The first week of NFL preseason is in the books and opening weekend (September 7th) is right around the corner. With a few key injuries and suspensions already making headlines, now is the time to start digging deeper into expectations for each team. Today we will take a look at the NFC West.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Last season: 10-5-1

BetOnline O/U wins: 10.5

A typical Seahawks’ off season filled with drama has Seattle right where they want to be. Playing with a chip on their shoulder, ready to prove their doubters wrong. A playoff team last season, many still  ... 

The first week of NFL preseason is in the books and opening weekend (September 7th) is right around the corner. With a few key injuries and suspensions already making headlines, now is the time to start digging deeper into expectations for each team. Today we will take a look at the NFC East.

DALLAS COWBOYS

Last season: 13-3

BetOnline O/U wins: 9

2016 was a great regular season for the Cowboys as they cruised to a 13-3 record behind a pair of rookies in Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. While Green Bay was able to knock them out  ... 

Baseball predictions August 4 – 6

Washington Nationals versus Chicago Cubs

Examining this battle between two first place teams, I take a look at overall team trends first. The Cubs and Nationals are nearly equal in terms of Power Ranking Indicator with the Cubs at +26 and the Nationals at +28. The Cubs have been on the increase lately, while the Nationals are holding steady. The MLB Team Strength Oscillator has a slight advantage for the Nationals at +2.92, while the Cubs are at +1.46.  Being the favorite or underdog doesn’t mean much for the Nationals, who are  ... 

While we should never place a wager based solely on the home plate umpire, knowing who is behind the plate can be an added filter when investing in MLB totals. Many umpires have tendencies that can be exploited given the right match up, weather and park.

In general, umpires with a tight strike zone are over-friendly while umps with large strike zones are beneficial to unders. MLB uses a 4 man umpiring crew for every series and usually the assignments aren’t announced until a few hours before the first game of a new series. After the first  ... 

With the field of eight set for Monday’s Home Run Derby, odds have been released and it’s worth taking a look to see if there are any opportunities for us. Here are the odds from BetOnline as of today (7/7):

Defending Champion Giancarlo Stanton is the favorite to defend his crown at home but the books peg Aaron Judge as a serious challenger to dethrone Stanton.

Here is the bracket:  ... 

Heading into the halfway point of the MLB season, a big storyline so far has been the number of homeruns and increased scoring. But some pitchers have somehow avoided the offensive barrage while others have been disproportionately hammered.

http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/starting-pitcher-era-siera-gaps-potential-era-regressers/" title="Fangraphs">Fangraphs has put together a list of pitchers that are primed for a regression and a list of pitchers that should improve during the 2nd half of the season. Understanding these stats can offer great potential for profit during the 2nd half of the MLB season.

Here are the potential ERA regressers whose ERA is significantly lower  ... 

As we’ve seen, using the ZCode tools is a great way to maximize profits and set tighter filters for stronger plays. Today I want to incorporate a few tools for one game and try to single out one solid play.

The game we’ll be looking at is the Los Angeles Angels vs Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday 6/26. The first tool I want to use is the Line Value:

As you can see, the total over 9 has a 4 star ZCode value which is a relatively strong play. Now I want to get a better  ... 

The Next ZCode tool I want to try out is the Power Ranking Indicator. As with any of the tools, using them as part of a group of filters can really help build profits. I’ll use two examples for tonight, one being fairly obvious and one that might be a little under the radar.

GAME #1:

New York Mets vs Los Angeles Dodgers

Here is a screenshot of the Power Ranking Indicator:  ... 

Today I want to take a look at a few MLB games and use the ZCode Line Value rating. Like any investment, using these tools as one of a few filters is more beneficial than by itself but it will give us a good start.

GAME #1: Los Angeles Angels vs New York Yankees

BetOnline Current ML: NYY -260/LAA +237

BetOnline Current RL: NYY -140/LAA +120  ... 

One of the many useful tools on ZCode is the Totals Predictor. As a small case study, I have chosen 3 MLB games on Sunday June 18 for us to take a look at.

GAME #1:

Los Angeles Dodgers vs Cincinnati Reds.

Current Total @ Bookmaker: 10.5o-120  ... 

One aspect of line-making that doesn’t get talked about much is public perception. In addition to stats and the situation, bookmakers factor in the public perception of the game before setting a line and this exposes real value for the sharp bettor.

A great way to consistently find value is to go against the grain in stand-alone games or late games. Monday Night Football, the Superbowl, Sunday Night Baseball and semis and finals in major tennis tournaments are relatively high ticketed games with the public trying to recoup losses from earlier in the day/week.

Obviously, books use  ... 

My last article touched on a few key stats for finding a pitcher to use in your daily fantasy lineups. Today I’ll talk about a few key batting stats to look at when choosing DFS hitters.  Obviously, these are just a few of the basics but a good place to start.

wOBA: Weighted On Base Average. Once again, wOBA makes a list of key stats. This is probably the most comprehensive stat for determining a player’s offensive value. As with all of the hitter stats, remember to look at the player’s stats for the pitching split he is  ... 

If you play daily fantasy, you know how important choosing the correct pitchers on any given day is. Paying up for an ace who bombs or missing out on the value pitcher who throws a gem can crush your lineup. Here are a few stats to consider when looking for a starting pitcher on your daily fantasy team:

WHIP: Walks plus hits per inning pitched. While WHIP shouldn’t be considered by itself, it is a good starting point if used as a quick reference statistic.

xFIP: Expected Field Independent Pitching. This stat calculates what a pitcher’s ERA would  ...