So far, 2022 is actually treating us really well. Even with the COVID craziness caused by Omicron, we’ve been finding and picking enough spots to keep winning by just enough each day to keep making money. It hasn’t hurt that we’ve had the most straightforward NFL wild card round in years, as the favorites keep covering the spread and making it look easy. The only exception has been Dallas falling to San Francisco, and that was a mistake on Vegas’ part because there’s no way the 49ers should have been getting a field goal in that game.
Of course, not everything will be straightforward, as evidenced by Army getting bulldozed in the second half by Lafayette and putting the day at risk early. But as usual, the goal is to go 3-2, and thanks to the NFL, that’s exactly what we managed to do.
We’ve got one more NFL game left to bet this weekend, along with plenty of college basketball and even some soccer on the docket. Here are my best bets for January 16.
NAPOLI, -105
Napoli’s COVID issues are over, and now the Blues are looking to make up for the time they lost while they were dealing with illness and the Africa Cup of Nations. Bologna has not been playing well as of late, so this is the perfect time to grab Napoli on the moneyline at a really nice price. With Bologna coming off a loss to relegation-threatened Cagliari, Napoli holds a lot of value here.
GEORGE MASON, -200
George Mason has been playing pretty well out of late, and George Washington is simply an offensive disaster. The Colonials rank in the bottom 40 in the nation in both field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage, so they’re not going to be doing much of the scoring in this one. With the Patriots averaging 71 points in their past four games and one of those games coming at Kansas, I think Mason can get rolling against a GW side that’s lost its past two games by an average of 26 points.
KANSAS CITY, STEPHEN F. AUSTIN, NORTHERN ARIZONA ML PARLAY, -105
What do these three teams have in common? Their three opponents are a combined 0-26 on the road this season. Considering that Idaho just lost to Idaho State and Kansas City and SFA are a combined 11-3 at home this year, I think there’s a very strong chance that all three come through with a home victory. With spreads out of the equation, there’s a good chance of a cash here.
ISLANDERS, -175
This might end up a parlay along with fading the Canadiens, but with Montreal off playing Arizona, I’m not so sure I want to automatically fade them. I will keep fading the Flyers, however, as Philadelphia has lost seven straight and has lost five straight meetings against the Islanders.
RAMS, -180
I don’t trust the Cardinals in the slightest going into this matchup, and while I don’t love the idea of backing Matthew Stafford in the playoffs, I think his chances are a lot better in Los Angeles than they were in Detroit. But really, this is mostly about getting to fade Kliff Kingsbury in January. Any time you can do that, you’ve got to take that chance.
