Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza 12/11/2018

by Docsports.com - 12/11/2018

College football's bowl season is the time of the year when Doc's Sports Service tends to shine the brightest with our winning holiday picks for the games. Along with an in-house team of expert handicappers, we also highlight sports betting selection packages from some of the best handicappers in the nation. Raphael Esparza fits the bill as one of the 'best of the best' after working his way to the top of list during a long and successful run in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry. That career culminated with him assuming the prestigious role as Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Resorts' Aria until his retirement in 2013.

Known as the Vegas Sports Informer during his sportsbook days in Las Vegas, he continues to run a very successful sports investment business from his home base as well as from the Big Easy in New Orleans. Whether you are looking for a big unit play on this Saturday's college bowl games or prop bet odds for the next actor to play Batman, his selection packages cover a broad stroke of betting options for anything with posted odds. Doc's has been sitting down with Raphael for quite some time to gain his expert insight into the hottest trending weekly betting topics in the world of sports.

Doc's: This season's extended college football bowl schedule kicks things off this Saturday with a game that we know is near and dear to your heart. This season's Las Vegas Bowl at 3:30 p.m. from Sam Boyd Stadium pits the Pac-12 Arizona State Sun Devils against the Mountain West Champion Fresno State Bulldogs. The Bulldogs are favored by 4.5 points , so which way are you leaning in this one?

RE: This is a classic matchup of a Mid Major taking on a Power 5 team playing in an early bowl. Not only will Fresno State be motivated to follow up its Mountain West title win against Boise State with a victory against the Pac-12, the Bulldogs are also the better all-around team in this game.

Doc's: Moving to your second-favorite place in the country, Saturday night's New Orleans Bowl from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome should be a good one between Conference USA's Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and the Sun Belt Champion Appalachian State Mountaineers. With Appalachian State sitting as a seven-point favorite, what is the value bet in this matchup?

RE: My lean would be towards Appalachian State as a touchdown favorite given the past history of this team playing in the national spotlight. However, I have this game on my wait-and-see list hoping that I can get a 6.5-point spread or lower closer to kickoff.

Doc's: You have been touting the Mountain West's No. 7 Nevada Wolf Pack as one of the best college basketball teams in the nation season along with No. 4 Gonzaga, out of the West Coast Conference. Can you give us one or two more Mid Majors ready to make some serious noise this season heading into conference play?

RE: I would have to put the MAC's Buffalo Bulls on the list in light of their perfect 9-0 SU start. They posted a big win against West Virginia in early November as 11-point underdogs, while also covering a trio of double-figure spreads as favorites later that month. The MAC in general has some solid depth with Toledo and Kent State also off to strong starts.

Doc's: The Dallas Cowboys tightened their grip on the NFC East title with Sunday's overtime win against rival Philadelphia, and the Chicago Bears reaffirmed themselves as the team to beat in the NFC North after handing the Los Angeles Rams their second loss of the season. Which team is positioned to make the most noise in the upcoming NFC playoffs?

RE: I have been impressed with the Cowboys defensive effort in recent wins against New Orleans and Philadelphia, but I have them just a notch below Chicago on the strength of the Bears' defense. We have seen past Super Bowl runs fueled by a shutdown defense (Baltimore and Denver to name a few) and Chicago definitely belongs in that discussion this season.

Doc's: You have been working on prop bet odds for some interesting things lately, including the 2018 Miss Universe Pageant on Monday, Dec. 17 . What is coming up next in the world of pop culture betting?

RE: I have been running the gambit lately with a trio of award show props starting with the Golden Globes. Things head south from there with additional prop bet options for the Razzie Awards for Hollywood's worst movie performances the AVN Awards for the adult film industry.

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.

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

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

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