This Week's Best Spot Bet Opportunities
By Ben Burns
Covers.com
Lookahead spot
The New York Yankees were put on notice this weekend: the Blue Jays are coming for them. Toronto entered the weekend set 4.5 games back of the Bronx Bombers in the American League East and now N.Y. holds a slim advantage as it enters a three-game series in Cleveland. The Yankees are chomping at the bit for another shot at the Jays and get that chance on Friday, when the rivals collide in a weekend set at the Rogers Centre.
But before New York can have its revenge, it must finish up with the Indians. Having the Jays on deck Friday creates a massive lookahead spot for the Yankees in the finale with the Tribe. New York is expected to go with starter Nathan Eovaldi in that matchup while Cleveland counters with Trevor Bauer on Thursday.
Letdown spot
The Ottawa Redblacks have done an about face this season, starting the 2015 CFL campaign with a 4-2 mark and already doubling their season win total from last year when the Redblacks finished 2-16. The latest win was a statement game for the franchise, going into Montreal and spoiling a big day for the rival Alouettes, who were debuting Michael Sam, the first opening gay professional football player.
The buzz is building in Canada’s capital but that emotional win against Montreal sets up Ottawa for a fall in its trip to Calgary in Week 8. The Redblacks face the defending Grey Cup champs who are out to avenge a 29-26 overtime loss in Ottawa back in Week 5. The Stampeders are also coming off a bye week, so it’s no surprise oddsmakers have Calgary sitting with the half point hook as a 7.5-point fave on Saturday.
Schedule spot
The girls of summer are quickly wrapping up the 2015 WNBA season with about a month remaining on the schedule. The Connecticut Sun, who sit second from the bottom in the Eastern Conference, have plenty of work to do in that short span if they want to make the playoff cut and it starts with a tough stretch of schedule this week.
The Sun tip off their week with a home game versus Tulsa on Wednesday, then host the conference-leading New York Liberty on Friday before traveling to face the Atlanta Sky on Sunday. Connecticut has been playing better this month, after stumbling through a 2-6 SU July in which they covered in just three of those games. But could this three-game, five-night span set them back into that skid?