Potential Bets for 10/24/24

3 for 4 last night isn’t a bad start to our little posts. That does lead us into Thursday night however and I could have gone many different directions when it comes to bets. I could have gone all basketball again, I could have done props for the Vikings and Rams game in Los Angeles tonight, Syracuse is Traveling to Pittsburgh for their football game tonight as well, and in the NHL Panthers are traveling to New York to face the Rangers in a big early season matchup. The Jets travel to Seattle for what could be an even bigger earlier season matchup. In what almost is a sports equinox (that comes tomorrow with the beginning of the World Series), here are the four games, and bets I have my eyes on today.

Vikings (-3) at Rams (+125)

The Sam Darnold career resurgence story arc is one I did not have on my bingo card, but honestly, I’m happy for him. Good for him, the Vikings have looked like an absolute wagon under his command, and they have shown that they are very real contenders in the NFC North, and in the mix for a Wild Card spot. It’s a short week, but I think coming off a two-point loss at home is going to light something under the entire team because I think they feel like they should have won that game. On the other side of the field, the Rams picked up a win over the Raiders on Sunday, this is just not a great football team though, and even at home I think that the Viking’s defense can overwhelm Mathew Stafford enough to force him to make mistakes, and that will be the difference in the game. I love that Cooper Kupp is finally healthy on the offensive side of the ball, but this is a rebuilding team still riding off their Super Bowl win a few years ago, that is going to need to take time to be competitive with these top tier teams like the Vikings are proving to be.

Pick: Vikings -3.

Orange(+175) at Panthers(-6):

I don’t know why, to me, at least the ACC is a very fun conference. I will get into it at some point, I do not like Miami as a team at all, and think they are very overrated (I think Cam Ward is a magician let me be clear), I think CAL’s offense has sputtered at the worst time and losing Jayden Ott has been backbreaking for them, but they were 3-1 a month into the season and SHOULD HAVE beaten Miami (ACC refs, we will get there). On top of that the Panthers and Orange have a combined 1 loss total. Both teams have been fantastic this year, and I think this game is going to be closer than a lot of people think. I think in the end the quarterback play of Kyle Mccord, and the experience that he has there, as well as the balanced rushing attack that the Orange possesses, is going to be a little too much for the Panthers. I don’t want to discredit what the Panthers have, because they do have a defense that flies to the ball and tackles well, I just think the Orange have the athletes to come away with a very good win for their program….. or at least cover the spread. Pick: Syracuse +6

Avalanche(-1.5) @ Utah Hockey Club(+130)

The Avalanche are finally hitting their stride a bit. After a disastrous 0-4 start to the season with 0 points, they have won their last three and are one game back of .500, with 6 points, not a bad bounce back at all. There is just no way around how good Cale Makar is, he has fourteen points in seven games…. he’s phenomenal. When healthy, I’d pick the Avalanche to win the Stanley Cup because I still trust the core that they have from their championship run to play at the highest level possible when they are on the ice. I know they lost Val Nichushkin, and that is a big loss, but they have enough talent on the ice to win games like tonight. Utah is in the same spot as the Rams in my eyes, they are a rebuilding franchise that is just looking to be competitive every once in a while with the top teams and get fans into the arena to experience what they have to offer for the first time. Clayton Keller is a fantastic player, but he doesn’t have enough to lead this team where it wants to be right now, and there is going to be to much on the ice with him on the other side for Utah to be able to hang on.

Pick: Avalanche -1.5

Timberwolves(-1.5) at Kings (Even)

This is the pick I was most nervous about today. I respect De’Aaron Fox. A lot. So much so that as I write this I am still debating flipping my pick to Sacramento. However, I think the fact that the Timberwolves are coming off a loss in Los Angeles and that there are such high expectations of Anthony Edwards this season, I think he will go ballistic and will drag the Wolves to win this game. I think the Wolves as a team have a lot more to show than what they did against the Lakers a couple of days ago, and I think the Kings are just going to be on the receiving end of a butt-whooping that any team would be on the end of if they played the Wolves. I think the Wolves are one of the most interesting teams in the league this year, and I think they bounce back in a big way tonight.

Pick: Timberwolves -1.5

Play of the day/Potential Parlay

My pick of the day has to be Vikings -3. I think that they outmatch the Rams in every facet of the game right now with the way they are playing. I think this is a game that the Vikings win by at least a touchdown, I think it could be up to a 14-point win, and they continue to prove that they are an actual contender. A potential Parlay I would go with is Vikings -3, Cooper Kupp Any Time Touchdown (ATTD) at +140, and Orange +6 at -110. I think that has the potential to set you up for a nice little payday on this beautiful Thursday!