Steve Janus
Kansas City Chiefs -7
This is a horrible spot for the Rams, coming off two physical games against their division rivals San Francisco and Seattle. Now they have to travel to Arrowhead Stadium, one of the most difficult places for opposing teams to come away with a win. Kansas City on the other hand is coming off a huge win last week against the Chargers. I strongly feel that this year's Chiefs' team is better than the one that started 9-0. They have got better and better with each week. Last time Kansas City hosted a game at home, they absolutely embarrassed the Patriots, who have since went on to win 3 straight. I look for Kansas City to get a couple of big turnovers and win this one by double-digits.
System - Road teams off an upset win as a home underdog after the first month of the season are just 131-202 (39%) ATS since 1983.
Chip Chirimbes
Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans
Play: Tennessee Titans +3
I understand playing against a team where their quarterbacks is making first start, especially a rookie quarterback that wasn't drafted until the sixth round (See Tom Brady), but, money that is flooding in on the Texans will provide great valve with the Titans when the air clears. Tennessee will be starting their fifth quarterback in the last three seasons and the team knows it must rally on the defensive side of the ball. The advantage here going to the home team as the Houston offense in nothing to brag about.
Jimmy Boyd
Oakland Raiders +7
There’s definitely some value on Oakland in this matchup. Prior to the season the Browns were expected to be a 4.5-point favorite. Now we see them laying a touchdown following an ugly 6-24 loss at Jacksonville last week. Sure the Browns whooped up on the Steelers a couple weeks back, but their other two wins have come by a combined 3 points and one of those they had to rally from a 25-point deficit. Cleveland is a lot closer to a 1-5 team than what most people think and it’s a big reason why I’m taking this awful Oakland team getting a touchdown.
The Raiders have shown some life since returning from their Week 5 bye, which also was when they fired head coach Dennis Allen and promoted Tony Sporano to interim head coach. They gave the Chargers all they could handle in a 28-31 loss in Week 6 and this past Sunday lost by a final of just 13-24 to the now 5-1 Cardinals.
One of the big reasons why I like the Raiders to at least keep this one close enough to cover, is the Browns have not been good defensively. Which is a surprise, considering most thought that would be their strength this season. Cleveland comes in ranked 17th against the pass (241.5 ypg) and are dead last against the run (155.5 ypg). Even though Oakland is dead last in rushing (69.3 ypg), there’s reason to be optimistic that they will have some success on the ground against Cleveland. The Browns gave up 185 yards and 2 scores to Jacksonville last week, who even after that performance comes into this week ranked 30th in the league in rushing at 86.0 ypg.
I also have some major concerns with the Cleveland offense, which looked lost in their first game without starting center Alex Mack. Brian Hoyer completed just 16 of 41 attempts for 215 yards and was sacked 3 times, while the Browns rushing attack accounted for just 69 yards on 30 attempts (2.3 yards/carry). Oakland isn’t a defensive juggernaut by any stretch of the imagination, but neither is Jacksonville. If the offense struggles like it did against the Jaguars, forget the cover, the Raiders could be looking at their first win of the season.
There’s a strong system in play favoring a fade of the Browns. Home favorites who are allowing 130+ rushing yards/game after a contest where they were outrushed by 75 or more yards are just 89-144 ATS since 1983. That's a 72% system in favor of the Raiders.
Alex Smart
Seattle Seahawks vs. Carolina Panthers
Play: Seattle Seahawks -5
The pundits and public are jumping off the proverbial super bowl champions bandwagon. The Seahawks at 3-3 and off two straight losses, are now not seen in a favorable light , at least by weekend warriors. The linesmakers are still not sold on the Seahawks demise as is evident by posting them as -5 point road favorites in this spot vs a Carolina Panthers side that has allowed 37 or more points in 4 of their L/5 overall. With that said, look for QB Russell Wilson and company to come up with a bounce back effort this Sunday and take advantage of a abysmal defense and get us the road cover.
One second guys, I know your saying to yourself, the pundits are telling me, that Seattle is not a great road team. Ill respond by saying they have cashed 12 of their L/16 on the road and must be respected as moneymakers for their backers away and home.
Note: Seahawks are 4-1 ATS L/5 in this series and 20-8 ATS L/28 vs NFC opposition.
