FiveStarPick.com is coming off a blistering 3-0 start to the NFL season as we gave our over 3000 members two 1st half against the spread winners and a parlay winner in Thursday night’s opener.  Today we look to continue the trend as we give against the spread winners in two NFL matchups.  The focus of this preview is today’s 1:00pm game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Cleveland Browns.  Las Vegas sportsbooks list the Vikings as 3.5-point road favorites with a total of 40.  THIS LINE IS DEAD WRONG!!!

The Vikings went 10-6 last year to win the NFC North, but quickly bowed out of the playoffs with a Wild Card-round loss to Philadelphia.  With a potent running game led by Adrian Peterson and a solid defense, Minnesota went in search of an upgrade at quarterback this off-season.  First, they traded for Sage Rosenfels, but mid-way through the exhibition season the Vikes talked Favre into coming back, and he is fully expected to be the starter the rest of this year.

In 2006 the Browns went 4-12. Then, with QB Derek Anderson throwing the ball all over the field, Cleveland went 10-6 in ‘07 and nearly made the playoffs. But last year, playing with the expectation of a post-season appearance, Cleveland collapsed, won just four games, and parted ways with head coach Romeo Crennel. They then replaced him with another Belichick disciple, Eric Mangini, who went 23-25 in three years as head man with the Jets, and got canned after going 9-7 and missing the playoffs last year.  And although he tried to keep it a secret, Mangini has supposedly decided that former Golden Domer Brady Quinn will start at QB for the Browns Sunday.

Minnesota went just 6-10 against the spread last season, and 3-5 against the spread on the road.  The Browns went 7-9 against the spread last year and 3-1 against the spread as home dogs.

The Vikes went 3-1 both SU and against the spread during this just-completed exhibition season, beating the Colts, Chiefs and Texans, and losing to the Cowboys. Cleveland, meanwhile, just went 2-2 both SU and against the spread this preseason, beating the Lions and Titans and losing to the Packers and Bears.

So who covers the spread today?  It’s very easy to find out.  Try FiveStarPick.com for a month ($99.99) and see if our talent for picking college and pro football winners exceeds your expectations.  We are the only sports handicapping service in the business who documents wins and losses and displays them on our homepage for all to witness.  It’s because we have nothing to hide…we just win games against the spread.  Join our family today and start your winning streak tonight.

Jimmy the Geek – FiveStarPick.com

The Philadelphia Eagles (9-6 straight up, 10-6 against the spread) and the Minnesota Vikings(10-6 SU, 6-10 ATS) will square off in today’s NFL Wilcard game and FiveStarPick.com will be giving its members the ATS winner.  Most Las Vegas sportsbooks have listed the Eagles as 3-point road favorites with the total set at 42. 

Last week Philadelphia laid the pipe to Dallas, winning 44-6, but what actually got the Eagles into the playoffs was Oakland beating Tampa Bay (in Tampa), 31-24, and Houston beating Chicago 31-24. It was the perfect storm for the Birds. The Vikings beat the Giants in Week 17, 20-19, by nailing a 50-yard field goal in the final seconds.  The Vikes failed to cover the 7-point spread (a FiveStar win). 

The trends show that Philadelphia is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 road games and Donovan McNabb is scoring 26 PPG on the road this season.  RB Brian Westbrook has rushed for 4 yards per carry in his last 5 games and has 189 receiving yards and 2 scores in the same five.  What’s more, Philly’s defense has held the opposition to 18.1 PPG on the season.

Week 13 was the turning point for this Eagles team.  After Reid benched McNabb in Week 12, he came back with a vengence beating Arizona in Week 13 (48-20).  The Eagles have since gone 4-1 SU and ATS in their last five. During this time, Philly outgained the Cardinals, Giants, Browns, Washington and Dallas in every single contest for a total of 550-yards.

Minnesota has a great defense against the run. Inside the Metrodome, the Vikings have allowed just 80.5 YPG and held opponents to 184.1 YPG through the air.   In addition, Minnesota allowed just 17.9 PPG inside their own building in 2008, helping this group go 6-2 at home.  What is strange is that even when the Vikings hold teams to 20 points or less, they are a weak 2-3 ATS with an overall record of 3-5 ATS overall at home.

The biggest achilles heal for both teams is red zone scoring.  Philly has a mere 49 percent success rate at scoring TDs from within the 20 and ranks 22nd in the league.  Minnesota has been even worse at 43 percent.

The Eagles have had great success against the Vikings in head-to-head action. In the last four clashes, Philly has gone a perfect 4-0, while a 9-1 ATS record in their last 10 meetings sets an unprecedented pace.

So who covers the spread in this NFL Wildcard matchup?  It’s time to step up your game, become a member of our family and find out.  Why not try our service out for 2-days and see if our talent for picking winners exceeds your expectations?  With over 2300 active members, you owe it to yourself to find out why FiveStarPick.com is the most accurate sports handicapping service on the net.  Our dime bettors won nearly $100K in 2008.

Jimmy the Geek – FiveStarPick.com

Monday Night Football is back in New Orleans this week and the Saints (2-2 straight up, 3-1 against the spread) will be hosting the Vikings.  Las Vegas sportsbooks opened the Saints as 4-point favorites with the total set at 45.5.  By this morning, most lines had come down to New Orleans -3, but the total has gone up to 46.

The Saints have won both of their games this season at the Superdome; the season opener against the Bucs as 3-point favorites and week 4 against the 49ers as 4.5-point favorites. The over is 3-1 when the Saints are on the board.

