Chiefs vs. Raiders Rematch 'Best Bet' Play

 The defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs have picked up where they left off with a straight-up 8-1 record through their first nine games. Patrick Mahomes is playing at a MVP level with the offense averaging 32 points a game. Kansas City has eclipsed that total in three of its last four games.

The lone loss of the season came against the AFC West rival Las Vegas Raiders. In a wild shootout in Kansas City on Oct. 11, the Raiders came away with the stunning 40-32 upset closing as 10 1/2-point road underdogs.

This Sunday night in Las Vegas, the Chiefs are favored by seven points with the total set at 57 points for the rematch. The general betting consensus leans towards Kansas City at 64 percent. It also leans towards the OVER at that exact same percentage.

I normally look for games to go against the public due to the added value in the betting lines. However, I think the Chiefs are out to avenge that first loss in a big way. They survived a close call last Sunday with a two-point win at home against Carolina as 10-point favorites. Prior to that game, Kansas City covered against the spread in lopsided victories against Buffalo, Denver and the New York Jets.

The Raiders are playing their best ball of the year with a 4-1 record both SU and ATS over their past five games. A win on Sunday would keep the AFC West title race interesting heading into the final six games of the season. This is another offense that knows how to put points on the board. Las Vegas has posted a combined 68 points in its last two outings.

From a trend standpoint, Kansas City is 10-5 ATS in its last 15 games against the Raiders and it has won five of the last six meetings SU. The total has stayed UNDER in seven of the last 10 matchups.

While I do have the Chiefs covering the touchdown on the road, my 'best bet' play is the OVER on the inflated 57-point total line.

 Each week of the NFL season, I release my Top 10 'best bets' for the popular sports betting site Scores & Stats. Here is the link to this Sunday's list: Dave's Top 10 NFL Picks for Week 11

Betting on a Battle for First in The NFC West

 Through the first five weeks of the NFL season, the Seattle Seahawks were able to establish themselves as the clear team to beat in the NFC West. They were also one of the top favorites to represent their conference in Super Bowl LV.

A loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 25 and last Sunday's slip-up on the road against the Buffalo Bills have raised more than a few question marks for the Seahawks heading into the second half. 

They are still solid -225 favorites to win the West. However, at 6-2 straight-up, a loss this Sunday on the road against the 5-3 Los Angeles Rams could lead to a three-way tie in the division standings. 

Arizona is also 5-3 heading into a Week 10 matchup against the Bills. The Cardinals are favored by 2 1/2 points at home.

The Seahawks are set as two-point road underdogs against the rival Rams. This will be the first meeting this season with the showdown in Seattle set for Week 16. Over the past 10 games in this divisional tilt, Los Angeles has won seven of those games SU with a slight 6-4 edge against the spread. It has a 2-1 record SU and ATS in the last three meetings.

The Rams have also lost two of their last three games (SU and ATS) with road setbacks against San Francisco and Miami wrapped around a win at home against the Chicago Bears. LA is a perfect 3-0 SU and ATS at home this season.

The current betting consensus is split 50/50 betting this matchup. I give the slight lean to Los Angeles at home. I also see the Cardinals getting past the Bills to set-up that three-way logjam in the NFC West standings.

My best bet for Sunday's game in LA is the UNDER on a 54 1/2-point total line. While the Oddsmakers are looking for a shootout, I have the final score coming lower than this inflated line. The total has stayed UNDER in the Rams' last five games and that trend gets extended to six once this game has gone final.

Each week of the NFL season, I release my Top 10 picks for the popular sports betting site Scores & Stats. For this week's pick go to: Dave's Top 10 Best Bet for NFL Week 10

Can No. 2 Notre Dame Avoid a Week 11 Letdown Against Boston College?

 The ACC's Clemson Tigers' run as the consensus top college football team in the nation came to an end with a recent loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The shake-up in the national polls dropped Clemson to No. 4 in the AP's Top 25 while the Irish filled the No. 2 spot behind the SEC's Alabama Crimson Tide as the new No. 1-ranked team.

