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Stetson Bennett doesn't appear to be a guy who fits in. He is about the smallest quarterback to come out of college. But here's the thing - he can play a little.



Check that; he can play a lot.



On the third day of the NFL Draft, we found out where he's going to play. And maybe it was something of a surprise that he went in the fourth round, chosen by the Los Angeles Rams. The odds on him going in that round, as they were posted at <a href="https://www.bangthebook.com/sportsbooks/betonline/">BetOnline</a>, were +1400. Most expected him to be selected in the fifth (+500) or sixth (+350) round.



And his presence with the Rams may turn out to be significant, as we'll discuss.



Bennett has been around the horn, as they say. When he came out of high school he had only two offers, which came from Georgia Southern and Middle Tennessee. Seeing as those schools were outside of the "Power 5," it wouldn't normally have been expected the kid might wind up winning two national titles with the biggest program of them all, in the toughest conference of them all.



But that's what happened. Bennett made the Georgia team as a walk-on, then made a pit stop to junior college, then went back to Georgia.



When JT Daniels transferred from USC to the Bulldogs, he was not only expected to be the starting quarterback, he was also rated as one of the top Heisman contenders. Well, Bennett beat him out for the starting position, in effect not once but twice.



And he was far from a "game manager." Bennett put up some pretty impressive numbers over the last couple of seasons, with 56 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions. He disappointed no one in Georgia's repeat campaign, with 4132 yards and 68% accuracy.



In other words, he's not exactly backing into the NFL.



And he can make just about all the throws; the ones the scouts look for. But the big problem is that he just doesn't have the size anybody looks for at the position.



At 5-11 and 190 pounds, he's not big enough to sustain much punishment in the pocket. Of course, Alabama's Bryce Young (taken #1 by Carolina) has roughly the same dimensions, but he gets a lot more consideration because of his "playmaking ability."



But Bennett can scamper a little. And you can't argue with the fact that he didn't disappear when it was time to shine on the biggest stage possible. Naturally, you have to look at the level of talent he's had the opportunity to play with. The Bulldogs were just about always going to have a man-for-man advantage over their opponents, as you might expect from a team that wins its national title game by a 65-7 margin.



Still, you can't survive as an undersized quarterback in the SEC without having some smarts, and in that regard Bennett has to score big.



And ultimately there is going to be some value placed on that sort of thing in the NFL.



Our original train of thought was that Bennett would be a guy who could hold a clipboard for a couple of years, and maybe stick around on a practice squad. But apparently he was a particular favorite of Rams GM Les Snead, who wanted to grab him before somebody else did. And head coach Sean McVay is actually hoping he can be the backup to Matthew Stafford.



One must take note that Stafford isn't as durable as he used to be - he missed the last eight games of the 2022 season with a spinal cord contusion - so you never know when a backup is going to be called upon. And so you have to speculate that Bennett's "advanced" age (26 by the time the season starts), which was considered to be something of an albatross, might equate to life wisdom, and thus become an advantage.



So if the proposition at the top was whether size was going to be the issue with Bennett, it's not much of a concern to the Rams, who are priced at +550 to win the NFC West and +6600 to win the Super Bowl at <a href="https://record.commissionkings.ag/_SwFIINNFoTmu11z-n_bVh2Nd7ZgqdRLk/1/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">BetOnline</a> (with an over-under of 7.5 wins), where you can feast on NFL Futures betting RIGHT NOW, and make your deposits using your credit card or choose from the many crypto options they have ready and waiting for you!

NFL Futures Odds - Size is the issue with Stetson Bennett - but not for Rams

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Making on a bet on this NHL game featuring the Flames versus the Kraken? The puck drops at 10:00 ET, and you can watch it all unfold on ESPN+. The game will be played at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA. The over/under for this matchup is currently set at 6 goals and the Kraken are the -1.5 favorite to win at home vs. the Flames.<h3>CALGARY FLAMES VS SEATTLE KRAKEN BETTING PICK</h3>The Pick: Seattle Kraken -1.5This game will be played at Climate Pledge Arena at 10:00 ET on Saturday, October 19th.<h3>WHY BET THE SEATTLE KRAKEN:</h3><ul><li>According to our analysis, we anticipate the Kraken to win this one with a projected score of 4-2.</li><li>Take the Kraken on the moneyline</li><li>The Kraken should also cover at -1.5</li></ul><h3>No Pressure for Calgary as Away Dogs</h3>Calgary improved to 4-0-0 with a 3-1 win over the Blackhawks. The Flames covered the puck line as -1.5 goal favorites, and the total of 4 goals fell short of the 6.5 set before the game. 

