Contributing Writer

Josh Allen Week 2 Thursday Night Football props: Odds and best bet for Bills’ QB vs. Dolphins

The Buffalo Bills are 1-0 to start the season but things don’t get any easier against the Miami Dolphins.

The pregame narrative: Thursday Night Football continues to deliver with another great game in Week 2. Last week, Josh Allen passed for two touchdowns and rushed for two more against the Arizona Cardinals. Can he continue his success on the road against the Dolphins?

Check out our Josh Allen props, odds and best bet for Week 2 of Thursday Night Football.

Josh Allen props

Click linked odds to add selection to your betslip. Note: Lines have changed/market no longer available if grey.

Allen prop markets	Betting odds
Over 239.5 pass yards	-109
Under 239.5 pass yards	-120
Over 37.5 rushing yards	-112
Under 37.5 rushing yards	-117
Over 279.5. passing/rushing yards	-113
Under 279.5 passing/rushing yards	-115
Over 1.5 passing TDs	+117
Under 1.5 passing TDs	-152
Anytime TD scorer	-159
Over 0.5 interceptions	-139
Under 0.5 interceptions	+108

NFL odds as of 12:30 p.m. ET on 09/10/2024.

Allen started his campaign with a dominant performance at home over the Cardinals.

The star quarterback went 18-for-23 passing, throwing two touchdowns while adding two more on the ground and making some classic Allen plays along the way.

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He did also lose a fumble, adding a small stain to his otherwise stellar performance.

Miami held Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence to 12-of-21 passing for 162 yards in Week 1. But the Dolphins’ defence hasn’t given Allen much resistance in the past.

Best Allen prop bet

Best Bet: Allen over 279.5 passing/rushing yards (-113)

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It may be a new year but Allen has historically sliced up the Dolphins’ defence.

Dating back to his rookie season, Allen has thrown multiple TD passes in every game against Miami. That’s 36 TD passes over 13 matchups in total.

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So the over 1.5 passing TDs at plus money could be tempting, but with his rushing upside — especially near the goal line — I feel better about taking the over on his total yards.

After all, he’s had success against the Dolphins in that way, too. Last year, Allen cleared this line in both matchups against Miami while averaging 381.5 yards from scrimmage.

He fell short of this mark against Arizona with 271 total yards … but he also only threw 23 times. Last year, Allen averaged 34 pass attempts per game, so I’m expecting his output to rise significantly.

Pick made at 1:10 p.m. ET on 09/10/2024.

Rams vs. Lions Week 1 best bet and odds: Bet on offence at Ford Field

The Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions wrap up the first NFL Sunday of the season on Sunday Night Football.

The latest: The Rams and Lions are set for a rematch of their NFC wild-card game from last season. I’m backing both offences to shine in the opener at Ford Field.

Check out my Rams vs. Lions best bet and full odds for their Week 1 matchup on Sept. 8.

Rams vs. Lions best bet

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Detroit made waves last season, finishing 12-5 and reaching the NFC championship game.

Despite a second-half collapse in the conference title game, it was a commendable season for the Lions. And the young core of Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs should only improve with Jared Goff still under centre.

The Rams are no pushovers, though. They’ve gone over .500 in six of the last seven seasons, so this should be a fun game to get the Sunday Night Football season started.

Bet on offence

Best bet: Over 52 points (-110)

I’ll preface this bet by saying that Detroit’s Ford Field is a domed stadium and both quarterbacks strive in that type of environment.

Jared Goff had an 11-3 record and threw for 277 yards per game when playing indoors last season. He compiled a 69.8% completion rate, 28 TD passes, eight interceptions and a 106.4 QB rating.

His counterpart and former Lion, Matthew Stafford, completed 25-of-36 pass attempts for 367 yards, two TDs and no picks in the NFC wild-card contest in Detroit last year.

The game stayed under this number, but that was the playoffs. I’m expecting a more free-flowing offensive approach from both sides on Sunday. The Rams also lost Aaron Donald, a generational defensive talent, to retirement.

Both teams fielded a bottom-half scoring defence last season, with the Lions allowing the eighth-most points per game (23.8) with the Rams not far behind (22.3).

L.A. and Detroit’s rosters are both built around their offensive talent, so I’m backing the over in the season’s first edition of Sunday Night Football.

