Five games will make up Thursday’s NBA schedule. The recent Pascal Siakam blockbuster trade that sent the All-Star forward from the Raptors to the Pacers will impact the lineups for those teams on Thursday night, though Siakam is not expected to play with his new squad. There are other options on the slate we feel will be strong fantasy plays.
Are you looking for strong returns? Here’s who you should keep an eye on as you look to build optimal lineups:
The new-look New York Knicks are now 7-2 and Brunson has flourished since RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley were swapped for OG Anunoby. The point guard has averaged 25.9 points, 8.4 assists, and 3.0 rebounds over his previous seven games. Thursday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards should be a cakewalk. Brunson has tallied at least 32 points, seven assists, and three rebounds in each of two meetings with Washington this season. Fantasy managers should expect another big scoring night.
Vucevic has been back in the starting lineup for the Chicago Bulls after serving as a reserve shortly after returning from injury. Bam Adebayo couldn’t capitalize on the Toronto Raptors’ lack of bigs, but Vucevic will. He’s racked up four double-doubles in his last five games while averaging 18.8 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per contest. Vucevic should dominate against a Raptors squad whose frontcourt took a big hit after dealing Siakam to the Indiana Pacers.
Jackson is about to explode and become fantasy-relevant every week. The Memphis Grizzlies forward has needed to step up for his depleted team and enters Thursday’s game against the Timberwolves having amassed at least 20 points, six rebounds, and two blocks in each of his last two games. The rookie has a path to tons of playing time whether games are competitive or not. Gary Trent Jr. is the only similar cheap value play that can match Jackson’s ceiling.
In his opening statement at his press conference on Thursday, Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri said, “It’s a tough couple weeks for us here with the trades we’ve made.” The previous day, Toronto traded Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers. Just before the new year, the team traded OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks. Both were drafted by the Raptors, and both have championship rings from the 2019 season.
Later in the hourlong media availability, Ujiri said that he’d recently had an “incredible” and “honest” conversation with Siakam in Los Angeles. He also said, however, that he could have been more communicative with the two-time All-Star during the 2023 offseason.
“I think the lines of communication in the summer were not that great,” Ujiri told reporters. “Just because sometimes I don’t have answers. And sometimes the answer that I’m giving you is the same answer that I’m going to give you the next time I speak to you. But based on my relationship, Pascal deserved that I even gave him the over-communication, which I didn’t, and I apologized to him for it. I apologized to him before the season started, and I apologized to him again recently. So that part, I’m not particularly proud of, but there are so many things in our business that bring about this type of communication or non-communication.”
The pair of trades, Uijri said, gives Toronto what it was looking for as it builds around Scottie Barnes, who won Rookie of the Year in 2022 and might make his first All-Star appearance next month.
“When you look at both trades, I think we accomplished a couple things that we are trying to do, if you put them together,” Ujiri said. “Young players, picks and flexibility of our team going into the future. And that’s how strategically we have to look at this.”
The Raptors could have charted a course like this before last season’s deadline or before this season began. Why now?
“Obviously, I think the uncertainty of free agency is a big factor,” Ujiri said. “I think we also looked at the trend of the team. We’ve tried to give it as much time as we can. And I know there are a lot of questions after last season — ‘Why didn’t we do something at the trade deadline?’ — but we look at the fits of the team, we looked at the emergence of Scottie and we’ve also looked at the age, and coming down a little bit younger and growing. Honestly, a lot of factors.”
Siakam and Anunoby are both set to be free agents this summer, and they are due hefty paydays. The whole league knew Toronto would have to figure out what it was going to do with them eventually, which is why their names have been in trade rumors for more than a year.
“I am patient,” Ujiri said. “I was maybe to a fault. I was patient with that team last year because I believed in them. I believed in those players, I believed in what they brought. But now we have to look to the future.”
Despite that “maybe to a fault” line, Ujiri repeatedly defended the decision to trade their top-six protected pick in this year’s draft to the San Antonio Spurs for Jakob Poeltl at last year’s deadline. “We thought it was good value to get a starting center for a pick,” Ujiri said. “And we still think that.” He also said that, in his opinion, last year’s roster “deserved us to give them more than half a season” before giving up on it.
