Brett's NBA Bet of the Night

I've lost 3 in a row. I've realize that in the league "Where Amazing Happens" it's nearly impossible to predict anything. The T-Wolves shot about 134% from the field last night, while the Nuggets and Bucks shot about 0.34%. With this in mind, I'm going to implement a new system. Whenever I see some line I like, I'll inexplicably pick the opposite, because hey, it's "Where the Inexplicable Happens". Teams in the NBA don't try, so I'm not going to try either.

Portland (+4.5) at Oklahoma City:

I thought this line should be in the 7-8 range. When guessing today's lines, I picked OKC -7.5. With that in mind, I should really like the Thunder. Think again! Using my opposite system, let's make some money on the Blazers!

Chicago (-10) vs. Atlanta

Atlanta just beat the Heat by 12 on the road last night. Tonight they take on the Bulls in Chicago. Thinking that last night was a great win, and the momentum could be there, I guess this line to be around 5. With it being a huge 5 points different, you'd think I'd love the Hawks with the points, and I do. But this is a system play. Blow 'em out Bulls!

Season Totals: 1-3-0

Playoff Fantasy Challenge

We're having a new contest to make your NFL playoff viewing experience even more meaningful. Join our group on ESPN.com for the Gridiron Playoff Challenge. All you need is a free ESPN account to play. The winner will come away with a Catch or No Catch T-shirt!

How to sign up: At the ESPN homepage, scroll to the the fantasy icon, and click on the Gridiron Playoff Ch. drop down. Search the name of the group, then type in the password.

Name of the Group: catch or no catch

Password: tebow15

Kyle's NBA Pick of the Night

Orlando -6 at Detroit

I've watched enough of the Pistons as I can stand for one year (one game). That one game, even though they beat the Pacers at home, told me all I need to know about them. Jonas Jerebko, Rodney Stuckey, the skeleton of Tayshawn Prince. The Pistons have been as poorly run as a franchise could be since the days of their finals appearances. Look for Dwight to absolute annihilate the Pistons overmatched front court. Magic should roll by double digits.

Season Record: 1-0

Brett's NBA Bet of the Night

It's been a few nights since I posted a pick. I was pretty heated after losing an Over in the Magic/Bobcats game that was way over pace through 30 or so minutes. Going to have 2 plays tonight, hopefully we can win them both:

Spurs (-5) at Timberwolves

What a dewcut.

The T-Wolves are coming off of a big victory at home against Dallas last night. Though they are probably improved, I don't see them beating two elite Western Conference teams on back to back nights. Tony Parker is going to be too quick, Manu will be too wily, and DeJaun Blair will try too much against Kevin Love. Love will put up his stats, but they'll all be for naught. Spurs by 10.

Milwaukee at Denver Over 197


This is a system play, a system whose name is too long to repeat. It fits though; Denver scores in bunches and is on the third night of a back-to-back-to-back. Thusly, I don't expect Denver to spend too much energy on the defensive end. The Bucks, also fitting to the system, can score points: averaging over 98 points per game so far this year. As long as the teams don't shoot miserably from the outside, expect some points.

Season Status: 1-1-0

Week 17 confidence picks

Final week of pick'em and it's a huge one for me. I currently sit 2nd, just 7 points out of 1st. I am 10 points up on 3rd so I can afford to take so risks and go for it all. Very strange week this week with teams resting starters. Hopefully most people are out of the loop and pick based on teams records.

Current Standings:
1441 points
1 weekly win
2nd out of 110

Home teams are in bold.


16- Pats over Bills. Scuba Tom should have an easy day against the miserable Buffalo Bills.

15- Saints over Panthers
14- Steelers over Browns
13- 49ers over Rams
12- Lions over Packers. Rodgers and Clay Matthews are sitting this one out. No real attempt for the Packers to win this one. Lions -3 may have been the best early line of all-time. Easy money if you got on that one early. The line went all the way up to Lions -7.

11- Titans over Texans. Texans also resting most of their starters here. Titans need to win this to have a shot at the playoffs and should be able to pull it out against the Texans 2nd team.

10- Eagles over Redskins
9- Tebows over Chiefs. Everyone loves the Chiefs because they beat the Packers 2 weeks ago but everyone forgets that they lost at home last week and might have just been lucky against Green Bay. KC is a bad football team and with the division on the line the Broncos should be able to win this one.

8- Cowboys over Giants. You should put this one much lower than I did. The guy in the lead in my league loves the Giants and goes huge on them every week so I know I can make up ground with this pick. If I didnt know he loved the Giants I would only put this at like 2 points. Still would pick the Cowboys though.

7- Jags over Colts. Colts have to lose if they want to get Andrew Luck. Something fishy will happen here so they can lock that pick down.

