Author Archives: Dalton Blackman

Best NFL Bets for Week 4

The weekend is finally here, which means it is time to place your NFL bets! Last week, we had a rough go of it, losing two out of three, and we are now at 4-4-1 on the season for the NFL portion of our Best Bets series. However, in terms of units, we only lost 1.2 last week and we are still up 0.92 on the year!

Hopefully, we can get further into the black this week. We have some great picks to make that happen! All lines come via Draft Kings as of Friday afternoon. Also, be sure to catch me and my fellow ATB bettors’ locks and underdogs of the week on Around The Book. Let’s get started and dive into the best NFL bets for Week 4!

Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Steelers at Texans: Texans Money Line (+124)

Betting on Houston feels sketchy, I know. They are a rebuilding team with a rookie quarterback; they aren’t going to win many games this year. However, this team is rapidly improving, and they just nabbed their first win of the season last week with a 37-17 route of the defending AFC South champion Jaguars. A big reason for that improvement is that their rookie quarterback, C.J. Stroud, looks more like a veteran each week.

On the flip side, Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett is still making some rookie mistakes in his second year in the league. Pittsburgh’s issues go beyond the quarterback, though. The offense lacks a coherent scheme, and the defense is less dominant than usual. This is a mediocre ball club with a very misleading 2-1 record, after narrowly beating a Raiders team that appears to be in dire straits.

The Texans are a team trending in the right direction, while the Steelers are treading water. Both teams will likely finish with similar records this year. The Texans should even things out on paper this week with a win. They have solid value as well at +124.

Patriots at Cowboys: Patriots Money Line (+210)

We’re going back to the New England well once more this week. While they did not look spectacular in their win over the Jets last week, they should be poised for another win against Dallas. The Cowboys looked rough last week in a loss to the Cardinals.

A big part of Dallas’ struggles were injuries to several offensive lineman and star cornerback Trevon Diggs. Any flaws Patriots head coach Bill Belichick can take advantage of, he will. The Cowboys revealed them all last week. Expect New England to quietly pull off a big upset in the middle of the afternoon.

Chiefs at Jets: Under 41.5 (-110)

We are going to try again betting another Chiefs under. It looked like we had it in the bag last week, before we were thwarted in the fourth quarter by the Bears getting all ten of their points in garbage time. Despite being 6.5 points lower, there is plenty of reason to feel more certain about this week’s under.

For starters, Zach Wilson’s ineptitude makes Justin Fields look like a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback. Kansas City’s defense should have no problem holding New York to single digits.

Secondly, and most importantly, the Jets have a far better defense than Chicago. Even if the Chiefs have the ball all day, they will be struggle to break 30. At worst, this game might end 31-10, but it will probably be more like 24-6. Regardless, you should hammer the under.

Week 4 NFL Best Bets Recap

  • Texans ML (+124)
  • Patriots ML (+210)
  • Chiefs @ Jets: Under 41.5 (-110)
  • Parlay odds: +1225

Best College Football Bets for Week 5

Time for this week’s college football betting picks! Last week, we finally went 3-0, taking us to 6-6 on the year! In terms of units, we were up 2.72 for the week and now only down 0.33 for the year. We’re slowly working our way back to the black.

We finally have an awesome college football slate to bet this week, as most of the country is playing conference games this week. All lines come via Draft Kings as of Thursday evening. Also, be sure to catch me and my fellow ATB bettors’ locks and underdogs of the week on Around The Book (those picks are actually hitting).

Let’s get started and dive into the best bets for Week 5 of the college football season!

Photo Credit: Clutchpoints

#10 Utah at #19 Oregon State: Under 44.5 (-110)

At this point, you just have to keep hammering those Utah unders. Not only is the under undefeated in Utah games this year, but a lot of them haven’t been close. Last week was a perfect example.

Yes, Oregon State does have a solid offense and can light up the scoreboard, but they have not seen a defense like Utah’s. The Beavers might very well win this game, but they will struggle to break 24 points. This is going to be a 20-17 slugfest. Hammer the under on Friday night.

West Virgina at TCU: West Virginia +14.5 (-115)

West Virginia might be one of the most underrated teams in the country right now. Their resume is impressive. They have held every team, other than Penn State, to under 20 points, and they have only played one game outside of the Power Five so far. TCU, on the other hand, has just one Power Five win this year and it is against Houston, a Big 12 newcomer.

