This is your Sports-Handicapper.com report for Saturday, February 4, 2006. Sports-Handicapper.com has now had winning days 30-of-35 and 43 of 52. In the process it’s a 36-9- run with top sports service plays.
Sports-Handicapper.com gives you the highest rated plays from the highest rated handicappers in their highest rated sports. We search our database of more than 620 handicappers from the Internet, scorephones, television, 800 number late telephone services, 900 number handicappers, tip sheets and other sources and give you their top plays more times than not at a fraction of the cost.
• Jared Lindsey a handicapper out of Sarasota, FL is among the Top 5 handicappers all sports combined since 1995-present. Stats are out of 620 services monitored, rankings based on total net units won based on ONE unit per play. We release his 5* plays. He’s hit seven straight. He has THREE Saturday
• Top computer plays are on a 22-6 run. Another goes today
• No. 3 NBA/CBB service combined for 2005/06 has their College Game of the Year. Stats are out of 620 services monitored, rankings based on total net units won based on ONE unit per play. We give you this play at ½ their cost
Today’s full menu is $40, 3 day is $95, a week $200 and long term as little as $13.70 per day at Sports-Handicapper.com. Today’s late breaking information as game time approaches, and advanced news and notes as well as gaming articles are at www.joeduffy.net
Saturday News and Notes
Saturday, February 4, 2005
The CBS Game of the Year is among two overnight Wise Guy releases in college hoops, plus we have two Majors. The rest of the card is inclusive in all purchases. Just use your password to access. If you happen to be waiting to see what the Industry Standard has among our late steam keep checking the Top Sports Service Report at JoeDuffy.net.
The ENTIRE card is just $17 at www.godspicks.com. We now take virtually every credit card, PayPal and eCheck. Also we now have yearly and other packages available via Western Union. Every play, every sport for a year is $2,450. Email us at godspicks@bellsouth.net to make arrangements or for Neteller payments. Advanced news and notes, picks articles and more FREE www.joeduffy.net
Since Thanksgiving Day 2004, the demarcation point from where our mastery of modern technology made the gap between us and the rest of the industry insurmountable.
CBB
Here are news and notes from Godspicks.com private clipboard. They are compiled from hometown newspapers and the team’s own press releases. Get advanced news and notes ready for opening lines at www.joeduffy.net
Cincinnati-West Virginia
Cincinnati Inquirer
The ankle sprain that University of Cincinnati senior James White sustained in the Bearcats’ victory over South Florida is not expected to keep him out of Saturday’s game at No. 11 West Virginia. White, a 6-foot-7 swingman who is UC’s leading scorer at 16.5 points per game, turned his ankle early in Tuesday’s game against USF when he stepped on another player’s foot.He returned to the game, but logged only three minutes in the second half and scored a season-low six points.
Miami (Fl)-Georgia Tech
Press Notes
Hoping to snap a six-game losing streak, two of which have come at home, Georgia Tech returns to Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Tech (9-10 overall, 2-6 ACC this season) has lost consecutive games to No. 18 NC State, Wake Forest, Clemson, No. 18 Maryland, Boston College and Virginia Tech. It is the Jackets’ longest losing streak since the 2001-02 season (also six games), and Tech is under .500 overall for the first time since the end of that season. The Jackets, tied for 10th place in the ACC standings, are 8-3 at home this season. Miami (13-8 overall, 5-3 ACC) has won six of its last eight games, including two straight over Florida State and Wake Forest. The Hurricanes, in fourth place in the ACC standings, come to Atlanta having made more three-point field goals in ACC play (67) than all but two teams in the league. The Yellow Jackets’ last two losses have occurred by a total of three points, 66-64 at Boston College Sunday and 63-62 at Virginia Tech Tuesday. Tech played well defensively, holding those two teams to 40 percent shooting from the floor and 30.3 percent from three-point range.
