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Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza


by Doc's Sports - 11/28/2017

Blake Bortles of the Jacksonville Jaguars

It was a wild Thanksgiving Holiday weekend for sports bettors with some major upsets in college football followed by a huge day for the favorites on Sunday in the NFL. With the help of Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza , we will try and make some sense of it all as well as look ahead to this weekend's action for some inside guidance on how to bet the games.

Once known as the Vegas Sports Informer in betting circles. Raphael was able to hone his expert handicapping skills during a long and successful career in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry. At the peak of his career, he held the prestigious position as the Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria until his retirement in 2013. Since then, he has been focusing all of his energy running a successful and diverse sports investment service from his home base in Las Vegas as well as from the Big Easy in New Orleans. The following is this week's Q&A with one of Doc's most interesting handicappers.

Doc's Sports: We all know that the Las Vegas sportsbooks really took it on the chin in a big way with last week's lopsided results for the favorites against the spread. Looking ahead to the opening betting lines for all the upcoming NFL games, do you see this betting trend carrying over to Week 13?

RE: Looking at some of the current spreads for the games, I actually see quite a bit of value in more than a few underdogs. Some of the games that I would take a closer look at start with Jacksonville giving 9.5 points at home in an AFC South matchup against Indianapolis. New England as a 7.5-point road favorite against Buffalo and Philadelphia giving five points on the road against Seattle adds some value to both the Bills and the Seahawks this Sunday.

Doc's Sports: The College Football Playoff picture was once again shaken to its core with No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Miami going down in defeat. The updated CFP rankings are due out on Tuesday night, but ahead of that announcement can you give us your new top four teams?

RE: I would move Clemson into the top spot followed by Oklahoma. I believe that what 12-0 Wisconsin has accomplished so far warrants the No. 3 spot in the field, and I am still going with Alabama at No. 4 given its entire body of work. Auburn may be the hotter team right now, but I am still holding that earlier defeat to LSU against the Tigers as a two-loss playoff team.

Doc's Sports: There is quite a bit on the line in this weekend's college football conference championships. If you had to go big on one major straight up upset on a moneyline bet, which game would it be?

RE: I would have to go with the Wisconsin Badgers straight-up as 6.5-point underdogs against Ohio State. Defense alone adds value to their odds, and we really do not know just how banged up Buckeyes' quarterback JT Barrett really is heading into Saturday's Big Ten showdown at Lucas Oil Field.

Doc's Sports : One of the biggest surprises for sports bettors this fall has been the hot start for the home-town Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL. As of Monday night's results, they were 15-6-1 and actually leading the competitive Pacific Division with 31 points. From what you seen from this team in the early part of the season, does it have what it takes to remain this competitive all season long?

RE: What amazes me about this start is a 9-1 record on their home ice. The other thing that is surprising is the value you can still get on the Golden Knights playing at home. They face Dallas on Tuesday night as -115 home favorites . If that were any other NHL team with that kind of record at home the number would be much higher. Vegas may not hold on to win the division this season in light of some health issues with its goalies, but I have this as a top four team in the final Pacific Division standings.

Doc's Sports: There is quite a bit of betting action on the board this weekend in a number of different sports. Is there anything we missed that is high on your list heading into the month of December?

RE : I am still closely following the playoff action in the MLS as well as the English Premier League when it comes to betting on soccer, and Saturday's card for college basketball has piqued my interest. I am still a big fight fan, so I will be dialed into HBO on Saturday for Miguel Cotto's final boxing match of his career against Sadam Ali for his WBO junior middleweight title as well as UFC 218 from Detroit.

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 .

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