Free Picks
Welcome to Predictem’s main free picks page. Here you’ll find our daily top plays and links to game previews with analysis for each sport that we cover. What you won’t find here are screaming touts with false claims of easy money, LOCKS, sure bets or any other BS that you see on 90% of the sports handicapping sites on the web. Our Expert Handicappers provide daily predictions ATS for NFL Football, College Football, NBA Basketball, NCAA Basketball, Major League Baseball, Horse Racing, MMA Fights, Boxing, NASCAR and PGA Golf. We do not sell our picks. These are not second rate free plays. These are EXPERT PICKS! The same ones we bet ourselves.
NBA Picks
Pro Hoops is TOUGH to beat. Players sit out without notice, look mentally checked out and can be downright unpredictable. We have a solid history with the sport, but please understand that there will be a bunch of passes during the season because value bets can be hard to come by. We never force the action, as there is always another game. Another frustrating facet of betting on NBA basketball is our need to release plays late in the day, due to the best information not coming out until a couple of hours before game time. Oftentimes, we don't post our best NBA plays until 5PM ET. Plays are made using a combination of variables, including but not limited to travel schedule, hot/cold teams, efficiency ratings, good/bad defenses, anti-consensus, access to sharp action from a database that we're blessed to be able to tap into and some fades of lousy basketball bettors who have consistently hit 43% or less.
Date: 11/20/24
Handicapper: Kevin West
Pick: Orlando Magic ML -161.
NFL Picks
Football betting is why bookies drive Cadillacs, and you probably don't. The oddsmaker knows who the betting public (squares) are going to bet on before they even see the lines. Hardly seems fair! That doesn't stop droves of gamblers from partaking in the euphoric event known as NFL betting. Beating the NFL spread over the course of the season is darn near impossible if you're not studying ten hours a day. But not anymore! We'll take you from being a guy who regularly pays his bookie to an astute advantage bettor who will show a profit by the season's end
Do you know which offensive linemen are banged up or not playing this week? Probably not. Have you studied which wide receivers run a 4.4 second 40 yard dash and which cornerbacks covering them are a half-second slower? Probably not. Do you check weather reports to see if the teams will be forced to run it or pass it a lot? Not likely. Are you plugged into some of the most astute sabermetrics nerds on the planet and a handful of others who are so deep into studying football games that they don't have time to run a website or market their craft? No. Luckily for you, our team is, and we're happy to share our picks with you. Get ready for a whole lot of education on good teams win and bad teams cover!
Date: 11/18/24
Handicapper: Kevin West
Prediction: Houston Texans -6.5 (1 point buy). The Dallas Cowboys appear to have given up. Mike McCarthy has lost the locker room, Ceedee Lamb is nursing an injury and Cooper Rush is banged up as well. Houston gets Mario Edwards back tonight. I just don't see the Pokes being competitive.
Date: 11/17/24
Handicapper: Kevin West
Prediction: Jets -4, Browns -1.5, Patriots +4, Chargers -1.
Date: 11/17/24
Handicapper: Rich Crew
Prediction: Browns/Saints Under 44. Posted 12:01 PM ET
Handicapper: Rich Crew
Prediction: Detroit Lions -13.5. This might be the square side, but it’s hard to argue against Detroit here. The Lions have faced a gauntlet of top-12 defenses over the past four games, which explains their modest offensive numbers. However, their defense has been a game-changer, ranking 2nd in interceptions per game (1.4) and 8th in fumble recoveries (0.6). At home, Detroit has been dominant, going 3-1 with their lone loss being a four-point setback to Tampa Bay in Week 2 despite outgaining the Bucs 463-216. Their last two home wins were emphatic, beating Seattle by 13 and Tennessee by 38. Meanwhile, the Jaguars’ offense is in shambles, mustering just 143 total yards last week with Mac Jones making his debut. Jones has completed 64.5% of his passes but is averaging just 4.5 yards per attempt with no TDs and two picks. The Lions’ opportunistic defense and home-field dominance should be more than enough to cover this big number. More picks on Sunday. NFL Free Picks Record 15-10-2 after Week 10
College Football Picks
Like MLB betting, college football wagering is BEAUTIFUL, but not for the same reasons. College football betting is one of the easiest sports to beat because it presents us with situations in which you can find a lot of “bug meets windshield” matchups. This doesn’t mean that you automatically go out and jump on Bama playing a small college. It’s more of a “Senior offensive lineman is out, and his backup is a freshman" type of thing. There's also some very low hanging fruit in the smaller college matchups because the sportsbooks know most are going to bet SEC/Big Ten/Pac 12 matchups. They then put more of their resources into those high profile matchups leaving us to snipe some tasty lesser known conference spreads that often times have final score margins not even close to the proposed point spread.
Date: 11/15/24
Handicapper: Rich Crew
Pick: UCLA +4.5. Despite missing key receivers TE Moliki Matavao and WRs J Michael Sturdivant and Rico Flores Jr., UCLA still put up 415 yards last week, balancing 211 rushing yards with 204 through the air. Washington’s run defense has been a liability, allowing 220+ yards on the ground in three of their last four games, going 1-3 SU during that stretch. While Washington is 5-0 at home, they needed a +3 turnover margin to scrape by in a 26-21 win where they were outgained 459-375.
