He is part of the highest standard by any sports handicapping site.

Matt Rivers, who was the winningest handicapper ever—nobody came close—on a large network of sites. He has a free pick Thursday is on the Padres minus 1 ½ runs at BetUs.

I can’t actually stomach laying the moneyline here with the Padres on the road but I will take a stab on them giving that extra run and a half. It’s certainly a dicey proposition as San Diego is still far from an offensive juggernaut and Carlos Zambrano did look pretty solid in besting Chris Carpenter and the Cardinals in that last game but Mat Latos is an absolute stud and the way the Cubs have regressed I’ll fade the North Siders today at Wrigley Field expecting them to wet the bed one more time.

There may be no more disappointing team in all of baseball than Lou Pinella’s Cubs. This team has been inept and pathetic and have done nothing to change that logic in losing the first three games of this series and now Derrek Lee is off to Atlanta.

On the exact opposite extreme we have a Padres’ club that somehow just continues to win and boasts the best record in the entire National League. It’s amazing and I could not have been more wrong with the Friars as I thought they had to come back down to Earth but they’re not only not doing that they seem to be getting better in blowing everybody out of the water now in the division.

Latos has been an absolute superstar this season and right now the righthander really is as good as anybody around. This guy just does not allow anything at all, pretty much ever. If we see that Zambrano sinker come back to life then the Big Z can be a tough hurler. But after looking all right last time out if anything I think Zambrano is due to implode a bit.

Look for Gonzalez, Ludwick and the Padres to complete the four game sweep and relatively easy in the end.

The pick: San Diego -1.5 +100 at Bodog

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OffshoreInsiders.com has issued a point spread alert for the Indianapolis Colts vs. Buffalo Bills.

The best place to bet the Colts is at BetUs where they are getting 3.5. The best place to bet the Bills is at SportsBook where they are laying three-points -115.

This game is being played at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Each team is 0-1 straight up, Indianapolis getting blown out by 20 points and the Bills by 25.

Jeff Brohm is expected to take over at QB after starter Trent Edwards leaves for the Bills. Rookie C.J. Spiller will get extensive playing time at running back.

The top sportsbook to bet the under is Just Bet Sportsbook, where the total is 37. NFL power ratings have Buffalo -2.5, so value is with Indianapolis.

The Colts have a 3-2 series lead in preseason straight up play.

Top expert pick on this game: To say the least, we have great information on tonight’s games. But when we say we have great info we tell you exactly what it is when you buy the winners. Already on a 5-1 preseason tear, get both NFL sides including a Wise Guy on the Colts-Bills plus a Major on the Patriots-Falcons. Oh last night the NL Game of the Month was easy on the Phillies. MLB is coming. Click now to purchase

Time get a little negative, fantasy football fans. We’ve talked up plenty of hot picks and fantasy football sleepers at each position – but what about the guys you want to avoid? When it came to sleepers, we hunted for low-profile guys. For busts, it’s the opposite; here are some high-profile guys who are supposed to carry you to a title but could hurt you – and their team’s NFL futures – badly.

QUARTERBACK

Mark Sanchez, Jets

I’m not saying I don’t believe in Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets as future NFL betting juggernauts. But he has the big name playing in a high-profile market and that may sway some bettors. The reality is that his numbers were awful last year: 162.9 yards per game, 12 touchdowns, 20 interceptions. If the Jets weren’t so strong in every other facet of the game, he would’ve been labelled a “bust.” Sanchez should improve this year but not enough to warrant a fantasy draft pick.

Phillip Rivers, Chargers

Rivers will still post decent numbers this season. The problem is that you’ll pay top dollar for him as a QB1 with an early round pick yet he’s missing his No. 1 receiver, Vincent Jackson, and his No. 1 protector, left tackle Marcus McNeill, due to contract holdouts. I don’t see how he can avoid a regression.

RUNNING BACK

Jerome Harrison, Browns

Harrison carried many teams to fantasy titles with his improbable late-season run last year. He did most of his damage in his last three games, running for 286, 148 and 127 yards over his last three games. But he got 30-plus carries all three times and faced weak defenses all three times. He won’t get the rock that often in 2010 and he has competition from Montario Hardesty and James Davis.

