Saturday 8/28/21 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Carmine Bianco

Event: (200089) Crystal Palace at (200090) West Ham
Sport/League: EPL

Date/Time: August 28, 2021 10AM EDT
Play: West Ham -1.0 (-105)
EPL - Crystal Palace at West Ham
Quick Synopsis: Despite picking up a point last week in a home draw against Brentford it was the 2nd straight game to start the season that Palace has looked listless in attack and are quickly resembling the squad of a few years back that started the season 0-7 without a goal scored. They'll take on a West Ham team that has started the season strong out of the game under Moyes with 2 wins and both were offensive displays with 4 per game. While 1 might be enough on Saturday 2 should get the job done and another 3 points and cover.
The play is West Ham -1.0

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Jimmy Adams

Event: (305) Connecticut at (306) Fresno State

Sport/League: CFB

Date/Time: August 28, 2021 2PM EDT
Play: 1H Fresno State -15.5 (-110)
UCONN didn’t play in 2020, which can only hurt a team that was already in terrible shape. The offensive line really struggled the last time we saw them play, something that is likely to continue with the lack of talent. Overall, I struggle to find any real strengths for the Huskies as they enter the season. They also have to travel the farthest of any team and get up for an early start time Saturday. Kalen DeBoer enters his 2nd season at Fresno State. Led by quarterback Jake Haener, this offense is going to be even better than last season, able to name the score in this game. Ronnie Rivers returns in what is a very deep FSU backfield. That being said, it’s the defense that I expect to be much improved from a season ago. The Bulldogs return a great deal of starters on both sides of the ball. As long as they stay focused, covering this spread won’t be a problem. Take Fresno State FIRST HALF.
Line Parameter: 4 units at -17 or lower, 3 units at -17.5 or higher

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Nick Borrman

Event: Empoli at Juventus
Sport/League: ISAL

Date/Time: August 28, 2021 2PM EDT
Play: Juventus -1.5 (-125)
Italy Serie A
The big story for this match is that Ronaldo will not be playing as he has already told Juventus he wants out and it seems a deal to Manchester City is imminent. That being said, I think it is affecting the line in our favor here just enough to give a little more value. Juve is plenty deep enough to be fine without Ronaldo against the weaker teams in Serie A. Perhaps they will struggle some more against the big teams or on the European stage, but against a small team like Empoli, they should have no issues.
Dybala will fill right in Ronaldo's slot up front and he is more than capable of taking on the striker role, alongside with Morata who joined Juve last year from Atletico Madrid and scored 11 goals to go along with 8 assists. Then Juve's always strong defense should have no problem keeping a team like Empoli from getting many chances.
Empoli let up three first half goals in their opening match against Lazio and they just cruised to an easy win from there and I wouldn't be surprised to see something similar from Juve here especially now as it looks like Ronaldo will move on and the other guys like Dybala who have been stuck in his shadow will really get their chance to shine.
TAKE JUVENTUS -1.5
Line Parameter: 3% to -1.75

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Andrew McInnis

Event: (301) Hawaii at (302) UCLA
Sport/League: CFB

Date/Time: August 28, 2021 3PM EDT
Play: Total Under 69.5 (-110)
Total Under 69.5 (-110)…4% good to 68.5 or higher, 3% at anything lower.

At 69.5, this total is far too high and an excellent total spot for us to start the season. People see offence and entertaining football when they see Hawaii football, but under Todd Graham, it's been the defence; and all reports suggest it should be even stronger this season. Like many other leagues, having plenty of continuity is huge, and that's a large part of what we see with Hawaii; they have a boatload of returning players across all positions. All reports suggest the defensive front should be strong, fast and cause problems for their opponents.
As for the Bruins aren't getting much respect on defence either; in 2020, their secondary was top notch with several INT's, and they get plenty of help from their strong pass rush.
In week 0, expect two teams with plenty of experience on the field to lead with defence. Both defences will make some plays early and cause some frustration before the offences get clicking.
Play the UNDER

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Ralph Michaels

Event: (965) New York Yankees at (966) Oakland Athletics
Sport/League: MLB

Date/Time: August 28, 2021 4PM EDT
Play: New York Yankees -109 N Cortes (LHP), F Montas (RHP) Must Start