Oliver Alonso
Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans
Play: Tennessee Titans +3½
I understand playing against a team where their quarterbacks is making first start, especially a rookie quarterback that wasn't drafted until the sixth round (See Tom Brady), but, money that is flooding in on the Texans will provide great valve with the Titans when the air clears. Tennessee will be starting their fifth quarterback in the last three seasons and the team knows it must rally on the defensive side of the ball. The advantage here going to the home team as the Houston offense in nothing to brag about. The Texans blocks for rushing game are too primitive and the Titans have a tough front seven. I don't expect an easy day for Arian Foster. Ryan Fitzpatrick is a clockbomb. He is able to made a big play in the game but never without turnovers.
The Texans' defense depends on JJ Watt. The Titans' O-Line has been look solid and Maybe Ken Wisenhunt will order double blocks on Watt. The secondary is a hole and the linebackers an empty unit. The D-Line in a 3-4 scheme is supporting the entire defense. I expect the Titans to dominate the sccrimmage line in both sides of the ball and take the game!
Sam Martin
Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans
Prediction: Houston Texans
Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt admitted his team has been lacking confidence since before the season even began, and if they didn't have any confidence at the start of the year they certainly don't have any now in the midst of a 1-5 straight up and ATS losing skid. Poor play and injuries at the quarterback position means rookie QB Zach Mettenberger (from LSU) will get the start here, and we'll fade the Titans as a result.
We love fading rookie quarterbacks making their first start of the season anyway, but against a strong defensive front like Houston's - which get Clowney back this week - we like fading Mettenberger even more. Tennessee doesn't have much of a rushing game to help the young quarterback out, and Houston is coming off a very tough loss last week vs. Pittsburgh where they gave up three touchdowns in the final three minutes of the first half - outplaying the Steelers outside of that short window in a 7-point loss. Houston defense picks apart the rookie QB as Tennessee's offense struggles again!
Hollywood Sports
St. Louis Rams at Kansas City Chiefs
Prediction: Kansas City Chiefs
The Rams (2-4) may be due for a letdown after their emotional 28-26 win against division rival Seattle last Sunday as a 6.5-point underdog. St. Louis has then failed to cover the point spread in 4 of their last 5 games after a point spread loss. Additionally, the Rams have failed to cover the point spread in 4 of their last 5 games on the road. Kansas City (3-3) comes off their 23-20 upset win over at San Diego last week where they were driven by 154 rushing yards en route to 365 yards of offense. The Chiefs have then covered the point spread in 4 of their last 5 games after rushing for at least 150 yards -- and they have then covered the point spread in 5 of their last 6 games after gaining at leaser 350 yards in their last game. With KC returning home to Arrowhead Stadium for the first time in three weeks, lay the points with the Chiefs.
Bob Balfe
San Francisco Giants -165
The Royals had their shot to put this series away with a 3 run lead early in last night’s game and folded like a tent. The experience of the Giants kicked in and now I think this series is over. There is no way I go against Bumgarner in this spot and Vegas agrees making this line -165. If this is too high for you than just pass and don’t play it. I think the Kansas City luck has run out and the Giants should get another big win today putting the pressure on the Royals back in Kansas City. This has been a great series, but again there is no way I go against Bumgarner in this spot.
Mike O'Connor
Houston (-3) 24 TENNESSEE 20
The Texans outplayed Pittsburgh on Monday night and had a 13-0 lead before the Steelers crept back into it, making the score 13-10 late in the second quarter. Houston then proceeded to implode, turning the ball over twice inside their own 10 yard line which led to 14 quick points by the Steelers and a 13-24 deficit. Once again, turnovers were the difference with the Texans a -2 for the game. They out-gained Pittsburgh 394 yards at 6.4 yppl to 330 yards at 5.6 yppl and actually have reasonably impressive year to date yppl stats, particularly and surprisingly on offense where they are averaging 5.9 yppl against teams that allow 5.7 yppl. Ryan Fitzpatrick is a mediocre quarterback and has turned the ball over far too often and has played to his career 1.14:1 touchdown to interception ratio so far this season which is a problem.
Meanwhile the Titans have turned to rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger who will be making his first start and it’s hard to say what impact he will have in this game. Facing talented pass rushers JJ Watt and rookie Jadeveon Clowney in his first start is not ideal and will no doubt cause some problems for the Tennessee passing offense. If the Titans are to compete they’ll need to get their ground game going against a Houston rush defense that has been about average overall. I don’t have any situations in play on this game and my model has this one lined about right at Houston -3. This game is a toss up to me but I’ll lean slightly with the Texans minus the short number.