Key stat: The Lions allowed the second-most yards per game in the league last season (257.0).

NFL pick made at 3:55 p.m. on 09/06/24.

Rams vs. Lions Week 1 best bet and odds: Bet on offence at Ford Field

The Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions wrap up the first NFL Sunday of the season on Sunday Night Football.

The latest: The Rams and Lions are set for a rematch of their NFC wild-card game from last season. I’m backing both offences to shine in the opener at Ford Field.

Check out my Rams vs. Lions best bet and full odds for their Week 1 matchup on Sept. 8.

Rams vs. Lions best bet

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Go to full NFL betting markets

Detroit made waves last season, finishing 12-5 and reaching the NFC championship game.

Despite a second-half collapse in the conference title game, it was a commendable season for the Lions. And the young core of Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs should only improve with Jared Goff still under centre.

The Rams are no pushovers, though. They’ve gone over .500 in six of the last seven seasons, so this should be a fun game to get the Sunday Night Football season started.

Bet on offence

Best bet: Over 52.5 points (-112)

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I’ll preface this bet by saying that Detroit’s Ford Field is a domed stadium and both quarterbacks strive in that type of environment.

Jared Goff had an 11-3 record and threw for 277 yards per game when playing indoors last season. He compiled a 69.8% completion rate, 28 TD passes, eight interceptions and a 106.4 QB rating.

His counterpart and former Lion, Matthew Stafford, completed 25-of-36 pass attempts for 367 yards, two TDs and no picks in the NFC wild-card contest in Detroit last year.

The game stayed under this number, but that was the playoffs. I’m expecting a more free-flowing offensive approach from both sides on Sunday. The Rams also lost Aaron Donald, a generational defensive talent, to retirement.

Both teams fielded a bottom-half scoring defence last season, with the Lions allowing the eighth-most points per game (23.8) with the Rams not far behind (22.3).

L.A. and Detroit’s rosters are both built around their offensive talent, so I’m backing the over in the season’s first edition of Sunday Night Football.

Key stat: The Lions allowed the second-most yards per game in the league last season (257.0).

NFL pick made at 3:05 p.m. on 09/06/24.

US Open men’s semifinal picks and predictions: Expect Sinner vs. Draper to be a lengthy battle

Two semifinal matches take place at the US Open on Friday.

The pregame narrative: Jack Draper has been one of the best at the tournament and I expect him to give Jannik Sinner his toughest match yet. In the later semifinal, I’m betting on Taylor Fritz to win dominantly over Frances Tiafoe.

Check out my top US Open men’s semifinal picks.

US Open men’s semifinal picks

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Best Bet: Sinner vs. Draper over 35.5 games (-118)

I believe these two have been the best players at the US Open so far.

Sinner has been doing Sinner things, winning all but two sets on the path to the semifinal. His 28-2 record on the outdoor hard courts is outrageous and he’s deservedly the big favourite in this one.

But Draper has been phenomenal in his own right, striking down four of five opponents in straight sets. A good way to see how good the Englishman has been is by looking at his time on court at the US Open.

His 9:14 of playing time is much lower than the average of 12:45 the other three competitors have spent on the court. That includes Sinner, who’s played 11:17.

The 22-year-old should have more than enough legs left to make the world’s No. 1 player work for this win. Draper has held 59-of-62 break points (95.2%) at the US Open, so I don’t see his serve getting broken easily.

To hit the over on this games total, four sets should do the trick.

Key stat: These two have played 26 games against each other and split them almost evenly at 14-12.

Other picks

Fritz -1.5 sets (-143): This wager is mostly backed by the recent history between these two players.

Fritz has taken six straight matches off Tiafoe since losing their first career meeting. Five of those victories came on outdoor hard courts.

In 18 total sets played against one another, Fritz has won 14. He’s simply dominated this matchup.

I’m also going to go back to the fatigue argument for this bet. Tiafoe has logged more hours on court than anyone else left at this tournament (15:01).

Compare that to Fritz’s 12:09 of playing time and it’s easy to think he will have the cardio advantage at this point.

Picks made at 1:16 p.m. on 09/06/24

US Open men’s semifinal picks and predictions: Expect Sinner vs. Draper to be a lengthy battle

Two semifinal matches take place at the US Open on Friday.

