Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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11-15-17 | Flames v. Red Wings OVER 5.5 | Top | 2-8 | Win | 100 | 9 h 44 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach NHL 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Detroit Red Wings vs Calgary Flames @ 7:35 ET - Detroit is happy about the return of left winger Justin Abdelkader and these teams met less than two weeks ago and the result was 9 goals scored. Considering Calgary netminder Mike Smith didn't travel with the team to Detroit, and left the game versus St Louis Monday in the first period with an injury, his status for tonight is certainly in doubt. His backup is Eddie Lack and the #2 goalie has allowed 7 goals on 49 shots this season. In other words, look for the Red Wings to score plenty tonight but I don't see Detroit shutting down the Flames. Calgary has been hot with wins in 5 of their last 6 games and, in their last 4 games they have averaged scoring 5.3 goals per game! The Red Wings are off of a low-scoring loss but previously had scored at least 3 goals in 5 of their last 6 games. Calgary is 4-0 to the over in their last 4 games. Also, the Flames are 35-21 to the over when they are off of a game where they scored 4 goals or more. The Red Wings are 6-3 to the over in non-conference games this season. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Detroit |
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11-14-17 | Raptors +7 v. Rockets | Top | 129-113 | Win | 100 | 12 h 2 m | Show |
NBA TV Top Play - Rickenbach Tuesday NBA 10* Toronto Raptors (+) @ Houston Rockets @ 8:05 ET - This line looks a little "funny" at first glance and you know what that generally leads to! The fact is that this may be a bit of a contrarian play as most will want to back a red hot Houston team at home and laying a small number against a Raptors team that is only playing .500 ball in their last 10 games. The key to the advantage here is that Toronto has not played back to back games a single time this entire season. In fact, the Raptors enter this game having played just 7 games in the last 17 days! Conversely, the Rockets are playing for the 3rd time in 4 days and their 4th game in the last 6 days! The road team has won 3 of the last 4 meetings between these teams (SU and ATS). Toronto was favored at Boston Sunday but lost by a single point. The Raptors are 24-12 SU when off of an upset loss as a favorite. Whether or not Toronto gets the outright win here, I do expect them to drop the Rockets to 28-40 ATS in non-conference action! The Raptors have the fresher legs and they've faced the tougher schedule so far this season. 10* TORONTO |
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11-14-17 | Capitals v. Predators OVER 5.5 | Top | 3-6 | Win | 103 | 11 h 36 m | Show |
TV Top Play - Rickenbach Tuesday NHL 10* OVER 5.5 goals (+) in Nashville Predators vs Washington Capitals @ 8:05 ET - When a team is rolling like the Predators (4 straight wins) despite allowing 3 goals or more in the majority of the games during the winning streak, there is a tendency to "let up" in your own zone. That's because as a hockey club, you're winning so you feel nothing is really wrong but the fact is that all the victories are masking the fact that the defense and goal-tending is not exactly razor sharp! In fact, Nashville has allowed 3 goals or more in 5 of their last 6 games. They've had one good game in their own zone but in the other 5 they have allowed an average of 4 goals per game. The strength of the Predators in their home games has been their offensive production as they're averaging 3.8 goals per game at home this season. Now they host a Capitals club that is allowing 3.6 goals per game on the road this season. You can see why I am expecting a high-scoring barn-burner type game here and there is added value here because this is a non-conference match-up (generally less defensive intensity). Additionally, the Preds are off of a huge win over the defending Stanley Cup Champ Penguins. Add it all up and you have great value here with the over. The Caps have allowed just 1 goal in each of their last two games but those matches were at home and Washington has been a different hockey club on the road this season. The over is 7-3 in Capitals road games this season and only 21 of their last 61 non-conference games have stayed under the total. The Predators, when playing with 2 day of rest between games, have seen only 17 of 45 games stay under the total. Fresh legs and plenty of open ice in this one! 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Nashville |
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11-13-17 | Stars v. Hurricanes OVER 5.5 | Top | 1-5 | Win | 100 | 8 h 33 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Monday NHL 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Carolina Hurricanes vs Dallas Stars @ 7:05 ET - Stars goalie Ben Bishop has not played as well on the road as he has at home with his season. Away from Dallas, Bishop has lost 4 of his 6 starts and 4 of those 6 games went over the total as he has compiled an .888 save percentage on the road this season. Carolina is off of a 4-3 loss versus Chicago on Saturday. That marked the 4th time in 7 home games that the Hurricanes have allowed 4 or more goals. The Canes have scored at least 3 goals in 5 of their last 6 games while Dallas has scored 3 goals or more in 8 of their last 12 games. During this stretch the Stars have averaged scoring 3.3 goals per game. The over is 5-3 in Dallas' road games this season. The over is 7-3 this season when the Hurricanes are playing with revenge. After losing 4-3 at Dallas last month, look for the Canes to push hard in this one but they're not going to keep the Stars from scoring right along with them. Dallas has averaged 4 goals per game in their last 3 meetings with the Hurricanes. 10* OVER the total in Carolina |
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11-13-17 | La Salle v. Pennsylvania -118 | Top | 75-71 | Loss | -118 | 10 h 59 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Game #722 Monday 10* Pennsylvania Quakers (-) vs LaSalle Explorers @ 7 ET - The Explorers returned all 5 starters from last season's team and, in their opener, took on a weak MAAC team (St Peters) that returned only 2 starters from last season's team. LaSalle shot lights out in their opener while the Peacocks struggled. Now the Explorers take on a much tougher foe as they face a Philly rival that has 4 starters back. Pennsylvania has defeated LaSalle each of the last two seasons and they are off of a season-opening loss that has them fired up here. The Quakers lost by 8 at Fairfield as the Stags shot very well in the game and Penn couldn't hit their shots. I like to look for a reversal of fortunes in games like this. Everything went right for LaSalle in their opening win, everything went wrong for Pennsylvania in their opening loss. Now this match-up of Philly teams plays out much differently than many expect. The Explorers are actually 0-6 ATS in road games with a posted total in the 140 to 144.5 range. LaSalle also is 1-6 ATS when they are off of a game where they allowed 60 points or less. The Quakers are 3-0 SU and ATS as a home favorite of 3 points or less. 10* PENNSYLVANIA |
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11-12-17 | Oilers +150 v. Capitals | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 39 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Sunday 10* Edmonton Oilers Money Line (+) @ Washington Capitals @ 7:05 ET - I know this is a back to back for the Oilers but this is the final game of their 4-game road trip. Edmonton was 2-0 on the trip prior to yesterday's loss to the Rangers in New York. The Oilers are hungry to make sure this is a winning road trip and I fully expect them to bounce back tonight. Keep in mind, Edmonton is seeking revenge for a home loss to Washington two weeks ago that saw them blow a 2-goal lead and lose 5-2. They are catching the Capitals at the perfect time to exact revenge too. That's because Washington is off of a monumental win Friday. Not only is Pittsburgh a divisional rival and the 2-time defending Stanley Cup champs, the Penguins also have been a major nemesis of the Caps and knocked them out of the post-season in that epic 7-game series last spring. Suffice to say, that was a VERY satisfying win for the Capitals over the Pens on Friday and I fully expect Washington will be flat here while the revenge-seeking Oilers come into this game VERY hungry! That difference in emotions will reflect on the scoreboard as well and that is why this big dog is also getting my top play rating here. Washington is 0-3 this season when off of a win by a margin of 2 goals or more. Look for the Oilers to win for the 6th time (in 9 games) this season when facing a team with a winning record. 10* EDMONTON |
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11-12-17 | Edmonton v. Winnipeg +3.5 | Top | 39-32 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 7 m | Show |
Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CFL Sunday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Blue Bombers (+) vs Edmonton Eskimos @ 4:30 ET - The Blue Bombers lost by a single point in this round of the playoffs last season while the Eskimos made it one round further but lost to the eventual Grey Cup Champion Ottawa Redblacks. With that said, both teams come into this match-up hungry but I think the big line move toward Edmonton here has opened up great line value with home dog Winnipeg. Yes, the Eskimos have a great passing attack led by Reilly but the Blue Bombers aerial attack under the direction of Nichols ranks right up there as well. This line is still just a 3 in some spots and the Eskimos are on a 7-18 ATS run as a road fave of 3 points or less although certainly I am happy getting even more than 3 and this line has headed up to the 3.5 mark as of early gameday morning. Overall, Edmonton has not done well in the favorite role as they are 2-8 ATS this season. The Blue Bombers have been at their best in games like this as they are 6-1 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record this season. Also, the past 3 seasons combined, when past the midway point of the season (game 10 onward), Winnipeg is an incredible 10-1 ATS against teams with a winning record. The Blue Bombers are continuing to be under-valued by the betting markets and I would not be surprised to see an outright upset here but certainly am glad to grab the generous points being offered to a team that went 7-2 ATS as an underdog this season. 10* WINNIPEG |
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11-12-17 | Cowboys v. Falcons -3 | Top | 7-27 | Win | 100 | 9 h 22 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Atlanta Falcons (-) vs Dallas Cowboys @ 4:25 ET - The Ezekiel Elliott situation was a huge distraction for the Cowboys but at least he ended up playing. Now, this week, it's different! It looks like the situation finally is resolved and, not only is he not playing this week, he is likely out until Christmas Eve. This is casting a dark cloud over the Cowboys right now and the last thing they need is to be on the road and facing the defending NFC champs who are angry as they come off of a stretch that has seen them lose 4 of their last 5. The Falcons are on an 0-5 ATS run but this is a great spot to back them. They ougained the Panthers in their loss at Carolina last week and they have plenty of confidence when it comes to facing the Cowboys. In their last meeting, in Dallas, the Cowboys were up 28-17 at the half but the Falcons won the 2nd half 22-0. Between October 15th and November 26th, this is Atlanta's one and only home game! In other words, you can absolutely bank on a strong effort from the Falcons here especially since they are off of rare back to back losses in their two most recent home games (even though Atlanta ougained the opposition in each game). The Cowboys are on an 0-5 ATS run against NFC South teams the past two seasons. Dallas is also on a 9-18 ATS run in games played on turf. The Falcons are 4-1 SU against NFC East opposition the past two years and laying just 3 here is a great value! The Cowboys running game will be hurt by Elliott's absence and the Falcons have the much better passing game! 10* ATLANTA |
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11-12-17 | Heat +3.5 v. Pistons | Top | 103-112 | Loss | -107 | 7 h 60 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Sunday 10* Top Play Miami Heat (+) @ Detroit Pistons @ 4:05 ET - The Heat have faced a tougher schedule than the Pistons but they aren't getting much respect here as early indicators are that the public is all over Detroit in this match-up. I love getting teams like Miami plus the points. The Heat have been a different teams since Hassan Whiteside returned to the lineup and their defense is far superior to that of the Pistons. Detroit has allowed opponents to hit 49.6% from the field in their last 6 games. Miami has allowed opponents to hit only 41.1% from the field in their last 8 games! The key to the value here is the Pistons are 4-0 their last 4 games and 7-1 their last 8 games but that is taking attention away from a Heat team that is a solid 4-2 SU their last 6 and 4-1 ATS their last 5. Miami is off of an upset win at Utah but the Heat are actually a fantastic 24-10 ATS when coming off of an outright win as an underdog. The Pistons are 4-11 ATS (including 0-2 ATS already this season) when they are on a winning streak of 3 games or more. Grab the points here! 10* MIAMI |
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11-12-17 | Chargers +5 v. Jaguars | Top | 17-20 | Win | 100 | 7 h 40 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 10* Los Angeles Chargers (+) @ Jacksonville Jaguars @ 1 ET - The Jaguars are off of back to back wins but they faced a pair of teams (Bengals and Colts) that are a combined 6-11 this season. I know the Chargers also have a similar unimpressive record but Los Angeles comes into this game off of their bye week and they had won 3 of 4 games heading into their bye. Also, the Chargers first 4 losses this season featured 3 by a field goal or less! Another big difference in terms of the challenge the Jaguars will face today is at the QB position. They faced Indianapolis without Luck and they faced a Cincinnati team that has been having major issues at the signal-caller position. Now they face a Rivers-led Chargers team that has a much better passing attack than those two teams. I am aware that Jacksonville's pass defense has been rock solid this season but Rivers and company come back from the bye week with fresh legs and ready to attack. The Chargers are averaging 244 passing yards per game and are 6-0 SU and ATS in their last 6 meetings with the Jags. Jacksonville is an ugly 4-14 ATS when they are a home favorite against a non-divisional foe. The Chargers are on a 6-2 ATS run when on the road and facing a non-divisional opponent with a winning percentage above .600 and that system fits here. Also, the Jaguars are 0-10 ATS when they are at home, playing with revenge, and off of a double digit ATS cover. That system fits here as well! 10* LOS ANGELES CHARGERS |
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11-11-17 | Oregon State v. Arizona OVER 71 | Top | 28-49 | Win | 100 | 11 h 13 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CFB Game #216 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Arizona Wildcats vs Oregon State Beavers @ 10 ET - The Beavers have been a different team since the coaching change. The losses have continued but they've been more competitive and, keep in mind, they put up 569 yards against Colorado and Arizona's defense is arguably in the same class as that of the Buffaloes. The problem for the Beavers is also defense as other than a game played in poor weather versus Stanford, Oregon State has allowed an average of 51 points per game in their 5 Pac-12 games since mid-September. The Wildcats dynamic offense (46 points per game last 5) will have no problem here but their defense leaves a lot to be desired. Arizona has allowed 40.4 points per game their last 5 games and all 5 games have gone over the total. I am not about to go against that trend as the Wildcats were gouged both on the ground and through the air versus USC last week. The fact is that Oregon State will find some success one way or the other against a Cats defense that hasn't allowed less than 30 points in any of their conference games. Don't let the big number scare you here as the over is actually 5-1 when Arizona is at home with a posted total of 70 points or more. Also, the over is 10-2 the last 12 times the Wildcats have been in the favorite's role. The Beavers are 3-1 to the over on the road this season and Oregon State is 5-2 to the over in road games where they are a dog of 17.5 to 21 points. 10* OVER the total in Arizona |
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11-11-17 | Purdue v. Northwestern -4 | Top | 13-23 | Win | 100 | 9 h 46 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach CFB Game #172 Saturday 10* Northwestern Wildcats (-) vs Purdue Boilermakers @ 7 ET - Purdue's starting QB David Blough got hurt in the win versus Illinois last weekend and is out for the season. Boilermakers back-up signal-caller Elijah Sindelar will be under center today and the sophomore has 3 interceptions and no touchdowns in his two Big 10 road games this season and one of those was against Rutgers! That doesn't bode well for Sindelar here as he faces a Wildcats team that is rolling with momentum right now. Conventional wisdom says to fade a team off of an OT win but Northwestern is simply on fire right now as they've won 4 straight games and each of the last 3 have been in overtime! The Wildcats are a team on a mission right now and they've blasted Purdue by a combined 66-31 the last two years! Northwestern and the Boilermakers have each faced Wisconsin and Nebraska and if you look at the stats from those two games you will see that the Wildcats fared much better than Purdue. They are truly an under-valued home fave here and I am not about to get in front of the freight train especially with Sindelar getting the start for the Boilermakers here. Look for the Cats to take this one by double digits. 10* NORTHWESTERN |
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11-10-17 | Senators v. Avalanche +120 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 58 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach Friday NHL 10* Colorado Avalanche Money Line (+) vs Ottawa Senators @ 2:05 ET - This game is being played in Stockholm, Sweden which is why it is an early start time for Friday. So far this season the Avalanche have over-achieved and the Senators have under-achieved. While that is likely to change over the course of the season I don't expect it to change just yet. The huge Ottawa-Colorado-Nashville 3-way trade that just took place adds some extra intrigue to this match-up as Matt Duchene is now with the Senators. He had wanted out of Colorado since Christmas so, suffice to say, it was a long time coming! The key here is that this is huge motivation for the Avs. The Avalanche now get a chance against a former teammate that essentially told them 'you guys aren't good enough for me to play with'. That is going to bring out the best in Colorado here. As for the Senators, not only is Erik Karlsson still playing at less than 100% (had ankle surgery in the off-season), it also is going to take some time to adjust to Duchene now being an integral part of this hockey club. While the Sens are still trying to 'work out the kinks' look for the hungry and highly motivated Avalanche to exact some revenge in Game 1 of this 2-game Global Series set at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm. Ottawa is off of a 5-4 loss and they've now lost 6 of their past 9 games. When off of a game where they scored 4 goals or more the Senators have lost 5 of 7 this season. The Sens have lost 7 of 11 Friday games while the Avs have won 11 of 17 (+$9,500) Friday games. Colorado has also won 5 of 7 (+$5,100) non-conference games this season. The Avalanche are off of a loss to the Islanders but had previously won 3 straight games and 4 of their last 5. They have a couple injuries but, as noted above, the Sens are not without a couple issues too! 10* COLORADO |