Miami (-6) 23 JACKSONVILLE 15
Miami played well last week in completely shutting down the Bears, generating 395 yards at 5.9 yppl to 224 yards at 4.4 yppl for Chicago while registering three turnovers. Since their Week 3 loss to Kansas City, the Dolphins have played well and have gotten progressively better, culminating in last week’s victory. They may have a difficult time getting motivated for a 1-6 Jaguars team after playing a competitive team on the road last week and then facing the Chargers next week but Miami is the superior team and should be focused after Jacksonville surprised Cleveland last week. With that upset win the Jaguars notched their first victory this season (24-6 over Cleveland) but lost some key players in DE Andre Branch and LB Paul Posluszny to injury. That makes a poor defense even more vulnerable this week. Not having their defensive leader and play-caller (Posluszny) will be a big blow to a young defense that will miss his leadership. What makes matters worse is that they will be facing a Dolphins rushing attack that has been very good this season, generating 136 yards at 5.0 ypr against teams that allow 122 yards at 4.4 ypr. If Jacksonville can’t stop the run, their secondary will have a tough time slowing down the Dolphins passing attack which has come alive recently.
On the other side, quarterback Blake Bortles has been a turnover machine since taking over, throwing ten interceptions in five games including three last week. The Jaguars offense has a hard enough time putting drives together and scoring points without the turnovers and will face a Miami defensive unit that has played really well, holding opponents that average 333 yards at 5.4 yppl to just 314 yards at 4.7 yppl. The Dolphins qualify in a 665-498-40 situation and my model favors them in this game by about 5.5 points. I lean to Miami minus the points.
Baltimore (-1) 23 CINCINNATI 21
Since their season opening 16-23 home loss to the Bengals, Baltimore has played really well, going 5-1 SU and 4-1-1 ATS. Their lone loss was in Indianapolis to a Colts team that is emerging as one of the leagues’ best. Last week they dominated the Falcons, outgaining them 371 yards at 6.0 yppl to 236 yards at 3.7 yppl in an easy 29-7 win. Meanwhile the Bengals have been freefalling the past three weeks getting blown out in New England, registering a tie at home against the Panthers and last week getting crushed by the Colts 0-27. They have been hampered by injuries to their best offensive player AJ Green as well as to their line-backing corps and have not adjusted well. As of this writing it is unclear whether Green will be back this week but things didn't look good on Friday. He is much needed for an offense that really struggled last week and appears to be in decline.
The Ravens should be able to run the ball well against a Bengals defense that has given up 147 yards at 5.0 ypr against teams that typically gain 109 yards at 4.2 ypr and allowed the Colts to rush for 171 yards last week. Over the last four games the Bengals have allowed an average of 172 yards per game on the ground. However, it looks like Cincinnati may get some of their injured players on defense back this week and that will help because their pass defense has played better than average allowing just 6.0 yps to teams that average 6.8 yps. The major problem for Cincinnati has been an offense missing key players in Green, WR Marvin Jones and TE Tyler Eifert. However, because of the crushing loss last week coinciding with a series of impressive Ravens victories, there might be some value on the Bengals this week. Cincinnati plays well at home where they are 10-0-1 in the regular season since the beginning of 2013. In addition, Joe Flacco has not played well in Cincinnati in his career with a 2-4 record.
The Ravens qualify in 665-498-40 and 280-176-14 situations but my model favors the Bengals by a half point. Cincinnati will be fired up to come out and play well and I expect that they will, especially if Green plays and is capable. I’m going to pass on this one but lean slightly to the Ravens based on the situations.
Seattle (-5.5) 28 CAROLINA 20
The 3-3 Seahawks come into this game fresh off of the fallout from the Percy Harvin trade and a strange ending to their 26-28 loss to the Rams. That makes it two in a row after losing to the Cowboys two games back and with the Cardinals continuing to win, Seattle finds themselves in third place in the NFC West. I don’t expect that streak to reach three in a row this week as Seattle has some match-up advantages and the motivation to come out and play well in this game. Meanwhile, the Panthers were on the losing end of a 17-38 beat-down at the hands of the Packers in Green Bay last week and have now given up an average of 34.8 points per game in their last five. They’ll face a Seattle offensive attack that is generating 358 yards at 6.0 yppl to teams that allow 339 yards at 5.5 yppl and are well above average both running and passing the ball. I have a hard time believing that a poor Carolina defense that is allowing 389 yards at 6.2 yppl to teams that gain 351 yards at 5.7 yppl will be able to slow down the Seahawks offense. Defensively, Seattle is still very good from a yardage and yppl standpoint but just have not generated turnovers at the same rate that they did last season. So far this year, Seattle has registered just 2 interceptions, tied for 30th in the league with the Jaguars. With the talent level on this defense, that rate won’t continue. If the Panthers don’t win the turnover battle in this game, the Seahawks will be very difficult to beat.
