Free Sports Picks of the Day

[1%] Free Play on Twins over 9 -105

1* Free Pick on Reds +106

Recommended Bet: Lanús +135

Ricky's 1* play on COL.

Key Angle: It's important to remember that Ricky never makes a bet on any game based on just one angle. In order to make the grade, all his premium picks must meet several important criteria. He doesn't share all his secrets within his analysis, instead he chooses to reveal only the angle that he feels is the most significant. Here in this game the recent history of these two teams is particularly significant.

- The Rockies are 6-3 ATS in their last 9 games.

- The Dodgers are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games.

- The Rockies are are 5-3 ATS in the last 8 head to head meetings.

Verdict: The value is on the home Underdog.

3* on White Sox

I am not here to give you action. I am here to give you winners. I am passing in all sports on Monday. But I have a FREE WINNER in the WNBA for you today.

Golden State Valkyries.

Golden State has had their way with Dallas, taking five consecutive meetings, straight up, covering four of the five matchups, which includes wins and covers in both meetings this season. This line is a little bit higher than the last two 2026 matchups. But I still feel they have what it takes to cover it. The Wings enter the matchup, struggling, dropping seven of their last 10 games both SU and ATS, including five consecutive ATS no covers as a visitor. The Valkyries are on a five-game straight up win streak, prevailing in eight of their last 10 games overall, and are playing some very strong basketball. They’re very good on their home court, and statistically, they possess the stingiest defense in the WNBA. They allow a mere, 76.9 PPG (#1) on 42.5% shooting (#2). This is where this game will be won. They are too strong defensively for a lackluster Dallas offense. Please also remember Golden State has the confidence of knowing they’ve dominated this rivalry. Take the Valkyries. Thank you.

1* Free Pick on Wings +6

The Valkyries have been the better team over the last month.

Golden State is 9-2 in its last 10 with a +13.6 net rating, and the offense is humming at 115.7 while the defense holds opponents to 102.

Dallas sits at 5-7 with a -1.8 net rating.

On paper this looks like a laydown for the home side.

That's the opposition case, and it's the reason the number is where it is.

But the market already knows all of that.

The question is whether Golden State is worth more than a two-possession spread against a Dallas team that still runs two legitimate scorers out there.

Paige Bueckers is putting up 20.5 points in 33.4 minutes.

Arike Ogunbowale adds 14.8 more.

That's a backcourt that can generate points in a hurry against anyone, even short-handed.

Dallas plays at a 95.11 pace.

Golden State plays at 90.27.

When Dallas dictates tempo, the Valkyries turn it over.

Golden State's 17% turnover rate is a real leak against a guard-heavy team that wants to run.

Jessica Shepard is listed as expected to return, which stabilizes the frontcourt.

Golden State also has Janelle Salaun (13.1 PPG) day-to-day with a knee, which quietly evens some of the depth conversation the market is pricing in.

Six points is a lot to give a team with Bueckers and Ogunbowale healthy.

I'll take the points.

I like the Wings

1* FREE INFO PLAY Diamondbacks vs Red Sox over 8½ -110

Rocketman Sports FREE MLB play Monday 8-17-26

St Louis @ Cincinnati  (1:40 PM EST)
Play On:  St Louis -112  (Game 1)

The St Louis Cardinals travel to Cincinnati to take on the Reds on Monday afternoon in Game One of a doubleheader.  St Louis is 63-61 SU overall this year while Cincinnati comes in with a 59-64 SU overall record on the season.  Cincinnati is 11-24 this year against division opponents.  St Louis is 6-1 this year after scoring 10 runs or more.  I'll recommend a small play on St Louis in Game 1 today!  Thanks and good luck, Rocky

Rocketman has a TOP 8* MLB BEST BET and a BONUS 6* MLB play for Monday!  Rocketman is on a HOT 80% run currently in MLB!  Don't miss out!

