Ever since Del dominated against the spread a few weeks ago with a 13-3 week, winning weeks have become the norm. Last week, Del was 9-7 against the spread once again. Doc Brown and Del both continue to dominate in picking games straight up, as they both went an impressive 13-3 last weekend. You never know with Vegas, but a lot of the lines feel friendly this week, so picking the Top 3 was difficult — in a good way. Just a reminder that Del is picking his Top 3 correctly at a 68.8 percent clip, so if you’re betting these games consistently you’re making phenomenal money.
My favorite game of the week this week happens to be the first one you’ll see. The Thursday night game feels like a layup this week with Indy only giving up three points. The Titans are horrible. They don’t have a quarterback, haven’t been able to get Chris Johnson going, and Randy Moss looks like he cared more about winning in Oakland. The Colts have lost four out of five, and the main reason for their struggles is Peyton Manning’s decision making. He’s thrown 11 interceptions in three games and there’s just no way that can continue — especially with the Colts fighting for a playoff spot.
The Giants -1 at the Vikings is another great line this week. I don’t know what’s worse, the “will he or won’t he play next year” or the “will he or won’t he play next week” talk surrounding Brett Favre. Favre’s shoulder is supposedly messed up — again — but you know he won’t risk his streak. That could be a good thing for a Giants defense that has been playing well. In the rare event that Tarvaris Jackson starts, there’s nothing scary about that either. The Giants are pretty much a pickem this week and they should win by a touchdown. More analysis after the chart.
(ATS = Against the Spread, SU = Straight Up)
The third pick in the Top 3 this week is the Jets. For starters, the Dolphins are not playing well and have not gotten quality play at quarterback from Chad Henne. He’s making mistakes that cost his team games, which is not a good recipe against a swarming defense like New York’s. More importantly, the Jets have never been embarrassed under Rex Ryan the way they were on Monday night. If Ryan is any coach at all, he’ll have his guys ready to blow out the Dolphins at home after losing to their arch rival in front of a national audience.
There were two other games Del considered as Top 3 selections this week. The first is the Raiders +4.5 at Jacksonville. If Oakland plays like it did against the Chargers, they can easily beat the Jaguars outright. Jacksonville has been overachieving lately and beating some below-average competition. They should be due for a slide, and there’s no reason to think Oakland won’t keep this one within a field goal.
The other game that got consideration is Tampa Bay -1 at Washington. I don’t know what the Bucs have to do to make people believe in them, but they’re a good team. If you think the Falcons are elite it makes no sense to not give Tampa credit. They put up a fight against Atlanta both times they faced them, just like they have in most of their other losses this season. On the other hand, the Redskins have plenty of distractions going on with the suspension of Albert Haynesworth pending. Mike Shanahan has his hands full and as a result his team has not looked ready to play this season.
