As Ferris Beuller might say: The world of sports moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around at least once a week, you could miss it.
Here we'll review what you might have missed in the past week all in one place. Why spend hours scrolling through Twitter to catch up on the news you want? We've already done that for you, so remember to check back every Monday to get your dose of weekly sports review.
NFL
The first instances of the NFL schedule being affected by positive COVID-19 cases occurred over the past week. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans game has been moved to Week 7, and the Steelers game against the Baltimore Ravens was in turn moved to Week 8. After multiple cases came out of the Tennessee organization, they're being investigated by the league to determine if they broke protocol. If that were to be the case, they would be subject to further punishment by the league.
Also rescheduled due to COVID-19 is the matchup between New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs, which was moved to tonight; we will now have two Monday night football games on the schedule. Cam Newton tested positive, and his loss will be a huge blow to the Patriots' chances of getting a win against the defending Super Bowl champions.
Some notable results from Week 4 of the NFL include the Panthers winning their second game of the season without Christian McCaffrey, Joe Burrow getting his first career win over the Jaguars, the Browns outlasting the Cowboys in a thriller bringing them to 3-1, and Seahawks continue to cook as they improve to 4-0.
For more NFL coverage, check back for the Weekly Round Up article released every Tuesday.
Winning is fun— Joey Burrow (@Joey Burrow) 1601850554.0
MLB
So many good matchups. Next week is gonna be fun — MLB playoffs: Bracket, schedule, dates, with divisional round se… https://t.co/X4VKHPw03d— Tim White (@Tim White) 1601723505.0
Last week's Wild Card Round resulted in six of the eight series being 2-0 sweeps. Oakland defeated the White Sox in three games, and it took three for the Padres to dispose of St. Louis. The Divisional Round games start Monday as the two AL series begin.
FERNANDO TATIS JR. THE FACE OF BASEBALL HAS DONE IT AGAIN!! https://t.co/uaA3Hu8o5a— Jared Carrabis (@Jared Carrabis) 1601606762.0
The Yankees will take on division rival Tampa Bay as the top two AL East teams fight for a spot in the ALCS. The Rays' starting rotation may be the best in baseball, and they had an 8-2 record against the Bronx Bombers in the regular season. The Yankees will look to get two solid outings from Gerrit Cole in this series and hope that their bats continue to produce as they did against Cleveland.
Yankees vs. Rays on Monday 😁 https://t.co/0hFTqITGXh— Ballplayer Buzz (@Ballplayer Buzz) 1601753060.0
After taking out the talented young White Sox squad, the Oakland A's have Houston in the second round. The Astros seek to continue to silence their critics which will only grow louder if they continue to advance. The A's will need to get a better start from Jesus Luzardo in this series, but their bullpen has been reliable when called upon. This matchup will come down to whether the Oakland pitching can be better than Houston's bats. Unfortunately, the Astros have the advantage in this series.
The Marlins were the surprise from the first round after sweeping the Cubs; they will be matched against the Atlanta Braves. The Braves took the last regular season series against Miami 2-1 and certainly have the lineup to produce plenty of offense featuring Ronald Acuna, Marcell Ozuna, and Freddie Freeman. The Marlins will need to get repeat performances from starters Sandy Alcantara and Sixto Sanchez in order to win this series.
The other NLDS series includes the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are the favorite to win the World Series, and they will face the Padres. San Diego has been one of the most exciting teams to watch all season, and that trend has extended into the playoffs. Facing elimination in Game 2, the Padres' resilient group fought back to overcome a 4 run deficit twice to even the series. They carried that momentum into Game 3 to close out the series, and hopefully they can continue their run against Clayton Kershaw, Mookie Betts, and the loaded Dodgers team. This is a must-watch series that features the blue blood Dodgers against the upstart Slam Diego Padres.
Clayton Kershaw was lights out 😤 🔹 8 IP 🔹 0 Runs 🔹 13 Strikeouts 🔹 W https://t.co/Z9qUwIG1ef— ESPN (@ESPN) 1601615041.0
NBA
LeBron walked off the court with 10 seconds left. https://t.co/zTvwZhHDq5— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) 1601865857.0
We have seen the first three games of the NBA Finals now, and Jimmy Butler has yet again proven that we know nothing about the Heat. After the Lakers jumped out to a 2-0 series lead, everyone assumed Miami was dead in the water–especially since the Heat lost two starters in the series opener and Bam Adebayo (neck) and Goran Dragic (foot) missed both Games 2 and 3.