This spread is simply giving the Horned Frogs too much credit for what they did last year. That does not mean anything this season. The Mountaineers look like they could contend for that second spot in the Big 12, a conference that is wide open outside of Texas. TCU looks like a seven win team, at best. Take the points.

Troy at Georgia State: Georgia State -1 (-105)

Troy is another program getting too much benefit of the doubt for last year’s accomplishments. The fact of the matter is they have as many losses as they do wins, and their best win was a nail-biter over Western Kentucky. Their blowout loss to Kansas State looks worse every week. Hell, their best game this season was a close loss to James Madison (we called that here, by the way), a team who has been in FBS for less than 18 months.

Georgia State is the real deal. Since their slow start against Rhode Island, they have been handling everyone. The Panthers look like a legit contender in the Sun Belt. The fact that this is basically being treated as a pick ’em is too easy. This is a situation where you might want to shop around for a better line. You might be able to get plus odds on the money line on some sites.

Week 5 College Football Best Bets Recap

  • Utah @ Oregon State UNDER 44.5 (-110)
  • West Virginia -14.5 (-115)
  • Georgia State -1 (-105)
  • Parlay odds: +601

Best NFL Bets for Week 3

It’s that time of the week, once again, for some more NFL bets! Last week, we started off strong, hitting that Colts moneyline, and then the Packers were looking good, too, heading into the fourth quarter. Then, Green Bay blew their lead, leaving us hoping for the Saints to give us a winning record. Of course, they pushed. After going 1-1-1, we are now at 3-2-1 on the season for the NFL portion of our Best Bets series.

Hopefully, we can keep right the ship this week. All lines come via Draft Kings as of Friday afternoon. Also, be sure to catch me and my fellow ATB bettors’ locks and underdogs of the week on Around The Book. Let’s get started and dive into the best NFL bets for Week 3!

Photo Credit: USA Today

Bills at Commanders: Commanders +6.5 (-110)

Yes, Buffalo looked like a juggernaut last week, but that may have been more about Las Vegas’ struggles than anything else. The Bills are a good team, but they do have flaws. As we saw in Week 1, they have trouble stopping the run. Washington should be able to exploit that far more than the Raiders did.

As far as the Commanders go, they have not looked bad this year. They have played the dregs of the league, but 2-0 is 2-0. Sam Howell has not looked bad. The offense moves the ball well and the defense is at least respectable. Expect Washington to keep it close, take the points.

Patriots at Jets: Patriots -2.5 (-120)

It turns out that Zach Wilson and Jets are not as good as we thought they were after the season opener. They cannot protect their young quarterback, and he cannot get the ball out quick enough.

That is too much of a weakness for Bill Belichick to exploit. The Patriots have looked okay this year, despite the 0-2 start. This game seems like the perfect opportunity for their first win of the year. New England only having to win by a field goal makes this one too good to pass up, despite sub-par value.

Bears at Chiefs: Under 48 (-112)

This game is almost certainly going to be a blow out. The Chiefs are slowly finding their stride, while the Bears are a complete dumpster fire. Typically that would be a great over play, but there’s plenty of reason to take the under.

The Bears have been completely inept on offense. It is unlikely things improve against a talented, and aggressive, Kansas City defense. They will struggle to score more than 10 points this week. On the other side of the ball, don’t expect the Chiefs to run it up. They don’t have the receivers to blow teams’ doors off. Also, they are beginning to control the ball more with the run. They might break 30, but getting over 35 would be a stretch. The under should hit pretty comfortably.

Week 3 NFL Best Bets Recap

  • Commanders +6.5 (-110)
  • Patriots -2.5 (-120)
  • Bears @ Chiefs: Under 48 (-112)
  • Parlay odds: +562

Best College Football Bets for Week 4

Welcome back for some more college football betting picks and our best bets for Week 4. Last week, we went 1-2 once again. That takes us to 3-6 on the year. At least we’re consistent! In all seriousness, it may be time to start fading these picks and betting the opposite. Do what you have to do.

We finally have an awesome college football slate to bet this week, as most of the country is playing conference games this week. All lines come via Draft Kings as of Thursday evening. Also, be sure to catch me and my fellow ATB bettors’ locks and underdogs of the week on Around The Book (those picks are actually hitting). Let’s get started and dive in!

#22 UCLA at #11 Utah: Under 52.5 (-110)

Picking a Chip Kelly team to go under feels wrong, but it is not as crazy as you might think. Surprisingly, the under has it in each of UCLA’s last two games. It also helps that Utah has not hit an over all year.

