Handicapper Profile

This is a play on the LOS ANGELES DODGERS for our MLB Saturday Sweet Spot. This is a tough spot for Tampa Bay based on the starting pitching matchup. The Dodgers took a 2-1 series lead after taking two of three from the Rays top three aces and now they get to face the Rays bullpen game rather than one of those big three. Actually, those three Rays starters put up an 8.78 ERA in their three starts, and none made it out of the fifth inning so essentially, Tampa Bay has already had three bullpen games. Ryan Yarbrough will be asked to pitch the bulk of the early innings and he is in a very tough spot here against potent Dodgers lineup. Julio Urias last started on Oct. 14, nine days ago, where he lasted five innings and 101 pitches, which made him ready to pitch three scoreless innings to close out Game Four. He has given up only one earned run in 16 innings this postseason, he is fully rested, and he is in the perfect position to put the Dodgers a win away from a title. The Rays are 2-5 in their last seven games against starters with a WHIP less than 1.15 while the Dodgers are 45-18 in their last 63 games following a win. 10* (957) Los Angeles Dodgers

This is a play on the LSU TIGERS for our CFB Saturday Star Attraction. South Carolina is coming off an upset win against Auburn to improve to 2-2 on the season. Auburn had 27-20 first down and 481-297 yardage advantage but had three costly turnovers that led to three South Carolina touchdowns. The only other win came against lowly Vanderbilt. LSU is just 1-2 with the only win coming against that same Vanderbilt team but this is a great situational spot. The Tigers are coming off a bye week following a loss at Missouri in a game that was supposed to be a home one but had to be moved because of the hurricane. The run defense has not been a major problem in 2020. It is the pass defense that is the issue. The Tigers currently rank No. 20 in run defense. On offense, LSU absolutely must run the ball. That starts with the Tigers getting back one of their best overall players in offensive guard Ed Ingram. But the Tigers also need to throw the football early in the game to prove to South Carolina it cannot just stay in an aggressive defensive front. The Gamecocks are 1-3-1 ATS in their last five games after allowing more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game while the Tigers are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games after allowing more than 450 total yards in their previous game. 9* (362) LSU Tigers

This is a play on the PITTSBURGH PANTHERS for our CFB Saturday Ultimate Underdog. Notre Dame is off to a great start but the four teams it has beaten are a combined 3-16 against FBS teams this year. The Irish have played their first four games at home, so this is the first time they have travelled. While the Panthers have dropped three straight games following a 3-0 start, they feature one of the best pass rushes in the nation and have developed a habit under sixth-year head coach Pat Narduzzi of pulling off the occasional stunner. A pair of one-point losses to North Carolina St. and Boston College cooled the early momentum and you know the Panthers will be fired up with Notre Dame making the visit. It is a pass-heavy offense, with Pittsburgh averaging 39.3 pass attempts per game and this will be the second start for Joey Yellen at quarterback over an injured Kenny Pickett. Yellen through for 277 yards last week. The Fighting Irish are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games after accumulating more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game while the Panthers are 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game. 9* (318) Pittsburgh Panthers

This is a play on the WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS for our CFB ACC Game of the Year. Virginia Tech is off to a 3-1 start, but it is just +51 in total yards in those four games. The Hokies are coming off a 40-14 win over Boston College, but they won the yardage battle by only 26 points but benefitted from a +5-turnover differential. Wake Forest is 2-2 and has arguably played better than that. The Demon Deacons have won two straight games following an opening loss against Clemson and then a three-point loss against NC State. The Wake Forest defense came out of the halftime locker room and executed its adjustments to hold Virginia to three second-half points last week. After struggling defensively in games against Clemson and NC State, it was more of the same in the first half against Virginia, which used three different quarterbacks. The Demon Deacons will do all they can to prevent the comfort of normalcy. While the Hokies forced five turnovers by the Eagles, Wake Forest has committed one all season. The Hokies are 7-23 ATS in their last 30 games as a road favorite while the Demon Deacons are 6-1 ATS in their last seven home games. 10* (324) Wake Forest Demon Deacons

This is a play on the LOUISVILLE CARDINALS for our CFB Saturday Enforcer. Florida St. is coming off an upset win against North Carolina last week, but it had 11 fewer first downs and was outgained by 126 total yards. The Seminoles are now 2-3 and the only time they have won the yardage battle came against Jacksonville St. of the FCS. Tackling effectively has been such an issue in their losses, especially when a team like Notre Dame ran right through them in the opening half. Louisville is off to a disappointing 1-4 start but played Notre Dame and Pittsburgh extremely tough, losing by a combined eight points, and actually outgained Miami in its first loss of the season. The Cardinals have not been as explosive as expected so the margin of error for the Cardinals is slim, and it is not helping it with penalties and negative plays. If Louisville can finally win the turnover margin, something it has yet to do this season, it gives itself a good chance to snap its losing streak. The Seminoles are 2-10 ATS in their last 12 games off an upset win as an underdog while the Cardinals are 4-0 ATS in their last four games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game. 9* (314) Louisville Cardinals

