This Week in Sports Betting, A-Z 10/18/2018

by Ricky Dimon - 10/18/2018

A. Aric Almirola . Almirola took home the checkered flag from Talladega Superspeedway last week, thus automatically advancing to the next round of NASCAR's playoffs. He is +2500 at MyBookie.ag to win the Monster Cup championship; Kevin Harvick is a +250 favorite.

B. Bosa, Nick . First there were star players who sat out bowl games to preserve themselves for the NFL Draft. Now they are skipping entire seasons. Bosa announced earlier this week that is withdrawing from school to get ready for the next level. Of course, he was already injured and was uncertain to return for the Buckeyes at all in 2018 after missing four games with a groin issue. Ohio State is a -13 favorite at Purdue on Saturday, per BookMaker.

C. Coyotes . Arizona was the third-worst team in the NHL last season, and only the Sabres scored fewer goals. More of the same appears to be continuing in 2018-19. Through five games, the Coyotes have already been shut out a ridiculous three times and have scored a grand total of four goals while compiling a 1-4 record.

D. Djokovic, Novak . Djokovic is dominating the tennis court even more than Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter V" is dominating the charts. The Serb is 18-0 in his last 18 matches and 27-1 in his last 28, a stretch that includes Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. He also triumphed in Shanghai last weekend.

E. Eli Manning . Manning was even worse than the numbers indicate in the Giants' 34-13 home loss to Philadelphia last Thursday. And the numbers were bad: 24-for-43, 281 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, and four sacks. In the last three weeks, the 37-year-old has three TDs, three INTs, and three losses.

F. Fromm or Fields? As a freshman, Fromm took over for injured starter Jacob Eason early last season and led Georgia to the SEC Championship and the final of the College Football Playoff. One year later the script could be flipped. Fromm struggled throughout a 36-16 loss at LSU this past Saturday, and there are calls in Athens for prized freshman Justin Fields to get more playing time. Bovada Sportsbook has the Bulldogs at +1600 to win the National Championship.

G. Gurley, Todd . Calm down, Karen! It's just Week 7! Or maybe it's already time to start freaking out. The Rams are the NFL's only undefeated team at 6-0, and Gurley has been a fantasy machine, with 623 rushing yards, 247 receiving yards, and 11 total touchdowns. He had 208 rushing yards and two scores in last Sunday's 23-20 victory at Denver. Los Angeles is a +325 favorite at BetOnline Sportsbook to win the Super Bowl.

H. Holt, Brock . Holt is letting Jackie Bradley Jr. shoulder the load for Boston in the ALCS against Houston, but let's not forget Holt's heroics. The platoon second baseman became the first player in MLB history to hit for a postseason cycle when he accomplished the feat during a Game 3 ALDS win over the Yankees.

I. Irvin, Bruce . The Raiders may be 1-5, but Irvin is keeping things in perspective. "I've got a beautiful wife to go home to," the veteran defensive end said following a 27-3 loss to Seattle in London during Week 6 action. "Try to make some babies." Welp. This week's London game is Tennessee vs. the Chargers; Los Angeles is a -6.5 favorite at YouWager.eu .

J. Jimmy Butler . He may not like it, but Butler has started the season as a member of the Timberwolves. "They want me to go out here and hoop to the best of my abilities,'' he said of the T-Wolves. "(I need to) make sure I'm healthy, compete…because that's what I love to do-and do it for the guys in the same jerseys as me.'' That's what Butler did on Wednesday, contributing 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and four steals in a 112-108 loss at San Antonio.

K. Khabib Nurmagomedov . On the heels of Nurmagomedov's UFC win over Conor McGregor, Floyd Mayweather says a boxing match against the Russian is happening. Noooooooooo! Make it stop!

L. Leishman, Marc . The majors, FedEx Cup, and Ryder Cup have come and gone, yet golf never stops. Leishman lifted the trophy last week at the CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur, beating the likes of Justin Thomas, Gary Woodland, and Louis Oosthuizen.

M. Matthews, Auston . Matthews, whose first-name spelling is as carious as that of Dwyane Wade and Ke$ha, is off to an unreal start for the Maple Leafs. The 2016 No. 1 overall pick has 10 goals and six assists through seven games and Toronto is 6-1. GT Bets has the Leafs as +700 favorites to win the Stanley Cup.

