Search
Login
Sign Up
Aug 19, 2026
A Numbers Game | August 19, 2026 | Hour 2
A Numbers Game | August 19, 2026 | Hour 2
00:00
46:13
1×
Transcript
0:00
Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more. That's Toyota affordability, and it all starts with a great deal on a truck from your local Toyota dealer.
0:08
Make a smart buy on the off-road-ready Tacoma or half-ton Tundra, two of Toyota's most capable and longest-lasting trucks.
0:16
Built with the strength for the tough jobs, the tech to power your next big adventures, and the rugged style for everything in between.
0:22
Or discover Toyota's off-road lineup, including the iconic 4Runner and Land Cruiser, designed to go beyond the everyday.
0:29
And with Toyota's proven reputation for quality and reliability, plus available hybrid power on many models, you can get more for every mile and drive for less along the way.
0:38
And long after you leave the lot, your Toyota keeps delivering with great resale value, so you can trade in for more when you're ready for your next Toyota.
0:47
From a great deal today to a great value tomorrow, a Toyota is right for you. Shop toyota.com for deals and details, or stop by your local Toyota dealer today. Toyota, Let's Go Places.
1:00
[upbeat music] The numbers told the story. They always do. So one of those idiots who believe in analytics. This is the Numbers Game with Gil Alexander on VSiN.
1:08
Hour number two of a Numbers Game at VSiN, the sports betting network, vsin.com, Game Plus, iHeartRadio, YouTube TV, SiriusXM channel 158.
1:16
Gil Alexander, Matt Brown ably, spectacularly, whatever, whatever you wanna say, filling in for, uh, Kelly Midland. Kelly Midlon, who will be back allegedly, we use that word, allegedly- Mm-hmm... on Monday.
1:30
We shall see. We shall see. You never know. Well, I got a, I said, I got a, I got a like on a thing, but not any actual communication. It's a fluid situation. Yeah. Yeah. We don't- We definitely don't know.
1:38
Uh, still to come on the show, Toddy Wishnev, Nick Whalen. Talk a little fantasy. Uh, tweets, beating the book, Ian Dunn, "There are rumblings that Sinner won't play the US Open."
1:46
Yeah, I mentioned this earlier, that prediction markets, somebody was pounding the no on Sinner playing, like somebody knew something.
1:52
He said, "Who would the players be that you target in the future market if Sinner and/or Alcaraz were unable to go?" Well, let's just handle if Sinner and Alcaraz.
1:59
Let's say both of them are unable to go, 'cause obviously if one plays- Mm-hmm... they're the guy. Um, to me,
2:06
this would be the greatest opportunity ever, and there will not be a better one for Novak Djokovic to win his 25th. But at price, in the market, I wouldn't believe that's the best bet.
2:15
At price, to me, the best bets would be either Rafa Jodar or Artur Fils at price. Both are- So currently, yeah, DraftKings, Zverev's five to one, Shelton's 10 to one, Novak is 11 to one, Jodar's 15 to one
2:31
currently right now- Yeah... over there at DraftKings. I'd, I'd go, I'd go to Jodar- Mm-hmm... at 15 to one. And then FA- FAA, 'cause we can do that now. We can still do that with him. Yes, we can do FAA. 35 to one.
2:41
Fritz is 18. Yeah, no. Medvedev 35. No. Yeah. Um, although Medvedev has won a US Open, I should point that out. Uh, oh, you know, you talk about breaking news. I woke up this morning, you know, your phone- Mm-hmm...
2:52
has like ESPN breaking news, and you're like sort of blear- bleary-eyed at that point. I click on it, I'm like, "Nick Kyrgios testing positive for cocaine," breaking news on my phone.
3:04
So I had to do the little, I went down the rabbit hole here- Yeah... with this. Uh-huh. So it said the sample tested positive on the 22nd of June. Okay. Right? He played a match on 22nd of June, right? How'd he play?
3:16
How'd he play? And he lost [laughs]. He lost. And, and, uh- Boys and girls, let that be a lesson... and the interesting thing is, is I go, "Oh, okay, so he was just out partying," because
3:25
I happen to know this, and not because I was a cokehead. Hmm. It was because back in the day when I was real big into the UFC, right? Sure. Every now and then, a guy would pop for cocaine. Yeah.
3:37
And so you look, and cocaine only stays in your system for two days, right? Like, for, for a drug test. Or something s- [laughs] So literally within two days of him playing this match, he was like, he was doing coke.
3:46
Here's the thing- And it's- He's facing, he's facing a suspension. Typically, I would have some, you know, a, a level of sympathy for someone- [laughs]... who's facing, like, a one-year suspension.
3:55
By the way, it should be noted he'll get less of a suspension than Marketa Vondrousova got for missing her doping test. [laughs] Um, but, like, he doesn't curry any favor at all.
4:04
Like, he is the, he's just, like, one of the worst, to me- Yeah... one of the worst dudes ever. Well, and also to know that, like, "Hey, I'm about to play this tournament. Let's go, let's go party." Yeah.
4:13
"Let me, let me take a little snort of that," you know?
4:15
Nick Kyrgios, who's f- who, who among other things famously, while on court during an actual match, says to his opponent Stan Wawrinka, who was at that time dating Donna Vekic- Yeah...
4:26
a women's player, "Hey, you know, uh, Kokkinakis blanked- Mm-hmm, yeah... your girl." I mean, that, this is the kind of guy we're talking about. Yeah. Anyway, that was breaking news on my phone.
4:36
ScrabbleStar, "Your guest Paul doth protesteth too much about us Savannah Bananas haters. Every attendee at one of their games, quote-unquote, should be compelled to see an actual M- MLB contest.
4:47
Conversion therapy maybe?" Nemesis Enforcer, "I used the DK predictive app in Cali a few weeks ago from the regular DK app. Nowhere near full sportsbook, but action. Um, could parlay up to eight legs.
4:58
Funds completely separate from sportsbook. Came home to Tennessee and don't have access to my money deposited." And Bama Slugger shouting out Mark Borchardt for the three and O yesterday on the show.
5:06
Nice little bankroll builder. Way to go, Mr. Borchardt. Um, and we'll get some more tweets here coming up. Uh, we didn't finish, Matt. Mm-hmm. Oh, you wanna, you made a great point off-air.
5:17
We were just talking about, you were here Monday. For those who missed it, Matt was on Monday. Um, then I did a spreadsheet radio yesterday by myself. [laughs] Hope everybody enjoyed that.