The pregame narrative: Jack Draper has been one of the best at the tournament and I expect him to give Jannik Sinner his toughest match yet. In the later semifinal, I’m betting on Taylor Fritz to win dominantly over Frances Tiafoe.

Check out my top US Open men’s semifinal picks.

US Open men’s semifinal picks

Visit full US Open betting markets.

Best Bet: Sinner vs. Draper over 35.5 games (-106)

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I believe these two have been the best players at the US Open so far.

Sinner has been doing Sinner things, winning all but two sets on the path to the semifinal. His 28-2 record on the outdoor hard courts is outrageous and he’s deservedly the big favourite in this one.

But Draper has been phenomenal in his own right, striking down four of five opponents in straight sets. A good way to see how good the Englishman has been is by looking at his time on court at the US Open.

His 9:14 of playing time is much lower than the average of 12:45 the other three competitors have spent on the court. That includes Sinner, who’s played 11:17.

The 22-year-old should have more than enough legs left to make the world’s No. 1 player work for this win. Draper has held 59-of-62 break points (95.2%) at the US Open, so I don’t see his serve getting broken easily.

To hit the over on this games total, four sets should do the trick.

Key stat: These two have played 26 games against each other and split them almost evenly at 14-12.

Other picks

Fritz -1.5 sets (-141): This wager is mostly backed by the recent history between these two players.

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Fritz has taken six straight matches off Tiafoe since losing their first career meeting. Five of those victories came on outdoor hard courts.

In 18 total sets played against one another, Fritz has won 14. He’s simply dominated this matchup.

I’m also going to go back to the fatigue argument for this bet. Tiafoe has logged more hours on court than anyone else left at this tournament (15:01).

Compare that to Fritz’s 12:09 of playing time and it’s easy to think he will have the cardio advantage at this point.

Picks made at 11:25 a.m. on 09/06/24

Sept. 6 MLB odds, schedule and matchups: Skubal, Wheeler to start on Friday in exciting matchups

Plenty of new series start as the MLB action rolls into the weekend.

The latest: Two of the league’s best pitchers take the mound on Friday. Zack Wheeler and Tarik Skubal look to continue their dominant seasons in their respective matchups. The AL East remains under siege as both the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles are in action.

Check out the latest MLB odds for Friday, Sept. 6.

MLB odds: Sept. 6

MLB Markets: Click Here | MLB Stats: Click Here

New York Yankees vs. Chicago Cubs

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Colorado Rockies vs. Milwaukee Brewers

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Washington Nationals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

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Tampa Bay Rays vs. Baltimore Orioles

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Cincinnati Reds vs. New York Mets

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Chicago White Sox vs. Boston Red Sox

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Philadelphia Phillies vs. Miami Marlins

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Toronto Blue Jays vs. Atlanta Braves

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Los Angeles Angels vs. Texas Rangers

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Minnesota Twins vs. Kansas City Royals

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Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Houston Astros

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Seattle Mariners vs. St. Louis Cardinals

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San Francisco Giants vs. San Diego Padres

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Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics

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Cleveland Guardians vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

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Betting insights

Zack Wheeler and the Phillies (13-6, 2.63 ERA) visit the 52-88 Miami Marlins. Philadelphia is the heavy favourite to win, but a wager on the Phillies’ -1.5 run line (-127) features a more playable price for those interested in backing the away team.

The AL Cy Young runaway favourite, Tarik Skubal, also finds himself in a plus matchup. The Tigers’ ace has 201 strikeouts on the season and the Athletics strike out the sixth most per game (9.19).

Can the top of the AL East get any tighter? The Yankees (80-60) and Orioles (81-60) continue their season-long battle for the division today. New York plays the Chicago Cubs while Baltimore hosts the Tampa Bay Rays.

NFL Week 1 parlay picks: Back the Bengals, Saints and Chargers on Sunday

NFL parlays are back and I’ve cooked one up for Week 1.

The pregame narrative: On Sunday, I’m backing both the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers to get a win. Also, I’m taking the Cincinnati Bengals to cover an alternate spread against the New England Patriots.

Check out my Week 1 parlay picks for the start of the NFL season.

NFL Week 1 parlay picks

Go to full NFL Week 1 betting markets.

Parlay: Saints moneyline + Bengals -6.5 + Chargers moneyline (+328)

Saints moneyline (-200): This isn’t so much an endorsement of the Saints but rather a fade against the Panthers.

