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<p>At 1:35 PM from Fenway Park in Boston, we have an interleague matchup between the Nationals and Red Sox. Heading into Sunday's game, the Nationals are 19-19, while the Red Sox are just above .500 at 20-19. Brayan Bello is starting for Boston, and he is facing off against MacKenzie Gore for the Nationals.</p>

<p>Boston is the favorite at -154, and the over/under line is at 8 runs. If you're looking to watch this one on TV, it is being carried by MASN.</p><h3>BOSTON RED SOX VS WASHINGTON NATIONALS BETTING PICK</h3><p>The Pick: Boston Red Sox Moneyline -154</p><p>This game will be played at Fenway Park at 1:35 ET on Sunday, May 12th.</p><h3>HOW TO BET THE NATIONALS VS RED SOX:</h3><ul><li>We have the Red Sox winning by a score of 6 to 4</li><li>If you're looking for a run line pick, we also like the Red Sox to cover</li><li>As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 10 runs and like the over</li></ul><p>It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this Red Sox vs Nationals series. Boston went into the matchup as -157 favorites and squeaked out a 4-2 win. The Red Sox offense only had two more hits than the Nationals and struck out seven times, but still picked up a win.</p>

<p>Cooper Criswell got the start for the Red Sox, going just five innings while giving up two hits and two earned runs. Chris Martin got the win out of the bullpen, and Kenley Jansen got the save. Jake Irvin put together a good outing for the Nationals, giving up just two earned runs across seven innings of work.</p>

<p>At the plate, Wilyer Abreu and Rafael Devers each had two RBIs for the Red Sox. Abreu, Xander Bogaerts, and Hunter Renfroe each had a double and a run scored. For the Nationals, Eddie Rosario hit the game's only home run and went 1/2 with two RBIs.</p><h3>Nationals Records & Stats</h3><p>Washington is at an even 19-19 overall as they play on the road vs. the Red Sox today. The Nationals are 3rd in the NL East, eight games behind the Phillies for the division lead. So far, they have gone 5-2 in divisional games.</p>

<p>The Nationals have been just below average at home, going 7-10 this year. On the road, they are 12-9, including being 11-9 as the underdog on the road. As the underdog overall, the Nationals are 17-18 compared to being 2-1 as the favorite. This season, the Nationals' series record is 5-6-1.</p><p>Washington has been a solid bet against the run line this season, going 24-14 overall. The Nationals have been especially good on the road, going 15-6 against the run line. They have been a good bet as the underdog, going 22-13 against the run line. Washington's average run margin in winning games is +3.2, while it is -3.5 in losing games.</p><p>The over/under line for the Washington Nationals' game against the Boston Red Sox today is set at 8 runs. The Nationals' games this season have averaged 8.5 runs per game, and their over/under record is 17-20. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, their record is 2-3-1. Overall, 68.4% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 8 runs, and their current under streak is at 2 games.</p><p>Washington is sending left-hander MacKenzie Gore to the mound today vs. the Red Sox. He has made seven starts this year and has a record of 2-3 with a 3.44 ERA. Opposing batters are hitting .281 off Gore this year, and he has a WHIP of 1.47. Gore's last outing came on May 5th vs. the Blue Jays, where he finished with a no-decision. In that game, he gave up two earned runs in three innings of work. Before that, he had lost three straight starts. Gore has made one quality start this year and is averaging 11.12 strikeouts per nine innings.</p><p>Washington's offense has been pretty average this season, as they are 19th in runs per game (4.2) and have a team batting average of just .229. However, they do have two hitters with at least 20 RBIs, including CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. Abrams and Garcia Jr. are also the Nationals top home run hitters, with 7 and 3 homers, respectively. Garcia Jr. has been hot of late, hitting .345 over his last eight games, while Abrams has gone 9/22 in that stretch.</p>

