Fantasy football strategy, rankings, and podcasts

Are you looking for a vote of confidence when picking spreads, money lines and over/ unders in the NFL? Let me be that football wizard who has seen the prophecies of victory and has the ability to put your precarious souls at ease. 18 years of sports wagering experience is proudly listed on my resume, as well as currently playing in my 21st season of fantasy football(definitely a self-proclaimed pioneer). But enough about Cool Hand Luke. In this weekly column, I'll briefly recap some of the past week's sportsbook outcomes, moods and reflections, as well as offer words of advice and knowledge on betting strategies. Additionally, for every game, I'll have my picks for the spread, moneyline and under/ over ready to go. And if you're good(or I just happen to be feeling generous), I'll offer up one of my tantalizing, high-odds 'Nicks Picks', a ticket too good to be true. Anyway, if for some reason any of Nick's Picks let you down, I'm cool with you telling your bookie it was all my fault. Yeah... right. 

'SONIC THE HEDGING HOG' - Sometimes there is a week in the NFL schedule that have match-ups and lines that may spook you out a little... or a lot, depending on your current streak and budget. Well, if you come across one of those weeks and are feeling some uncertainty, there is a safer route you can take when making your tickets. 'Hedging' is a method of wagering which involves betting on the opposite outcome of a ticket already placed. This will almost guarantee(not every time) a minimum amount of winnings if you're looking to score a low-risk, yet low profit, payout. Two team parlays are my favorite way to go when hedging. The chances of hitting are reduced, but if you find the good lines of the week, they're worth the risk. Remember, when trying out a new 'system', always wager modestly until you feel you can make the 'method' work for you more times than not.

I want to throw a shout out to New England, Detroit, Oakland, Buffalo and Arizona for their futility in allowing me to win me big mutuals last week. Yeah, right. Other than winning anything substantial, last Sunday's results were actually not that bad. I guess you can't be upset if you finish in the black and have cookies in the jar for the coming week's games.

NICK'S PICK OF THE WEEK - 2 GAME PARLAY | GBP -3 | HOU -10

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES @ CAROLINA PANTHERS - CAR -3 | CAR -148 | OVER 44

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS @ NEW YORK JETS - NEP -9.5 | NEP -400 | UNDER 47.5

GREEN BAY PACKERS @ MINNESOTA VIKINGS - GBP -3 | GBP -157 | OVER 46.5

DETROIT LIONS @ NEW ORLEANS SAINTS - DET +4.5 | DET +185 | OVER 50

CHICAGO BEARS @ BALTIMORE RAVENS - CHI +6.5 | BAL -272 | OVER 39.5

CLEVELAND BROWNS @ HOUSTON TEXANS - HOU -10 | HOU -385 | OVER 47

SAN FRANCISCO 49ers @ WASHINGTON REDSKINS - WAS -11 | WAS -505 | OVER 46.5

MIAMI DOLPHINS @ ATLANTA FALCONS - MIA +13 | ATL -685 | UNDER 46

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS @ ARIZONA CARDINALS - TBB -1 | TBB -116 | OVER 45.5

LOS ANGELES RAMS @ JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS - JAX -2.5 | JAX -140 | UNDER 42

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS @ OAKLAND RAIDERS - BETTING ON HOLD DUE TO INJURY

PITTSBURGH STEELERS @ KANSAS CITY CHIEFS - KCC -4 | KCC -210 | OVER 47

NEW YORK GIANTS @ DENVER BRONCOS - DEN -11.5 | DEN -565 | UNDER 38.5

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS @ TENNESSEE TITANS - BETTING ON HOLD DUE TO INJURY

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:

SPREAD                8-4

MONEYLINE          6-6

TOTAL O/U            6-6

YTD RESULTS:

SPREAD                38-36

MONEYLINE           44-30

TOTAL O/U            36-38

Are you looking for a vote of confidence when picking spreads, money lines and over/ unders in the NFL? Let me be that football wizard who has seen the prophecies of victory and has the ability to put your precarious souls at ease. 18 years of sports wagering experience is proudly listed on my resume, as well as currently playing in my 21st season of fantasy football(definitely a self-proclaimed pioneer). But enough about Cool Hand Luke. In this weekly column, I'll briefly recap some of the past week's sportsbook outcomes, moods and reflections, as well as offer words of advice and knowledge on betting strategies. Additionally, for every game, I'll have my picks for the spread, moneyline and under/ over ready to go. And if you're good(or I just happen to be feeling generous), I'll offer up one of my tantalizing, high-odds 'Nicks Picks', a ticket too good to be true. Anyway, if for some reason any of Nick's Picks let you down, I'm cool with you telling your bookie it was all my fault. Yeah... right. 