Justin Forsett, Seahawks

Like Harrison, Forsett will have trouble building on his 2009 output because of timeshare troubles. Leon Washington is a more dynamic receiver than he is and Julius Jones will steal plenty of carries in Pete Carroll’s system.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Chad Ochocinco, Bengals

Be careful what you wish for, Chad. Ochocinco wanted Terrell Owens to join him in Cincinnati but now No. 85 won’t get the ball nearly as often. Carson Palmer also has Jordan Shipley, Jermaine Gresham and (maybe) Antonio Bryant as targets.

Mike Sims-Walker, Jaguars

He was a nice third receiver in fantasy leagues last year at first glance but Sims-Walker crashed back to Earth as the season progressed. He averaged 79.1 yards contest in his first seven games and 39.4 in his last eight. He’s simply not that good.

Sidney Rice, Vikings

Before you rocket Rice up your draft board (and pick the Vikings at your sportsbook) now that Brett Favre is back, remember that Favre could still implode any moment and Rice is battling a nagging hip injury that could limit his quickness.

Donald Driver, Packers

The workmanlike Driver gets it done every year but he has more competition for catches than ever in Green Bay. Greg Jennings, Jermichael Finley, James Jones and Jordy Nelson are all viable options for Aaron Rodgers and Driver’s age has to catch up to him sooner or later.

For more information: What is the secret of the best sports handicapping website? Where is it? The same portal where the best sports betting podcasts are and the source of the best YouTube sports wagering channel OffshoreInsiders.com.

The NFL fantasy football sleepers certainly have serious ramifications for sports bettors. However, the main reason that professional gamblers are coming off a remarkable opening week of sports picks is the availability of the preseason primer.

Here is the Week 2 NFL initial look for sports bettors.

Thursday, August 19

Colts vs. Bills

Bill RB Fred Jackson is out. He rushed for 1,062 yards last year, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Marshawn Lynch, who split time as starter, is also out. This means that rookie C.J. Spiller will be rushed into more playing time. He carried four times for just 16 yards in the NFX opener.

After Spiller, it’s Chad Simpson, who played sparingly for the Colts. In 25 games in his NFL career, he has 30 carries for 147 yards. Behind him is a rookie free agent, Joique Bell.

Saturday, August 21

NY Giants-Steelers

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger will play and may start. As usual Head Coach Mike Tomlin was glib when asked about his playing time.

Raiders vs. Bears

NFL preseason odds players will want to note that as bad as Chicago’s starting QB Jay Cutler is, it gets worse behind him. Potential backup Todd Collins rejected a contract offer, Caleb Harris is out and rookie Dan LeFevour not ready for significant role.

Dolphins vs. Jaguars

Dolphins OG Nate Garner is out. He started eight games last year and was projected to be the backup at RT.

Lions vs. Broncos

Detroit will be without LB Jordan Dizon for the season. Versatile and projected as a key backup, he started the first preseason game. He was a top-notch special teams player.

Cowboys vs. Chargers

Dallas starting RT Marc Colombo is out. Alex Barron is also out meaning youngsters Robert Brewster and Sam Young are the fill-ins. Dallas top pick WR Dez Bryant is out.

Jets vs. Panthers

Though Carolina WR Steve Smith is back practicing, he won’t play.

Monday, August 23

Cardinals vs. Titans

Arizona superstar receiver Larry Fitzgerald is out. Of course they lost No. 2 WR Anquan Boldin in the offseason and starting QB Kurt Warner retired. This makes Steve Breaston the No. 1 receiver and Early Doucet, the No. 2.

For more information: Preseason week two picks from the world’s best handicappers are on the OffshoreInsiders.com Network.

Betting and fantasy football expert Shea Mathews updates the sleepers in this years NFL fantasy draft as pro gamblers enjoy another winning NFL betting week. To say the least, Eli Manning bloodied face was nothing compared to the bloodletting of sportsbooks.

The Vegas odds to win the major 2010 Emmy Awards are up.

Courtesy of OddsShark.com: Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Yankees get a visit from the Tigers, the Giants look for a victory over the Phillies, and the Fever and Liberty meet on the WNBA court.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The American League schedule for Tuesday features Seattle at Baltimore, Texas at Tampa Bay, the Angels at Boston, the White Sox at Minnesota, Cleveland at Kansas City, Toronto at Oakland, and Detroit at the Yankees. Justin Verlander (13-7, 3.72 ERA) is slated to start for the Tigers in that last matchup, while New York hands the ball to CC Sabathia (15-5, 3.14 ERA). Righthander Verlander dominated the Rays in his last trip to the mound, surrendering just one run on six hits over his six innings of work, and fanning seven. Lefthander Sabathia is coming off a victory over the Royals in which he gave up three runs on 10 hits over 8 2-3 innings of work. Sabathia fanned three that day.

