This is a play on the DENVER BRONCOS/ATLANTA FALCONS UNDER for our Thursday NFL Totals Dominator. The Hall of Fame Game is typically a very low scoring game as in this stage of the preseason, the defenses are a step ahead of the offense. Eight of the last 11 Hall of Fame games have stayed under the total, including five of the last seven and while those past outcomes do not predict future results, it does show how defenses are more in sync early in the preseason. Going back to 1984, only seven of the 33 HOF games have eclipsed 40 points and a lot of that is due to fluke plays. This includes an interception return for a touchdown taking place in each of the last five games that have gone over 40 points so simply avoiding that gives us a great opportunity to cash in a low scoring game. The 33 games have seen an average of just over 31 ppg and 14 of the 33 have seem totals of 27 of less points scored including four years ago when Pittsburgh and Minnesota tallied just 17 points combined. Three years ago, the Hall of Fame game was canceled because of poor field conditions and that problem was fixed going into last season. Dallas and Arizona did go over two years but it was just by 3.5 points. According to the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players association, teams can't hold training-camp practices more than two weeks before their first preseason game, so preparation has been limited on both sides. That affects the offenses more than the defenses and we will once again see the defenses have the advantage. Additionally, with this being the first game, offensive starters will see limited if any action. A strong situation is in play also as we play the under in NFL Preseason non-conference games. This situation is 239-154 (60.8 percent) to the under over the last five years. 10* Under (241) Denver Broncos/(242) Atlanta Falcons

This is a play on the BUFFALO BILLS for our NFLX Thursday Enforcer. The final week of the preseason is here and in most cases, the games are meaningless with deep roster spots being the only remaining factor before the regular season starts. Rarely do we see ant starters on the field, let alone quarterbacks, but because of the situation in Buffalo, that is not the case here. Although the Bills aren't likely to play most of their starters, Buffalo will likely evaluate players competing for starting spots. Entering the preseason finale, the Bills are still evaluating players competing for starting jobs at numerous positions including quarterback which is obviously the big one to look at here. We still do not know who the starter is going to be but all three in competition will be playing all out tonight depending on the time they get. This is a very good situation and one that is rare going into the final week of the preseason. On the other side, Mitchell Trubisky and Chase Daniel are fully entrenched as the No. 1 and No. 2 respectively so it will be Tyler Bray for the entire games tonight as he will be out to try and convince head coach Matt Nagy that the Bears should be keeping three quarterbacks. That likely will not happen though. Much of the Bears, who also played in five preseason games this offseason due to the Hall of Fame game, starters likely will not suit up at all on Thursday. Buffalo falls into a favorable situation as well as we play on underdogs or pickems that are coming off an upset loss as a home favorite, with a losing record. This situation is 47-21 ATS (69.1 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (117) Buffalo Bills

**Note 1:00 PM ET Start** This is a play on the KANSAS CITY CHIEFS for our NFL Saturday Enforcer. This is a perfect example of why not to bet preseason games early. We have seen a significant line shift in this games, upwards of five points in some places, but it is justified. The Bears announced late Friday night that they will not be playing most of their first-team players tonight against Kansas City. After their best week of practices so far in 2018, Matt Nagy met with the team to inform them most starters, including Mitchell Trubisky, will not play. Nagy's reasoning is that the Bears have practiced more than every other NFL team, because they began a week early due to their participation in the preseason-opening Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 2. While not fair to the home fans, it makes complete sense. Meanwhile, the Chiefs will play their starters into the third quarter. Since 2007 there have been roughly 20 quarterbacks who have started their careers and played eight or more games in a season and of those 20 teams, Patrick Mahomes offensive personnel is the best according to a report from PFR so this has the potential to be a really powerful offense. According to Gary McKenzie, since the NFL merger, no team has replaced their starting quarterback with a 1st or 2nd year quarterback after gaining more than 6,000 yards of offense in the year prior so Mahomes is walking into the best scenario for a young quarterback in over 50 years. 10* (265) Kansas City Chiefs

This is a play on the DETROIT LIONS for our NFLX Friday Enforcer. Detroit is off to a 0-2 start in the preseason and along with Tennessee, they are the only two remaining winless teams that have new head coaches. Matt Patricia certainly brings in a winning mentality from New England and while player evaluations and health are at the top of the list during this exhibition season, getting a winning attitude into the Lions is necessary. Patricia said he plans to give more playing time to his starters, without divulging how much they will actually play, but it will be at least one half and said the Lions have taken a more comprehensive approach to planning for Friday's game against the Buccaneers, scouting an opponent for the first time this summer. Matthew Stafford did not look very good last week but given the fact he and his wife had a baby the night before the game, and he was not exactly playing well-rested, it is only fair we give Stafford a pass. He should see even more time in this game, and it will simply be good to get a sense of where he is at in what is likely his final tuneup before the regular season. Last week for Tampa Bay, Jameis Winston threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns after coming off the bench in the second quarter. Ryan Fitzpatrick had accuracy issues which he will try and overcome as he will get the start and play with the first team to get ready for the season opener. Detroit falls into a great preseason situation as we play against favorites after a win by 14 or more points going up against an opponent after scoring three points or less in the first half last game. This situation is 23-5 ATS (82.1 percent) since 1993. 10* (259) Detroit Lions

This is a play on the CLEVELAND BROWNS for our NFLX Thursday Star Attraction. Injury info will play a big role on this game as a lot of significant names have been confirmed for the Eagles. While we will not see Carson Wentz tonight, and likely not at all during the preseason, the Eagles are dealing with other significant injuries. Nick Foles is not 100 percent but will play tonight after jarring hos shoulder last week against the Patriots. Left tackle Jason Peters and running back Darren Sproles will sit out Thursday as both are coming off reconstructive knee surgeries. Additionally, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery remains on the physically unable to perform list and is unlikely to make an appearance this preseason while fellow wideout Nelson Agholor and running back Jay Ajayi are dealing with lower-body injuries. Cleveland is pretty healthy, and the starters are expected to play into the third quarter. While the Browns have stunk the last two years and even beyond that, they are significantly improved this season with their roster and they will be out to prove something tonight as their preseason has been pretty solid thus far. Cleveland falls into a solid preseason situation as we play on teams that are coming off an upset loss as a home favorite going up against an opponent off a road loss. This situation is 31-12 ATS (72.1 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (252) Cleveland Browns

This is a play on the OAKLAND RAIDERS for our NFL Saturday Star Attraction. Like last night, we are going with the sharp line movement again today with the Raiders are they opened as three-point underdogs but are now favored by a point in some places. The move is identical to that of Kansas City last night based on late information coming through that starters would play a full half. In this case, it is the opposite as for the second game in a row, Rams head coach Sean McVay confirmed that he will keep nearly all starters sidelined to avoid injury. The decision to do so was made easier because the Rams play the Raiders again in a few weeks. Oakland will utilize their starters a little bit more but because these teams meet in Week One of the regular season, it will be a pretty vanilla approach. One big factor after the starters depart is that there is a quarterback competition going on for the backup spot. Connor Cook was the first quarterback off the bench last week against Detroit, and he took full advantage. A solid performance did not earn Cook the right to back up Derek Carr as head coach Jon Gruden insists that job remains competitive, and that E.J. Manuel would get more work against the Rams. On the other side, it is imperative that Sean Mannion or Brandon Allen step up their play as neither has looked good and Mannion was downright horrible last week against the Ravens. While both will be playing for the backup spot, comparing the Rams and Raiders quarterback situation gives a big edge to Oakland. Los Angeles looked clueless last week against the Ravens and many will flock to the Rams this week expecting a bounce back, similar to the public riding the Falcons last night but the line movement tells a lot once again. 10* (419) Oakland Raiders

This is a play on the KANSAS CITY CHIEFS for our NFLX Friday Supreme Annihilator. We obviously missed the good number here as Atlanta opened as a three-point home favorite, but the Chiefs have shifted to the favorite based on information late in the week. We will gladly take new number in this case as opposed to grabbing an early number on the other side which many did based on the Falcons getting shut out last week and expecting a bounce back this week. Andy Reid confirmed to the media that Chiefs starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the Chiefs starters will get an entire half of play. Reid also said that the second team will get the third quarter and the third team the fourth quarter. This is exactly why we wait during the preseason, so we can get this valuable information and most of the time, the line movement does not even come into play. Mahomes is a special talent with a big arm that we will see more of tonight. Last week, of 44 dropbacks on Thursday night against the Texans, the Chiefs ran only eight route concepts that threatened the Texans vertically. They are expected to open it up more tonight as Reid has already said the first game was simply about getting live game action under their belt. We played against the Falcons last week and they are not only in a tough matchup spot this week, they are not going to counter by going with their starters for long. Head coach Dan Quinn said Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman will be available but implied they will play very little, if at all. As mentioned last week, Quinn has made it clear he does not care about preseason results as Atlanta is now 0-5 both straight up and against the number going back to last season. 10* (409) Kansas City Chiefs

This is a play on the PITTSBURGH STEELERS for our NFLX Thursday Enforcer. Once news came out Ben Roethlisberger was out on injury protocol, this line went from 2.5 to 5.5 which is a huge overadjustment considering he would not have played much to begin with. Additionally, on the same day, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed that Aaron Rodgers would in fact be starting which helped drive up the line, but the Rodgers info means little. He will see a series, maybe two, as health is the bigger issue for Green Bay. Rodgers played three series and 26 plays last preseason and two series and 26 plays in the 2016 preseason. That is down from five series and 45 plays in 2015, eight series and 69 plays in 2014 and 16 series and 93 plays in Rodgers first season as the starter in 2008 so priorities are changing. Mike Tomlin said that Mason Rudolph and Josh Dobbs will be featured exclusively in the Steelers second game of the preseason and that is not a bad thing after seeing last week. Dobbs went 9-of-13 with a touchdown and an interception against the Eagles while Rudolph, who played the entire second half, went 7-of-12 for 102 yards. This was with no scheming but this week, both quarterbacks got a taste of the Packers defense and they were able to do some gameplanning. The Packers played a vanilla defense last week and defensive coordinator Mike Pettine confirmed they will be doing the same again this week. We will back the value as a line move of three points for a preseason game is absurdly too much. 10* (405) Pittsburgh Steelers

