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

NFL Week Betting Trends & 'Best Bet' Picks

 The 2020 NFL season enters Week 6 with a number of crucial games on the slate. A few teams are already in excellent form for a deep playoff run this year while others are positioning themselves for a top pick in the 2021 draft.

The other teams in the middle of the pack continue to jockey for position in a crowded field. Regardless of where any of the 32 NFL teams stand after five games played, the current betting trends lean toward road dogs as the best bet on the board. They have covered against the spread 54.7 percent of the time.

A close second are road teams in general with a 54.5 winning percentage ATS. The total has gone OVER in 56.6 percent of games played.

A few key betting trends for individual Week 6 games starts with the total staying UNDER in seven of the last eight games between the Atlanta Falcons and the Minnesota Vikings. The total is set at 54 points for this Sunday's game.

The Houston Texans are 13-5 ATS in their last 18 games against the AFC South rival Tennessee Titans. Houston is a 3 1/2-point road underdog in Sunday's contest.

The total has stayed UNDER in 14 of the last 17 games between Washington and New York with the Giants playing at home. The total line for Sunday's NFC East clash is 43 points.

Pittsburgh is a 3 1/2-point home favorite against Cleveland. The Steelers have won their last five home games against the Browns in this AFC North tilt.

The New York Jets are 15-6-1 ATS in their last 22 road games against Miami. The Dolphins have won four of their last five home games SU against their AFC East rivals.

The total has gone OVER in five of the last seven meetings between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers. The total has been set at 51 1/2 points for Sunday night's game.

These are just a few of the top betting trends highlighting this Sunday's slate of games. Below is a link to this week's Top 10 NFL bets at Scores & Stats. 

My year-to-date record stands at 28-20-2 through the first five weeks which equates to a respectable winning percentage of 56%.

Dave’s Top 10 Best Bets for NFL Week 6

NFL Week 5 Top 10 Betting Plays

 The first quarter of the NFL season is in the books. My record to date for these weekly picks is 22-16-2 which equals 55 percent. Not bad, but not great considering the 10 percent juice on the losing plays. At that rate I am still making a positive return on my money but of course I want more.

Moving into Week 5, there are a number of great games on the state. Some of my picks jumped right off the page once the opening lines were released. Others took some deeper analysis of all the pertinent stats, facts and recent betting trends.

The Oddsmakers have been crushing it this NFL season with close to 50 percent of the games won by either side against the spread. There is a slight edge favoring the OVER on the total line.

These picks are part of my weekly sports betting coverage for Scores & Stats. This is one of the most popular sports betting sites for anyone looking for true insider information to gain that all-important edge over the books.

Dave’s Top 10 Best Bets for NFL Week 5

NFL Week 4 Top 10 Betting Plays

 Three weeks into the 2020 NFL season and I have a 60% winning percentage on my top ten picks for each week's games. Amazingly enough, the Oddsmakers have a perfect 50/50 record with their betting lines. The favorites have covered against the spread in exactly 50% of the 48 games played. The home team has also covered 50% of the time.

Week 4 of the season will be impacted by COVID-19 after players and staff of the Tennessee Titans tested positive for the virus. Sunday's game against Pittsburgh has been postponed. Both of those teams have gotten off to a 3-0 start so bettors are missing out on a great matchup.

Putting that game aside for now, I still came up with 10 more "best bet" plays for this Sunday's games. Hopefully I can keep my hot streak going for another round of picks.

Dave’s Top 10 Best Bets for NFL Week 4

2020 Preakness Stakes Betting Preview

The final Triple Crown race of the season will take place on Oct. 3 with the running of the 145th Preakness Stakes. Normally held in May, two weeks after the Kentucky Derby, this year's race will be the featured betting event in Pimlico Race Track's Saturday card.

Authentic won last month's Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Trained by Bob Baffert, he has been opened as the 9/5 favorite to win this race on the morning line. Breaking from the No. 9 post, jockey John Velazquez will get the call.

The second-favorite in the field of 11 is Art Collector. A minor foot injury kept him out of the Kentucky Derby but trainer Tom Drury Jr. has him ready to go at 5/2 opening odds. He will start No. 3 with jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. on board.

The lone filly among this field of three-year old colts is trainer Ken McPeek's Swiss Skydiver. She actually placed second to Authentic in this year's Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. There is quite a bit of value in her 6/1 odds breaking from the No. 4 post with Robby Albarado as her jockey.

I am also looking forward to watching Baffert's Thousand Words on Saturday. He was a late scratch for the Kentucky Derby and more than capable of shaking things up Saturday at 6/1 odds. He will start No. 5 with jockey Florent Geroux getting the ride.

2020 Preakness Stakes Trifecta Pick:

1) Authentic

2) Thousand Words

3) Swiss Skydiver

I also previewed this race for Scores & Stats as part of my weekly horse betting coverage.

NFL Week 3 Top 10 Betting Picks

 The new NFL season moves to Week 3 with a few early 'must win' scenarios on the board for teams still looking for their first win. 

Monday night's showdown between the 2-0 Kansas City Chiefs and the 2-0 Baltimore Ravens is the biggest game of the week with each team vying for the early edge in the race for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The key showdown in the NFC sends the 2-0 Green Bay Packers on the road to face the 1-1 New Orleans Saints on Sunday night.

As far as this week's top betting picks, I started things on a strong note with Miami's 31-13 upset over Jacksonville as a road underdog. I actually took the UNDER on 47 1/2 points. For the rest of my picks please check out the following post on the popular sports betting site Scores & Stats:

Dave’s Top 10 Best Bets for NFL Week 3