6- Falcons over Bucs. If the Lions win then the Falcons are locked into the 6 seed and playing for nothing. They play after the Lions game is over and should know what they are playing for. That worries me and you might see many Falcons players sit.

5- Jets over Dolphins. Jets need a win to have a shot at the playoffs. Reggie Bush is out for the Dolphins. That should really slow down their offense and gives the Jets the edge in this one.

4- Ravens over Bengals. The Ravens are only 4-3 on the road this year.

3- Vikings over Bears
2- Seahawks over Cardinals
1- Raiders over Chargers

Week 17 NFL Picks

Brett:

Well all, it's the last week of the season. I'm slightly profitable right now on the season after a rough 5 week stretch. This week is going to be the make or break week: go over .500 for profit, under .500 for a loss. I'm going to try to stick with teams that have something to play for this week and fade teams that have nothing to play for. With that in mind, here are my Week 17 picks:

1. New York Jets (+3) at Miami - The Jets have a pretty slim chance at the playoffs, but make no doubt, they'll be playing to win. Miami will be without Reggie Bush in this one. I think this is a bigger deal than most people think it is. Believe me, I wince when I say this, but Reggie Bush has been the heart of their offense for most of the year. The Jets will win, but they Can't Wait to get to the golf course. Take the points.

2. Tennessee (-1) at Houston - Another team here in the Titans that need a win and some help to get in. They'll come out firing on a Houston team that has absolutely nothing to play for. I don't expect to see the starters for most of the game here. Hopefully Matt Hasselbeck can put together some kind of game and win it for the Titans.

3. Detroit (-3) vs. Green Bay - Make no mistake, I'd love to see Aaron Rodgers sling it around all day. However, with the depleted Packer offensive line, injuries all over team, and nothing to play for, he won't play very much. I'm not sure Detroit will play their starters the whole game either, but Jim Schwartz is just enough of an idiot to try to blow the Packers out. Back the Lions.


4. Denver (-2) vs. Kansas City - TEBOW, TEBOW, TEBOW time! The Chiefs stink.


5. Baltimore (-1.5) at Cincinnati - Both teams need to win. Baltimore is the far better team. They won't allow the Bengals to make the playoffs. That is all.


Last Week: 2-3
Total Season: 23-21-1

Kyle:

1.) Vikings -2.5 vs Bears: The Bears can't wait for this nightmare of a 2nd half to end. The Vikings on the other hand are young and hungry to gain some momentum heading into next year. Look for Jared Allen to create some havoc and turnovers on Josh McCown.

2.) Denver -2 vs Kansas City: TEBOW TEBOW TEBOW!

3.) Jags -3 vs Colts: The Colts I think have won their quota for the "Seriously, we're not tanking for luck" idea, so look for them to completely lay down in this one. The Jags should be able to run the ball at will in this one, and their defense isn't all that bad.

4.) Jets +3 at Miami: The Jets are in a must win situation, and Sanchez and company usually thrive when the lights are shining the brightest. Brandon Marshall should be shut down once again by Darrelle Revis, and Reggie Bush is going to miss the game due to injury. That leaves the Dolphins handcuffed with little offensive weapons. Look for the Jets to win a low scoring one.

5.) Carolina and New Orleans Under 56: This line seems extra high knowing the fact that the Saints could rest their offensive players halfway through the game if they do some scoreboard watching. I know these are two potent offensive teams, but 56?? Come on.

Last Week: 1-4

All time: 15-20

Look-a-like of the Day 12-31-11

Is it Kentucky basketball player Anthony Davis, or Uncle Leo with painted on eyebrows?

Early look at week 17

The NFL is heading into to its final week of the regular season and that means the final week of pick'em for all of us. Week 17 is always a strange week because of teams resting their starters and this week is no different. Even though teams are resting players it seems like people are still picking the teams with the better record. This gives you a great opportunity if you need to make up a lot of ground.. Also a great week if you are out of it but want a shot to win the week. Very important to do your homework and find out who is in and who is out for this week.

Titans at Texans: 67% of people are picking the Texans in this one even though Vegas has the Titans as a 1.5 point favorite. Not much news has come out yet on who will be sitting for the Texans in this one. The Texans are locked into the 3 seed and have nothing to play for in this one so I would expect them to limit a lot of their stars. Houston has been hit harder than anyone by injuries and should be smart enough here to try to avoid more injuries. I would think the Arian Foster would not see too many carries this week if the Texans are smart. One guy that will play a little is Andre Johnson. Andre has been out for a few weeks with a hamstring injury and they would like to get him some in game reps.

The Titans on the other hand need to win this one to have a shot at the playoffs and should be playing all out. Chris Johnson said that his ankle wasn't feeling very good last week and can be to blame for his poor week. He said he is feeling much better this week and should be able to go all out. TE Jared Cook has also come on as of late and should make the Titans passing game tough to stop. Houston is on a 2 game losing streak and I think this game would be very close even if Houston played all their starters. Titans should be able to roll if the Texans sit guys like expected.