Over in the National League on Tuesday it’s then Florida at Pittsburgh, Washington at Atlanta, the Mets at Houston, San Diego at the Cubs, Milwaukee at St. Louis, Cincinnati at Arizona, Colorado at the Dodgers, and San Francisco at Philadelphia. Barry Zito (8-6, 3.44 ERA) is set to take on Roy Oswalt (7-13, 3.34 ERA) in that Giants/Phillies matchup. Lefthander Zito is on a string of three straight no-decisions, giving up four runs on 10 hits over 6 1-3 innings of work against the Cubs last time out. Righthander Oswalt blanked the Dodgers on five hits in seven innings in his last start, while striking out five.

Top expert picks on today’s card…

The Center of the Handicapping Universe is 8-3 the last 11 with small favorites and underdogs in MLB. The NFL Specialists are 5-1 the last six exhibition games. Now get six winners including a Dandy Dog Wise Guy winner. Wise Guy plays from GodsTips are widely accepted by virtually every bookmaker, Vegas runner, pro bettor, Vegas insider, oddsmaker, and fellow handicappers alike as the strongest pick in sports gambling.

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Rounding out the Roundup . . .

As well, there are six WNBA games on tap for Tuesday, with Chicago at Atlanta, Tulsa at Connecticut, Washington at San Antonio, Minnesota at Seattle, Phoenix at Los Angeles, and Indiana at New York. The Fever (21-10 SU, 18-13 ATS) have won five straight games, knocking off Connecticut 79-66 last time out. The Liberty (19-11 SU, 16-13-1 ATS) have won eight straight games, and they pounded Phoenix 107-69 in their most recent game; Cappie Pondexter led the way for New York with 28 points that day.

Emmy Awards 2010 odds…

All these odds are courtesy of BetUs sportsbook.

Sun, Aug 29, 2010 EST

In previous articles (see links below), fantasy football and rotisserie baseball players are making money daily with predictions on Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Randy Moss, Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre and others.

Now that we’ve covered the fantasy football staples – our top quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers – it’s time to delve deeper.

Which sleeper picks should NFL betting players keep a close eye on for 2010? Here are a few names to consider; some are more obvious than others.

Note: A rookie doesn’t automatically equal a sleeper. Ryan Mathews, C.J. Spiller and Jahvid Best were all highly touted draft picks and won’t come cheaply in drafts. They’re not sleepers.

QUARTERBACK

Chad Henne, Dolphins

Any quarterback who adds Brandon Marshall to his target list will get a huge spike in production. Independent of Marshall, I also think Henne simply has some game. I really like his arm.

Josh Freeman, Buccaneers

Tampa Bay will stink this year but that doesn’t mean it will be an utter fantasy graveyard. Josh Freeman turns over the ball too much but he’s also a gifted athlete who will add to his fantasy points with his rushing totals. He could be a respectable QB2 or spot starter.

RUNNING BACK

Arian Foster, Texans

Foster’s value is rocketing so quickly that he barely qualifies as a sleeper now. Ben Tate is out for the season, meaning Foster only has to hold off Steve Slaton for touches. Hello, fantasy value and hello, Houston Texans NFL futures.

Bernard Scott, Bengals

Scott isn’t set to have a big role in Cincinnati’s offense. However, Cedric Benson is injury-prone, so Scott could be thrust into the starting role at any moment. He has the explosiveness to excel if that happens.

Donald Brown, Colts

Joseph Addai has the Colts’ starting tailback job but (a) he gets nicked up often and (b) the Colts have publicly discussed expanding the sophomore Brown’s role in 2010. Any Colt skill player is worth a pick.

Michael Bush, Raiders

Hopefully, Bush gets a more extended look as Oakland’s featured back than Darren McFadden will. Bush is simply more of an NFL-type, with a lower center of gravity and better toughness.

