2017 NFL Week 7 – Betting Picks Against Spread

Your boy got roughed up a bit last week. I went 6-8 and a few games were pretty ugly. I was doing well this year, but I didn’t adjust a few of my rankings. It didn’t help that injuries to quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Jameis Winston probably decided two of those games.

There are fifteen games on the schedule this week. The only two teams that are on bye are the Houston Texans and Detroit Lions

I may have had a down week, but I did accomplish something…I broke my Thursday Night Football streak of ineptitude. The Eagles bailed me out with their cover at Carolina.

Can the Falcons (+3.5) win in their Super Bowl rematch against the Patriots?

We pick ever NFL game against the spread and throw out a few upsets in Week 7 of the 2017 NFL season.

Continue reading

2017 NCAA Football – Week 8 Betting Picks Against Spread

I started out the year strong, but I’ve been hovering around .500 the last few weeks. I actually needed some late games to go my way last week to make it out alive. Upsets happened all over the place. I knew last week was going to be weird when both Clemson and Washington State lost Friday night. The ‘weirdness’ continued into Saturday.

Let’s hope this week’s games have a little more consistency and less wild upset blowouts. Every bettor I know took a wash in some form last week.

There are some big marquee games this weekend with one of them being the yearly contest between USC and Notre Dame. The Trojans have gotten the best of the Irish over the last two decades, but can the Irish cover the 3.5-point spread in South Bend?

We at ‘America’s White Boy’ pick 25 college football games against the spread in Week 8 of the NCAA Football season (October 21st, 2017). We also focus on small conference games…our bread and butter!

Continue reading

2017 NFL Fantasy Football Start/Sit – Week 7

Rookie running backs are making a huge impact on NFL teams this year. It’s almost like they collectively got together and decided that enough was enough. They had to do something to get future running backs taken high in the NFL Draft again.

Miami and Houston are the only two teams on bye. You may need to fill a hole in your roster left by QBs Deshaun Watson and Matthew Stafford or WR DeAndre Hopkins…a long-term replacement for injured Packers QB Aaron Rodgers.

Here is our Fantasy Football Sit/Start for Week 7 of the 2017 NFL season…and enjoy our weird fabulous MS Paint masterpiece of Chargers RB Melvin Gordon.

I want to explain what I mean by “sit” and “start.” Of course you are going to start some of the guys i say to bench this week, because you probably used high draft picks or a lot of money in an auction for them. My ‘sit’ players are guys I am just not completely sold that they will have good weeks. If you have a guy that you are on the fence about, maybe this will help you pick between the players.

Continue reading

How Important Are Backup Quarterbacks in the NFL?

There are many factors why a team doesn’t put ‘backup quarterback’ high on their shopping list in the offseason or for the NFL Draft. Teams can be hamstrung by the salary cap, lack of quality draft picks and limited roster spots.

If you look at the 2017 NFL season so far, 14 teams have had to use their backup quarterback on at least one drive this season. Most of those were due to injury and Houston/Cleveland/San Francisco had to change quarterbacks due to ineffectiveness.

Injuries to starting quarterbacks have also wreaked havoc on NFL betting odds for the season. Just last week there were three games that had their betting lines delayed by days due to the questions about a quarterback’s health. 

How much equity (roster spot, salary, high draft pick) should an NFL team use on a backup quarterback today? 

Continue reading

Toy Crazy: Mattel’s WWE Elite Series 54

I’m a self-confessed vintage toy nerd. I collect vintage wrestling action figures from the 80’s & 90’s. I started purchasing some vintage toys out of nostalgia. Well, WWE and Mattel sucked me into their new stuff. I now buy a few figures a month. You can view photos of my collection on my Instagram account.

The lineup in WWE Elite series 54 is the second series in a row without a single flashback figure. It’s a smart move by Mattel, since there are plenty of other elite lines that they could throw old school wrestlers in these days. Walmart’s ‘Then, Now, Forever’, Target’s ‘Hall of Fame’ and even the Toys R Us ‘Network Spotlight series can be used to do just that.

The WWE Superstars included in Elite 54 are Charlotte Flair, Rich Swann, John Cena, The Usos and Bray Wyatt.

Continue reading

2017-18 NBA Season Wins Over/Under – Western Conference

The NBA regular season kicks off tomorrow. The Celtics are at Cleveland and the Rockets travel to the defending NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors. Both are must-watch games for any NBA fan.

Picking regular season over/under prop bets in the NBA’s Western Conference takes some skill this season. You have unbelievably stacked teams like the Warriors, Thunder and Rockets, but you have to factor in the chances teams will rest their stars in a few games this season. A team that has already ‘been there, done that’ like the Warriors and Spurs, will probably rest their guys. The Thunder who legitimately look like they are having fun this preseason, have something to prove and may not rest as many stars.