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11-09-17 | Cavs v. Rockets OVER 228 | Top | 113-117 | Win | 100 | 8 h 13 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach Thursday NBA 10* OVER the total in Houston Rockets vs Cleveland Cavaliers @ 8:05 ET - Will anybody be playing defense in this game? The Rockets have the better numbers on the season but, in their last 5 games, Houston has allowed 47.2% from the field. Also, in the Rockets last two home games they've allowed 112.5 points per game. Of course the Cavaliers defense has been so bad this season that it's making headlines! That's what happens when you're allowing 114 points per game, 48.5% field goal percentage, and 41.9% three pointers! The Cavs defense is in trouble here as the Rockets are well rested and those fresh legs are ready to add to a 3-game run that has seen Houston average 125 points per game. Of course the key to the over here is the fact that Cleveland's offensive production is also "through the roof" of late! The Cavaliers are averaging 119 points per game their last 4 games and all 4 went over the total. Houston is also on a 4-0 run to the over! The Rockets are also 16-8 to the over when off of a game where they scored 130 points or more. The Cavaliers are 19-9 to the over in games with a posted total of 220 points or more. Also, Cleveland is 25-11 to the over when they are off of a game where they allowed 115 points or more. 10* OVER the total in Houston |
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11-09-17 | Coyotes v. Blues -1.5 | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 54 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach Thursday NHL 10* St Louis Blues Puck Line -1.5 goals (+) vs Arizona Coyotes @ 8:05 ET - Not only have the Coyotes lost 15 of 17 games this season, 9 of the last 13 defeats have come by 2 goals or more! That means we're getting excellent line value here with the Blues offering a solid plus money return at -1.5 goals. St Louis has been one of the best teams in the NHL this season and they are off of a non-conference game and have another non-conference game on deck. In other words, Arizona will have their full attention and that is bad news for the Coyotes as they have lost all 12 meetings with the Blues the last 4 seasons. 11 of those 12 wins have come by 2 goals or more including each of the last 9 games! That means the odds heavily favor the Blues dominating the Coyotes again tonight. 7 of the last 9 St Louis victories - in what has been a fantastic start to this season - have come by 2 goals or more. 10* ST LOUIS on the puck line -1.5 goals |
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11-08-17 | Bruins v. Rangers OVER 5.5 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 10 h 12 m | Show |
NBCSN Dominator Wednesday - Rickenbach NHL 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Rangers vs Boston Bruins @ 8:05 ET - The Rangers confidence is surging thanks to a 4-game winning streak. Their defense and netminding though continues to leave a lot to be desired as they have 3.4 goals per game this season. New York has allowed 3 goals or more in 8 of their 11 home games this season. The Bruins also know all about struggles between the pipes at Tuukka Rask has an .892 save percentage on the road this season and he is likely to get the call again here as Anton Khudobin is dealing with a lower body injury. Rask has just 38 saves on 45 shots in his last 2 starts versus the Rangers. The Bruins have been scoring well though and have scored 3 goals or more in 3 of their 4 road games this season. The over is 3-0 in Boston's road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals and the Bruins have 5 power play goals in their 4 road games this season and the Rangers have 5 power play goals in their last 2 home games! Even with the Rangers winning streak, New York has still lost 9 of 16 games this season and the over is 4-1 in Bruins games against teams with a losing record this season. Boston has lost 7 of their 13 games this season and the Rangers are 4-1 to the over in their games against teams with a losing record this season. 10* OVER the total in the New York Rangers game |
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11-07-17 | Hornets +1 v. Knicks | Top | 113-118 | Loss | -115 | 14 h 42 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach Tuesday NBA 10* Charlotte Hornets (+) @ New York Knicks @ 7:35 ET - Charlotte opened up as a -2 here even though the Hornets are only 1-4 (both SU and ATS) in road games this season and the Knicks are 4-2 (both SU and ATS) in home games this season. Must be some kind of mistake here, right? Of course that's why there has been a big early move toward New York here but, as I have stated many times before, the odds makers know what they are doing! In other words, the Hornets opened up as a favorite here for a reason and, after the move that has taken Charlotte from a -2 to a +1 here, I have no hesitation in going with a top play here. Keep in mind, the Knicks are off of a huge come from behind win versus the Pacers where New York rallied from a huge deficit in the 2nd half. Also, the Hornets have revenge here from losing both games at New York last season with each defeat coming by 3 points or less. The Knicks have a game at Orlando on deck for tomorrow while the Hornets, after yesterday's off-day, have two more days off after this game. Charlotte is off of back to back losses and the last one was by 18 points. Look for the Hornets to improve to 3-0 (SU and ATS) this season when off of a loss by a double digit margin. The Knicks are 10-26 SU when off of an upset win as an underdog and New York won't have enough left in the tank after that surprising rally against the Pacers Sunday. 10* CHARLOTTE |
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11-07-17 | Blues v. Devils +116 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 30 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach Tuesday NHL 10* Top Play New Jersey Devils Money Line (+) @ St Louis Blues @ 7:05 ET - The Devils are off of a loss (a shootout defeat at Calgary) but now are back home and also will have Cory Schneider back between the pipes for this one. The Devils have won 7 of the 9 starts he has made this season. Also, in his 4 non-conference starts, Schneider has a fantastic .942 save percentage. The Blues Jake Allen has won just 2 of his 5 road starts and has "only" a .901 save percentage away from. I am well aware of the fact that St Louis has won the last 7 meetings with the Devils but the key is this New Jersey club is off to a red hot start this season with a potent offense. Confidence is sky-high for the Devils right now and they just lost back to back games for the first time this season though they were happy to at least get a point against the Flames. In other words, don't look for New Jersey's run to reach three straight here. The Devils have been playing too well this season to drop 3 straight in this spot especially when you consider the Blues could be without leading goal-scorer Vladimir Tarasenko. Even if Tarasenko plays he won't be close to 100%. St Louis has a great overall record this season but they have lost 3 of their last 5 road games and have averaged scoring just 2.2 goals per game in those 5 games. That is certainly significant here as New Jersey has only been held below 3 goals 3 times in 13 games! In fact, the Devils have scored 4 goals or more in 8 of their 13 games this season! 10* NEW JERSEY |
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11-06-17 | Lions -128 v. Packers | Top | 30-17 | Win | 100 | 14 h 30 m | Show |
Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach Monday NFL 10* Top Play Detroit Lions (-) @ Green Bay Packers @ 8:30 ET - First off I just want to note that the Lions are such a small favorite here that I would recommend taking the money line if you have access to it. Now, onto the analysis: The Packers have won 25 of the last 26 meetings between these division rivals at Lambeau Field. That said, how can the Lions possibly be favored here? Think about that for a second before you answer! Do you think the odds makers are stupid? The fact is that Detroit with Matthew Stafford at QB is a much better offense than Green Bay with Brett Hundley at QB. Hundley was simply disastrous in his first start other than his running ability (which you can bet the Lions will be focused on here). Hundley did not look comfortable in the pocket, had poor timing with his throws, held on the ball too long (including one time on a strip-sack where GB got the ball back) and he completed only 12 of 25 passes for 79 yards! As for the Lions, they come in with Stafford having thrown for an average of 346 yards per game their past two games. That included a game at New Orleans and yes that is the same team that the Packers just hosted and the Saints outgained the Packers by over 200 yards! Green Bay is simply a much different team without Aaron Rodgers at QB. This is not just a minor drop-off, this is a major drop-off in terms of the 2nd man up at QB for GB. By the way, that lone win that the Lions have had at Lambeau over the past quarter-century did come just 2 years ago so that does help the confidence factor here. I know the Packers are off of a bye week and that allowed extra time to work with Hundley but his pocket presence is a major concern and Green Bay is one of the worst teams in the league in terms of pass protection. In terms of trending, the Lions are 6-1 SU and ATS in November games the past two seasons while the Packers are a surprising 2-7 SU and ATS the past two years in November games. Detroit's weakness on defense is the pass D but Hundley won't be able to take advantage and the Lions are very solid against the run (ranked 7th in the league). The point is that Green Bay's game-plan tonight is likely to be very run-dominated in their offensive attack tonight and that plays right into the hands of the Lions here! Also, look for Stafford to carve up a Packers pass defense that has allowed 73.5% pass completions their last 6 games with average passing yards given up of 237.8 per game. 10* DETROIT |
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11-06-17 | Golden Knights v. Maple Leafs OVER 6.5 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 104 | 9 h 8 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Monday 10* OVER the total in Toronto Maple Leafs vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 7:05 ET - Big total here but it is absolutely justified. Vegas has proven themselves to be one of the hardest working teams in the league and this is particularly true in the offensive zone. That is why the Golden Knights have scored an average of 4 goals per game in their last 11 games! The issue for Vegas is they have 3 goalies who are injured. The fact that Marc Andre-Fleury, Macolm Subban, and Oscar Dansk are all out means that goalie #4 (Maxime Lagace) is now getting the work between the pipes. He has struggled and has an ugly .856 save percentage. Now Lagace faces a dangerous Maple Leafs offense that is averaging 4 goals per game in their home games this season. Toronto's issue, like Vegas, has been in the crease as Frederik Andersen has been shaky at times. In fact Andersen has an .865 save percentage at home this season and the Leafs are 5-1-1 to the over in games played at the Air Canada Centre! The Maple Leafs offense is hot and they are 4-1 to the over this season when off of a game where they scored 4 goals or more. Vegas is 4-1 to the over this season when facing a team with a winning record. 10* OVER the total in Toronto |
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11-05-17 | Grizzlies -130 v. Lakers | Top | 102-107 | Loss | -130 | 11 h 26 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Memphis Grizzlies (-) @ Los Angeles Lakers @ 9:35 ET - The Grizzlies line is starting to move from a 2 to a 2.5 but also, if you have access to the money line, that is available as low as a -130 and certainly is the best option here if you can get that. Even though this is a back to back for the Grizzlies, keep in mind they have gone 22-14 ATS when playing the 2nd night of a back to back. Also, their game yesterday was a day game and it was right here in LA on this very same floor. The Grizzlies shot well in the game and now Memphis is looking at those very same rims and same shooting backdrop tonight. They're facing a Lakers team that is off of a rare big win as Los Angeles crushed Brooklyn by double digits Friday. That is noteworthy here because the Lakers are 6-13 ATS (and 4-15 SU) when off of a win by a double digit margin! Comparing these two teams, Memphis is the much better team defensively and they also shoot the 3-ball better than the Lakers too. Even though this is a back to back for the Grizzlies, they did have 2 full days off prior to this. The Lakers are playing their 3rd game in 4 days so the rest factor is not necessarily in LA's favor here. I also like the fact that Memphis has a 3-game winning streak and a 2-game winning streak already this season. Coming off of a single win (yesterday) I look for that to begin the next streak for the Grizzlies. As for the Lakers, they are off of a win and they have yet to win back to back games this season. I'll gladly challenge them to do that here! 10* MEMPHIS |
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11-05-17 | Redskins +8 v. Seahawks | Top | 17-14 | Win | 100 | 9 h 38 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Washington Redskins (+) @ Seattle Seahawks @ 4:05 ET - The Redskins are only 3-4 on the season but 2 of the losses came to the NFL's hottest team, the Eagles. The other two losses came against the Cowboys and Chiefs. That means the 3 teams the Skins have lost to have a combined record of 16-6. As for the Seahawks, yes they are an impressive 5-2 on the season but 3 of the 5 wins came against the Niners, Giants, and Colts. Those teams are a combined 3-20 this season! Seattle's other two wins came against the Texans and Rams. Houston actually has a losing record this season and the Rams only lost to the Seahawks because of 5 turnovers. LA actually outgained Seattle by 134 yards in that game! The point is that this match-up is set up perfectly this week in terms of value because, right now, the Redskins are vastly under-valued and the Seahawks are greatly over-valued. Seattle gave up over 500 yards to Houston last week. This is not the same Seahawks teams of their dominant years. Yes they are 5-2 this season but the schedule has been kind to them and now they face a much tougher test. The Redskins know that if they're going to make a push it must start now. Washington lost to Seattle in Jay Gruden's first season here as head coach, in 2014. Payback is on order here and the Redskins are 18-8 ATS when on rest of 6 days or less between games. Seahawks off of the emotional late fourth quarter win over the Texans last week where they expended a ton of energy in a valiant effort. In front of them, Seattle also has a short week to prepare for a divisional match-up Thursday at Arizona. 10* WASHINGTON |
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11-05-17 | Bucs +7 v. Saints | Top | 10-30 | Loss | -105 | 6 h 28 m | Show |
Rickenbach NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+) @ New Orleans Saints @ 1 ET - At first glance this looks like a mismatch as the 2-5 Bucs are on the road at the 5-2 Saints. New Orleans has won 5 straight games (both SU and ATS) while Tampa has lost 4 straight games (SU) and is on a win-less (0-5-1) stretch ATS! As the saying goes...on any given Sunday...and in this case it looks like an upset could be in the offing here! The Saints defense looks much improved but, keep in mind, 3 of their last 4 games have been against offensively-challenged opponents! Miami and Chicago are two of the worst teams in the league on offense. Also New Orleans faced the Packers after Aaron Rodgers was hurt. Everyone knows Green Bay's offense is hurting badly without Rodgers! So what has the Saints D done in their other 4 games this season? They've allowed 29 points per game and 415 yards per game! In other words, I am not sold on the Saints D just yet! Now that New Orleans D faces a Bucs passing attack that is averaging nearly 300 yards passing per game. Certainly Tampa Bay's defense has struggled at times this season but turnovers by the offense certainly has put the Bucs D in bad spots at times. The fact is that the Saints have forced opponents into more than 1 turnover in just 2 of their 7 games. I don't expect the Buccaneers to be impacted by turnovers here. In fact they may end up on the right side of the turnover battle here as they've forced 6 turnovers in their last 4 games and the Saints have turned the ball over 7 times in their last 3 games. Each of the last 6 meetings have been decided by no more than 7 points and we're getting great line value with this one at 7 points. Also, the Bucs lost 17-3 versus Carolina last week and that is noteworthy here as TB is 11-0 ATS as a dog of more than 4 points when they're off of a games where they were held under 10 points! Also, Saints head coach Sean Payton has a 2-13 ATS mark when favored off of a non-divisional game and now facing a divisional opponent playing with revenge. The Bucs are looking at avenge December's loss at New Orleans! Also, the Saints are an ugly 2-16 ATS when they are at home in divisional action and facing an opponent that lost their prior game by double digits compared to the spread. That system is also in play here and I look for the Buccaneers to be in this one all the way and to either spring the upset or lose by 6 or less. 10* TAMPA BAY |
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11-04-17 | Toronto v. BC +1 | Top | 40-13 | Loss | -110 | 13 h 31 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach Saturday CFL 10* Top Play BC Lions (+) vs Toronto Argonauts @ 10 PM ET - As long-time followers know I am a contrarian. This is a classic case of line value being afforded to a contrarian. The Argonauts need to win this game to win the East Division and have a home playoff game. The Lions are relegated to the role of spoiler here. The road team has won and covered each of the last 7 meetings in this East-West match-up. As you can see, it would seem like Toronto would be the play here but guys it's just not that easy and I love taking a solid West team at home that is ticked off about missing the post-season and will take their role of spoiler and use it as motivation here. With BC knowing they are out of it and the Argos are in it, the Lions want to at least enjoy knowing they made things a little more difficult for Toronto by taking away their division title and costing them a home game in the post-season. Keep in mind the West generally dominates the East in the CFL and we also have the home field edge with the Lions here. BC is 4-3 against the East this season and Toronto is is 2-7 against the West this season. The Lions close the season with a home win. The Argos are 6-14 ATS with a line between -3 and +3. BC is 14-9 SU and ATS in non-conference games. 10* BC Lions |
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11-04-17 | Mavs v. Wolves OVER 214 | Top | 99-112 | Loss | -103 | 11 h 1 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Saturday NBA 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Timberwolves vs Dallas Mavericks @ 8:05 ET - The Timberwolves are off of an under but it was their first of the season through 8 games as they've been an "over machine" so far. The Mavericks are also off of an under but they had gone over the total in 3 straight games prior to last night's low-scoring battle with New Orleans. Even though that game was low-scoring it had a lot to do with poor shooting for the Mavs and Pelicans. That said, with Dallas off of back to back poor shooting games, I look for them to get back on track tonight at Minnesota as the Timberwolves are allowing 113 points per game on 51% shooting this season! The Mavericks are allowing 107.4 points per game on 48% shooting this season. These teams have trended under in recent meetings but the situation here dictates a high-scoring shootout! 10* OVER the total in Minnesota |
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11-04-17 | Central Florida v. SMU OVER 73 | Top | 31-24 | Loss | -115 | 10 h 28 m | Show |