This is a play on the ARIZONA CARDINALS for our NFLX Saturday Enforcer. The first-year head coach is always a great angle to play in the preseason if given the right circumstances. I am a fan of playing first year head coaches in their first games as those guys want to infuse a new winning attitude into the team as it is usually the case that the previous season was far from a good one. This season, there are seven new head coaches in the league including Steve Wilks for the Cardinals. When he addressed the media Thursday morning, Wilks said all the quarterbacks will play on Saturday. That would include Bradford, rookie Josh Rosen, Mike Glennon and undrafted rookie Chad Kanoff. Wilks has stated previously that Bradford would be pulled before most of the starters and that Rosen was going to play quite a bit. Rosen said he has progressed each day over the last few weeks and he is playing more reactionary football with his first NFL action finally here. On the other side, if Philip Rivers plays at all, and if he does, it will likely only be one series, Geno Smith and Cardale Jones still will do the bulk of the quarterback work as the battle for No. 2 continues. It feels as if Smith, the more experienced of the two, has the edge because the Chargers know what it looks like when he leads a team. Jones, however, has the physical gifts to win the job if he looks comfortable in game situations. In his first season, Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn indicated player health was more important than wins, as they went 1-3, and we expect the same mindset this season. 10* (282) Arizona Cardinals

This is a play on the NEW YORK JETS for our NFLX Friday Star Attraction. One of the keys to a successful preseason is backing teams that are trying hard as opposed to just going through the motions to evaluate young talent and fill non-starter roster spots. Atlanta is pretty much set on both sides of the ball in its key positions so there will be a lot of second and third string players trying to impress. The quarterback rotation is key on both sides. Matt Ryan will get a series for the Falcons and that will likely be it. After that. It will be Matt Schaub, likely that some people did not know he was still even in the league, and then into undrafted free agent Kurt Benkert and former third round pick Garrett Grayson for the bulk of the game. As for the Jets, there is a three-way battle for the starting spot as Josh McCown is currently listed as the starter but there will be a battle to unseat him between Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Darnold. McCown will see limited action and there likely will be equal reps for Bridgewater and Darnold which is a good thing as both have been very impressive during preseason camp. Falcons head coach San Quinn has made it clear he does not care about preseason results when Atlanta went 0-4 both straight up and against the number. 10* (276) New York Jets

This is a play on the CHICAGO BEARS for our NFLX Thursday Enforcer. The first-year head coach is always a great angle to play in the preseason if given the right circumstances. I am a fan of playing first year head coaches in their first games as those guys want to infuse a new winning attitude into the team as it is usually the case that the previous season was far from a good one. This season, there are seven new head coaches in the league including Matt Nagy who is coaching his second game. The Bears did not come away with a win, although they did cover, and there will be extra effort put forth to get that first win here. The starters did not play in Canton, but Nagy confirmed they will be out there this Thursday including quarterback Mitchell Trubisky for at least a couple series. Offensive line is a concern coming into the season as three of the five expected starters will be playing their first games with the Bengals, left tackle Cordy Glenn, right tackle Bobby Hart and rookie center Billy Price. Head coach Marvin Lewis said he expects the starters on the line to play longer than quarterback Andy Dalton so there could be issues along the line with continuity. Chicago also falls into a great preseason situation where we play on road teams where the line is +3 to -3 off one or more consecutive under. This situation is 50-24 ATS (67.6 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (253) Chicago Bears

This is a play on the NEW YORK GIANTS for our NFLX Thursday Supreme Annihilator. The first-year head coach is always a great angle to play in the preseason if given the right circumstances. I am a fan of playing first year head coaches in their first games as those guys want to infuse a new winning attitude into the team as it is usually the case that the previous season was far from a good one. This season, there are seven new head coaches in the league with one of those being Pat Shurmur for New York. The Giants went 11-5 in 2016, so the 3-13 finish last year led to massive wholesale changes throughout the organization. Shurmur, like other coaches, has not disclosed playing time for any player and while the quarterback in the most important for that information, Eli Manning has not played in the preseason opener the last two seasons but because of the new system, he could play a series or two which would be an added benefit. Backup Davis Webb has had a great two weeks in camp and the Giants know he is a great athlete with a massively powerful arm, what they want to see is him come out and execute the offense efficiently. Baker Mayfield will see a lot of playing time for Cleveland which may not be a very good thing considering this will be his very first NFL game and he could struggle early. Mayfield, who's worked exclusively with the second-team offense, has struggled when pitted against the Browns starters. 9* (258) New York Giants

This is a play on the CHICAGO BEARS/BALTIMORE RAVENS UNDER for our Thursday NFL Totals Dominator. The Hall of Fame Game is typically a very low scoring game as in this stage of the preseason, the defenses are a step ahead of the offense. Seven of the last 10 Hall of Fame games have stayed under the total, including four of the last six and while those past outcomes do not predict future results, it does show how defenses are more in sync early in the preseason. Going back to 1984, only seven of the 32 HOF games have eclipsed 40 points and a lot of that is due to fluke plays. This includes an interception return for a touchdown taking place in each of the last five games that have gone over 40 points so simply avoiding that gives us a great opportunity to cash in a low scoring game. The 32 games have seen an average of just over 31 ppg and 14 of the 32 have seem totals of 27 of less points scored including three years ago when Pittsburgh and Minnesota tallied just 17 points combined. Two years ago, the Hall of Fame game was canceled because of poor field conditions and that problem was fixed going into last season. Dallas and Arizona did go over last year but it was just by 3.5 points. According to the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players association, teams can't hold training-camp practices more than two weeks before their first preseason game, so preparation has been limited on both sides. That affects the offenses more than the defenses and we will once again see the defenses have the advantage. Additionally, with this being the first game, offensive starters will see limited if any action. A strong situation is in play also as we play the under in NFL Preseason non-conference games. This situation is 238-154 (60.7 percent) to the under over the last five years. 10* Under (241) Chicago Bears/(242) Baltimore Ravens

We are coming off a tough loss last night with the Giants as they imploded in the second half, allowing the Jets to score 28 points and nearly pull off the miracle comeback. That is the risk you sometimes take in the preseason when the backups enter the game but Saturday was a complete anomaly based on the size of the comeback. We hope not to have that issue tonight as we are backing another team in a very similar situation with a very similar line. The Vikings have not looked very good on offense as they have scored only 30 points so they want to use this game as a trigger to get things moving in the right direction. the good news is that for the first time this preseason, the Vikings offense is expected to be near full strength. They started to find a groove last week on the opening series in Seattle, before an 11-play, 76-yard drive was stalled by two red-zone penalties. The 49ers have the daunting task of converting the defense from the 3-4 scheme that they have run the better part of the last decade to a 4-3 and anyone who has seen a transformation from a 4-3 to a 3-4 realizes that players that are good fits in one system are not necessarily a good fit in another. San Francisco is overhauling its offense as well and it will have some issues tonight against a stiff Minnesota defense that needs to show more consistency as well. The Vikings lost a rare game in Seattle last week as Mike Zimmer dropped to 13-2 straight up and 12-3 against the number since taking over as Vikings head coach. He will be out to get it back here playing in front of the home crowd for the first time this season. 10* (282) Minnesota Vikings

It is no secret that the Jets are going to be in for a long season and despite a 1-1 record in the preseason, the offense has given a glimpse of what to expect during the regular season. They have scored 13 points in total and while most teams use the third preseason game to fix offensive issues, the Jets do not have the talent to fix anything. The quarterback situation is a mess and the offensive line is even worse. Head coach Todd Bowles started three new offensive linemen last week against Detroit so there is a lack of cohesiveness that will also carry into tonight. Then there is the receiving crops that lacks no true No. 1 option. Facing a great Giants defense for the first half will prove troublesome. For the Giants, the game might not count but it does have meaning considering they are expected to be contenders in the NFC. In particular, this will be their last chance to grow confidence in the offensive line before the season starts. The Giants offense has struggled for the most part throughout two preseason games but with the first team likely to be on the field for at least the first half, head coach Ben McAdoo is looking for a clean performance with plenty of opportunities to move the ball down the field. Even though Odell Beckham will not see the field and Brandon Marshall is likely out, there are option for Eli Manning, namely Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram. This is one of the higher lines of the night but for good reason and the Giants sense of urgency will propel them to an easy victory tonight. 10* (260) New York Giants

We played against Seattle last week as it hosted Minnesota in a matchup of coaches that have been outstanding in the preseason and we were on the wrong end as Mike Zimmer dropped to 13-2 straight up and 12-3 against the number since taking over as Vikings head coach. The Seahawks remain home for their third preseason game and this is the one that counts. Starters will see extended time and it is the defense that needs the extra time. Coming back to play into the second half is an important part of the preseason process, head coach Pete Carroll said, because "it is normal procedure. The process of getting them ready to extend your play time. That is just typically how we have done it." On defense and special teams, that extended game action is particularly important when it comes to tackling, something the Seahawks do not do in practice. The starting defense does not feel like it has demonstrated its highest level of play so far this preseason in limited action. The Kansas City offense has been spot on as the first team offense has scored in all four possessions it has been on the field but this is clearly the biggest test thus far. On the other side, the only factor preventing the team from playing well is its struggling offensive line and offensive improvement is necessary if the Seahawks want to make a run this season. Under Carroll, the Seahawks are 14-1 ATS going up against an opponent that is coming off a win by three or more points. This includes the win last week against Minnesota which was coming off a win at Buffalo by a touchdown. 10* (258) Seattle Seahawks

