Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza 9/22/2015

by Doc's Sports - 9/22/2015

Last Week it was the Emmys and this week it is a list of special prop picks for "The Simpsons" Treehouse of Horror Halloween special . Be sure to check out what Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza has up his sleeve for some of the crazier prop bets ever in the world of entertainment.

Raphael rose to prominence during a long and successful career in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry all the way to the prestigious position of Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria. Since his retirement from that role in 2013, the former Vegas Sports Informer has remained busy running one of the top sports investment services in town. The following is this week's conversation.

Doc's Sports: Sports bettors cleaned up against the Las Vegas sportsbooks the first Sunday of the NFL regular season only to see things even out with two big upsets on Monday night. What was the overall prognosis for the books in Week 2?

RE: Overall, I would have to call it a small win for the Las Vegas books. They did clean up on losses by both Baltimore and Philadelphia, but the betting public went heavy on Green Bay and the "under" in Monday night's game between the Jets and the Colts. One interesting note is that even though the sharps were all over Tampa Bay, the money lost on the Saints still tipped the scales in favor of the books in that particular game.

Doc's Sports: You could easily put Indianapolis and Seattle along with Philadelphia and New Orleans as some of the biggest disappointments through the first two weeks of the new NFL season, but can you give us one or two teams that have been your biggest surprises so far from a betting standpoint?

RE: It is still way too early to read too much into just two weeks of the NFL season, but I would have to say that the Eagles' lack of offense is probably the biggest shock so far. As far as surprises, I would have to put the New York Jets and the Atlanta Falcons at the top of my list. I have been especially impressed with the early play of the Falcons defense after being one of the worst in the league last year.

Doc's Sports: Alabama rallied from an early-season loss to Ole Miss last season to still make the College Football Playoff. Do the Crimson Tide still have what it takes to make another run to a spot among this season's top four teams?

RE: I still think Alabama has one of the top defenses in the nation, and that is always key to winning games, but the Tide's offense, along with the level of competition in the SEC West, are huge roadblocks to another trip to the playoffs. I would never count Alabama out this early in the season, but it is going to be tough to duplicate last year's run.

Doc's Sports : The Pac-12 takes center stage this Saturday night with two head-to-head showdowns between nationally-ranked teams. First No. 9 UCLA goes on the road to face No. 16 Arizona followed by a matchup between No. 18 Utah and No. 13 Oregon. What are some of your early thoughts on these two big conference games?

RE: I think Arizona's chances to pull off the upset as a home underdog hinge heavily on linebacker Scooby Wright's ability to play. He brings a whole new level of energy to this Wildcats' defense, which could easily turn the tide in their favor. As far as the Utah at Oregon game, I still feel that the Ducks overall team speed with be too much for the Utes to handle, especially on the road. That being said, things could get interesting if Oregon quarterback Vernon Adams is unable to go.

Doc's Sports: You recently posted your picks for a few Bovada prop bets for "The Simpsons" Treehouse of Horror Halloween TV special this upcoming fall. Of the props listed, what is your top unit play on the board?

RE: I actually did quite a bit of research when making all of these picks, which included watching a number of past Simpson's episodes to search for clues. I would have to say that my top play would be on the "over/under" on total TV viewers. Right now the line is set at 7.5 million viewers with betting odds of -200 for the over. Last year the number came in at 7.6, and I would have to think it will only go up given the storyline for this year's show.

Click here to visit Raphael Esparza's Insider's Page at Doc's Sports for more information on his amazingly-profitable sports handicapping picks. Also, get $60 worth of Esparza's member's picks absolutely free - no obligation, no sales people - you don't even have to enter credit card information. You can use this $60 credit for any sport Esparza handicaps. Click here for $60 worth of free picks from Raphael Esparza .

Pick:	CHICAGO BEARS +3
Start:	November 24, 2024 @ 1:00 PM
Expert:	Doc's Sports

Analysis:

Free Play from Doc’s Sports. Take #256 Chicago Bears +3 over Minnesota Vikings (1p.m., Sunday, November 24 FOX) We used the Bears as a free play winner last Sunday and easily covered the spread and should have been an underdog outright winner. Now we will ride them for a second straight week against another NFC North rival, the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings are 8-2 on the season, yet are only around a field goal favorite. I still do not trust Sam Donald to win consistently over the course of a 17 game regular season. Minnesota is not as good as their 8-2 record would indicate and playing outdoors in Chicago on Sunday will cause issues for them on both sides of the ball. Chicago has been hit or miss this season, but they will be up to play another divisional rival and we expect them to take this down to the wire as well. Do not miss out on Doc’s Sports Weekend Card featuring top plays in college and NFL football. Read More Read Less

Most Recent Weekly Sports Betting and Handicapping