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Callum’s Week 8

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Here’s another great Week 8 prediction from Mr. Squires, as we delve into our weekly feature Callum’s Week 8.  

THE PICKS SIX – WEEK EIGHT

Yo! Welcome back to The Picks Six. Last week, I went 9-4 in picking outright winners, but two of the key games that ruined all the fun were ones I was certain were going the other way. Turns out, the Patriots did not have enough in their locker to do the “Belichick Bounce Back” I predicted, and that the Cowboys are so abjectly awful on defense that they made the WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM look competent. Embarrassing. A shambles. We jump back in with full of enthusiasm to a great slate of games in week 8, a number of which could genuinely go either way. This makes my job simultaneously harder and more enjoyable. Fingers crossed everything doesn’t blow up in my face like it did two weeks ago. Anyway… Let’s get to the predictions.

The 1st & Goal from the 1yd Line. (Season Record 2-1) 

This is my lock of the week. A sure fire winner surely.

Obviously, I have to continue picking against the Jets. They’re atrocious. So, the Chiefs to win in the safest bet of all time. They’re currently TWENTY (two zero, 20) point favourites. Incredible. That spread is so big, it does come with a little inherent risk, so I’m gonna tweak it a little, play it safe, and say let’s have Chiefs -9.5. A two score margin should be very doable for Mahomes. 

Furthermore, let’s spice it up and have 3 picks in this category this week. So, let’s add The Packers to win against the Vikings, and The Dolphins +10.5 against the Rams.

Rodgers is going to go all out to properly stamp out the Vikings from NFC North contention, and I don’t think Miami would put Tua in as starter if they didn’t think it would work immediately. I don’t think the Rams will blow Tagovailoa away – even with Aaron Donald – so let’s give the Dolphins a head start and play it safe. 

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The 45yd Field Goal (Season Record 0-2)

This is my mid-range, toss up of the week.

It’s not been a good start for me from mid-field goal range. Ugh. We’re gonna give two this week and try desperately to claw our way back to .500 in this category before Week 9.

Let’s start with the Browns -2.5 against the Raiders. Baker’s performance last week has refuelled my Browns Hype Train and I’m ready to ride them again. The Raiders run game stumbled against the Bucs last week and I think they’ll have to throw more with Derek Carr this week. I think the Browns are better on both sides of the ball and have enough to cover this spread.

My second choice is the Saints -5.0. Yup, I still think the Bears are frauds at 5-2. Thanks to the Rams for spelling that out very clearly last Monday night. Michael Thomas still being out is a shame, but Brees, Kamara and Latavius Murray should be able to wreak enough havoc to keep the – very good – Chicago defense on it’s heels. Looks like Allen Robinson might now play, increasing the already large amount of pressure on Foles to work miracles… I don’t see it. NOLA to cover please.

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The Hail Mary (Season Record 0-2)

This is my shot from half field. Unlikely, but you never know. 

I am so so so so so tempted to pick Ben Gucci DiNucci and the Cowboys to upset Philly outright. What a story it would be. I love an underdog story and, whilst it’s crazy to think of the Cowboys as the underdogs, in this case they really are. This would be the biggest upset of this season so far. I’m really talking myself into this…

You know what? Let’s change it up. This week’s Hail Mary is an underdog parlay.

Miami to win – TUA TIME.

Detroit to win – The Colts are meh on offense.

Pittsburgh to win – Ride the undefeated hand.

Dallas +7.5 – DiNucci has had a week to work with ALL those weapons, the Eagles DO have a lot of injuries… let’s give us a close game to round out Sunday night. 

I’ll have to see if we classify this as one pick or as four… but this little acca is about 38/1.

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The Overs (Season Record 2-2)

Raiders @ Browns – Over 49.5

As previously mentioned, Baker was absolutely SLINGING it last week (after OBJ got hurt), and John Gruden loves to chase the points. I think both these defenses are slyly decent, hence why the total is under 50 points, but can see offense winning the day here. Feels like both teams will sell out to stop the run (Josh Jacobs & Kareem Hunt respectively), meaning the passing game for both Mayfield and Derek Carr will be prevalent. Take over 49.5.

Titans @ Bengals – Over 51.0

Joe Burrow is trying his level best to drag this under-manned and out-matched Bengals team to relevancy. Their defense is just too weak to help on the back end. Burrow has shown enough throwing (and running) the ball to warrant respect that he’s capable of almost guaranteeing you at least 21pts on the board each week. The Titans have been nothing short of fantastic, and will be looking to bounce back from losing a very close one to arguably the best defense in the league last week, the Steelers. I see Tannehill, Derrick Henry, Jonnu Smith and AJ Brown on the Bengals defense in a high scoring affair. Take over 51.0.

