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Wade’s Week 8

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And just like that, we’re halfway through the 2020 NFL season, which has to be the oddest ones that I can remember. A deadly virus, crippling injuries, and some terribly crap-tastic coaching have all featured in an NFL season brought to you by Covid-19 .
Our thoughts go out to everyone in the sports and hospitality industries who are facing ruin thanks to this ‘new normal’. Hopefully we can all be out in a bar or pub soon, cheering on our favourite NFL teams.

To help all you NFL fans out I have another round of my top picks and upsets, in ‘Wade’s Week 8’, I outline the top value you can get from looking at the lines and over/unders for this week.
Over the past 5 weeks, my upset record is 17-2, so hopefully you have been making some cash off of my NFL insight.
Or maybe you’re just ignoring me and hoping I make you food, like my kid does.
Here are some of the top picks for Week 8.

Vikings (1-5) vs Packers (5-1)
Packers -7  +54.5

Aaron Rodgers and co. have been playing fantastic football all season. However like every team, the Packers are not immune to injury. This was evident when the Packers face the Bucs and lost Bahktiari early in the game. As soon as they did, the Bucs D swarmed all over them. Bahktari is questionable for Sunday, which should give the Vikings more opportunities.
The Vikings have only won 1 game, but have put up buckets of points in most games.
Justin Jefferson has been a speedy God send, and he should factor in on Sunday against a Packers team who is weak against speedy receivers.
This game means more to the Vikings than the Packers if they hope to stem the downfall of the team this season.
Vikings to cover.
Packers 31 Vikings 25

LA Rams (5-2) vs Dolphins (3-3)
Rams -3.5  +46

It’s Tua time, as Flores ditches the popular Fitzpatick to give the young rookie a chance. The Rams have started to find their momentum, as their D is making it very hard for opposing quarterbacks.
It’s always hard to prepare for a QB you have never seen, as there is no game tape or footage to help you figure out his weaknesses.
Miami has had a hot hand under Fitzy, with the team playing with joy, as they take over second place in the AFC East.
Make no mistake, these Dolphins are no joke, as proven by their beating of the 49ers a few weeks ago.
Dolphins are at home, and they will be playing for a win, and they’ll get it.
Dolphins win.
Miami 24 Rams 23

LA Chargers (2-4) vs Broncos (2-4)
Chargers -3  +44

Always bet on injuries. It’s a formula that I have used in my NFL betting career. And boy do the Chargers have a lot of injuries. Their whole O-line is pretty much pooched, leaving rookie Justin Herbert a target on every play.
Despite sucking this year, the Broncos have a fast & furious defence that choked Mahomes down for 3 sacks last week. And that was against a healthy Chiefs, imagine what they will do this week.
Originally, I was in favour of Herbert having a lovely game, but seeing how many lineman he is missing, I am opting for the Broncos in this divisional match. Heck they might even win outright.
Broncos cover
Chargers 26 Broncos 24

These are just the big upsets that I see for this week, as there are certain games that I really don’t want to touch. Call it Halloween superstition, but there are too many X Factors in some of these games.
Including:

Titans (-6) vs Bengals
The Bengals are hurting, but they can also strike back like a cobra. We have seen in past weeks hot to stop and hit the Titans, but the Bengals lack the equipment to pull this off. I can see the Bengals covering in this one.
Titans 30 Bengals 26

Steelers vs Ravens (-3.5)
The Ravens benefit from a bye week, which means that they should be fully prepped, especially after their recent slate of additions. The Steelers are the only team with a perfect record, which can be an addiction to chase. But they will be chasing the Ravens all day.
Ravens 31 Steelers 26

Overs

Overs have been huge this season, as the lack of fans seems to have had an impact on gameplay. There are a few games that I think could be perfect for overs this week, including:

  • Colts vs Lions +50
  • Vikings vs Packers +54.5
  • Raiders vs Browns +54

DraftKings

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The Picks Six

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Okay… well… let’s call that an inauspicious start. In the debut week of this column, my week 6 picks were… largely disappointing. My overall week predictions (9-5) salvaged my tips which did not have a particularly impressive showing. Largely, the blame for this falls squarely at the feet of two teams: The New England Patriots, who inexplicably made the beaten up Denver Broncos look like the ‘85 Bears, and the Cleveland Browns who… ugh… Browns-d it right up against the Steelers. Should I have seen that coming? Probably. Anyway, new week, new me! Let’s go again. Redemption starts here. Same concept: Six sections, including sure things, longshot punts and a prediction for every game. 

