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


by Docsports.com - 10/8/2019

Carolina Panthers quarterback Kyle Allen

Doc's Sports Service heads into the first full week of October on a roll with a number of high-unit winners across multiple sports. Doc's expert handicapper Raphael Esparza is also building bettor's bankrolls with some big winners over the first betting weekend this month.

His impressive resume includes holding the prestigious position as the Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Resorts' Aria. This was the highlight of a long and successful career in the Las Vegas Sportsbook industry that came to a close in 2013.

For the past six years, he has been running a successful sports investment business from his home base in Las Vegas as well as from the Big Easy in New Orleans. Anyone looking for some big unit plays for this week's top NFL matchups or insider betting tips for various pop culture betting props should check out his home page at Doc's. Every Tuesday, we get the chance to pick his brain on a few of the hottest trending topics in the world of sports.

Doc's: Jay Gruden paid off as the favorite for the prop covering the first NFL coach to get fired this season. If you were resetting the odds, which of the other 31 NFL head coaches would move to the top of that list?

RE: I actually think Atlanta's Dan Quinn should have been the first coach fired, so he automatically moves to the top of the list. The Los Angeles Chargers' coach Anthony Lynn could be in trouble with his team's 2-3 start. If Cleveland keeps losing games like it did on Monday night, Freddie Kitchens could coach himself out of job in his first season at the helm.

Doc's: It is hard to argue against 5-0 New England as the top team in the AFC five games into the season. With parity alive and well in the NFC, which team in this conference would be your favorite to go to Super Bowl LIV right now?

RE: I would give the early nod to the New Orleans Saints. If they can keep winning games without Drew Brees, they will be in excellent position to win the NFC when he does return to the starting lineup. You could actually add Green Bay and Carolina to the short list of surprising contenders. I am not sold on San Francisco just yet, but the 49ers should also be in the mix at 4-0.

Related: NFL Betting Predictions Week 6

Doc's: A big game this Saturday in college football is the annual Big 12 showdown between the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners and the No. 11 Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry. You have been high on the Sooners in the early part of the season, so do you have them avenging last year's loss by covering the 10.5 points against Texas?

RE: I have been touting Oklahoma as a Top-5 team this season, and I think the Sooners prove me right this Saturday by covering against Texas. The Longhorns' defense does not match up all that well against Oklahoma's potent offensive attack.

Doc's: In light of the early results of this season's MLB playoffs, is there any reason to think that the two best teams; the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL and the Houston Astros in the AL will not face one another in this year's World Series ?

RE: The Dodgers still have to get past Washington in Game 5 of their NLDS matchup, but they would still be my team to beat in the National League. I do not see the New York Yankees having the same success scoring runs against Houston in the upcoming ALCS, which gives the clear edge to Houston.

Doc's: With so much emphasis on football and baseball the first betting weekend in October, do you have anything else on your betting radar for this upcoming weekend?

RE: I do have my eye on UFC Fight Night this Saturday in Tampa. The main event between Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Michelle Waterson should be closer than expected. Waterson is a heavy +330 underdog, but worth a second look. I am also interested in the upcoming XLF draft in mid-October. There are some interesting names on the board with each of the eight teams drafting 71 players.

 

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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