5:25
[laughs] Uh, [laughs] the only, the only thing that tops spreadsheet radio... Oh, this is a coo- so many asides here. The only thing that to- topped spreadsheet radio, it was a bit of a deep dive.
5:35
I hope people enjoyed a l- a little look behind the scenes yesterday on, on my betting. But, um,
5:41
the only thing worse, the only thing that, that, uh, other, that was more of a, a, I don't know, strange sort of thing on a show, on one of our shows, was last week Kelly and I did a whole deep dive on these season win total head-to-heads in, in football.
5:54
We were so excited about all these bets. We did, like, a segment and a half on this, you guys will remember.
5:58
And then s- towards the end of the show, and I, forgive me, I don't remember who, someone said, "Hey, you know, uh, ties on these- You lose. Yeah. And we're like, "What are you talking about? It's a head-to-head.
6:09
How could that possibly be?" And there's no fine print on DraftKings that says that. And he goes, "Yeah, but once..." [laughs] This is so bad, man. Once you put the bet in the bet slip, there's this super fine print
6:22
that... Well, first of all, there's no... Oh, it's not the super fine print. There's, like, one line of super fine print once you put the bet in the bet slip.
6:28
Then you have to do a drop-down click, and do you have the language after that? Yes. It is, "NFL ties do not count as wins." Oh, look. That- That's the line that you see... NFL ties do not count as wins.
6:38
And then you click the- Okay. That's- Doof. Yes... By the way, that's fine. Ties do not count as wins, no problem. Then you click.
6:43
The team named in the market must finish the regular season with more wins than, than the other selected team. Okay. Sure. If both teams finish- Sure... with the same number of wins, comma,
6:53
bets will be settled as a loss. [laughs] And throw you that at the end. [laughs] Like, yeah, no, this all sounds great. Okay, that sounds great. Yeah, that sounds great. What? What? Whoa. [laughs] What was that? Anyway.
7:02
Wait a minute. You, you had a great point about, we were talking, you and I, about Shohei versus PCA- Mm... for NL MVP, and you had a, what I think is a great point about this. It's, it's just crazy how...
7:13
And we t- we used to talk about this a ton with, like, college football. It wasn't, like, who you lost to, whether it was when you lost.
7:18
You know, if you lost earlier in the season, it's like you could somehow still make it into the BCS and all of that or whatever. But if you lost in week 10, no way you could make it in the BCS.
7:26
It's kinda the same deal with, like, this, this Shohei thing. I think, and I think I would have even changed my tune, 'cause we're sitting here talking on Monday, and I'm going, "Well, if he comes back and he pitches."
7:35
Had he missed the first half of the season, and yet came back and was doing what he did over the first half of the season now- It's so true. It's so true... pitching at a Cy Young level- Yeah...
7:45
which is what he was doing. Mm-hmm. He was in the top three in the Cy Young odds- Yeah... for the first half of the season, and was doing this right now, we'd be like, "Oh, he's minus 400."
7:53
You know, we, we would just be like, "Oh, overwhelming. Overwhelming." But instead, because it was in the rear view, we're like, "Oh, no, no, no, no, no. He's gotta come back and do it again."
8:01
And so essentially our job as bettors betting in that award market if you so choose to do, have to handicap exactly that. Yeah.
8:10
Which is, are these human beings with our flawed brains going to exactly process it the way you just said? I literally said it on Monday. I- Yeah... I am contradicting myself, by the way.
8:20
I'm not sitting here d- like, trying to look like super smart guy. I was the one who going, "Well, he needs to come back and pitch two or three more times." Yeah. You know? Why?
8:27
But- He pitched at a Cy Young level for a half a season. He pitched 85 and two-third innings. He went eight and two. He had a 1.79- [laughs]... ERA with 95 Ks. [laughs] Yeah.
8:37
I mean- But because there's an opening not to give it to him, they're gonna take it. Yeah. But you're right. If the timing was different, if he did that in the second half versus the first half, no one would say that.
8:45
Yeah. It's, it's, it's- He'd be the overwhelming favorite. We would just be like, "Man, if PCA in any other year, buddy, this one's yours. But we gotta give it to Shohei." And instead, yeah. Yeah. It's crazy. Yeah.
8:55
Uh, back to the AFC North for a second. We are contractually obligated- Yes... to, uh, talk about the Steelers and the, uh, Browns.
9:00
Let me just say this, 'cause I read every word of not only the VSiN betting guide, but also Aaron Schatz's FTN- Mm-hmm... betting guide. And the, the, every team capsule. It's not even a capsule in the FTN guide.
9:11
Like, this is, like, solid, solid, like, essays about every team. Mm. I will say of 32 teams, the biggest nothing burger of all 32 was the Pittsburgh Steelers.
9:21
There is not a lot to say about it, because everybody knows the deal. They're bringing back all the big names, and they're all old. Yeah. And this is it. And it's probably breaking up big time after this year.
9:34
And I'm talking about not just Aaron Rodgers, but I'm talking about the Cam Haywards of the world, those kinda guys, right?
9:39
And it's just, I, uh, the, the prognosis essentially with the Pittsburgh Steelers is, yeah, there's gonna be people who always think they're gonna be able to compete here with the Ravens and the Bengals, and maybe time will tell that they will.
9:52
Mm. But ultimately, the story with the Steelers is that, uh, Rodgers, just let me isolate Aaron Rodgers and I'll leave it at this. Um, last year he was 21st best in DVOA among quarterbacks.
10:07
Only slightly outper- outperforming where he was with the Jets. It's his third straight season, by the way, outside the top 20 in DVOA.
10:14
Remember before that, he had more seasons at number one overall than he did being out of the top 10. Um, and he's coming off a season now with the lowest average depth of target of his career.
10:24
He'd been in six games with fewer than 200 yards passing.
10:28
Um, for the second time in his career, he finished a season without throwing for 300 yards in any game, and even when he had good games, it was helped by the receivers who averaged 6.5 yards after the catch per reception, tied for the most in his career.
10:41
24th in explosive pass plays. And by the way, they had tons of things break their way to actually get to the playoffs with it. But it, it just, I, it just doesn't feel right to me. It's not gonna be good.
10:53
When he was, when he was like a... Mike McCarthy was the joke of the league. We were making fun of Mike McCarthy on a weekly basis. And now he comes in, he's gonna call the plays as well.
11:03
So he's gonna coach the team and call the plays for a quarterback that we think is washed, or I think is washed, and I'm not trying to put words in your mouth. But like- I would agree...
