Scott Rickenbach

Money Line Mauling - Rickenbach NHL Thursday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Money Line +105 @ Florida Panthers @ 7:08 ET - Landeskog back tonight from two game suspension. The only game he played the Avalanche won 4-2 in their season opener. Since then they have gone 0-2 and MacKinnon missed one of those losses and was not himself in the loss Tuesday in Washington after flying cross country Monday night after being cleared from covid protocols. I know goalie Kuemper has struggled early this season but I know what he is capable of too. That said, and with Landeskog and MacKinnon and Rantanen finally together again on the top line for this one, I look for a big road win from a hungry Avalanche team in this one. They are off back to back losses and they catch Florida off a big divisional win at Tampa Bay and, of course, the Lightning are the B2B defending Stanley Cup champs too. This set up is ideal for this play and the Avs get it done on the road to get back on track. 10* COLORADO +105

TBS Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Thursday 10* Top Play Atlanta Braves +132 @ Los Angeles Dodgers @ 8:08 - I don't care who the starting pitchers are. The Braves are expected to start Max Fried while the Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to go with a bullpen game. The Dodgers lost Justin Turner to injury yesterday and now are even in bigger trouble than they already were. The Braves have won 6 of 7 games and the average margin of victory has been nearly 3 runs in the 6 victories. Amazingly the Braves have allowed an average of just 2.5 runs per game in their 8 post-season games. The Dodgers, conversely, have allowed 19 runs the last 3 games against Braves and that includes 5 or more in all 3 games. Now going to a bullpen game here and without one of their better bats in the lineup too, the situation is a tough one for the Dodgers. The road dog Braves offer tremendous money line value here as a result. 10* ATLANTA +132

TNT Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Thursday 10* Top Play Dallas Mavericks +2.5 @ Atlanta Hawks @ 7:40 ET - The Hawks are at home and had a decent record last season. That is leading to solid line value with the road dog in this one. Keep in mind, Atlanta was barely above .500 against Western Conference teams last season. Conversely, Dallas was 21-9 against Eastern Conference teams last season and that included 2-0 versus the Hawks. I still feel strongly that there exists an East-West dichotomy in the NBA and, until we see this dynamic change, there is always a bit of shading toward the West in my mind when it comes to East-West match-ups. That said, when I can get the team from the West on the road and getting points then I pay particularly close attention. Looking at this match-up, the Hawks also are a bit banged up while the Mavs appear healthy entering this one. I do expect an outright upset but will gladly grab the points as added insurance in this one. 10* DALLAS +2.5

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CFB Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 70.5 in SMU Mustangs vs Tulane Green Wave @ 7:30 ET - Both teams play fast. SMU is one of the fastest-paced teams in CFB and has averaged 44 points per game at home this season. Tulane is allowing 43.3 points per game on the road this season. The Green Wave should score plenty here though as the Mustangs did allow 37 points to Louisiana Tech and 34 points to TCU. As noted above, Tulane also likes to play fast on offense and the Green Wave did put up 35 points against Oklahoma earlier this season. The over is 5-1 in Tulane's games this season. I know SMU has trended under this season but the way they play on offense and the fact that the Green Wave can't stop anyone but also have a decent offensive attack has me eyeing the Mustangs under trending coming to a screeching halt in this game. 10* OVER 70.5 in SMU

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NFL Monday 10* Top Play Cleveland Browns Money Line -120 vs Denver Broncos @ 8:20 ET - Baker Mayfield is out but Case Keenum has experience working with head coach Kevin Stefanski as they are were together in Minnesota in 2017. That year was Keenum's best in the NFL and he might surprise many by coming up big in this Thursday night start. With the line at -2 in most places but the money line available as low as -120 in some spots, I am recommending grabbing the money line here. Look for the Browns to bounce back at home off an ugly home loss to the last remaining undefeated team in the league. By the way, the Broncos have lost 3 straight games as their early season 3-0 start proving to be a fluke. Denver's 3 wins are against teams that are a combined 3-14 on the season! Two of the Browns wins are against teams that are .500 on the season and their loss to a Chargers team that is now 4-2 on the season was a very tight defeat. The Broncos 3 defeats, on the other hand, have come by an average margin of 11.3 points. I am grabbing the home team that is available at a bargain price because of Mayfield being out for this game. 10* CLEVELAND money line -120