Game 3 was expected to be LeBron and the Lakers laying the groundwork for a sweep, but instead Miami was able to get Anthony Davis into early foul trouble, which limited his impact in the first half. While Los Angeles struggled to get anything going offensively, Miami's confidence grew behind the play of Jimmy Butler. The Lakers were sloppy with the ball and at times looked uninterested, if not distracted, by the thought of hoisting the championship trophy. They finished with 19 turnovers and allowed Miami to score 52 points in the paint.
Jimmy Butler was spectacular and had one of the all time playoff performances of this generation. Playing 45 minutes, Butler finished with 40 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists. The catalyst for Erik Spoelstra's team, Butler played the best basketball of his life on the biggest stage. While Tyler Herro and the rest of the team struggled to contribute, Butler put his team on his shoulders and carried them to the finish line.
Jimmy Butler is the first player to outscore, outrebound and out-assist LeBron James in a Finals game, including Le… https://t.co/r7OlCsAemQ— Marc J. Spears (@Marc J. Spears) 1601866079.0
This series is NOT over yet. If we've learned anything from the Heat this postseason, it's to never count them out. So I'm done doing that and I'm just going to tune in on Tuesday night to see what happens. LeBron has seen his fair share of losses in the Finals, so he is very aware of what a team looks and feels like when they aren't in a good place to finish the job. Game 3 was certainly an example of a team that wasn't ready to close. It may have explained James' poor sportsmanship, as he left the floor before time was up, forcing Frank Vogel to pull someone off the bench to run out the clock.
WNBA
The Seattle Storm has jumped out to a 2-0 series lead in the WNBA Finals against the Las Vegas Aces. Breanna Stewart set the tone for the series going for 37 points and 15 rebounds in Game 1. Stewart added 22 points and 5 assists Sunday night in Game 2 and Sue Bird had a double double with 16 points and 10 assists in 27 minutes. In Game 1 Bird set the WNBA Playoff and Finals assist record with 16!
HISTORY FOR SUE BIRD. Bird sets a WNBA Finals record with 12 assists in a game ... and it’s only the third quarter… https://t.co/aEg2KouUlU— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) 1601684451.0
The Aces have missed the presence of two-time sixth woman of the year, Dearica Hamby, who is sidelined with a knee injury. A'ja Wilson has been good, averaging 19.5 points and 6.5 rebounds so far in the Finals, and Angel McCoughtry has provided two solid performances for Las Vegas. Until they can figure out how to slow down the Storm's offensive attack, however, getting back into this series will be an uphill struggle.
English Premier League
James Rodriguez scored twice helping Everton to a 4-2 win over Brighton and now sit atop the table with 12 points and a 4-0-0 record to begin the new campaign. Rodriguez is coming off lackluster tenures with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, but seems to be rejuvenated with his new club. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored for Everton in every match so far this season, including a hat trick. If they can continue to maintain this level of attack, then they may find themselves in contention to win the league.
🤣 | A reminder that Richard Keys said this after we announced Rodriguez: "I'm not convinced by James Rodriguez.… https://t.co/DgskaKY81d— The Everton Way (@The Everton Way) 1601797299.0
Trailing Everton at 9 points each include Leicester City, Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Liverpool. On Sunday Villa deconstructed the Liverpool defense for 7 goals including a hat trick for Ollie Watkins.
Man United and Liverpool fans when they see each other at work/school/college today https://t.co/iKovFahrou— Troll Football (@Troll Football) 1601905110.0
Manchester United also suffered an embarrassing loss to Tottenham. After Bruno Fernandes put away an early penalty, Tottenham quickly responded to draw even at 1-1 and then controlled the pace of play until Anthony Martial was red carded and sent off in the 28th minute. Playing with 10 men, Manchester United looked overwhelmed and overmatched as Tottenham controlled 62% of possession and outshot their opposition 22-5. The result was a 6-1 Tottenham victory, and they now have the look of a team ready to compete for trophies. As for Man U, they are towards the bottom of the table and have the look of a team in danger of being relegated.
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Until now, there was a void in the industry. An all-in-one prop bet research tool for Over/Under rankings did not exist. Fantasy SP has changed that.
