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


by Doc's Sports - 8/21/2018

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers

A new season of football is right around the corner, and Doc's Sports Services remains your one-stop shop when it comes to winning selection packages for all the games. As one of the top sports betting information sites in the nation for close to five decades, Doc's expert team of sports handicappers is gearing up for another big year of big-unit winners.

Raphael Esparza is one of the shining stars on this team. He rose through the ranks to become one of the best sports handicappers in the country during a long and successful career in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry. That career culminated as the Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Resorts' Aria until his retirement in 2013.

The former Vegas Sports Informer continues to run a very successful sports investment service from his home base in Las Vegas as well as from the Big Easy in New Orleans. A few of the current features on his home page at Doc's include a single-day package for MLB betting and an early bird special for the entire season of picks in the NFL and college football. Each week, Doc's sits downs with Raphael to get his expert opinion on some of the hottest tending topics in the world of sports betting.

Doc's: As a teaser for the start of the new college football season, there are four games on this Saturday's slate. Do you have any early betting tips for an interesting matchup between the Mountain West's Wyoming Cowboys and the New Mexico State Aggies, playing as a FBS Independent?

RE: I like the Cowboys only laying 3.5 points on the road. They have a new offense led by a new starting quarterback, but they should still win big on the road against the Aggies. I also like Colorado State covering a big number at home against Hawaii. The current spread is 14 points, but I expect that to widen a bit by kickoff.

Doc's: We are halfway through the NFL's 2018 preseason schedule. Is there anything that caught your eye in the first two weeks of games that can be used as a betting edge for anyone looking to cash a few winners on this weekend's games?

RE: I was kind of surprised how high some of the total lines were set for Week 2. A few games such as Pittsburgh at Green Bay piled up the points, but only six of the 16 games went "over" the closing line. The game at the top of the list is Saturday's New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Chargers inter-division tilt. Each of the teams have gotten quite of bit of buzz lately as possible Super Bowl contenders.

Doc's: The MLB division title race in the AL West between the Houston Astros and the Oakland Athletics has really heated up in the month of August. Each team is now 75-50 overall as of Monday night's results, so which one are you betting on to win the division crown?

RE: The Astros should still win the AL West if they can get some pitchers healthy and back into the rotation or bullpen. Oakland's accomplishments given its no-name roster have been overshadowed this season by Boston and New York in the AL East, but impressive none the less. The A's chances to win the division or earn a wild card spot could be defined by the results of a trio of series starting next Monday against Houston on the road followed by Seattle and the Yankees at home.

Doc's: We know that you are a really big fan of the Little League World Series. Heading into the second week of action, what are your initial impressions about this year's tournament?

RE: Last week I talked about Hawaii as the team to beat from the US and Japan as the top international team and that holds true heading into this week's games. As an overall observation, the changes made to the composition of the current Little League bats from pure aluminum for safety reasons has reduced the long ball in this tournament. This has worked to make things a bit more competitive across the board.

Doc's: You have gained a reputation for releasing selections for a wide array of betting events from major sports to pop culture props. What are some of the other betting events on this week's radar screen?

RE: While I am excited about the two college football games featuring teams from the Mountain West, I will also have a close eye on UFC Fight Night from Lincoln, NE. and ESPN's boxing card from Glendale, AZ. on Saturday night. I have WBO lightweight champ Raymundo Beltran winning his boxing match against Jose Pedraza as the highlight on that ESPN card to possibly set up a bout with WBA lightweight champ Vasl Lomachenko.

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 do not even have to enter credit card information. You can use this $60 credit for any sports Esparza handicaps. Click here for $60 worth of free picks from Raphael Esparza.

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