Asked directly if he wishes he had traded Siakam or Anunoby sooner, Ujiri said, “No, I don’t.”
Ujiri said that the front office looked at possible trades around last year’s draft and again in the offseason, and “what was available was not what we wanted to do.” He said that the return the Raptors eventually got “pretty much balances out” when compared to the offers that were on the table back then.
“This is what was there for us,” Ujiri said. “And we measured it with what was there for us in the past. And it was consistent. And we decided to move on it.”
Toronto will likely have three first-round picks in this June’s draft, plus an early second-rounder, but that doesn’t mean Ujiri is suddenly all-in on a draft class that is widely regarded to be weaker than average. “We have to look at it as flexibility,” he said. “You can consolidate these picks. You don’t have to pick ’em. You can trade ’em.” For a team that is not in win-now mode, it is best to have more future firsts coming in than going out.
“Are we going to take three picks in that draft? I strongly doubt it, that’s not the plan for now,” Ujiri said. “But I think we’ll make good use [of them] and we’ll scout it the best possible way we can.”
Asked about the possibility of retaining Siakam and revisiting the trade market later, Ujiri said, “I’ve gone into every detail, every single detail. My team has gone into every single detail on how we measure him staying or us doing this deal. And fit comes into it. And when we think of fit, we think strategically, we think on the court, with Scottie Barnes, who has emerged to be the player we are going to like build around. And also we have to think about financials.”
Left unsaid was that, if signed to a long-term, more lucrative contract, Siakam’s trade value could have decreased. Siakam turns 30 in April.
Ujiri said that “the hardest thing to do” as an NBA executive is to find a player like Barnes. He said he doesn’t have an answer as to how long Toronto’s rebuild will take, but the front office is studying it, as it tries to surround Barnes with players that maximize him.
“I think we started with Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett,” Ujiri said. “Shooting, I think athletic players, players with basketball IQ, young players. We have to start building spacing. Those kind of things are going to be important.”
As well as praising the guys the Raptors got from the Knicks, Ujiri described Bruce Brown, acquired from Indiana, as “one of the toughest players in the NBA.” He said he was excited to see Kira Lewis Jr. and Jordan Nwora, noting that he’s good friends with Nwora’s father and has known the wing since he was five. Asked about trying to push for the play-in this season versus trying to maximize the odds of retaining their protected pick, Ujiri said they will “play the right way,” implying that, at least for now, there’s no plan to repeat the “Tampa Tank” that brought them Barnes in 2021.
“We are going to play to win,” Ujiri said. “We are going to coach these guys and teach them and play to win. Whatever that brings us, we will deal with and we will prepare for. We are going to be well prepared for any scenario that comes our way.”
The entire NBA is mourning the loss of Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic, who died of a heart attack on Tuesday night. Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic was good friends with Milojevic and wanted to honor him on Wednesday.
In the Raptors’ 121-97 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night, Rajakovic called a play that he learned from Milojevic on his team’s first possession. It resulted in a three-pointer from Gary Trent Jr.
An emotional Rajakovic addressed the media after the NBA, and he dedicated the victory to Milojevic.
“I told my guys I loved them,” Rajakovic said. “Opening play of the game was an ATO play that Decky, my friend, I learned that play from him. That’s what he brought to the NBA. That’s what he brought to Golden State. I stole that play from him, and that was our opening play tonight, and we were able to score on that one. I dedicated this win to our team and Decky.”
The Raptors also posted a video of the postgame locker room celebration on social media. Assistant coach Jama Mahlalela presented Rajakovic with the team chain, and the Raptors head coach told his team, “Love you all.”
Shoutout Coach 🫶
Open Gym: Moment presented by @Bell pic.twitter.com/76Z9WgEjLc
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 18, 2024 Milojevic, like Rajakovic, was an up-and-coming Serbian coach in the NBA. The Warriors hired Milojevic in 2021, and he became just the second Serbian assistant coach to win an NBA title when the Warriors knocked off the Boston Celtics in the 2022 Finals.