Photo Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

There is reason to believe that could change with the return of quarterback Cam Rising. However, that could be a blessing in disguise for under bettors. Rising will certainly be rusty. Also, the Utes will likely be looking to ease him back into things with a run-heavy game plan. That makes even more sense when you consider their opponent thrives on offensive volume.

With Utah taking the air out of the ball on one side, and playing great defense on the other, UCLA is going to struggle to drag the total over 52.5. I love the under in this one.

Louisiana Tech at Nebraska: Louisiana Tech +20.5 (-108)

This pick is mostly predicated upon the fact that Nebraska might struggle just to score more than 20 points. So far this season they are actually averaging fewer than 20 points per game, and they haven’t exactly faced a murderer’s row of defenses either. The Huskers have faced Minnesota (34th in FBS), Colorado (103rd), and Northern Illinois (78th).

For what it’s worth, Louisiana Tech is ranked 98th in scoring defense, but at least their offense can keep pace. The Bulldogs are averaging over 30 points a game. As long as they can get to 14 this week, they should be able to hold Nebraska under 35. This is one of those situations where the math outweighs the discrepancy in talent. Take the points.

#3 Texas at Baylor: Texas -14.5 (-110)

Texas might actually be back. The jury is still out until we figure out just how bad Alabama is, but it sure seems like the Longhorns are a legit top five team, at least. Baylor, on the other hand, is perhaps the biggest enigma in college football right now. The Bears started off losing to group of five Texas State, then gave #11 Utah a nail-biter, only to follow it up by letting Long Island, a mediocre at best FCS team, hang around into the fourth quarter.

If the pattern continues, Baylor should make a game out of this one. Regardless, they will struggle to stay within 20 against a Texas team that is rolling. The thing to really like about this pick is that it is a night game. It just feels like one of those games that stays close for a half, but then the favorite begins to impose its will and runs away in the fourth quarter. I love the vibes here, lay the points with the Longhorns.

Week 4 College Football Best Bets Recap

  • UCLA @ UTAH UNDER 52.5 (-110)
  • Louisiana Tech +20.5 (-108)
  • Texas -14.5 (-110)
  • Parlay odds: +601

Best NFL Bets for Week 2

We are back with three more great bets for this week’s NFL slate. We got off to a great start in week one, going 2-1 including two underdog money lines! Hopefully, we can keep that going this week. All lines come via Draft Kings as of Friday afternoon. Also, be sure to catch me and my fellow ATB bettors’ locks and underdogs of the week on Around The Book. Let’s get started and dive into the best NFL bets for week 2!

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

Packers at Falcons: Packers Money Line (+102)

This line is shocking considering how good Green Bay looked in their opener against the Bears. To be fair, the Falcons also had a strong showing last week against the Panthers. That, plus being at home, must be why they are favored slightly.

Nevertheless this seems like a great opportunity. Green Bay looked better last week and they played arguably better competition. The fact that we get plus odds for a team who probably should be favored makes this one too good to pass on. Take the Packers straight up.

Colts at Texans: Colts Money Line (+102)

This another situation where we can get plus odds for a team who should probably be favored. In fact, Indy actually was a slight favorite a few days ago. That is probably where they should have stayed. However, this matchup is a little tighter than the one mentioned above.

In this case, you have two teams who are both rebuilding with rookie quarterbacks. The difference is that the Colts still have a lot of talent and are in more of a “retooling” phase, whereas the Texans are basically in a full reset. Nevertheless, this is close to a coin-flip game, especially with it being in Houston.

If the line were reversed, the Texans would be a tempting money line pick. With things being the way they are now, the Colts are an easy pick.

Saints at Panthers: Saints -3 (-110)

Derek Carr gets his first prime time spot with his new team on Monday night. He has actually played pretty well on Monday Night Football, and boasts a winning record in those games. The Saints should have no problem laying three points against a rebuilding Panthers team. However, there is some cause for concern.

New Orleans did not look all that great in their win over Tennessee last week. They failed to cover the three point spread in that one, although that was mostly due to some questionable decision-making by Titans coach Mike Vrabel. Also, while the Titans may not be great, they looked much better than the Panthers last week. Carolina was soundly beaten 24-10 by Atlanta.

Carr and the Saints may not need much more than 20 to cover, and they should have no problem doing so this week.

Week 2 NFL Best Bets Recap

  • Green Bay Packers ML (+102)
  • Indianapolis Colts ML (+102)
  • New Orleans Saints -3 (-110)
  • Parlay odds: +678