Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza 3/27/2019

by Docsports.com - 3/27/2019

This year's NCAA Tournament begins play in the Sweet 16 Round the same day a new MLB season gets underway. As one of Doc's Sports valued expert handicappers, you already know that Raphael Esparza is working on some high-unit winners for all of this week's sports betting action. Honing his craft during a long and successful run in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry, the former Vegas Sports Informer closed out his sportsbook career in 2013 as Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Resorts' Aria.

Still based in Las Vegas as well as the Big Easy in New Orleans, he spends all of his time now running a successful sports investment service offering a wide array of betting options. Each week, Doc's gets the chance to sit down with Raphael to cover the hottest trending betting topics in the world of sports and beyond.

Doc's: The Oregon Ducks have managed to save face for the Pac-12 this season with a run to the Sweet 16 in the South Region. As the only double-digit seed left in the final 16-team field, the Ducks are 8.5-point underdogs for Thursday's matchup against Virginia, as the top seed in the region. Does Oregon pull off its biggest upset to date, or do the Cavaliers move on to the Elite 8?

RE: Now that the spread in this game has reached 8.5 points at most books, I would definitely go with Oregon to cover in this matchup. The Ducks appear very comfortable in their role as underdogs given how well the played as a team in those first two tournament games.

Doc's: Ahead of Thursday and Friday's action in the NCAA Tournament, play continues in this year's NIT. Do you have any thoughts as to which teams eventually make their way to Madison Square Garden for the Final Four in this postseason tournament?

RE: I am not as dialed into this year's NIT as much as I normally am in the absence of any really interesting teams. Wichita State knocking off Indiana did catch my attention, so I am pulling for the Shockers to win it all.

Doc's: This Thursday is also MLB's Opening Day. The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox are two of the top favorites to win this year's World Series. Which one do you have winning the AL East this season?

RE: It is a long season, but I still have the Yankees coming out on top this year. New York is bound to make a few moves along the way to get even better than it already is. I also think that Boston has some pitching issues that have yet to be addressed.

Doc's: The NHL regular season is drawing to a close ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The battle for the Pacific Division leans towards the Calgary Flames over the San Jose Sharks. Which of these two teams would you take in a head-to-head matchup in the postseason?

RE: Going back to the All-Star break, I would have gone with the Sharks as the veteran team. However, their inconsistent play combined with Calgary's ability to keep playing at a high level all season long gives the edge to the Flames in a head-to-head matchup.

Doc's: The betting board is jam-packed this week, but I am sure we missed something else that is on your betting radar right now. What else do you got?

RE: I just posted some early betting props for the next season of Game of Thrones as the first in a three-part series for Docs. The top value bet on the board are the +300 odds that Bran Stark is the Night King. Anyone who follows this show already knows that this has been a hot topic quite some time.

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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