The Memphis Grizzlies seemingly can’t catch a break when it comes to significant injury news. First, they lost superstar point guard Ja Morant (shoulder) for the season shortly after his return from a 25-game suspension. Since, fellow guards Marcus Smart (finger) and Desmond Bane (ankle) have suffered injuries that could cost them six weeks each. But for keen daily Fantasy basketball players, injury signals opportunity. Players that go under the radar in the NBA DFS player pool can now be those value options that when combined with an elite player having a monster performance can lead to a huge payout.
Vince Williams Jr., a second-round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, is averaging 20.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and six assists over his last two games compared to averaging 6.9 points per game on the season for the Grizzlies. Luke Kennard, David Roddy and Gregory Jackson are three other Memphis players from the NBA DFS player pool who went from averaging single-digit points all season to double-digits over the last two contests. Should you include any of these Grizzlies against the Timberwolves when making NBA DFS lineups? Before making your NBA DFS picks, be sure to check out the NBA DFS advice, player rankings, stacks, and top daily Fantasy basketball picks from SportsLine’s Mike McClure.
McClure is a DFS professional with more than $2 million in career winnings. He’s also a predictive data engineer at SportsLine who uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every minute of every game 10,000 times, taking factors like matchups, statistical trends and injuries into account.
This allows him to find the best NBA DFS values and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They’re a must-see for any NBA DFS player.
On Tuesday (when he last published picks), McClure highlighted Clippers guard James Harden as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Harden had 16 points, five rebounds, eight assists and a block, returning 37.75 points on DraftKings and 36 points on FanDuel. Anybody who included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
McClure has turned his attention to NBA action on Thursday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NBA DFS picks for Thursday, January 18 For Thursday, one of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks is Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, who is listed at $8,500 on DraftKings and $8,900 on FanDuel. Brunson is coming off his second straight 30-point game, finishing with 30 points and seven assists in a 109-94 win over the Rockets on Friday. He’s scored at least 30 points in three of his last four contests and is averaging 27.5 points and 7.5 assists over his last six contests.
The Knicks play the Wizards, who have the worst scoring defense in the NBA this season while allowing 125.3 points per game. Washington is coming off a 129-117 loss to the Pistons, who have a chance to finish with the worst win percentage in NBA history. Brunson had 33 points and eight assists against the Wizards on January 6 and has scored at least 32 points in four of six games with the Knicks against Washington. McClure expects another huge performance from Brunson.
Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes Raptors guard/forward RJ Barrett ($6,600 on DraftKings and $6,800 on FanDuel). Barrett had 26 points and eight rebounds in a 121-97 win over the Heat on Wednesday. The 23-year-old is averaging 20.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists over nine contests since being acquired from the Knicks.
The Raptors host the Bulls on Thursday for their third straight home game, and Barrett is averaging 25 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists over the first two games of the homestand. Barrett, a Toronto native, is playing stellar basketball in his hometown, which is no surprise, especially with how little he’s been able to play there thus far. Thursday will be just Barrett’s fourth home game despite his 10th overall contest with the Raptors. Barrett had 44 points against the Bulls with the Knicks last season, and McClure likes his value to NBA DFS lineups on Thursday. See McClure’s other NBA DFS picks right here.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Thursday, January 18 McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Thursday because of a dream matchup. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
Scotiabank Arena will host an Eastern Conference tilt between the Toronto Raptors and the Chicago Bulls on Thursday evening. The Raptors are 10-10 at home this season, with Toronto entering at 16-25 overall and on the second night of a back-to-back. The Bulls are 19-23 overall and 6-13 on the road. Patrick Williams (ankle) is listed as questionable for Chicago, with Torrey Craig (foot) ruled out. Jakob Poeltl (ankle) is out for Toronto.
