Saturday's Picks and Predictions

ALL PICKS, INCLUDING MY NFLx PLAY OF THE DAY WILL BE POSTED HERE THROUGHOUT THE DAY!

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MLB
MINNY +105
SAN FRAN +110


NFLx

DETROIT VS. INDIANAPOLIS

The Lions return home to host the Colts. The Lions came crashing back to earth last week in their loss to the Browns, a game that was never close. Meanwhile, the Colts will look to continue their momentum off their impressive win over the Eagles, a game that saw Manning go 10 for 14, 165 yards and 2 TDs. While many are expecting the Colts to steamroll the Lions I feel very different. During preseason it has always been profitable to back the more motivated teams, and the Lions are just that! This week will be the closest thing to the real season and the Lions get a chance to prove to fans and each other that they can compete at a high level this year. Additionally, there is still a heated battle at the QB spot for the Lions and we always like backing teams in this spot. The line opened at a pick and has since moved to 3. I will go against the steam today and back the Lions. It is worth noting the Colts are just 4-16 SU and 6-14 ATS in preseason games since 2005, going 2-6 SU and 4-4 ATS on the road during this stretch.

PREDICTION: DETROIT 24 INDIANAPOLIS 21

(DETROIT +3 AND OVER 40)

OAKLAND VS. NEW ORLEANS

Oakland plays host to the Saints today. The Raiders are coming off a 21-20 loss to the 49ers last week in a game that saw QB Russell go 7 of 11 for 76 yards and a TD. It is the Raiders offense that has surprised many so far in the preseason ranking as the league’s 2^nd highest scoring team so far behind these Saints. The Saints are coming off a 38-14 blowout win over the Texans and that probably explains the steam move towards the Saints. However, I will go against the steam today and back the Raiders knowing that certain preseason home dogs in game 3 are an impressive 15-3 ATS L18 when coming off a loss and playing an opponent off a blowout win of 20 or more points!

PREDICTION: OAKLAND 24 NEW ORLEANS 20

(OAKLAND +3 -120)

ATLANTA VS. SAN DIEGO

Tonight the Falcons play host to the Chargers. Falcons QB Matt Ryan looked sharp again last week in their 20-13 win over St. Louis, a game they lead 14-0 after one quarter. In his first two weeks of limited action Ryan has posted an incredible 120.6 passer rating! Meanwhile, the Chargers will look to build on their 17-6 win over Arizona last week. QB Philip Rivers also looked solid throwing for 116 yards in his limited action. Both teams are expected to stick to the traditional week 3 preseason format. It is worth noting the Falcons are a perfect 5-0 SU/ATS in week 3 of the preseason over the L5 years while Coach Turner is a perfect 0-4 SU/ATS in his L4 preseason games including 0-2 at San Diego!

PREDICTION: ATLANTA 24 SAN DIEGO 16

(ATLANTA -2)

CLEVELAND VS. TENNESSEE

Cleveland stays home for their second straight week and this time hosts the Tennessee Titans. Cleveland is coming off an impressive win over the Lions in a game that saw both QBs continue to struggle. It is unclear who will start tonight but neither Quinn or Anderson have been able to rise to the occasion in what is supposed to be a heated battle for the starting job. Meanwhile, Tennessee is on the road for their 2^nd consecutive game and will try to rebound off their blowout loss to the Cowboys. In that game Tennessee looked horrible and Coach Fisher publicly stated he was embarrassed by their performance. Look for Fisher to get after his troops tonight and for the ground game to dominate the Browns defense from start to finish. It is worth noting the Browns have gone 4-1 ATS in their L5 week 3 preseason games, however, they are accustomed to being the dog and today now finds themselves in the unfamiliar role of the fave – teams historically do not fare well when they are in unfamiliar roles. Meanwhile, the Titans are 8-3 SU in their L11 preseason games overall.

PREDICTION: TENNESSEE 27 CLEVELAND 13

(TENNESSEE +2)

FOLKS, HAD A COMPUTER CRASH AND LOST THE REST OF MY WRITE-UPS AND I APOLOGIZE BUT HERE ARE MY PICKS:

NY-GIANTS VS. NY-JETS
PREDICTION: NY-JETS 23 NY-GIANTS 20
(NY-JETS +4 -120 ***PLAY OF THE DAY***)

PITTSBURGH VS. BUFFALO

PREDICTION: PITTSBURGH 20 BUFFALO 16

(BUFFALO +6)

DALLAS VS. SAN FRANCISCO

PREDICTION: DALLAS 17 SAN FRAN 14

(SAN FRAN +7)

KANSAS CITY VS. SEATTLE

PREDICTION: SEATTLE 23 KANSAS CITY 13

(SEATTLE +3)

NFLx - MARK FRANCO

Atlanta -2 ½ over San Diego

***PRESEASON GAME OF THE YEAR***

This week is 'dress rehearsal' for the NFL and this is my top play of the week.

The Falcons have gone a perfect 5-0 outscoring their opposition 121-45 in week three of the preseason over the last five years and they want to win this game as well.

Chargers coach Norv Turner has not covered his dress rehearsal game his first two seasons at San Diego and is 0-4 ATS overall in week three. This is a long trip for San Diego so I don’t look for as strong an effort out of them as I do the Falcons.