San Diego-Pepperdine
Press Notes
The USD Toreros (14-6, 4-3 WCC) will put their three-game winning streak on the line. This is the 75th meeting between USD and Pepperdine with the Waves owning a commanding 52-22 advantage. earlier this season the Waves held on for a 55-54 win at Firestone Fieldhouse on January 9th. last season the Toreros won 2 of 3. The USD Toreros earned solid back-to-back WCC road contests this past week with wins over Saint Mary’s (86-78) and Santa Clara (81-66). USD has now won 4-of-5 heading into their 3-game homestand. San Diego has gone 4-1 in league play after starting with tough back-to-back road losses at LMU and Pepperdine. USD’s three WCC losses are by a combined 4 points. USD is off to a 7-2 start in games played at the Jenny Craig Pavilion. the two losses are by a combined 4 points (94-91 to Texas-Arlington in overtime; 64-63 to then No. 6 Gonzaga). USD is averaging 83.1 ppg and 35.6 rpg while limiting opponents to 68.0 ppg and 35.1 rpg. Waves finished the first half of WCC play with a 3-4 mark and 7-12 overall record. Pepperdine comes to USD with a modest two-game winning streak after home wins over Santa Clara (65-45) and LMU (70-62).
Wake Forest-Virginia
Press Notes
Wake Forest is 12-9 overall and 1-7 in the ACC after a 78-69 loss at Miami Tuesday night. Virginia is 10-7 and 4-3 heading into Wednesday’s game at NC State. Wake Forest, which won just two of eight games in the month of January, hopes for a fresh start in February as the Demon Deacons embark on the second half of the ACC schedule beginning Saturday at Virginia. he Demon Deacons, 12-9 overall, 1-7 in the ACC and owning a four-game losing streak, have a lot of ground to make up. Wake is in last place in the ACC standings with eight league games and one nonconference game left. Wake Forest’s last two losses — 78-69 at Miami Tuesday night and 76-70 against Virginia Tech last Saturday — have been especially dis- appointing. The Deacons led Miami at halftime and they held a 12- point second-half advantage in the Virginia Tech game. Wake Forest swept the regular season series last year, breaking a streak of seven consecutive years that the Deacs and Wahoos had split two regular season meetings. Wake won 90-68 in Winston-Salem and 89-70 in Charlottesville. Last year’s win in Charlottesville snapped a streak of four consecutive Deacon losses in University Hall. Virginia leads the series in Charlottesville, 35-20, including a 29-10 advantage in University Hall.
South Carolina-Arkansas
Press Notes
Doubtful is Gamecock Renaldo Balkman who leads the team with 6.3 rpg and is third in scoring with 10.3 ppg. He has played in all 20 of USC’s games this season, starting 13. USC is 11-9 and 2-5 in the SEC.
Utah State-Louisiana State
Press Notes
Louisiana Tech is 14-7 on the season and in first-place in the Western Athletic Conference with a 7-1 league record after defeating San Jose State (75-55) and Fresno State (68-66 ot) on the road last weekend. The Bulldogs, who are 7-0 at home this year, have won seven of its last eight games, losing only at Utah State 64-55. Utah State will be making its third appearance on ESPN this year against Louisiana Tech Saturday afternoon. The last time USU appeared on ESPN it defeated Hawai’i 63-52 in Logan on Mon., Jan. 30. Overall, USU teams have won 18 of its last 20 games that have been televised by ESPN.
Miami (Oh)-Buffalo
Press Notes
After averaging 47.0 ppg over the previous three games, Miami regrouped and has had its best offensive efforts since scoring a season-high 80 points at Michigan on Dec. 22, amassing 73 points at Ohio on Jan. 29 and 77 points against Bowling Green on Feb. 1. Miami rounds our a four-game stretch where it plays three on the road. After road games at Akron and Ohio last week and a home game with Bowling Green on Feb. 1, the RedHawks again take to the road for a 7 p.m. contest at Buffalo on Saturday, Feb. 4. Miami leads the all-time series 11-3, but Buffalo has won two of the last three match-ups. At Alumni Arena, Miami has a 5-2 edge, however, the last time the RedHawks were victorious in Buffalo was in 2004, 72-62. A hallmark of Miami men’s basketball in recent years is a strong emphasis on defense, and the 2005-06 RedHawks are continuing the trend. Miami ranks 18th nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 59.1 ppg. In Mid-American Conference play, the RedHawks rank first in scoring defense (55.7), rebounding defense (27.9), defensive rebounds (25.00) and field goal percentage defense (.397).
UAB-Central Florida
Press Notes
The Golden Knights enter the game with a 9-9 overall mark and a 3-2 league record and will be looking to for their eighth win at home this year. UAB (15-4, 5-1) has won 11 of its last 12 games. Dating back to the start of the 2001-02 season, the Golden Knights are 50-13 in games played at UCF Arena. In 2004-05, the team went 12-3 at home, the second-best home win total in program history (14 in 1993-94). This season, the squad is 7-3 in Orlando.