For this game, SportsLine consensus lists the Bulls as 2-point favorites, and tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. The total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 228 in the latest Bulls vs. Raptors odds. Before you make any Raptors vs. Bulls picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 13 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 42-23 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Bulls vs. Raptors and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Raptors vs. Bulls:
Bulls vs. Raptors spread: Bulls -2 Bulls vs. Raptors over/under: 228 points Bulls vs. Raptors money line: Bulls -132, Raptors +112 CHI: The Bulls are 8-11 against the spread in road games TOR: The Raptors are 3-4 against the spread with no rest Bulls vs. Raptors picks: See picks at SportsLine Why the Bulls can cover DeMar DeRozan captains a Bulls team that is playing well right now in conjunction with the emergence of Coby White. DeRozan is averaging 22.0 points and 5.3 assists as the centerpiece of Chicago’s offense, and he has scored 20 points or more in 27 games this season. The Bulls are also 4-2 in the last six games and, over that span, White is shooting 51.7% from the field and 46.2% from 3-point range on the way to 22.8 points per game. In a broader sample of 29 games, White is enjoying the best stretch of his career, averaging 21.7 points and 5.3 assists, and he is putting up 18.5 points per game on 40.5% 3-point shooting for the full season.
Beyond individual contributions, the Bulls are excellent at taking care of the ball, committing only 12.4 turnovers per game to rank No. 2 in the NBA. Chicago is also facing a Toronto defense that has clear flaws, including bottom-tier marks in opponent 3-point percentage (38.8%), opponent field goal percentage (48.4%), and assists allowed (27.9 per game) in 2023-24. See which team to pick here.
Why the Raptors can cover Toronto is led by Scottie Barnes, and the youthful forward is having a breakout season. He is averaging 20.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 5.6 assists, and Barnes is averaging 21.2 points and 9.2 rebounds in home games. Toronto also leads the league in fast break points (17.8 per game) with a top-three mark in assists (29.5 per game). The Raptors round out their profile by shooting 48.2% from the field and averaging 54.0 points in the paint, with Toronto also committing only 13.2 turnovers per contest.
On defense, Toronto is elite at preventing free throw attempts, yielding fewer than 20 per game. The Raptors also can benefit from the issues of the Bulls. Chicago is just 6-13 on the road this season, with opponents out-scoring the Bulls by 7.1 points per 100 possessions in those games. The Bulls are also scoring only 1.12 points per possession on offense for the full season, with bottom-five marks in the NBA in 2-point shooting, free throw creation, and assists per game. See which team to pick here.
How to make Raptors vs. Bulls picks SportsLine’s model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 223 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread has all of the value. You can only see the model’s picks at SportsLine.
The New York Knicks (24-17) will host the Washington Wizards (7-32) in an Eastern Conference tilt on Thursday. The Knicks lead the all-time series 181-136 over the Wizards, and New York has knocked off Washington in four straight games. On Jan. 6, the Knicks beat the Wizards 121-105. New York is 12-5 at Madison Square Garden, while the Wizards are 4-18 on the road. Daniel Gafford (concussion) is out for Washington, while Josh Hart (knee) is questionable for the Knicks.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Knicks are 12-point favorites in the latest Wizards vs. Knicks odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 234. Before making any Knicks vs. Wizards picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 13 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 42-23 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Wizards vs. Knicks and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Knicks vs. Wizards:
Wizards vs. Knicks spread: New York -12 Wizards vs. Knicks over/under: 234 points Wizards vs. Knicks money line: New York -693, Washington +491 NYK: The Knicks are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games WAS: The Wizards are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games against New York Wizards vs. Knicks picks: See picks at SportsLine Why the Knicks can cover Forward OG Anunoby is a superb two-way threat who uses his length to play suffocating defense and is aggressive in attacking the paint. The Indiana product averages 15 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. In his last matchup, Anunoby notched 15 points, five boards, and four steals.
Guard Donte DiVincenzo is a smooth addition off the bench. DiVincenzo plays with high energy and excels in transition. The Villanova product has great IQ and owns the ability to handle the rock. DiVincenzo averages 11 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. On Jan. 15 versus the Magic, he finished with 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists. See which team to pick here.