Total of the Month - Rickenbach CFB Game #375/376 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in SMU Mustangs vs UCF Golden Knights @ 7:15 ET - First off just want to mention that I am fully aware of the "baby on the way" situation for 42-year old head coach Scott Frost. Central Florida's offense will not be stopped here however. They are one of the most efficient offenses in the nation as they averaged nearly 8 yards per play! Also, the Golden Knights have scored an average of 51 points per game this season. The Mustangs defense is a definite weakness as they have allowed 297 passing yards per game their last 7 games and 253 rushing yards per game their last 3 games. Will UCF get 550 yards of offense here? It would not surprise at all as they are averaging 530 yards per game this season! The key to the over here is that SMU is also a big time offensive juggernaut. They're averaging 41.5 points per game and 507.4 yards per game this season. The Mustangs are a true "run and gun" type team and their average of 76.3 plays per game on offense ranks them in the top 20 in the nation for "fastest paced" offenses. Central Florida is 20-12 to the over as a road favorite and I expect another one here. The Mustangs want this game badly but they're only chance is to "out-gun" the Golden Knights. SMU's defense is a weakness and they won't be able to stop UCF. That means Southern Methodist will really have to "push the pace" on offense which they are certainly known for doing at home! They've averaged 48.6 points per game at home this season. With great weather (unseasonably warm) in Dallas, this one will turn into a high-scoring shootout. 10* OVER the total in SMU |
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11-04-17 | Blue Jackets +119 v. Lightning | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 31 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach Saturday NHL 10* Top Play Columbus Blue Jackets Money Line (+) @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:05 ET - The Blue Jackets have revenge from a SHUTOUT home loss to the Bolts two weeks ago. Keep in mind, Columbus head coach John Tortorella used to coach in Tampa Bay and there is history here. He wants this game and the Jackets are coming in seeking revenge. Columbus has won each of its last two trips to Tampa and the Lightning have lost each of their last two home games and they scored just a single goal in each game. The Blue Jackets have won 5 of their last 6 road games and they've scored an average of 4 goals per game in those victories! It's payback time here and I am happy to grab the road dog price. 10* COLUMBUS |
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11-04-17 | Stanford +1 v. Washington State | Top | 21-24 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 41 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach CFB Game #421 Saturday 10* Stanford Cardinal (+) @ Washington State Cougars @ 3:30 ET - This is a big-time revenge game for the Cardinal as they were embarrassed 42-16 at Stanford by the Cougars last season. The weather for this one in Pullman, WA actually favors the Cardinal. Washington State likes to throw the ball a lot (84 pass attempts last week!) and the weather is expected to be right around freezing with light snow showers this afternoon. That means the physical Stanford ground game could certainly be the key. The Cardinal are known for being physical on both sides of the ball and having RB Bryce Love (listed as probable now) back for this game is a big plus. The Cougars allowed 310 rushing yards (and 9.1 yards per carry!) at Arizona last week. Washington State also is playing a 10th straight week! They finally have a bye after this game but, from a physicality standpoint, the Cougars are likely to struggle to match Stanford here. The Cardinal just had their bye two weeks ago and, in fact, seemed to "sleep-walk" out of their bye as they struggled (and were actually fortunate) to get by Oregon State last week! However, the Cardinal also were clearly looking ahead to this big revenge game and they'll take advantage of a Washington State team that is suddenly having issues at QB. Falk got benched but his back-up, Hilinksi, threw for a ton of yardage but threw 4 picks! Hilinski makes too many mistakes and Falk is an "over-thinker" and "perfectionist" which is the type of QB that is unlikely to respond well off of a benching. In other words, the Cougars recent struggles (have lost 2 of 3) continue here against a Cardinal team that has won 5 straight games! Washington State is 1-7 ATS as a home fave of less than 10 points when facing an opponent with revenge. Cougars also are 0-5 ATS as a favorite when they are off of a game where they scored more than 30 points and are now facing a team with a winning record. Combined 12-1 ATS spot favoring the Cardinal here. 10* STANFORD |
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11-03-17 | Rockets -8 v. Hawks | Top | 119-104 | Win | 100 | 11 h 23 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach Friday NBA 10* Houston Rockets (-) @ Atlanta Hawks @ 7:35 ET - The key with laying sizable points in basketball is that motivation is a key. Of course the Rockets are the much better team than the Hawks as that is why they opened up as 8-point favorites here even though this game is at Atlanta. That said, is the motivation there for a blowout win? In this case it is there to the 7th power! Ironically, the Hawks have lost 7 straight games this season as they prepare for this match-up and the Rockets have lost 7 straight games to Atlanta! That includes sweeps each of the past two seasons where the Hawks got the ATS cover in all 4 games too! As you would expect with these results, Houston has plenty of motivation here. The Rockets got their shooters rolling in their huge 22 point win at New York on Wednesday and now they take on an Atlanta team that just doesn't have the firepower to keep up with them. This Hawks team is absolutely a shell of the former Atlanta teams that used to give the Rockets trouble. Atlanta's 7-game losing streak has featured 5 defeats by double digit margins and I expect another one here. The Hawks just got blasted by the 76ers by 10 points on Wednesday and Atlanta is 0-4 SU and 0-4 ATS when off of a loss by double digits this season. Long-term the Hawks are 18-27 (40%) ATS in this situation. Atlanta is allowing 109 points per game this season and the Rockets are 28-19 ATS and 39-8 SU the L3 seasons combined when they are facing a poor defensive team (allowing 106 points or more per game). The Rockets are seeking revenge here so they won't let up and they blast the Hawks by double digits in this one! 10* HOUSTON |
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11-02-17 | Flyers +167 v. Blues | Top | 2-0 | Win | 167 | 10 h 51 m | Show |
Top Play Shocker - Rickenbach Thursday NHL 10* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ St Louis Blues @ 8:05 ET - The Flyers are dealing with some injuries to the defense but they truly played a rock solid game at Chicago last night and yet have nothing to show for it but a shutout loss. As a result of that we are getting insane line value here with Philly as a big dog and seeking revenge for getting swept by St Louis last season. The Blues are the only team left in the league without a home loss but they also enter this game on an overall 4-game winning streak. St Louis has yet to win 5 straight games this season and, after the big win over a strong Kings team Sunday, the Blues are going to get caught feeling a little too good about themselves here. The Flyers will prove to be the hungrier team and goalie Michal Neuvirth has a stellar .941 save percentage in his two non-conference starts this season. The Flyers have been better on BOTH the power play and the penalty kill in comparison with the Blues early this season. Also, Philadelphia is known for rising for upset wins. The Flyers are already 3-0 this season against teams with a winning record and Philly is a perfect 2-0 this season when they are off of a game where they were shutout. The Flyers have been shut out three times now this season but have averaged 4.1 goals per game in their other 10 games. They truly were swarming the net last night at Chicago but Corey Crawford was fantastic between the pipes for the Blackhawks. The Flyers get some "return on their investment" tonight and catch the Blues lethargic after two days off. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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11-02-17 | Navy v. Temple OVER 54.5 | Top | 26-34 | Win | 100 | 12 h 14 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach Thursday CFB 10* OVER the total in Temple Owls vs Navy Midshipmen @ 8 ET - Navy has revenge from last year's meeting as they lost in the AAC Title game and that ruined their hopes of potentially playing in a New Year's Day bowl game. The Midshipmen offense, led by QB Zach Abbey (healed up thanks to bye) is ready to steamroll an Owls defense that has struggled with strong ground games. Temple has allowed 312 rushing yards to South Florida and 248 yards on the ground to Army. The good news for Owls fans though, even though Temple won't be able to stop the Navy triple option, is that the Owls aerial attack should enjoy plenty of success here. QB Frank Nutile is coming off of his first career start but gave a strong performance in place of the injured Logan Marchi. Nutile threw for nearly 300 yards and completed nearly 70% of his passes against the Army defense. The key here is Navy's pass defense is even worse than that of Army's. I know Navy is off of back to back unders and I know Temple has been an "under team" this season but this situation is perfect for an over. Great weather in Philly, Navy seeking revenge and wanting to rely on their offense to put a beating on the Owls, Temple's only option (since their D will struggle against the run) is to beat the Midshipmen through the air...all of this combines for what will surprise many as a shootout. The Owls do have some injuries on the offensive line but those have mostly healed up and they're ready to go here. Look for the over to improve to 7-1 in Navy's last 8 November games. 10* OVER the total in Temple |
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11-01-17 | Rockets v. Knicks OVER 212 | Top | 119-97 | Win | 100 | 11 h 40 m | Show |
ESPN Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach Wednesday NBA 10* OVER the total in New York Knicks vs Houston Rockets @ 8:05 ET - The Knicks are hot and have won 3 straight games. This is New York's first 3 game win streak of this season but the past two seasons combined they've gone 7-1 to the over when they enter a game on a winning streak of 3 games or more. Surprisingly, the Rockets have trended under the total early this season but they are 15-7 to the over the past 2+ seasons in their games against Atlantic Division opponents. Generally not a lot of defensive intensity in match-ups like this and, keep in mind, the Rockets have averaged 123.5 points per game in their last two games against the Knicks. Houston made 36 of 95 three pointers in those 2 games versus New York last season. As for the Knicks, they did hit 40% of their threes when they hosted the Rockets last season and New York comes into this game having averaged scoring 112.3 points per game in their last 3 games. Also, at home this season the Knicks have not been held below 107 points. The Rockets are allowing 104.2 points per game on the road this season. Houston has not shot the ball well their past few games but that is unlikely to continue against a Knicks team not known for defense. The Rockets are likely to be angry and lighting it up from downtown tonight after their home loss to Philly and the Knicks - riding the confidence of a 3-game winning streak - should stay hot on the offensive end. The result should be a shootout here as the Knicks improve that aforementioned "over trend" to 8-1 the last 9 times. 10* OVER the total in New York |
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10-31-17 | Astros v. Dodgers -112 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 13 h 59 m | Show |
Game of the Year - Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 10* Top Play Los Angeles Dodgers Money Line (-) vs Houston Astros @ 8:15 ET - Give credit to the Astros for what they've done in this series. But, after a day off and with the ability to "hit the reset button", the Dodgers know what is in front of them here. Los Angeles has an opportunity to win the World Series at home and, sure, this is an elimination game for them but all they've got to do is win one and that is a "winner takes all" Game 7 tomorrow night at Dodger Stadium. The fact is that, prior to the Astros winning Game 2 here in LA, the Dodgers had won 9 straight home games! They are tough to beat here and, no matter the outcome of a couple crazy games that have taken place in this series, anyone who knows anything about baseball would tell you they would take the Dodgers bullpen over the Astros bullpen any day of the week! With that said, I am glad to back Rich Hill and the Dodgers in this one. The LA left-hander has a 2.14 ERA over his last 8 starts. Also, when Los Angeles lost in this same Hill vs Justin Verlander match-up in game 2, it snapped a string of 5 straight Dodgers wins with Hill on the mound. Keep in mind he allowed only 1 earned run in that start while Verlander gave up 3 earned runs. Also, the Dodgers pounded Dallas Keuchel the 2nd time they saw him in this series. Could Verlander suffer the same fate? I fully believe so and, keep in mind, the fact Hill only went 4 innings versus the Astros in Game 2 (struck out 7 in that short start) will actually help him here. It means the Houston hitters haven't seen as much of him and also means his arm is very fresh for this one. The Astros are 26-27 (-$11,400) against southpaw starters on the year. The Dodgers are 62-25 in home games this year! 10* LOS ANGELES |
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10-31-17 | Jets v. Wild OVER 6 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 6 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach NHL 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Wild vs Winnipeg Jets @ 8:05 ET - Minnesota is off of a 2-1 win versus the Stanley Cup Champs. Winnipeg is also off of a big win (7-1) over those same Penguins. With each team off of a win where they allowed just 1 goal against the team that has been the best in the NHL the past two seasons, don't be surprised if we see a flurry of goals tonight. Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck gave up 3 goals to the Wild in their first meeting earlier this season. This is nothing new as last season he had a 4.01 GAA in his 4 games (3 starts) versus Minnesota. The over is now 5-1 in the last 6 meetings between these teams and, though Devan Dubnyk is off of a strong start versus the Pens, he previously had allowed 4 goals or more in 4 of his first 6 starts this season. That included Dubnyk allowing 4 goals versus the Jets in their first meeting of the season. So far this season Dubnyk has yet to put together back to back strong starts and I'll gladly challenge him to do that here against a Jets team that has won 5 of their last 8 games and averaged scoring 4.4 goals per game in the 5 wins. The problem for Winnipeg is their own goaltending concern as Hellebuyck's struggles versus the Wild are consistent. The over is 7-3 in Jets games this season and the over was 6-1-1 in Minnesota's games before their low-scoring win over the Pens. The over is 4-1 when Winnipeg is off of a non-conference game this season. For the Wild, only 27 of their last 71 divisional games have resulted in an under. Big total here but it is absolutely justified. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota |
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10-31-17 | Suns +4.5 v. Nets | Top | 122-114 | Win | 100 | 12 h 46 m | Show |
Contrarian Dominator - Rickenbach Tuesday NBA 10* Top Play Phoenix Suns (+) @ Brooklyn Nets @ 7:35 ET - The Suns have been a different team since the coaching change. They have covered 3 in a row and they were a dog in all 3 games and won 2 of the 3 outright. Phoenix is definitely putting more emphasis on defense and they've held their last 3 opponents to 43% from the field. The Nets are the same old no-defense Brooklyn team we're used to seeing. The Nets have allowed 5 of their 7 opponents to make at least 48% of their shots from the field! Brooklyn is allowing 118.3 points per game! While the Suns full season points allowed look nearly as bad as the Nets, keep in mind Phoenix has allowed only 105.7 points per game in their last 3 games which of course are the games since the coaching change. The Suns also have plenty of motivation here because they've been swept by Brooklyn each of the last two seasons and each loss last season came by at least 18 points. It's time for payback and Phoenix is well rested since they've been off since Saturday. Conversely, the Nets are playing their 5th game in 8 nights and have yet to have back to back off days this entire season (that finally happens after this game). Though the marketplace appears to be tempted to back Brooklyn here as they expect a response off of a bad loss, the Nets are actually 17-47 SU (26-38 ATS) when off of a loss by double digits! I am expecting the upset here but, should the Suns fall short, I expect it to be by no more than a bucket. 10* PHOENIX |
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10-30-17 | Broncos +7.5 v. Chiefs | Top | 19-29 | Loss | -115 | 14 h 45 m | Show |
Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach Monday NFL 10* Top Play Denver Broncos (+) @ Kansas City Chiefs @ 8:30 ET - Turnovers hurt badly in football and the Broncos have turned the ball over 3 times in each of their past two games. Keep in mind, Denver had started the season with a 3-1 record. Then they lost the winless Giants even though they outgained New York by a margin of 412 to 266. That was followed by a shutout loss (first for Broncos in 25 years) at Los Angeles last week against the Chargers. In that game Denver did outgain LA but they lost by 21 at the scoreboard. The point is that we're getting some solid line value this week with the Broncos at Kansas City because their results the past two weeks don't tell the full story. The fact is that Denver's defense ranks near the very top of the NFL while Kansas City's defense ranks near the very bottom of the NFL. Also, while the Chiefs seem to rate a huge edge on offense, a lot of the Broncos problems have been related to turnovers and missed opportunities. The way Denver has moved the ball ranks them in the middle of the league in terms of production on offense. The Broncos have won 7 of their last past 10 meetings with the Chiefs. Also, Kansas City enters this game off of a very tough last minute loss at Oakland last week. Not only are those defeats the toughest type to bounce back from, note that the Broncos are 12-2 ATS in divisional games when they are facing an opponent that is off of a loss (SU and ATS) in divisional action. That system fits here as the Chiefs were a 3-point fave at Oakland last week and lost outright to the Raiders. Also, KC is 1-9 ATS in their game after facing the Raiders. Last but certainly not least, the Chiefs are 1-8 ATS as a home fave in divisional action when they are off of a loss (SU and ATS) and facing an opponent off of a SU loss. I love the systems in play here in addition to the fact that I get an under-valued defense-minded divisional dog that is ready to explode with a strong game under the lights on Monday Night Football. 10* DENVER |
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10-30-17 | Nuggets v. Knicks OVER 209 | Top | 110-116 | Win | 100 | 10 h 49 m | Show |
Total of the Month - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Knicks vs Denver Nuggets @ 7:35 ET - I like playing overs when two teams come in rolling with confidence and scoring a lot of points. When this happens it is only natural that a team lets up on defense because they are so focused on continuing their offensive onslaught and they have the added confidence factor of "who needs defense when nobody can stop us from scoring" as their mentality. That is the case here for the Knicks as they've won two straight games and averaged 110.5 points in their last two games. That included New York's big upset win at Cleveland last night. As for the Nuggets, they've also won back to back games and they've averaged 114.5 points per game. Keep in mind that Denver, other than the easy win over a hapless Sacramento team, has allowed an average of 107.2 points per game in their 5 contests against teams not named the Kings. As for the Knicks, they were allowing 108.7 points per game in their first 3 games this season and I am not sold on them necessarily having a defensive resurgence just because the Nets and Cavs both had poor shooting nights against them. Also, the Knicks have allowed an average of 129 points per game in their last two games versus Denver. Both match-ups went over the total last season and the Nuggets are a long-term 14-6 to the over in their games against Atlantic Division opponents. Also, the over is 29-16 in Denver's games when they are off of a game where they scored 115 points or more. Couple that with the Knicks being in a back to back and off of a huge upset win on the road and I expect a shootout tonight with an overall lack of effort on the defensive end. 10* OVER the total in New York |