This is the week that most of the starters will be playing into the third quarter and that should be the case for both sides here. For the Dolphins, 10 of the 11 projected offensive starters (left guard remains unsettled) should start, and 10 of the 11 projected defensive starters (middle linebacker is still up for grabs) should start. Considering the NFL is a quarterback-driven league, and head coach Adam Gase is a quarterback-friendly coach, the offense will be under the most scrutiny Thursday. He likes the way things are trending when it comes to quarterback Jay Cutler and his receivers learning each other. Communication among Cutler and the rest of the offense has been going well, which allows them to adjust to each other. For the Eagles, Carson Wentz has only thrown the ball 13 times this preseason and the running game has been a huge question mark. Defensively, a revamped secondary is going to be tested. The Dolphins fall into an exceptional preseason situation as we play on any NFL preseason road underdog of four points or less, that is coming off a straight up favorite loss by 10 points or more, going up against an opponent coming off a straight up and ATS win. This situation is 26-6 ATS (81.3%) since 1980. This system goes right to the heart of what the majority of bettors shortcomings are and that is they see what happened the week before and then overreact. The Chiefs were involved in this situation last week and rolled to a 30-12 victory. 10* (251) Miami Dolphins

The Chargers were embarrassed last week in their first game in front of the new fanbase and they will be out to make amends for that tonight on national TV. The first unit offense and the first unit defense did their jobs against Seattle but it was the backups that played horrible with costly turnovers and non-execution leading to a 31-point loss. Head Coach Anthony Lynn is nothing if not direct, which is why he has been quite blunt that the second and third string players must elevate their games. While pleased with the performance of the starters, Lynn did not like what he saw from the depth players and he wants better production. A win prior to hitting the road for the final two preseason games and the first regular season game is a must. As much as there is a desire to win these games, the Saints are keeping the preseason losses in perspective as they approach Sunday's game against the Chargers. "I hadn't really paid too much attention to it," coach Sean Payton said Thursday after joint practices with the Chargers. "Obviously, there are some things that we prioritize in the preseason." This is brought up because Payton could care less as witnessed by the 10-game losing streak in the preseason that the Saints are currently on. The line is not on the side of the Chargers based on typical preseason numbers but the situation overtakes that as they get their first win in their new city. 10* (430) Los Angeles Chargers

The Chiefs opened their 2017 preseason with a loss against San Francisco and one that did not go over too well. Kansas City allowed 18 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to lose by 10 points against one of the worst teams in the league and while the games do not count, the Chiefs will be out to play better. They were outgained by 247 total yards and they heard about it this past week. Cincinnati meanwhile beat up on Tampa Bay as they outscored the Buccaneers 20-3 following an early 9-3 deficit. The Bengals got a surprisingly good showing from third string quarterback Jeff Driskel who was their best player on offense and it will be interesting to see what happens with him going forward and possibly taking the place of A.J. McCarron whose name continues to be brought up in trade talks. The Kansas City first string looked good on both sides of the ball in very limited action and they will see more action in the second game. While Driskel shined for the Bengals, rookie Patrick Mahomes was nearly as solid as he went 7-9 for 49 yards and a touchdown. Trading up for him in the draft was a risky move and just one game in cannot tell much but it showed that he is a possible replacement for Alex Smith come next season. The Chiefs fall into an exceptional preseason situation as we play on any NFL preseason road underdog of four points or less, that is coming off a straight up favorite loss by 10 points or more, going up against an opponent coming off a straight up and ATS win. This situation is 25-6 ATS (80.6%) since 1980. This system goes right to the heart of what the majority of bettors shortcomings are and that is they see what happened the week before and then overreact. 10* (411) Kansas City Chiefs

We won with this matchup last season in the exact same situation and we are going with it again. Both Seattle and Minnesota opened the preseason with road victories. The Vikings hit the road for a second straight week but that is no issue in this matchup. With the win last week, Minnesota is now 13-1 straight up and 12-2 against the number under head coach Mike Zimmer so while Pete Carroll of the Seahawks is well documented as a coach that likes to win in the preseason, Zimmer has surpassed him. The only loss came two seasons ago in Tennessee which happened to be the final game of the preseason where starters did not see any action. The Seahawks rolled over the Chargers on Sunday as they won 48-17, benefitting from four Los Angeles turnovers. From a scheduling standpoint, Seattle is at a significant disadvantage. The Vikings will have eight days to prepare for Seattle while the Seahawks will be coming in with just half of that preparation time. The Vikings coaches started gearing up Friday morning in hopes of turning around the first team offense that looked bad against Buffalo. Under ordinary circumstances, heading into Seattle is rarely a good recipe to erase previous offensive woes but these are not ordinary circumstances. On the other side, the Vikings will use their defensive depth to wreak havoc on Trevone Boykin and the Seattle offense, nullifying anything that worked this past Sunday. While the overall preseason run for Minnesota has been outstanding, the Vikings have covered nine straight road games in the preseason and getting a field goal is excellent value. 10* (407) Minnesota Vikings

The Bills were one of two teams, the Chargers being the other, with new head coaches that failed to win in Week One and unfortunately, we were on the wrong side of that Buffalo game. The Bills won the yardage battle in that game by 67 yards but mistakes killed them as they have 10 penalties for 106 yards and that is something that is not going to be tolerated this week. While Sean McDermott wanted to start off his career in Buffalo with a victory, he gets another chance here in Philadelphia. McDermott is very aware that this is his first time going back to Philadelphia as a head coach. His parents, brother, and other family members will be in attendance to watch him lead the Bills in their shared home town as winning here is no doubt special and just as big as winning that first home game which he failed to do. The Eagles are coming off a poor game against Green Bay so they too will want to improve on the field and get that bad effort out of the way. Goal number one however is to establish a running game that was all but non-existent against the Packers last week. They ran the ball just 19 times (for 47 yards) and threw the ball 54 times (42 of them belonging to third-string QB Matt McGloin). This supersedes the importance of a victory and any success will shorten the game which is an advantage for an underdog and the points. Speaking of which, this line is too high to begin with as home teams should not be favored by more than a field goal in the preseason, except for Week Three when the starters get extended playing time. Last week, home teams of more than three points failed to cover two of three games. 10* (403) Buffalo Bills

With the win by the Rams last night, first year head coaches are 4-1 and this has always been a big angle to play in the first week of the preseason. There is one more opportunity to expand on that tonight and we will take advantage of the situation that is bolstered even more by extra motivation for the home team. Not only is this the first game with new head coach Anthony Lynn but it also is the first game being played outside of San Diego for the Chargers. While the game does not count, the Chargers, who moved from San Diego in January and are trying to carve out a niche in the populated Southern California sports market, want to make a good first impression. "It's super important for us to go out there and look good as a group," said running back Melvin Gordon. "It's our first showing as an offense, as a defense. We've got to be together." He is part of the first unit that is expected to see a minimum of two series. The Seahawks have notoriously been a team that plays hard and likes to win during the preseason and that is keeping most of the action on their side. It has been mentioned that home field does not mean much in the preseason but this case is certainly different and the venue itself will be loud and raucous with the maximum seating capacity set at 27,000 which is half of Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, the previous low in the league. Come regular season, home games could be at a disadvantage but that is not the case tonight. Plus, we can catch the Chargers at less than the typical field goal home price. 10* (282) Los Angeles Chargers

Despite a loss with Houston on Wednesday, road teams have been solid in the NFL Preseason over the last few years as through Thursday, preseason home teams are just 70-65 SU and 60-73-2 ATS so any line that hits a field goal gives the value to the road team. While we are seeing a field goal in this one, it is being given to the home team and in the first two or three weeks of the preseason when the majority of playing time is given to backups, road teams should not be laying points unless there is significant info that justifies it. That is not the case with Dallas which won its first game over Arizona in the Hall of Fame Game and does have an edge with a game under its belt but it is not significant enough. The Rams have the new head coach angle here as Sean McVay will be making his coaching debut and will want to win his first game to get some momentum going especially in front of the home crowd. So far, new head coaches are 3-1 in the preseason. This affects Jared Goff significantly as he got a new offensively-minded head coach in McVay whose work as the Washington offensive coordinator over the last three years has Rams fans enthralled. This was further enhanced on Friday with the trade for Sammy Watkins although he will not be in action for this one. Because several of the starters are young and inexperienced with new systems on both sides of the ball to install, expect them to get more work than most teams throughout the preseason. 10* (276) Los Angeles Rams

The first-year head coach is always a great angle to play in the preseason if given the right circumstances. I am a fan of playing first year head coaches in their first games as those guys want to infuse a new winning attitude into the team as it is usually the case that the previous season was far from a good one. This season, there are six new head coaches including Sean McDermott in Buffalo. He is the opposite of Rex Ryan and that is a good thing as after an NFL-worst 17 straight years without a playoff berth, doing something different is not a bad thing. His attention to detail is felt in every action throughout practice and everything carries a purpose. There has not been a lot of turnover on the roster so there is cohesion entering the season and that even helps in the preseason with a minimal amount of positions looking to be filled. Bills offensive coordinator Rick Dennison wants to see how explosive his offense can be, whoever it is he rolls out. "I wanna see tempo. I wanna see 'em up and down, have a sense of urgency every play," Dennison said of what he is expecting on Thursday. On the other side, the Vikings biggest concern heading into the new season is the offensive line and it will be a work in progress throughout the preseason. A year after using 12 linemen, including five left tackles, the Vikings will start three new faces up front. This is going to be an ongoing process up until the regular season opener so the offense could see some big struggles the next four weeks. The Bills are one of just two home underdogs in the first week of preseason, the hapless Jets being the other, and it is unjustified for Buffalo to be in that spot. 10* (256) Buffalo Bills