Rocketman is documented hitting an INCREDIBLE 78% in the WNBA this year and has cashed 6 in a row!  Rocky Atkinson has a Tuesday WNBA winner for you. One of the BEST HANDICAPPERS in the world is on an impressive 16-5 76% WNBA run over his last 22 picks! Join the same handicapper that has made $1,000/game bettors $10,470 since September 05, 2025 with his Spread on Sparks v. Sun!

1* Free Sharp Play on A's vs Royals over 9 +100

1* Free Pick on Cardinals -115

Looking at the Week 0 board this year, one number keeps staring me right in the face. TCU laying a touchdown against North Carolina over in Dublin feels like the cleanest play on the early slate.

I have been on this one for a while now. TCU has the more settled roster, especially in the trenches, and that continuity matters more than most people want to admit in Week 0. North Carolina is still sorting through a heavy overhaul in Belichick’s second season, with a new offensive coordinator trying to install a system on the fly and a pile of new bodies who have not taken meaningful snaps together yet. In college football, that gap tends to show up early, especially when both teams have to fly across the ocean for a noon kick.

Neutral-site openers have always been kind to the more physical, more experienced side. Over the last fifteen years, favorites laying between six and eight points in true neutral-site season openers have covered right around 58 percent of the time. At standard juice you only need to hit 52.4 percent to break even, so that edge is real. When you tighten the filter to games that involved long-haul or overseas travel, the favorite’s cover rate climbs closer to 61 percent and the under hits nearly 60 percent of the time. The average total in those spots has finished almost four points under the number. Jet lag is no joke, and neither is limited practice time before a transatlantic flight.

TCU has been the more consistent outfit under Sonny Dykes. His teams usually play with a clear physical identity and they do not mind grinding it out early in the season. North Carolina, meanwhile, has spent the last couple of years looking like a roster still trying to figure out who belongs where. Historical trends for ACC teams opening against Big 12 competition on neutral fields lean toward the side with better line continuity, and TCU checks that box. Favorites in this exact range that also held a clear edge up front have covered better than 60 percent since the mid-2010s. That is the kind of number that keeps the lights on if you stay disciplined.

I will take the under as a secondary piece if the total sits near 48. Early-season scoring is often suppressed when teams are still installing, traveling, and playing a little tight. Both sides prefer a physical brand of football, and that style rarely produces fireworks in the first half of a Week 0 game on foreign soil.

Hawai’i getting points at Stanford and Memphis as a small dog against UNLV are fine secondary looks if you like chasing value on the dog side. I generally leave the massive numbers alone unless the total is screaming. This TCU spot is different. It is the kind of early-season situation where the sharper side of the board usually cashes, and the travel factor only adds another layer of protection.

I have been wrong before and I will be wrong again, but this one sits right with me. Continuity, trenches, travel, and the historical numbers all point the same direction. If the line drifts a half-point either way I am still on it. Good luck if you decide to ride along.

My selection is on the 'over' between Arizona and Boston at 7:10 pm et on Monday.

The big question here is whether they can get this game in with rain in the forecast on Monday evening in Boston. Nevertheless, I do like the 'over' in the opener between the Diamondbacks and Red Sox. Arizona has been playing some terrific baseball for an extended stretch and enters this series ranking top-10 in the majors in xwOBA over the last week. I'm confident it can get to Red Sox spot starter Alec Gamboa. Of note, the D'Backs rank third in baseball in wOBA against left-handed pitching this season. Mitch Bratt will counter for Arizona. He's more or less a 'pitch to contact' type of pitcher at this early stage of his big league career and that just doesn't tend to work all that well against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Boston sits right behind Arizona - fourth in the majors in wOBA against southpaws this season. Look for plenty of offensive fireworks provided they can get this game in. Take the over (8*).