This is a play on the TAMPA BAY RAYS for our MLB Friday Sweet Spot. Tampa Bay was able to even up this series with a win in Game Two behind a solid pitching effort from Blake Snell. While the Dodgers seem to have the pitching edge in Game Three, that is not necessarily the case. Walker Buehler had another great season where he posted a 2.91 ERA but has just two wins as he was not able to go deep in games and that could hurt here with the Dodgers going to their bullpen early on Wednesday. While his last start against the Braves was great, his command has been off as he issued 11 walks in his first three postseason outings. Charlie Morton has had a career resurgence as since 2017, he is 47-18 with a 3.34 ERA and 1.16 WHIP while striking out 10.6 batters per nine innings. His postseason record since then is 7-1. In this postseason alone Morton has given up one earned run and struck out 17 over 15.2 innings. He limits damage by keeping the ball in the yard as he has allowed only four home runs this season over 53.2 innings including none in the postseason. Here, we play against National League teams averaging 5.0 or more rpg going up against teams with a bullpen ERA of 3.75 or better, in October games. This situation is 70-39 (64.2 percent) since 1997. 10* (956) Tampa Bay Rays

This is a play on the UAB BLAZERS for our CFB Friday Star Attraction. Following an opening loss against Miami, UAB has run off three straight wins, outgaining all three opponents and by an average of 143.7 ypg. The defense once again leads the way as opposing offenses have only converted six of their last 37 attempts on third down. In the last three games, UAB is only allowing 12.3 ppg. The Blazers are 17th overall in total defense, ninth with 15 sacks, third in passing defense and 10th in tackles for losses. The Blazers have gone from slight home favorites to slight home underdogs which is surprising considering UAB is getting the majority of bets, so we are benefiting from the reverse line move. The Blazers have won 21 straight home games, going 15-4-2 ATS over that stretch. Louisiana is coming off a lost against Coastal Carolina and has failed to cover three straight games. Louisiana is 0-5 ATS in its last five games against winning teams while the Blazers are 26-9-1 ATS in their last 36 games as a home underdog. Here, we play on home teams where the line is +3 to -3 averaging 31 or more ppg, after allowing 17 points or less in three straight games. This situation is 33-9 ATS (78.6 percent) since 1992. 10* (310) UAB Blazers

This is a play on the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES for our NFL Thursday Star Attraction. While the Giants have looked better over their last two games, losing a close game against Dallas and defeating Washington last week, this offense remains extremely limited. They were outgained both times and put up just 240 yards against Washington. The Eagles put together a comeback last week against the Ravens but still fell short and are now 1-4-1. Injuries are the story for both teams, so the depth of the Eagles is an advantage. The New York offensive line might be in worse shape than the Eagles and the Giants are also without star running back Saquon Barkley, wide receiver Sterling Shepard, and thanks to an injury sustained in Week Six, they could possibly be without wide receiver Darius Slayton. Carson Wentz having a trustworthy receiver like Travis Fulgham opens up the playbook as the offense has been decimated with injuries. Still, in the end, they put up an average of 28.5 ppg against two of the best defenses in the league over the last two weeks. The Giants are 6-20 ATS in their last 26 games after allowing less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game while the Eagles are 5-0 ATS in their last five Thursday games. 10* (304) Philadelphia Eagles

This is a play on the ARKANSAS ST. RED WOLVES for our CFB Thursday Enforcer. Arkansas St. started the season with an admiral effort against Memphis and then went on the road to defeat Kansas St. but followed that up with a clunker against Coastal Carolina. Since then, the Red Wolves have two straight games, putting up 50 and 59 points in the process. An offense as dynamic as this, being a double-digit underdog is a sure take. Appalachian St. has yet to play a game in October as it went 2-1 in September but has failed to cover any of those games. Not playing for three weeks and not practicing for two weeks is n issue. The Red Wolves are 20-8 ATS in their last 28 games after accumulating less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game while the Mountaineers are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games after accumulating more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game. Here, we play on road underdogs with a winning percentage between .501 and .600 after covering the spread in four out of their last five games. This situation is 32-9 ATS (78 percent) over the last 10 seasons. 10* (305) Arkansas St. Red Wolves

This is a play on the TAMPA BAY RAYS for our MLB Wednesday Sweet Spot. We lost with the Rays last night but will back them tonight to get this series evened up. Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash was uncharacteristically lenient with the leash for his starter, granting Glasnow a season-high 112 pitches, even as he walked six batters. Tampa Bay turns to Blake Snell who has allowed just three runs over his last two starts. The Dodgers do hit righties better than lefties, which is a modest lift for Snell. The Dodgers are among the worst teams in baseball at making contact against curveballs and sliders from lefties in the strike zone. Tony Gonsolin counters for the Dodgers and he struggled in his lone postseason start as he allowed five runs in 4.1 innings against the Braves. He is pitching on two days rest after going two innings in Game Seven where he allowed two runs while throwing 41 pitches. Here, we play against teams averaging 5.0 rpg going up against an American League starting pitcher whose ERA is 4.20 or better, after a win by four runs or more. This situation is 72-39 (64.9 percent) since 1997. 10* (953) Tampa Bay Rays