<p>As a team, the Nationals are just 15th in home runs and are also near the bottom of the league in slugging percentage and OPS. Washington's most consistent hitter of late has been Eddie Rosario, who is on a six-game hitting streak and is batting .409 over his last eight games.</p><h3>Red Sox Records & Stats</h3><p>Boston is 20-19 overall this season and is looking to pick up a win at home today vs. the Nationals. The Red Sox trail the Orioles by 6.5 games in the AL East and are 0-3 in divisional games this year. So far, they are 8-10 at home compared to 12-9 on the road.</p>

<p>The Red Sox have dropped two straight series, and their overall series record is 6-5-1 this year. As the favorite, Boston is 10-6 and 10-13 as the underdog. In their series vs. the Nationals, the Red Sox are 4-6 over their last 10 games.</p><p>When the Red Sox win, they do so by an average of 4.7 runs per game, but when they lose, it's by an average of 3.3 runs. They have a run line record of 20-19 on the season, with a 7-11 mark at home and a 13-8 record on the road. As the favorite, they are just 6-10 against the run line, but as the underdog, they are 14-9.</p><p>The Boston Red Sox have gone under the total in four straight games, and their over/under record for the season is now 14-22. The over/under line for today's game against the Washington Nationals is set at 8 runs, which is right around their season average of 7.8 runs per game. When the line has been set at 8 runs this season, the Red Sox have gone 1-3-2 to the under.</p><p>Brayan Bello has been solid through his first three starts of the season, and he'll be getting the start at home against the Nationals. Bello has a win in each of his first two starts, and in his last outing, he went 6 innings and struck out 7 while only allowing 1 hit.</p><p>Heading into today's game, the Red Sox offense is averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 14th in the league. They have been a bit better on the road, averaging 4.5 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .244, and their team on-base percentage of .318 is 10th in the league. Boston's offense has been tough to strike out this season, as their 9 strikeouts per game is the 26th best mark in the league.</p>

<p>Ceddanne Rafaela comes into the game with a team-high 20 RBIs but is batting just .211 for the season. However, he has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 6/20 in his last six games. Rafaela also has one homer and has driven in three runs during this stretch. Jarren Duran has also been playing well of late, going 7/24 in his last six games. He is on a five-game hitting streak and is batting .265 for the season.</p>

Washington Nationals vs Boston Red Sox Betting Pick & Prediction 5/12/24

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The National Football League (NFL) is easily the most popular sport in the United States, especially when it comes to betting. NFL betting puts up the biggest numbers every single year, and bettors are always looking for new betting options.

The NFL was founded all the way back in 1920 in Canton, Ohio, and that is where the Hall of Fame is located to this day. There were only a handful of teams in the league when it first started, but it didn’t take long for the league to grow.

There are now 32 teams in the NFL, and the league is broken up into two conferences and eight total divisions. Since the league just continues to be more and more popular, the league has added an extra regular season game for each team to play in.

NFL teams now play 17 total regular season games, and then the top seven teams in each conference advance to the postseason. The NFL regular season begins in September, and the Super Bowl is now played during the month of February.

When it comes to the NFL, the Super Bowl is the event that draws the most betting attention. This league isn’t going away anytime soon, and it’s actually started to become more of an international competition.

This article will not only cover the best NFL betting sites &amp; sportsbooks, but will also provide some tips on how to bet on the NFL.
<h3>Where to bet on NFL</h3>
Knowing where to find the best NFL sportsbooks is a big key if you want to have some success when wagering on this sport. Here are six of the best NFL sportsbooks to use, and all of them are going to be a little bit different.