Saturday Godspicks STEAM; 12-0
Saturday, February 4, 2005
***HANDICAPPING ALERT: Steam plays are done. We have the CBS Game of the Year and the ACC Game of the Year among four CBB Wise Guy plays, five Majors, two NBA Wise Guy plays and a Major. It’s 12-0 Saturday from The Center of the Handicapping Universe Godspicks.com
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The winning streaks always have and always will outnumber the losing streaks at The Center of the Handicapping Universe Godspicks.com. Since Thanksgiving Day 2004, the demarcation point from where our mastery of modern technology made the gap between us and the rest of the industry insurmountable.
Don’t forget our three-day pass for $45 or our four-day package at a huge discount of $55. You can always pre-buy our plays. That way the plays are emailed to you the split second we are done or you can just use your password which is activated all day. Joe Duffy is the first and only person to earn the title of Master Handicapper. The Wise Guy moves originate here.
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Godspicks For Friday, February 3, 2006
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Friday, February 3, 2006
It’s the MAAC Total of the Year tonight among 7-0. Remember on Monday our OVC Total of the Year was a piece of cake on Tennessee-Martin and EKU going way over the total. We improve to 2-0 with conference Total of the Year plays tonight.
Not only does a weekend pass get you the Super Bowl Wise Guy side, plus total and props, but also we will likely have a conference Game of the Year going Saturday! Start out with 6-0 tonight.
The ENTIRE card is just $17 at www.godspicks.com. We now take virtually every credit card, PayPal and eCheck. Also we now have yearly and other packages available via Western Union. Every play, every sport for a year is $2,450. Email us at godspicks@bellsouth.net to make arrangements. Advanced news and notes, picks articles and more FREE www.joeduffy.net
TODAY IS THE LAST DAY: In order to ensure you get every play in every sport, including March Madness conference, NCAA and NIT, plus sample our MLB dog prowess, we are temporarily extending our two-month package to 75 days! This comes out to $7.98 per day. You will renew because unprecedented winning is contagious. Begin the rest of your gambling life now before we come to our senses.
Today’s free winner (no password needed), late breaking information as game time approaches, and advanced news and notes www.joeduffy.net
Don’t forget our three-day pass for $45 or our four-day package at a huge discount of $55. You can always pre-buy our plays. That way the plays are emailed to you the split second we are done or you can just use your password which is activated all day. Joe Duffy is the first and only person to earn the title of Master Handicapper. The Wise Guy moves originate here. As dominating as we are in all sports, no handicapper in the history of the business dominates any sport the way we do the NFL preseason to the Super Bowl.
Sports-Handicapper For February 3
This is your Sports-Handicapper.com report for Friday, February 03, 2006. Sports-Handicapper.com has now had winning days 30-of-34 and 43 of 51. In the process it’s a 34-7-7 run with top sports service plays.
Sports-Handicapper.com gives you the highest rated plays from the highest rated handicappers in their highest rated sports. We search our database of more than 620 handicappers from the Internet, scorephones, television, 800 number late telephone services, 900 number handicappers, tip sheets and other sources and give you their top plays more times than not at a fraction of the cost.
• Sports-Handicapper.com EXCLUSIVE: Sportscrew.com is the nation’s premier sports gambling site. When at least 14 of their 18 in-house handicappers agree on a play or if at least 10 agree with no conflicting opinions, it’s a Sportscrew.com in-house consensus. It improves to 15-2 tonight after another winner on Thursday
• Jared Lindsey a handicapper out of Sarasota, FL is among the Top 5 handicappers all sports combined since 1995-present. Stats are out of 620 services monitored, rankings based on total net units won based on ONE unit per play. We release his 5* plays. Friday he has TWO.
Today’s full menu is $40, 3 day is $95, a week $200 and long term as little as $13.70 per day at Sports-Handicapper.com. Today’s late breaking information as game time approaches, and advanced news and notes as well as gaming articles are at www.joeduffy.net
Friday, February 3, 2006
Late breaking information as game time approaches, and advanced news and notes www.joeduffy.net
Friday, February 3, 2006
It’s the MAAC Total of the Year tonight among 7-0. Remember on Monday our OVC Total of the Year was a piece of cake on Tennessee-Martin and EKU going way over the total. We improve to 2-0 with conference Total of the Year plays tonight.