The situations go both ways in this game while my model favors the Seahawks by -11.2 points. I expect the motivated, superior team to come out and play well against a Panthers team that have had problems defending both the run and the pass and have been sporadic at best on offense. Both teams are dealing with multiple injuries but Seattle has to deal with a cross country flight and a 10AM Pacific start time. However, Carolina was blown out last week and should also play inspired football at home in this one. In addition, these teams are meeting for the third straight year in Charlotte, with the Seahawks winning the previous two by scores of 16-12 and 12-7. It’s not strong enough for me to make a Best Bet, but I’ll lean with Seattle.
ARIZONA (-2) 24 Philadelphia 20
Philadelphia is in a good spot having extra time coming off their bye to prepare for Todd Bowles pressure based blitz schemes and have an offense that is designed to minimize their impact. By lining up quickly and running plays, the Eagles offense dictates defensive personnel groupings at times by preventing substitution. It also often doesn’t allow sophisticated blitz packages the time to develop and synchronize pre-snap and as a result it forces teams to simply line up and play. With all of the injuries the Cardinals have had up front so far this season their defensive success has been driven by scheme. Plug players in and let them play within the system. If you take away the scheme to some degree as the Eagles will attempt to do, you are left with a number of Arizona front seven backups playing against an Eagles offense that has had extra preparation time to understand how they can be exploited. As a result, I expect the Eagles offense to move the ball well in this game.
I also expect the Cardinals offense to play well as Carson Palmer has had some time to regenerate his shoulder and get back in the flow of the game. He has playmakers on offense and a coach that knows how to maximize his team’s strengths while minimizing their weaknesses. The Eagles have run the ball better recently but they will be facing an Arizona run defense that has only allowed 70 yards at 3.1 ypr this season and while the numbers have not been good for the Cardinals secondary, they have the personnel to improve and I expect that they will. Arizona is tough at home where they are 3-0 this season and 9-2 since Bruce Arians took over as head coach last season. My model favors the Cardinals by -2.7 points and they benefit from a negative 3-14 situation that plays against the Eagles coming off a shutout victory. Based on that, I’ll lean with Arizona minus the short number.
Indianapolis (-3.5) 32 PITTSBURGH 23
The Colts are the better team in this matchup and are in a position to play well in this game. The Steelers come off of a shallow 30-23 Monday night victory over the Texans in Pittsburgh in a spot where they were primed to play well after embarrassing themselves the week prior in a 10-31 loss to the Browns. Pittsburgh was actually outgained 330 yards at 5.6 yppl to 394 yards at 6.4 yppl for the Texans and were being thoroughly outplayed in the early going last week, trailing 0-13 in the second quarter before a barrage of points driven by 2 Texans turnovers inside their own 10 yard line led to 24 quick points by the Steelers. Meanwhile, the Colts just kept rolling along and dismantled the Bengals 27-0 last week, outgaining them 506 yards at 6.5 yppl to just 135 yards at 2.5 yppl for Cincinnati. Indianapolis has now won five straight in convincing fashion and face a Steelers team that has some flaws that could be exposed in this game.
The Colts have very good sack numbers both on offense and defense while the Steelers are just the opposite. And while the Steelers possess a solid ground game, Indianapolis has held opponents to just 90 yards per game in their last 5. In addition, the Colts passing offense is currently in high gear, averaging 330 yards at 7.3 yps against teams that allow 261 yards at 6.3 yps. They’ll face a Steelers pass defense that is allowing 6.8 yps to teams that gain 6.5 yps on average. Pittsburgh is in a primetime flat spot as well having just faced the Texans on Monday night and traveling to Baltimore for a primetime divisional Sunday night match-up next week. Pittsburgh has been a zig-zag team this season, alternating wins and losses all season and after last week’s win this is their week to lose. The Colts are clearly an ascending team and my model is strong on Indy, favoring them by 7 points. I like the Colts.