&nbsp;

Best NFL Betting Sites & Sportsbooks

<p>Looking to win big? The Penguins and Blackhawks face off at 8:30 ET on NBCS. The Blackhawks are hosting the game at United Center in Chicago, IL. The Penguins come into this non-conference matchup favored by -1.5 goals. The over/under line currently sits at 5.5 goals.</p><h3>PITTSBURGH PENGUINS VS CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS BETTING PICK</h3><p>The Pick: Chicago Blackhawks +1.5</p><p>This game will be played at United Center at 8:30 ET on Thursday, February 15th.</p><h3>WHY BET THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS:</h3><ul><li>Despite being 1.5 goal underdogs, we predict the Blackhawks to come out on top with a final score of 4-3.</li><li>We like the Blackhawks on the moneyline (+179)</li><li>The Blackhawks are also our pick on the spread at +1.5</li></ul><h3>Will the Penguins Pull Through as the Favored Road Team?</h3><p><p>Through 50 games this season, the Penguins have a record of 23-20-7, putting them in 12th place in the Eastern Conference and 7th in the Metropolitan Division. Over their last ten games, Pittsburgh has gone just 3-7 and they are currently riding a three-game losing streak.</p>

<p>On the road this year, the Penguins are 10-11-4 and they have lost four straight games away from home. When favored, Pittsburgh has gone 15-13-4 on the year, and they have been favored in 32 of their 50 games.</p></p><p>On the year, the Penguins have an average scoring margin of +.2 goals per game, and they have gone 24-26 against the puck line. Overall, the team has 16 wins by multiple goals and 13 losses by multiple goals.</p>

<p>As the favorite, Pittsburgh has gone 12-20 against the puck line, and their average scoring margin in those games is +.4 goals per game. In their last ten games, the Penguins are 5-5 against the puck line, and they have gone 6-4 against the puck line in their last ten road games.</p> <p>Games involving Pittsburgh have an average of 5.6 goals per game this season. Their average over/under line is 6.4. In terms of their over/under performance, the Penguins come in with a record of 18-29-3.</p><p>Through their last three road contests, the Penguins offense has averaged 1 goals per game while allowing an average of 3. Pittsburgh posted an overall record of 0-3 while going 1-2 ATS.</p><p>On the offensive side, the Penguins are scoring an 2.9 goals per game this season, ranking 27th in the NHL. When it came to shots on target per game, they are 7th in the league. The Penguins went 16-13 in games where they had more shots than their opponents. However, in games with fewer shots on goal, their record was 6-7.</p><p>Pittsburgh will be looking for a good game from Sidney Crosby who leads the team in scoring with 28 goals, ranking 10th in the NHL. Crosby also comes into the game with 24 assists.</p><p>Defensively, the Blackhawks are currently 5th in goals allowed. On average, opponents are taking 32.2 shots per game against Chicago. They also are 26th in shutouts, coming in with 1 shutouts.</p><p>Entering the game, goalie Tristan Jarry has started 34 games this season. His current record stands at 14-16, and his save percentage is 0.856%.</p><h3>Will the Blackhawks Win at United Center?</h3><p><p>At home this season, the Blackhawks are 10-13-2, and in the Central Division, they are 3-14. Over their last ten games, Chicago has gone 2-8, and they have lost five straight games. Overall, the Blackhawks are in 16th place in the Western Conference with 31 points.</p>

<p>As the underdog, Chicago has gone 13-35-3 this year, and they have lost their last three games. In the Western Conference, the Blackhawks are in 8th place in the Central Division.</p></p><p>Chicago comes into the game with a puck line record of 24-29 this season, and they have gone 4-6 against the puck line in their last ten games. The Blackhawks have gone 15-10 against the puck line at home this year, and their average scoring margin at home is -.5 goals per game. So far, they have had five wins by multiple goals and have lost 28 games by more than one goal.</p>

