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


by Doc's Sports - 9/5/2017

Sam Darnold USC Trojans

The 2017 football betting season is in full swing at Doc's Sports, and in this week's discussion with expert handicapper Raphael Esparza we will get his thoughts on the first week of action in the college ranks as well as on two of the biggest showdowns on the slate in Week 1 of the new NFL regular season.

Raphael rose through the ranks to become one of the best sports handicappers in the nation while also working his way up the ladder in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry all the way to Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria. While his days as the Vegas Sports Informer are long behind him, he continues to split his time between Las Vegas and the Big Easy in New Orleans running a successful and diverse sports investment service. The following is this week's Q&A with one of Doc's most interesting handicappers.

Doc's Sports: Alabama prevailed against Florida State in a sloppy performance by the Seminoles while Ohio State and Southern Cal posted straight up victories in Week 1 as the next two best teams in both major polls. Which of college football's top-ranked teams impressed you the most with their performance in last weekend's games?

RE: My overall takeaway from Week 1 was that many of the top defenses in the nation appeared to be far ahead of the offenses they faced, with the exception of USC. I would have to put the Trojans in the category of a highly unimpressive performance against Western Michigan in a game that they needed a big effort from their offense in the fourth quarter just to win. Southern Cal has been known for its slow starts in the past, but Week 1 was far too close for comfort.

Doc's Sports: Both the Baylor Bears in the Big 12 and the Mountain West's home-town UNLV Rebels suffered embarrassing SU losses in Week 1 as heavy favorites. Would you keep going against these teams heading into this week's games, or would you bet on a quick turnaround in light of their poor performance?

RE: I would give Baylor a pass in light of how much turmoil that program has had to endure in recent years. I probably would not bet on the Bears or against them right now based on their Week 1 performance and put them in the wait-and-see category. I have been railing against UNLV's football program for years, and this is a perfect example why the school should consider dropping football to focus its attention on more deserving sports. In all seriousness, I would probably keep going against the Rebels right now given what I witnessed in their season opener.

Doc's Sports: Dallas Cowboys are still listed as 3.5-point home favorites with most of the sportsbooks in town even with the whole Ezekiel Elliott situation up in the air as far as his pending six-game league suspension. Should this have any impact on how you would bet on Sunday night's season opener against the rival New York Giants?

RE: If you have a hunch that Elliott is going to get the green light to play on Sunday while this whole mess gets sorted out, now is the time to jump all over the 3.5 points. The line could easily shoot back up to five or six points if he is in the Cowboys' starting lineup come Sunday night.

Doc's Sports : One of the biggest matchups on the NFL's Week 1 slate is a NFC showdown between the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers. Both teams top the list at most books to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LII. However, in your opinion, which team gets the best of things late Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field?

RE: Normally I would go with the Packers at home, but I have been burnt so many times betting on early Green Bay games that I am taking this matchup off a my betting board this week. I do agree that it should be a great game, but I personally will not have any action on its outcome.

Doc's Sports: You recently posted a pop culture betting piece for Doc's covering some props for the upcoming season of "Game of Thrones" on HBO . You made a number of picks in that article, but which one would be your top unit play?

RE : I would have to go with my final pick in that piece as my top unit play. The odds that Jon Snow will ride a dragon in the final season of Game of Thrones are set at -350 for "yes" (+200 for "no"), but I do not see all that much risk against the reward of an almost guaranteed winning play.

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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