CLEVELAND (-6.5) 26 Oakland 19
Cleveland looks to bounce back after their 6-24 loss in Jacksonville last week against the winless Raiders who may have their best shot at a victory in this game. Oakland’s upcoming schedule includes a murderer’s row of Seattle, Denver, San Diego and Kansas City the next four weeks and it doesn’t get a whole lot easier after that. The Raiders come off of a home 13-24 loss to the Cardinals in a game where they were thoroughly outplayed. Oakland has not been able to run the ball this season, averaging 70 yards at 3.8 ypr against teams that allow 103 yards at 4.1 ypr on average. They’ll get a chance to remedy that this week as they face a Cleveland defense that has been terrible against the run in allowing 156 yards at 5.1 ypr.
Cleveland should move the ball well against a Raiders defense that has been bad against the run and the pass while I expect the Raiders offense to continue to struggle. Cleveland will be motivated to not allow consecutive winless teams get their first victory against them while the Raiders should be inspired by the Jaguars effort last week against the Browns. I don’t have any situations in play and my model favors the Browns by 7.5 points. This game is really a toss up to me so I’ll lean the way of the model and call for a Browns cover.
NEW ORLEANS (-2.5) 34 Green Bay 27
Since their 1-2 start the Packers have been on fire, going 4-0 SU and ATS their last four games. While they have certainly looked impressive, they have done it against teams with a combined 11-15-1 record (Chicago, Minnesota, Miami and Carolina). They’ll take a step up in class in this game as they travel to New Orleans to play the Saints. While the Saints have been underwhelming this season with a 2-4 record, they are a team that thrives on their home field and have played well in prime-time games. The Saints are 22-5 SU and 21-6 ATS at home since 2011 and they have won 13 straight prime-time home games by nearly 20 points per game. Meanwhile, the Packers have struggled a bit on the road so far this season with a 2-2 SU and ATS record.
Turnovers are the most important factor in determining the outcome of a game and it’s no surprise that the 5-2 Packers are leading the league with a +10 turnover differential while the 2-4 Saints are second from last (tied with Jacksonville) with a -8 margin. A lot of the Saints negative difference is attributable to poor fumble luck (they have lost five of their six fumbles on offense while recovering just one of their opponents’ five fumbles) while the Packers have been just slightly lucky in that category. I expect both offenses to play well in this game but the Saints are a desperate team and should play well at home. New Orleans qualifies in 665-498-40 and 101-55-4 situations while the Packers qualify in a negative 110-197-8 situation. My model favors the Saints in this game by about a point and a half. I like the Saints but I’m going to pass on making them a Best Bet as their secondary is a real problem. Keenan Lewis, the team's best defensive back, is dealing with an injury and is questionable to play. If Lewis doesn’t play or is compromised, I don’t know how they’ll be able to slow down Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense. The Saints other cornerbacks Patrick Robinson or Corey White have struggled badly this season. New Orleans will also be missing their starting center, will be thin at the running back spot and have a limited Jimmy Graham. This appears to be a good spot for New Orleans but with all of the injuries and facing my top team in the NFC in primetime, I’m going to pass.
Andy Iskoe
Kansas City -7
This could be a letdown spot for both teams as the Rams are off a home upset of Seattle and the Chiefs' win at San Diego. But it's an especially tough spot for St Louis, off of a pair of Divisional home games and with a pair of Divisional road games up next aft with this the first of 3 straight road games. The Chiefs have both the better defense and the better rushing game. And although they are just 3-3 straight up, they are 4-1-1 ATS. And they excel at protecting the football. This is also the matchup with the greatest difference in a key handicapping formula that focuses on 4 critical factors with KC ranking #2 and St Louis #31. Teams in the Top 6 are 22-15-2 ATS this season while the Bottom 6 teams are 11-22-0 ATS which combines for a strong 44-26-2 ATS mark (62.9%). And the Chiefs should be prepared for any of Rams' coach Fisher's "trickery" that surfaced last week against Seattle.
Bruce Marshall
Chicago Bears at New England Patriots
Pick: Chicago Bears
Chicago continues to zig and zag, but Bears also formful with best efforts all coming on the road, where they are 3-1 SU and v. the line. Expect a bounce back from Jay Cutler and Co. after last week's stinker vs. Miami. Bill Belichick's defense not up to old standards.
