2008 Week 4 Plays

.

Hou +7.5
Ten -3
SF +5

Hou +7

• Houston is 9-3 ATS vs Jacksonville, including 6-0 ATS following a loss
• Houston is 10-4-1 ATS after losing while accumulating 120+ rushing yards, including 6-2 ATS since 2003 if away
• The Jaguars are 5-8 ATS after facing the Colts, including 1-6 ATS as favorites.
• I also have two solid rushing systems, which are 30-15-1 ATS and 17-8-0 ATS since 2002 and 6-3-0 ATS and 4-1-1 ATS since 2007, and both are suggesting Houston +7

I like Hou in this situation even though this is a team who is going to be playing through a lot of adversity. They really "showed up" last week in Tennessee and gave the Titans a battle. This will be their 3rd road game in a row, which happens more than you think in the NFL w/ bye weeks, but still is not extremely common. I just like this spot for them and I will look for them to get the win. I've seen several outlets who still have +7.5, so grab that if you can but don't spend too much on the hook if you would be buying to it. The Texans are actually 8-1 ATS when facing the Jaguars and the Jags have a better record, and they are 4-0 ATS in Jacksonville if the Jags have a better record. In those 4 games, Houston was underdogs of 7, 10, 10.5 and 13. Houston won all 3 games where the spread was fewer than 13 points. Most recently a low scoring, 3 point win in 2006. I don't know that this game will be as similar, as Houston has a lot going against their favor, having already lost their bye week and not playing at home in now the 4th week of the season. But I see them rallying here and getting the cover.


Ten -3

• Teams off a home win in which they covered and are home favorites of a FG or less to a team who is also off of a win in which they covered are 11-3-1 ATS since 2002 and 23-8-1 since 1996
• Tennessee is 11-1 ATS in the first 11 weeks of the season at home as a favorite of less than 3.5 points, winning by an avg of 8 points and covering by an avg of 6 points. They are 4-0 ATS against the NFC in this situation.
• In the last 10 years, Minnesota is 1-9-2 ATS in the first 11 weeks of the season as a road dog of 3 or fewer points. They have lost by an avg of 13 points and failed to cover by an avg of 10 points. They have not won ATS in their last 10 contests.

I know what you may say - "he's playing Tennessee again?" and the answer is yes. I can't say I'm head over heels for this play, but I won't let the fact that Ten has covered 3 straight and won 3 straight dissuade me from making this play. As you know, I look at each game and of course analyze public perception as one factor, so of course I do care about more than looking only at week 4. I care about weeks 1-3 for both of these teams. But doing my research, I found that since 1990, there have been 34 NFL teams who started out 3-0 SU and 3-0 ATS. In week 4, there were 9 of those teams who fit a similar situation as Ten here. Favorites of 3.5 or fewer points. Those 9 teams went 7-2 ATS in week 4, covering by an average of 6 points. If these teams were playing at home, they went 4-0 ATS, covering by an average of 12 points. And actually, the last time this happened was last season, when 3-0 GB ventured into the Metrodome and defeated the Vikings, covering in the win by 6 points. Again, this was surely not a REASON to take Ten here, but it was a reason NOT TO BE SCARED to play them again. Against Min, they are not my favorite play on my card, but I do like them to get the job done at home.

SF +5

• The 49ers are 6-0-1 ATS in the first 10 weeks of the season after winning as a home favorite and heading onto the road
• The Saints under Sean Payton are 0-3 ATS after a road loss
• The Saints under Sean Payton are 3-8 ATS as home favorites, and just 1-5 ATS if favored by more than 4 points (failing to cover by an avg of 7 points and actually losing SU 3 of these 6 games)
• SF also falls into one of my rushing systems that has seen some success over the past several seasons.
  

I don't have much to say in this matchup, and you don't want to hear matchup analysis from me. The Saints are off a 2 game road trip and are finally home for 3 straight games. Teams who were on the road and then come home for the first of 3 home games (before week 10, so they are still in the early stage of the year), and are favored by more than a FG but less than a TD are actually 6-13 ATS.