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Andy Lang

Event: (953) Cincinnati Reds at (954) Miami Marlins
Sport/League: MLB

Date/Time: August 28, 2021 6PM EDT
Play: Cincinnati Reds -108 V Gutierrez (RHP), S Alcantara (RHP) Must Start
Alcantara will be going for the Marlins, and he's been solid his last few starts, but he has gotten little to no run support. In the last four games the Marlins have lost when Alcantara has started, they've scored a total of four runs in those games. The Marlins have lost 9 out of 11 games, and the two wins were against the really bad Nationals. Before that they had three wins against the struggling Cubs and a win against the Padres, and five losses before that giving them a 6-13 record the last 19 games, 12 of those losses coming by the run line. Gutierrez will be going for Cincy and he's been fantastic. The Reds are 7-2 in his last 9 starts, and in August he's pitched 32.1 inning and given up only 6 earned runs including a 7 inning start against Miami where he only allowed 1 run. The last 10 wins by Cincy have come by the run line, but at this price, we'll take the run line for the Reds who have won 4 straight games against Miami by a combined score of 27-9.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Bobby Ligs

Event: (955) St. Louis Cardinals at (956) Pittsburgh Pirates
Sport/League: MLB

Date/Time: August 28, 2021 7PM EDT
Play: Total Under 8.5 (-120) A Wainwright (RHP), S Brault (LHP) Must Start

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Kyle Anthony

Event: (24877) Alessio Di Chirico at (24878) Abdul Razak Alhassan
Sport/League: MMA

Date/Time: August 28, 2021 9PM EDT
Play: Abdul Razak Alhassan +195

In a preliminary bout Abdul Razak Alhassan faces Alessio Di Chirico…

I get it, Alhassan has looked absolutely horrible since returning from a 2 year layoff. 3 straight losses and basically not winning 1 round over that span would make anyone fade this fight. Prior to a 2 year layoff Alhassan was on a knockout murdering spree dropping opponents left and right. No doubt time away from the cage took a massive toll on his overall skill set, but still.. with that said Di Chirico shouldn't be a -250 against anyone. He's the better over all mixed martial artist, but lets be real… Di Chirico was one loss away from being cut by the UFC. After going 0-3 in last 3 UFC appearances, he most recently defeated the slightly over hyped Joaquin Buckley via KO in round 1. Solid win for Di Chirico, but shouldn't provide this kinda price in his next bout. A favorite yes, but this line is to wide in my opinion.
This wager isn't for the faint of heart as Alhassan could look like absolute trash, but I'm placing a sprinkle on him for a pure value play. I believe he'll make improvements in this camp and keep the fight closer then line indicates. Approaching 2-1 dog money on Alhassan is the only value in this fight. Dog or pass.

Play: Abdul Razak Alhassan (+195)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

The Prez

Event: (303) UTEP at (304) New Mexico State
Sport/League: CFB

Date/Time: August 28, 2021 9PM EDT
Play: UTEP -10.0 (-110)
303 UTEP Miners at 304 New Mexico State Aggies +10, 58
The final weekend of August presents us with Week 0 of the college football regular season. The UTEP Miners are on the road to kick off the year by facing the New Mexico State Aggies. Neither of these programs is projected to win more games than they lose, making this game more important than most understand.
UTEP finished the 2020 season with a 3-5 record, while New Mexico State was only able to participate in a pair of contests due to COVID-related issues. The Aggies split their pair of games and closed the campaign with a 1-1 mark.
This UTEP program heads into the 2021 season as double-digit road favorites. The handicap that the Miners are issuing New Mexico State is significant considering UTEP has lost straight up and against the spread in three of the last four meetings with NMSU. The Free Pick in this Week 0 contest is a play on the obvious. The obvious being that this Aggies team has more personnel problems than will allow them to compete on Saturday night. The Miners earn the "Dub" with a 20-plus point victory over the NMSU Aggies.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Kevin Dolan

Event: (202489) RB Leipzig at (202490) Wolfsburg
Sport/League: GBL

Date/Time: August 29, 2021 11AM EDT
Play: Wolfsburg +0.5 (-130)
Wolfsburg +0.5 for Sunday against RB Leipzig.
Wolfsburg come off an electric start to their 2021-22 Bundesliga campaign as they're currently top of the league as the only team with maximum points at this early stage of the season.
After a tough opening day loss to Mainz, RB Leipzig bounced back with avengeance in their next game, dispatching Stuttgart with ease via a 4-0 scoreline in Matchday 2.
That's sets up a really fantastic clash on paper here for Sunday and I like the home team in this one catching a half goal head start at home.
Leipzig have been incredibly patchy on the road going all the way back to last season. Just 8 wins from their 17 road games last year basically saw their title aspirations evaporate and they're now currently on a four game losing streak on the road as well entering Sunday's game.
Wolfsburg meanwhile lost just 3 times at home last season, and with fans in the stands for this huge standalone game on Sunday, we expect Volkswagen Arena to be a fortress here and for Wolfsburg to grind out a result at home in this one.
Take Wolfsburg +0.5 to cover and potentially win outright on Sunday against RB Leipzig.
PLAY: WOLFSBURG +0.5

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Trace Adams

Saturday comp play on Fresno State minus the big number over the Connecticut Huskies.