Notre Dame closed as a 4 1/2-point home underdog in last Saturday's wild 47-40 victory. This Saturday, the Irish head on the road as 13 1/2-point favorites against the Boston College Eagles. The betting total for that game is currently set at 50 points. 

At 7-0 straight-up with a 3-4 record against the spread, this could be a good spot to go against Notre Dame covering. There is always a chance of a letdown coming off such a huge upset. Boston College has gone a respectable 5-3 both SU and ATS behind one its best teams in recent seasons.

Betting trends in this traditional Catholic college rivalry favor the Irish with a SU seven-game winning streak. The Eagles gain the slight edge ATS at 4-3. 

While I do believe that BC can keep this game closer than two touchdowns, I have focused much of my energy on the total line. It has stayed UNDER in eight of the last nine meetings but I am bucking those strong trends with a play on the OVER 50 points.

Notre Dame has crossed the 40-point mark in four of its last six games with the total going OVER each time. The Eagles scored 28 points against Clemson in a recent eight-point loss. They should be able to score more than enough points at home this Saturday to easily eclipse the current betting line.

Each week of the college football season I release my Top 10 plays for the popular sports betting site Scores & Stats. Here is the link for this Saturday's games: Dave's Top 10 NCAAF Best Bets.

NFL Week 9 "Best Bet" Pick- New Orleans at Tampa Bay

 As the NFL season hits the midway point, wins and losses become much more pronounced when it comes to the playoff race. It is obvious that both teams in New York are battling it out for the top pick in next year's draft but half of the league's 32 teams have a winning record heading into Sunday's games.

One game that stands out from all the rest is Sunday night's NFC South showdown between the 5-2 New Orleans Saints and the 6-2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Most of the pressure in this game is on Tampa Bay after losing its season opener to New Orleans in Week 1. The Buccaneers are favored by 4 1/2 poinst at home with the total line set at 50 1/2-points.

The current betting consensus is leaning slightly towards Tampa Bay at 55 percent. The lean on the total is trending towards the OVER at 64.5 percent.

In a matchup this close with so much on the line in the division title race, my lean is towards the Saints with the extra half point in their favor. With two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks under center, I would also lean towards the OVER on the total line. 

In the first matchup this season, New Orleans put up 34 points in the 11-point win. The Saints closed as four-point home favorites with a 48-point total.

Over the last five meetings between these two division rivals, New Orleans has won four of those games both straight-up and against the spread. The total has stayed UNDER in nine of the last 12 meetings in Tampa Bay.

Each week of the NFL season, I release my Top 10 picks for Scores & Stats as a top-rated sports betting site. Coming off a 7-3 record last week, my winning rate for the season is close to 60 percent.

You can get all of this week's picks at Dave's Top 10 NFL Picks

2020 Breeders' Cup Top Racing Picks

The 2020 Breeders' Cup offers 14 major graded stakes race over a two-day card. The total prize money for this year's event adds up to $31 million. 

The first five races at Keeneland Racecourse will be run on Friday afternoon. The final nine events fill Saturday's live card at Keeneland.

Going through the entry list for the top two events this year, I have come up with my Trifecta Play for Friday's $2 million BC Juvenile and Saturday's $6 million BC Classic.

Breeders' Cup Juvenile

There is a full field of 14 two-year old standouts in this year's race. However, this is still a two-way race between Jackie's Warrior as the 7/5 favorite and Reinvestment Risk as a 9/2 second-favorite. 

These two Kentucky-bred colts have already gone head-to-head twice this season. Jackie's Warrior went on to win the Hopeful Stakes and the Champagne Stakes with Reinvestment Risk taking second in each of these Grade 1 races. 

I still have Jackie's Warrior a step ahead in another one-two finish. You can add Classier to the trifecta pick as Bob Baffert's best entry in the field.

Jackie's Warrior

Reinvestment Risk

Classier

Breeders' Cup Classic

The one thing that stands out for this year's BC Classic is the depth of three-year old Thoroughbreds in the field. Belmont winner Tiz the Law is a 3/1 second-favorite to win and Kentucky Derby winner Authentic has 6/1 odds to win on the morning line.