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10-30-17 | Lightning -113 v. Panthers | Top | 8-5 | Win | 100 | 7 h 17 m | Show |
Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach Monday NHL 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) @ Florida Panthers @ 7:35 ET - The Lightning and the Panthers are each off of a loss but there is a big difference between these two clubs! Tampa Bay is a team on a mission this season after they were derailed by injury issues last season. The Bolts had won 8 of their last 9 games prior to losing Saturday versus Anaheim. Now the Lightning visit division rival Florida and they did lose their last game here (early this season before the Bolts 8-1 run). Now it is time for some payback and the Panthers have lost 5 of their last 7 games. Tampa had allowed 2 goals or less in 6 of its last 7 games before allowing 4 to the Ducks Saturday. Florida, on the other hand, has allowed at least 3 goals in 8 of their 10 games this season. In fact, the Panthers allowed 4 goals or more in 6 of their first 8 games this season. In terms of how these two teams play in their own zone and the quality of goalie play these clubs get between the pipes, they are at opposite ends of the spectrum. With that said, I'll gladly grab the value here as the Bolts are available at a small money line price here due to being on the road for this one. It's certainly not much of a road trip and Monday it is payback time! 10* TAMPA BAY |
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10-29-17 | Dodgers v. Astros OVER 7 | Top | 12-13 | Win | 105 | 8 h 56 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach Sunday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 8:15 - As a handicapper or bettor if you always think you're the smartest guy in the room you're setting yourself up for trouble. The point I am making is there are a lot of very smart people with very sharp minds connected to this industry. The reason I am mentioning that as it pertains to Game 5 of the World Series is because I find it surprising this total has actually held at a 7 today. It is now after Noon ET as I prepare this write-up and we're still staring at 7 across the board on this one. Keep in mind that, were it not for extra innings in Game 2, none of the first 4 games of this series would have gone over the total. Now you have a rematch of Game 1 pitting southpaw ace versus southpaw ace (a game with very few hits and that ended 3-1) and yet this total has been held at a 7. Yes, I know this one is in an AL park and the DH certainly is a factor but, still, the way these guys have pitched makes it surprising to see this total at a 7. It tells me that some very sharp people are expecting this one gets to at least 7. Keep mind we have 3 ways to win this. The lineups are getting a 2nd look at these starting pitchers so perhaps 1) Kershaw gets hit hard or 2) Keuchel gets hit hard or 3) Either bullpen caves - the Astros bullpen is a weakness and the Dodgers bullpen was proven not invincible in Game 2. I like the OVER here for a contrarian play. Los Angeles is 5-2 to the over in road games with a posted total of 7 runs this season. The Astros are 19-6 to the over in Sunday games this season. 10* OVER the total in Houston |
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10-29-17 | Cowboys v. Redskins +2.5 | Top | 33-19 | Loss | -108 | 7 h 9 m | Show |
NFC East Game of the Year - Rickenbach Sunday NFL 10* Top Play Washington Redskins (+) vs Dallas Cowboys @ 4:25 ET - I am well aware of the fact that the road team has covered 6 straight in this series. However, the Redskins have played the tougher schedule this season and the Cowboys are getting way too much respect as this line has continued to move in their direction all week long and now through early gameday morning as well. The fact is that Dallas has faced only 2 winning teams this season while the Redskins have faced only 2 losing teams so far this year. Also, the Cowboys are off of a win but have yet to win back to back games this season while the Redskins are off of a loss and have yet to lose back to back games this season. Also, the Cowboys did win both games over the Redskins last season. This is a huge rivalry and Washington is hungry for payback here. The Cowboys are off of a big win over the 49ers but of course San Francisco is a winless team this season. In fact, the 3 wins Dallas has this season have come against teams that are combined 4-17 on the season! The Redskins have played a tough schedule and 2 of their losses have been to the 6-1 Eagles. Also, Washington did beat Oakland by 17 and the Raiders are better than their record would indicate. Also, the Redskins knocked off a Rams team that is 5-2. Most all of you probably also remember the Washington primetime game at Kansas City where the Redskins clearly looked like the better team before suffering a tight loss that was much closer than what the final score indicates. That was a bad beat for Skins backers and Washington clearly could have won the game outright too! The situation here is also set up well even though the Redskins are on a short week. The Cowboys are 2-11 ATS in divisional games when they are a road favorite off of a straight-up win by a double digit margin and now facing an opponent who is off of a straight-up loss! The Redskins are a perfect 6-0 ATS when they are a home dog and facing an opponent with a winning percentage of .401 or more. The Skins already knocked off the 2-0 Raiders with that same system in play earlier this season. 10* WASHINGTON |
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10-29-17 | Chargers v. Patriots OVER 47.5 | Top | 13-21 | Loss | -110 | 5 h 32 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach Sunday NFL 10* Top Play OVER the total in New England Patriots vs Los Angeles Chargers @ 1 ET - The Chargers shutout the Broncos last week but now they go from facing one the weaker offenses in the league at home to facing one of the best offenses in the league on the road. A key here for me was weather which is why I had to wait until gameday morning to release my plays. It looks good as rain and some wind are moving into the Foxboro area but that shouldn't take place until after this game is already in the books. With that said, both offenses should have the full playbooks available to them and the Patriots are averaging 300 passing yards per game! The problem for New England is they allow 310 passing yards per game and they now face a Chargers passing attack that has only truly been stopped by Denver this season. That said, the Broncos are one of the top defenses in the league. In LA's 5 games not played against Denver this season, the Chargers have averaged 282.4 passing yards per game. Now facing a "suspect" Pats defense, you can see why I am expecting Los Angeles to match New England score for score in this one. The over is 3-1 in Patriots home games this season and 2-1 in Chargers road games this year. As a road dog of 3.5 to 9.5 points, LA is 8-2 to the over! In a home game with a posted total between 45.5 and 49 points, the Patriots are 7-1 to the over! 10* OVER the total in New England |
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10-28-17 | USC -3 v. Arizona State | Top | 48-17 | Win | 100 | 13 h 24 m | Show |
PAC-12 Game of the Year - Rickenbach CFB Game #173 Saturday 10* Top Play USC Trojans (-) @ Arizona State Sun Devils @ 10:45 ET - After everyone watched USC get blasted at Notre Dame last week no one will want the Trojans here. The fact is that Southern Cal made some key early mistakes against the Fighting Irish and it "snowballed" from thereon. This is helping to give us some great line value because USC is still a very high quality team and they have played a bit of a tougher schedule than Arizona State has. Also, the Sun Devils caught a break last week against Utah as it was Utes QB Huntley's first game back. Yes ASU also knocked off Washington the prior week but just how good were the Huskies anyway? Washington was indeed undefeated at the time but the Huskies had played a very weak schedule and, in fact, were a favorite of at least 28 points in 5 of their first 6 games. Keep in mind, before these two solid defensive performances for ASU, they had allowed 483.6 yards per game! I am not sold on the Sun Devils defense just yet! Now Arizona State takes on an angry USC team playing with a chip on its shoulder and, before last week's loss to the Irish, the Trojans had gained over 450 yards of offense in 6 of their first 7 games. USC beat the Sun Devils by 3 TDs last season and by 4 TDs the prior season! Remember too that ASU's win last week was at Utah (a very physical team) and the Sun Devils may not have much left in the tank here! The Trojans are 11-0, 100% ATS when they are favored and are off of a game where they allowed more than 35 points! Southern Cal makes a statement tonight and that record moves to 12-0, 100% ATS! 10* USC |
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10-28-17 | Dodgers +126 v. Astros | Top | 6-2 | Win | 126 | 10 h 43 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach Saturday MLB 10* Los Angeles Dodgers Money Line (+) @ Houston Astros @ 8:15 ET - The Astros have a losing record this season against southpaws and have cost their backers $11,600 in those 51 games (25-26, -11.6 net units). The Dodgers lost Alex Wood's most recent start but they had been 18-4 in his 22 prior starts! The lefty struck out 7 in less than 5 innings against the Cubs but was victimized by the long ball. Wood will bounce back Saturday against an Astros team that is not familiar with him. As for Houston's Charlie Morton, he is off of a solid 5 innings versus the Yankees but was roughed up in each of his two prior post-season starts this month. Morton gave up 9 earned runs on 13 hits in just 8 innings of work. He has not been working deep into starts and, keep in mind, the Astros bullpen is their biggest weakness in this series with the Dodgers. 10* LOS ANGELES DODGERS |
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10-28-17 | Rangers +133 v. Canadiens | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 38 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Saturday NHL 10* Top Play New York Rangers Money Line (+) @ Montreal Canadiens @ 7:05 ET - As long-time followers know, I like to fade struggling teams that are favorites. The Canadiens have won just 2 of their 10 games this season. While it is true that the Rangers have also struggled early this season it is also true that New York is not the team laying -150 here! Also, the Rangers continue to have the Habs number. The Rangers knocked Montreal out of the playoffs last April so the Canadiens had revenge against the Rangers when they faced them in New York three weeks ago. The result was still a 2-0 loss for Montreal! The Rangers have now won 4 straight games against the Habs and goalie Ondrej Pavelec sparked the team in their win versus Arizona Thursday. The Rangers have now won 2 of their last 3 games while the Canadiens have lost 8 of their last 9 games. Montreal has been held to 2 goals or less in 7 of their last 9 games. The Rangers have scored 3.4 goals per game in their last 5 games! Also, New York has won 31 of 42 (+22,000) road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals. The Rangers again will thrive in that situation here as the Canadiens continue to feel the immense pressure of the home fans. An upcoming 4-game road trip for the Habs may be what gets them on track. Right now they're in a "pressure cooker" in hockey-mad Montreal! 10* NEW YORK RANGERS |
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10-28-17 | Calgary v. Edmonton +3.5 | Top | 20-29 | Win | 100 | 8 h 12 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Saturday CFL 10* Top Play Edmonton Eskimos (+) vs Calgary Stampeders @ 7 ET - At first glance it would appear that Calgary is the play. After all, they've beaten Edmonton 5 straight times, they're the top team in the CFL, and they're off of a loss. However, situational handicapping is the key and that is why this play could be considered "contrarian". The fact is that the Stampeders have already locked up the #1 seed. Also, with last week's loss they don't have to worry about trying to maintain a long winning streak as that defeat snapped Calgary's long winning run. As for Edmonton, they surely don't want to slow down here. They are still holding out hopes of hosting a playoff game and they need to keep winning to keep those hopes alive. Also, Edmonton's offense is red hot again and they showed a lot of resiliency in coming back and knocking off BC in OT last week. Eskimos QB Mike Reilly has a league-high 5,252 passing yards this season and Edmonton is truly firing on all cylinders right now on offense. The motivation for the Eskimos is very high here and couple that with home field and an underdog price and you've got big value here. 10* EDMONTON |
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10-28-17 | Utah v. Oregon OVER 48 | Top | 20-41 | Win | 100 | 9 h 37 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach CFB Game #177 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Oregon Ducks vs Utah Utes @ 5:45 ET - Beautiful weather in Eugene this afternoon with light winds, comfortable temperatures, and clear skies. Certainly both offenses will be able to have the playbooks fully open for this one. Of course Oregon is still hurting at QB because it is currently Braxton Burmeister at the controls but I expect him to be better today back at home after struggling in the two games away from home. I also expect Utah QB Tyler Huntley to show improvement this week in his 2nd week back. We're getting a low total here because of recent results and I am glad to step in and take advantage because Burmeister has already proven to be better at home than on the road and Huntley will be better in his 2nd game back after shaking the rust off last week. Keep in mind the Utes defense can be run on and the Ducks will be dangerous on their home turf. They've got plenty of athleticism at the skill positions. The issue for Oregon is their own defense has issues as well. The Ducks have allowed an average of 35 points per game their last 5 games. The Utes have allowed an average of 26 points per game their last 4 games. The over is on a 14-3 run in Oregon's home games. Also, 3 of the last 4 times the Ducks have hosted the Utes the game has gone over the total. The Utes are 9-5 to the over in their last 14 road games. 10* OVER the total in Oregon |
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10-27-17 | Dodgers v. Astros OVER 8 | Top | 3-5 | Push | 0 | 10 h 17 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach Friday MLB 10* OVER the total in Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Dodgers @ 8:05 ET - Both teams have plenty of confidence at the plate after the slugfest that saw a record 8 homers hit in Game 2 of this series Wednesday. Their confidence here is also boosted by the fact that the Dodgers hitters who have experience against Lance McCullers have hit a combined .500 against him in their meetings with him the past 5 seasons. Also, the Astros are very familiar with Yu Darvish because of his time spent with the Rangers - Texas a division rival of Houston. The Astros did lose to Darvish in his most recent visit to Houston. However, in his two prior starts versus the Astros (both within the past 14 months) Darvish was rocked for 8 earned runs on 14 hits in just 9 innings of work! Look for more of the same here with the Astros very happy that the roof will be closed for Game 3 (temps in the 50s outside) and this creates a raucous atmosphere that tends to bring out the best in this Astros lineup. The over is 15-8 this season when Houston is playing after a day off. Both lineups off powerful performances at the plate in Game 2 and now get the added benefit of a DH since the series has shifted to an AL park for games 3 through 5. Additional value too in this one thanks to the drop from an 8.5 to an 8 on this total. I'll take it! 10* OVER the total in Houston |
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10-27-17 | Nets +2.5 v. Knicks | Top | 86-107 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 23 m | Show |
Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach Friday NBA 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) @ New York Knicks @ 7:35 ET - Brooklyn is averaging 121.2 points per game this season while the Knicks are averaging 93.3 points per game on the young season. Of course the Nets defense is a different story but that doesn't change the fact that the Knicks are winless both SU and ATS while Brooklyn is 4-1 ATS and 3-2 SU on the season. The Nets have lost both their road games this season but, of course, this isn't much of a "road game" here considering the game is in New York! Also, it is the first divisional game of the season for Brooklyn so there is no way they'll be flat here even though they're off of a win versus the Cavs on Wednesday. The Nets have covered 4 games in a row while the Knicks are still seeking their first cover. Also, Brooklyn has won each of its last two meetings with New York and the Knicks just are not getting good backcourt play. That is why, even though the Nets are without guard D'Angelo Russell tonight, the Knicks don't have the backcourt firepower to take advantage. This total is hovering around the 220 mark and New York is 0-7 ATS in home games with a posted total of 220 or more in recent seasons. The Nets are 4-0 ATS this season in games with a posted O/U equal to 220 or greater! 10* BROOKLYN |
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10-27-17 | Hamilton +6.5 v. Ottawa | Top | 36-41 | Win | 100 | 11 h 53 m | Show |
Game of the Year - Rickenbach Friday CFL 10* Top Play Hamilton Tiger-Cats (+) @ Ottawa Redblacks @ 7 ET - Even though the Redblacks are off of their bye week and are the much more rested team, the Tiger-Cats are simply red hot right now and they also come in as the healthier team here in terms of key injuries. Ottawa just lost star receiver Brad Sinopoli and defensive starter Jerrell Gavins for the rest of the season. Conversely, Hamilton just got some good news with the expected return of leading receiver Jalen Saunders. Remember that the Ti-Cats began the season but 0-8 but they've been a different team since the coaching change to June Jones and are 5-3 in their last 8 games. Also, Ottawa is known for close games as, amazingly, 13 of their games this season have been decided by 7 points or less. Sure the Redblacks are hoping to win this game and keep their division title hopes alive but this Tiger-Cats team is a team on a mission. Remember that last week's game against Montreal was also a "meaningless" game for Hamilton and yet they crushed the Alouettes in domination fashion. Also, Redblacks starter QB Trevor Harris has won only 1 of his 5 starts versus the Tiger-Cats in his career! Hamilton is on an 8-3 ATS runs an underdog in a range of 3.5 to 9.5 points. Ottawa is on a 5-8 ATS run as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points. A lot of value with a Tiger-Cats team that has shown they're building for the future and also note that the Redblacks are just 5-10 SU when off of a bye week. 10* HAMILTON |
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10-27-17 | Avalanche +105 v. Golden Knights | Top | 0-7 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 42 m | Show |
Earliest Cash Top Play - Rickenbach Friday NHL 10* Colorado Avalanche Money Line (+) @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 6:05 ET - The Golden Knights have certainly been the biggest surprise of the NHL on this young season and, while credit is definitely due, they've also had their fair share of "puck luck" too. Also, when a team is hot they get settled into a routine and they like keeping things at the "status quo" and riding out the hot streak in that way. In this case, this game starts at 3 PM local time on a Friday. It is a unique early game for the Golden Knights on a weekday and I don't expect that to do any favors for Vegas here. As for Colorado, they are hungry for a road win in what is their only road game in a span of two weeks. Though the Avalanche have lost their last two road games, they did start the season with 2 wins in a 3-game road trip. Now they take advantage of facing a goalie, Oscar Dansk, making just the 2nd start of his NHL career. The Golden Knights have been outshot by 28 shots on goal in their last 3 games and have been fortunate that they won all 3 of those games. The Avalanche have won 11 of 16 (+$10,500) Friday games and the price is right to grab them again here. 10* COLORADO |