Carolina plays host to Houston in the first game in Week One and the feeling here is that the Panthers are overpriced. Home field advantage is not nearly the same in the preseason as it is during the regular season so giving the host the typical three-point edge based on venue is overaggressive. Over the last few seasons, preseason home teams are just 65-62 SU and 55-70-2 ATS so any line that hits a field goal gives the value to the road team. This cannot be bet blindly however as we must look at advantages and they are in place for the road team here, namely quarterback rotations. This is one of the most important things to look at in preseason games and the fact that coaches disclose their playing time for the quarterbacks can give us a big edge. The quarterback situation is dicey for the Panthers. Cam Newton's throwing shoulder has been sore enough to keep him out of passing drills for a week, so it is highly unlikely he will be spending any time on the field in this game. That means the starting job falls to Derek Anderson, who struggled mightily in 2016 and does not look much better now. According to several accounts at training camp, Anderson has not been sharp and looks out of rhythm with his receivers. Joe Webb and Garrett Gilbert may have a golden opportunity to earn some significant playing time. For Houston, Tom Salvage will be pushed by rookie Deshaun Watson while veteran Brandon Weeden in the third stringer and this rotation is built for better success early in the preseason. Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said that all able-bodied Texans will suit up and play against the Panthers. "Everybody that's able to play in the game, will play in the game," O'Brien said which means all starters will see at least some action. 10* (251) Houston Texans

The Hall of Fame Game is typically a very low scoring game as in this stage of the preseason, the defenses are a step ahead of the offense. Seven of the last nine Hall of Fame games have stayed under the total, including four of the last five and while those past outcomes do not predict future results, it does show how defenses are more in sync early in the preseason. Going back to 1984, only seven of the 31 HOF games have eclipsed 40 points and a lot of that is due to fluke plays. This includes an interception return for a touchdown taking place in each of the last five games that have gone over 40 points so simply avoiding that gives us a great opportunity to cash in a low scoring game. The 31 games have seen an average of just over 31 ppg and 14 of the 31 have seem totals of 27 of less points scored including two years ago when Pittsburgh and Minnesota tallied just 17 points combined. Last year, the Hall of Fame game was canceled because of poor field conditions and that problem has been fixed going into this season. According to the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players association, teams can't hold training-camp practices more than two weeks before their first preseason game so preparation has been limited on both sides. That affects the offenses more than the defenses and we will once again see the defenses have the advantage. 10* Under (241) Dallas Cowboys/(242) Arizona Cardinals

Oakland will be out to end the preseason on a positive at home after suffering a loss last week against Tennessee at home and closing with a victory against Seattle would be big. The Raiders and Seahawks matchup has become a traditional end to the preseason for both teams and the Raiders will be out to avenge a loss in Seattle last season. The Seahawks closed out their home schedule with a win over Dallas last week and are catching the Raiders at a bad time. Seahawks rookie running back C.J. Prosise made his preseason debut last week after missing the first two games with a hamstring injury, but saw limited playing time both because he was working his way back after a long layoff, and also because Christine Michael saw much of the playing time with the starters playing into the third quarter. This week, however, Prosise will play quite a bit Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said which means a vanilla attack is on the way. Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio hasn't revealed the quarterback rotation for Oakland's preseason finale but Matt McGloin is expected to start while Connor Cook, a fourth-round draft pick this year, is expected to come off the bench late in the first half and play the remainder of the game. The two quarterbacks understand the significance of what playing well could mean in the big picture. Here, we play against road teams, slow starting offensive team that has averaged seven or fewer ppg in the first half. This situation is 64-32 ATS (66.7 percent) since 1993. 10* (132) Oakland Raiders

Dallas suffered a big loss last week when Tony Romo went down and is out for a good portion of the regular season. The Cowboys have been fortunate that a replacement has emerged as Dak Prescott will be the starter until further notice after coming out of nowhere but they are not taking any chances tonight. While getting him more live game reps would be big for the rookie, the risk of injury is too great so he will not be starting tonight nor will any other Dallas starter. Jameill Showers will play the entire game at quarterback to try and make the roster again this season. On the other side, the Texans will not be taking any chances with starters either but there is one position that they have a big edge with and that is at quarterback. Tom Savage will start tonight before giving way to Brandon Weeden. Savage has been sharp in relief of starter Brock Osweiler as he has completed 25 of 47 passes for 318 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 95.9 passer rating. He has not been lucky as his preseason has been highlighted by more decisiveness, faster reactions and a deeper understanding of the offense. Weeden has seen limited action but he will be highly motived to face the team that released him last season despite him filling in pretty solidly. Houston falls into a great situation where we play on teams where the line is +3 to -3 coming off a home win, with a winning record in the preseason playing a losing team. This situation is 21-5 ATS (80.8 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (121) Houston Texans

Cleveland is pulling off a rarity in the final week of the preseason. After a poor outing in their third preseason game, Browns head coach Hue Jackson decided his starters needed more work to get ready for the Eagles in the regular season opener. So, instead of sitting out the fourth preseason game as would normally be the case, Browns starters get another dress rehearsal. How long the starters will play has not been determined but any time is a true advantage which is a reason the line has spiked an additional two points.On the other side, Bears head coach John Fox has a track record to sit anyone of importance in the preseason finale, so with that in mind, the Bears likely turn their attention to the back end of the roster, where competition is fierce for some the final spots at tight end and wide receiver. Both teams come in at 0-3 and the one team that would like the win more is Cleveland especially with the first year head coach angle of trying to grab a victory in the final preseason game to get some positive momentum heading into the regular season. The Browns will face a very poor Bears defense that will be comprised of backups of backups and that is not a good sign from what we have seen. Cleveland has a situation on its side based on this as we play against road underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points with a defense that is allowing 5.4 or more yppl. This situation is 28-9 ATS (75.7 percent) since 1993. 10* (124) Cleveland Browns

This is a play on ARIZONA for our August NFLX Game of the Month. We got burned with Arizona last week as the thinking was that it would be pretty fired up to bounce back from a blowout loss against Oakland. Instead, the Cardinals came out lethargic and let San Diego dictate the game. The offense barely eclipsed 200 total yards while the defense got torched through the air, allowing 239 yards passing and Philip Rivers did not even play. Head coach Bruce Arians talked about how “pissed” he was about the performance and the heat will be on to turn it up this week. The heat coming from general manager Steve Keim who said we need to pick up our level of urgency and there is no doubt even though we internally feel like we have a very good football team, we cannot just go out there when the season starts and turn the switch on. Houston is off to a 2-0 start but it is a misleading 2-0 start as the Texans were outgained by 144 yards against the 49ers and outgained New Orleans by just 15 yards last week. Arizona falls into a superb situation that we won with last week with the Bears. We play on any NFL preseason away underdog of four points or less, that are coming off a straight up favorite loss by 10-points or more, going up against an opponent coming off a SU and ATS win. This situation is 25-5 ATS (83.3%) since 1980. Additionally, we play on any road team getting no more than two points or is the favorite that is off to a 0-2 start in the preseason. This situation is 22-5 ATS (81 percent) since 1983. On the other side, we play against home teams after a game where they forced three or more turnovers. This situation is 31-10 ATS (75.6 percent) over the last five seasons. While the preseason may not matter for some, Arizona will be taking this game pretty seriously. 10* (279) Arizona Cardinals

This is a play on DETROIT for our Saturday Enforcer. After an extremely disappointing season a year ago that was compounded with the loss of quarterback Joe Flacco to injury, the Ravens needed to come out strong and gain some momentum and confidence to get over that nightmare. They have done just that with a pair of wins to open the preseason but they have come by a combined four points and the last one, a one-point win over Indianapolis, they were actually outgained by 75 total yards. Now Baltimore comes in favored for the first time this preseason but it is a tougher than expected spot to be in. The Lions lost at home against Cincinnati last week to fall to 1-1 in the preseason but they have been one of the better teams through the first couple weeks. Despite the loss last week, they outgained the Bengals by 58 total yards and their total yardage differential of 250 yards through the first two games is fourth best in the NFL. The loss of Calvin Johnson to retirement cannot be replaced but Marvin Jones has looked great as he leads the team with 16.2 ypr. The starters are expected to play the entire first half which gives them a great opportunity to show off the new high-tempo offense. The basic idea of the up-tempo offense is that it tires the defense and limits its substitutions and ability to call plays to counter the offense. Detroit falls into a phenomenal situation that we won with last week with the Bears. We play on any NFL preseason away underdog of four points or less, that are coming off a straight up favorite loss by 10-points or more, going up against an opponent coming off a SU and ATS win. This situation is 25-5 ATS (83.3%) since 1980. 10* (267) Detroit Lions

This is a play on NEW ENGLAND for our Friday Ultimate Underdog. There are many situational angles to bet in the NFL preseason and one of those may not seem logical but in fact it is. The Patriots are coming off a win over Chicago last week which followed a victory over New Orleans in their first game, both coming at home. Many will think that will lead to a letdown but it is just the opposite and now coming into the third game, the starters will see extended time and will be out to keep that momentum going. It does not hurt that the opponent is a top team in the league. The Panthers rolled to a 10-point win at Tennessee last week following an opening loss in Baltimore. While this is the first home game since the NFC Championship victory last season, Carolina does not have a significant edge because of venue even though that is what the line may be telling us. The situational angle mentioned earlier is where we play on Road underdogs or pickems in non-conference games that are coming off two consecutive home wins. This situation is 25-8 ATS (75.8 percent) since 1993. Additionally, we play on any NFL preseason away underdog that is coming off two consecutive wins going up an opponent coming off a double-digit win. This situation is 24-7 ATS (77.4%) since 1994. Carolina meanwhile has a negative situation as we play against home teams after a game with a turnover margin of +3 or better. This situation is 31-9 ATS (77.5 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (255) New England Patriots