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The Parlay (Complete Parlays 0-2, Correct Legs 5-4-1)

LA Chargers -3.0 – Justin Herbert is fast becoming one of my favourite players to watch, and the Broncos, despite having a good defense, just don’t have enough to keep up with JHerbz in this one. 

Seahawks -3.0 – One overtime shootout loss to the (very underrated) Cardinals does not stop Seattle being the NFC West top dog. They will re-establish that and solidify their Championship pedigree in this one. Russ will cook. 

Lions +3.0 – What a win they had last week. Sure, blame Atlanta’s incompetence, but equally praise Matt Stafford, Kenny Golladay and TJ Hockenson for masterminding that final drive. I like the Lions to win this game outright this week also, as the Colts have been very underwhelming with the ball in their hands. Detroit plus a field goal feels like a good bet. 

Bills -4.0 – The Patriots burned me last week, so I’m taking them to get burned again this week. Josh Allen and the Bills have had a little dip in form since their electric opening to the season, but this is a must win for them. If you can’t beat THIS Patriots team, and win the AFC East, you never will. BILL-ieve in Buffalo.

Steelers +4.5 – This one shouldn’t be a blow out in either direction, and with the Steelers rolling – as the lone undefeated team in the league – I think they might win this one outright, but taking the points advantage feels sensible. Lamar is of course liable to come off his bye week and go bonkers, but I’m hoping Ben and his army of weapons can stay with them. 

Depending on your bookmaker, a £10 bet on this parlay will return about £260. 

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The Full English: (Season Record 18-9)

Colts @ Lions – Lions

Rams @ Dolphins – Miami (There is 0% chance I’m picking against Tua on his debut… remember his Ba

Raiders @ Browns – Cleveland

Vikings @ Packers – Green Bay

Patriots @ Bills – Buffalo (Come on Josh Allen!!)

Jets @ Chiefs – Kansas City (the line is -20.0 and I think it’s way too low… sheeeeesh)

Steelers @ Ravens – Steelers (This is the toss up of all toss ups but I’m leaning Pittsburgh as their defense is for real and Lamar and the running game hasn’t been the same one we saw last year for the Ravens. Now that I’ve written this, Baltimore will probably win by 30 just to spite me…)

Titans @ Bengals – Tennessee

Chargers @ Broncos – LA

Saints @ Bears – New Orleans (Bears are still Frauds)

49ers @ Seahawks – Seattle

Cowboys @ Eagles – Eagles (I want to pick Gucci DiNucci and the Boyz but can’t quite take that risk. However, this will be closer than some people think…)

Buccaneers @ Giants – Tampa Bay

Enjoy Week 8! 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 – don’t turn the game on… don’t do it to yourself. Cheers.

All lines accurate as of 11am Saturday.’t

Want to make picks on this page like Callum does? Get in touch and we can post your articles here to a large fanbase. We don’t pay (yet), but hopefully as we grow, so will our pay. 

Week 7 DraftKings

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There were some beast Fantasy Football scores in week 6, did you put together an amazing DraftKings line-up? If you didn’t, don’t worry-I have some top tips for you to make the most out of your Fantasy NFL contests.
Week 7 has some amazing games lined up, so you need to check out the value picks that are floating around, while still keeping your budget afloat for some of the key earners on Sunday.
Here are some of my top picks for Week 7.

QBs

Josh Allen $7700

‘Who’s playing the Jets this week?’, should be your go-to question when it comes to devising your NFL fantasy line-up. Luckily it’s the Bills, who are coming down from 2 weeks of beatings.
Allen should be fired up for this game, and the Jets should be worried about the vengeance he will inflict on the hapless Jets on Sunday. A little pricey, but worth it.

Justin Herbert $6400

The other question you need to ask is ‘Who is playing the Jags?’, which this week is the LA Chargers. Herbert has been the best rookie QB so far this season, and he grows in confidence every game. The Jags looked plucky at the start of the season, but now look more like sucky. Having Allen would be great for Justin, but he should be able to spread the ball around to the rest of the receivers for a good day.

