This Week's Best Spot Bet Opportunities
By Ben Burns
Covers.com
Letdown spot
The Toronto Argonauts were handed a raw deal during the 2015 CFL season, with the Pan Am Games kicking them out of the Rogers Centre for the first six weeks of the season. Toronto played a “home” game versus Edmonton in Fort McMurray, Alberta in Week 1 and was in Saskatchewan in Week 2.
Despite those tough tests, the Argos enter Week 3 at 2-0 SU and ATS following a thrilling 42-40 overtime victory against the Rough Riders as 3-point road underdogs this past Sunday. Backup QB Trevor Harris, in for the injured Ricky Ray, went 30 for 38 passing for 267 yards and four touchdowns in the win in Saskatchewan but that victory also sets Toronto up for a big letdown spot in Week 3.
The Argos continue their lengthy road run in Calgary facing the defending Grey Cup winners coming off a stunning 29-11 road loss in Montreal as a 9.5-point favorite. The Stampeders will be in a bad mood and look to throw a lot of pressure at the inexperienced Harris. Calgary won both meetings last season, splitting against the spread.
Lookahead spot
When you’re as bad as the Phillies, heading to the ballpark is like heading to an office job that you just hate. Philadelphia is about as far away from Citizens Bank Park as possible right now, roaming the West Coast for four games with the Dodgers and three against the Giants. And with the All-Star break approaching, the Phillies are looking ahead to some time off from bad baseball.
Not only is Philadelphia counting down the days to the break but the roster is less than focused with the team expected to dump some top talents come the trade deadline. Ace pitcher Cole Hamels seems like a foregone conclusion when it comes to the trade block but names like Aaron Harang, Jonathan Papelbon, and even Ryan Howard have been at the center of rumors.
Tread lightly with the Phillies in the final days of this current road trip. Players may be on the field but their minds are either off planning a family vacation or figuring out where they’re going to play next once the deadline comes.
Schedule spot
The Chicago Bears have an uphill climb in the NFC North. Green Bay is the team to beat with Minnesota and Detroit primed to battle for a wild card spot in the conference. The Bears have plenty of new faces on the field and sideline this season, and those changes will be put to the test come November.
Chicago faces one of the most daunting stretches of schedule in the NFL from Week 9 to Week 12, playing four games – three of them on the road – in a span of just 18 days. That’s a game every 4.5 days, and when you throw in travel and mid-season wear and tear, Chicago could be crawling to the finish line by the time the calendar turns to December.
This ugly November run begins with a Week 9 Monday night meeting in San Diego on November 9 (+4), then heads to St. Louis in Week 10 (+4.5). The lone home game for this four-headed monster just so happens to be against Denver in Week 11 (+2.5), then Da Bears are back on the road to play at Lambeau Field on short rest against the Packers on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday) in Week 12 (+7.5). If you didn’t notice, Chicago is an early underdog in each of those contests.