Not only does a weekend pass get you the Super Bowl Wise Guy side, plus total and props, but also we will likely have a conference Game of the Year going Saturday! Start out with 6-0 tonight.
The ENTIRE card is just $17 at www.godspicks.com. We now take virtually every credit card, PayPal and eCheck. Also we now have yearly and other packages available via Western Union. Every play, every sport for a year is $2,450. Email us at godspicks@bellsouth.net to make arrangements. Advanced news and notes, picks articles and more FREE www.joeduffy.net
TODAY IS THE LAST DAY: In order to ensure you get every play in every sport, including March Madness conference, NCAA and NIT, plus sample our MLB dog prowess, we are temporarily extending our two-month package to 75 days! This comes out to $7.98 per day. You will renew because unprecedented winning is contagious. Begin the rest of your gambling life now before we come to our senses.
CBB
Iona-Canisius
Press Notes
The Griffs are 3-6 on the road this season, including 2-2 in league play, and are 3-2 in their last five overall on the road. Iona had a seven-game win streak snapped at home Monday night with a 76-72 loss to Saint Peter’s. The Gaels have won eight of their last 10.Nine of Canisius’ last 12 contests have been decided by double digits, and the last three games have been decided by 19 points or more. The Griffs are giving up 41 points a game in the second half and are getting outscored by an average of 4.7 points a contest in the final 20 minutes. Canisius has held the lead at halftime in 11 of the last 17 games but is 4-7 in those contests.
DePaul-South Florida
Press Notes
The Blue Demons, 8-11 on the season, with a Big East conference record of 1-7, have been in a horrible slide of late, losing six straight. Their latest defeat came at the hands of the Georgetown Hoyas, who welcomed the Blue Demons to the Big East with a 64-44 victory. The Bulls have not had much better luck in their first year in the Big East, as they enter into the contest with a 6-14 record, including a 0-7 mark in the Big East. It has been a difficult year for the Bulls, and that is not only on the court. The Bulls shooting guard Bradley Mosley lost his battle with cancer just prior to the season, and have been cursed with the injury bug as well. Starting guard Collin Dennis missed time earlier this year with injury, and freshmen Chris Howard and Zaronn Cann are both out for the season with injuries. However, even with all this adversity, the Bulls have been a tough team to contend with. No more was this evident than their game on January 24, against Villanova, when the Bulls were able to stay with ‘Nova until the very end, and suffered a 3 point loss. As a whole, five of the Bulls seven conference losses have come by means of a margin of six or less points.
NBA
Magic-Hawks
Orlando Sentinel
Orlando has lost three consecutive games, falling to the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Clippers. PG Jameer Nelson (sprained right foot) will meet the team in Atlanta but will not play. Atlanta has a two-game winning streak — rare any time of the season for the struggling Hawks. They are coming off victories against the Knicks and the banged-up Charlotte Bobcats.
Pistons-Sixers
Columbus Dispatch
Allen Iverson probably won’t play in Philadelphia’s game against Detroit on Friday night, the fourth straight game he will miss because of an injured left ankle.
Iverson, second in the NBA in scoring at 33.6 points per game, has missed three straight games since he was hurt in the fourth quarter against Orlando last Thursday.
Iverson did not practice yesterday and team president Billy King said a magnetic resonance imaging Tuesday showed the All-Star had a bone bruise.
Iverson could play Saturday at Cleveland.
This Left Me Speechless
Ratings, Rankings, Raw Numbers In Offshore Drilling
The disparity is even more explicit in college sports, but it is colossal in professional sports handicapping as well. Rankings are just that, teams are ranked in specific categories first to last. Ratings have teams “rated” in various categories comparative to a mean number. For example, let’s say Clemson is playing Maryland in football. This is explained in more detail in the Gospel eBook of sports betting.
Clemson runs for 252.4 (raw number) yards per game to rank (rankings of course) No. 7 in the country. Maryland as an illustration averages 239.8 to rank 18th. According to those “rankings” and “raw numbers” Clemson has a better rushing offense. However rankings and raw numbers don’t scratch the surface. Conversely a rating would say the cumulative average of Clemson’s previous opponents’ defense allows 232.2 rushing yards per game.
That would mean Clemson rushes for 20.2 more yards per game than their opponents normally allow (+20.2). If Maryland’s cumulative foes allow only 197.8 that would put them at (+40.2). The inferior raw numbers make it look like Clemson is the better run offense by 12.6, but in the much more telling ratings, it’s actually Maryland by 20 yards per game.