Steve Merril
Indianapolis Colts vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Play: Pittsburgh Steelers +3½
Indianapolis comes into this game in Pittsburgh off five straight wins and covers after opening the season with back-to-back losses. The Colts cannot sustain the way they’ve been playing, and the spread looks super inflated based on their recent play. Indianapolis still has a mediocre defense that is allowing 5.8 yards per play to opponents that also average 5.8 yards per play. The Colts haven’t faced a strong offense since their first two games of the season when they played the Broncos and Eagles; Indianapolis gave up 61 points in those two games. Indianapolis is not as good as their recent results, and this game provides an opportunity to play against the Colts, especially since they are laying points on the road.
Pittsburgh is playing a second straight home game for the first time this season; the Steelers beat Houston 30-23 on Monday night. This will be Pittsburgh’s fourth home game after playing four of their first six games on the road. The Steelers’ offense is in good current form as they’ve scored 118 points over their last five games. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has completed 66.9% (121-181) of his passes with 9 touchdowns and 1 interception in those five games. Indianapolis’ defense has been poor on the road this season as they are allowing 6.2 yards per play versus opponents averaging 5.8 yards per play. Pittsburgh is in a good spot, so we’ll take the points with the Steelers on Sunday afternoon.
Scott Spreitzer
Indianapolis Colts vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Play: Pittsburgh Steelers +3½
Pittsburgh got back in the win column last weekend and while Houston shot themselves in the foot with numerous errors late in the first half, I do believe it's a win the Steelers can build upon. Pittsburgh has the play-makers on offense to give the Colts trouble. Meanwhile, the Colts' offense could be a bit hamstrung if Reggie Wayne isn't able to play (doubtful) or if he's less than 100% healthy and attempts to play. As far as Pittsburgh is concerned, there has been nothing wrong with Antonio Brown, but I expect others like Markus Wheaton and Lance Moore to be more involved against their matchups in week-8. Defensively, Pittsburgh has found success against teams that throw the ball well. In fact, the Steelers are on a 20-7 ATS run against teams that average at least 7.5 yards per pass. They're 12-3 ATS at home when facing teams that average at least 260 yards passing per game, out-scoring those 15 opponents by an average of 26-17! Indy has won and covered five in a row, but I believe the streak ends here. I'm recommending a play on Pittsburgh plus the points on Sunday.
Xander Locke
Kansas City Royals vs. San Francisco Giants
Play: Kansas City Royals +1½ -154
KC will be ready for Game 5 after giving up a 4-1 lead in Game 4, losing 11-4 to the Giants. The Royals' bullpen let this one slip away. Ned Yost will adjust properly and have his team ready. Plus, James Sheilds has a chip on his shoulder after he received lots of criticism over his performance in Game 1. Look for Sheilds to make a statement and have a quality outing limiting the Giants to 1 or 2 runs. Shields is actually better on the road. M Baumgarner has not pitched well at home.
Will Rogers
Chelsea vs. Manchester United
Pick: Over
Chelsea is still undefeated as it's coming to Manchester to take on eighth placed Manchester United at Old Trafford. The home team is coming off a disappointing 2-2 draw, and is dropping a lot of points this season due to a shaky defense. If anything United have offensive firepower though, and I expect this encounter to turn into a high scoring tilt.
Here are my keys to the game:
1. Angel Di Maria And Cesc Fabregas - The United #7 has three goals and four assists over his first six games for the club. He is always looking for a creative solution with the ball at his feet averaging 2.2 dribbles per game and three key passes (pass that lead to a goal-scoring opportunity). The only player topping him in the Premier League in that category so far this season is Cesc Fabregas who is averaging 3.1 key passes per game. His teammates has been quite effective taking care of those opportunities, with the Basque having seven assists registered to his name already.
2. Unbalanced Manchester United - The Red Devils will have Wayne Rooney sidelined due to suspension and Radamel Falcao is doubtful after picking up a knock in training. The striker position is not an issue though, as manager Louis Van Gaal's personal favorite Robin Van Persie is available to spearhead the attack. The reason United is sitting so low in the table is their horrific defense, and conceding two goals against a weak West Bromwich side last week says it all about the state of their defense.
3. X-factor - Juan Mata was shunned out of Chelsea by Jose Mourinho during the January transfer window. Man United was happy to pick up the little Spaniard who has the keys to unlock any defense in the world, but is also considered a defensive liability due to his low work rate and weak body-strength.