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Carolina finished 2-15 last season and 0-9 on the road. Even if it improves this season, it’s hard to see the Panthers winning in Week 1.

The Panthers scored the fewest points in the NFL last season (tied with the Patriots) and didn’t add much in terms of young talent as they traded away the 2024 first overall pick in the deal that landed them Bryce Young.

New Orleans wasn’t bad last season despite the narrative around the team. The Saints went 9-8, including a 5-1 run at the end of the season to just miss the playoffs.

Derek Carr was seemingly more comfortable under centre as the season progressed. He finished with 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. It was his best statistical season since 2020-2021.

Young, meanwhile, finished with an 11:10 TD to INT ratio. It’s clear why the Saints are the play here.

Other parlay picks

Bengals -6.5 (-137): Another team I’m happy to fade in Week 1 is New England.

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The Pats went 4-13 last year. They had a much better defence than the Panthers (but lost key piece Mattew Judon this offseason), though the offence was just as abysmal.

A revamped offence will see the field behind journeyman Jacoby Brissett. Although better than Mac Jones, he certainly isn’t a needle mover and is more of a placeholder while No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye develops.

On the other side, Joe Burrow is healthy and primed to try to reclaim the AFC North. His No .1 receiver, Ja’marr Chase, is reported to be a part of the offence in Week 1 despite ongoing contract disputes.

Cincinnati has a 17-9 with Burrow under centre over the last two seasons.

Chargers moneyline (-167): To close out the parlay, I’m taking the Chargers to beat the Las Vegas Raiders at home.

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Los Angeles’ offence lost key pieces Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler in the offseason but Justin Herbert is still under centre, which is most important.

Las Vegas will start career backup Gardner Minshew, giving the quarterback advantage to the home team.

The Chargers signed Gus Edwards to replace Ekeler and he’s arguably a better pure rusher at this point. Edwards scored 13 touchdowns last season.

They also signed J.K. Dobbins, who will form a nice one-two punch with Edwards if he can stay healthy — a big if.

Los Angeles, which drafted wideout Ladd McConkey with the 34th overall pick to help replace Allen, will be under new coach Jim Harbaugh.

The polarizing coach is a major improvement over Anthony Lynn and is expected to help the Chargers get back to being a threat in the AFC.

I trust this version of the Chargers a lot more than last season’s and I’m backing them at home in Week 1 over one of the lower-tier rosters in the NFL.

NFL picks made at 1:06 p.m. on 09/04/24.

CFL Week 14 picks and predictions: Bet on the Lions to cover behind Rourke

The CFL season pushes on as Week 14 starts Friday.

The pregame narrative: Nathan Rourke looked more like himself last week and I expect that momentum to continue. My best bet is for the BC Lions to cover the spread against the Montreal Alouettes. On Saturday, back the Edmonton Elks to beat the Calgary Stampeders.

Check out the best CFL Week 14 picks below.

CFL Week 14 picks

Find the full CFL Week 14 betting markets

Best Bet: Lions +4 (-129)

Rourke is growing back into form each week, and I assume the progression will continue.

Also, the Alouettes’ foundation seems to be cracking. They’ve been winning games but not in a comfortable way like they were earlier in the season.

Three of Montreal’s last five wins came by five or fewer points. The two exceptions were victories against the measly 3-9 Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Even if BC can’t pull off the upset, I think they can keep it within field goal range. Especially if Rourke’s play from last week continues.

The Lions’ QB shook off his rust from his season debut by responding with a 325-yard, three-touchdown performance against the 7-3-1 Ottawa Redblacks last Saturday. The Lions’ offence scored 38 points.

Rourke is no stranger to being dominant in Canada. He threw for 3,349 and 25 scores while adding another seven rushing TDs in just 10 games for the Lions in 2022.

Key stat: BC has a +13.3 point differential in Rourke’s 12 career starts.

Quick pick

Elks -2.5 (-110): Edmonton is 4-8, but the squad has played much better than its record indicates.

Seven of the Elks’ eight losses have come by one possession. They’ve also won four of their past five matchups, including a 35-20 victory over the Stamps on Monday.

The recent success is partly on the shoulders of McLeod Bethel-Thompson. The 36-year-old quarterback has thrown for 306.7 yards per game over his last three starts. He tallied seven TDs and didn’t turn the ball over once over that span.