So again, using the hypotheticals, here is a comparison (all illustrative rushing totals). The “advantage” numbers are ALL CAPS:
Raw numbers: CLEMSON 252.4; Maryland 239.8
Rankings: CLEMSON No. 7; Maryland No. 18
Ratings: Clemson +20.2; MARYLAND +40.2
Furthermore rating both offenses and defenses is most accurate using yards per play, yards per pass and yards per rush. These are much more telling as to whether teams outplay or underplay their stats. In short, games in which the proverbial “they have dominated them everywhere but on the scoreboard” are priceless to the handicapper.
The more deceptive a won/loss record is, the more opportunity. Team stats in those categories are a much greater precursor of future performance than points per game. Maybe Maryland runs the ball 16 more times per game than Clemson. Yards per rush puts the raw numbers into better perspective, but yards per rush relative to the cumulative average of their opponents makes the stats rise to the level of truthful for handicapping excellence. In basketball, shooting percentages offensively and defensively are more accurate than points per game.
This is true in no small part do to the fact that half court teams will have lower scoring games than up-tempo. This is in no way to imply that ratings under this circumstance are flawless. Slow down teams will both get fewer easy baskets and give up fewer, but in also weighing points per game, the flaws of each statistic can cancel out some of the deficiencies of the other.
In short, pro betting picks ratings put raw numbers into perspective much more so than rankings. By no means whatsoever do we disregard rankings, but the square player is shockingly oblivious to the value of the more judicious numbers. Yet again we must emphasize mere statistics are only part of the equation. But only a small percentage of handicappers are acute enough to use more precise ratings rather than the not to be trusted rankings. Everything though we said about the strength and weaknesses of power ratings applies here. The learned player must make adjustments for injuries both for a team and that of their previous opponents.
Statistics can be used and statistics can be abused. But knowing the right valuations to use is just as important as knowing how to adapt them.
Cliches About Pitching and Defense
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Clichés About Pitching and Defense Are So Offensive to Real Handicappers
Joe Duffy (www.godspicks.com)
We recently wrote an article on WHIP versus ERA in handicapping. Despite the fact that baseball in the interest of the gambler is predominated by football and basketball, the questions we got in regards to that article exceeds the response of even our most popular NFL writings.
The prevailing area under discussion was inquiring how to weigh offensive statistics relative to pitching.
There is an old cliché that pitching and defense are 80 percent of the game. A similar timeworn saying is that good pitching beats good hitting. Putting that to the test we find that Randy Johnson, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and Pedro Martinez must not be all that good because they have a combined sub .500 record in the postseason. The two with the best winning percentage would be Clemens and Martinez who clearly had the best bats as support. All five have a higher ERA in the postseason than the regular season and 3-of-5 by .30 or more.
The supporters of this apocryphal footnote point towards how low scoring postseason games often are. This inductive thought process never analyzes why such is. They ignore pretty important facts such how managers can greatly shorten their pitching staff, but cannot do the equivalent offensively. A five man pitching staff becomes three, but a skipper cannot condense his batting order from nine to just five or six. It is commonplace for an ace to pitch three games in a seven game playoff series. How often do you ever see it during the regular season? Sans rainouts or in a very rare case of the All-Star break, the answer is never.
No question the pitcher is the most important player on the field, but to say he and his teammates gloves are four times as important as their bats is poppycock but a boon for the books.
Most importantly there are two supremely substantial components relevant to the handicapper that do not enter the equation when run of the mill baseball fans are arguing this point over a cold brew. The referenced “good pitching” does not always come from good pitchers. Likewise, good pitchers don’t always bestow good pitching.
It is well beyond semantics that there is a major distinction between the axioms, “good pitching beats good hitting” than uttering “good pitchers beat good hitters.”
I will seize investing on hot pitching from a second-rate pitcher against besieged bats from a great offense, just as I would lay a wager against a slumping stud hurler especially when encumbered with nose-diving run support.
The value is there. We have ridden the likes of Pat Rapp, John Snyder, Scott Sanders, Rick Krivda…the list goes on as far as big dogs while they were in “the zone”. No handicapper on the planet has had more success going against future Hall-of-Fame pitchers under the right state of affairs.