11:10
but so how, how does this end well? I understand you bring in Michael Pittman, and that certainly helps- That's, that's, that's their solve for this... in the DK MetCaps s- situation- Mm-hmm...
11:17
or whatever, but if the quarterback's skills are not there anymore, it just d- it won't, it won't matter. And I think that's where they are, I think that's where they land right now. He'll be 43 in December.
11:28
And then there's the Cleveland Browns, who, again, season win total is five and a half on the Cleveland Browns. Um, finished first in the NFL in yards allowed per drive last year, dead last in yards gained per drive.
11:41
That's not good. Um- [laughs]... quarterbacks combi- combined, this is no news to anybody, combined for the worst passer rating in the NFL last year.
11:49
Completed a league low 57.9% of their passes for 5.0 yards per pass attempt. That's 31st. Had a 2.9% touchdown rate, 31st. 3.2% interception rate, 29th. Took a sack on 8.4% of their drop backs, 25th. You get the idea.
12:03
And now it's, it's gotta be Deshaun Watson, right? Yeah. If you're Todd Monken, you took the job understanding the drill here, right? Which is, like, you went in and you sat down and you go, "Hey, guys-
12:12
If you're gonna fire me after a year, then there's no point in me doing this, whatever.
12:15
But if, if we're gonna, if we're gonna do what we need to do, and by do what I mean need to do is, like, get to the top of the draft and try to change this franchise and set things, you know, right here, then I'm in for the long haul.
12:24
And they gotta get to the top of the draft, Gil. You have to reset this franchise. Yes, because the rest of the team ain't so bad. Yeah. Mina Kimes we just saw saying they're literally a quarterback away. Yeah.
12:35
So, but you know what Chris Collinsworth says, the most important position in football is quarterback, and the second most is backup quarterback. So
12:42
until you fix that, we really can't get to the good stuff on that team, and there is some good stuff. BMW Championship Golf next on The Numbers Game. You're here because you want an edge.
12:53
That's what separates listeners from winners. But let's be real. Mindset alone doesn't get bets home. Pros win because they've got the tools, the data, and the discipline, and now so can you.
13:02
VSiN Pro gives you access to the same real-time insights the sharps use. No secrets, no fluff, just actionable info that moves markets.
13:09
Tap the link and see why serious bettors are turning knowledge into profit with VSiN Pro.
13:14
[upbeat music] A Numbers Game on VSiN, the sports betting network.
13:29
Tomorrow VSiN is on the clock for the second annual Pro Football Futures Draft, 5:00 PM Eastern, 2:00 PM Pacific. Check it out. Hosted by Dustin Sweetelson.
13:39
Uh, every pick doubles as a handicapping breakdown you can use, win totals, division winners, player props, stat leaders. Last year's competitors all back for round two.
13:48
Defending champion Patrick Maher pictured on the screen, bottom row, third from the right. Patrick Maher got the target on his back. But also this year, Super Bowl-winning wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson's gonna join us.
14:02
Uh, comedian and sports commentator Nick Bakay as well, and the guru John Hanson gonna join ringer. Don't just watch the Futures Draft. Profit from it.
14:10
Tune in tomorrow, 5:00 PM Eastern, only on VSiN, the sports betting network.
14:14
And apparently there's a, uh, Danny Higgins was just telling me there's a, uh, in-network, uh, pool going on where Dave Ross' number of Cowboys plays is lined at three and a half.
14:24
He's been installed at three and a half Cowboys bets. I think you and I, which we're not gonna... I'm not going to say on air because I do not want to take away your position of strength in this thing. Oh, thank you.
14:34
'Cause I'm gonna... We, we were, we were talking- I, I didn't realize I had one... we were talking, uh, I, I think there's a very...
14:40
We've kind of unlocked the very clear strategy in these things, and, like, I, I'm, I'm curious as to whether you will deploy said strategy, uh, tomorrow.
14:49
[laughs] Oh, there's, there's two str- [clears throat] as I see it, there are two strategies. Yeah. Neither of which I will reveal- Yes, yes, yes... until after the draft. Yes. But I think there are two- I-...
15:01
two strategies to where- Yeah... you will be... It is almost impossible for you to be beaten should they, they pull it. I will apply a hybrid of those two strategies. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Thank you very much.
15:11
'Cause again, it's a contest. At the end of the day, it's a contest. Matt and I are for the next- You're trying to win, man... for the next 90 minutes, Matt and I are just gonna speak in code. 'Cause guess what here.
15:19
Riddles. Here's the deal. Here, here, here's the deal. You know, you know who remembers, uh, you remember who wins? If you're third, who cares? Nobody cares. No one cares if you're third- Yeah...
15:26
in this, in something like this. Nope. You win or you win or you're last. Who cares? Same difference. So Dustin's gonna be on the desk.
15:32
I guess m- it's during Mission Paul's show, Follow the Money, so they're gonna be on desk, I guess. Yeah. And then the rest of us will be remote. Full on- Yeah. Full on Ricky Bobby this thing, man.
15:40
You ain't first, you're last, you know? Like- [laughs]... let's just full on Ricky Bobby this one.
15:43
Um, by the way, speaking of the, uh, NFC, excuse me, the AFC North, which we just went through, Colin Murphy says, "I got Elijah Siratt offensive rookie of the year around 80 to 1," he says, "for the Ravens.
15:52
Great possession/pro ready guy, and there should be plenty of catches to be had with likely gone and Andrews a year older and the lack of weapons to your point." Yeah, I like that play.
16:01
How good was he in college, by the way? Very. Man. Very.
16:05
Uh, and then James Fessler riffing off the, uh, Greg Peterson segment from Monday said, "Speaking of fluid situations, has the fell in love over one and a half hit yet or do we have to [laughs] wait for Monday update to cash that?"
16:18
I can't remember. What was the s- what was the scenario? I don't even remember. I don't re- I don't, I don't remember that- We don't even remember... that, that reference either. Oh. All we know is that he was...
16:24
All we know is that it, Greg has, has told us that, that he's, he's kind of, he's kinda locked down these days there, Gil. I mean, at least for the last month. This is not good for the Chargers.
16:35
This came down, but now we have a actually definitive report on this. Adam Schefter reported that Chargers center Tyler Biadasz, or as I like to say former Washington great Tyler Biadasz- [laughs]...
16:45
uh, is out indefinitely after suffering damage to his ACL and additional injuries to his left knee during Tuesday's joint practice against the Niners. That's per Ian Rapoport and me, he says.