Can rookie Lonzo Ball push the Los Angeles Lakers to 34 wins?

Here are our over/under season wins total picks for the NBA’s Western Conference.

Continue reading

2017-18 NBA Season Wins Over/Under – Eastern Conference

The NFL has pushed all other sports news off to the side, so some may not realize the NBA regular season starts on Tuesday. 

It’s not too late to throw some jellybeans on a few NBA prop bets. Prop bets have become individualized so much that you can bet on a specific person’s assists per game for a season. I just like to stick to a vanilla approach to NBA props. My favorite NBA prop bets are regular season over/unders. 

The Boston Celtics boned up their roster this offseason. Can they win more than 54.5 games and hit the over?

Here are our 2017-18 NBA over/under season wins total picks for the Eastern Conference.

Continue reading

2017 NFL Week 6 – Betting Picks Against Spread

I went 8-5-1 last week against the spread.

I once again hit all the late games and went 1-0-1 ATS on Sunday and Monday nights. I just need to do better on my Thursday and early game picks. I would have hit the Thursday game, but current former Tampa Bay kicker Nick Folk forgot how to use his feet.

This is the first week I have noticed a big uptick in double-digit point spreads. Those will become more rampant as the season goes on, but I didn’t find this week’s double-digit point spreads to be egregious.

Can the Chiefs keep winning and beat the Steelers Sunday afternoon?

Will my Thursday Night Football streak of futility snap this week?

We pick ever NFL game against the spread and throw out a few upsets in Week 6 of the 2017 NFL season.

Continue reading

2017 NCAA Football – Week 7 Betting Picks Against Spread

I went .500 again last week, but still felt pretty good about my picks. I missed a few by a field goal or less and a play or two didn’t fall in my favor.

This is the time of year when weather reports could become important. I don’t see any extreme weather conditions this weekend though. The Midwest looks like it will mostly be in the 70’s.

The best teams in the nation are starting to receive some ridiculous point spreads. Alabama and Georgia both have spreads of 28 points and higher. Can these SEC beasts cover these against other SEC teams?

Neither Los Angeles school has been very good against the spread this season. Can USC and UCLA avoid another loss against the spread?

We at ‘America’s White Boy’ pick 25 college football games against the spread in Week 7 of the NCAA Football season (October 14th, 2017). We also focus on small conference games…our bread and butter!

Continue reading

2017 NFL Fantasy Football Start/Sit – Week 6

We all survived the first week of bye weeks, but unfortunately, there are many more weeks of it to come. A few of my teams were rocked last week, but I don’t have to worry about bye weeks much going forward. I guess that’s a huge plus after struggling to fill my rosters last week.

Buffalo, Cincinnati, Dallas and Seattle are taking the week off. I’ve had a couple fantasy teams decimated from byes since I have TE Jordan Reed, RB Chris Thompson, WR Julio Jones and RB Devonta Freeman on multiple teams. 

What should we expect from Jacksonville RB Leonard Fournette? His final numbers last week were insane, but he struggled for the first three quarters. Did he have a lucky quarter or will he have another crazy fantasy week?

Here is our Fantasy Football Sit/Start for Week 6 of the 2017 NFL season…and enjoy our odd amazing MS Paint masterpiece of Fournette.

Continue reading

Trubisky Shines (And Fails) in NFL Debut

The Chicago Bears started rookie QB Mitchell Trubisky last night, but still lost to the Minnesota Vikings 20-17. He was 12 for 25 for 128 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also turned over the ball when he was stripped sacked early in the game. 

The Bears are now 1-4, but looking back at their schedule, they’ve faced a talented gauntlet of teams. They lost their first two games to Atlanta and Tampa Bay (both solid teams), beat Pittsburgh in overtime and then lost games to division opponents Green Bay and Minnesota. The worst record of any opponent so far is 2-2. It’s something to keep in mind when deciding on NFL betting for the next game.

When Chicago drafted Trubisky, fans weren’t frothing at the mouth in excitement. He only started one season at North Carolina. Fans weren’t familiar with him since North Carolina wasn’t in many nationally-televised games. It also didn’t help that National Championship-winning QB Deshaun Watson was still on the board.

Continue reading

Iron Out Your Golf Skills

Golf is an old sport that a lot of people like to play to relax, which seems a little weird for a form of exercise, but it takes a good deal of skill to get properly qualified at. Yet, it’s a fun and competitive sport you can take at your own pace, and can be a good family sport to start off with; give it a try if you’re looking for something a little more slow paced that keeps your arms toned and in check. Here’s a few ideas on perfecting your golf skills so you can show off at the green next time around.

First of All, Perfect the Putt

Never mind learning any other skills, getting a smooth putting rhythm is the best thing you can do to brush up on your golfing skill.

Continue reading