We have written several articles on how fantasy and gambling information often overlap. One thing the roto player gets a great sense of is how much pitching can be a total crapshoot. If one were to compile a list of the biggest surprises and disappointments every baseball season, there will always be a disproportionate number of pitchers on that list. Oddsmakers asymmetrically make their line based on this fluid dynamic, which gives sharp players wide-open opportunity.
All that leaves value for us. As Mike Foreman, Sports Product Manager for MVP Sportsbook.com points out, “books have had to offer ‘Listed Pitchers’ and ‘Action’ wagers because a pitching change can make such a huge difference.” However you can’t specify, “Bonds must play”.
We remind you again the basic math that makes a win-loss record almost irrelevant in baseball. You need only hit 40 percent of 150 dogs (your price after the juice) to break even, but 60 percent of 150 favorites. The difference between the sharps and squares in baseball is so often the sharps know how to win hitting 46 percent, while the squares often hit 65 percent and get buried.
The gambling aristocrats are those who anticipate when “good pitching” comes from inferior pitchers or when high society hurlers come up with bad pitching and/or get minimal run support. As one need not have an above .500 record to have a winning record in baseball handicapping, and the whiz kids know they must anatomize how the oddsmakers assay the varying factors.
Substantiating which pitchers and teams the oddsmakers over or undervalue has one prerequisite that the dumb bunnies disregard—how much the linesmakers evaluate each dynamic to begin with.
Ah, but how to specifically handicap offense? Guess what our next article is regarding?
Duffy’s plays are part of the Dream Team at Godspicks.com. He is perhaps the most published and respected author on sports gambling theory and has been featured as a regular guest as the handicapping expert on the Rick Ballou Show on Sporting News Radio, Gamblers Zoo national radio show, the Meat and Potatoes gambling show, Pro Fantasy Sports Internet radio and Grogan’s Fantasy Football show. His Wise Guy Plays available exclusively at www.godspicks.com where daily sports handicapping information is available to crush the sportsbooks.
Nothing to Spare in Striking it Rich Going Bowling
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Nothing To Spare In Striking it Rich Going Bowling
Joe Duffy (www.godspicks.com)
The bowls are soon to be here. A lot of money is to be made, but let us make sure it is not the bookmakers! One of the first mistakes that so many gamblers make is that they feel they “have” to bet larger amounts on bowl games or bet every side and total.
Do not get me wrong; there are true harmless “recreational” gamblers. By that we mean people who are couch potatoes and bet only “entertainment” money to insure that they have someone to root for on that chesterfield with a Budweiser in his right hand and a Vegas Offshore schedule in his left.
While this practice defies money management, if one can objectively assert that they are not realistically expecting to make a profit, but just adding to the excitement of the game with the chance of making money along the way, there is really no harm.
The bookmaker will thank you, but there are some Joeybagofdonut guys who will bet lunch money on the bowls then regardless of how poorly or well he does not bet again until March Madness. To them, money management is mere gingerbread. But the serious player must bet postseason games using the same money management techniques mentioned in previous articles here.
The factors to look for and not to look for when handicapping are numerous. A classic gambler’s trap is believing that one should focus on teams that finish the season on winning or losing streaks and to bet those streaks to continue.
The truth is nothing can break a team’s momentum more than several weeks off. Conversely, not anything is more valuable to a struggling team than to have time to regroup such as which the weeks between the bowls offer.
In addition one must look at why a team performed the way they did down the stretch. Was a team really improved or just “in a groove”? Did injuries play a big part in a teams skid to end a year and did the time off help heal them? Or was it a case of several players improving as the year went on?
In 2001, Ohio State is an example of a team though that truly did improve as the year went on and that must be considered in handicapping. Jonathan Wells their breakout running back was arguably the most improved player in the nation. Chris Vance’s improvement at wide receiver was legitimate.
Everything must be considered when looking how a team did in September as opposed to how they performed in November. If there was a huge dichotomy one must instead of making the assumption that they progressed as the year went on—which may be the case but may not—do significant analysis and look further.
Keep an eye on injury reports, but not just of guys who return from injuries but also guys who played banged up late in the year. Did the time off allow them to return to 100%?
Joe Duffy is General Manager of Freescoreboard.com, the premier hub of world class handicappers. Duffy’s handicapping prowess is now part of the Dream Team with Mike Godsey at www.godspicks.com, widely considered to be the most powerful handicapping alliance ever.