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


by Docsports.com - 9/24/2019

New England Patriots running back Rex Burkhead

Heading into the final sports betting weekend in September, Doc's Sports Service is ready to deliver a few more big-unit winners both in the college ranks and the NFL. As a valued member of our expert handicapping team, Raphael Esparza is also working on a few winning selection packages for all of this week's action.

The former Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Resorts' Aria up until his retirement in 2013 now spends all of his time running a successful sports investment business from his home base in Las Vegas as well as from the Big Easy in New Orleans. Offering selections for all the major sports as well as betting options for things way off the national radar, Esparza has gained a reputation for having one the widest handicapping ranges in the industry. Every Tuesday, Doc's sits down with the former Vegas Sports Informer to discuss the hottest trending topics in the world of sports.

Doc's: We are now three weeks into the new NFL season. Can you give us your early impressions of the results from a betting standpoint?

RE: New England and Kansas City are still the best teams in the league, but parity is alive and well throughout the ranks of the NFL. New faces at quarterback is a hot trend, but they are still highly unreliable to bet on week after week. Another surprise is Green Bay winning games behind its defense and not the play of Aaron Rodgers. I think it is going to take a few more weeks of games to sort things out when it comes to which teams to go with and which ones to consistently go against.

Doc's: The Los Angeles Chargers are off to a slower than expected start at 1-2 straight-up and 0-2-1 against the spread. As heavy 16.5-point road favorites against Miami, is this the week the Dolphins finally cover one of those huge double-digit spreads?

RE: I do think the public will lean towards the Dolphins this week given another big number playing at home. The Chargers are one of the biggest surprise teams, but for all the wrong reasons with that unexpected slow start. I am not sure that I would take the Dolphins and the points, but they should cover this week.

Related: Tony Picks the Chargers vs. Dolphins ATS Winner

Doc's: The SEC has made an early splash in the AP's Top 25 with three teams (Alabama, Georgia and LSU) in the Top 5 and two more (Auburn and Florida) in the Top 10. I know you have mixed feelings about this conference. So, is this a fair assessment of top teams in the nation four weeks into the new season?

RE: I will still go on record as saying this conference is overrated. You have to take into consideration the lack of competition in the top SEC team's early nonconference schedule. Given the bias in the AP Top 25, all these SEC teams will remain high in the rankings until they start knocking off one another.

Doc's: There is a couple of big matchups on this weekend's college football slate. Which Week 5 college games have made it onto your 'must see' list?

RE: I think the Friday night schedule has featured some great matchups so far. This Friday, I like Duke as a slight road underdog against Virginia Tech. My top game on Saturday's slate would be Virginia on the road against Notre Dame. How much did that heartbreaking loss to Georgia take out of the Irish?

Doc's: There is also a big weekend of horse racing at one of your favorite tracks, Santa Anita Park. Do you have any early thoughts on Friday's American Pharoah Stakes for the juveniles and Saturday's Awesome Again Stakes as a Breeders' Cup Classic qualifier?

RE: Unfortunately, there is a big dark cloud hanging over this track right now with yet another horse getting put down due to an injury. From a handicapping standpoint, this makes me leery about betting Santa Anita right now. I know that the Breeders Cup is just over two months away, but this is a bad situation for the entire sport.

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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