Photo by Stacy Revere / Getty Images
CLEVELAND – The NFL season kicked off Thursday night with the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Atlanta Falcons in a rematch of last year’s NFC playoff showdown. “Picks With Nick” did not have a selection in that opening contest, but below you will find our full slate of NFL selections featuring four games. All of our selections are against the spread (ATS) and are strictly for entertainment purposes only. Each week we will post our college football picks on Thursday mornings and our NFL selections on Friday mornings.
A quick glance at our numbers on the season against the Vegas spread:
CFB: 4-2-0 (67%)
NFL: 0-0 (0%)
Total: 4-2-0 (67%)
Our picks are made against Las Vegas oddsmakers merely helping create football interactions on Facebook and Twitter, as well as online and on-air content for Newsradio WTAM 1100 and WTAM.com.
Similar to the last two seasons, our goal is to win 53% of our picks against the spread. Las Vegas sports books, give us 11/10 odds or -110, so in order to break even in picking games against the spread (ATS) we must win 52.4% of the games we select. Winning 58% of picks ATS would place you among the most elite sports handicappers in the world. We’ll shoot for somewhere between 53% - 58% again this season.
We are again keeping our college and NFL selections separate, but we will update the results from both weekly with full transparency, seeing how we stack up against Las Vegas oddsmakers. We are coming off back-to-back winning seasons in which we hit 54% ATS in college football and the NFL combined in 2016 and 56% in both combined last season in 2017. So far, in college and the NFL combined, we are hitting 67% ATS.
New Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins may just be the piece Minnesota was missing in order to take them over the top to winning a Super Bowl title. Photo by Hannah Foslien / Getty Images
Throughout the season it is important to understand that we will continually update our records in both college football and the NFL, and additionally, that Newsradio WTAM 1100 and I do not condone illegal sports wagering. Any information shared on this page is strictly for entertainment purposes, as well as on-air and online content. Visitors reading “Picks With Nick” weekly selections need to understand that this is not a gambling website. WTAM 1100 and Nick Camino do not condone illegal sports wagering.
With Week 1 of the NFL underway, let’s dive into our full slate of selections against the spread.
Below is our full slate NFL picks featuring four selections ATS for Week 1:
Game: San Francisco 49ers vs. Minnesota Vikings
Where: Minneapolis, Minnesota – US Bank Stadium
Kickoff: 1:00 pm ET
TV: FOX
Spread: Vikings -6.5
Nick’s Pick: This line appears to be a slight overreaction to the strong finish to last season for Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers. The bottom line is: the Minnesota Vikings are a way better team on both sides of the football and now they’ve finally added a quarterback in Kirk Cousins that can lead them to a Super Bowl title. Nick’s Pick here is Vikings -6.5.
Game: Tennessee Titans vs. Miami Dolphins
Where: Miami Gardens, Florida – Hard Rock Stadium
Kickoff: 1:00 pm ET
TV: FOX
Spread: Titans -1.5
Nick’s Pick: Rarely do we enjoy swallowing points on the road in the NFL, but let’s not overthink this game. The Titans are the better overall team and should win this opening game. Nick’s Pick is Titans -1.5.
Marcus Mariota and the Titans open Week 1 on the road at Hard Rock Stadium for a showdown with the Miami Dolphins. Tennessee is a road favorite in the match up according to Vegas oddsmakers. Photo by Stacy Revere / Getty Images
Game: Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos
Where: Denver, Colorado – Broncos Stadium at Mile High
Kickoff: 4:25 pm ET
TV: FOX
Spread: Broncos -3
Nick’s Pick: This game should be a defensive battle that could get ugly. The uglier the better for the home team. We may not be high on the Broncos for this season, but they find a way to get a big Week 1 victory over a Seattle team that will look much different than previous seasons. Nick’s Pick is Broncos -3.
Game: Dallas Cowboys vs. Carolina Panthers
Where: Charlotte, North Carolina – Bank of America Stadium
Kickoff: 4:25 pm ET
TV: FOX
Spread: Panthers -3
Nick’s Pick: I can’t remember the last time we rode all favorites for a “Picks With Nick” week, be it college or the NFL, but that’s the case to open the NFL season. The Dallas Cowboys have had a lot of moving parts and a lot of headlines off the field, meanwhile Cam Newton and the Panthers defense will be out to make a statement Week 1 in front of the hometown fans. Panthers -3 is Nick’s Pick on this game.
Newsradio WTAM 1100's Nick Camino has posted back-to-back winning football seasons picking games against the spread (for entertainment purposes only). "Picks With Nick" is now in its third season selecting games against Vegas oddsmakers in college football and NFL. Photo by Marissa Camino Photography
- Nick Camino
Record in college football ATS to date: 4-2-0 (67%)
Record in NFL ATS to date: 0-0-0 (0%)
Total record ATS to date: 4-2-0 (67%)
Note from Nick: All betting lines used will come from The Wynn Race & Sports Book in Las Vegas. The lines can change at any time, but we will only use lines 72 hours in advance and closer. Picks will be made based on the lines when we post.
DISCLAIMER: Newsradio WTAM 1100 and Nick Camino do not accept or place bets. This is not a gambling website. WTAM 1100 and Nick Camino do not condone illegal sports wagering. Any information shared on this page is strictly for entertainment purposes, as well as on-air and online content.