16:56
Adam Schefter says, "That's Ian and me. We both had it." Uh, Biadasz will meet with more doctors to try to get more clarity.
17:02
Now, Chargers are going to have Rashawn Slater and Alt back at the tackles this year, so that's good news, but here you go, one, you know, two steps forward, one step back.
17:13
And- They, uh, they should actually rename these things the, like, just, like, prison yard fights, whatever these joint practices. Like, they should- Oh man, they hate each other at these things...
17:20
they should, like, the NFL Network during the week shouldn't... I don't need them telling me- Forget the preseason games...
17:26
yeah, like I don't, I don't need these guys, like, pontificating here about, like, uh, you know, who, who's the best backup quarterback in the league and whatever. No, no.
17:33
Just live stream all of these, like, joint practices 'cause all they do is fight, like, nine times. Yeah. And then they have to...
17:39
Every time you read these, the, the report and it's like, "And then they just quit practice for the day." [laughs] You know? It's like every one of them ends with, "And then they just quit for the day."
17:46
You know, Drew- Drew's whole thing, you know, Drew D- Drew Dinsick's whole thing with preseason handicapping is find out who won the joint practice. [laughs] Right, right. No, he's, he's being totally serious. Right.
17:56
This worked for him. And then go the other way- Yeah... in the preseason game. Um, and, uh, BP Futures bet adds, "As far as the NL MVP goes, recency bias is a powerful drug.
18:06
If Ohtani pitches in September, pitches well, you know what's going to happen." So he agrees with your Monday sentiment- Yeah... on that as well. Um, ladies and gentlemen, I believe it's time to go country clubbing.
18:15
Let's do it. [air horn blaring] Oh, yeah Ben Wilson's family, country clubbing I just don't, you know, we said this a couple different times.
18:26
I, I, why are they all, why are they all drinking fru-fru drinks there instead of, you know- Well-... no one's got an old fashioned? Well, Matt, they're- You know?... they're all 80 years old at that point.
18:33
Yeah, you know, no one's just sipping on some vodka there. Like, everyone's got, everyone's got a little fru-fru drink. Maybe, maybe they just wanna remain standing. A mai tai, something like that.
18:41
Real quick on the, uh, tennis side of the country club before we get to the BMW Championship. Mm-hmm.
18:44
Once again, two tennis plays today after, uh, Medvedev botched, well, he wasn't on his serve, so I shouldn't get too harsh with him. But it was love-40, he had three shots to win their match yesterday.
18:54
He l- he squanders them and ends up losing to Brandon Nakashima. Today, two plays. Thiago Agustin Tirante, +183 versus Jakub Menšík. That's Jakub Menšík. And then on the ladies' side, Amanda Anisimova. Anisimova.
19:09
Even money versus Linda Nosková. Um, those were the prices given out to subscribers. It pays to subscribe, vsin.com/picks. Every host, every guest, every sport, all their plays at vsin.com/picks.
19:21
Just checking to see if these lines are right around where I gave them out. Tirante is +173, so 10 cents worse. I'd still play it. Don't let it get too further down than that.
19:34
And in the case of, uh, Anisimova, again, these matches are later. She's at +102, so you could actually get two cents better than I got. To golf.
19:42
Oh, by the way, Iga, 7 to 1, by the way, is what I have to win the US Open as well. Should point that out. To golf, the BMW Championship, sir. We are heading to Bellerive Country Club over in St. Louis.
19:51
Um, par 70, 7,448 yards, so a long par 70, 'cause again, that means there's only two par fives on this one. So pretty long course. What are we looking for here?
20:00
We're looking for distance, because you need to be able to get out there. This is maybe one of the more simpler models that I've made all season long. I put in a bunch of driving distance.
20:10
I put in a bunch of, I put in a bunch of around the green slash opportunities gained stats, which opportunities is just anything, any time these guys have a putt 15 feet or in.
20:21
So basically a real opportunity to make a birdie for, for these guys. And that's almost it for me this week.
20:27
Little stuff here and there as kinda like tiebreaker, separator things, and all of that, but at the end of the day, we're probably gonna be talking about Scotty winning this thing, but, you know. Or at least in top five.
20:35
I took, um, you know, t- Scotty top five last week, which I called free money, which I know we should never do. But it seemed like it was- [laughs]... free money for him to finish in the top five.
20:44
He ended up winning, which didn't, you know, I was... I, I didn't make that much less, by the way, by playing top five. It was, like, +105 for him to top five.
20:51
He's, you know, five to one to win, so it's not, not that big of a deal. But, uh, here we are, three to one now, 'cause we're only getting 50 golfers as opposed to 70 golfers. And, you know, look,
21:03
I, I, I have other guys that I bet this week. The way Scotty's playing, the only thing is, I will say this, Gil, so the way that the, the, the bonus money works, so it, it's actually given out after this tournament,
21:16
and then the final, which is the final 30 players, it's, like, another bonus pool of 40 million. But, like, the $100 million pool is actually given out after this tournament.
21:27
That being said, Scotty's already locked up one. Yeah. So he's going to get a $24 million check- Two... at the end of this tournament, no matter what.
21:35
And even when he wasn't winning this year, he was still making cash- Yeah... hand over fist every week. Yeah. He could finish dead last and he's already won, he, he has already won.
21:42
So he, he is first in the FedExCup standings. He will get a $24 million check. Now, second place is up for grabs between Cam Young and Matt Fitzpatrick.
21:50
And if you're want- I mean, it's no, it's, it's not, like, small time stuff here. Like, 13 million for second, but eight million for third.
21:59
I mean, they basically have a $5 million heads, h- head to head, which is more than first place is for this [laughs] tournament, right? I mean, like, they're just playing against each other, right?
22:06
I mean, this is basically a match play between those two guys. I played Cam Young in this one. Long, straight, good with the irons typically.
22:12
Didn't play all that well last week, but, uh, that course didn't fit him like this one does. Length didn't matter last week. I think length matters a ton this week. So I played him, another long guy in Chris Gotterup.
22:21
I mean, you'll see the theme here for me. Cr- uh, Jake Knapp as well. So, I mean, my, my, my three outrights are all dudes that are long, and at any given time can really get hot with, with their irons.
22:31
Um, I understand that I should be playing Sam Burns again this week. Burned me last week, burned me at the Open. I have a top five on him. Kelly and, uh, Wes are both on him, uh, from an outright perspective.
22:44
So if anybody wants to get back on the Burns train, you certainly can. I'll take the three and a half to one on a top five. I think he's there. He just, for whatever reason, can't, can't get across the finish line.