Of course, you could find betting trends on the internet but there wasn’t a place where you could have all the information for every single player on the same page at your fingertips. Well, we wanted to change that. We’ve created the definitive NFL prop bet research tool for pros and newbies alike.
In a typical NFL week, there can be over 1,000 player prop lines available. Traditional player game logs are not optimal for researching player props. Our unique tool allows you to quickly analyze thousands of lines on your phone, tablet, or computer, and find the props with the greatest value. Don’t just bet on the players you like. Become more data-driven with your props research by using Fantasy SP’s Player Prop Over/Under Rankings!
This is the perfect prop bet research tool to make some serious cash. Place informed bets using relevant analytics and increase your chances of seeing your bankroll increase.
All | Pass Yds | Pass TDs| Pass Comp | Pass Att | Rush Att | Rush Yds | Rec | Rec Yds
Unique Features
With our brand-new Player Prop Over/Under Rankings Research Tool, users will be able to filter by tons of critical data points including home vs. away, favorite vs. underdog, player popularity, last few games, indoor vs. outdoor, specific props, specific teams, position rank, opponent rank, and so much more!
Research Prop Bet Betting Example
Okay, enough talk, and let’s get to a simple real-world example of how to use the tool to help you place a bet.
For example, Jared Goff has had some of the most ridiculous home/away splits in 2022.
Goff has a passer rating of 106.9 with 2,217 yards (277.1 yards per game), 20 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions in eight games at home this season. Pretty good, right? On the road, he has a passer rating of 82.5 with 1,387 yards (231.2 yards per game), 3 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions in six games.
As you can see, Goff is averaging 46 more yards per game at home in 2022 entering Week 16. Vegas may try to trick you when Goff is on the road after coming off a massive home game but by using our tool, you won’t be fooled.
Goff has a 5-3 O-U record on his passing yard props at Ford Field this season. While his average line at home on DraftKings is 247 yards, his average result is 277.1 passing yards. Prior to throwing for 250+ yards against the Jets at the Meadowlands in Week 15, he was 2-3 on his passing yards props on the road. His average line on DraftKings on the road was only 10 yards fewer heading into Week 15 yet he averaged a full 50 fewer yards per game (227). This shows a clear pattern that he is much more successful at hitting the over and much more efficient when playing in front of his home crowd. There are countless examples of patterns you can spot using this brand-new prop tool that are even more eye-popping than Goff’s numbers.
How to Find Favorable Prop Bets
The key to placing informed bets is to place bets on clear patterns. Ideally, you want to see a player consistently going over or under. Grab a concise list of potential bets to place and compare to the lines at your favorite operator.
Let’s say you want to place a passing yards prop bet on Tom Brady. You check all the lines at your favorite operator (we suggest
Caesars or FanDuel) and need to put his line into context. How often does he go over? What outcomes occur against an easy matchup? What is his average result? How does he do at home versus on the road?
Using our exclusive Over-Under Rankings, you can utilize our premium filters to find out Brady’s historical prop record at home versus the road is even more volatile than Goff’s splits. (This is good and what we want to see.)
At home, Brady is averaging a whopping 307.3 passing yards and has hit the over in six of seven games heading into Week 15.
On the road, while his average line is only two yards fewer (271.2 to 269.2), he has a 1-5 O-U record and is only averaging 239 passing yards per game.
Fantasy SP has just highlighted a very promising prop bet whenever Brady is at home. Take the over. And when he is on the road, it’s a prime spot to smash the under.
Some players also tend to do much better when their team is the favorite such as running backs late in the fourth quarter when their team needs to kill time. Heading into Week 15, Dalvin Cook had a 7-2 O-U rushing yard record when his team was the favorite (79.9 yards per game). Conversely, when the Vikings were underdogs, he was 1-3 (57.8 yards per game). This is why filtering by favorite or underdog can be a critical data point to help you gain an edge at sportsbooks.
You can also filter by the last few games in case a player has begun to heat up or cool off. These filters will help you nail your bets in very specific scenarios. It’s the perfect tool for situational prop betting.
What the Experts Are Saying
Don’t simply trust our word. We provided a free preview to professional bettors and journalists and this is what they had to say:
“I don’t place my player prop parlays until checking out Fantasy SP’s Prop Bet Rankings. This is the only place where I can get an in-depth historical analysis of every player in the League before placing my wagers!”
