Art Aronson

8* play on VIRGINIA

Two years ago, Virginia suffered the ultimate humiliation by becoming the first ever #1 seed to lose to a #16 seed. They more than redeemed themselves last year by winning the National Championship. This year's team is ranked #11 and opened things up with a 48-34 win over Syracuse. As you can tell from that final score, it was even uglier than usual for the Cavaliers. But the good news is they still won by double digits despite shooting only 16% from the three-point range. They also turned it over 16 times. Last year's team set a school record by making an average of 18 three's per game and they also led the entire country by turning it over just 9.0 times per game. So those numbers from the first game are a lock to improve (even though the 3-pt line has been moved back this year). James Madison is no match for Virginia. The Dukes beat Charlotte 79-74 on Wednesday. But they've never beaten Virginia, an in-state rival, in 10 all-time tries. On the road, the Cavaliers held Syracuse to just 23% shooting and 34 points. Now just imagine what they'll do at home where they've never lost an opener under Coach Bennett (10-0). JMU was without one of its best players (Dwight Wilson) in the opener and he's listed as questionable here. Virginia has covered 67% of the time it has been a favorite the L3 years, going 44-22 ATS. Play on VIRGINIA

AAA

This is a 10* on the UNDER

The Lakers have won seven in a row and posted the best point differential in the league. They've held half of their opponents below 100 points and just held Miami to 80 points, their fewest allowed in a game this season. They have posted the league's best defensive efficiency rating as well. Right now, things are going very well for LeBron and company. It's a tough matchup on Sunday though with the defending champs coming to LA. Toronto is 6-2 and had double digit leads in both games they lost. The Raptors are allowing a field goal percentage of 40.6% this year, which is even lower than what the Lakers are allowing. This has all the makings of a low-scoring game between two good defensive teams. Toronto is really going to struggle to score tonight. They are without both Kyle Lowry (21.8 PPG) and Serge Ibaka, both of whom sustained injuries in New Orleans Friday night. Play UNDER Toronto-LA Lakers

AAA

This is an 8* on the OVER

The numbers aren't good here for Kirk Cousins, whether it be his record on the road vs. winning teams (0-7-1 SU/ATS with Minnesota), his record on the road in primetime (1-7 SU, 1-6-1 ATS) or his record against Dallas (1-6 straight up, including 0-4 vs. Dak Prescott). But Cousins has either completed 80% of his passes or thrown 3 TD passes in five straight games. The Vikings did lose last week, 26-23 at Kansas City, but are 23-9-1 ATS off a loss under Mike Zimmer. They're getting Dallas on a short week. The Cowboys are 1-6 ATS after playing on Monday Night Football under Jason Garrett. So the trends aren't all against Minnesota Sunday night. Another trend that's interesting is the Under has gone 13-4 in Sunday & Monday night games this NFL season. That includes 8-0 when the home team is favored. But with two explosive offenses this week, we feel that trend is about to change. We've got two of the game's best runners facing off in Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott. Cook has 1232 yards from scrimmage and leads the league in rushing. The Vikings defense isn't the same away from home either as it has given up 56 points the last two road games. The Cowboys offense has scored 37 points in back to back games. They are averaging 6.8 yards/game and 436.6 yards/game. This total simply isn't high enough for a game that could quickly turn into a shootout. Play OVER Minnesota-Dallas

AAA

This is an 8* on the NY JETS

The state of professional football in New Jersey is downright putrid with the two teams occupying MetLife Stadium owning a combined 3-14 record. The Giants (2-7) have lost five in a row while the Jets (1-7) hit rock bottom last week by becoming the first team to lose to Miami. It's tough to decipher any real advantages in a matchup this bad. What's unique is this is a "neutral site game." But the Giants are on a short week. Things got away from them in the second half Monday vs. Dallas and they ended up losing 38-17. The short week definitely works against the Giants. The Jets are probably in even worse shape right now coming off the loss in Miami. But at least they can claim to have beaten a Dallas team that blew the Giants out twice. Coach Adam Gase seems to be in really "hot water" right about now. He could be done after one year if things continue to go south. The Giants offense has really not improved much with Daniel Jones as the quarterback. They've been held below 300 yards four times during the five-game losing streak. Before losing to Miami, the Jets were set to be favored this week. We see some value (believe it or not) in backing them as a dog in this all-ugly matchup. In the past five seasons, there have been 15 instances in Week 6 or later between two teams with winning percentages of .250 or lower. The underdog is 14-1 straight up and a perfect 15-0 ATS! Play on NY JETS