<p>When playing as the underdog, Chicago has gone 24-27 against the puck line, and they have gone 3-2 against the puck line in their last five games. In their last three home games, the Blackhawks have gone 2-1 against the puck line, and their average scoring margin as the underdog is -1.5 goals per game.</p> <p>Games involving Chicago have an average of 5.6 goals per game this season. Their average over/under line is 6.2. In terms of their over/under performance, the Blackhawks come in with a record of 21-30-2.</p><p>Across their three previous road games, Pittsburgh has an puck line mark of 1-2. Their straight up record in these matchups was 0-3 while averaging 1 goals per game.</p><p>On the offensive side, the Blackhawks are scoring an 2.1 goals per game this season, ranking 31st in the NHL. When it came to shots on target per game, they are 30th in the league. Coming into the game, the Blackhawks have a 1-11 record when they have more shots on goal than their opponent. When they have fewer shots on goal, they are 13-23.</p><p>Chicago's current leading scorer is Jason Dickinson. This season, he has 16 goals, which puts him 82nd in the NHL. In addition to his goal scoring, Dickinson has 10 assists this season.</p><p>Chicago defense takes on the Penguins ranked 5th in goals allowed. On average, opponents are averaging 32.2 shots per game against Chicago. They also are 26th in shutouts, with 1 shutouts.</p><p>Goalie Petr Mrazek comes into the game having made 35 starts this season. So far, his record is 12-21 and he has a save percentage of 0.962%.</p>

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Chicago Blackhawks Betting Pick & Prediction 2/15/24

<p>Looking to win big? The Vikings and Mastodons face off at 7:00 ET on ESPN+. The Mastodons are hosting the game at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, IN. The over/under line for this matchup is currently at 153.5 points, and Purdue Fort Wayne is favored by -3.5 to win at home against Cleveland State.</p><h3>CLEVELAND STATE VIKINGS VS PURDUE FORT WAYNE MASTODONS BETTING PICK</h3><p>The Pick: Cleveland State Vikings +3.5</p><p>This game will be played at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum at 7:00 ET on Wednesday, February 7th.</p><h3>WHY BET THE CLEVELAND STATE VIKINGS:</h3><ul><li>We have this one finishing with a projected score of 73-72 in favor of the Mastodons.</li><li>Even though we have Purdue Fort Wayne winning straight-up, we like Cleveland State at +3.5.</li><li>The over/under is currently sitting at 153.5 points, and we like the under with a projected 145 points.</li></ul><h3>Can the Vikings Offense Score Enough on the Road?</h3><p>So far this season, Cleveland State has been a much better team at home than on the road. They have gone 10-1 at home with an average scoring margin of +7.2 points per game. On the road, they are just 3-9 with an average scoring margin of -5.4 points per game.</p>

<p>Overall, the Vikings have gone 14-10 this season, including a 7-6 mark in Horizon League play. They are coming off an 83-71 loss to Oakland and have gone 1-4 in their last five road games.</p><p>As the underdog, Cleveland State has gone just 5-5 vs. the spread this season and they have an overall ATS mark of 11-12. On the road, their ATS record is 5-7 and it's 1-4 over their last 5 road games. As the underdog, the Vikings have gone 0-3 vs. the spread in their last 3 games.</p><p>Today's over/under line of 153.5 is higher than the average over/under line in Cleveland State games this year (146.9). So far, 13 of their games have finished with more points than today's OU line. In their last three games, the over/under record is 1-2 and over their last 10 games, the OU record is 6-4. The average scoring total in their last three games is 141 points.</p><p>Compared to their season average of 77 points per game, Cleveland State struggled in their previous game. Against Oakland, the Vikings scored 71 points while finishing with a field goal percentage of 42.4%. Currently leading the team in scoring is Tristan Enaruna who comes into today's matchup averaging 19. Tae Williams also heads into the game with a PPG average of 12.3.</p><p>In terms of defense, Cleveland State is currently on par with the NCAA average for points allowed, giving up an average of 73.9 points per game. On average, opposing teams are hitting 6.7 threes per game vs. Purdue Fort Wayne. This has come on three-point shooting percentage of 32.8%.</p><h3>Will the Mastodons Secure A Victory as Home Favorites?</h3><p>After a win over Youngstown State, Purdue Fort Wayne comes into this game with a record of 15-8. They are 6-6 in Horizon League play and 8-3 at home. On the season, they have been favored in 13 games and have gone 9-4 in those matchups.</p>