Being Matthew Stafford doesn't look like fun at all.

Lions at Packers: 66% of people are picking the Packers but the Lions are a 3.5 point favorite. People clearly blinded by the Packers 14-1 record here. The Packers are locked into the 1 seed and have no reason to play anyone in this one. Head coach Mike McCarthy has even hinted that Rodgers might not even start in this one saying, "Whether he starts, we’ll talk about that today," said McCarthy. "It’s important for the quarterbacks, we repped all three of ’em this week." Rodgers will most likely only play 1-2 series if he starts and I would expect most of the defensive stars to sit as well.

The Lions have clinched a playoff spot but they still have a lot to play for in this one. If they win the lock up the 5 seed. That means they would play either the Giants or Cowboys in round 1. If they lost and the Falcons won then they would have to go to New Orleans in round 1. That is a much tougher matchup and I am sure the Lions would like to avoid the Saints. Being the 5 seed also gives them the slight chance of dodging the Packers in round 2. Word is that running back Kevin Smith will sit this one out. He has been banged up for a month now and I dont blame them for this one. There was some talk that Calvin might sit because of an achilles injury but he practiced today and should be a go for Sunday. It sounds like the Packers are putting no effort into this one and the Lions should be able to win this one.

Also everyone should take notice of the great year Matthew Stafford is having this year. While Rodgers and Brees have stolen all the headlines Stafford has had a great year. He has 36 TDs on the year which ties him for 3rd in the NFL with Tom Brady. He is also 5th in total yards and 6th in passer rating. This is the 1st year he has been healthy and he is taking full advantage of that. He has been a top 5 fantasy QB this year and should be drafted like it next year. As long as Calvin is there, Stafford will be a stud.

Buccaneers at Falcons: 97% are on the Falcons are they are 11 point favorites. There has not been much attention payed to this game this week but this one might not actually mean anything for the Falcons. If the Lions win on Sunday then the Falcons are locked into the 6 seed. The Lions game is an early game, while the Atlanta game is a late game so the Falcons should already know what they are playing for before the take the field. Falcons head coach Mike Smith has said that he wont rest his starters this week but he might change his mind once he knows he has nothing to play for. With guys like Turner and Julio hurting it would be smart for them to sit some guys down. They cant afford to be without anyone against the Saints in the 1st round.

Tampa is on a 9 game losing streak and I am not sure they can win this one even against the Falcons 2nd team. I am not saying you should pick Tampa but you might want to put this one lower than usual. This could also be a great spot to win the week. No one should be on Tampa and If they were to win it should lead to an easy weekly win.

Bears at Vikings: 70% are on the Bears but the Vikings are a 1 point favorite. This game has nothing to do with resting starters but I wanted to point out the odd number of people on the Bears. This game is on of the 3 games this week that means nothing but both teams should still be going all out. I know the Vikings are 3-12 but they have played better over the past month. Adrian Peterson is out for this one but Toby Gerhart is a capable RB who should have a pretty good day. The Bears have been terrible without Cutler and Forte and I don't expect that to stop. I tend to think Vegas knows more than we do about these things so I am going with them on this one and picking the Vikings.


random tidbits about week 17: There has been some talk about the Saints resting starters but they have said there is no chance of that and expect the Saints to murder the Panthers on Sunday. Tom Brady has a shoulder injury that you might want to keep on eye on but he should be playing this week. Pats need the win and should get it against the Bills. Reggie Bush is rules out for the Dolphins this week. I am not really sure what to do with that game. Miami has played great but they dont have much to play for while the Jets need to win to still have a chance. No matter who you pick this should be on a 1 or 2 in confidence. Romo has been limited in practice with a bruise on his right hand but he is expected to go Sunday Night. Felix Jones, Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham are also banged up but should be able to play in that game. this game is a toss up but 75% of people are on the Giants.

If you need to make up ground in confidence this week go big on the Lions and Titans. Also not a bad idea to go big on Minnesota. As I have said before you don't have to go crazy on a big underdog to make up ground. All 3 of those teams are the favorite and picking them should be able to help you out this week.

Kyle's NBA Pick of the Night

Rockets and Grizzlies OVER 196

With the Rockets playing their second game of a back to back, they will seemingly be nice and tired for this one. Add that to the fact that they are already a sub par defensive team, the Grizz should be able to score at will in this one. If we look at some individual matchups, a few seem to favor a high scoring game. The power forward position calls for some serious lack of defense, and in turn, tons of offensive production. Z Bo should dominate Scola on the offensive end, but Scola will also be able to score tons on the lack of defensive effort from Z Bo. Both teams are fairly up pace teams, and can score quickly off turnovers. Look for Houston to step up their putrid shooting of late, and I think both teams should be in the 100's in this one.