'CAN'T TRUST ANYBODY ANYMORE' - The New England Patriots. Atlanta Falcons. Dallas Cowboys. Minnesota Vikings. San Diego Chargers. All teams that should of won in week 4(some with more certainty than others), but didn't, which caused me to win less 'obvious' tickets, which led to less winnings for the week, which really burned my ass. BTW, did you notice that I didn't include The Miami Dolphins with the rest of the teams that were supposed to win? Yeah, I had the Saints all day too... Cutler and the fish are reeking like rotten tuna and guessing that outcome was a no-brainer. But getting back to my point with the other teams is, there is usually a handful of games that are pretty much 'definites', 'for-sures' or 'locks', whatever you want to call them. And these contests are usually the ones you feel the most confident starting your weekly tickets out with, especially when doubling down or putting in a parlay. I guess my point is, even though a team like New England may have had a reputation for being an unbeatable home team... things can change. Oh yeah, and don't include one team or game in more than a couple parlays, unless you play a 'circular, next best' system, which I'll get into at another time. Before I go and leave my picks for the week, I'd like to tell you which sportsbook I use and where I get my lines.

So, I've currently been placing all my action at nitrogensports.eu, which is owned by Bitcoin. I think their lines are more than fair and they're usually put up earlier in the week than a lot of sites. Another reason I'm a fan of Bitcoin, is you don't have to dish out any personal information to give or receive sportsbook funds. This has turned out to be a very popular system in the world of online wagering, due to the anonymity involved and speed/ safety of receiving your winnings. If you're unfamiliar with Bitcoin, you'll first have to go to a site like Coinbase, where I bought my Bitcoins. All you will need is your debit or credit card to load your account. Then, a good idea is to get a Bitcoin 'wallet', like at a site called Blockchain Wallet. A place such as this is where you transfer your Bitcoins before finally sending them to your sportsbook. Coinbase frowns on offshore wagering and won't honor your Bitcoins if they find out they're from a sportsbook, hence the 'middle man' wallet account, such as Blockchain. Here is a very informative site to help get you started with Bitcoin. https://www.safestbettingsites.com/deposit-withdraw/bitcoin/using-bitcoin-online-gambling-sites-step-step-guide One final piece of advice is, that I keep all my Bitcoin in my sportsbook account until I'm ready for a cash-out. Then it's to my Blockchain wallet, to my Coinbase account, and finally to my debit card. I hope this helps answer any questions you had on this modern and favorable method of sportsbook funding. 

NICK'S PICK OF THE WEEK - 3 GAME PARLAY | DET -2 | LAR -1 | GB +2

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS @ TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS - NEP -5 | NEP -226 | OVER 55

NEW YORK JETS @ CLEVELAND BROWNS - NYJ +0 | NYJ -102 | OVER 39

TENNESSEE TITANS @ MIAMI DOLPHINS - GAME LINES CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE DUE TO INJURY

SAN FRANCISCO 49ers @ INDIANAPOLIS COLTS - SF +1.5 | SF +106 | OVER 44

CAROLINA PANTHERS @ DETROIT LIONS - DET -2 | DET -131 | UNDER 44

BUFFALO BILLS @ CINCINNATI BENGALS - BUF +3 | BUF +132 | OVER 39

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS @ NEW YORK GIANTS - LAC +3.5 | LAC +159 | OVER 44.5

ARIZONA CARDINALS @ PHILADELPHIA EAGLES - PHI -6.5 | PHI -272 | OVER 45

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS @ PITTSBURGH STEELERS - JAX +8.5 | PIT -395 | UNDER 43.5