When last we saw the Huskies on the gridiron for a game was back in 2019, as UConn opted out of last season's campaign due to COVID-19 concerns.

So what do we know about the team this year?

Well, if past history is any kind of harbinger, things won't go too swimmingly today at Fresno State.

Connecticut is on a 3-36 straight-up run their last 39 games contested and they are just 7-17 against the spread their last 24 games with a line. The Huskies have also given up some 43 points and over 500 yards per game during that 7-17 point spread dive and have a penchant for turning over the football.

If any of those negative traits persist, then this game should not be close for long as Fresno State does have an experienced quarterback in Jake Haener who spent some time with the Washington Huskies. Haener will throw to his top-8 returning pass-catchers and that my friends are a definite recipe for a blowout in the making.

Lay it with the Bulldogs over the Huskies.

4* FRESNO STATE

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Gus Augustine

My free pick for Saturday's college football card is the Fresno State Bulldogs laying a mighty big number to the Connecticut Huskies.

Anyone else realize when the ball is kicked off, it will mark 638 days since the Huskies have played a game? UConn sat out the 2020 season, and will be as big a mystery to itself as it will be for others. UConn finished its 2019 campaign with a 2-10 mark.

Though 16 players Bulldogs are taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility, granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team added 39 players to the 2021 roster who were not on the roster a season ago.

A true mystery.

I don't think this is an ideal spot to open the season, across the country against a feisty team from a conference where members are always trying to prove themselves.

Fresno State had one of the more balanced teams in the Mountain West last season, with a high-octane offense led by the league's No. 1 passing game, and a defense that was suffocating with an 11.2% sack rate.

The Bulldogs have a senior-laden offensive unit returning, while a combined nine juniors and seniors are back for this season. With Fresno State returning 20 of its 22 position starters from last season, the 20 returning starters bring a collective 204 career starts into the season, and that'll be a problem for an unknown Huskies team.

4* FRESNO STATE

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Jay McNeil

Saturday's comp play goes on the Reds and the Marlins to play Under the total with a pair of Under pitchers on the mound.

Cincy starter Vladimir Gutierrez has allowed 2 runs or less in each of his last 6 starts and in 8 of his last 9 overall. On the road, he has gone a rock-solid 6-1 with a 2.92 ERA this year. Each of his last pair of starts and 3 of his last 4 overall have held Under the total.

Miami hurler Sandy Alcantara has allowed 2 runs or less in 4 of his last 5 starts and owns a 2.43 ERA in his home starts this year. The Under is 15-8-3 when he climbs the bump, so do not expect too much offense going on tonight.

Cincinnati is now 8-2 Under the total after last night's meeting with the Marlins, while Miami is now Under in 7 of their last 10 overall.

Gutierrez and Alcantara to dominate.

Reds and Marlins Under the total.

5* CINCINNATI-MIAMI UNDER

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Al McMordie - NFL - Sat, Aug 28 at 1:00 PM

BIG AL's FREE BILLS/PACKERS WINNER!

Green Bay Packers vs Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills -8.5 (-104) (BetCRIS)

At 1 pm, our complimentary selection is on the Buffalo Bills minus the points over Green Bay. The storyline for this game is that Aaron Rodgers will once again not play, while Josh Allen and other Bills starters will see action on Saturday. It’s hard to make a case for Green Bay, given that it has scored just 21 points total in the preseason, while Buffalo has scored 57. Last week, the Bills ran up 41 points on the Chicago Bears behind a 20-for-28 performance from back-up QB Mitchell Trubisky. The line on this game opened up at Buffalo -4, and is currently much higher. Generally, I’m a contrarian, but this statistic will keep me completely off the Packers. NFL teams off back to back losses by more than 7 points have gone 4-23 ATS in the preseason vs. opponents off back to back wins. The Packers have lost their first two games by 9 and 19 points, while the Bills are 2-0. I’m laying the points with Buffalo. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

PITBULL BARKING SOCCER

Sat Aug 28, 2021 6:40 am

ENGLAND - LEAGUE ONE- (UNDER 2.5 -128) SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY vs. MORECAMBE (10:00 AM)
ENGLAND - PREMIER LEAGUE- (UNDER 2.5 -115) CHELSEA vs. LIVERPOOL (12:30 PM)
ENGLAND - PREMIER LEAGUE- (OVER 3 -103) ARSENAL vs. MANCHESTER CITY (7:30 AM)