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: 12/21/24
Handicapper: Rich Crew
Prediction:Under 42.5 (-110) (Lost 27-19). Both teams bring elite defensive metrics into this matchup, setting the stage for a lower-scoring game. Houston leads the NFL in opponent completion percentage (57.66%) and ranks 3rd in interception rate (4.04%), a tough matchup for Kansas City's passing game, especially with Patrick Mahomes potentially limited mobility and missing key offensive lineman LT Creed Humphrey. Kansas City counters with a dominant run defense, allowing just 3.9 yards per carry (4th) and 91.9 yards per game (3rd), likely stifling Houston's ground attack. Red zone inefficiency adds to the under's appeal, with both teams struggling to convert TDs inside the 20 (KC 50.91%, HOU 54.17%). The ball control tendencies for both squads (Houston ranks 2nd in time of possession, KC 5th) further suggest a slow-paced game. Combine that with Houston's strong third-down defense (34.43%, 4th) and KC's ability to limit explosive plays, and this matchup projects as a grind-it-out battle.

Date: 12/19/24
Handicapper: Rich Crew
Prediction:Broncos +3 (-125) (Lost 34-27). The Chargers took the first meeting 23-16, but Denver’s second-half surge told the story. After trailing 20-0 at the break, the Broncos shut down LAC's offense in the second half, holding them to just three points while scoring 16 of their own in the 4th quarter. Los Angeles is dealing with key injuries on defense, leaving them vulnerable against a Denver team playing with growing confidence. The Broncos’ recent performances suggest they can build off that Week 6 comeback and either pull the upset or stay within the number.

FP Page record: 20-15-2 after Week 15

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: 12/21/24
Handicapper: Rich Crew
Pick: Texas -13.5 (-110) (Won 38-24). The Longhorns' formula for success is straightforward—dominate on the ground, control the game, and win big. Against Clemson’s vulnerable run defense (77th nationally, allowing 4.5 YPC), this sets up perfectly for Texas to execute their game plan. Texas has won eight games this season by more than today’s spread when running effectively, and Clemson has allowed eight opponents to rush for 149+ yards, making this matchup heavily favor Texas. Clemson’s solid ball security (1.09% interception rate, #1 nationally) is noteworthy, but it won’t matter much if Texas controls the pace and keeps the Tigers' offense on the sidelines. With Texas averaging 164.4 rushing yards per game (but under 30 in losses), this is a matchup where their run game should thrive, leading to a comfortable cover.

Date: 12/20/24
Handicapper: Rich Crew
Pick: Indiana/Notre Dame Under 50.5 (Won 27-17).

Date: 12/19/24
Handicapper: Rich Crew
Pick: Georgia Southern/Sam Houston Under 48.5 (Lost 31-26).

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: 12/21/24
Handicapper: Kevin West
Pick: Portland Trail Blazers +7.

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: 12/21/24
Handicapper: Kevin West
Pick: Cal Poly/Nebraska-Omaha OVER 160. I'm absolutely hammering the daylights out of this play as I expect the total to fly WAY over!

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

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.