Matthew Rumack, Professional Sports Bettor
“This tool provides insight that I haven’t seen anywhere else in the sports betting industry. Fantasy SP has developed something truly unique. The premium filters that allow me to figure out how each player has performed in very specific situations are simply next-level. I will not be placing prop bets before using this tool for research!”
Mark Morales-Smith, Senior Fantasy & Gambling Writer
“The features of this prop research tool are simply awesome. It’s easy to use, easy to understand, and incredibly powerful. There is so much data at your fingertips. This is an essential piece to finding player prop betting value.”
Dan Hickman, Professional Gambling Writer
The dropdowns and filters on this tool are what really make this a game-changing feature. If you only want to see the most popular players on the page, simply slide the popularity to 75% or 100%. If you want to see players’ over-under records and their average results for only home games, simply click Home on the dropdown. If you want to see over-under records for players against teams in the bottom 5 at defending that position, simply click Bottom 5 under Position Rank. Not only can you get all of this insight, but the sliders and dropdowns all work interactively with a user-friendly interface so you can find out how a player is doing in a very specific situation. For example, let’s say Dak Prescott and the Cowboys are hosting the top-five San Francisco 49ers defense and are four-point underdogs. To get a much clearer picture of how Prescott has performed in similar situations, you can check off Home, Underdog, Indoor, and Top 5 under Opponent Rank to get his exact over-under prop historical record in this particular situation. If he is 0-3 on his passing yard prop in this scenario, you may want to smash the under.
Wrap-Up
NFL prop betting can be overwhelming but this tool makes it easy to research the best bets for novices and seasoned vets alike. Bettors should not be placing their prop bets before doing the necessary research. Now you can do all that research on one page with Fantasy SP’s Player Prop Over/Under Rankings Research Tool! It doesn’t get much better than that.
Stay tuned for our future article on even more in-depth tips and tricks.
France vs Argentina World Cup Final Betting Preview: Can Lionel Messi Capture That Elusive World Cup Title?
Picking up where they left off in 2018, the French National Team led by 23-year-old Kylian Mbappe have found their way back into the finals as they look to be the first back-to-back World Cup Champions since Brazil’s dominant runs in 1958 and 1962. Standing between that incredible feat for the defending champions is Argentina, who currently have their superstar, Lionel Messi, in top form. Messi is finding ways to create passes no one can see and he’s done it multiple times, assisting three goals (tied for the most) throughout the tournament. The legend is also scoring goals of his own and is tied with Kylian Mbappe (5 goals) for Golden Boot honors in this year’s World Cup. Regardless, soccer fans around the world are in for a treat on Sunday at 10:00 AM EST as two of the best players in the world face each other for their country’s World Cup glory.
After winning Group D, France defeated Poland in the Round of 16, England in the quarterfinals, and a strong Morocco team in the semis to advance to the Final. On the other side of the bracket, Argentina won Group C and dispatched Australia in the Round of 16. Messi and the Argentinians were then tested in the quarterfinals, needing a penalty shootout to defeat the Netherlands after blowing a late two-goal lead. Finally, Argentina played perhaps their best match of the tournament against Croatia in the semi-finals, winning 3-0. Now the stage is set for a blockbuster finale between two powerhouses featuring some of the top players in the world.
Note (from FanDuel Sportsbook): No team will play at home during Qatar's World Cup. For betting purposes, FanDuel explains that: “Home Team refers to the team listed first, Away Team refers to the second team listed.”
Argentina (-104) vs. France (-112)
Argentina Keys To Victory
Lionel Messi has played incredibly for Argentina throughout this World Cup. He is leaving opposing defenders in the dust, taking on multiple players at once, dragging them away from his teammates, which is opening up the field for his fellow goal scorers. Every time Messi has the ball at his feet, there seems to be more than one threat. Messi is playing just as well as he always has in 2022. He’s served his team as a playmaker and as a goal-scorer in Qatar. He’s also had some help from Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez who’s scored a handful of goals in this World Cup (including two in Argentina’s decisive victory over Croatia). If Alvarez and Messi are able to link up while on the attack, the depleted French defense and midfield could be in for some trouble.
