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


by Docsports.com - 8/13/2019

Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Myles Garrett

The NFL Preseason wears on, the MLB playoff race heats up, and college football returns to action on Aug. 24. This all adds up to another big year for Doc's Sports Service and Raphael Esparza , as one of the site's featured expert sports handicappers. He worked his way to the top of list during a long and successful run in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry. That career was highlighted with the prestigious title of Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Resorts' Aria until his retirement in 2013.

All of Esparza's energy is now devoted to running a successful sports investment business from his home base in Las Vegas as well as from the Big Easy in New Orleans. Big unit plays are common in his major sports selection packages, along with betting props covering the entertainment industry and pop culture in general to demonstrate his overall diversity.

Each week, Doc's gets the chance to gain his insight into some the hottest trending betting topics in the world of sports.

Doc's: Heading into Week 2 of the NFL Preseason with starters expected to get some playing time in all the games, are there any matchups on the board that have caught your early interest?

RE : Cleveland is officially the most over-hyped NFL team based on Week 1, so playing Indianapolis this week should be interesting to watch. At the top of the list is Sunday's doubleheader with New Orleans on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers followed by Seattle heading to Minnesota to face the Vikings.

Doc's: The CFL regular season is rapidly approaching the halfway point of an 18-game schedule. The updated futures odds at MyBookie have Winnipeg as a +230 favorite to win this year's Grey Cup title. Would you agree with that assessment?

RE: Two big pluses for Winnipeg is the early 3-0 record in the West Division and a perfect 4-0 record at home. This is the most complete team in the CFL right now, and home-field advantage in the postseason carries some heavy weight in this league.

Doc's: Not to shortchange the upcoming college football season, which Pac-12 team would you take to win the conference title this year. The futures odds paint a three-team race between Washington and Oregon in the North Division and the Utah Utes, out of the South. Which team is at the top of your list?

RE: The Pac-12 is still lacking a legitimate national power, but the overall conference should be more competitive this season. I like Utah in the South ahead of USC, and I would go with Oregon to come out on top in the North. Justin Herbert at quarterback should make this offense exciting to watch, but the Ducks still have to step up their game on defense. Auburn will be a great test right out of the gate.

Doc's: Daniel Cormier is a -150 favorite in his upcoming UFC 241 showdown against Stipe Miocic as a +120 underdog. How are you betting on this fight?

RE: I would not bet against Cormier in this situation as his stellar UFC career continues to wind down. The entire card is deep, with great matchups coming off a very disappointing UFC 240. On the immediate undercard, Anthony Pettis as a -130 favorite against Nate Diaz (+100) could be the best matchup between a couple of pure punchers.

Doc's: We know that you are a huge fan of the Little League World Series. Competition from Williamsport gets underway on Thursday, so can you give us an early scouting report on the top US and international teams?

RE: I am still waiting for the posted futures odds to win to start breaking things down. My early lean would be towards the team from Hawaii as the best in US group and Asia Pacific as the best team in this year's international competition. Each of these teams have been dominant in its own right, and that should continue in this tournament. The odds posted for an international team winning it all were -175 with the US odds posted at +145.

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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