This is a play on SEATTLE for our Thursday Enforcer. Seattle is off a rare preseason loss as it has typically been one of the top teams this time of year but we can expect the Seahawks to bounce back here. They are coming off an 18-11 loss against Minnesota despite outgaining the Vikings by 69 total yards and with this being Game Three, we can expect a full out effort from the regulars as long as they are in the game which should be an extended amount. Under head coach Pete Carroll, the Seahawks are 12-1 ATS going up against an opponent that is coming off a win by three or more points. Dallas is coming off a 41-14 blowout win over Miami behind another huge game from rookie quarterback Dak Prescott. He has turned heads all over the league as he has gone 22-27 for 338 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for a pair of touchdowns as well. It is unlikely we will see another effort like after he comes in for Tony Romo who played sparingly last week after missing the preseason opener. Dall will not be taking many chances with Romo this week either. The Cowboys will be without two key players as wide receiver Dez Bryant and defensive end Tyrone Crawford will not play against the Seahawks due to both suffering concussions earlier this week. Seattle falls into a great situation as we play against teams after scoring 30 points or more last game going up against an opponent after scoring three points or less in the first half last game. This situation is 36-14 ATS (72 percent) since 1993. 10* (254) Seattle Seahawks

The Saints lost their preseason opener at New England last week by 12 points but it was a skewed final score. New Orleans won the yardage battle by seven total yards and the difference in the game was two defensive touchdowns by the Patriots. Conversely, Houston rolled in its opener over San Francisco by 11 points but that to was a skewed final score. The Texans were outgained by 144 total yards as they were gashed by the 49ers ground game, allowing 236 yards on 34 carries (6.9 ypc). While they should shore that up tonight, Houston is not overly concerned as injuries have taken their toll and right now is more worried about the offense as it managed just 265 yards of total offense. Tonight, three of five starting offensive linemen will be out and overall, just two starters from last season are in the starting lineup so the struggles could continue. New Orleans fall into a great contrarian turnover situation where we play on road teams where the line is +3 to -3 after a game where they forced one or fewer turnovers going up against an opponent after a game with a turnover margin of +2 or better. This situation is 27-8 ATS (77.1 percent) over the last 10 seasons. Additionally, New Orleans is 15-5 ATS in its last 20 road games after one or more consecutive losses against the spread while going 12-4 ATS as a road underdog under head coach Sean Payton. 10* (427) New Orleans Saints

Arizona and San Diego opened their preseason with blowout losses and the Cardinals are the team in better shape to recover. Arizona lost 31-10 to the Raiders but it was a very misleading final as it actually outgained Oakland by 61 total yards but turnovers were the difference. Late in the second half, Arizona punt returner J.J. Nelson fumbled at the 19-yard line and the Raiders scored on the next play. On the next possession, the Cardinals were intercepted on their first play which led to another short touchdown one minute later. San Diego lost 27-10 to Tennessee and that blowout loss matched the boxscore as the Chargers allowed 288 yards rushing in their loss to the Titans. The first string offense scored the lone touchdown of the game as the backups really struggled. Quarterbacks Kellen Clemens, Zach Mettenberger, and Mike Bercovici were all unproductive as they went a combined 13-29 while tossing a pair of picks. They will see the majority of the action once again and while they will face the backups from the Cardinals defense, Arizona has a lot of quality depth on defense. Under Bruce Arians, the Cardinals are 5-0-1 ATS on the road with the push coming two years ago in the meaningless final preseason game. Additionally, Arizona falls into a great situation as we play on underdogs or pickems that are coming off an upset loss as a home favorite going up against an opponent off a road loss. This situation is 27-9 ATS (75 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (417) Arizona Cardinals

Both Seattle and Minnesota opened the preseason with identical 17-16 victories. The Vikings hit the road for a second straight week but that is no issue in this matchup. With the win last week, Minnesota is now 9-1 straight up and 8-2 against the number under head coach Mike Zimmer so while Pete Carroll of the Seahawks is well documented as a coach that likes to win in the preseason, Zimmer is right there. The only loss came last season in Tennessee which happened to be the final game of the preseason where starters did not see any action. The Seahawks were fortunate to win last week as they trailed 16-9 with one last gasp but connected on a 37-yard hail mary and converted the two-point try to pull off the victory. Rookie quarterback Trevone Boykin looked extremely solid in his first game but we cannot expect a repeat performance of that. It was a running back by committee for Seattle last week as it looks for replacements for Marshawn Lynch. Thomas Rawls is the projected starter but he will not play in the preseason as he recovers from ankle surgery. The Vikings have some serious motivation here even though it is just the preseason. Minnesota suffered its worst loss of the season last year against the Seahawks 38-7 and then suffered that heartbreaking loss in the playoffs so even a preseason victory will be uplifting. While the overall preseason run for Minnesota has been outstanding, the Vikings have covered seven straight road games in the preseason and getting the hook on the field goal is excellent value. 10* (411) Minnesota Vikings

Chicago got shutout at home last week against Denver 22-0 which marked the first time that the Bears were shutout in the preseason since 1981. The offensive line really struggled as they allowed seven sacks while failing to get past the Broncos 40-yard line but the majority of those issues were from the reserves. The starters will see more time this week and they already have a solid head start. Like the Saints last week, the Bears have been at training camp for a week of joint-practices with the Patriots. While New England won last week over the Saints by 12 points, they were outgained by New Orleans by seven yards. The Patriots benefitted by two defensive touchdowns and it is those fluke plays that can lead to misleading final scores during the preseason. New England is the biggest favorite on the preseason board this week along with the Broncos which comes as no surprise as the public backs them even in the preseason as the Patriots are the top consensus of the week. The Bears fall into two solid situations. First, we play against home favorites after a win by 10 or more points going up against an opponent after scoring three points or less in the first half last game. This situation is 30-8 ATS (78.9 percent) since 1993. Second, we play on any NFL preseason away underdog of four points or less, that are coming off a straight up favorite loss by 10-points or more, going up against an opponent coming off a SU and ATS win. This situation is 24-5 ATS (82.8%) since 1980. 10* (407) Chicago Bears

This game has the highest pointspread of all games this week in the NFL but it is for good reason, where there us actually more than one. While preseason games are typically meaningless for the fans and teams for the most part, this is a huge game for the Rams. They are coming off another disappointing season where expectations were relatively high and have not had a winning season since 2003. This is the fifth season here for head coach Jeff Fisher and to say he is on the hot seat would be an understatement. The pressure is on to win and that starts in the preseason for this team as it needs to build confidence and some positive momentum going into the regular season where they open with back-to-back divisional games against San Francisco and Seattle. This will be one electric atmosphere as this is the first game in Los Angeles in 20 years and the Rams will be wearing throwback uniforms from the 60s not to mention this game being televised nationally on ESPN. Preseason NFL is the only sport where coaches actually expose their gameplans so getting the important information is vital. That is the case here for Dallas which is in a poor spot when it comes to the quarterback rotation. The Cowboys will be without starter Tony Romo and backup Kellen Moore and will be led by Dak Prescott and Jameill Showers, two players who have never taken an NFL snap. 10* (278) Los Angeles Rams

The first year head coach is always a great angle to play in the preseason if given the right circumstances. I am a fan of playing first year head coaches in their first games as those guys want to infuse a new winning attitude into the team as it is usually the case that the previous season was far from a good one. This season, there are seven new head coaches including Hue Jackson taking over in Cleveland. He is a perfect fit here and while it may take a while in rebuilding the Browns, he wants to instill a winning way right away. Cleveland caught a break in this game with Green Bay having its first preseason game canceled last Sunday as teams playing in their second game compared to a team playing in its first usually has the edge. The Packers have had an extra week of training camp because they were supposed to have five games but that does not necessarily give them an advantage as both teams are playing a real opponent for the first time. The quarterback rotations are an edge on the Browns side as their top three all have NFL experience while that is not the case on the other side. Aaron Rodgers won't play for Green Bay as a precaution while backup Brett Hundley won't play either due to an injury. That leaves Joe Callahan, a prolific-passing quarterback the Packers signed over the offseason who will get a bunch of time but has yet to take an NFL snap. Fellow rookie Marquise Williams will also get significant playing time. 10* (269) Cleveland Browns

Taking advantage of bad lines in the NFL regular season is obviously a good strategy but this can also be done during the NFL preseason. That is the case here as we are catching a smaller than anticipated line for the Bears which open their preseason with a home game against the defending Super Bowl Champions. Chicago has had a rough go of it the last couple years with a combined 11-21 record and losing double-digit games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1999 and 2000. This is an important season for John Fox and the winning needs to start in the preseason just like it did last year when Chicago went 3-1. Fox has the fourth most preseason wins of current head coaches and the Bears offense should show significant progress here as this is just the third time over the last eight seasons that there has not been a system change. As for Denver, the fact that it won the Super Bowl last season means nothing here let the line is telling us different. Additionally, this is a different team on offense with both quarterbacks no longer here so everyone will be thrown into the fire Thursday. Mark Sanchez is expected to play the first quarter, Trevor Siemian is expected to play the second quarter and Paxton Lynch is slated to play the second half. After dropping to a pickem, Chicago is the only Week 1 home team not favored. There is also the factor of revenge for Fox as he faces his former employer for a second time following a two-point loss here during the regular season. 10* (262) Chicago Bears

Low scoring games are frequent in the NFL preseason for obvious reasons as defenses tend to be playing far ahead of the offenses and we will take advantage of that here in what is the highest total of the Week One schedule. While teams typically have no clue what they will have coming at them in the first preseason game, the Saints and Patriots will be more familiar than most after practicing together this week, the fourth time in six years they have done so in the preseason. After back-to-back 7-9 seasons, Saints head coach Sean Payton promised players it would be a more demanding camp, and he has delivered with longer sessions and several full-contact drills. That helps the defense get more prepared and after a dreadful season last year from that unit, it has taken a lot of the early emphasis in training camp. The defense continues to show improvement and going against the Patriots only seemed to back what had been seen at the beginning of training camp. Offensively, Drew Brees will play just one series or so and one thing to expect is the Saints to try to establish the run in the game, running back Mark Ingram said. On the other side, we will not be seeing much of Jimmy Garoppolo or Tom Brady as a vanilla offense is expected from New England. These teams met in the preseason last year and it was a high scoring game but it was not on opening week which is a big difference. Garoppolo had a big game against the Saints but with him starting the first four games this season, his action will be very limited. 10* Under (259) New Orleans Saints/(260) New England Patriots