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10-26-17 | Capitals v. Canucks +125 | Top | 2-6 | Win | 125 | 12 h 57 m | Show |
Annihilation Top Play - Rickenbach Thursday NHL 10* Vancouver Canucks Money Line (+) vs Washington Capitals @ 10:05 ET - The Canucks have won 3 straight games and now are back home after winning 4 of 5 on their road trip. This was a huge confidence boost for Vancouver and they're now looking to make up for a poor homestand that opened their season. The Canucks won their season opener versus Edmonton but then lost 3 straight games on home ice and, carrying the momentum of a hugely successful road trip, Vancouver is ready to carry the success to their home barn! Those 4 road wins for the Canucks came by a combined score of 12 to 3 so there is nothing flukey about the recent winning of Vancouver. Their getting solid goaltending and now hosting a Capitals team that has lost 5 of their last 7 games. Also, every time this season that Washington has followed a win with a loss they've then lost their next game too. Look for this pattern to continue here as the Capitals suffer their 3rd two game losing streak already in this young season. The Caps have been held to 2 goals or less in 4 of their last 6 games. Washington has been off since Sunday but sometimes rest can lead to rust and, sure enough, the Capitals have lost 10 of 17 (-$9,500) when they enter a game off of 3 or more days of rest. After this game, Vancouver has 3 days of rest before their next home game and so they're going to "leave it all on the ice" in this one. Conversely, Alex Ovechkin and company have a big game against Connor McDavid and company in Edmonton coming up on Saturday and the Caps have swept the Canucks each of the last two seasons. Will Washington be fully focused here? That is certainly questionable for the Capitals but there is no doubt the home team is going to be ready here and I love the home dog price as they go for 4 in a row! I'll take it! 10* VANCOUVER |
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10-26-17 | Mavs v. Grizzlies -8 | Top | 91-96 | Loss | -105 | 11 h 55 m | Show |
Earliest Cash Top Play - Rickenbach Thursday NBA 10* Memphis Grizzlies (-) vs Dallas Mavericks @ 8:05 ET - This line yesterday was a -4 and that game was at Dallas and now the rematch is in Memphis in this rare back to back same team, different city match-up. The fact that the Grizzlies are now available at -8 (at the time of this posting) is a bargain because that is saying that home court is only worth 2 points...Memphis being a -6 on a neutral floor...and that is not right. Home court is worth more than 2 points and the Grizzlies are hungry for revenge here. Last night's loss was their first of the season and the Dallas win was the Mavericks first of the season. There is also another little tidbit that, though not huge, certainly also carries some value here. The Grizzlies do not want to play Chandler Parsons on back to back nights as he hasn't been medically cleared for that so he DID not play last night and WILL play tonight. As for the Mavericks, Devin Harris played last night (first game since shooting death of brother) but was not expected to travel with the team for this game. This personnel variance for each team in the Thursday rematch certainly leads to more home fave line value! The Mavericks are allowing opponents to make 48.7% from the field and 36.1% from three point land while the Grizzlies are holding opponents to 41.7% from the field and 30.7% from beyond the arc! Memphis is 22-13 ATS when playing back to backs while the Mavericks are 13-20 SU in back to backs. Remember that all 3 of the Grizzlies wins this season have come by 8 points or more and that includes winning at Houston and also knocking off the defending champ Warriors here in Tennessee! 10* MEMPHIS |
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10-25-17 | Grizzlies v. Mavs +4 | Top | 94-103 | Win | 100 | 10 h 49 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach Wednesday NBA 10* Dallas Mavericks (+) vs Memphis Grizzlies @ 8:35 ET - Memphis is 3-0 SU and ATS this season. Dallas is 0-4 SU and ATS this season. Mavericks have no chance, right? Actually the inverse is true. The Mavs are extremely hungry for their first win of the season and they know it need to come against the Grizzlies because otherwise Dallas will be staring an 0-6 in the face. That's because tonight's game is followed by another match-up with the Grizz in Memphis tomorrow! While the Grizzlies rallied from a double digit 4th quarter deficit against the Rockets in Houston to get an improbable road win, the Mavs are off of an embarrassing home loss to Golden State. Dallas is 31-17 ATS when off of a loss by a double digit margin. The Grizzlies are 4-16 ATS when they enter a game on a streak of 3 or more consecutive unders. Also, Memphis is 14-27 (both SU and ATS) when off of a divisional game. Even though the Mavericks are also a divisional opponent the Grizzlies are justifiably more concerned with the Rockets than the Mavs and I see tonight's game as a flat spot for Memphis. Keep in mind, this is just the 2nd road game of the season for the Grizzlies and they were down by 10 points late in the game against the Rockets before their huge game-ending run. 10* DALLAS |
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10-25-17 | Astros v. Dodgers OVER 7.5 | Top | 7-6 | Win | 110 | 13 h 3 m | Show |
Total of the Year - Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Dodgers vs Houston Astros @ 8:05 ET - The Astros Justin Verlander is 0-3 with a 7.20 ERA in the 3 World Series starts he has made in his career. He has averaged just 5 innings per start in those 3 appearances. Should Verlander have another short outing here, that exposes what is perhaps the Astros biggest weakness (bullpen) in comparing how these two teams match up. Even though the Dodgers do have a solid bullpen, starter Rich Hill is likely to get roughed up here. The Dodgers southpaw has allowed 4 homers and 12 walks plus has hit 3 batters in the 6 post-season starts he has made in his career. With this being his first-ever World Series start it would not surprise to see him a little shaky in this one. It will be another "hot one" in LA with high temperatures again around the century mark today. That means the homers should again be flying but the reason yesterday's game did not get over the total is the fact that there was little else in the way of offense other than 3 homers that accounted for all 4 runs. That changes with these two hurlers today. These are two very potent lineups and the Astros now facing a southpaw for a 2nd straight game and Hill is definitely a big step down from Kershaw. The Astros have been held to 1 run or less twice this month. Each time their next game went over the total. This season, Houston is 27-20 to the over against southpaw starters and 49-30 to the over in road games. The over is 3-1 in Verlander's last 4 starts and 5-3 in Hill's last 8 starts. 10* OVER the total in Los Angeles Dodgers |
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10-25-17 | Sabres v. Blue Jackets OVER 5.5 | Top | 1-5 | Win | 100 | 12 h 54 m | Show |
Total of the Month - Rickenbach Wednesday NHL 10* Top Play OVER the total in Columbus Blue Jackets vs Buffalo Sabres @ 8:05 ET - The Blue Jackets are shuffling their forward lines for this one. Interesting move by head coach John Tortorella considering that Columbus scored 4 goals in their loss to the Kings on Saturday plus scored a power play goal to end a drought with those. However, the fact that the Jackets are still emphasizing the forwards in this match-up tells you all you need to know. Columbus has scored 4 goals or more in 3 of their last 4 games but they've allowed 3.5 goals per game in their last 4 games. The real problem for Columbus has been some inconsistent goal-tending. The Blue Jackets however are getting plenty of pucks at the net with averaging 39.2 shots on goal their last 5 games. They now catch a Sabres team off of a surprising 1-0 win versus Detroit last night. To get a shutout is surprising considering Buffalo's goal-tending had been the worst in the league coming into last night's game. Now, in a back to back situation, it likely means Chad Johnson will be back between the pipes and he's allowed 15 goals in his 4 starts this season. He'll see plenty of shots here too with the Blue Jackets off of a loss and playing very aggressive tonight. Columbus was already averaging nearly 40 shots a game in recent action and now they come into this game rested and in a foul mood after losing to the Kings Saturday. The Sabres had 3 straight overs prior to last night's 1-0 win and they've not had back to back unders yet this season! Columbus is 3-1 to the over this season when off of a game where they scored 3 goals or more. Also, the Blue Jackets are 8-4 to the over the past two seasons when they play a game with 3 or more days of rest between games. 10* OVER the total in Columbus |
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10-24-17 | Pacers +11 v. Wolves | Top | 130-107 | Win | 100 | 12 h 21 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach Tuesday NBA 10* Indiana Pacers (+) @ Minnesota Timberwolves @ 8:05 ET - The Timberwolves are over-priced here. I am well aware of the fact that the Pacers are still without Myles Turner but they've been without him since he got hurt in their season opener and Indiana is off of a tight 4-point loss in their most recent game. The Pacers are getting big scoring from Victor Oladipo. They can hang tight with a Timberwolves team that they certainly are catching at the right time. Minnesota is off of a huge win at Oklahoma City on Sunday. That was a big upset win for Minny and they are 10-21 SU when off of an outright upset win as an underdog. Also, the Wolves are 9-18 ATS short-term (and 46-73 ATS long-term) when off of a game where they scored 115 points or more. Also, Minnesota is known for playing down to the level of competition as they are 25-48 ATS in games against teams with a losing record. The Pacers are at the other end of the spectrum against teams with a winning record as they are on a 50-34 (60%) ATS run! Indiana also is 17-7 ATS when playing with 2 days of rest between games. The Pacers are 3-1 in their last 4 meetings with Minnesota and the road team is a perfect 4-0 ATS in those games! 10* INDIANA PACERS |
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10-24-17 | Red Wings v. Sabres OVER 5.5 | Top | 0-1 | Loss | -105 | 11 h 32 m | Show |
TV Top Play - Rickenbach Tuesday NHL 10* OVER the total in Buffalo Sabres vs Detroit Red Wings @ 7:35 ET - On Sunday I got burned by the over in Detroit as the total was 5.5 goals and the Red Wings were down 4-1 after 2 periods. Inexplicably not another goal was scored and the Wings did get chewed out by their coach after that game. It was an inexcusable effort on their part and I expect a much better game from them tonight. The result should be some payback for me with an over easy winner here. Buffalo has had the worst goaltending in the league so far this season. The Sabres are off of a win at Boston but it was thanks to 5 goals scored! That's because Buffalo again allowed 4 goals and that marked the 6th time in their last 8 games that they have allowed 4 goals or more. The Red Wings are also having an issue keeping pucks out of their own net as they've given up 4 goals or more in 3 straight games and 3 goals or more in 5 straight games! This explains why Detroit has had just 3 unders in their 9 games this season and Buffalo has had only 2 unders in their 9 games this season! When off of a loss by a margin of 2 goals or more in their prior game, the Red Wings have had just 14 unders in 48 games! When the Sabres are off of a game where they scored 4 goals or more, they have had only 14 unders in 40 games! 10* OVER the total in Buffalo |
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10-23-17 | Raptors +3 v. Spurs | Top | 97-101 | Loss | -101 | 10 h 21 m | Show |
Rickenbach Monday NBA 10* Top Play Toronto Raptors (+) @ San Antonio Spurs @ 8:35 ET - The Spurs are the popular choice here and I love to fade the masses. Yes, San Antonio is off to a 2-0 start but they pulled away very late to beat a Minnesota team that is still learning how to close out games and they then faced a Bulls team that is certainly having some issues and in-fighting right now. Now the Spurs take on a Raptors team that has had 48 or more wins each of the last 4 seasons and San Antonio is still without Tony Parker and, most importantly, Kawhi Leonard. Having won their first two games by a combined 51 points, abeit against weak competition (Bulls and Sixers), Toronto does roll into SA with plenty of confidence for this one. Keep in mind the Raptors are shooting better from the field (including from 3 point land) in comparison with San Antonio early this season. The Spurs are below .500 ATS (49-52 record) when facing a team with a winning record and the Raptors are fantastic 43-18 SU when off of a game they won by a double digit margin. Very confident and ready to make a statement in their first truly challenging game this season, the road team rolls in this one! 10* TORONTO |
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10-23-17 | Redskins v. Eagles -4 | Top | 24-34 | Win | 100 | 13 h 26 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NFL Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Eagles (-) vs Washington Redskins @ 8:30 ET - The Eagles aren't getting very much respect here. Quick...name all the teams in the NFL with 1 loss or less...the answer is one word...Eagles. No one is undefeated as you know and Philadelphia is the last remaining 1 loss team even though 4 of their first 6 games have been on the road. The Eagles already beat the Redskins in their season opener in Washington and now they get them at home. Certainly I have plenty of respect for the Redskins, a quality division rival of Philadelphia. However, the Eagles went 5-1 last season when Lane Johnson was in the lineup. A top offensive tackle of the Eagles who was suspended for 10 games last season, Johnson makes a big difference when he is in there. Johnson has been dealing with a concussion but is listed as probable for this game and that's great news for Philly. Not only did they go 5-1 with him in the lineup last season they are already 5-1 this season and they know this game is huge in terms of creating significant gap at the top of the NFC East. The Redskins had owned the Eagles in recent seasons but Philly proved they already have turned the tables on this season with that win back in week 1. There is a certain "aura" around the Eagles that this is their year. They've played extremely well on both sides of the ball and are well rested here. Remember that Philly played on Thursday of last week in their impressive win over the Panthers. The Redskins are off of a Sunday game and did not impress in a rather tight win over the winless 49'ers. The Eagles are on a long-term 9-1 ATS run on MNF when they are off of a SU win. Also, under coach Doug Pederson, Philadelphia is 6-0 ATS in home games where they are facing a team off of a SU win! That streak continued when they blasted Arizona two weeks ago here in Philly. The Redskins are a long-term 10-21 ATS in Monday night games and that includes 0-4 ATS in MNF the last 3 seasons combined. So we have a perfect 10-0 ATS spot favoring the Eagles in this one. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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10-23-17 | Sharks +100 v. Rangers | Top | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 11 h 49 m | Show |
Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach Monday NHL 10* Top Play San Jose Sharks Money Line (+) @ New York Rangers @ 7:05 ET - The Sharks are off of an ugly loss to the Islanders Saturday after a shutout win over the Devils Friday. San Jose then had all day Sunday to think about how they got drilled by the Isles and they're rested and ready to respond on Monday against a Rangers team off of a rare win. Indeed, the Blueshirts victory over the Predators Saturday came on the heels of 7 losses in the Rangers first 8 games to begin this season. I believe we are getting excellent line value here with the Sharks having their #1 goalie, Martin Jones, back between the pipes for this one. San Jose is very hungry for a win as they had won 3 of 4, building some solid momentum, before #2 goalie Aaron Dell had a rough start and the Sharks lost to the Islanders despite outshooting them 31-23. Keep in mind, San Jose has won each of the last 3 starts Martin Jones has made. The Sharks have won 30 of 44 (+$13,600) when off of a loss by a margin of 2 goals or more! The Rangers have lost 30 of 57 (-$13,400) when off of a win by a margin of 2 goals or more! As you can see, this situation totals $27,000 in net profit in favor of the road dog! 10* SAN JOSE |
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10-22-17 | Bengals +5 v. Steelers | Top | 14-29 | Loss | -105 | 8 h 27 m | Show |
Golden Ticket - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 10* Top Play Cincinnati Bengals (+) @ Pittsburgh Steelers @ 4:25 ET - The Steelers are off of their upset victory over the Chiefs at Kansas City last week while the Bengals were resting thanks to a bye week. I know Pittsburgh is known for being tough at home through the years but they've been an "up and down" team this season and have yet to cover 2 straight games. On the other side of the equation, the Bengals come into this game riding a 3-game ATS win streak and seeking revenge. Pittsburgh knocked Cincinnati out of the playoffs 2 years ago. Since then the Steelers also have won each of the last two regular season meetings. This is their first meeting this season however and the road team has covered 4 of the last 5 meetings. The Bengals also are on a 6-1 ATS run in road games with a posted total between 38.5 and 42 points. Specific to divisional road games, Cincy has covered 7 of their last 10. In the Steelers last 7 home games in regular season home games, they are just 2-5 ATS. Look for the Bengals momentum to continue here as, whether or not they get the upset and get their revenge, I do expect them to make it 4 in a row ATS with another cover here. 10* CINCINNATI |
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10-22-17 | Broncos v. Chargers OVER 40.5 | Top | 0-21 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 15 m | Show |
Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NFL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Chargers vs Denver Broncos @ 4:25 ET - The Broncos scored just 10 points in their home loss to the Giants on Sunday Night but that was a ridiculous statistical anomaly. Denver actually totaled 412 yards in that game but they were done in by 3 turnovers and 2 missed field goals. The Broncos certainly should bounce back here against a Chargers defense that ranks last in the league against the run. Of course once a team can establish the run game against an opponent it really opens things up for the passing game and Denver had 366 passing yards against the Giants last week. The weather will be hot in Los Angeles today and the clear and very warm conditions will be conducive to a strong showing on offense from both teams. Keep in mind, the Chargers do have one of the top passing attacks in the league and, being division rivals with Denver, Philip Rivers and company are certainly very familiar with what the Broncos defense brings to the table. The Chargers have not scored less than 19 points in any of the past 4 meetings. Couple that with the fact that is LA is riding the momentum of back to back wins and has averaged 23 points per game in their last 3 games and I like my chances with a strong performance from the Chargers offense. The Bolts are 8-4 to the over in October games. In weeks 5 through 9 of a season, Denver is 65-40 to the over. Also, this O/U moving lower has opened up some solid value and the Broncos are 5-2 to the over in road games with a posted total in a range of 38.5 to 42 points. 10* OVER the total in LA Chargers |
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10-21-17 | Edmonton v. BC -118 | Top | 35-29 | Loss | -118 | 13 h 3 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach Saturday CFL 10* Top Play BC Lions (-) vs Edmonton Eskimos @ 10 PM ET - The Eskimos are finally back on track with back to back wins while BC has found wins hard to come by for many weeks now. However, that has set this one up with phenomenal line value as BC is hungry and desperate for a win to try to keep their post-season hopes alive. The Lions also are playing this game with double revenge as they lost both games this season to Edmonton. The home loss to the Eskimos (by just 3 points in June) is actually the only home loss in the last 7 meetings between these teams. It has truly been a home-dominated series and every game has been won by at least 3 points. However, with this line moving downward you can now get the Lions at a very fair price on the money line. I would suggest playing the money line (pick 'em range) if you have access to it and look for the Lions to improve on the following impressive numbers: BC 11-5 ATS when off of a loss to a division rival, BC 7-3 ATS when entering a game off of back to back SU losses. The Eskimos are a long-term 38-63 ATS when they enter a game off of 2 or more consecutive wins. 10* BC LIONS |