France Keys To Victory
One of the biggest headlines heading into this World Cup Final is the return of French striker Karim Benzema. The Real Madrid star and winner of this year’s Ballon D’Or hurt his hamstring in one of France’s first practices soon after arriving in Qatar. He flew back to Madrid where he immediately completed his recovery work which was set at three weeks from the time of injury. Right now, Benzema is flying back to Doha and could be starting for France in the final. At the moment, France’s HC Didier Deschamps has declined to comment on whether or not he will be including KB9 in the starting lineup. France’s ball movement has been excellent throughout the tournament, but their key to victory against Argentina will be efficient defense. Over the last few games, France’s defense seems to have slowed down. Not only will they need to stop Messi, but they will need to turn defensive stops into counterattacks. Mbappe and Olivier Giroud (four goals thus far in the tournament) will need to be electric on offense and test the Argentinian keeper. Antoine Griezmann may be an x-factor for France as he has three assists in this World Cup and was inches away from scoring against Morocco.
Conclusion
It’s only fitting that Lionel Messi will finally hoist the World Cup trophy in his last World Cup match. Expect him to score a goal and lead his team to victory in a tightly contested battle.
The Pick: Argentina (-104)
World Cup Final Best Prop Bets
Kylian Mbappe: To Score Or Give Assist (+100)
Mbappé has been relatively quiet over France’s last few games. Still, he is the main wing on France’s team who is capable of breaking down defenses through his skillful technique and ridiculous speed. He currently is tied with Messi for the most goals in the 2022 World Cup. If he isn’t able to score in this game, then expect him to at least make an assist. For France to win this one, the 23-year-old will need to have a big game.
Lionel Messi: Anytime Goalscorer (+190)
Messi has stepped up his performance big time this World Cup. If you have watched Argentina play in this tournament, you know how crucial of a role Messi has played in the team’s success. He is tied for the most goals in the tournament with Mbappe and has a great chance of putting the ball in the net at some point during Sunday’s big match. This is a particularly great prop to target since Messi takes all of Argentina’s penalty shots and has converted four-of-five throughout the tournament.
Fantasy SP has worked diligently to bring you next-level sports betting analytics, prop betting tools, public betting splits, and so much more! Become an Edge+ member today!
Calling every sports fan across the globe! The best month for all things sports is here: December. NFL and CFB are getting into the thick of things — I mean, we are finally not seeing Alabama and Clemson in the CFP, not to mention both the NBA and NHL are underway and college basketball just tipped off!
Despite all of these different sporting events going on, the World’s biggest Sporting event is down to the Semifinals, the World Cup.
Although Soccer is the World's most popular sport, it still struggles to gain support in the US. However, every 4 years Soccer takes the country by storm and this year, and these last few games are going to be amazing.
Let us introduce you to your new go-to app, FanDuel Sportsbook. It’s the place to be for not only the usual sports, but for this year's World Cup!
FanDuel Sportsbook is providing a multitude of features with a few market differentiators.
- Futures:
- World Cup Winner
- Who will win the Golden Boot (the award for the top goal scorer of the World Cup)
- Highest scoring Group
- And more
- Popular Markets - outside of the normal Moneyline, Spread & Over/Under lines, FanDuel will also be offering:
- Anytime Goal Scorer
- First Goal Scorer
- Shots on Goal
- Correct Score
- Number of Corner Kicks
- Half-Time Result
Market Differentiators:
- Tournament Goal Scorer Parlay Builder - build your own tournament-long Goal Scorer parlays with your favorite players from every team.
- Daily Specials:
- Highest scoring team of the day
- Total daily goals
- Player specials
- And More!
- Live Parlays
Out of all the betting apps we’ve used, signing up for FanDuel Sportsbook is also the easiest. Simply download the app and create an account by providing an email, credit card, and SS# — that’s to protect your winnings and ensure you're not a sporting professional.
FanDuel is undoubtedly the best site/app to parlay across multiple sports. It’s designed for bettors at any stage. The clear interface is ideal for beginners and you can make a bet in just a few clicks! It’s complete with a number of betting guides that explain the rules and resources to safely bet.
One of the best parts is that once the game ends, you can cash out your winnings right away. No minimum, no wait.
There’s also the incredible New User Offer: sign up with FanDuel Sportsbook and get up to $1000 in Free Bets if you lose your first bet!
Their app has everything you need — from tutorials to real-time game scores. Get amped for the World Cup with FanDuel Sportsbook. Enhance your Sportsember by downloading the FanDuel Sportsbook app today!