<p>At home this season, the Mastodons have an average scoring margin of +9.4. Over their last 10 games at home, they have gone 7-3. Through 23 games, Purdue Fort Wayne has a scoring differential of +1.1 points per game.</p><p>As the favorite this season, Purdue Fort Wayne has gone 7-6 vs. the spread. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Mastodons are 4-6 ATS. At home this year, Purdue Fort Wayne is 6-5 vs. the spread. Over their last 3 games at home, the Mastodons are just 1-2 ATS.</p><p>So far this season, the over/under record for Purdue Fort Wayne games is 12-9. The average scoring total in their games this year is 152.3 points, not too far off from the average over/under line in their games of 151.9 points. Today's over/under line of 153.5 points is higher than the average scoring total in their games. Over their last three games, the over/under record is 1-2 with an average scoring total of 138 points.</p><p>In their recent matchup, the Purdue Fort Wayne offense ended with 82 points against Youngstown State. They finished with an overall field goal percentage of 50.9% and made 8 threes. On the offensive front, the Mastodons have a season-long field goal percentage of 46%, ranking 118th nationally. When it comes to three-point shooting, they are ranked 83rd in terms of percentage and 32nd in three-pointers made.</p><p>On defense, Purdue Fort Wayne is currently around the NCAA average in points allowed, giving up an average of 71.3 points per game. So far, the Purdue Fort Wayne defense is giving up an average of 8.1 offensive rebounds per game and are turning teams over 10.1 times per game (424th).</p>

Cleveland State Vikings vs Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons Betting Pick & Prediction 2/7/24

Another week, another UFC event as we get strapped in for UFC Fight Night 182, aka UFC on ESPN+ 40, with a main event of Thiago Santos and Glover Teixeira. In fact, there are actually two UFC cards this week with a Dana White Contender Series card midweek.

Eleven fights are on the docket for this one, headlined by that main event of UFC veterans. There are a lot of familiar names on this fight card, as we only have two debut fighters and a handful of promising youngsters on the undercard.

We’ll use the odds from <a href="http://bangthebook.com/sportsbooks/betonline"><strong>BetOnline Sportsbook</strong></a> to break it all down for you and place a little extra emphasis on the main card bouts.
<h4><strong><u>Anthony Birchak vs. Gustavo Lopez</u></strong></h4>
This fight does not have a line of time of writing because Lopez’s original opponent, Felipe Colares, tested positive for COVID-19. This is only the second UFC fight for Gustavo Lopez, who lost to Merab Dvalishvili back in June. The 34-year-old Anthony Birchak was released from the UFC in February 2017 after going 2-2.
<h4><strong><u>Ramiz Brahimaj (+125) vs. Max Griffin (-145); Total: 2.5 (-185/155)</u></strong></h4>
It turns out that Ramiz Brahimaj is the first of our two debut fighters on the card. Brahimaj was supposed to fight over the summer, but one of his cornermen got COVID-19 and he was bumped from the card. The former LFA welterweight has not fought since March 22, 2019, so he’ll have a ton of cage rust to shake off here against Max Griffin. Brahimaj has won all eight times by submission, but has lost two decisions, if this fight gets to that point.

Max Griffin desperately needs a win here. He’s lost four of his last five fights, all of which have gone to decision. His lone win was by majority decision, so even that one was iffy. Griffin was 12-2 when he joined the UFC back in 2016, but he’s gone 3-6 and it’s a wonder if he’ll even be able to stick around much longer past this fight. He has fought decent competition, hence the -145 price tag. The long layoff for Brahimaj makes it too hard to bet the dog. The decision price is heavily juiced at -185, but each of the last seven for Griffin have gone the full 15.
<h4><strong><u>Eduardo Garagorri (+195) vs. Darren Elkins (-230); Total: 2.5 (-165/135)</u></strong></h4>
We’re reaching the end of the line for 36-year-old Darren Elkins. He’s lost four straight fights as he heads into this one a big favorite against Eduardo Garagorri. Elkins lost to Nate Landwehr back in mid-May to run his streak to four, with his other losses against Ryan Hall, Ricardo Lamas, and Alexander Volkanovski.