RBs

D’andre Swift $5400

Swift is back for the Lions, and the poor back of Adrian Peterson must be happy for the break. Swift adds a new dynamic for Matt Stafford, allowing him to time and moves to be able to spread the ball around. Swift is a good deal at $5400, as the Falcons suck against the run, so he should have a good day as RB1.

Devin Singletary $5800

The Bills are playing the Jets, which means that their top R should figure in some of the beating that the Jets will be taking on Sunday. If John Brown is out, the Bills will focus on Singletary in a slot/ receiving role, meaning he should get at least a TD on Sunday.

Aaron Jones $7200

The priciest RB in DraftKings this week, he will factor in heavily in Aaron Rodgers attack plan against the Texans. Houston has a tough D, but struggles against quality RBs who gash them for continuous yards. Jones is a good flex option if you save your pennies, as he looks to have a monster performance on Sunday.

WRs

Stefon Diggs $7000

Pairing Diggs with Allen will get you some big-ass points this weekend, as the Jets will struggle to contain this duo. Diggs is looking to have his best game of the year, and if John Brown is not 100%, he will see even more action. A little expensive, but you’re worth it, aren’t you?

Tee Higgins $5300

With a name like an English stripper, how can you not love Higgins? Joe Burrow certainly does, hooking up with the speedy rookie consistently every game. The Browns got opened up last week by the Steelers, and the Bengals have the tools to continue the operation.

Keelan Cole $4700

With DJ Chark struggling in the past few games, Cole has emerged as the go to target for Gardner Minshew. The Chargers have a solid D, but Cole will be the guy on the Jags who will be making the biggest plays. He has wheels and good hands, something Minshew is going to need under constant pressure on Sunday.

TEs

Hunter Henry $4500

Henry is the perfect pairing for Herbert, as the two of them will connect frequently on Sunday. With Keenan Allen potentially limited, Henry will be used often in mid range downs, as well as red zone attempts. He is a great value at $4500.

George Kittle $6500

The most expensive TE for week 7, Kittle is an absolute beast after the catch. The Patriots showed their wounds last week, and Kittle is the perfect guy to throw salt in them. The only problem? Bill Belichick will throw everything at Kittle this Sunday, so he might be in for a tough day.

DEF

Chargers $3400

Keeping on with LA, the Chargers are facing the Jags, who haven’t really ripped anyone this season. The Chargers have a fast front which will cause problems, and potentially INTs for Minshew.

Packers $3100

The Packers may have lost last Sunday, but it wasn’t really the fault of their D. Rodgers threw 2 picks back to back, and then couldn’t really find his mojo. Their D was able to hold Brady in check for a while, and should rebound this week to stifle DeShaun Watson.

DraftKings

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Jaguars Leave London?

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The Jacksonville Jaguars contract with the NFL quietly ended this week, with many UK NFL fans wondering if this is the end of an era for the Jags in London.
The Jags have been playing regular season games in the capital since 2013, solidifying a new fan base, and fostering a reputation as the first potential UK franchise.
But then 2020 came along.

Will the Jaguars sign a new contract, or is this the end of the Florida/ UK NFL experiment? Let’s take a look at some of the factors involved in this.

Jacksonville

When the NFL first started hosting the Jaguars in London, their team was in a very different state of affairs. The stadium was a mess, the city was reeling from economic hardships, and the fan base was one of the lowest in the league.
Shad Khan injected much needed funds and energy into the franchise, and used international expansion as a way to not only drum up press, but also explore the potential of a European operation.
As the Jaguars continued to play London games, dissension was building at home. The new stadium with its shimmering pools was drawing bigger crowds, and the Jags themselves began to reach the NFL playoffs.
When the team announced that they would be playing two home games in London in 2020, local press and ardent fans rebelled, signalling that they wanted their home team home.
While the London games represented 11% of home ticket revenue, Jacksonville locals lobbied state and city government officials to help out.
They listened too, with plans to revitalise the downtown around the stadium, bringing in over $2 billion in salaries and over 10000 new jobs.
Urban Jacksonville would be a new ‘Shi Tpa Town’, so why would locals want to lose that momentum?

Khan

Shad Khan may be the 4th richest NFL owner, 66th richest person in America, but like many over the past few years, he’s taken a hit to his back pocket. He even recently has had to sell his 300 foot yacht the Kismet , which can be yours for a cool $166 million.
With xenophobia rampaging across America, you can see why he might just want to keep his nose down and focus on his franchise during an election year, and Trump-Mania spreading across Florida.
The impending noose of Brexit  is threatening to choke out international business opportunities, which has left many multinational companies to adopt a ‘wait and see’ policy when it comes to moving to the UK.
Wait til the dust has settled and see what kind of deals a desperate UK government is willing to offer.