The natives could be getting restless in New Orleans. After losing five straight home games to end the regular season last year, the Saints blew a 21-0 lead against New England last week and ended up losing by two points on a Patriots field goal with 14 seconds remaining. Head coach Sean Payton said he was happy with the effort as the Saints came out strong as opposed to the first game against Baltimore where they came out very flat. Still, with this being the last home game of the preseason, they want to win and snap this streak before the regular season begins. Additionally, the third game is most important and Payton does take it serious as his teams are 7-1 straight up and against the number in the dress rehearsal week. After defeating San Francisco in Week One, Houston lost at home against Denver last week and hits the road for the first time here. That is a big edge for New Orleans as is the fact head coach Bill O'Brien has already named Brian Hoyer as the starting quarteback over Ryan Mallett. That is big since we won't see either one going all out and we can expect to see some more action from Tom Savage. This is a big game for the city itself as it takes place one day after the 10 years anniversary of Hurricane Katina and if ever there is a time to win for the city, this is it. New Orleans is now 11-2 ATS in its last 13 preseason games against teams coming off a loss and we can expect that run to continue here. 10* (280) New Orleans Saints

The Colts are off to a 0-2 start to the preseason which may not mean much for some teams but this is getting old for Indianapolis. It has now lost seven straight preseason games and while the records do not carry over into the regular season, what has happened this year is troubling. Both losses have been blowouts while the Colts have been outgained by a combined 189 total yards. With next week being the final game of the preseason, starters will not play so this is the final shot to turn things around heading into the regular season and the opening road game against the Bills. The talent of this team will show through here. Not only are the Colts' most talented positions involved heavily in the passing game (quarterback, wide receiver and tight end), but the team also has incredible depth at those pass-catching positions, especially versatile depth which is important in the preseason. St. Louis is also off to a 0-2 start but it has been playing better, getting outgained by just eight combined yards. Even though the Rams are 0-2 and are playing their first home game, it is a situation that heavily favors the Colts. First, we play on underdogs or pickems coming off a loss by 10 points or more as a favorite, winless in the preseason. This situation is 34-13 ATS (72.3 percent) since 1993. Additionally, we play on any road team that is 0-2 where the line is between +/-2 where the team lost at home by scoring 17 or fewer points. This situation is a perfect 11-0 ATS since 1983. 10* (273) Indianapolis Colts

We won with Tampa Bay on Monday as it defeated Cincinnati rather handily and snapped an 11-game losing streak at home so that goal has now been attained. We are now going against the Buccaneers this week as the situation this time around is much tougher. First off, Tampa Bay is playing on a short week following the Monday night game while Cleveland is will have four extra days of preparation time and rest which is a massive advantage. The Browns blew a late lead against Buffalo last Thursday to fall to 0-2 in the preseason and going back to last season, they have dropped seven consecutive games so even though we are still in the preseason, a win is needed for Cleveland. The Browns will be plenty motivated here mostly due to quarterback Josh McCown facing his former team where he played 11 games a season ago. Following Thursday's game, Browns coach Mike Pettine reiterated that McCown, who threw interceptions on Cleveland's first two drives, was firmly the No. 1 so there won't be any pressure here although he does need to play better. Cleveland falls into a couple great situations. First, we play on road teams after allowing 14 points or less last game going up against an opponent after leading in their previous game by 14 or more points at the half. This situation is 24-6 ATS (80 percent) since 1993. Second, we play against favorites after a win by 14 or more points going up against an opponent after scoring three points or less in the first half last game. This situation is 22-4 ATS (84.6 percent) since 1993. 10* (265) Cleveland Browns

Carolina has opened the preseason with a pair of one-point victories over Buffalo in Week One and Miami in Week Two. While that may seem to make this a good spot to go against the Panthers, it is the opposite effect based on who they are playing. With the defending Super Bowl champions coming to town, this is a big game for the players and fans, preseason or not. In addition, Carolina went to New England last preseason in this same dress rehearsal week and were pounded by the Patriots 30-7. But in fact, it really was a different scenario as head coach Ron Rivera gave his starters their most extensive playing time of the preseason against the Chiefs in the prior week in which the Panthers ended up winning. So now Carolina will be using their starters more this week and playing with revenge where they are 4-1 ATS at home under Rivera. The Patriots shook off a loss against the Packers opening week with a victory against the Saints last week as they overcame a 21-0 deficit to pull out the 26-24 win. That is good enough for them as the team played well and now it is time to just remain healthy. On the other side, Carolina's first team offense has scored just seven points in seven possessions so it will be out to improve upon that. Quarterback Cam Newton and the first string offense will play at least the first half and possibly go into the second half after making halftime adjustments. 10* (252) Carolina Panthers

The Buccaneers dropped their preseason opener at Minnesota 26-16 but it was definitely a tough spot. They started a rookie quarterback in his first ever start and at the same time, they faced a Vikings team that had already played the previous week in the Hall of Fame game. Jameis Winston completed nine of his 19 pass attempts for 131 yards and an interception and while he struggled early, he settled into a rhythm and made a few impressive plays, including capping off a successful two-minute drill with an eight-yard touchdown run. Coach Lovie Smith plans to play his starters at least a quarter, although Winston may wind up going a little longer after playing a full half last week. Cincinnati won at home against the Giants, outgaining New York by 208 total yards but heading on the road now puts them in a tough position in a game that is big for the home team. We often talk about teams trying to bring in a winning attitude during the preseason and Tampa Bay is one of those teams that wants and needs to win at home. The Buccaneers have dropped 11 straight games at home including preseason while Smith is 0-10 at home since coming here. That is all the motivation we need right there. 10* (432) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Steelers are off to a 0-2 start in the preseason after losing to Minnesota in the Hall of Fame game and then on the road in Jacksonville last week. This marks the first home game for Pittsburgh and being winless, we can expect an all out effort for players and coaches to get into the win column. The Packers took care of New England last week and while quarterback Aaron Rodgers played a full quarter, don't expect much more this week as starting left tackle David Bakhtiari is all but officially scratched from the game, and, historically, once the blindside protector leaves the field, so does Green Bay's starting quarterback. We will see more from Ben Roethlisberger who has thrown just three passes but the best news is after that, veteran Brad Gradkowski will see time he took the most snaps of any signal caller on Thursday and the most he's had all camp, after spending much of it on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. Under head coach Mike Tomlin, the Steelers are a perfect 3-0 in their first home game of the preseason if they are coming off a road loss prior to that. That remains perfect after this week. 10* (426) Pittsburgh Steelers

This is a great scheduling spot for the Ravens and we are getting a great number on top of that. The Eagles are coming off a big win over Indianapolis on Sunday night as they defeated the Colts 36-10 but now they are working on a very short week of preparation which makes the quick turnaround a big disadvantage. Baltimore meanwhile is coming off a win over New Orleans last Thursday and the extra time off here definitely benefits them in this case. The Ravens came into town early for three joint practices starting Wednesday and that gives them a shot at working against the fast paced Eagles offense prior to the game Saturday. The starters will be challenged, and the depth of this team will be tested as well. That is exactly what you want in these preseason games. The Ravens starters figure to play the entire first quarter on Saturday and were sharp in their first action against the Saints. Many outlets have the Ravens as a 3.5-point underdog which is always a big number advantage but as head coach John Harbaugh has proven in the past, the points may not be needed as Baltimore has gone 9-4 ATS in 13 games as an underdog while winning 10 of those games outright. 10* (411) Baltimore Ravens

Seattle is coming off a rare loss last week and we say rare because head coach Pete Carroll tries to win every time out even when the games are considering meaningless. Even though the loss was by just two points, the Seahawks were outgained by 135 yards at home, certainly not the way they wanted to open the season after last year's Super Bowl disaster. Carroll takes opponent pretty serious as well as he is an incredible 13-1 ATS in his last 14 games against an opponent coming off a win and that is far from a coincidence. After a loss last season against Denver in the preseason opener, Seattle ripped San Diego in Week Two. Kansas City defeated Arizona last week 34-19 which was a surprising win as the Chiefs are typically a go against teams in the preseason whether it be with former coaches Todd Haley and Romeo Crennel or current head coach Andy Reid. He didn't care much about the preseason while with the Eagles and that is the case here as well. Going back, the Chiefs are a putrid 0-12 ATS in their second preseason game and while this is the first home game, Seattle will put more importance on it to win. 10* (407) Seattle Seahawks

Detroit is coming off a dominating performance in its preseason opener against the Jets as it outgained New York by 305 total yards thanks to a defense that allowed just 123 total yards while the offense was efficient and balanced with 428 total yards. That makes the Lions a prime target to go against on Thursday especially in its first road game of the preseason. The Lions have failed to cover five of their last six road game. Washington is also coming off a solid performance in its preseason opener where it defeated Cleveland by just a field goal but outgained the Browns by 198 yards. The Redskins now head home looking for winning attitude as the last time they played at FedEx Field, they were trounced by the Cowboys 44-17 in last year's season finale. Washington went just 4-12 a season ago but the preseason success has been prevalent even going back to the Mike Shanahan days as the Redskins have won and covered six straight preseason home openers. While that may seem meaningless to some, a team like the Redskins that has struggled for a while now, it is important to win even the games that do not count going forward. 10* (402) Washington Redskins