Tigers vs Pirates MLB Free Pick

Pick Angle(s): This is the classic pitcher's duel setup, and the situational spot writes itself. Left-hander Framber Valdez (7-8, 4.26 ERA) takes the mound for Detroit against a Pirates lineup he has dominated historically, while right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski (6-5, 3.79 ERA) counters for Pittsburgh against a Tigers order he has consistently quieted.

Valdez has faced this Pittsburgh roster 32 times in his career and held them to a .233 batting average with a 25% strikeout rate. The suppression is even more pronounced at the top of the order. Mlodzinski has held the current Tigers roster to a stingy .222 average with a 28% strikeout rate across 18 career plate appearances, small sample of course, but still a solid number.

With both starting arms matching up well against their respective opposing orders, runs will be at a premium at PNC Park tonight.

The Bet: Under (3%). 

1% GOLD RUSH on Royals -1½

FREE PLAY on A's +175

PSP Data Driven 1* Royals.

At Professionalsportspicks we see a future where those handicapping sports without advanced analytics and data-driven strategies will be left behind. Our data-driven picks use data integration, search and discovery, and knowledge management along with collaboration with our in-house handicappers. By isolating relevant trends, removing human bias, and targeting only lines with a positive expected value above a certain threshold, our data-driven picks promise to outperform any and all human competitors.

Our models suggest that the value is on the favorite. Mason Barnett have lost 4 of his last 5 starts. oakland athletics are 2-4 in their last 6 games.

The strongest case for the METS starts with two independent regression/market systems pointing in the same direction.

The Luck Factor gap is a significant 11.84, with New York at -8.34 and San Diego at +3.50. The metric compares actual wins with the number of wins advanced performance indicators suggest a team should have accumulated. In simple terms, the Mets have substantially underperformed their underlying results while the Padres have received more favorable outcomes. That creates one of the larger positive-regression gaps on Monday's card.

The market provides another powerful indicator. San Diego enters at 67-58 while New York is only 56-69, yet the METSare favored at Citi Field. When a home team is favored despite having at least 11 fewer victories than its opponent, the historical database has produced an 8.1% ROI on the moneyline and 10.4% ROI on the run line. Instead of automatically backing the team with the much better record, this is precisely the type of counterintuitive pricing that suggests the oddsmakers are assigning considerably more value to New York than the standings would indicate.

The starting-pitching matchup supports that position. Nolan McLean owns a 3.42 ERA with 159 strikeouts in 136.2 innings, compared with a 4.88 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 114.1 innings for Walker Buehler. McLean also carries a 3.57 FIP, while Buehler sits at 4.29. (Amazin' Avenue) McLean's most recent outing was particularly impressive: six innings, one hit and one run against Atlanta. (New York Post)

Buehler is coming off one of his better starts, allowing one run over six innings against Milwaukee, so this isn't simply a fade of his latest form. (Reuters) The larger body of work remains considerably less convincing. Covers lists Buehler with a 4.88 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and only a 17% quality-start rate, while McLean has been the substantially stronger swing-and-miss pitcher. Buehler has also been much more vulnerable away from home, where his numbers include a 5.47 ERA and 1.53 WHIP.

There is legitimate strength on the San Diego side. The Padres have been one of baseball's hotter teams and possess the superior season-long bullpen numbers. But New York's relief pitching has improved sharply recently, posting a 2.79 ERA since August 3, while the Mets have gone 9-3 since the trade deadline. (Amazin' Avenue) That recent improvement makes the season records even less representative of the teams currently taking the field.

The Padres have the better record and arrive in better long-term standing, yet the market still makes New York the home favorite. Combine that unusual oddsmaker signal with an 11.84 Luck Factor regression advantage and a meaningful starting-pitching edge, and the numbers point to the same side.

12-3 HEATER ROLLS ON

A SIZZLING 12-3 overall run includes a DOMINANT 10-2 NFL start. The momentum now shifts to baseball with today’s MLB TOTAL headlining the card.

The numbers are POWERFUL. The edge is STRONG. Get today’s top MLB total now.