WIDE RECEIVER

Mike Wallace, Steelers

Wallace is another guy barely clinging to sleeper status (like Johnny Knox, whom I can’t call a sleeper anymore), as he’s a popular choice among fantasy sports betting players. All you can hope is that his pedestrian 2009 numbers and Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension scare your opponents into thinking Wallace is a fantasy backup.

Jordan Shipley,  Bengals

Shipley only popped onto my fantasy radar this week. He’s having a great camp, showing quickness and toughness, and he’s playing well enough that the Bengals may cut the banged-up Antonio Bryant. If they do, watch out for Shipley.

Dexter McCluster, Chiefs

McCluster doesn’t have anything close to a starting job with the Chiefs. But he’s an exciting receiver/running back cut from the same cloth as Percy Harvin and he’s arguably been Kansas City’s best player at camp. Maybe the Chiefs will find a way to work him into their offense?

Mike Williams, Buccaneers

Rookie receivers are always risky picks but the Buccaneers (and sports betting podcasts) can’t stop raving about Williams at camp. He’s been Tampa’s best pass catcher by far. He could really elevate Josh Freeman’s sleeper payout.

Golden Tate, Seahawks

Tate could be a nice steal depending on your league’s scoring system. He probably won’t score much but, if your league counts return yards, Tate could be, well, golden, as the lowly Seahawks will get scored on plenty.

TIGHT END

Zach Miller, Raiders

Miller was already a relevant fantasy tight end in Oakland despite having no one throwing to him. Now, he gets Jason Campbell, a competent NFLer known for deferring to his tight end more than any other position. Does that mean Miller could be a top-five fantasy tight end in 2010?

For more information: Also get Shea Matthews of ScoresOddsPicks.com breaking down the fantasy football wide receivers, the top fantasy sports running backs and the marquee position, the top rotisserie football and fantasy quarterbacks

OffshoreInsiders.com CEO Joe Duffy is so bitter that the US News college rankings don’t have his alma mater California University of PA at the top of the list, he’s going to take it out on the sportsbooks, showing no mercy after he eviscerated the oddsmakers over the weekend.

Matt Rivers, who was the winningest handicapper ever—nobody came close—on a large network of sites and has a baseball free picks winner up as well.

True, professional gamblers made a fortune betting NFL preseason football week 1, but they will tell you that the best ROI is in MLB betting.

From Grandmaster Sports Handicapper Joe Duffy and GodsTips.

SAN DIEGO (GARLAND -114) Cubs (Wells)

The Padres are 7-1 the last eight. The Cubs are 4-15 their last 19. The Padres in their last seven games are hitting .287 with an OBP .360. The Fathers are 14-8 the last 22 with Jon Garland +6.6.

The Cubs have lost four straight with Randy Wells and six of this last seven starts -4.4 units.  In his last three starts his ERA is 8.44 and his WHIP is 1.750.

Padres are 8-2 in their last 10 road games vs. a team with a losing home record, 24-7 in their last 31 vs. a team with a losing record.

Cubs are 3-13 in their last 16 home games vs. a team with a winning road record, 1-12 in their last 13 when their opponent scores 5 runs or more in their previous game, 1-7 in Wells’ last 8 starts after allowing 5 runs or more in their previous game.

The pick: San Diego -114

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Matt Rivers has a free pick winner for Tuesday is on the Detroit Tigers +160.

Detroit is getting healthier and with their ace and stud in Justin Verlander on the hill I’ll back Jim Leyland’s Tee-grays here. No doubt CC Sabathia is awesome and extremely difficult to hit but it’s not like Verlander can’t go out there and dazzle as well.

After losing a pair in Kansas City and not exactly hitting the cover off of the ball last night I think I can say that the Bombers haven’t been bombing of late. Sure the Yankees are great and if they come to play are always formidable with Arod, Jeter, Tex, Cano and others but after getting Carlos Guillen and a few others back to help out Miguel Cabrera I’ll take this price back.

The visitors from MoTown have had a rough rough last few months as they have plummeted all the way from first place to below .500 but with a lot of the pieces backand after prevailing last night they can more than compete tonight in the Bronx behind Verlander.

A solid enough team with a stud on the hill plus a price such as this one has to be played no matter for how much, period.

Free pick: Detroit +160 at BetUs

For more information: Cliff Lee and the Rangers defense imploded a bit there late in my first losing day in almost a week. Right back to the winning ways today with three plays on the diamond that will equal right around a million more stars of profit.

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