FanDuel Inks a New Sponsorship Deal With Two Iconic Sports Franchises

 As part of a new weekly news feature for Doc's Sports, I covered FanDuel's recent sponsorship deal with MLB's Detroit Tigers and the NHL's Detroit Red Wings. This new partnership is also tied to MotorCity Casino Hotel and the FanDuel Sportsbook located in that Detroit-based casino property.

FanDuel has quickly grown to become a major player in the rapidly expanding US sports betting industry. Michigan has already established itself as a hotbed for legal sports betting among the 20+ states that currently offer sports betting within their borders in some form.

Here is a link to the entire article at Doc's: FanDuel Ups the Ante in the Motor City

Best Bets for a Top 5 Masters Finish

 Professional golf's first Major of the 2021 season gets underway this week with Thursday's opening round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Course in Georgia.

The best players in the world have been invited to one of the most exclusive golf courses in the world to compete for the most prestigious title in their sport. This competition as also turned into a major betting event over the years.

Last year's Masters had to be moved to November from its traditional early-April timeframe. Dustin Johnson proved to be the best golfer that week, and just six months later, he his back at Augusta to defend his title as the clear favorite to win.

The easiest way to bet on the Masters is putting down some money on the outright winner after four rounds of play. This is also the hardest bet to win. Johnson will be surrounded by a strong field where anyone can get hot enough to win.

A more realistic bet to win that still offers a high-value return is betting on a player to post a Top 5 finish. As part of my 2021 Masters' coverage for the popular sports betting website ScoresandStats.com, I broke down the top five players in this year's field in terms of the best betting value for finishing in the Top 5 this week.

Here is the link to that betting piece: Best Bets to Finish in Top 5 at the Masters

The Santa Anita Derby Highlights Saturday's Kentucky Derby Preps Schedule

 The first Saturday in April is an excellent lead in to this year's Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 1. Three key prep races will be staged coast to coast as a way to finalize the 20-horse field for the annual Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.

Starting at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York, the featured race on this Saturday's card is the Grade 2 Wood Memorial with a total prize purse of $750,000 and Kentucky Derby qualifying points for a top four finish. The three-year old colt to watch in this race is Weyburn at 9/2 odds with Risk Taking set as the 5/2 favorite on the morning line.

Moving to the home of Thoroughbred racing, this year's Grade 2 Bluegrass Stakes at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky is offering an $800,000 prize purse with Kentucky Derby qualifying points.

This is another deep field led by Essential Quality. This Kentucky-bred colt was a champion two-year old and he won the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park in his three-year old debut. A win at Keeneland on Saturday would cement his status as an early favorite to win this year's Kentucky Derby.

The highlight of Saturday's live card of horse racing is the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby out on the West Coast at Santa Anita Park. This key prep has $750,000 up for grabs along with qualifying points.

Famed West Coast trainer Bob Baffert is looking to run his prized Florida-bred colt Medina Spirit in Saturday's featured event. Two more entries to work into the betting mix would be Roman Centurion and The Great One.

As part of my weekly horse racing coverage for the popular sports betting site ScoresandStats.com, I previewed all three of these races with my best bet picks in the following post:

Saturday's Kentucky Derby Preps

Betting Each Region Winner in the 2021 NCAA Tournament

 The 2021 NCAA Tournament got underway on Thursday night with the First Four Round. This leaves 64 teams across four regions to battle it out for this season's college basketball's national championship.

At the top of the list in the West Region as the tournament's No. 1 overall seed is the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The West Coast Conference Champions breezed through the regular season undefeated and they bring a perfect 26-0 record into the opening round.

The No. 1 seed in the East as the other region on the left side of the bracket is the Big Ten's Michigan Wolverines. Some of the value in their odds to march all the way to the Final Four was lost with a 2-3 record over their last five games. However, when Michigan is at its best, to would be a formidable obstacle in anyone's path to the national title.

On the right side of the bracket, the Big 12's Baylor Bears are the top seed in the South Region. This is another team that appeared to be unstoppable until a few late-season losses cut into its betting value to win it all.  