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The 1st and Goal from the 1. (Season Record: 1-1)

So somehow went 1-1 last week on this. Shoutout the Dolphins for doing what they were supposed to, even when Cam was too incompetent to do his job… 

Okay. Simple things. That’s what we’re looking for here. So… Who is the worst team in the NFL? Gang Green: The 0-6 New York Jets. And who are said Jets playing this week? Oh, the Bills of Buffalo? With one Joshua Allen at Quarterback? He who has a rocket arm and legs that carry his big sturdy frame forward at alarming speed and momentum? I like him. He wasn’t good against the Chiefs – but we’ll blame the conditions a bit – so I expect Josh to bounce back big here. The Jets are firmly planted in the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes. The Bills win this game. ZERO doubt.

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The 45yd Field Goal (Season Record: 0-1)

This line should be posted all over the Cowboys’ locker room walls. The UTTER disrespect… Dallas are ONE POINT favourites against the 1-4, very average, lacking in any real talent beyond Terry McLaurin and Chase Young Washington Football Team. Yeah, I get it: The Cowboys were awful on Monday. Dalton didn’t sling it like we were expecting (see, my over losing), Zeke’s hands have been replaced with sticks of butter, and their defense couldn’t stop a team of referees from picking up a first down. BUT this is still the Dallas Cowboys offense. Zeke will not keep putting the ball on the ground. The Cowboys should run (and throw) all over this team. Dallas Cowboys -1.0. Yes please.

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The Hail Mary (Season Record: 0-1)

So we need a long shot, or at least big odds for this one. There aren’t many underdogs I like on the board this week, so I’m sticking to heavily backing a favourite I love. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this yet, but the Jets are AWFUL. Even with Sam Darnold back, they’re not good enough to put a fight up against the Bills. The Bills defense held up quite respectably against the Chiefs passing attack, and Frank Gore is not going to run through the Bills like Clyde Edwards-Helaire did. Josh Allen will sling it, the Bills will score points. I like the Bills to win every quarter at 7/1. 

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The Over (Season Record: 0-1)

Oooooooh there could be some points scored this weekend… lots of tasty matchups which I can see disintegrating into shootouts and garbage time touchdowns. So I’m gonna rattle off a few here:

Browns vs Bengals – Over 50.5

Well, Baker HAS to bounce back. The Browns really need this game, but a scrappy Cincinnati team (who pushed the Colts close last week) can put up some resistance. The Browns have been quietly very good on offense aside from in their two lopsided losses. I don’t think they lose this game; I think they score 30+ on a below-par Bengals defense. Joe Burrow is good enough and determined enough to keep himself in the game – despite the absence of Joe Mixon. Points. 

Lions vs Falcons – Over 55.0

Yep, the line is high, but Stafford and Ryan could very legitimately shred each other’s DBs all afternoon long. D’Andre Swift has started to break out a little bit, and Gurley and Hurst are providing a nice compliment to Atlanta’s stacked WR room. It’s high, but I think it’ll get there. 

Seahawks vs Cardinals – Over 56.0

Another high line, but the newly-flexed Sunday Night Football matchup is one of the most electric of the weekend. Russ gets back in the kitchen, ready to cook after his bye week. Kyler is fast becoming the one rival to Lamar’s title of biggest dual threat Quarterback. Hopkins, Kirk and Fitz vs Lockett, Moore and Metcalf. Carson vs Drake. Carroll vs Kingsbury. Nobody on the field will want to defend. 28 points each has been almost a guarantee for these two teams so far. Let’s keep that run going. 

