Todd's Picks (2 Live)
To quote my close gambling colleague: these aren't our parents Ravens and that's showed up in recent performance. ...
The Chargers have admittedly been my blind spot for stretches; the defense is overrated and the offense as currently constructed doesn't grade out nearly as well as perception. So I'm doing it again and fading them on the ML against one of the league's top 5 offenses at home. Dallas was moribound offensively last week vs Minnesota and I expect them to be much better here. Yes, they've been eliminated from the playoffs and narrative wise that never helps but I show a major edge with their O vs the Chargers D and a wash on the other side. Give me the Boys in a bounceback against the road weary Bolts
I'm not one for using narratives to make a bet but when a narrative collides with an undervalued team trending the right direction it creates the perfect storm (pun intended). Carolina has no doubt had this game circled since being dispatched by Florida last postseason and the Canes are playing some of their best hockey right now with the return of Jacob Slavin on D. Florida is also getting results but their xG goal share of 50% is dwarfed by Carolina at 58% over the L5. I may be too high on Carolina compared to market but my fair price for this game is -141 so I'm happy to lay the discounted tag.
Washington struggled to break through offensively on the road while surrendering 10 goals over a 2 game span. Returning to familiar surroundings should mean a renewed emphasis on defensive assignments trying to grind down on Leafs team that's really struggling to generate. I would have preferred a Woll - Thompson match-up but won't downgrade the bet too much with Hildeby. I do see this a bit higher variance so rather than laying -20 to go under 6 I prefer the + money at 5.5 for a partial position.
Quinn Hughes is a massive difference maker and I don't believe his addition is being properly factored into the Wild pricing on a nightly basis. CBJ has underachieved this year despite a renewed commitment to better team defense. My projection here is Wild -127 with Wallsteadt vs Greaves so there's enough here for a smaller bet on the road team.
Ricky Pearsall came into the year expected to be the top pass catching option for this team in the receiving room; he's been anything but amid a season marred with injuries and absences. This is the match-up after the bye to get a primary weapon down the stretch and really expect Kyle Shanahan to force feed him today. Not going to over analyze this aspect instead looking to buy a bargain basement price tag on him.
Offensive line injuries aplenty for both of these teams; two positional groups that appeared to be a strength when they met way back in Week 1 this season. Kansas City finds themselves backed into a corner with no margin for error but that's not a reason for a bet...what is will be their defense. Last week KC dominated the Texans in the 2nd half until an ill timed 4th down that was their undoing. Chargers played well in a win vs the Eagles but it was the turnovers that gave them a path, not the offense. Short week, bitter cold I might be stubborn but feel there's a defined path for KC to move the ball and get the rare win by margin against LAC.
Let's get the good out of the way for the Browns defense; they have allowed the 14th-lowest explosive run rate, lowest rushing success rate, and had an elite run stuff rate over the last few weeks. That however wasn't the case last week against Tony Pollard and may not be the case Sunday with cluster injuries along the DL. A number of key contributors along that DL remain game time decisions and even if they go the cold does them no favors. Kyle Monangai is a no frills running back; he runs hard and powerful which bodes well for frigid days. The Bears OL can win the trenches and create a path for the guy on paper that's listed as RB2 w/ RB1 traits
Vancouver will unveil their new look line-up for the 1st time on Sunday; gone is all world D-man Quinn Hughes replaced by Zeev Buium and Marco Rossi. Long term it takes time without a lynch pin on the back end but short term I believe in a bump. NJ meanwhile plays their 3rd game in 4 days, 4th in 6 before heading out to Vegas to start a west coast trip. Devils will also most turn to Jacob Markstrom on the 2nd game of a back to back and he's struggled mightily in the crease all year. This is just too big a price for me as my number is more in the -114 range once every variable is factored into the mix.
This handicap is straight forward for me; the Kings are playing some of the lowest event hockey in the league right now and the Mammoth will be asked to break down their defense without leading scorer Logan Cooley. It appears we'll get Darcy Kuemper vs Karel Vejemelka in net meaning I'm closer to the Kings -119 in this spot. Let's hope the offensive onslaught from beating the Blackhawks continues here for the offensively challenged Kings on the road.
We've seen a barrage of dog and over money for tonight's game between the Eagles and Chargers...I don't buy some of it. Justin Herbert will go but he's playing with a padded glove on a surgically repaired hand meaning he'll take the majority, if not all, his snaps from the gun. This may not sound like a big deal but it neutralizes play action from the Chargers attack. Meanwhile on the other side the Chargers love to play 2 high and force their opponents to be methodical...that plays well for a slow start. I know people see the names and want to anticipate points but I'll sell the perception to go under early on MNF.
There's no way to sugarcoat what we've seen from the Vikings offensively the last few weeks; it's been dreadful. However look at the recent schedule of opponents since their bye week: Eagles, @ Chargers, @ Lions, Ravens, Bears, @ Packers, @ Seahawks...there's no cupcake there. Here comes a Commanders team that gets their starting QB back but doesn't offer a defense anywhere close to this list (ok maybe the Bears). I'm buying the Vikings at the bottom of the market given their 1-6 ATS run now that the line has flipped with Jayden Daniels status. Nothing fun about backing JJ McCarthy these days yet every team has its buy point and this is mine for KOC.
I'll simplify the handicap; steady rains throughout the game and they're supposed to intensify throughout the 1st half. These are two teams that have questions in their secondaries that might be minimized given the conditions. Both of these teams are more than capable against the run and given the wettest conditions of the day we'll try to get in and out quickly. If you did have access to a 23 I'd make this a full position
It's rare I'll share a bet that's more speculative than fact but this is a total worth playing now. I'm going to work under the assumption we don't see Lightning starter Andrei Vasilevskiy today after his back-up wasn't present at morning skate. Tampa is getting healthy elsewhere through the lineup and the team is generating chances at a very high level right now. The Isles should be able to generate as well like we saw in their win against the Avs and I expect some high event hockey on the Gulf tonight