AAA

This is a 10* on the UNDER

So Tampa Bay found another way to lose last week. It was blowing a 21-7 lead in Seattle and going down in overtime where they didn't even have a chance to possess the ball. A tough break for Bruce Arians team, which is now 2-6 on the year. This week find the Bucs favored for just the third time this season. They are hosting the 3-5-1 Cardinals who will be coming in with some confidence after taking the undefeated 49ers to the wire last Thursday. The Arizona offense even averaged over 7.0 yards/play against what is the league's top defense. With the Bucs on a six-game Over streak, the expectation here will clearly be for a high-scoring shootout. But be careful with expectations sometimes. This high number is something we can take advantage of this week.Tampa's run defense is actually #1 in the league this year, giving up only 78.1 yards/game. So hopefully they can make the Arizona offense one-dimensional. While Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has some of the same skill-set as Russell Wilson (who faced the Bucs last week), Murray just isn't the passer Wilson is - at least yet. The Under is still 15-7 in Tampa Bay's last 22 home games. Play UNDER Arizona-Tampa Bay

AAA

This is a 10* on TAMPA BAY

Tampa Bay (2-6) has found a variety of ways to lose this year. Last week, it was blowing a 21-7 lead in Seattle. The Bucs couldn't even get the ball in overtime after the Seahawks missed the potential game-tying FG at the end of regulation.  This week finds the Bucs favored for just the third time all season. They've lost outright in the first two, one to San Francisco (back in Week 1) and then to the Giants in Week 3. Were they to lose for a third time as chalk this year, things could get real ugly for Bruce Arians in Tampa. We don't think they lose though. Despite its 2-6 record, the Bucs have actually outgained their opponents. They are better than what the record shows. This is also their first home game since blowing that big lead to the Giants back in Week 3. At 3-5-1, Arizona has been slightly better than expected. They actually played a really nice game last week in San Francisco with the offense gaining over 7.0 yards/play against the league's top defense. But this is a road game and an early start time to boot. The time has simply come for a TB victory. The Cardinals have three wins, but they've come by just 10 total points. The Bucs have lost four games by a total of 18 points. The home team should move the ball and will be playing some inspired defense. Play on TAMPA BAY

AAA

This is a 10* play on the OVER 

You have to wonder if the Over is set to make a "comeback" in these primetime affairs. The Under had been 13-4 in Sunday/Monday night games this year prior to last night's Over in Minnesota-Dallas. We had the Over last night and that's the way we're playing Monday night's game as well. It's not just about bucking a trend for us though. Both of these teams can certainly score. In their last home game, the 49ers put up 51 points. Seattle scored 40 last week in an overtime victory over Tampa Bay. The Seahawks will add Josh Gordon to their offense this week. The mercurial Gordon certainly has his share of off the field problems, but can be as talented a receiver as there is. Not that Russell Wilson needs much help these days. Wilson is having a MVP caliber season with 2,505 yards passing. That the Niners are without LB Kwon Alexander is huge. A rookie (Dre Greenlaw) is replacing him. San Francisco QB Jimmy Garoppolo should have a big night as well. Seattle's pass defense ranks 28th, giving up 278 yards/game. They allowed 460 yards to a backup (Matt Schaub) two weeks ago and then 335 to Jameis Winston last week. The Over has hit in six of Seattle's last seven NFC West games. The same for four of San Francisco's last five NFC West games. This could easily turn into a high-scoring game. Play OVER Seattle-San Francisco

AAA

This is a 10* on ALABAMA

Both of these teams are off losses. For Alabama, that's unexpected. The Crimson Tide were 7-point home favorites in an 81-80 loss to Penn in the first game of the season. Just a bad week all around in Tuscaloosa. FAU fell to Miami by 14 on Friday. That was after a shaky defensive effort in the opener where they gave up 81 points to a Division II school. So look for the Crimson Tide to bounce back offensively after a dreadful 35% shooting night against Penn. Bama has had more time to prepare for this game as well. They've been off for five days. Injuries and waiting on the eligibility of a transfer have realy hampered Nate Oats start here. But the 1st year coach should turn things around, just like he did at Buffalo. Only 2 of FAU's 13 players that saw time against Miami finished in double figures. So while Alabama's depth has taken a hit, FAU really doesn't have much depth to speak of. With poor defense and a 34.4% shooting effort against Miami, there's no reason to believe FAU competes here. Play on ALABAMA

AAA

This is a 10* on SAN ANTONIO

Neither the Grizzlies nor the Spurs have been very good teams against the pointspread this year. Both come into Monday sporting 2-7 ATS records. But the difference is San Antonio has at least been winning some (5-4 straight up) while the Grizzlies have a matching 2-7 SU record. San Antonio did just get hit hard by Boston, giving up 135 points in a 20-point home loss. It was the third loss in the last four games for the Spurs, but the first time they'd been blown out all season. Traditionally, they have not been good off that kind of defeat. But they're facing a Memphis team that has been outscored by almost 28 points/game in its three road losses.  The Grizzlies just lost 138-122 to Dallas and that was at home. While it was the most points they've given up in a game this year, it was not the first time getting blown out. It was the 4th loss by 19 or more points so far and second in a row. The previous night in Orlando they lost 118-86. It's a big number to lay with a Spurs team that hasn't covered often. But Memphis might be the worst team in the league right now. Their last three opponents have averaged 125.7 points. They are averaging just 92.7 points/game themselves on the road. Play on SAN ANTONIO

AAA