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS @ LOS ANGELES RAMS - LAR -1 | LAR -113 | UNDER 47.5

BALTIMORE RAVENS @ OAKLAND RAIDERS - BAL +2.5 | BAL +131 | UNDER 39

GREEN BAY PACKERS @ DALLAS COWBOYS - GBP +2 | GBP +116 | OVER 52.5

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS @ HOUSTON TEXANS - HOU +1 | HOU +110 | OVER 47

MINNESOTA VIKINGS @ CHICAGO BEARS -GAME LINES CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE DUE TO INJURY

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:

SPREAD               10-6

MONEYLINE           9-7

TOTAL U/O            9-7

YTD RESULTS:

SPREAD               30-32

MONEYLINE          38-24

TOTAL U/O           30-32

Are you looking for a vote of confidence when picking spreads, money lines and over/ unders? Let me be that football wizard who has seen the prophecies of victory and has the ability to put your wagering souls at ease. In this weekly column, I'll reveal my visions and picks for every NFL game, as well as pen the occasional article with words of advice and knowledge on sportsbook strategies. But hey, if for some reason any of Nick's Picks let you down, I'm cool with you telling your bookie it was all my fault. Yeah... right. 

'WEEK OF THE RUNNING MAN' - And by that, I mean you'll be running from your bookie due to the irregular and inane outcomes of week 3's match-ups. I had warned that week 2 was going to be hard to predict, but most of the games played out as they should have. I really don't know what happened last weekend, but it made me sick to my stomach. Chin up, there are weeks like this just as there are weeks where all your picks will click. Even though you have a sub-par week, there is no reason to get rattled. Sometimes a down week will get players to lose confidence in their methods, leading to a changing of strategies. This could be dangerous, unless your system isn't quite perfected yet. Okay, now for a little nugget of advice: I always make at least one weekly parlay that consists of the 3 most obvious safest picks on the spread. Then, I make that wager one of my higher dollar tickets. Most of the the time, these risks pay off and you'll come out ahead at season's end. BTW, do not lay down much on tonight's Bears/ Packers game. Those are always too close too call and not worth the gamble.

CHICAGO BEARS @ GREEN BAY PACKERS - GB -7 | GB -344 | OVER 44

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS @ MIAMI DOLPHINS - NO -3 | NO -151 | OVER 50.5

DETROIT LIONS @ MINNESOTA VIKINGS - MIN -1.5 | MIN -109 | OVER 42.5

JACKSON JAGUARS @ NEW YORK JETS - JAC -3 | JAC -164 | OVER 38

CINCINNATI BENGALS @ CLEVELAND BROWNS - CIN -3 | CIN -161 | OVER 41.5

PITTSBURGH STEELERS @ BALTIMORE RAVENS - PIT -3 | PIT -153 | OVER 42

TENNESSEE TITANS @ HOUSTON TEXANS - HOU +1 1/2 | +109 | OVER 43.5

LOS ANGELES RAMS @ DALLAS COWBOYS - LAR +6 | DAL -257 | UNDER 48

BUFFALO BILLS @ ATLANTA FALCONS - BUF +8 | ATL -385 | UNDER 48.5

CAROLINA PANTHERS @ NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS - NE -9 | NE -431 | UNDER -49.5

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES @ LOS ANGELES CHARGERS - LAC -2 | LAC -124 | OVER 48

NEW YORK GIANTS @ TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS - NYG +3 | NYG +136 | OVER 44.5

SAN FRANCISCO 49ers @ ARIZONA CARDINALS - ARI -6.5 | ARI -278 | OVER 44.5

OAKLAND RAIDERS @ DENVER BRONCOS - DEN -3 | DEN -149 | UNDER 46

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS @ SEATTLE SEAHAWKS - IND +13 | SEA -917 | OVER 41.5

WASHINGTON REDSKINS @ KANSAS CITY CHIEFS - KC -7 | KC -282 | UNDER 49.5

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:

SPREAD                5-10         

MONEYLINE           8-7

TOTAL U/O            9-6

YTD RESULTS:

SPREAD               20-26

MONEYLINE        29-17

TOTAL U/O          21-25     

Are you looking for a vote of confidence when picking spreads, money lines and over/ unders? Let me be that football wizard who has seen the prophecies of victory and has the ability to put your wagering souls at ease. In this weekly column, I'll reveal my visions and picks for every NFL game, as well as pen the occasional article with words of advice and knowledge on sportsbook strategies. But hey, if for some reason any of Nick's Picks let you down, I'm cool with you telling your bookie it was all my fault. Yeah... right.