Covid

Did you know that there was an a virus epidemic going on? No, it’s true. Although not much in the news, apparently some nasty bug has been disrupting our way of life.
Businesses hate surprises, and Covid 19 is one of the biggest viral-reveals we have had in our lifetime.
Like Brexit, no one wants to make long term plans when infections and rolling shut downs continue to affect and infect our way of life.
Until we have a vaccine or this nasty sucker under control, all UK-US sports matches will be put on hold.
Can you imagine if they had gone ahead with the London games, and had to postpone at the last minute?
It would be a logistical nightmare.

Tottenham

With the NFL and Tottenham stadium agreeing to a 10 year NFL deal, it doesn’t really make sense to negotiate separate matches with Wembley. If the league is all in this together, then maybe spreading out the games and structure doesn’t really fly in the face of the new normal.
The Spurs have spent a lot of time and money on the new stadium, and fan reaction has been wholly behind the new digs in favour of crusty old Wembley.
Tottenham have a massive vested interest in developing and hosting the games there, so the Jags could save a lot of time and money on working with the league as bubbles and lockdowns become part of the new NFL dynamic.

In the end Shad Khan might just want to take some time off and reflect on the London experiment. Covid has provided a timely opportunity to gauge the want of international expansion, with the need for keeping the home fans happy.
We (should) have NFL games in London in 2021, but with the way 2020 has been going, we need to learn to expect the worst.
That’s what Jets fans do.

 

Canadian Thanksgiving

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It’s Canadian Thanksgiving on Sunday eh? If you’re looking for a traditional Canadian pub to watch American football on Sunday in Britain, then we have good news for you.

The Maple Leaf Tavern in Covent Garden will be hosting their own Canadian Thanksgiving feat this Sunday October 11th and you’re all invited! You will of course have to book ahead and abide by all Covid rules, but you’re invited.

Space is limited for this event, and you don’t have to be Canadian to attend. If you would like to practise apologising to everyone about everything, that should suffice enough to ‘feel Canadian’.
You can book your table by contacting us, or emailing the manager at the Maple Leaf, Zach.
7156@greeneking.co.uk

Menu

Did you know that a traditional Canadian Thanksgiving involves wearing raccoon pelts, eating braised moose meat, and beaver tails for dessert?
If you did know that, you’re an idiot, because we made it up.
The Maple Leaf will be serving traditional ThanksG fare, including turkey and fixins.
The regular menu will also be available for anyone who would rather just have wings and beer.

There is room for about 50 people on Sunday, so make sure that you book now to avoid disappointment. This will sell out quickly.

Like all pubs in the UK, last call will be around 9:15, and you must all be out the door by 10pm.

Stay safe, and happy gobble gobble day.

Sky NFL Week 5

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Sky Sports have released their Week 5 NFL viewing schedule, so get ready to make plans…and then potentially have them change. Last week the schedules were shuffled due to a Covid outbreak on both the Titans and Patriots (damn you Cam!), so it seems likely that the same might happen again this week.

TNF

Thursday the Chicago Bears host TB12 and the high flying Bucs. The Bears whimpered to the Colts last week, as Nick Foles showed his prowess once again as a starter. Tampa Bay was almost upset by the kid Herbert, but was able to outperform and outlast to win, but not cover the spread.
This game has all the signs of a TB12 beat down. Will Gronk finally score?
Available on Sky Sports and Amazon Prime.

Sunday

Sky has brought back some familiar teams from previous weeks to play again on Sunday, with the Chiefs hosting the Raiders at 6pm, and the Colts visiting the Browns at 9:25pm.
Again, these games could change if someone decides to sneeze in another dudes face, but this is the lineup so far.
The Chiefs should savage the helpless Raiders, while Baker Mayfield is up against one of his biggest defensive challenges all year.
The late game has a whiff of stink on it, as the Vikings visit Seattle in which should be another big L for Minnesota.
If you’re staying up late to watch this, you’re probably on something.

Monday

Monday night football (technically Tuesday morning in the UK) is back again with an interesting match up. The Chargers have played some great D, whereas the Saints have struggled to keep up with other teams this season. Will Drew Noodle-Arm be able to contain Justin the kid?
Available on Sky Sports and Channel 5.

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