Garagorri, on the other hand, is 1-1 in the UFC. He’s coming off of his first career loss, which he’s had almost a year to stew about. He is a multi-faceted fighter with four knockout wins, six submission wins, and three decision wins. Elkins is on the wrong side of his career. An upset makes sense here.
<h4><strong><u>Marcos Rogerio de Lima (+280) vs. Alexandr Romanov (-340); Total: 1.5 (185/-225)</u></strong></h4>
This is only the second UFC fight for big favorite Alexandr Romanov, who brings a perfect 12-0 record with 12 stoppage wins into this fight. The 29-year-old beat Roque Martinez, but now steps up in class against a UFC veteran in Marcos Rogerio de Lima. The 35-year-old known as Pezao has alternated wins and losses over his last eight fights. Only one has been a decision, which he did win. The former light heavyweight has had most of his issues with taller fighters. Romanov is not one, but the line still suggests that this is a bad matchup for Rogerio.
<h4><strong><u>Jamey Simmons (+400) vs. Giga Chikadze (-550)</u></strong></h4>
This was a late posting to the card with newcomer Jamey Simmons in the first fight of his four-fight contract. He’ll face Giga Chikadze, who just improved to 11-2 with an easy 15-minute win over Omar Morales back on October 10. This will be the fourth fight of 2020 for Chikadze, but the 32-year-old has a great gas tank. He’s gone 15 minutes in each of his last four fights. Simmons just fought October 16 to stay sharp in a low-end promotion. It’s hard to lay -550 here, but as an open parlay piece or something, Chikadze should win rather convincingly.
<h4><strong><u>Trevin Giles (-105) vs. Bevon Lewis (-115); Total: 2.5 (-205/165)</u></strong></h4>
Trevin Giles and Bevon Lewis will square off in the last fight exclusively on ESPN+. The main card will also be on ESPN2. Lewis is the slight favorite in the closest thing we have to a toss-up fight on the undercard. Lewis has lost two of his last three, but there is no shame in losing to Uriah Hall or Darren Stewart. He bounced back with a win over Dequan Townsend in January.

Giles also lost twice, to Zak Cummings and Gerald Meerschaert, before getting back on track with a win over James Krause. Giles has only lost twice by submission. He’s won two decisions and 10 by stoppage. Lewis is 4-1 in decisions and 3-1 in KO/TKO, but has no submissions. If Giles has a takedown defense issue, Lewis is unlikely to exploit that. Giles gets the nod here at -105.
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<h4><strong><u>Claudia Gadelha (+120) vs. Yan Xiaonan (-140); Total: 2.5 (-320/260)</u></strong></h4>
The only women’s fight on the card is this women’s strawweight match between Claudia Gadelha and Yan Xiaonan. Gadelha is the underdog, despite winning three of her last four fights. She topped Angela Hill back in May after nearly 10 months on the sidelines. Gadelha’s loss to Nina Ansaroff is really the only bad performance. Her other losses were to Joanna Jedrzejczyk twice and Jessica Andrade, two former champions.

Yan Xiaonan is a perfect 5-0 in the UFC. She hasn’t fought fighters the caliber of Andrade or Jedrzejczyk, but she’s comfortably beaten everybody put in her path. The 31-year-old’s lone loss came over a decade ago. She’s one of the better strikers in the division, but her takedown defense will get a workout here against Gadelha. I actually like the underdog to have a great chance in this fight, especially if she gets it to the ground with top control.
<h4><strong>Pick: Claudia Gadelha</strong></h4>
<h4><strong><u>Brendan Allen (-107) vs. Ian Heinisch (-113); Total: 2.5 (-200/160)</u></strong></h4>
Ian Heinisch’s big bounce back win over Gerald Meerschaert may be the catalyst for the line swing in this fight against Brendan Allen. Allen was victorious over replacement Kyle Daukaus when he was supposed to fight Heinisch back in June. Allen is 15-3 overall and 4-0 in the UFC, including his debut appearance on the Dana White Contender Series. The 24-year-old seems to be a promising prospect and he was an LFA champion early last year before making the UFC leap.