The No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region is the Illinois Fighting Illini. This is another Big Ten power in the strongest college basketball conference this season. Coming off a successful run to the conference tournament title, Illinois carries quite a bit of momentum into its quest for the national championship.

As part of my college basketball coverage for the popular sports betting site Scores & Stats, I previewed all four regions in this year's Big Dance to come up with the best value in each team's betting odds gain a berth in the Final Four.

WEST REGION

EAST REGION

SOUTH REGION

MIDWEST REGION

Betting the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals

 This Saturday afternoon, Lucas Oil Stadium will host the semifinal round of this season's Big Ten Tournament. 

National powers such as Michigan, Illinois and Iowa will try and move one step closer to locking down one of the four No. 1 seeds for the upcoming NCAA Tournament while also advancing to Sunday's championship game.

I have been covering Big Ten college basketball for Vegas Insider all season long. Below are links to my game preview and 'best bet' plays for each of today's Big Ten games.

Ohio State vs. Michigan (1 p.m. CBS)

Iowa vs. Illinois (3:30 p.m. CBS)

2021 MLB Win Total 'Best Bets'

 One of the most popular preseason bets ahead of the new MLB season is on each team's projected win total. Making things even more exciting this year is the return of the full 162-game schedule. The Los Angeles Dodgers have the highest projected win total (103 1/2) as the defending World Series Champions.

At the other end of the spectrum among the 30 MLB teams are the Colorado Rockies in the NL and the Baltimore Orioles in the AL with a projected win total of 63 1/2 games.

Each of these teams offer some added value to their betting odds based on their potential heading into the 2021 season. Breaking things down even further, I covered my "best bets" for MLB win totals in a recent post on Scores & Stats as one of the most popular sports betting sites around. Here is the link to my full betting preview.

                                                 2021 MLB Regular Season Win Totals

Betting NBA Championship Futures at Season's Midpoint

The NBA's annual All-Star Game on Sunday, March 7 marks the halfway point of the 2020/2021 regular season. It also presents a great opportunity to revisit BetOnline's NBA futures odds to win this year's championship.

Los Angeles Lakers +280

As expected, the Los Angeles Lakers are the clear favorites to repeat. They are 23-11 through 34 games and 3.5 games out of first place in the Western Conference standings. There have been a few puzzling losses lately as part of a 5-5 record in their last 10 games. Yet, when the postseason rolls around, LeBron James and company will be ready for another deep run in the playoffs.

Brooklyn Nets +300

The one team that the betting public has been hot on this season is the Brooklyn Nets. Kevin Durant is playing close to his previous All Star form. Kyrie Irving is also a key contributor to the team's early success. The addition of James Harden through a trade with Houston in mid-January formed the new Big Three in the Eastern Conference. Heading into Saturday's home game against Dallas, the Nets have won their last eight games to improve to 22-12 on the year.

Los Angeles Clippers +550

The Clippers are three games off the pace in the West at 24-11 after winning seven of their last 10 games. They are once again positioned as the only real competition for the rival Lakers in that team's quest to get back to the NBA Finals. Hopefully, these two city rivals get a chance to settle things on the court this postseason in a best-of-seven playoff series.

Utah Jazz +700

The Jazz have been one of the bigger surprises through the first half of an amended 72-game season. They have already won 26 of their first 33 games to hold down the top spot in the Western Conference. It appears that Utah has the staying power to challenge the Lakers and the Clippers for the No. 1 seed in the West. This big question is winning four games in a best-of-seven playoff showdown against either of these two NBA powers.

Milwaukee Bucks +800

The Bucks were clear favorites to win the East for the past few seasons before Brooklyn added all the star power to its lineup. They are currently two games off the pace in the conference standings at 20-13. The big question mark surrounding this team is its ability to win in the postseason coming off earlier than expected exits from the playoffs the previous two seasons. Milwaukee may only be the third-best team in the East this season behind the Nets and the surprising Philadelphia 76ers.

For an extended look at the best betting value in BetOnline's NBA futures odds, please check out this week's post at Scores and Stats: Updated Odds to Win the 2021 NBA Championship.