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10-21-17 | West Virginia v. Baylor OVER 67 | Top | 38-36 | Win | 100 | 12 h 1 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach CFB Game #393 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Baylor Bears vs West Virginia Mountaineers @ 8 ET - Pace of the offense is key when handicapping totals and I expect this game to be played at a very frenetic pace. West Virginia is averaging 79.2 plays per game on offense that ranks them 4th fastest out of all 130 FBS teams. As for Baylor, their pace on the season is not as high but, in recent games, they've certainly sped things up (trying to get their offense back to the Bears of recent seasons). Baylor's offense has averaged 79.3 plays per game in their last 3 games. As you can see, that pace aligns them perfectly with the Mountaineers and that means we can expect a "track meet" style of game in Waco tonight. Some weather is expected to be moving into the Waco area but not until after midnight so the only electricity in the air for this one will be from the offense putting up a ton of points. Now I know Baylor hasn't scored a lot this season but they have moved the ball quite well and plus have totaled at least 41 points in 2 of their 3 home games. Also, West Virginia has allowed over 450 yards per game this season. The key for the Mountaineers has been a dynamic offense that is averaging 44.2 points per game and, keep in mind, Baylor's defense is allowing over 500 yards per game. There just won't be many stops at all in this game as the Bears offense is a different "animal" when at home but the Baylor D has no chance of slowing down the red hot Mountaineers offense. West Virginia is already 5-1 to the over this season and a perfect 4-0 in games played on turf! The last time these teams met here (2 years ago) the game totaled 100 points! 10* OVER the total in Baylor |
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10-21-17 | USC +3.5 v. Notre Dame | Top | 14-49 | Loss | -103 | 12 h 59 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Rickenbach CFB Game #401 Saturday 10* Top Play USC Trojans (+) @ Notre Dame @ 7:30 ET - The mystique of playing at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN causes a lot of shading of the line toward the Fighting Irish in home games. That is the case here and, simply put, it has resulted in phenomenal value for the better team. Southern Cal is on a mission to be a playoff team representing the Pac-12 Conference this season. The Trojans know they can ill afford another loss and they also have revenge against the Irish. Yes, USC did defeat them last year (rather handily too!) but they still remember the loss 2 years ago in South Bend where Notre Dame got the better of them despite the Trojans outgaining them by more than a football field! The Irish have not played an easy schedule, not at all, but Southern Cal's schedule has been even tougher. That strength of schedule edge for USC will come to the forefront here because Notre Dame also is fortunate to be 5-1 as they were outgained (again by more than a full football field) when they won at Michigan State earlier this season. 3 Spartans turnovers keyed that victory for the Irish. Give them credit of course but Notre Dame now faces a USC teams that is throwing for nearly 300 yards per game while the Fighting Irish are barely throwing for half that per game. Yes, ND does run the ball well but USC has been very tough against the run with just 118.8 rushing yards allowed per game the last 5 games. When Notre Dame is a favorite off of back to back wins (both victories SU and ATS) with the most recent win coming by a double digit margin, they've gone just 2-9 ATS! Look for Southern Cal to improve to 7-3 ATS in road games with a posted total between 63.5 and 70 points. 10* USC |
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10-20-17 | Jazz v. Wolves -4 | Top | 97-100 | Loss | -107 | 11 h 3 m | Show |
Top Play Annihilation Friday - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Minnesota Timberwolves (-) vs Utah Jazz @ 8:05 ET - The Timberwolves actually led the Spurs with 5 minutes to go in the 4th quarter. They also were down just 1 point with 4 minutes to go when they missed a 3-pointer that would have given them a 2 point lead. Anyway calling San Antonio an "easy win" Wednesday didn't watch the game very closely as it certainly could have gone either way in the final minutes. In any event, this Minnesota team is well coached and also has added a ton of talent. They've got much more of a veteran presence than the young teams they've had in recent seasons. The result is likely to be a solid season and while they're moving up the Jazz are on their way down. Yes Utah won 51 games last season but they also had Gordon Hayward. You're already seeing what is happening to Boston after they acquired Hayward but he got hurt just 6 minutes into the season opener. The Celtics have seen that no Hayward has left quite a hole. Certainly Utah will be a different team without him. The Jazz did win their home opener but that was against a Denver team projected to be dead last in the division this season. Now Utah is on the road and they've gone 18-50 SU and have covered just 28 of 68 ATS when they are an underdog. That said, I am very comfortable laying the small number with the Timberwolves in their home opener. Minny is on a 45-31 ATS run in games against teams with a winning record and the Wolves are looking for payback here as they've lost 3 of 4 to the Jazz each of the last two seasons. Utah has a home game with OKC tomorrow and they'll be looking ahead to that match-up as they get down by double digits in this one in my opinion. 10* MINNESOTA |
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10-20-17 | Yankees +132 v. Astros | Top | 1-7 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 19 m | Show |
Game of the Week Friday - Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play New York Yankees Money Line (+) @ Houston Astros @ 8 ET - Even though Justin Verlander dominated the Yankees in Game 2, Dallas Keuchel dominated the Yanks in Game 1 and then look at what happened in Game 5 on Wednesday! The big key here is not just that hitters are getting a second look at pitchers but also how well they're swinging the bats! Keep in mind, the Astros have scored a total of just 9 runs in the 5 games of this series. That's an average of just 1.8 runs per game. Conversely, the Yankees bats have come to life and they've scored 19 runs in the last 3 games! That's an average of 6.3 runs per game. Just like the Yanks got to Keuchel the second time they saw him, look for the same to hold true here as they get another look at Verlander. As for Luis Severino, he was pulled early in his start at Houston in Game 2 even though he had allowed just 1 earned run. It was precautionary that he was lifted after just 4 innings and Severino insists he is healthy. Remember that in the series versus Cleveland he allowed just 4 hits in 7 innings while striking out 9 in a game that was an elimination game for the Yanks. They were down 2-1 and a loss would have knocked them out of the playoffs. That was a huge stepping stone for the young right-hander and now I am predicting that he steps up and sends the Yankees to the World Series by notching a huge road win here. The Yanks are 15-3 in his last 18 starts! I know it may seem tough to fade Verlander here but remember that New York has the much hotter sticks and remember what they did to southpaw ace Keuchel when they faced him a 2nd time in this series! 10* YANKEES |
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10-20-17 | Sharks -110 v. Devils | Top | 3-0 | Win | 100 | 8 h 16 m | Show |
Rickenbach Friday NHL 10* Top Play San Jose Sharks Money Line (-) @ New Jersey Devils @ 7:05 ET - Not only are the Devils off of a huge come from behind win at Ottawa last night, they are also expected to be without their #1 goalie Cory Schneider for this one. In addition to this being a back to back, Schneider has a lower-body injury. Back-up netminder Keith Kincaid is off of a strong start in his first appearance this season. However, he is the #2 guy for a reason and he gave up 4 goals when he faced the Sharks last season. In fact, San Jose won both match-ups with New Jersey last season and dominated to the tune of an 8-2 combined scored. Although New Jersey has won 6 of 7 this season and the Sharks have won just 2 of 5, the Devils have 22 less shots on goal than their opponents while San Jose has outshot the opposition by 15 shots on goal so far this season. Martin Jones saved 47 of 48 shots in the two games versus New Jersey last season and the Sharks, off of a 5-2 home win versus Montreal, have been targeting this 5-game East Coast road swing as an opportunity to jump start their season! Look for them to do just that here as they are catching the Devils at the perfect time to dominate them. New Jersey has lost 21 of 34 when they scored 4 or more goals in their prior game. The Devils also have lost 20 of their last 24 Friday games! The Sharks have won 45 of their last 74 versus the Eastern Conference and dominate again here. 10* SAN JOSE SHARKS |
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10-18-17 | Dodgers +106 v. Cubs | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 27 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Rickenbach Wednesday MLB 10* Top Play Los Angeles Dodgers Money Line (+) @ Chicago Cubs @ 9 ET - The Cubs Jake Arrieta went 0-2 with a 6.10 ERA in September. In October, in his only post-season appearance, he only lasted 4 innings as a lack of command with his pitches led to 5 walks. In his last two starts against the Dodgers Arrieta has allowed 4 earned runs each time even though he averaged just 5.5 innings per outing. The biggest issue for Arrieta here is likely to be run support as the Cubs just can not get going at the plate. They had one game, Thursday, where they scored 9 runs but in their other games in this post-season Chicago has averaged just 1.7 runs and 4.7 hits per game! The Cubs are certainly at the other end of the spectrum right now compared to the Dodgers. Los Angeles has won all 7 of their October games and they're a perfect 6-0 in the post-season averaging 5.8 runs and 8.9 hits per game! Alex Wood gets the start for the Dodgers here and the southpaw went 15-3 this season including 7-1 his road starts! Wood has given up only 1 earned run on just 5 hits while striking out 12 in his 8 and 2/3 innings versus the Cubs this season. This is a case of two teams at completely opposition directions on the "momentum scale" and I look for the Dodgers to close this one out tonight. We're getting great line value here since LA is on the road. 10* LOS ANGELES DODGERS money line |
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10-18-17 | Blackhawks +105 v. Blues | Top | 2-5 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 21 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Smash - Rickenbach Wednesday NHL 10* Top Play Chicago Blackhawks Money Line (+) @ St Louis Blues @ 8:05 ET - The Blackhawks (Nick Schmaltz) and the Blues (Alexander Steen) are hoping to get key players back tonight. A decision on Steen is unlikely until after the morning skate while Schmaltz is already listed as probable for tonight's game. Even if Steen does came back he'll be on the top line for the Blues and that's not really where their biggest trouble has been for St Louis. The big issue for the Blues early this season is that they've had ZERO goals in their first 6 games from anyone on the 3rd or 4th line. St Louis, in my opinion, is going to be unable to keep up with the Blackhawks tonight. Chicago has cashed in on 13% of their shot attempts this season and are averaging 4.2 goals per game. St Louis has scored on 9.9% of their shot attempts and they're averaging 3.0 goals per game. Chicago lost the outdoor game at St Louis last season but in "normal indoor match-ups" at Scottrade Center in St Louis, the Blackhawks won both games last season. In fact in their last 3 meetings indoors the Blackhawks have won all 3 games by a combined score of 12 to 7. The Blues are only 14-11 (DOWN $3,000) in home games with a posted total of 5.5 goals while Chicago has won 22 of 37 (60%) of their road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals. St Louis goalie Jake Allen has been solid (.917 save %) this season but Blackhawks netminder Corey Crawford has been phenomenal (.960 save %) this season. The Hawks have allowed 1 goal or less in 4 of their 6 games! 10* CHICAGO |
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10-17-17 | Dodgers +105 v. Cubs | Top | 6-1 | Win | 105 | 16 h 57 m | Show |
TBS Smash Pass - Rickenbach Tuesday MLB 10* Top Play Los Angeles Dodgers Money Line (+) @ Chicago Cubs @ 9 ET - The Dodgers have won 7 straight games dating back to September 30th as they won their final two games of the regular season and are already a perfect 5-0 in the post-season. The Dodgers are 11-1 their last 12 games and all 11 wins have come by 2 runs or more with an average margin of 4.1 runs per victory in those 11 games! The key for the Dodgers has been that they're still hitting the ball fairly well. LA has averaged 5.8 runs and 8.8 hits per game in the post-season. As for the Cubs, they're averaging only 2.9 runs and 5.9 hits per game so far in the play-offs. Chicago is only 3-5 in the month of October and they're in a tough spot here with facing Yu Darvish. The Dodgers right-hander has a 0.74 ERA with only 11 hits against 28 strikeouts in the 24 and 1/3 innings spanning his last 4 starts! It's unlikely that the Cubs hitters suddenly "turn it on" here considering how well Darvish has been pitching. As for Chicago's Kyle Hendricks, he allowed 4 earned runs on 9 hits in just 4 innings of work in his most recent start. That doesn't bode well for him as he now faces a red hot Dodgers team. The Cubs are under .500 when facing teams with a winning record this season while the Dodgers are 13 games above .500 this season when facing teams with a winning record. Look for LA to remain red hot here. 10* LOS ANGELES DODGERS |
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10-17-17 | Canucks v. Senators OVER 5.5 | Top | 3-0 | Loss | -100 | 13 h 23 m | Show |
Rickenbach NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Ottawa Senators vs Vancouver Canucks @ 7:35 ET - Not only are the Ottawa Senators the only team in the Eastern Conference not to have a regulation loss this season, they are scoring goals like crazy right now plus will be getting back Erik Karlsson tonight. After missing the first 5 games of the season, one of the best players in the NHL returns for the Sens Tuesday. Karlsson will help give a boost to a Senators club that has been red hot and has scored 6 goals in each of their past two games. Though the Canucks haven't put up big numbers in terms of goal-scoring so far this season, they have scored at least 2 goals in all 4 of their games. Only 22 of Vancouver's last 65 non-conference games have resulted in an under. As for the Senators, when they enter a game having played each of their 3 prior games on the road, the over is 15-5! Also, in non-conference match-ups the over is 33-22 in Ottawa's games. Keep in mind, East vs West match-ups tend to have a little less defensive intensity and I expect Karlsson and Company to be ready to put on a big show for the rabid Sens fans in this one! Look for the fired up Canucks (3 straight losses) to match the Senators goal for goal however and that sends this one easily flying over the total. 10* OVER the total in Ottawa |
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10-15-17 | Giants v. Broncos OVER 38.5 | Top | 23-10 | Loss | -108 | 11 h 23 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach Sunday NFL 10* Top Play OVER the total in Denver Broncos vs New York Giants @ 8:30 ET - The Broncos are off of a 16-10 defensive-minded win over the Raiders two weeks ago. Believe it or not, that was their first under this season as Denver had been on a 3-0 run to the over. Speaking of a run like that, the Giants enter this game on a 3-0 run to the over. Yes, New York is dealing with a ton of injuries but those have impacted their defense too and they continue to blow leads late in games. That said, the fact this total has made a downward move is leading to some exceptional line value in a game that may surprise some people. It will be perfect weather in Denver this evening with clear skies and pleasantly cool temperatures. The Broncos, prior to their bye week, are off of a divisional win over the Raiders and Denver has back to back divisional games on deck versus the Chargers and Chiefs. That said, don't be surprised if the Broncos defense slips up some tonight. It's easy to underestimate a wounded appointment and the Giants offense comes in with a chip on their shoulder and with a number of guys looking to "prove themselves" on national TV tonight. The Giants have averaged 23 points per game in their last 3 games. The Broncos, prior to shutting down the Raiders, had allowed 21.3 points per game on the season. I just think this total is very low when you consider these numbers. The Broncos offense, prior to putting up just 16 points in back to back games, had averaged 33 points a game in their first two games. The over is a long-term insane 23-6 (79%) in Broncos games versus the NFC East! The Giants are 7-2 to the over when they enter a game on a streak of 2 or more SU losses. This one will surprise some people. The Giants defense (26 ppg L4 games) has really slipped and Denver's defense is going to underestimate the New York offense since the G-men are without Odell Beckham, Jr as well as others! 10* OVER the total in Denver |
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10-15-17 | Cubs v. Dodgers OVER 7.5 | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 32 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach Sunday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Dodgers vs Chicago Cubs @ 7:35 ET - With high temperatures reaching into the 90s today and a start time of 4:35 local time, this game will have the feel of a mid-summer day game! That is likely to be bad news for Jon Lester of the Cubs as the southpaw had a 5.42 ERA in day games this season and was hit at a .281 clip. As for Rich Hill of the Dodgers, his ERA was nearly a run and a half higher (and BAA nearly 45 points higher) in day games than night games this season. Lester pitched at Dodger Stadium in May this season and gave up 6 earned runs in just 3 and 1/3 innings. The over is 9-1-1 in Lester's last 11 starts. The over is 4-1 in Hill's last 5 home starts. I am certainly cognizant of the fact that there have been a lot of unders in recent post-season games after a hot start for the hitters early on. However, this pitching match-up coupled with the weather make this one a prime situation for the bats to come back to life in a HUGE way Sunday. 10* OVER the total in LA Dodgers |
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10-15-17 | Bruins v. Golden Knights OVER 5.5 | Top | 1-3 | Loss | -115 | 8 h 37 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Sunday NHL 10* Top Play OVER the total in Vegas Golden Knights vs Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - The Bruins scored 6 goals last night and back-up goalie Anton Khudobin had a great game and allowed only 2 goals. However, now Boston either turns to him again in a back to back spot or goes back to struggling Tuukka Rask who has allowed 10 goals in his 3 starts. Vegas finally saw their strong season-opening run come do an end as Marc-Andre Fleury gave up 6 goals in an ugly home loss to Detroit Friday night. The Golden Knights, however, have scored 8 goals in their last two games and are now hosting a Bruins team that has scored 3 goals or more in 3 of their 4 games. In other words, look for quite the entertaining contest this evening in Vegas as this should be a barn burner! The over is 21-10 when Boston, in the first half of a season, is facing a team with a winning record. 10* OVER the total in Vegas |