N. Nittany Lions . This isn't baseball, folks. Two strikes and you're out (unless maybe you're in the SEC and your two losses come against the likes of Alabama, Georgia, or LSU). Penn State's national title hopes came to an end with its second loss in a row, this one to Michigan State on the heels of a crushing collapse against Ohio State. The Nittany Lions blew a 12-point lead over the Buckeyes in the final seven minutes and watched the Spartans score a game-winning, 25-yard touchdown pass with 19 seconds remaining last weekend. 5Dimes Sportsbook has Penn State as a -14.5 favorite at Indiana.

O. Overtimes . The Blackhawks apparently didn't get enough hockey last season. After all, they surprisingly missed the playoffs. But Chicago is making up for lost time now, becoming the first team in NHL history to start a season with five consecutive overtime games. It is sporting a respectable 3-0-2 record following last Saturday's 4-3 victory over St. Louis. The Blackhawks are -145 home favorites against Arizona on Thursday, according to MyBookie.ag.

P. Paul Allen . Allen, who co-founded Microsoft and owned both the Seahawks and Trail Blazers, died at 65 years old on Monday. R.I.P.

Q. Quarterback sacks . Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five…not nine, not 10…. No, the Ravens sacked Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota a laughable 11 times in their 21-0 Week 6 victory. Mariota actually took more sacks than the number of passes he completed (10). Baltimore is a -2.5 home favorite over New Orleans on Sunday, as indicated by Bovada Sportsbook.

R. Redemption . One week after missing five kicks (four field goals, one PAT) in Green Bay's 31-23 loss to Detroit, Mason Crosby made all seven of his attempts (four field goals, three PATs) in a 33-30 win over San Francisco on Monday night. That included the game-winner from 27 yards out as time expired.

S. Sale, Chris . Boston's ace lost Game 1 of the ALCS and then spent a night in the hospital because of a stomach illness. Things have only gone uphill for the Red Sox ever since. They have taken a 3-1 lead following an 8-6 win in an incredible Game 4 on Wednesday and Sale is in line to start Game 6 if necessary. Boston (Price) is a +168 underdog at Houston (Verlander) in Game 5 on Thursday, per BetOnline Sportsbook.

T. Tua Tagovailoa . There was a big exhale in Tuscaloosa, as the knee injury sustained by Tagovailoa during Alabama's romp over Missouri last weekend did not turn out to be substantial. Labeled as day-to-day, the Heisman Trophy favorite should be good to for a date with Tennessee on Saturday.

U. Usain Bolt . Is there anything Bolt can't do? The eight-time Olympic champion scored twice (this is soccer we're talking about) with his Australian club Central Coast Mariners during a friendly last Friday. He was promptly offered a contract by Maltese champion Valletta FC but turned it down to remain Down Under.

V. Vegas . There is a consensus among all the sportsbooks in Las Vegas: the most NBA title bets-by far-are coming in on the Lakers and Celtics. The Warriors, however, are -190 favorites at BookMaker to win their third straight title.

W. Winslow, Justise . Winslow (hamstring) missed the Heat's season-opening loss at Orlando on Wednesday, but he has 39,000,000 reasons to not be overly concerned. The former Duke standout signed a three-year, $39 million extension last week. Miami is +1000 at XBet.ag to sign Kevin Durant prior to the 2019-20 season.

X. Xavier . With three weeks before the college basketball season begins, Xavier has already broken its 17-year-old record for season-ticket sales. The Musketeers earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2017-18 but lost in the second round to Florida State. Next Monday marks the initial revealing of the preseason AP Top 25.

Y. Yasiel Puig . Puig came off the bench for the Dodgers in Game 5 of the NLCS against Milwaukee on Wednesday. He delivered an RBI single in the sixth inning of a 5-2 victory and celebrated like L.A. won the World Series before even getting out of the batter's box. Classic Puig.

Z. Zlatan Ibrahimovic . The 12 Thai boys and their soccer coach who survived being trapped in a cave earlier this year made an appearance on Ellen DeGeneres' show on Monday night. Zlatan surprised them during their interview, joining them on the set and presenting game tickets and all kinds of L.A. Galaxy gear. Good stuff.

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