We won with the Vikings/Steelers under in the Hall of Fame Game but we will go the opposite way this week based on that low scoring game and the bounce angle. Offense was hard to come by last Sunday night with just 17 total points scored but I like the chances of the Minnesota offense to show more life this week with that one game under its belt. The starters are expected to play more and they will be able take advantage of a weak Tampa Bay secondary. The Buccaneers are playing their first preseason game and are in a similar situation as both Pittsburgh and Minnesota last week but that offense has steadily been improving since camp opened. Jameis Winston has already shown improvement in practice, throwing 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions over a two-day period. Facing a real defense for the first time may show signs of growing pains but he has lack of confidence. We saw a similar scenario last season where Minnesota went under in its first game of the preseason against Oakland and the following week flew over the total against Arizona with 58 total points being scored. This is a very common trend in the preseason for many teams. Many will point to the fact that Tampa Bay went 4-0 to the under during the preseason last year but that is meaningless here and if anything, helps with the contrarian value. Fluke plays such as interception or fumble returns for touchdowns are prevalent during the preseason and all it can take is one of those to push a game over although that may not be needed here. 10* Over (275) Tampa Bay Buccaneers/(276) Minnesota Vikings

The first year head coach is always a great angle to play in the preseason if given the right circumstances. I am a fan of playing first year head coaches in their first games as those guys want to infuse a new winning attitude into the team as it is usually the case that the previous season was far from a good one. Many are expecting Oakland to be one of the most improved teams in the NFL as new head coach Jack Del Rio brings with him a winning attitude and the desire to succeed. The Raiders upgraded their talent so now it is up to them to start winning. They ended the season 3-3 following a 0-10 start so winning early is big and in this case, that includes the preseason. Camp has gone exceptionally well thus far and the goal is to keep that going into the first game. The Rams are also expected to be a better team this season or at least are projected to by some. St. Louis went 6-10 last season and remains in one of the toughest divisions in football so it won't be easy. Getting quarterback Nick Foles from the Eagles was the big move and keeping him healthy is a must as he is injury prone just like his predecessor Sam Bradford. He is expected to play just one series according to reports and like Oakland, there will be no gameplanning. Head coach Jeff Fisher, long known as a preseason coach that likes to win, is 0-3 in his three preseason openers since coming to St. Louis. 10* (272) Oakland Raiders

The first year head coach is always a great angle to play in the preseason if given the right circumstances. I am a fan of playing first year head coaches in their first games as those guys want to infuse a new winning attitude into the team as it is usually the case that the previous season was far from a good one. In Buffalo's case, it has been much longer as the last postseason appearance was in 1999 and the Music City Miracle. The surprising departure of Doug Marrone led to the hiring of a high profile coach in Rex Ryan and expectations are high. There is talent all over the place and they are thinking postseason so getting off to a big start in front of the home crowd is huge. Another big factor in favoring Buffalo is because of the three-way battle at quarterback between Matt Cassel, Tyrod Taylor and EJ Manual. Because of this, you will see full effort from each and the playbook gets opened up a little bit more than normal. Despite a 7-8-1 record last year, Carolina won the NFC South for the second straight season and while it certainly has to improve, there is not a whole lot of motivation for winning now as the health of the team come September is most important. Most notably quarterback Cam Newton. The defense that has ranked in the top 10 the past three years has been way ahead of the offense so far and pass protection has been the biggest issue thus far. 10* (266) Buffalo Bills

The first year head coach is always a great angle to play in the preseason if given the right circumstances. I am a fan of playing first year head coaches in their first games as those guys want to infuse a new winning attitude into the team as it is usually the case that the previous season was far from a good one. The Marc Trestman experiment in Chicago did not work as he was let go after two seasons following a 13-19 record and not being able to advance the Bears into the postseason. John Fox takes over on the sidelines after mutually parting ways with Denver despite being only the second head coach in the history of the NFL to win four straight division titles since joining a new team. His goal is to improve the horrible defense in Chicago and try to light a spark under quarterback Jay Cutler. With this game taking place at home, he would like nothing more than to win for the fans. He told ESPN 1000 the starters will play approximately one quarter against Miami, but left open the possibility of the first-team working into the second quarter. The Dolphins have playoff expectations this season after consecutive 8-8 records the last two years. They have more vested in quarterback Ryan Tannehill so keeping him healthy for the regular season is the main concern. Typically home teams are favored by around three points the first week and the fact we are getting Chicago at a pickem is an added bonus. 10* (260) Chicago Bears

The Hall of Fame Game is typically a very low scoring game as in this stage of the preseason, the defenses are a step ahead of the offense. Six of the last eight Hall of Fame games have stayed under the total, including three of the last four and while those past outcomes do not predict future results, it does show how defenses are more in sync early in the preseason. Going back to 1984, only seven of the 30 HOF games have eclipsed 40 points and a lot of that is due to fluke plays. This includes an inception return for a touchdown taking place in each of the last five games that have gone over 40 points so simply avoiding that gives us a great opportunity to cash in a low scoring game. The 30 games have seen an average of just over 32 ppg and 13 of the 30 have seem totals of 27 of less points scored. The big news out of Pittsburgh is how potent the offense is expected to be this season but don't expect to see that from the Steelers here as a vanilla offense will be on the field for the majority of this game. The same can be expected from Minnesota and there has not been a lot of prep time for either team as according to the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players association, teams can't hold training-camp practices more than two weeks before their first preseason game. It may be boring to watch but the NFL is here and we should see yet another very low scoring game right out of the gates. 10* Under (241) Pittsburgh Steelers/(242) Minnesota Vikings

We waited until late in the week to release the final week of the preseason to try and get as much information as possible as to what a lot of the decisions are going to be in these normally meaningless games to end the exhibition year. There are a lot of factors that go into these final games and motivation is at the top of the list. This comes down to the coaching philosophy and how they want to handle the playing time of the regulars as well as the importance of a win heading into the regular season. Arizona travels to San Diego for the final preseason game of the year for both sides and it is a very interesting dynamic in play because these two teams open the regular season playing each other on Monday night. Which team will be out to win more? It really doesn't even matter here as the big plan for both sides is to keep this game as vanilla as possible and not give up too much away on offense to give the other team an edge heading into Week One. That is the biggest factor in this play. The Cardinals' starters won't play Thursday at San Diego head coach Bruce Arians said. Also, he announced on Monday that fourth-round draft choice Logan Thomas would start and play the entire game against San Diego. "You stay generic," Arians said. "We'll keep it as simple as possible." On the other side, the same holds true as the Chargers starters are unlikely to see action either. All of this adds up to a low scoring game. 10* Under (131) Arizona Cardinals/(132) San Diego Chargers

We waited until late in the week to release the final week of the preseason to try and get as much information as possible as to what a lot of the decisions are going to be in these normally meaningless games to end the exhibition year. There are a lot of factors that go into these final games and motivation is at the top of the list. This comes down to the coaching philosophy and how they want to handle the playing time of the regulars as well as the importance of a win heading into the regular season. The Jets are coming off a loss to the Giants last week after opening the preseason 2-0 so we will see some motivation to get back into the win column before the regular season. Rex Ryan does not play his starters in the final preseason game and that won't change here. That is fine as according to Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, the Eagles' starters will not play in team's final preseason game either. Kelly also announced that a few key backup players will be sitting out as well. Those players veteran include running back Darren Sproles and backup quarterback Mark Sanchez. Second year quarterback Matt Barkley gets the start against New York. The Jets have two great preseason situations on their side. First, we play against any team with a winning percentage between .250 and .400 after one or more consecutive straight up wins, playing a team with a winning record. This situation is 26-6 ATS (81.2 percent) since 1993. Second, we play on any NFL preseason road underdog of 3.5 points or less, coming off a loss by 10 points or more as a favorite, playing an opponent coming off a straight up and ATS win. This situation is 23-4 ATS (85.2 percent) since 1980. 10* (109) New York Jets

We waited until late in the week to release the final week of the preseason to try and get as much information as possible as to what a lot of the decisions are going to be in these normally meaningless games to end the exhibition year. There are a lot of factors that go into these final games and motivation is at the top of the list. This comes down to the coaching philosophy and how they want to handle the playing time of the regulars as well as the importance of a win heading into the regular season. This will be the fifth straight season that the two teams meet in the fourth and final preseason game with the teams splitting the first four meetings. Since the start of the offseason program in April, Matt Flynn and Scott Tolzien have been competing for the top backup job and that will continue into this game. Even though they are veterans and many will think they have an edge based on experience, the fourth preseason game presents its challenges for experienced quarterbacks like these two because they'll be trying to direct an offense filled with players trying to make one final impression for an NFL job. For the Chiefs, quarterback Chase Daniel will start against Green Bay followed by Aaron Murray and Tyler Bray. Not exactly prime options but all have looked good in the preseason and all three of them have quarterback passer rating higher than starter Alex Smith. The Chiefs have two great preseason situations on their side. First, we play on underdogs or pickems with a losing record coming off an upset loss as a home favorite. This situation is 49-20 ATS (71 percent) over the last 10 seasons including a perfect 3-0 ATS this preseason. Second, we play on any NFL preseason road underdog of 3.5 points or less, coming off a loss by 10 points or more as a favorite, playing an opponent coming off a straight up and ATS win. This situation is 23-4 ATS (85.2 percent) since 1980. 10* (111) Kansas City Chiefs

The Colts are coming off a devastating loss against the Giants and preseason or not, they need to recover from that prior to when the real games count. Indianapolis led New York 26-0 in the fourth quarter only to give up 27 unanswered points and lose by a point in front of the home crowd. It was pretty ironic considering the Colts won their last game at home thanks to a huge comeback against Kansas City in the playoffs last season. Indianapolis is now 0-2 and this is the final home game of the preseason and it comes at a good time when the starters will see extended playing time. Coach Chuck Pagano called the effort against the Giants unacceptable so we will no doubt see full effort on Saturday. "Losing is never okay," he said. "Preseason, regular season, unacceptable. We will never get used to that." The Saints are 2-0 despite losing the yardage battle in both games and while they will be one of the top teams in the league this season, catching them undefeated and playing on the road is a great spot to go against them. After Sean Payton's interview following indoor practices on Monday, it sounds like Drew Brees is going to return to action and play in Saturday's matchup but the question remains how long he will play. The fact that Brees is expected to play on Saturday is actually good news for the Colts as it gives the defense an opportunity to face a top caliber quarterback. He has been out with an abdominal injury so we likely will not see him too much as to not risk further injury. Here, we play on teams where the line is +3 to -3 after one or more consecutive losses against the spread going up against an opponent after two or more consecutive wins against the spread. This situation is 29-10 ATS (74.4 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (272) Indianapolis Colts