22:52
He hadn't won in over three years. That's the other thing about this is, like- Burns has not won in over three years? Yeah. Wow.
22:57
This is one of those things, too, it's like we talk about Scottie Scheffler only winning twice this year, Gil. Only. Only winning twice. We talk about how awesome Sam Burns, he won in three years.
23:06
I mean, it's, it, it's... The bar that Scottie Scheffler has set is- Okay... so incredibly high, that we, we talk like winning a golf tournament's easy. Like, you know, it's like, no, man, one guy wins.
23:17
One, one person wins. I, I am definitely guilty of, of harping on this. Yeah. Yeah. It's like one guy, one guy wins. It's just, it's, it's crazy. Uh, so I, I played those three guys. There's a, there's a theme to them.
23:25
They're long. They're, they're stripers of the ball whenever the irons are hot. I just need- Ball strikers... I just need someone to run, run hot here in this one. I will say about Bellerive, um,
23:36
that most of these guys have not played this course. So, like, we did have a PGA here back in 2018, but
23:43
33 of the 50 didn't play in that event, and the 17 that did, this course has been, been, uh, renovated and all of that. So this is basically a new course on tour for, for all of these guys.
23:52
So there's no real course history if you're trying to model and all that stuff like that. Like, don't, don't, don't go down that road. All right. Nick Whelan's gonna join us on the other side.
24:00
He's the co-host of Prop Points, uh, with Jeff Erickson, that follows us each and every morning here on The Numbers Game. We will talk real football.
24:07
We will talk fantasy football, my dear guests, next on The Numbers Game at VSiN, the sports betting network.
24:20
[upbeat rock music]VSEN, the sports betting network Matt Brown clearing his throat. Get ready for, for stuff happening. Don't forget our college football betting guide is out.
24:34
Our pro guide includes Matt Humans' pre-season top 50. Previews for all 138 FBS teams. How about that? Best bets conference champions from hosts and experts. Get it now, vsen.com/subscribe.
24:47
You can sign up now for as little as $9.99.
24:51
College football guide is, uh, you and I were talking about the other day, Matt, of all of our guides, and all of our guides are really great, but this one might be the one you need the most with transfer portals and the like.
25:01
It is the one that I read with the most intent. And what I mean by that is, like, you know, I have my own thoughts there on NFL and when all these other ones.
25:11
But, like, with this one, I intend to go in and actually learn a bunch of stuff. Like, I know that I'm going to find some stuff in there that I just had absolutely no idea.
25:21
I mean, I don't know, a- and I'm, I'm just being honest here. I'm pulling back the curtain. I don't know if somebody would've said, "How many FB- FBS teams are there?" You would've come up with 138.
25:31
That I, that I don't, I don't know if I'd have said 138. I think I would've said, "Uh, you know, there's like 130 or so of them." Yeah. I would've said something like that. Yeah. I don't think I would've said 138.
25:40
So you learn something right off the bat. By the way, there are 138, spoiler alert. College basketball- Spoiler alert... exponentially more. College basketball- 1,000 hundred and th- Uh- 1,138. Yes.
25:49
[laughs] I don't believe that is correct. I think it's 300 and, like, 58. But yeah, sure. Uh, James Feslik clarifying his earlier tweet. Uh, Kelly set himself falling in love while in Nashville- Ah...
26:00
at over one and a half. Eh, heh. Da, ha. There it is. Taste the soup. Yeah. Taste the soup. Okay. Uh, "Matt can probably vouch for Nashville talent levels," he says. Yeah, yeah. There's, there's, there are women there.
26:12
[laughs] There are. Apparently they- [laughs]... they exist there. Yeah. Tronsky, "Hey Gil, when the draft wind blows, nobody knows which strategy shows the dumbest among us.
26:24
Is the sub sta-" He says, "Is the substation jinx traveling with the Niners and spreading like a virus? Let's go TAT." [laughs] TAT. See, it's ca- it's catching on.
26:33
[clapping] This beau- It's a beautiful tweet, by the way. It's catching on. He goes from the draft, to the substation, to tennis. Uh, and Willie B. Betten, "I think you are onto something, Matt.
26:44
Give me an oach- uh, an Octobox style live pre-season joint practice stream on NFL Network. They could charge, uh, they could change the Red Zone Channel to the Danger Zone [laughs] Channel." Yeah.
26:53
Highway to the Danger Zone Channel. And instead of scoring plays, they just show all the fights. Love it. Absolutely love it. Those teams, first of all, there's infighting when you have your own practice. Yeah.
27:02
But then when you have practices out in the heat with another team and it's not an actual televised thing, oh, there's always a skirmish. So good. No, it's so good. There's always a rumble.
27:10
And you know, if you don't watch out, Matt, an old-fashioned Donnybrook- Oh... breaks out. See, another word we should bring back. Yeah. Mm-hmm. They're always old-fashioned, you notice? Yeah.
27:18
There's al- Donnybrook's always old-fashioned. Nick Whalen joins us now courtesy of the Progressive Guest Line. He is the co-host of Prop Points, which follows us each and every morning here on a Numbers Game.
27:27
He does it with Jeff Erickson, and the two of them together, wonder twin powers activate. It's amazing. Nick joins us now. His, uh, Twitter by the way, Whalen, you substitute the letter L with the number 1.
27:39
How you doing, Nick? Doing well, guys. Doing well. Uh, you know, working our way through the end of summer here in Wisconsin. Still trying to get as much golf in as possible.
27:50
Uh, very nice to, you know, be able to talk unlimited football on our show. We'll be having Theo Germinger from Rotowire joining us to talk some fantasy- Ooh... a little bit later on Prop Points.
28:00
And looking forward to hopefully seeing you guys next week for contest weekend out at Circa. Oh, there you go. Okay. So we were won- We were wondering why you weren't here this week...
28:07
we were wondering if you were coming this week for the fantasy thing, or if it's like- Oh, I didn't, I didn't make the cut- Okay... for, for this big draft weekend. Oh, okay. All right. Oh.
28:14
It, it's just, no- Jeff will be out there though... it's, uh, it just it got lost in the email. Uh, that's, that's what we say around here when it- Yeah, must have been. Yeah... yeah, gets lost in the email.
28:20
Had to be something like that. Nick, by the way, when you were here last year, and this is just you and me talking, Matt's here and nobody else is listening.
28:25
[laughs] When you were here last year, apparently, uh, Kelly said what up to you, and you kinda, like, blew him off, and he was deeply offended by this. So if you see Kelly next week- Is that right? Uh, y- No... yes.