'WEEK 2 LUCKY CHARMS PROVIDE DIVIDENDS' - Last week I mentioned that the match-ups were going to be tough and to temper expectations. However, I still told you to peel off a couple bills from your bankroll and jump in the wagering fray. Even though the games were tough to pick, most of the outcomes blossomed into winners as they should have. It still makes you wish you had a time machine to flash back and place some more big money tickets, considering there are only a few chances you get every season to pick 12 out of 16 winners as I did this week. I'm a fan of placing several of my weekly wagers on 4-8 game parlays every week, based solely on winners(BTW, this is a favorable routine to make some positive weekly $ with a low dollar risk). Even though mos.t of the wagers I made hit, I would of invested a lot more in terms of number of tickets played and dollar amounts ventured. But still a favorable week nonetheless in the world of sports wagering. Thursday night's game review is listed below so you can get my predictions before the game starts. The rest of the match-ups will be posted later tonight/ early tomorrow. Heyyy, relax. You'll get all that much needed advice soon enough my gambling cronies... I'm busy counting all that cash from last week!

LOS ANGELES RAMS 26 @ SAN FRANCISCO 49ers 20 - This is a game you most likely stay away from in the betting world, unless your wallet likes pain, or cruel and unusual punishment. I really like the Rams' defense and what I've seen from Todd Gurley, but I don't like the inconsistency in the passing game, even though Jared Goff has a decent amount of passing yards on the season and is returning home. I also feel that San Fran can shut down Sammy Watkins and concentrate on new favorite target, Cooper Kupp. However, the 49ers don't have a lot going on except Carlos Hyde, who always seems to start the year off great... until injury. Their defense is on the rise but not there yet. Take the Rams  and the -3 along with the 40 over.

BALTIMORE RAVENS @ JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS - BAL -3 1/2 | BAL -200 | OVER 39

NEW YORK GIANTS @ PHILADELPHIA EAGLES - PHI -6 | PHI -265 | UNDER 42 1/2

HOUSTON TEXANS @ NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS - NE -14 | NE -1200 | UNDER 44

PITTSBURGH STEELERS @ CHICAGO BEARS - PIT -7 1/2 | PIT -370 | UNDER 44

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS @ CAROLINA PANTHERS - NO +6 | CAR -235 | OVER 46

ATLANTA FALCONS @ DETROIT LIONS - ATL -3 | ATL -155 | OVER 51

CLEVELAND BROWNS @ INDIANAPOLIS COLTS - CLE -1 | CLE -125 | OVER 42

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS @ MINNESOTA VIKINGS - GAME LINES NOT AVAILABLE DUE TO INJURIES.

MIAMI DOLPHINS @ NEW YORK JETS - MIA -6 1/2 | MIA -270 | UNDER 43

DENVER BRONCOS @ BUFFALO BILLS - DEN -3 1/2 | DEN -170 | OVER 39

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS @ TENNESSEE TITANS - TEN -3 | TEN -135 | UNDER 42

CINCINNATI BENGALS @ GREEN BAY PACKERS - GB -9 | GB -450 | UNDER 46

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS @ LOS ANGELES CHARGERS - LAC +3 1/2 | LAC +155 | OVER 47 1/2

OAKLAND RAIDERS @ WASHINGTON REDSKINS - OAK -3 1/2 | OAK -170 | UNDER 55

DALLAS COWBOYS @ ARIZONA CARDINALS - DAL -3 1/2 | DAL -165 | OVER 46 1/2

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:

SPREAD               8-8

MONEYLINE        12-4

TOTAL U/O           6-10

YTD RESULTS:

SPREAD             15-16

MONEYLINE        21-10

TOTAL U/O         12-19