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10-15-17 | Steelers +4.5 v. Chiefs | Top | 19-13 | Win | 100 | 8 h 30 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Rickenbach Sunday NFL 10* Top Play Pittsburgh Steelers (+) @ Kansas City Chiefs @ 4:25 ET - The Chiefs magical luck on the field and at the betting window continues. Not only is Kansas City the only undefeated team this season - 5-0 SU mark - they also are the only 5-0 ATS team as well. Of course they deserve credit for achieving this mark but taking a look back at their games raises some interesting doubt. They rallied late at New England (deceiving final score) and KC then had to rally again versus the Eagles (Philadelphia looked like the better team for much of that game). Kansas City then beat a Chargers team that is only 1-4 on the season and that preceded the absolutely ridiculous miracle cover versus the Redskins (another game where Chiefs opponent looked like the better team for much of the game). Now, after a win at Houston (but allowing 34 points), I expect Kansas City's luck has run out. They're running into an angry Steelers team that is off of an embarrassing home loss to Jacksonville. Even though Pittsburgh's win at KC in the post-season gives the Chiefs revenge in this spot, the Steelers are so "ticked off" right now that they will be the team showing much more "fight" in this game. Also, that win at Kansas City only game by 2 points for the Steelers but they significantly ougained the Chiefs in that game. In fact, the Steelers have outgained KC by an average of 120 yards per game in the last two meetings. More of the same here. The AFC North is known for tough, physical football and the Chiefs can't hang. Look for them to drop to 2-5 ATS in their last 7 against the AFC North. I love having the substantial points here and the Steelers are a long-term 74-53 ATS as an underdog. Pittsburgh entered this season 10-1 ATS as dogs of more than 3 points when facing an opponent on a SU winning streak of 2 or more games. Also, the Steelers are 5-0 ATS as dogs when facing a team with a winning record that is playing against them with revenge! Chiefs are just 1-5 ATS when they are home off of a game where they scored more than 35 points. 10* PITTSBURGH |
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10-14-17 | Utah v. USC -13 | Top | 27-28 | Loss | -105 | 10 h 20 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CFB Game #174 Saturday 10* Top Play USC Trojans (-) vs Utah Utes @ 8 ET - The Trojans have underachieved so far this season but they're getting a little healthier now and the odds makers set this line "big" even though USC is on an 0-4 ATS run because they know what they're doing! Southern Cal is set to blast Utah here as the Utes are definitely not the same team without QB Tyler Huntley and he is listed as doubtful for this game. Utah is off of a home loss to Stanford and the Cardinal aren't the powerhouse they once were so that says a lot right there. The Utes could be suffering from unbeaten letdown here. Also, USC has revenge from a 31-27 loss at Utah last year. Southern Cal is 3-0 both SU and ATS the last 3 times they've hosted the Utes. Also, USC has played a MUCH tougher schedule this season than the Utes have. Look for battle tested Southern Cal to be ready to blast Utah in this one. The markets and the public will be fooled here because they're not properly factoring in the QB situation for Utah (having to turn to Williams) and the fact that Utah has played the much easier schedule and now faces a tremendous road test here against a revenge-seeking Trojans team that also plans to make a "statement" in this game. 10* USC |
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10-14-17 | UTSA -124 v. North Texas | Top | 26-29 | Loss | -124 | 10 h 17 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach CFB Game #201 Saturday 10* Top Play UTSA Roadrunners (-) @ North Texas Mean Green @ 7 ET - The Roadrunners, after an undefeated start, got a much-needed wake-up call last week as they got upset by Southern Mississippi. That outright loss as a double digit fave will end up doing some good for UTSA and the "good" starts here as they should get right back on track against North Texas. Neither team has played a very difficult schedule so you can basically compare "apples to apples" when you look at the stats of these teams. While both teams have solid offenses, the key factor here is the Roadrunners big edge on defense. UTSA is allowing just 269.8 yards per game this season while North Texas is allowing 400.8 yards per game. While the Mean Green are giving up 34 points per game the Runners are giving up only 18 points a game. As a home dog of 3 points or less, North Texas has gone just 4-10 ATS and 3-11 SU. I would recommend taking UTSA on the money line here if you have access to it because, as of early gameday morning, it is available in the -120 range which is a bargain price considering the Roadrunners opened up in the 4.5 point range as a favorite in this one. Everyone is over-reacting to last week's results and, the fact is, UTSA is on a 7-3 ATS (8-2 SU) run as a road favorite and also an overall 6-2 ATS in games against teams with a winning record. Even though North Texas has revenge here, they are 1-11 ATS when playing with revenge against a conference foe that has a winning percentage of .600 or greater. Also, prior to their bye week, the Mean Green got a big upset win over Southern Miss and that is noteworthy because North Texas is 2-14 ATS when they are off of an upset win in conference action! UTSA is 3-1 SU (and ATS) against the Mean Green and, in the lone loss the Roadrunners outgained North Texas by over 100 yards but fell short on the scoreboard. Take the superior team in an advantageous situation (motivated off of a loss) and look for a road rout here. 10* UTSA |
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10-14-17 | Yankees v. Astros OVER 7.5 | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 44 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach Saturday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Astros vs New York Yankees @ 4:05 ET - The Yankees Luis Severino faced the Astros twice this season and he got crushed in both games and compiled a 10.57 ERA in the two outings. He enters this start having allowed 5 homers in his last 13 and 1/3 innings. The Astros counter with Justin Verlander who has allowed 5 homers in his last 3 starts versus the Yankees. Though he was successful in his start versus Boston in this post-season, he did only strike out 3 in that outing. That is significant because if the powerful Yankees sticks are making contact they can be ultra dangerous. Dealing with an ultra low total here means I have no hesitation in stepping in and taking advantage. These are two of the most potent lineups in baseball and, just because they were held "in check" in yesterday's pitchers' duel it does not mean they won't come right back to life here. Only 19 of the Astros 51 day games this season have stayed under the total. The over is 12-2 in Severino's last 14 starts. 10* OVER the total in Houston |
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10-14-17 | Houston v. Tulsa OVER 63 | Top | 17-45 | Loss | -115 | 8 h 51 m | Show |
Total of the Month - Rickenbach CFB Game #157 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs Houston Cougars @ 4 ET - The Cougars have gone under in all 5 of their games this season but it is the most ridiculous thing I have seen. Their offense averages a respectable 429 yards per game. The Houston defense has allowed an average of 532.5 yards (but only 24.5 points) in their last 2 home games. Now the Cougars are on their road and this will certainly be the toughest test their defense has faced on the road since their opener at Arizona in early September. The point is that Tulsa should score plenty here but the key to the over is the fact that the Golden Hurricane defense is nothing short of atrocious. Tulsa is allowing an average of 44 points and 587.5 yards per game this season! The Golden Hurricane are allowing an average of 8.2 yards per play and that ranks them 130th out of 130 teams - dead last among FBS schools! Tulsa's offensive production has been a little "up and down" but facing a Houston defense that has been ripped for over 500 yards in 2 of their last 3 games certainly should result in a great day for the Golden Hurricane offense at home. Tulsa's rushing attack is averaging 269 yards per game this season and that will force the Cougars defense to respect the run which, in turn, will create opportunities for Tulsa's passing game to attack through the air. The over is 18-9 in the last 27 games the Golden Hurricane have played on turf and I expect another one here! 10* OVER the total in Tulsa |
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10-14-17 | BC +5.5 v. Winnipeg | Top | 20-26 | Loss | -110 | 5 h 12 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach Saturday CFL 10* Top Play BC Lions (+) @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ 4 ET - The last 5 meetings between these teams have all been decided by 3 points or less with an average margin of just 2.4 points per game during this stretch. That said, I love having the 5.5 points here with a hungry BC team that is still very much alive in the playoff chase. The fact that Winnipeg's QB Matt Nichols is going to play actually helps us here because the injury he has is to his throwing hand and I expect this to impact him. The Lions certainly could "steal" this one on the road and, even if BC falls short of the upset they should still stay well within the inflated number in this one. When the Lions enter a game on a streak of 2 or more losses they are on a 7-2 ATS run. Also, as a road dog of 3.5 to 7 points, British Columbia has gone 4-0 ATS. As for Winnipeg, when in the 2nd half of a season and facing a team with a losing record on the year, the Blue Bombers have gone 4-8 ATS. This is the perfect set-up for an upset here with Winnipeg still reeling from their home loss to Hamilton. 10* BC LIONS |
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10-13-17 | Ducks v. Avalanche OVER 5.5 | Top | 1-3 | Loss | -100 | 13 h 35 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Colorado Avalanche vs Anaheim Ducks @ 9:05 ET - Both these teams have a long-term reputation of being involved in lower-scoring games and that's why this is a "contrarian" play. The reason we're getting value with the over here is the fact that Colorado has scored 4 goals or more in 3 of their 4 games and the Avalanche are expected to have back-up goalie Jonathan Bernier between the pipes. The Avs will be saving #1 goalie Semyon Varlamov for the game at Dallas tomorrow. That is noteworthy here because the lone loss the Avs have (4-1 defeat) this season was when Bernier started. He and the Avalanche will be facing an Anaheim team that has been getting much healthier up front and that means the Colorado defense (and Bernier) will be tested early and often in this one. The Ducks have recorded 3 straight unders but, other than a shutout loss to the Flames, Anaheim has averaged 3.3 goals per game in their other 3 games. The Avalanche were held to just 1 goal in their lone loss this season but have averaged 4.7 goals per game in their other 3 games! You can see why I am expecting a lot of goals here tonight, especially with Bernier likely to get the start for Colorado. The Avalanche penalty-killing has struggled this season and that should get the Ducks power play going in this one. That will certainly help this one get over too because Anaheim has yet to score on the power play and yet, other than the shutout loss, they've managed to average 3.3 goals per game in their other 3 games. Avs playing with confidence and scoring well, Ducks forwards are healthier now, Avalanche weak in their own end for this one. It all adds up to a barn-burner in Denver tonight. 10* OVER the total in Colorado |
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10-13-17 | Yankees v. Astros OVER 8 | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -115 | 12 h 11 m | Show |
ALCS Game 1 Crusher - Rickenbach MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Astros vs New York Yankees @ 8:05 ET - Even though Masahiro Tanaka is coming off of a great start in the Yankees series with the Indians, he was at home for that one. That is noteworthy because Tanaka was an entirely different pitcher away from Yankee Stadium this season. The Yankees right-hander went 4-7 with a 6.48 ERA in his 15 road starts and the over went 11-4 in those games! The Astros should pound him here and note that he is 0-3 with an 8.86 ERA in his 5 starts versus Houston in his career. However, the reason the play here is the over rather than the Astros is two-fold. First off, Houston's price is quite big here and, as long time followers know, I don't like to lay big juice! Secondly, the Yankees have a ton of momentum considering they are coming off of a huge comeback against the Indians. That said, New York will have a lot of confidence at the plate. Keep in mind, the Yanks have now scored 21 runs in their last 4 games and they've scored 7 runs or more in 3 of their last 6 games. Though Dallas Keuchel is certainly a top pitcher, the Astros southpaw will be making just his 2nd start in a span of nearly 2 and 1/2 weeks! Too much rest can lead to "rust" for a pitcher and the Yankees have a ton of pop in their lineup! Also, the over is 6-2 in Keuchel's last 8 starts. The over is a perfect 5-0 in Tanaka's last 5 road starts! Factoring in all of the above with the fact that this line has dropped from an 8.5 to an 8, we have great line value here! 10* OVER the total in Houston |
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10-13-17 | Calgary v. Hamilton +10 | Top | 28-25 | Win | 100 | 21 h 23 m | Show |
Earliest Cash Top Play - Rickenbach Friday CFL 10* Hamilton Tiger-Cats (+) vs Calgary Stampeders @ 7 ET - The Stampeders are the top team in the CFL but they are off of a bye week and now laying practically double digits on the road against a Tiger-Cats team that has proven to be very resilient. After a horrific 0-8 start to the campaign, Hamilton has now gone 4-2 since their bye week. The two losses have each come by 8 points and one of those was in overtime. As you can see, the Ti-Cats haven't lost a game by more than 8 points in nearly 2 months. Additionally, as you can see, sometimes a teams fortune can quickly change after a bye week. Don't be surprised if Calgary is a little sluggish after their bye week. After all, the Stampeders have already clinched a post-season spot and they can't help but be peeking ahead at future divisional games too rather than worrying about an East Division foe like Hamilton. Calgary is 0-3 ATS as a road fave of 7.5 to 10 points. The Tiger-Cats are on a 7-3 ATS run as an underdog in a range of 3.5 to 9.5 points. 10* HAMILTON |
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10-12-17 | Wild +112 v. Blackhawks | Top | 5-2 | Win | 112 | 9 h 13 m | Show |
Rickenbach Thursday NHL 10* Top Play Minnesota Wild Money Line (+) @ Chicago Blackhawks @ 8:35 ET - The Wild are 0-2 this season while the Blackhawks are 3-0-1 as they've yet to lose in regulation this season. That said, Chicago opened up in the -150 price range for this one and yet that line has fallen dramatically even though the Hawks will be on home ice tonight. Though that may seem like a head-scratcher, don't be fooled. The sharp money is on the Wild here. Chicago is a veteran team used to playoff success. As a result, there will be some "off nights" during the "ho hum" regular season and this is likely to be one of them. Why? Because the playoffs are so much more important than early regular season games and, that said, Chicago can't help but be peeking ahead at their huge game Saturday. They have a chance at "playoff revenge" against a Nashville team that swept them out of the playoffs in the first round this past spring. The Predators are up next for the Blackhawks and I know that Chicago already has their eyes on that match-up. Conversely, Minnesota is "all in" on tonight's game as the Wild are a damn good team under head coach Bruce Boudreau and yet they are still seeking their first win of the young season. The Wild will prove to be the hungrier team tonight as they are highly motivated and I am aware of the fact that they're rolling 11 forwards and 7 defensemen tonight instead of the traditional 12 and 6 but they'll get the job done. Boudreau is a helluva good coach and the Wild have won 22 of 32 (+$13,000) when facing a team with a winning record in the first half of a season. The Wild have won 3 of their last 4 games at the United Center. 10* MINNESOTA money line |
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10-12-17 | Cubs -106 v. Nationals | Top | 9-8 | Win | 100 | 10 h 22 m | Show |
TBS Network Rout - Rickenbach Thursday MLB 10* Top Play Chicago Cubs Money Line (-) @ Washington Nationals @ 8:05 ET - The Cubs Kyle Henricks has a 0.70 ERA in his last 4 starts and that includes shutting down the Nationals earlier in this series. The Nats are likely to start Gio Gonzalez here but, if not, it would Tanner Roark. With how long it has been since Roark has pitched that would not be a good option for Washington. Either way, I am taking "action" in this game, as usual, meaning I don't care who pitches I am going with the side I have chosen here and that is the Cubs. Note that Washington's Gonzalez has a 7.54 ERA in his last 3 starts. Also, in his 4 previous starts he got roughed up for 5 earned runs twice in this four outings! Gonzalez has given up 3 homers in his last 11 innings versus the Cubs and that includes the southpaw given up 2 round-trippers when he faced Chicago earlier in this series. The Nationals, before yesterday's win thanks to a valiant effort by Stephen Strasburg, had lost 4 of their last 5. The Cubs, prior to yesterday's loss, had won 17 of their last 22. Road team has a big pitching edge here and they also have a huge managerial edge with Joe Maddon over the Nationals Dusty Baker. 10* CHICAGO CUBS money line |
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10-11-17 | Penguins v. Capitals -130 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -130 | 10 h 11 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Smash - Rickenbach Wednesday NHL 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line (-) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:35 ET - A lot of key edges for the Capitals in this one. Certainly Washington has revenge on their minds as the Penguins have been a playoff nemesis for the Caps. The Pens again knocked the Capitals out of the post-season last spring. Additionally, the Stanley Cup champion Penguins have the distraction of yesterday's White House visit to deal with. Conversely, the Capitals have been fully focused on hockey and, while the Pens are off of their first win of the season, the Caps are off of their first loss this season. That certainly is adding to the motivation for Washington here as they let a 3-1 lead slip away against Tampa Bay Monday night and then lost 4-3 in overtime! Matt Murray will be between the pipes for Pittsburgh and certainly the Capitals have the goal-tending edge in this match-up. Murray has an ugly 4.43 GAA versus Washington. The Caps will have Braden Holtby between the pipes and he has a solid 2.77 GAA versus the Penguins. The Pens are 19-21 (-$6,800) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of a season. The Capitals are 29-10 (+$12,500) when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of a season. 10* WASHINGTON on the money line early Wednesday evening. |
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10-11-17 | Nationals v. Cubs OVER 7 | Top | 5-0 | Loss | -100 | 2 h 27 m | Show |
NOTE: Still going with this 10* Top Play. Stephen Strasburg has been ill but he over-ruled manager Dusty Baker and is now making the start. We shouldn't be surprised at this as Baker made multiple managerial errors in the loss to the Cubs Monday that NEVER should have happened. In summary, this is STILL a 10* Top Play for me as Strasburg is not 100% and I believe we'll see that firsthand as this game goes on. Baker got over-ruled and ends up making another poor choice here in my opinion. So Strasburg gets hit hard and, as noted below, Arrieta struggles again. |
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10-10-17 | Red Wings v. Stars OVER 5.5 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 10 h 47 m | Show |