In the Week 13 game against Calgary, Bethel-Thompson passed for 486 yards and three TDs.

The rematch moves to Edmonton, where I don’t see the Stampeders having any more success. Calgary is 0-5 on the road this year.

Picks made at 11:35 a.m. ET on 09/04/24.

CFL Week 14 picks and predictions: Bet on the Lions to cover behind Rourke

The CFL season pushes on as Week 14 starts Friday.

The pregame narrative: Nathan Rourke looked more like himself last week and I expect that momentum to continue. My best bet is for the BC Lions to cover the spread against the Montreal Alouettes. On Saturday, back the Edmonton Elks to beat the Calgary Stampeders.

Check out the best CFL Week 14 picks below.

CFL Week 14 picks

Best Bet: Lions +3.5 (-129)

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Rourke is growing back into form each week, and I assume the progression will continue.

Also, the Alouettes’ foundation seems to be cracking. They’ve been winning games but not in a comfortable way like they were earlier in the season.

Three of Montreal’s last five wins came by five or fewer points. The two exceptions were victories against the measly 3-9 Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Even if BC can’t pull off the upset, I think they can keep it within field goal range. Especially if Rourke’s play from last week continues.

The Lions’ QB shook off his rust from his season debut by responding with a 325-yard, three-touchdown performance against the 7-3-1 Ottawa Redblacks last Saturday. The Lions’ offence scored 38 points.

Rourke is no stranger to being dominant in Canada. He threw for 3,349 and 25 scores while adding another seven rushing TDs in just 10 games for the Lions in 2022.

Key stat: BC has a +13.3 point differential in Rourke’s 12 career starts.

Quick pick

Elks -2.5 (-115): Edmonton is 4-8, but the squad has played much better than its record indicates.

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Seven of the Elks’ eight losses have come by one possession. They’ve also won four of their past five matchups, including a 35-20 victory over the Stamps on Monday.

The recent success is partly on the shoulders of McLeod Bethel-Thompson. The 36-year-old quarterback has thrown for 306.7 yards per game over his last three starts. He tallied seven TDs and didn’t turn the ball over once over that span.

In the Week 13 game against Calgary, Bethel-Thompson passed for 486 yards and three TDs.

The rematch moves to Edmonton, where I don’t see the Stampeders having any more success. Calgary is 0-5 on the road this year.

Picks made at 9:35 a.m. ET on 09/04/24.

Odds to win US Open Tennis Championships: Sinner the odds-on favourite on the men’s side

The US Open is in the semifinal stage and both the men’s and women’s brackets now boast odds-on favourites.

The latest: With both Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic exiting the tournament earlier than expected, Jannik Sinner claimed the top spot entering the quarterfinal round. The Italian has only only dropped two sets so far. On the women’s side, Arya Sabalenka remains the favourite heading into the closing stages.

Check out our latest US Open Tennis Championships odds.

Visit full US Open betting markets.

US Open odds

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US Open favourites

Jannik Sinner (-230)

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The US Open’s No. 1 ranked player continues his dominant year (52-5). The Italian has dropped one set through four rounds and plays Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinal.

Sinner is the favourite in the matchup (-250) and has to path to win his second Grand Slam major of the season. Both of which were contested on outdoor hard courts where he has been phenomenal this year (27-2).

Arya Sabalenka (-143)

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Much like Sinner, Sabalenka also won the Australian Open in January. She won the most recent tournament in Cincinnati and has an incredible 27-6 record on this playing surface.

She’s coming off a straight-set win over Elise Mertens and is holding firmly onto that top spot on the odds board heading into the quarterfinal.

US Open odds notes

Iga Swiatek, the No. 1 ranked women’s player, was ousted in straight sets on Wednesday night in the quarterfinal against USA’s Jessica Pegula. Swiatek had previously been considered Sabalenka’s top competition to win.

Sinner’s upcoming opponent, Jack Draper, won the only head-to-head matchup between the players. That was back in 2021, though, and Sinner’s stardom has exploded in the years since.

Emma Navarro (+900) is one player from the women’s side who has made the most ground on the odds board. Navarro claimed her semifinal spot with a win over Paula Badosa. She started the tournament with 50-to-1 odds to win it all.