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The Parlay (Winning Parlays: 0/1, Winning Legs: 3/5) 

Browns -3.0

I know. I know. I know. We took Cleveland last week, and they burned us. I know. BUT this is a new week, and much less formidable defense for Baker to throw against. The Browns torched the Bengals earlier this season and I think a Cleveland win by a TD or more is likely. 

Panthers +7.0

Now, I do think the Saints win this game, but Teddy Bridge is good enough to keep it close. 7 points feels like a lot for a Saints team who – whilst coming off a bye – are missing their top two WRs to injury and the COVID-list. I expect a heavy dose of Alvin Kamara and Mike Davis respectively. Tight game, Saints win, Panthers cover the 7 points. 

Cowboys -1.0

See above… this line feels fraudulent. The Cowboys comeback story arc starts here. 

Bills -10.0

Yuuuuuuup, it’s a lot of points. How many did the Jets lose by last week? 24!? 24 to 0!? Against the Dolphins!? Okay, ha, yeah, definitely Bills -10.0.

Patriots -2.0

Bill is angry. Cam is angry. Stephon is angry. The whole of Boston is angry. The Patriots conspired to lose a game where their opposition didn’t score a Touchdown… HUUUUUH!? Yup. Somehow, that’s what happened. But this is the perfect bounce back game. Bill gets to shut down the guy he traded away. I don’t believe Jimmy G is good enough to beat the team who had earmarked him as the heir to TB12. They traded him for a reason. Shanahan will have some plans cooked up, but I think the Niners are still too injury ravaged to hand the Patriots another loss. 

£10 on this parlay pays about £235 depending on your bookmaker.

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The Full English (Season Record: 9-5)

Bills vs Jets – Bills

Panthers vs Saints – Saints

Browns vs Bengals – Browns

Washington vs Cowboys – Cowboys

Lions vs Falcons – Falcons

Packers vs Texans – Packers

Steelers vs Titans – Steelers (But this is such a toss up, won’t be at all surprised if Tennessee win)

Buccaneers vs Raiders – Buccaneers (piss off please Covid… I want to watch this game)

Jaguars vs Chargers – Chargers

Chiefs vs Broncos – Chiefs

49ers vs Patriots – Patriots

Seahawks vs Cardinals – Seahawks

Bears vs Rams – Rams 

Enjoy your week 7! As ever, I’m @callumjdsquires on Twitter & Instagram. Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see me discuss or suggest picks for… Come chat and tell me why I’m wrong and your team is going to win this week. Jets fans need not contact me. Cheers.

All lines accurate as of 11pm Friday.

-Callum Squires is a British writer and former college athlete in America

Week 7 Preview

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Fire up those ears, it’s time for another burning NFL podcast! Wade & Ryan are back on the mike, breaking down all of the week 6 games, as well as making their top picks for week 7 in the NFL. Are you ready for some football?

Week 6 was an emotional week. Ryan watched his Bills get absolutely man-handled by the Chiefs, Aaron Rodgers threw a hissy fit, and Wade’s Bears moved up the ladder to first place in the NFC North.
Week 7 brings with it some potential drama, as some of the top teams could see more losses, while some of the losers look to sink further into the duvet of the season.

Here are some of the top takes from the podcast. Of course, just listen to the whole thing to get the best tips.

Browns (4-2) vs Bengals (1-4-1)
Browns -3.5  +51

The Browns showed up strong, now they are starting to look like a growing stain on the khakis of the league. Baker is regressing week on week, while OBJ continues to chase the skeletons in his personal closet.
Joe Burrow on the other hand has shown some streaks of goodness, despite blowing a big lead last week.
Ryan thinks that the Browns will right the ship, but Wade sees the locker room drama spilling over to this week.
Ryan- Browns 27 Bengals 24
Wade- Bengals 28 Browns 26