Matthew Coronato opened the scoring for Calgary at 3:59 in the first period. The Blackhawks tied it up at 16:11 in the first, but the Flames pulled ahead with a goal from Andrei Kuzmenko in the second period. Coronato added another goal in the third, sealing the win.Matthew Coronato led the way for the Flames with two goals, including an empty-netter at 19:21 in the third period. He found the net for the first time this season at 3:59 in the first. Andrei Kuzmenko also scored, netting his first goal of the year on a power play at 13:32 in the second period. Calgary took 27 shots on goal and recorded 19 giveaways. The Flames picked up five assists, with Jonathan Huberdeau and Connor Zary each earning their third assist of the season. Mikael Backlund added his first assist on Coronato's empty-net goal.Defensively, the Flames gave up the tying goal at 16:11 in the first period, but they shut down the Blackhawks after that, securing a 3-1 win. Dustin Wolf finished with 31 saves and a 96.9% save percentage, while the defense added 5 takeaways, 29 hits, and 21 blocks.<h3>Will Seattle Secure A Victory as Home Favorites?</h3>With a 6-4 win over the Flyers, the Kraken moved to 3-2-0 this season. Seattle covered the puck line as -1.5 goal favorites, with the total of 10 goals surpassing the pre-game line of 6. 

All six of Seattle’s goals came from different players, and they had to rally after trailing 2-1 at the end of the first period. The Kraken tied it up in the second and went on to score four unanswered goals before the Flyers responded.Seattle’s offense was firing on all cylinders in their 6-4 win over the Flyers, with six different players finding the net. Brandon Montour opened the scoring for the Kraken, while Oliver Bjorkstrand added his second goal of the season with 5:08 left in the game. After a quiet first period, the Kraken scored four times in the second, including Jared McCann’s third goal of the year on a power play. Jordan Eberle, who now has four goals this season, also scored in the second period.On the defensive side, the Kraken will look to improve after allowing four goals to the Flyers. After taking a 5-2 lead in the 2nd period, Seattle’s defense gave up two goals in the 3rd, including one on the power play. Goalie Philipp Grubauer finished with a save percentage of 84% on 25 shots from Philadelphia.

Calgary Flames vs Seattle Kraken Betting Pick & Prediction 10/19/24

Friday's interleague matchup between the Padres and Rays has a first pitch set for 6:50 PM ET from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. The Padres are 76-60 and their money line odds are at +108, while the Rays are 66-67 and they are favored at -133. The over/under line is currently 7.5 runs.

San Diego will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak, and they are 3rd in the NL West. Tampa Bay is 4th in the AL East, and APLTV will be televising this one.

<h3>SAN DIEGO PADRES VS TAMPA BAY RAYS BETTING PICK</h3>The Pick: San Diego Padres Moneyline +108This game will be played at Tropicana Field at 6:50 ET on Friday, August 30th.<h3>HOW TO BET THE PADRES VS RAYS:</h3><ul><li>We have the Padres winning by a score of 5 to 4</li><li>If you're looking for a run line pick, we also like the Padres to cover</li><li>As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over</li></ul><h3>Padres Records & Stats</h3>The Padres will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Cardinals with a 4-1 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 3rd inning before the Cardinals scored two runs in the bottom of the 3rd. San Diego was the -106 favorite on the money line going into the game.

Michael King got the start for the Padres and took the loss. He only lasted 4 1/3 innings, giving up three earned runs. The Padres's offense scored their only run in thejson 5th, and it was Jackson Merrill's first career home run.San Diego is on the road today to take on the Rays, having dropped two straight games, and they are 76-60 this season. The Padres are 3rd in the NL West, five games behind the Dodgers for the division lead. So far, they have gone just 20-20 in divisional games.