Why the Wizards can cover Forward Kyle Kuzma has a knack for scoring in multiple different ways. Kuzma uses his quickness to penetrate the lane but will space the floor due to his jumper. The Utah product logs 22.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. In his last game, Kuzma racked up 21 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.
Guard Tyus Jones provides Washington with a smart facilitator in the backcourt. Jones scans the court quickly and owns a secure jumper from both mid-range and 3-point land. The Duke product averages 12.8 points and 5.6 assists per game. On Jan. 15 against the Pistons, Jones tallied 22 points and seven assists. See which team to pick here.
How to make Wizards vs. Knicks picks SportsLine’s model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 224 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time. You can only see the model’s picks at SportsLine.
Welcome to another edition of the USFL, a football league which will carry us from the spring to the summer. Last year, Skip Holtz and the Birmingham Stallions defeated the Philadelphia Stars in the championship, but much has changed over the last nine months.
Kevin Sumlin, Larry Fedora, Kirby Wilson and Jeff Fisher are out as head coaches, the Tampa Bay Bandits are now the Memphis Showboats and the Pittsburgh Maulers have ditched their purple color scheme to fall in line with the rest of the professional Pittsburgh teams, and will now rock the black and gold. Additionally, plenty of former USFL stars will not be back this year, as they are either in the NFL or XFL.
Betting on games in a league that is unfamiliar to everyone is ridiculous to some and fun to others. Rumor has it sportsbooks always have the edge, but how could they have the edge in this kind of situation? Maybe — just maybe — they don’t.
I went 4-0 ATS in Week 1 of the XFL this year. Let’s see how I fare in the USFL. For our CBS Sports’ USFL season preview, click here, and you can view the full 2023 schedule here. On to the picks.
All odds are via Caesars Sportsbook
Philadelphia Stars (-2.5) at Memphis Showboats Time, date: Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET (Fox) Game location: Memphis
The Stars upset the New Jersey Generals to get into the championship game last year, as Philly caught fire late in the season. Quarterback Case Cookus broke his leg in that final game, but he is back to shine for the Stars.
The Showboats, on the other hand, went 4-6 last year when they were the Tampa Bay Bandits, despite many expecting them to be one of the best teams in the league. Memphis lost its quarterback in Jordan Ta’amu, who’s now in the XFL. It instead will start the hometown boy Brady White.
With Philly bringing back some important pieces, I’m going to lay the points.
The pick: Stars -2.5 Projected score: Stars 20-16
New Jersey Generals at Birmingham Stallions (-5) Time, date: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (Fox) Game location: Birmingham
The Generals were tied for the best regular-season record in the league last year at 9-1, but were upset in the playoffs. They had the Coach of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and MVP. The OPOY, running back Darius Victor, is back, while the MVP, KaVontae Turpin, is not. Running back Trey Williams is returning to the fold, too, and he helped the Generals average a league-high 160.6 yards on the ground in 2022. Add in De’Andre Johnson at quarterback, and you can expect plenty of rushing attempts from New Jersey.
Holtz’s Stallions return about 80% of last year’s roster, which is absolutely frightening. Quarterback J’Mar Smith, running back Bo Scarbrough and linebacker Scooby Wright are the stars to keep an eye on. “Shark Dog” was undoubtedly the most fun player in the entire league last year.
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The pick: Stallions -5 Projected score: Stallions 26-20
Michigan Panthers at Houston Gamblers (PICK) Time, date: Sunday, 12 p.m. ET (NBC) Game location: Memphis
The Panthers have a new head coach in Mike Nolan. They played a handful of quarterbacks last year, but hopefully have found some consistency with either Josh Love or Carson Strong. Keep an eye on wide receiver Trey Quinn, who can be a star in this league if he has someone who can throw him the football. Expect Michigan to rely on running back Reggie Corbin, who was a top five rusher last year.
The Gamblers return running back Mark Thompson, whose success last year led to a tryout with the Green Bay Packers. Kenji Bahar, Montell Cozart and Terry Wilson are the quarterbacks.
This game is a pick’em for good reason. Give me Michigan to win a low-scoring affair.