Cowboys (2-4) vs Washington (1-5)
Cowboys -2  +47

The crack heard round the league has caught up with Dallas, as Andy Dalton can barely fill the shoes and legs of his predecessor. Dallas has a horrible O-line, and there won’t be any way of plugging it up this season. How can they be this bad with so many offensive weapons.
Washington might suck, but their fast front D has been keeping them in some games. Kyle Allen has looked unsteady, especially with only McLaurin as his only real target.
Ryan figures that this is the game where the ‘Boys can turn it around, but Wade thinks this slide isn’t over.
Ryan- Cowboys 27 Washington 20
Wade- Washington 24 Dallas 20

Steelers (5-0) vs Titans (5-0)
Steelers -1  +52

One of these teams will have their first loss of the season after this game, but who is it going to be? The Titans lost Taylor Lewan for the season, which means Henry and Tannehill have lost one of the best blockers in the league. The Steelers defence continues to punish, tossing aside the poor Browns last week in easy fashion.
Ryan and Wade both like the Steelers here, although you can never count out the Titans, who have made easy work out of some of the top teams this year.
Ryan- Steelers 24 Titans 20
Wade- Steelers 30 Titans 28

Chiefs (5-1) vs Broncos (2-3)
Chiefs -9.5  +48

Kansas City is hot off a win over the Bills in week 6, while the Broncos are smiling after an easy win over Cam & the Patriots. The Chiefs have had a few tough games in a row, so they will be looking for a solid win in week 7. The Broncos must be exhausted after that messy win against Bill Belichick last week, throwing everything that they had at the Patriots, although most of it was field goals.
Ryan & Wade both see the Chiefs winning this one, with Ryan calling a bit of a blow-out, and Wade thinking that the Broncos overing once KC takes its foot off of the gas.
Ryan- Chiefs 34 Broncos 24
Wade- Chiefs 28 Broncos 21

Make sure you have a listen to the podcast, and share it with everyone you know. Share it with people you don’t even know, after all surprises are enjoyed by everyone.

We also have a DraftKings League which is FREE to join, and you can play in FREE and PAID contests every week. Play along & meet new friends!

Sky Week 7

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What a nut bar of a week it was in the NFL, as it had more surprises than a gender reveal at a polygamy cult.
There’s nothing like seeing Aaron Rodgers strip on an imaginary belt only to have Tom Brady yank it off of him throughout the night.
Week 7 is upon us, and Sky has released their schedule of games so you know which games will be blacked out on NFL Gamepass.

Time Change

‘Spring forward, fall back, 2020 is a punch in the nut sack’ as the old farmers expression goes. Clocks in the UK fall back on Sunday am, not that anyone will be awake to see it happen this year.
Those of you planning on watching NFL this weekend, be aware that the games are EARLY. That means they start an hour ahead, so you can stay up later.
It also means football (soccer) will clash with even more games, not that we can go to pubs and watch the games.

TNF

Giants vs Eagles
1:20am

If you stay up late to watch this one, you might have some problems. These two teams, who have a combined 2 wins between them will be duking it out Friday morning to fewer viewers than the stuttering girl on Babestation. At least you want to see her make it to the end of the night, this game-not so much.

Sunday

Steelers vs Titans
5pm 

Warm up that Sunday roast, we have a battle on our hands! The battle of the undefeated kicks off at 5pm, allowing us to see a game when the sun is up. But since the clocks change, we also lose that 5pm sunshine. Carry on 2020! You won’t be able to watch this game on NFL Gamepass (unless you have a VPN). Sadly none of the bars we work with are planning on showing this game…so get the BBQ started and safe distance this bad boy.

49ers vs Patriots
8:25pm

This game looked great at the start of the season, but now both of these teams are adequate at best. The Seahawks vs Cardinals will be on Gamepass if you’re looking for an ‘action game’, but this one should be ok.
Billy B will be looking to stymie Kittle in this match, as Jimmy G climbs out of his hole to see if he can win a big game. This game will finish by midnight, which means you can watch it with the kids who are still on half term.

Monday

Bucs vs Raiders
12:20am 

Midnight is still late, but not too late when 2020 is a perpetual holiday of pain. TB12 and the boys are flocking to Vegas to beat on Carr & the boys. This game might actually be worth staying up for, as Tom & Gronk look to have the band back together again. It finishes before 4am, so you have plenty of time to start your paper route a few hours later.