Colston and Shockey are out of the lineup, but Drew Brees has proven that he can still throw 300+ yard games without them.  Deuce McAllister is back after tearing his ACL last season.  McAllister rushed for 73 yards on 20 carries and had a score in his last game.

Minnesota (1-3 SU, 1-3 ATS) is coming off a 30-17 road loss to Tennessee as a 3.5-point dog.  Tavaris Jackson was pulled and Gus Ferotte got the start.  Ferotte threw for 263 yards, but failed to record a touchdown pass. Adrian Peterson ran for 80 yards and 2 TDs on 18 carries. NFL teams are now focused on Adrian Peterson and it shows.  Peterson has been held to less than 100 yards in his last two games.  That could change tonight as the Saints, 20th in the league against the run, are giving up 122.1 yards per game.  The Saints are 27th in total defense.

While the Vikings deal with their QB issues, the Saints have the league’s most effective QB. Brees has thrown for 1,343 yards, completed 72.3 percent of his passes and has an 8-4 TD to interception ratio.  Not bad for a guy with a supposed bum shoulder.

Trends:

Over the last few seasons, New Orleans is 5-16 against the spread as a home favorites, but cashed as home favorites both times in 2008.  Minnesota has lost both of its road games SU and ATS in 2008. The Vikings are 6-7-2 ATS in their last 15 games as road underdogs. The over is 3-0-1 overall for the Saints, 1-0-1 in their home games. The over is 2-0 in both of the Vikings’ road games.

So who covers the spread in tonight’s game?  Become a member today and find out.  You will quickly learn that FiveStarPick.com is a top NFL handicapper.  NFL picks are our specialty and have been since we started in the business in 1990.  We cannot believe that was 18 years ago.  Time flies when you’re making money.  Our membership has jumped from 600 off-season members to over 1900 this football season and it’s for one reason and one reason only…we win!  We are the most accurate sports handicapping service on the net and we will never give you a play that we are not heavily on ourselves.  As a matter of fact, our NFL Picks are so strong that they can move the line up to a full point within seconds of being published to our members.  It’s time to come down off the fence and join for 1 year.  A one year membership is only $99.00 and it will pay for itself in the 1st week.  We are nearly 65% against the spread in 2008 and our forte, College and NFL Football Picks, are just beginning.  You owe it to yourself to discover the benefits of membership.  Join today and start winning tonight.

Jimmy the Geek – FiveStarPick.com

FiveStarPick.com is excited about tonight’s NFL double header.  And because we are so excited, we are giving our members spread and total winners for both of tonights games.  Read below for a preview of the action. 

VIKINGS @ PACKERS

Las Vegas sports books have the Green Bay Packers as a 2 point home chalk over Minnesota, with the total set at 38.  Last season the Vikings were 8-8 straight up and 7-7 against the spread.  They were 3-5 straight up and 3-3 against the spreadon the road and the under went 5-2.

The Vikings had a good run last year behind stud running back Adrian Peterson (1341 yards, 12 TDs), but finished second in the NFC North behind Green Bay and failed to reach the playoffs.  Having said that, over the last two years the Vikings have gone 0-4 straight up and 1-3 against the spread when playing in Green Bay.  The under is 5-2 the last seven games in this series.

In the 2007-2008 season, Green Bay went 13-3 straight up and 12-3 against the spread before losing last year’s NFC Championship Game at home to the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. Those numbers had a lot to do with #4 Brett Favre, so Aaron Rodgers will have a lot of pressure on him tonight to fill some big shoes.  The Packers were 7-1 straight up and 6-1 against the spread at home last season, with the over going 5-3. 

BRONCOS @ RAIDERS

Las Vegas sportsbooks have Denver as a 3 point road chalk over Oakland and have set the total at 42.  Last season, Denver went 7-9 straight up and 5-11 against the spread.  They were worse on the road going 2-6 straight up and 1-7 against the spread.  Denver finished in second place in the AFC West, four games behind the Chargers.  In addition, Denver lost 4 of its last 5 straight up and against the spread, but capped off the season with a victory over Minnesota, 22-19. Quarterback Jay Cutler (3,487 yards, 20 TDs, 14 INTs) will start in his third season tonight and feels confident in his team after what he calls a stellar training camp. 

Oakland’s last season wasn’t much better going 4-12 straight up and 6-10 against the spread.  They were a terrible 2-6 straight up and 2-6 against the spread at home and 2-2 against the spread when listed as a home dog.  Oakland is 1-3 straight up in their last four meetings with Denver, but 4-0 against the spread.

FiveStarPick.com loves to handicap the NFL.  It is our specialty and we have been steadily getting more proficient every year since we started in the business in 1990.  We cannot believe that was 18 years ago.  Time flies when you’re making money.  Our membership has jumped from 600 off-season members to over 1400 this football season and it’s for one reason and one reason only…we win!  We are the most accurate sports handicapping service on the net and we will never give you a play that we are not heavily on ourselves.  As a matter of fact, our NFL Picks are so strong that they can move the line up to a full point within seconds of being published to our members.  It’s time to come down off the fence and join for 1 year.  A one year membership is only $99.00 and it will pay for itself in the 1st week.  We are nearly 65% against the spread in 2008 and our fortey, College and NFL Football Picks, are just beginning.  You owe it to yourself to discover the benefits of membership.  Join today and start winning tonight.

Jimmy the Geek – FiveStarPick.com