28:34
If you see Kelly- Bear hug... I want you to actually give him a big old hug. Yeah, just bear hug. Okay? Of course. No, I- And hold him for an uncomfortably long amount of time...
28:42
if, if there any, any blow up, it was unintentional, I can assure you. [laughs] Hold, hold him for an awkward- Yes... uh, yes, for a- Yeah... pregnant pause while you're hugging. Yeah, definitely do it. All right.
28:49
And Nick is, Nick is dumbfounded, by the way. [laughs] He can't believe this. All right. Let me ask you. I, so I am no, I have not played fantasy for many years. Matt, you still play fantasy. Correct.
28:57
You play more DFS than season long. I know you are involved in more than one league. Uh, Nick, I was, by the way, I was kicked out of my last fantasy league.
29:04
Uh, SVP was in the league, but the commissioner, Johnny Detroit- Yeah... uh, summarily kicked me out of it. He was offended by something. I have no idea what, but he was- Mm-hmm... offended, he kicked me out.
29:13
Um, so here's the deal. I have a question, because I'm always curious about keeping up with, uh, with the fantasy goings on.
29:20
And Jeff Erickson, your, your buddy was on, and your co-host was on the other day, and I said, "Okay, if it's, uh, Jahmyr Gibbs, uh, at the top of the draft," and, and who was the other, uh, back, of course?
29:29
Who's with Jahmyr Gibbs at the top of the draft? I'm forgetting now all of a sudden. Jahmyr Gibbs and- Bijan Robinson... Bijan Robinson. Thank you so much.
29:35
And then maybe after that, the number one pick, you're starting with the third pick, would be Jahmyr Chase, and then pick everybody else.
29:41
I guess the way I would, I would ask this is, what do you see as the biggest mistake somebody could make based on your talent/fantasy evaluation at four?
29:53
Uh, I would say maybe not taking one of those three players, uh, Jahmyr Chase being the third with the top three pick. I was in a draft the other night where someone took Ashton Jeanty at number two. Oh, God.
30:03
Uh, the draft board was tweeted out, and it's been like, it's been like 48 hours, and I'm still being tagged in replies- [laughs]... of everybody just questioning, "Why would you take Jeanty second overall?"
30:12
Which, look, part of me respects it. Like, if, if he's your guy, go get your guy. But I, I, I just think we have three unassailable options at the top of the board.
30:19
And, and look, in a full PPR league, maybe there is a justification to take someone like Jahmyr Chase ahead of those two running backs. But of course, what makes Gibbs and Bijan basically the unanimous one, two-...
30:30
in some order is they also catch passes, right? They'll, they'll be high volume receiving backs in addition to being super explosive on the ground.
30:38
And I will say it's worth noting for most of the off season, you know, people like us and over in the Rotowire community, we start doing drafts like literally the day after the Super Bowl, and it was Bijan Robinson 1-1 for months.
30:49
And then I think it was around mid-June, we did start to see a bit of a sea change. You'll still see Bijan go 1-1 every now and then, but Jahmyr Gibbs has overtaken him as the most common number one overall pick.
30:59
Just one follow-up to that. When, when he makes that pick, is there, i- is it vocal in the draft room or by Zoom or however you guys are doing this? Do people just lambaste him immediately for this?
31:12
So to, to pull back the curtain a little bit, this was a SiriusXM host league, so, you know, part of the, part of the goal here is yes, we're playing out this league, yes, there's a little money involved, but it's more so to generate content for shows.
31:23
So I think there may have been some motivation there- Oh... to, you know, make a splashy pick. Give you something that- Mm... that you could talk about on the radio. Hmm. Inauthentic. Yeah, yeah. Interesting.
31:33
But hey, I, you know, whatever. Yeah. Respected. Uh- Respected...
31:36
so if we are looking here, I mean, we, we, we talk about those top two guys, but we start getting in a little bit of question marks, at least in my opinion. I, I...
31:45
The whole father time thing with Derrick Henry is crazy to me. Obviously the same deal with Christian McCaffrey. These are gonna be popular players.
31:50
These are players that for whatever, you know, you get a full season out of McCaffrey last year, so people love that. You get Derrick Henry still doing these things at his advanced age.
31:58
Are, are you still sold on some of these guys with the question marks, or do you tend to just shy away from them and go a little bit more safer route? Uh, in general, I, I tend to be a safer drafter.
32:12
Now, M- McCaffrey is pretty much at the top of my do not draft list this year. Hmm.
32:16
And if I get burned on Christian McCaffrey at this point in his career playing 17 games for the second straight season coming off of a 400 plus touch season, I'll live with that.
32:27
It, it's just a really, really bad health bet to me. You know, I think we're kind of in a sim- similar situation with like Kawhi Leonard.
32:32
You know, everything kind of went right for him last year, and it's like, all right, are you really going to now invest a second round pick if you're playing fantasy basketball on Kawhi?
32:39
So I'm fading Christian McCaffrey. Henry's a little bit of a different equation just because he's going later in drafts.
32:45
I mean, you're seeing Derrick Henry, even in these high stakes leagues, going at the end of the second round, sometimes he'll even slip into the beginning of the third, whereas with McCaffrey, you gotta burn maybe the fifth, sixth, seventh overall pick on him.
32:57
And you know, Henry almost has like a little bit of LeBron to how his career is going, right? He's not gonna still be doing this at age 41, but there just doesn't seem to be any physical decline whatsoever.
33:07
We know he spends a million dollars a year on his body or whatever it is. [laughs] He's had some fumble issues.
33:11
You know, even in a year last year where it felt like he had a terrible start to the season, he had a month-long stretch where he was averaging like under 40 yards per game, and by the end of the season, he was within like 40 yards of winning the rushing title.
33:22
So even in a down year, Derrick Henry always finds a way to, to pay off that value.
33:27
And I will say, guys, if you're looking at the running back landscape in fantasy, I, I think it could be easy to say, "Well, I'm skeptical of this guy. I don't know about A-Chan in Miami. Do I fade Saquon?"
33:36
There are only so many backs before it starts to get really scary, and you don't wanna be, you know, feeling like you gotta grab a starting running back when you get to pick 40, pick 50. Um, Deshaun Stribling.
33:48
So Ricky Pierceall, the Niners finally are like, "We gotta deal with his knee." Pierceall done for the year.
33:52
Deshaun Stribling theoretically is the benef- uh, beneficiary of that, people betting him, uh, for Offensive Rookie of the Year in the betting markets. Obviously, there's fantasy implications as well.