UCLA’s positive 3-2 road record (4-1 ATS) includes losses to LSU and Penn State but showcases their ability to cover tough spreads. Washington’s strong home-field advantage is noted, but with the extra hook on the number, the Bruins have value to keep it within the spread.
The Bruins’ balanced attack and Washington’s defensive vulnerabilities make this a smart play, especially with the added half-point on the line.
Boxing/MMA Picks
Big Scotty L wanted to play baseball, basketball, and football as a kid but his dad forced his hand at boxing because he grew up in the barrio where if you weren’t tough, you had no chance to survive. This led Scott to follow MMA/Boxing closely throughout his childhood and college years in which he went to school in Northern California for journalism. The guy is a walking-talking encyclopedia of fighting, and you will quickly see that in his writing. He’s a guy that listens and watches, which allows him to learn and understand the deep inner workings of the sport. To top it off, he’s eloquent and classy to boot. I love this guy!
Check out Scott’s boxing analysis here.
Check out Scott’s MMA previews here.
Horse Racing Picks
One of the most astute horse racing brains on the planet, Kenneth Strong, gives his daily race predictions for all the major tracks and writes an award-winning analysis for the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes races. Ken has done it all. Cleaned stables, trained horses, trained trainers, written for the DRF and even acted as an agent for jockeys. This-guy-knows-horse-racing! Horse betting can be confusing to newbies. Ken is happy to answer any and all questions you may have astutely and always at no cost to our readers.
Check out Ken's daily take - Daily Racing Selections
NASCAR Picks
When we placed an ad looking for somebody to write NASCAR for us, we expected a “Crazy Cooter” or wrench monkey to catch our attention. To our surprise, an itty bitty gal from Virginia took the checkers, and we all lived happily ever after. As most of us know, women have a different perspective on things than men. They notice things we don't and are more analytical. This goes hand in hand with watching and reporting on auto racing. We couldn't be happier with our Virginia Vroom!
Check out V's analysis (Typically posted by Wed.) - This Week's NASCAR Predictions
PGA Golf Picks
Andrew Lawrence brings us his weekly take on the PGA circuit, providing a few predictions for the golfer to win the tournament and a few "head to head" matchup picks. One needs to be extremely patient and have a long-term approach when betting on a golfer to win the tournament. You could literally win 2 or 3 times during a season 50 events and show a profit. In all candidness, this type of wagering should be reserved for those looking for four days of entertainment each week. One could use their bankroll to follow our college football, and college basketball picks and has a much better return on their investment. Not a fan of either? You don't have to be a fan to make free cheese! We do all the work for ya!
Check out Zank's analysis (Posted by Wed.) - Weekly Golf Picks
College Basketball Picks
Expect more multi-unit BEST BET opportunities here than any other sport as college hoops present some fantastic wagering opportunities! It's not uncommon to see college basketball lines off by 10+ points. Especially with small colleges. Kevin West and Rich Crew dig through the sizable daily card to sniff out the needle in a haystack value. West is a huge believer in backing teams that shoot the ball well and play good defense vs. teams with poor field goal percentages and that are lazy on D. That variable mixed with the belief that there's more chemistry in Junior/Senior heavy teams vs. younger teams can make for a gold mine when these opportunities present themselves.
Date: 11/4/24
Handicapper: Rich Crew
Pick: Note- I may have the odd play before the CFB regular season ends, but typically I start CBB in late November and with a busy travelling schedule until Nov 20th, that looks that will be the case again this season.
Date: 4/8/24
Handicapper: Rich Crew
Pick: Purdue/Uconn Under 145.5 (Won 75 -60). Purdue vs. Connecticut's matchup is a prime under play at 145.5, blending defensive solidity and offensive discipline. Given the neutral site setting and championship stakes, betting the under is a prudent move. Get more insight >>> Purdue vs. UConn
MLB Picks
MLB betting is beautiful because one can literally hit 50% or less and turn a profit due to money lines and no point spreads being involved. This frequently results in us backing the underdog, which can create some cold feet among our readers. We ask that you trust the process as we know what we're doing. The 162 game season is a LONG grind in which we'll have both winning and losing streaks.
Picks are provided by Predictem's Chief Handicappers, Kevin West in the late season and Rich Crew in the early and midseason. Kevin’s favorite variables include stats, hot/cold streaks and some things you can’t find in the box scores such as good/bad pitching and hitting mechanics. Rich is all about the statistics and has provided profitable predictions every season.
2024 MLB Baseball Picks
Date: 10/30/24
Handicapper: Kevin West
Pick: New York Yankees FIRST FIVE INNINGS -160 (pushed 5-5). My reasoning is the same as earlier in the series: Flaherty hasn't looked all that great over the past month and Cole has been pitching well. I'm rolling with a first five innings bet this time though.