Heinisch, though, is a veteran at 32 with a lot of big names on his list of past results. After losses to Omari Akhmedov and Derek Brunson, the first-round knockout of Meerschaert was a side of him we hadn’t seen much. Heinisch has seven decision wins and seven stoppage wins.  Will the wily veteran Heinisch beat the younger, taller, lankier Allen? It’s hard to say, but Heinisch has taken the money to this point. This is close to call. I’d lean with Allen, but not confidently.
<h4><strong>Pick: Brendan Allen</strong></h4>
<h4><strong><u>Khalid Taha (+290) vs. Raoni Barcelos (-365); Total: 2.5 (-105/-125)</u></strong></h4>
Raoni Barcelos replaced Jack Shore for this fight and he’ll be a big favorite when the opening bell rings against Khalid Taha. We haven’t seen Barcelos in a long time, as he last fought in December, but did extend his UFC winning streak to four against Said Nurmagomedov. We haven’t seen Taha in an even longer time, as the 28-year-old has been out of action since October 5 when he beat Bruno Silva at UFC 243.

Barcelos is a heavy favorite here over Taha, who has only lost twice in 15 pro fights. These two fighters profile pretty similarly, except that Barcelos is a little taller and a lot more active. That would seem to be the difference here based on the line.
<h4><strong>Pick: Raoni Barcelos</strong></h4>
<h4><strong><u>Andrei Arlovski (+235) vs. Tanner Boser (-275); Total: 2.5 (-145/115)</u></strong></h4>
Andrei Arlovski and Tanner Boser meet in the second of two heavyweight fights on the slate for Saturday. Boser is a massive favorite in search of his third win in a row and fourth out of five in the UFC. The big Canadian won twice in four weeks over the summer with knockouts of Philippe Lins and Raphael Pessoa. Arlovski also beat Lins back in May, so the two have a common opponent, but that seems to be about all that they have in common based on the odds. Arlovski is also 41 years old now and Boser, who seems to be getting some favorable matchups in hopes of elevating his status, is just 29.

The over 2.5 at -145 is pretty interesting here. Boser’s had knockouts in his last two fights, but went the full 15 in his first two UFC matches. Three of the last four for Arlovski have gone the distance. It is a sign that Arlovski’s striking power has fallen quite considerably, but he’s certainly experienced enough to not get himself in too much trouble. I think that’s the play here, with Boser by decision if you want to cut down the vig.
<h4><strong>Pick: Over 2.5</strong></h4>
<h4><strong><u>Glover Teixeira (+205) vs. Thiago Santos (-240); Total: 1.5 (-145/115)</u></strong></h4>
After a positive COVID-19 test for each one of these fighters, the match between Glover Teixeira and Thiago Santos is finally going to happen. Teixeira has found a second wind of late with four straight wins, including a very impressive win over Anthony Smith back on May 13. Teixeira may be 41, but he is still performing at a very high level, all things considered. He still finds himself a big underdog here in this spot against Santos.

The 36-year-old Santos hasn’t fought since UFC 239 when he lost to Jon Jones. It was Santos’s first loss in four fights. There is certainly nothing wrong with losing a fight like that and Santos took Jones the full 25 and lost by split decision in what was considered to be very controversial. Santos badly tore up his knee in that fight and hasn’t been out there since. After stepping up in such a huge way to face Jones, and now coming back from a major injury, there’s no way I could lay -240 here.
<h4><strong>Pick: Glover Teixeira</strong></h4>
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UFC on ESPN+ 40: Santos vs. Teixeira Betting Odds, Picks, & Predictions

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