34:01
Give me another name or names that are not the obvious guys at the top of the draft like a Stribling that people ought to be focused in on around the league.
34:11
Yeah, well first of all, on Stribling, I will say he has gone as high as pick 68- Ooh... in the last couple of weeks in high stakes leagues, which is wild.
34:18
I mean, that's a guy who was well after pick 150 for, for most of the summer.
34:22
You know, Jacoby Lane is another big buzzy name right now with, with the Baltimore Ravens, a team that always seems to be seeking that secondary wide receiver.
34:31
You know, we'll see how much the, the preseason and the training camp hype actually pays off. And then I, I will say a lot of people are still trying to figure out what to do with the Miami Dolphins.
34:40
You know, I, I don't think anybody's overly optimistic on this offense, but there's still going to be a number one receiver.
34:46
You know, there's still going to be maybe a, a borderline productive, borderline usable tight end in Greg Dulcich.
34:51
So I think a lot of people, myself included, will be watching the Miami Dolphins very closely over these next couple of weeks and just trying to identify, okay, which of these receivers can I get for free at the end of a draft who could end up being fairly valuable in fantasy by Miami Dolphin standards, whatever you think that offense is gonna look like.
35:08
Nick Whalen gonna join us for another segment. A little more fantasy. Also some real football as well. National Football League, that is. It's a Numbers Game right here at VSiN. Coming back.
35:17
[upbeat rock music] A Numbers Game on VSiN, the sports betting network.
35:33
A Numbers Game live from Circle Resort Casino, downtown Las Vegas. Majestic downtown Las Vegas. Oh, it is gorgeous. It's Gil Alexander, Matt Brown here as well. We got tweets, maybe in the book.
35:43
Bruce Dobbings, "Donnybrook is a suburb of Dublin, an old-fashioned suburb. I walked around for an hour, but I couldn't start one Donnybrook with the locals. Ireland has gone soft."
35:52
[laughs] So, so this is so funny that this is, we were talking about this. Yeah. On the main ESPN page right now- Yeah... you know their little headline? Yeah. Multiple b- brawls mar Saints-Cowboys joint practice.
36:04
[laughs] It's unbelievable. It's literally one of the main things. It's unbelievable. Multiple, multiple brawls mar Saints-Cowboys joint practice. I want them to use the word melee- [laughs]... or Donnybrook
36:16
when the next one happens. Rhodes Knows, "Last year you pointed to the Jags being a dumb team." Oh yeah, I seem to recall that. They earned that, by the way. He said, "Is there a power rankings for this?
36:26
Also, can the Jaguars become a smart team in one year? Thanks, Gil. PS, real location for Kelly is a beach/VSiN-themed photo calendar after the weight loss."
36:35
Oh, oh, you're saying is there going to be a photo calendar after the weight loss? Ooh. Like a fireman calendar? Oh, boy. Like a fireman calendar. That is, that should sell like hotcakes. That, that's just the... Yeah.
36:46
We would... That would be one of those, and it'd be like, "Hey, subscribe to VSAN Pro or we're gonna send you this calendar." [laughs] Like, like the only way for us not to send it to you- Oh...
36:54
is if you become a VSAN Pro subscriber. [laughs] Bobby Gettys, "I'm completely with Matt on the Ravens. In fact, I'll pull out my inner Max Kellerman and say here comes the cliff for Lamar." Oh.
37:04
"I've said it for five years." [laughs] "I've gotta, I gotta be right eventually. By the way, Matt, I think you need a new mailbox. Losing an awful lot of invites." It's, it's, it's true. Lots are lost in the emails.
37:14
A lot of invites- Yeah, yeah... don't get to you. They just don't get there. That's very true, Bobby. Mm-hmm. Nick Whalen, kind enough to join us for a second segment.
37:20
He is the co-host of Prop Points, which he does with Jeff Erickson, ably and adeptly, I might add. Uh, it is at 10:00 AM Pacific, 1:00 PM Eastern, Monday through Friday, right here on the network.
37:30
He comes to us courtesy of the Progressive Guest Line. Again, Whalen, W-H-A-1-E-N. Oh, now that you're here, I forgot that you took Nick to task on this Twitter handle. [laughs] You guys had a whole rumble about this.
37:41
Well, w- A whole donnybrook about it... I think 'cause we had found out that w- Whalen, just regular Whalen was a- was available. Oh, why didn't you just take Whalen? Is, is, is what it was. Isn't that what it was?
37:50
I, I don't think so. I don't think it is, guys. Oh. I've, I've looked into it. Uh, maybe it was at the time. Uh, but no, I, after our, our little dust-up- Yeah...
37:58
our donnybrook, like you said, I actually did go and, like, all right, like I don't know if I'm actually gonna change it, but let's just see what's out there. Mm.
38:03
And pretty much every variant of Whalen, Nick Whalen, Whalen Nick, these were all taken. I would've had to add in numbers and underscores and things of that nature. Yeah. So- Mm. Gotcha...
38:14
I will once again apologize, guys, but it looks like we're gonna be stuck with this handle for a while. As Elon tries to extort more money out of all of us. Right.
38:20
Um, because now I have to pay for, I have to b- I have to pay $40 a month now for TweetDeck.
38:24
I, like, I can get rid, I can get rid of it in the summer, I can get away with it, but, like, during football season, I have to have TweetDeck, so like- You have especially curated- Yeah... deck.
38:32
So he's extorting mon- Yeah. He also, if you are part of the... You can file now, but you have to be a elevated Twitter whatever, but you can file a, if someone's got it, like, squatting on a name, you can file a dormant
38:46
handle thing. Hm. Oh. And then whatever. Got it. But again, you gotta give him 40 bucks a month to be able to do it, though. Twitter, Twitter- Well, something to consider... inside Twitter. Yeah. Yeah. That's right.
38:56
Uh, Nick, a couple more fantasy questions here for you.
38:58
One, I asked this of your co-host, Jeff Erickson, a couple weeks back, but I, and I used to ask this of Todd Wright when he used to come on the show talking fantasy, which is when a bad, when an, when an offensive trade is offered in fantasy by one of your season-long opponents, an offensive trade, like a ridiculous trade that, uh, that is just, you, you just look at it, you're like, "Are you for real?"
39:19
Do you, A, um, respond with an equally offensive trade; B, ignore entirely; or C, shame him and tell everybody throughout the league what a horrible human being he is? Which, which approach do you most often take?