After dropping its last three games last season, Tampa Bay has opened the Lovie Smith era with a pair of preseason losses and with this being the most important game during the exhibition season, look for the Buccaneers to come out and get a much needed win to boost the confidence. Tampa Bay has dropped both games by six points but it has shown signs of improvement, especially on the offensive side of the ball despite not showing up on the scoreboard. The starters are expected to play into the second half in Buffalo. The Bills are playing their fourth game after a 1-2 start and this is the first home game for them this preseason so that will certainly be a big boost. All of their games have been close but the offense is still a major concern as the first team has yet to find the endzone. Like Tampa Bay, the starters will likely play into the second half but unlike Tampa Bay, the need to win is not there as right now it is more about tightening things up. More yards have been gained by the first-team offense each week, but if a touchdown isn't scored this week, many will wonder how much, if any progress, the unit has made this offseason. Tampa Bay also falls into a great preseason situation where we play on underdogs or pickems that are coming off an upset loss as a home favorite, with a losing record. This situation is 46-20 ATS (69.7 percent) over the last 10 seasons. Additionally, Tampa Bay is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games after two or more consecutive ATS losses while Buffalo is 4-13 ATS in its last 17 home games after one or more consecutive ATS losses. 10* (263) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Some people are going to look at this game and see that Seattle is playing at home and coming off a convincing 41-14 win over San Diego and instantly take the Seahawks. We know that Seattle is the defending Super Bowl Champions and at home, it is nearly unbeatable but we cannot forget this is the preseason. This is the week that teams will play their starters more than any other week but in the Seahawks case, there is not much to play for here as they are in excellent shape heading into the regular season so their goal is to find some rhythm for a while and then just stay healthy. The Seahawks are 11-1 ATS in their last 12 preseason games and that too is adding to the value as there is no way a quality team should be getting a touchdown or more in a preseason game. The Bears are 2-0 and while both wins came at home, that actually helps us here. Chicago is coming off a disappointing season with an 8-8 record and missed the playoffs for a third straight season. Going 3-5 on the road last season did not help matters so this game presents a great opportunity to rise to the occasion before the actual regular season starts and they will use this one as just that. During the regular season, this may not be a play based on the situation but we take advantage here. Additionally, we play against favorites of 3.5 to 10 points after one or more consecutive straight up wins going up against an opponent after two or more consecutive straight up wins. This situation is 26-7 ATS (78.8 percent) since 1993. 10* (261) Chicago Bears

I mentioned about the first year head coach being a great angle to play in the preseason if given the right circumstances. So far, we have cashed all three games using this angle (Redskins, Titans in Week One and Texans in week Two) and we look to cap off this week with another winner in this situation. Washington cashed for us last week with a win over the Patriots getting the Jay Gruden era off to a good start. The Browns opened the preseason with a loss against Detroit but the Lions were also debuting a new head coach in Jim Caldwell. While Browns head coach Mike Pettine opened his regime with a loss, I expect his team to bounce back with a victory tonight. Obviously the big story is the Cleveland quarterback situation with Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel competing for the starting job which will be announced after this game. But there is a lot more to it than that and the Browns should have a clear edge tonight based on what the coaches have said recently. Pettine said he wants his starters to play "in the neighborhood" of a half, yet Gruden plans to have his first-teamers on the field for only a quarter or so. The Redskins do have an advantage with three quarterbacks that have had starting experience but that is negated on the other side with the starting quarterback battle going on so the Browns will no doubt open things up more than Washington will. That gives Cleveland the advantage here and going back to last season, it has lost eight straight games so winning this game is more of a priority than it is for the Redskins. 10* (431) Cleveland Browns

According to reports this weekend, the Panthers will be using this game as their main dress rehearsal as opposed t next week. Head coach Ron Rivera plans to give his starters their most extensive playing time of the preseason against the Chiefs. That type of workload is typical of the third exhibition, but the short turnaround before the Aug. 22 exhibition at New England prompted Rivera to break from tradition. Quarterback Cam Newton may not go as far as the rest of the starters but he is slated to go at least one quarter and possibly more depending on how his ankle responds. "He'll play the first quarter, and we'll evaluate the whole situation and set of circumstances. If we're playing well, doing some good things, the offensive line is shoring up, we'll continue with him into the second," Rivera said. As for Kansas City, Andy Reid announced Alex Smith would play the entire first half Sunday night and either Chase Daniel, Tyler Bray or rookie Aaron Murray could open the second half. Dwayne Bowe will not play tonight because of an injury and while the offense looked sharp at times last week, the defense was a concern and will be again this week. With Carolina coming off a loss last week and using this one to actually gameplan, look for the Panthers to be the team that is more hungry for the victory. 10* (430) Carolina Panthers

Houston is coming off a loss in its first preseason game of the season and it wasn't pretty as the Texans were thumped in Arizona 32-0. The score was just as bad as the numbers show as Houston was outgained 407-172, the Cardinals offensive output being the second best of the week while the Texans offensive effort was the worst of the week. Last week, I mentioned about the first year head coach being a great angle to play in the preseason if given the right circumstances. Both of the games we played on came through last week and overall, new head coaches were 4-3 but two squared off against each other. So basically the two new head coaches that did not win when facing a returning coach were Lovie Smith of Tampa Bay and Bill O'Brien of the Texans. Heading back to Houston for the first home game, expect O'Brien to have his team ready. While teams want to get a winning attitude following a poor season, the Texans are at the front of the line as they have lost 15 straight games going back to last season after a 2-0 start and this includes seven straight losses at home. Winning back the home fans is essential even if it is preseason. The Falcons meanwhile opened its preseason with a 16-10 win over Miami. They outgained the Dolphins by 143 total yards so things went very well and there is not a lot of urgency going into this one following a solid effort. Houston also falls into a good situation where we play on preseason favorites after a game where they forced no turnovers. This situation is 27-9 ATS (75 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (424) Houston Texans

Detroit and Oakland are both coming off closely contested, low scoring games in their preseason openers. Because of the low scoring games, we will be looking at the over in this one with a lot of that based on what we didn't see last week. The Lions and Browns scored a total of 25 points while the Raiders and Vikings managed a mere 16 points so while praise may be given to all of those defenses, the offenses were far from what we are to expect. And we will see a difference this week. Oakland starting quarterback Matt Schaub played three series last week and did not look very good as he was 3-7 for 21 yards and led the team to only one first down. Of Schaub's four incomplete passes, three were dropped by his receivers, two that were drive killers. Having practiced one more week should have him and his receivers in better shape this week and he should see more reps as well with the word being of the first unit playing past the first quarter and maybe even longer. The Lions meanwhile put up only 13 points with the first team offense seeing very limited action. With a new coaching staff in place, Detroit has new offensive packages and while it may not have showed last week, word is that Matt Stafford has been great during camp, not tossing a single pick during meaningful team drills. Like Schaub, we will see more of Stafford this week. We are catching a good number in my opinion as it has not moved from last week's numbers much and Detroit has a great system on its side. We play the over involving road teams after scoring 14 points or less last game going up against an opponent after scoring nine points or less last game. This situation is 32-12 (72.7 percent) to the over since 1993. 10* Over (407) Detroit Lions/(408) Oakland Raiders

The first year head coach is always a great angle to play in the preseason if given the right circumstances. I am a fan of playing first year head coaches in their first games as those guys want to infuse a new winning attitude into the team as it is usually the case that the previous season was far from a good one. Tennessee hired Ken Whisenhunt as its new head coach, taking over for Mike Munchak who strung together back-to-back losing seasons and failed to make the playoffs in his three seasons. Whisenhunt brings in solid head coaching experience and he actually has a lot of talent to work with. Like with any team bringing in a new coach also means bringing a new winning attitude and we will see that on display. The Titans worked for approximately 90 minutes Saturday night as a partial tuneup for their preseason opener when they host the Packers. "It was good to be here," Whisenhunt said following practice. "There are always a lot of glitches that come up that you're unaware of. I think we will feel a lot better when we come in here next Saturday night, just as far as the routine goes." Green bay meanwhile is coming off a another NFC North title even though the season ended earlier than hoped, don't expect the Packers to get too crazy in the preseason. Losing Aaron Rodgers to a broken collarbone was devastating so don't expect to see much of him here. The Packers are not concerned with the victories and Green Bay has failed to cover its last four preseason openers so the sense of urgency for this team will not come until Week Three during the dress rehearsal for the starters. 10* (280) Tennessee Titans

The first year head coach is always a great angle to play in the preseason if given the right circumstances. I am a fan of playing first year head coaches in their first games as those guys want to infuse a new winning attitude into the team as it is usually the case that the previous season was far from a good one. After making the playoffs in 2012, last season was a disaster for Washington as it finished 3-13 including losses in eight straight games. This led to Mike Shanahan leaving and the Redskins hiring Jay Gruden as the new head coach and he is expected to instill the team with the confidence that it once had but lost last year. Confidence comes with winning and preseason or not, winning these games can boost the spirit of a team pretty quickly. As for the Patriots, they have in fact won their last five preseason openers but matchups have had a lot to do with that and in reality, they could care less about the preseason as their goal is to look at young talent for depth and most importantly, just staying healthy. These teams have met this week on the practice field as they held joint practices and that certainly was a big edge for Washington coming into a new season with all new different schemes so it gave it a chance to see where it stands. Gruden's hope is that three days of joint practice with the Patriots heading into the teams' preseason opener Thursday at FedEx Field will challenge his players anew. As he put it, working alongside and against the Patriots will give his players a chance to state their case for roster spots. 10* (254) Washington Redskins