Rickenbach Tuesday NHL 10* Top Play OVER the total in Dallas Stars vs Detroit Red Wings @ 8:35 ET - The Stars have actually played quite well and have been generating plenty of scoring chances but they don't have anything to show for it. Dallas has registered at least 40 shots on goal in each game but yet they've scored a total of only 3 goals. Look for that to change tonight at home but the issue for the Stars could be their goal-tending in this one. Yes, Ben Bishop is expected back for Dallas tonight but how will he be after taking that puck to the face in the season opener versus Vegas? Keep in mind, if a goalie is just slightly "off" it has huge consequences and the Red Wings come into this game with plenty of confidence since they're already 2-0 on the young season. If the Stars are again forced to go to their back-up goalie, Kari Lehtonen, he is already struggling badly early this season with 6 goals allowed on 32 shots. No matter how you look at, this could be a tough situation for the Stars between the pipes and though the Red Wings are likely to struggle overall this season, they have plenty of confidence here with how their season has begun. That makes for a dangerous dog but Detroit will have to score plenty to keep up with an angry and determined Stars team that won't take their foot off of the gas in this one and that is why I see it flying over the total. 10* OVER the total in Dallas Tuesday evening. |
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10-09-17 | Capitals v. Lightning OVER 5.5 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 9 h 42 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach Monday NHL 10* Top Play OVER the total in Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals @ 7:35 ET - Of course Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals are off to a red hot start this season but the value in this game, in my opinion, is with the total. Both teams have gone over the total in each of their games. The Washington offense, behind Ovechkin's insane start to the season (multiple hot tricks), has totaled 11 goals so far but the Lighting offense is not too far behind. Tampa Bay has tallied 9 goals so far this season. The issue for the Bolts is that they're quickly finding out that the goaltending in their post-Ben Bishop era could be quite the challenge. Andrei Vasilevskiy has given up 8 goals already. He also gave up 4 goals in each of his two starts against the Caps last season. However, as strong as Braden Holtby is between the pipes for the Capitals, he did allow 4 goals in his lone road start this season. He now faces a Tampa Bay team that is flying all over the ice early this season and creating great scoring chances. The Bolts are on a mission this season after the disappointment of last year and I foresee them giving a huge effort in this revenge opportunity against a divisional rival tonight. That should mean plenty of goals for the Bolts but their problem is they haven't been able to keep the puck out of their own net and the Capitals are red hot right now. Also, when TB is off of a game where they allowed 4 goals or more, their next game resulted in an under only 18 times in 53 games! In other words, the high-scoring trend usually continues and I expect that to be the case again tonight given the way these two teams have been scoring goals! 10* OVER the total in Tampa Bay |
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10-09-17 | Nationals -112 v. Cubs | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -112 | 7 h 9 m | Show |
Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach Monday MLB 10* Top Play Washington Nationals Money Line (-) @ Chicago Cubs @ 4:05 ET - The Nationals Max Scherzer only tweaked his right hamstring and I expect him to be just as strong as ever in this start versus the Cubs. The Nats right-hander has dominated all year and this has been especially true on the road where Scherzer went 10-2 and compiled a 1.82 ERA while holding opponents to a minuscule .156 batting average! That is simply insane domination and Scherzer also held hitters to a .140 batting average plus racked up 74 strikeouts in his 52 innings of work in day game starts this season. In my opinion, the Nationals have a huge pitching edge here over the Cubs. Jose Quintana gets the start for Chicago and the southpaw went 5-0 in his home starts since coming to the Cubs but he compiled a 4.76 ERA in those outings! Also, he was previously with the White Sox this season and his home starts with the ChiSox saw him go 1-4 with a 5.11 ERA. Simply put, Quintana has not pitched well in the city of Chicago this season and I expect that trend to continue Monday afternoon! Fantastic line value with the low price on Scherzer and the Nationals on the road for this one. 10* WASHINGTON money line |
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10-09-17 | Edmonton -7.5 v. Montreal | Top | 42-24 | Win | 100 | 6 h 37 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach Monday CFL 10* Top Play Edmonton Eskimos (-) @ Montreal Alouettes @ 2 ET - The Alouettes can say all they want about the fact that they're not going to stop fighting and they're still mathematically alive in the playoff race but the fact is that Montreal is playing dreadful football. They got crushed by the Stampeders last week and their still without starting QB Durant. The Als turned to Willy at QB versus Calgary and he was out of the game by the 3rd quarter as Montreal got demolished. Their offense is the worst in the league while the Eskimos, despite also being on a losing streak like the Als are, have the top offense in the league for yardage. Edmonton picked up a running back heading into this game whom is a solid blocking back but their ground game also could do some damage here against a Montreal rush defense that has been getting shredded on the ground. The Eskimos have dominated East Division teams this season and they still control their own destiny in the playoff races so I expect a big effort from a resurgent Edmonton team to surface in this afternoon match-up on Thanksgiving Day in Canada. Look for the Eskimos to improve to 6-1 against the East this season and, as for the cover, though Edmonton's full season ATS numbers are ugly, the Alouettes just don't have the offensive weapons to keep up here so I see the Eskimos finally cashing a ticket ATS in this one as well. Look for them to win by a dozen points or more. Though Montreal is playing with revenge they are 0-9 SU (and 2-7 ATS) this season when playing with revenge. Also, the Alouettes are on an 0-3 ATS and SU run in Monday games. More of the same here! 10* EDMONTON |
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10-09-17 | Astros v. Red Sox OVER 10 | Top | 5-4 | Loss | -120 | 4 h 12 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Monday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Houston Astros @ 1:05 ET - Boston got their sticks going in their 10-3 win over the Astros yesterday. Coincidentally, the Red Sox also scored 10 runs and got a win the last time Rick Porcello started. The fact that this was nearly two weeks ago means Porcello may be a little "off" in this start and, keep in mind, he allowed 7 earned runs in 6 innings in his lone start versus the Astros this season. Also, Porcello gave up 9 earned runs in less than 10 innings of work in his last two starts of the regular season. The Astros Charlie Morton finished up the regular season strong and had a good start versus the Red Sox in his final start of the campaign. However, his overall road ERA this season was a 4.17 ERA and I expect Boston's success at the plate yesterday to carry right into today. It will be another hitter-friendly afternoon with warm temperatures and winds blowing out to left field. We just need to see the rain stay away from Fenway Park and hopefully that will be the case although any showers are expected to be rather light. The over is 3-0 in this series and the over is now 47-27 in Houston's road games this season. Look for another slugfest here. 10* OVER the total in Boston |
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10-08-17 | Chiefs v. Texans OVER 44 | Top | 42-34 | Win | 100 | 11 h 33 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach Sunday NFL 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Texans vs Kansas City Chiefs @ 8:30 ET - This total has dropped heading into game-day and, in turn, it is offering great value on the over. The Monday night game with the Chiefs hosting the Redskins certainly had no business going over the total as it went over the closing number on an insane finish that also burned Washington backers (like me) who had the right side all the way in that game. In any event though good analysts must separate things from week to week and just because the Chiefs last game undeservedly went over the total it does not mean this one doesn't have the right set-up for an over. In this case, the Texans and Chiefs appear to be destined for a lot of points. I believe Kansas City's defense is going to struggle badly after getting pounded on by the Redskins last week and now playing on a short week and facing a resurgent Texans offense led by QB DeShaun Watson. Houston is playing with a ton of confidence on offense right now thanks to Watson and they've averaged 45 points per game the past two weeks. The Chiefs, even though it's taken some craziness, continue to "find a way" each week and Kansas City is averaging 30.5 points per game so far this season. I know the Texans are known for a solid defense but they did allow 337 passing yards to New England a few weeks ago and the Chiefs have thrown the ball very well in 3 of their 4 games. Also, KC has run the ball very well in 3 of their 4 games. The balanced offensive attack is a challenge for any defense and that includes the Texans! The over is 8-2 in Houston's last 10 October games. Also, the over is 17-7 in Texans games when they are a home dog of 3 points or less. The Chiefs are 24-16 to the over in road games with a posted total between 42.5 and 45 points. Kansas City's defense has consistently allowed over 100 yards rushing AND over 200 yards passing in each game so the red hot Texans are going to be able to move the ball here as the Watson era continues to develop. 10* OVER the total in Houston |
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10-08-17 | Ravens v. Raiders OVER 39.5 | Top | 30-17 | Win | 100 | 8 h 55 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Sunday NFL 10* Top Play OVER the total in Oakland Raiders vs Baltimore Ravens @ 4:05 ET - With Derek Carr out for the Raiders, this is sure to be a contrarian play. The fact is that I expect EJ Manuel to come in and do a nice job in his place at QB as he takes on a Ravens defense that is reeling a bit. Baltimore has given up 169.5 rushing yards the past two weeks and 248.3 passing yards the past three weeks. If they have that type of day again here than it means the Raiders are tallying a total of about 418 yards of offense and that is going to put some significant points on the board for sure. On the other side of the equation, the Raiders run defense has given up 128.3 rushing yards per game in their last 3 games. Also, the Titans and Redskins averaged 305.5 yards through the air against Oakland's pass defense in Games 1 and 3 this season. That said, it is likely the Ravens offense is going to enjoy some success here. Baltimore's offense has been plagued by turnovers this season but the Raiders have forced an average of just 1 turnover per game this season. The Ravens are settled back in after the London trip was a disaster and then they had to come back and face a tough match-up with the division rival Steelers last week. Also, the Raiders are 16-1 (94%) to the over when they are facing a non-divisional AFC foe that is off of back to back losses. Of course the Ravens fit the bill and after scoring 22 points a game in their first two games (both wins) but then just 8 points a game in their last two games (both losses), I look for the Baltimore offense to surprise and put up some big points in this one. The over is 4-1 in the Ravens last 5 versus AFC West opponents. Oakland is 5-0 to the over against AFC North opponents and the Raiders are 3-0 to the over when they are a home favorite of 3 points or less. Combining all of these factors with the 16-1 above and you have a fantastic 28-2 (93%) spot favoring the over in this one. 10* OVER the total in Oakland |
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10-08-17 | Astros v. Red Sox OVER 9.5 | Top | 3-10 | Win | 100 | 4 h 59 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach Sunday MLB 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Red Sox vs Houston Astros @ 2:35 ET - Very mild air in Boston with a strong southwest wind expected for this afternoon's game. That means the wind will be blowing out to left field at Fenway Park and the ball should be carrying very well. With Doug Fister and Brad Peacock having just faced these opponents in last week's season-ending series, the hitters have a huge edge in getting another second look at them. Also, certainly neither was dominant in those meetings. Also, the over trend simply continues to be the theme here in the post-season. With both of yesterday's games going over the total, the over is now 8-2 in this post-season! By the way, the over is 8-4 in Peacock's road starts this season and also 4-0 in all his starts made against Boston in his career. As for Fister, he wrapped up the regular season by allowing 17 earned runs in 16 and 2/3 innings! The over is 49-28 when the Astros are a road favorite in a range of -125 to -175. Also, the over is 18-6 in Houston's Sunday games this season. In road games with a posted total of 9 or 9.5 runs, the over is 43-19 in Astros games. The Red Sox trended as an "under team" this season but they did go to 11-4 when playing after a day off. That is the case here and with the weather helping the cause I am looking for another slug-fest here. 10* OVER the total in Boston |
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10-07-17 | Stars v. Blues OVER 5.5 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 9 h 40 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals (-) in St Louis Blues vs Dallas Stars @ 8:05 ET - The Stars put up 46 shots on the Golden Knights last night but still fell short as Marc-Andre Fleury had a tremendous game between the pipes for Vegas. Look for Dallas to be even more fired up after losing their home opener and another strong effort with plenty of shots on goal is likely to result on many more finding the back of the net in this one. St Louis is off of a wild 5-4 overtime victory in their season opener at Pittsburgh Wednesday night. The Blues can take advantage of the fact that the Stars may have to start Kari Lehtonen between the pipes as Ben Bishop took a puck to the face and had to exit last night's game. It was all downhill for the Stars after he went out and even if Bishop is back for Dallas tonight he may not be 100% himself after that vicious shot to the mask. The Blues and Stars have quite the spirited rivalry and 3 of the last 4 games have totaled at least 7 goals. Given the situation here I am expecting another wild one. Note that Dallas is 19-11 the past two seasons when they're off of a game where they scored 1 goal or less. The Blues have scored 11 goals in their last 3 games versus the Stars and, after putting up 5 on the defending cup champs on opening night, they roll into this game with plenty of confidence. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in St Louis |
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10-07-17 | SMU v. Houston OVER 61 | Top | 22-35 | Loss | -110 | 10 h 6 m | Show |
AAC Total of the Year - Rickenbach CFB Game #399/400 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Houston Cougars vs SMU Mustangs @ 7 ET - I am well aware of the fact that all 4 of the Cougars games this season have stayed under the total but it truly has been a bit of a miracle that this has occurred. Last week Houston took advantage of facing a dreadful Temple offense but the prior week the Cougars gave up only 27 points versus Texas Tech even though the Red Raiders gashed them for over 500 yards. In Houston's only other game against a solid offense the Cougars allowed only 16 points but it was only nearly 400 yards by Arizona. The take-away here is the fact that Cougars defense certainly hasn't been as good as the points allowed per game would lead you to believe. That said, I see a lot of value here with a rather low total here consider Houston is in revenge mode against SMU (Cougars lost outright bad as a huge road fave versus Mustangs last year). Houston will be hungry to put up a ton of points on this Southern Methodist defense and they should be successful in doing so as the Mustangs are allowing 34 points per game in their last 4 games. During this stretch SMU has allowed an average of 370.25 passing yards per game! While D is certainly their weakness, the fact is that SMU's offense is a real strength. The Mustangs are confident here as they've averaged 33 points per game in their last 2 games versus Houston. Also, SMU is averaging a fantastic 48 points per game on 500 yards a game so far this season. This has the makings of a shootout and the over is a perfect 3-0 when SMU is an underdog in a range of 3.5 to 10 points. 8 of the Mustangs last 12 road games have gone over the total and the Cougars want to put a beating on them but SMU should score right with them which will send this flying over the total. 10* OVER the total in Houston |
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10-07-17 | Ottawa v. BC -4.5 | Top | 30-25 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 19 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach CFL Saturday 10* Top Play BC Lions (-) vs Ottawa Redblacks @ 7 ET - Both teams have struggled recently and will be looking to bounce back but this situation strongly favors the Lions and not just because of the home field edge with this game being played in BC. The Lions also are off of their bye week whereas last week the Redblacks were in action and lost a tight one versus Saskatchewan. While Ottawa is frustrated mentally and fatigued physically, BC is fired up and refreshed coming out of their bye week. The Lions know they are in a must win situation and I like the fact that BC is 7-1 ATS the past 3 seasons when they enter a game on a losing streak of 2 games or more. I know that the Redblacks have a lot of impressive ATS stats but they are a long-term 5-12 ATS as a road dog in a range of 3.5 to 7 points. Also, Ottawa is an ugly 1-6 SU in games against the West Division this season. The Lions are 4-2 this season and 14-8 the past 3 seasons combined (both of those records both SU and ATS) when they are facing teams from the East. It's more West dominance over the East here in a situation that is very favorable with the rested home team laying a small number here. 10* BC LIONS |
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10-07-17 | Southern Miss +13 v. UTSA | Top | 31-29 | Win | 100 | 9 h 20 m | Show |
Insider Game of the Week - Rickenbach CFB Game #351 Saturday 10* Top Play Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (+) @ UTSA Roadrunners @ 7 ET - This game is being played in my backyard as I live in the San Antonio area. As a matter of fact my 4-year university degree is from UTSA and I follow the Roadrunners closely. This is the perfect spot to fade them. They are 3-0 this season but truly are over-hyped at this point. They've played a super easy schedule as the 3 teams they have beaten are a combined 2-11 on the season. Also, the Runners are the most penalized team in the nation as they've averaged 103 penalty yards per game! That is going to eventually catch up with them in a close game and that is precisely what I am expecting here. UTSA is facing a revenge-minded conference foe as Southern Miss got embarrassed in their last game here (last October). The Golden Eagles lost by 23 even though they held a 31-17 edge in first downs! Needless to say it was a "fluke" final score and payback is on order here. The Southern Miss running back, Ito Smith, is one of the best backs in the conference. Their wide receivers, Allenzae Staggers and Korey Robertson, are both 6'1 and very athletic and will create some match-up problems for the UTSA secondary. The Golden Eagles have had this game circled and they were 3-0 ATS on the season before last week's embarrassing home loss to North Texas. That loss to the Mean Green helped to create additional line value here as well. UTSA does have North Texas on deck and they are 0-4 ATS the week before facing the Mean Green. Also, the Roadrunners entered this season just 1-5 ATS when they are a favorite of more than 6 points against an opponent seeking revenge. That is the case here and the Golden Eagles are going to give them all they can handle in this one which makes the big points very generous. 10* SOUTHERN MISS |