My top two picks for the BC Classic are four-year old colts trained by Baffert. I give Maximum Security (7/2) the slight edge over the favorite Improbable at 5/2 odds on the morning line. I was tempted to bet the Baffert Sweep with Authentic as my Show pick. However, I like Global Campaign at longer 20/1 odds coming off a recent win in the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes.

Maximum Security

Improbable

Global Campaign

For my complete preview of these two Breeders' Cup races, I have included a link to Scores & Stats as the ultimate sports betting site for US players.

NFL Week 8 "Best Bet" Play

 A big part of the handicapping process for any NFL game involves an analysis of the matchup at hand. Defense vs. offense, special teams play and intangibles such as hot quarterbacks and turnovers all factor in.

You can also put some weight on recent betting trends. Past results cannot predict future ones but they can point the way to potential outcomes. Turning to the recent betting trends for a few of this Sunday's games, a few stand out from the rest.

The total line for the NFC North clash between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers is set at 50 points. The total as stayed UNDER in nine of the last 12 meetings.

The Los Angeles Chargers will be on the road against the Denver Broncos in a AFC West tilt. The total line for this game is 44 1/2 points and it has gone OVER in five of the last six meetings in Denver.

The Seattle Seahawks will host the NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers as 3 1/2-point favorites. The Seahawks have won 11 of the last 13 meetings straight-up. They are 8-1 SU in their last nine home games against the 49ers.

NFL Week 8 "Best Bet" Pick

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens (-4 1/2)   Total Line: 46 1/2 

This is easily the biggest matchup of the day. The Steelers head to M&T Bank Stadium with a perfect 6-0 record SU while going 5-1 against the spread. Baltimore is 5-1 SU and 3-2-1 ATS.

A few books have the Ravens favored by 3 1/2 points so the extra point in the Steelers' favor at 5Dimes and Intertops make Pittsburgh an attractive play. The betting consensus is leaning that way at 52 percent.

I am banking on the recent head-to-head trends in this one. Baltimore is 6-2-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings of this bitter AFC North rivalry. You could also parlay the Ravens with the UNDER on the 46 1/2-point total line. It has stayed UNDER in five of the last six matchups played in Baltimore.

For all my NFL top picks in Week 8, please got to the following link at Scores & Stats. This is one of the most popular sports betting sites for avid NFL fans.

Top 10 Picks

NFL Week 7 Betting Trends & 'Best Bet' Picks

 The Philadelphia Eagles started the NFL Week 7 schedule with a thrilling 22-21 victory over the NFC East rival New York Giants. However they did not do bettors any favors as 4 1/2-point home favorites. The total stayed UNDER a closing line of 44 points.

Moving to this Sunday's games, another divisional rivalry has the New Orleans Saints favored by seven points at home against the Carolina Panthers. The total line for this NFC South tilt is 50 points.

The total has gone OVER in the last five meetings in New Orleans. It has also gone OVER in six of the last seven games between the two.

Another divisional matchup with strong betting trends favoring the OVER on the total line is an AFC East clash between the Buffalo Bills and the winless New York Jets. Buffalo is a 10 1/2-point road favorite with the total set at 46 points.

The total has gone OVER in four of the Bills' last five road games. Head-to-head, it has gone OVER in four of the last six matchups. The total has gone OVER in seven of the last 10 meetings in New York.

Strong trends against the spread for an underdog in a divisional matchup are the case for the Cincinnati Bengals in Sunday's home game against the Cleveland Browns.

Cleveland is set as a three-point road favorite in this AFC North class with a 50 1/2-point total line. The Bengals are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games against the Browns.

Out in the AFC West, the Kansas City Chiefs are eight-point road favorites against the Denver Broncos with the total set at 44 1/2 points.

The Chiefs bring a five-game road winning streak (SU and ATS) against Denver into Sunday's contest. The total has stayed UNDER in four of the last five matchups overall.

Every week of the NFL season, I release my Top 10 best bets for the popular sports betting site Scores & Stats. Coming off a 7-3 run in Week 6, below is a link to this Sunday's free betting picks.

Dave’s Top 10 Best Bets for NFL Week 7