The pick: Panthers Projected score: Panthers 13-10
Pittsburgh Maulers at New Orleans Breakers (-3.5) Time, date: Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET (FS1) Game location: Birmingham
The Maulers offense was hard to watch last year, and it’s unknown who the quarterback will be. My best guess is James Morgan out of Florida International University. Expect them to run the ball with Garrett Groshek and Madre London, who both were on the team last year. One headline for Pittsburgh is the return of linebacker Reuben Foster to the gridiron. The former first-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers is back playing football after suffering a terrible knee injury with the then-Washington Football Team.
The Breakers no longer have Kyle Sloter on roster, so new coach John DeFilippo will be working in a new quarterback. The offense may struggle early, but the defense looks good on paper. With all that being said, I’m going to take Pittsburgh to cover the small number.
The pick: Maulers +3.5 Projected score: Breakers 17-14
The revamped USFL is back for its second season in 2023, and if you’re wondering who plays for each team, you’re in luck. Below we’ll examine the 52-man rosters for all eight of them.
Some of the names you might recognize include former first-round NFL draft pick Reuben Foster (Pittsburgh Maulers), tight end Jace Sternberger (Birmingham Stallions), reigning USFL rushing leader Darius Victor (New Jersey Generals) and a host of quarterbacks such as J’Mar Smith (Stallions), Case Cookus (Philadelphia Stars), Kyle Lauletta (Generals), James Morgan (Maulers), Carson Strong (Michigan Panthers) and others.
Be sure to check out the full USFL 2023 schedule here, along with our season primer and all our USFL coverage.
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium takes the stage on Saturday afternoon in the professional football world. The 2023 USFL season begins with doubleheaders on both Saturday and Sunday, with the first matchup of the campaign held in Memphis. The Philadelphia Stars visit the Memphis Showboats in the first week, as Philadelphia aims to recapture the magic that helped the team reach the championship game last season. Memphis is in its first season after taking over for the Tampa Bay Bandits, though there is a strong foundation for the club.
Caesars Sportsbook lists Philadelphia as the 2.5-point favorite for this 4:30 p.m. ET kickoff. The total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 39.5 in the latest Stars vs. Showboats odds. Before making any Showboats vs. Stars picks or USFL predictions, see what SportsLine expert Emory Hunt has to say.
Hunt is the founder and CEO of Football Gameplan, which has been supplying analysis of all levels of football since 2007. He is a former running back for the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns and knows the game from a player’s perspective. Hunt’s dedication to analysis of all levels of college and professional football helped him start the USFL season 24-18 last year and he’s also off to a fast 21-11 start on his XFL spread picks this season.
Now, Hunt has set his sights on Stars vs. Showboats. You can head to SportsLine to see his picks. Now, here are several USFL betting lines for Stars vs. Showboats:
Stars vs. Showboats spread: Stars -2.5 Stars vs. Showboats over/under: 39.5 points Stars vs. Showboats money line: Stars -145, Showboats +125 Stars vs. Showboats picks: See picks at SportsLine Why the Stars can cover Philadelphia is capable of creating some havoc on defense, producing 25 sacks last season. The Stars also have arguably the best defensive back in the league in Channing Stribling, who led the USFL with seven interceptions. Despite shaky yardage metrics on defense, Philadelphia led the league with a +8 turnover margin, and part of that can also be attributed to an elite offense.
The Stars have a high-powered passing offense that led them close to a title last season. Quarterback Case Cookus was excellent after taking the reins during the season, and he is flanked by Jordan Suell and Corey Coleman. Suell ranked in the top 10 of the USFL in receiving yards and receptions last season, with Coleman arriving with immense pedigree and speed as a former first-round pick in the NFL. Philadelphia also has a tremendous running game behind Matt Colburn, who ranked second in the USFL with eight rushing touchdowns.
Why the Showboats can cover Memphis has an immediate local connection after the move from Tampa Bay. The team’s starting quarterback will be University of Memphis product Brady White, who threw for more than 10,000 yards at the college level. The Showboats also return their top four receiving options from last season, giving White some comfort on the outside. In addition, Philadelphia gave up the third-most points in the league (21.5 per game) and that could give Memphis a leg up.