Tuesday

Bears vs Rams
12:15am

Not too late to be able to catch the Bears visiting LA for this Monday Night/ Tuesday am matchup.
This game should be exciting, as the Rams are somehow favoured in this contest. How many times will Goff get sacked? A few. This game is also available on Channel 5 and Amazon Prime.

DraftKings

Join our DraftKings League so that you can play along with us this weekend! We have loads of contests to choose from-either free to play or paid contests. All you need to do is join right here!
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Watch this space, as we will update you on all the news and any potential cancelations for Week 7.

 

 

DraftKings Week 6

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Who had Claypool in Week 5 in DraftKings? The Canadian sensation celebrated Canuck Thanksgiving with a bounty of 4 exceptional touchdowns. Did you have him in your fantasy? Neither did I.
Here are some of the picks I have in store for week 6 in the NFL.

QBs

Ryan Fitzpatrick $5900

Are you mad Wade? Taking Fitzmagic as a DK starter? Well, he is playing the Jets, and after the points he dumped on San Fran last week, I like his momentum at home. Fitzpatrick has been having fun this season, and you can see it in the way Flores makes his plays. The Jets are trash, and the Dolphins should have some fun here.

Kirk Cousins $6100

You like that? Not so much, I mean the Vikings have really struggled this year, but their ship will come in this week as they host the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta has been a defensive mess this season, allowing more points than a drunken fencer. I like matching Cousins with the Thielen for maximum points.

RBs

David Montgomery $5800

Montgomery hasn’t really had much of a break out this season, as the Bears haven’t really racked up too many points. That could change Sunday, as the Bears visit the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers have allowed 133 rushing yards per game, which will only get worse this week. Hopefully they use him more in the slot option, rather than trying to bum rush Patterson for short gains.

Alexander Mattison $7200

He’s pretty pricey considering that it’s his first start as RB1, but the Vikings are facing the Falcons who struggle to contain the rush all season. Mattison will see loads of carries, and should gash the Falcons worse than 2020 has devastated the sports bar industry. I like him for at least 2 TDs.

DeVante Parker $6300

Miami is playing New York Jets, this game is going to be score-ific. Parker is the fave target of Fitzpatrick and he will easily find open holes in the Jets D. Loads of yards and maybe a few TDs to boot. Can’t go wrong for $6300.

WRs

Adam Thielen $7300

Stealin’ Thielen will look for loads of yards today as Hot-Lanta will be a steaming dump of hot on Sunday to control him. Atlanta sucks, and his pairing with Cousins will give you plenty o’points in this contest. ‘Contest’ is a funny word, since this game looks to be anything but.

Kenny Golladay $6200

Jacksonville has been falling apart as of late, as Minshew struggles anytime he doesn’t have a healthy Chark Jr. at his disposal. Gollday is Stafford’s favourite man, an he will see plenty of passes against a Jacksonville secondary who gushes zone coverage. He’s a good value for the number 1 receiver in this game.

DeVante Parker $6300

Miami is playing New York Jets, this game is going to be score-ific. Parker is the fave target of Fitzpatrick and he will easily find open holes in the Jets D. Loads of yards and maybe a few TDs to boot. Can’t go wrong for $6300.

TEs

Evan Engram $4900

Pretty much the only guy that Daniel Jones can hit on the field since he barely goes further than 8 yards a play. Engram is also the only player that can actually catch, so he is useful in short yardage. The Giants have proven they can score, they just can’t win.

Robert Tonyan $5100

Tonyan exploded 2 weeks ago for 3 touchdowns, so it’s unlikely he will match those highs, but he should be able to snag at least a TD. Rodgers will target RT often, which will also add to your point tally on the day.

DEF

Dolphins $2900

They’re playing the Jets. Last week the Miami D picked off Jimmy G so much, they pulled him from the game. Joe Flacco won’t have much success against this squad who are pumped up from recent victories, including the beat down from last week.

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