Xam’s Daily Gems:
Steelers Money Line -135 DraftKings 1 Unit
Justin Herbert is dealing with a high ankle sprain and may not even be able to play in this game, while the Steelers are celebrating their new home opener with new quarterback Justin Fields. Acrisure Stadium is going to be a MAD HOUSE today as the Steelers seek a 3-0 start to the season. With Herbert banged up, the Chargers will likely rely on a running attack led by new addition J.K. Dobbins. The Steelers have an ELITE pass rush, perhaps the best in the league, and they’ll be sure to bring pressure early and often. The key to this Play will likely be how Justin Fields performs against a similarly solid Chargers defense. The Chargers have held the Raiders and Panthers to a COMBINED 13 points, but they traveled a lot this past week and may be a little tired coming into this game. Fields has fumbled in both of his first 2 games this year and NEEDS to clean that up. Luckily, the Steelers recovered both of his fumbles. If he can protect the football and rely on the running game, the defense and home crowd SHOULD care for the rest!
Titans Money Line -142 DraftKings 1 Unit
Jordan Love is out once again for the Packers, which means Malik Willis will face the team that drafted him in Tennessee today. Willis started last week and was efficient but protected by the running game, solid defense, and the home crowd. The Titans have what essentially amounts to a MUST WIN game in Week 3. If they lose this game, they will fall to 0-3 and their chances of making the playoffs are essentially 0. The Packers struggled defensively in Week 1 against the Eagles, and particularly so on the ground. Expect to see a heavy dose of Tony Pollard and the running game today. However, the key to this Play is QB Will Levis. He’s had a BRUTAL first 2 weeks of the season, filled with bad play and poorly timed turnovers. He HAS TO get that under control. The Titans defense has played really well in their first 2 games, delivering constant pressure and forcing turnovers in Week 1. If Levis can simply protect the football, the Titans SHOULD be able to POUND the rock and get a win they so DESPERATELY need.
Panthers/Raiders Ove 39.5 Points -115 FanDuel 1 Unit
The Panthers have benched former first overall pick for veteran Andy Dalton. Quite frankly, the only way for the offense to go is up. Expect the Panthers to come out with some renewed energy on offense. In his only career start for the Panthers, Dalton played very well. He had 361 passing yards with 2 touchdowns and no turnovers on the road in Seattle in a game that featured 64 points! Their defense, however, has left A LOT to be desired. They gave up 47 points in Week 1 and 26 in Week 3. Gardner Minshew and the Raiders are coming off an extremely impressive win against the Ravens. Today is their home opener, so the Black Hole as it’s known by will be READY TO GO! Davante Adams, Zamir White, and rookie tight end Brock Bowers lead an underrated skill position unit. If the Raiders can keep up their momentum from last week, they shouldn’t have ANY ISSUES putting up points at home against a weak Panthers defense.
Phillies First 5 Innings Money Line -155 BetMGM 1 Unit
The Phillies will clinch the NL East tonight with a win on Sunday night baseball. However, while the division is all but locked up, they have A LOT of work to do to get themselves a bye in the 1st round and even get the top overall seed in the National League. Luckily for them, they’re sending former Mets pitcher and current Cy Young contender Zack Wheeler to the mound. Wheeler has been nothing short of AWESOME this season, pitching to a SPARKLING 2.56 ERA and 0.95 WHIP! It may be hard to believe but he’s been EVEN BETTER in his last 7 starts, pitching to a 1.84 ERA and 0.80 WHIP! The Phillies need him to step up and while the Mets haver a solid lineup, MVP candidate Francisco Lindor is expected to miss tonight’s game as well. The Mets counter with young righty Tylor Megill. Megill has been awesome recently, pitching 6 innings and not giving up a single earned run in back-to-back starts. However, the Phillies are simply a DIFFERENT BEAST! The Phillies are AVERAGING over 5 runs per game in their last 20 games. They have a deep lineup that they believe will give them a serious chance to make another World Series run. If Wheeler can keep up his recent pitching success, the Phillies shouldn’t have ANY ISSUES scoring runs early and often in this game!