On the defensive side, Memphis posted a top-four mark in the USFL in allowing fewer than 300 total yards per game, and that includes the third-best mark in passing defense, yielding only 173.2 yards per contest. While operating in Tampa Bay, the Showboats produced 21 sacks, and Memphis allowed only 19.1 points per game to opponents.
How to make Stars vs. Showboats picks Hunt has analyzed this matchup and while we can tell you he’s leaning Over on the point total, he has discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He’s only sharing what it is, and which side to back, at SportsLine.
The Indiana Fever won the 2024 WNBA Draft Lottery on Sunday, securing the No. 1 overall pick in the highly anticipated 2024 WNBA Draft. Rounding out the lottery is the Los Angeles Sparks at No. 2, the Phoenix Mercury at No. 3 and the Seattle Storm at No. 4. This is the second year in a row in which the Fever have won the lottery.
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, the reigning Naismith Player of the Year, is the projected first pick, and she has been for some time. After leading the Hawkeyes to their first national championship game in school history last season, Clark is leading the nation in scoring at 29.6 points per game. She’s also fourth in assists at 7.6 and hauling down 6.7 rebounds for good measure.
Here are some key takeaways from the result:
A Boston-Clark partnership? In last season’s Final Four, Caitlin Clark led Iowa to a dramatic upset over Aliyah Boston and South Carolina, ending the Gamecocks’ 42-game winning streak. Now, the last two Naismith Player of the Year award winners are on track to become teammates at the next level.
The Fever won the No. 1 overall pick for the first time in franchise history last year, and selected Boston, who went on to win Rookie of the Year in unanimous fashion after a historic campaign. She immediately established herself as the best young center in the league and has all the makings of a franchise player. Clark, with her elite 3-pointer shooting and playmaking ability, is the most talented guard prospect in a number of years, and she would be a perfect backcourt partner for Boston.
After years of bad luck in the lottery and poor decision making by the front office, the odds have finally turned in the Fever’s favor. Thanks to Boston, Indiana won more games last season (13) than it did in 2021 and 2022 combined (11), as the team was already showing signs of being back on the right path.
Adding Clark to the mix would immediately give them the best and most exciting young duo in the league, bringing genuine excitement back to the once-proud franchise.
Lottery system punishes the Storm The WNBA’s lottery system uses the aggregate record of the two previous seasons to determine the odds for the No. 1 overall pick. While a useful tool for combating tanking, the system punishes teams who fall off for other reasons.
That’s just what happened to the Seattle Storm. They were a legitimate title contender in 2022, but then lost Sue Bird to retirement and Breanna Stewart to free agency, and understandably fell off a cliff. Last season Seattle finished in 11th place at 11-29, and it has a long way back to the league’s upper echelon.
The No. 1 pick would have helped, but the Storm never really stood a chance. Their 33-42 record over the past two seasons was the best of the four lottery teams, which gave them the worst odds at 10.40%. To little surprise, they wound up with the No. 4 overall pick.
This is a great draft, and they’ll still wind up with a talented player, but there’s a big difference between picking first and fourth.
Does anyone go back to school? There’s a major wrinkle with this year’s draft due to the extra year of eligibility granted to all players who were active during the COVID-19 pandemic. The so-called “COVID year” means that the majority of this season’s top prospects are eligible to return to school next year, even if they’re currently seniors.
That includes Caitlin Clark, Cameron Brink, Kamilla Cardoso, Aaliyah Edwards and Angel Reese. Paige Bueckers could also go back to school, though she’s only a junior after red-shirting in 2022 due to a torn ACL. If any number of these players decide against turning pro, it would alter not only this year’s draft, but next year’s as well.
The Fever, of course, will be crossing their fingers that Clark leaves, but they’ll at least get the first pick regardless of what happens. If a bunch of these players stay in school, it would be a disaster for the Mercury and Storm further down the lottery.