At home, the Padres are 37-32 this season, and they are 39-28 on the road. As the favorite, San Diego is 48-37 and 28-23 as the underdog. The Padres have an overall series record of 26-14-5 this year.San Diego has been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 70-66 overall. They have been especially good on the road, where they are 43-24 ATS. They have been a better bet as the underdog, going 35-16 ATS, compared to 35-50 ATS as the favorite. The Padres have a positive run differential on the road this season, outscoring opponents by an average of 1.1 runs per game.The Padres have played in 21 games this season with an over/under line set at 7.5, and their record in those games is 21-23. Their games have had an average combined run total of 9.0 runs per game this season, and their over/under record for the season is 73-62. The over/under line for today's game against the Rays is set at 7.5 runs.Martín Pérez gets the start for the Padres today as he faces the Rays on the road. So far this season, he has made 21 starts and has a record of 3-5 with an ERA of 4.60. Looking at his overall numbers, Pérez has a WHIP of 1.51 and has issued 3.2 walks per nine innings compared to 7.14 strikeouts. The left-hander has made seven quality starts this year and is coming off an outing in which he didn't give up a run. In that start, he went 3 2/3 innings and gave up just one hit. Pérez has not lost since July 31st.San Diego comes into today's game as the league's top batting average team, hitting a combined .265. They are also the top team in the league in terms of fewest strikeouts per game. Overall, they are averaging 4.7 runs per game, which is 11th in the league. The Padres have been even better on the road, averaging 5 runs per contest.

Jurickson Profar and Manny Machado have been the Padres' top power threats this season, with Profar's 21 homers being the 2nd most in the league and Machado's 22 homers leading the Padres. Machado is also 15th in the league with 79 RBIs. Over his last five games, Machado has gone 7/20 with two homers. Luis Arraez has also been swinging a hot bat, going 8/20 in his last five games and is batting .307 for the season.<h3>Rays Records & Stats</h3>The Rays will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Mariners with a 6-2 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 2nd inning before the Mariners scored four runs in the bottom of the 2nd. Tampa Bay was the +134 underdog on the road going into this game.

Drew Rasmussen got the start for the Rays and took the loss. He only lasted two innings, giving up four earned runs. Offensively, the Rays only had two fewer hits than the Mariners but scored just two runs. Josh Lowe had a solo home run in the 2nd inning and finished the game 1/4.Tampa Bay is 66-67 overall and 11.5 games behind the Yankees in the AL East. So far, they have gone just 17-23 in AL East matchups. The Rays are at home today, hosting the Padres, and they are 34-34 at home this year.

As the underdog, the Rays are 33-38 this year compared to 33-29 as the favorite. They have won three straight games at home, and their overall series record is 21-17-5. Tampa Bay's two most recent series have ended in losses, dropping their record to 4-6 over their last 10 games.When it comes to the run line, the Rays have been a much better bet on the road this season, where they are 37-28 compared to just 29-39 at home. Overall, they are 66-67 vs. the run line, with an average scoring margin of -0.5 runs per game. They have covered the run line in five straight games at home, but overall, they are just 23-39 vs. the run line as the favorite compared to 43-28 as the underdog. Their average run margin in wins is +2.7 runs per game, while it is -3.6 runs per game in losses.The Tampa Bay Rays are playing at home tonight against the San Diego Padres. The over/under line for the game is set at 7.5 runs. The combined run average for Rays games this season is 8.1 runs per game. The Rays have an over/under record of 59-68 on the season, and their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs. When the over/under line has been set at 7.5 runs this season, the Rays have a record of 21-25 in those games. Overall, 57.9% of the Rays' games this season have had over/under lines set higher than 7.5 runs.Taj Bradley gets the start for the Rays today and comes in with a record of 6-8 and an ERA of 3.77. Looking back at his last outing, Bradley finished with a no-decision against the Dodgers, giving up five earned runs in six innings of work. Before that, he had lost three straight starts. Bradley has made eight quality starts this year and is averaging 9.98 strikeouts per nine innings. For the season, he has allowed 17 homers and is averaging 3.02 walks per nine innings. At home, Bradley is 3-5 with a 3.11 ERA.So far this season, the Rays are averaging just 3.8 runs per game, which is the worst mark in the league. They have been slightly better on the road, averaging 4 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .230 and have the 26th ranked home run total in the league.

Yandy Diaz has been the Rays' best hitter this season, batting .273 with 11 homers and 57 RBIs. Christopher Morel has struggled this season, batting just .194, but he does lead the team with 21 homers. Morel is also 2nd on the team in RBIs. Jose Siri has 17 homers this season but is batting just .197. Josh Lowe is on a three-game hitting streak and is batting .333 over his last five games.

San Diego Padres vs Tampa Bay Rays Betting Pick & Prediction 8/30/24

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