39:36
I would typically just, uh, very quietly decline the trade. I'm not going to send a counteroffer.
39:41
I'm not gonna send a little message that says, you know, "Oh, fair deal, but I'm not looking to, to part ways with that guy right now." Just gonna be a very quick decline.
39:48
Maybe it's gonna be a text on the side to just let him know, like, "Hey, just so you know, I saw this.
39:52
I'm not gonna embarrass you in front of the whole league, but you know what you've done, and there's no way I'm accepting this trade." Wh- what is the optimal draft position?
40:01
If you could choose where you draft, in other words, do I want- Yeah... Jahmyr Gibbs or Bijan at one? Maybe I want the first pick.
40:08
Do you want the snake at the end, or do you want, is there a sweet spot somewhere in the middle, like you like three or four or something like that? What, for you, is the ideal spot this year?
40:19
I, I will say I don't necessarily love drafting in the very middle this year.
40:22
That six, seven, eight range I think can, can create, one, interesting and difficult decisions in round one, and then kind of force you into even more difficult decisions in round two.
40:33
I, I don't know if this is controversial, but I, I typically like picking on the wheel, whether that means at the start of the, of the first round or at the end.
40:39
Y- I, I think you just have kind of a better gauge for who's going to be available, you know, getting to double tap two picks instead of if you're picking seventh, all right, you start forecasting out and saying, "All right, five more people are picking before me.
40:51
I only have three guys that I like," and if all three go, then you find yourself scrambling. So I, I kinda like picking on the end.
40:58
And, and this year specifically, I mean, that can, that can lead you in a number of directions.
41:02
You know, sometimes you'll see someone like Jonathan Taylor, James Cook, Ashton Jeanty, if you're in on him, available at the end of the first round.
41:08
If you wanna go receiver in a full PPR league, that's where you could find CeeDee Lamb, that's where you could find Justin Jefferson. You guys know I'm high on this Vikings offense.
41:17
Or you can even dip into someone like Chase Brown, who I don't mind sneaking into the end of the first round.
41:22
I think if that Bengals offense stays healthy, and look, even in a year when it didn't last season, Chase Brown was excellent. He was a top five running back in fantasy over the final 12 weeks of the season.
41:32
So I, I think end of the first round, I don't mind certainly having a top three pick, getting one of the truly elite players, but that, that middle of the first round is where I don't wanna be.
41:41
So Nick, uh, shifting over here to, to real football. We talked about the AFC North here on the show already.
41:47
Where do you s- where do you fall on the Pittsburgh Steelers with Aaron Rodgers coming back and the new coach situation and him calling plays and all of that?
41:56
I mean, is it, like, clear number three in, in the division, or do you think they could actually push maybe a Cincinnati or Cleveland? I mean, uh, sorry. [laughs] Or Baltimore.
42:04
I, I think on paper they're a clear number three- Mm...
42:07
but I think there are a lot of years in the last decade or so where we would say that, and then whether it's the teams ahead of them imploding injury-wise or the Steelers just overachieving, which they seem to do every single year compared to the talent on their roster, I mean, this is the team that won the division last year, uh, with that, that crazy win over Baltimore at the end of the season.
42:26
So I, I, I, I mean, as usual, I would just put the Steelers as an eight or nine-win team.
42:30
History suggests they'll find a way to get to nine, but, you know, the, the, the guy who'd gotten them there over the last 20 years is no longer your head coach. So we do have a significant change.
42:38
Even though you're bringing in an experienced coach in Mike McCarthy, somebody who knows Aaron Rodgers as well as anybody, I think that's still a pretty significant variable to have to worry about.
42:48
I, uh, you know, I, I think that the, the way they conducted that offense last season, they made it work, but- It, it was a very unique offense, right? It's like we can't get anything downfield.
42:57
We tried the two or three deep shots to Metcalf. Those don't really work, and then we just nickel and dime our way down the field by throwing it to our running backs over and over.
43:04
I don't know how sustainable that's going to be. They had all these tight ends involved last year. And yeah, you went out and got Michael Pittman. I'm not the biggest fan of him.
43:11
He's an upgrade over what they had last year. But I, I still think this season probably looks a lot like last year for Pittsburgh, where they're winning games. You're wondering, "How are they doing this?"
43:19
You know, they're, they're having trouble generating chunk plays. I don't think we get a significantly better season out of Aaron Rodgers than we got last year. This is... You know, it's funny.
43:28
You just alluded to how that season ended last year. It's funny. We were s- We're so immersed in football. We're such hamsters on a wheel- Mm-hmm... during the football season.
43:36
My recall on what happened in 1983 is often sharper than what happened at the end of last year. But just to refresh, 'cause I had to, I had to do this for myself- Mm-hmm... 'cause Nick just brought up the game.
43:46
The, the final... Remember, going into the Sunday night game at the end of the regular season, the winner of the Ravens-Steelers game was going to win the AFC North. The loser would be completely eliminated.
43:58
Baltimore was in control the first half. Steelers got right back in the game in the second half.
44:02
With one minute to go in the game, Chidobe Au- Auzzieze lost his footing, slipped on third and 10, allowing Aaron Rodgers to c- uh, to connect with a wide open Calvin Austin for the go-ahead touchdown.
44:13
A missed extra point then at that point left Baltimore with a two-point deficit, 55 seconds left to play. Tyler Lupe had missed an extra point earlier.
44:21
A long kickoff return, some last second theatrics by Lamar left Baltimore with a 44-yard field goal to seal it.
44:27
The game and the season on the shoulders of rookie Tyler Lupe, who at that point was 28 for 28 on the season from inside- [laughs]... 50 yards. No good. I, I completely forgot about all that.
44:39
Uh, Ravens at the end went on to finish two and seven straight up against the nine playoff teams they faced last year, only beating Chicago and Green Bay.
44:46
Uh, Nick, last thing, what is the most outlying Nick Whelan prediction of the year, where you don't hear many other people buying into what you're, what you're selling? Man, that's a really good question.
44:58
I, I do find myself to be considerably higher on the Vikings than market, but I, I don't think that's all that crazy. I, you know, the...
45:06
I, I am having a tough time buying in on Kansas City, and I, I don't know if that's even a hot take at this point. I know they're favored to win the AFC West.
45:12
But I think we are just back to Patrick Mahomes absolutely has to play hero ball every single week for, for this team to win games, and I know there was a good three or four-year stretch where that worked out for Kansas City.
45:23
But Mahomes coming off of that injury, you know, they didn't really retool this offense in any meaningful way. Travis Kelce, you're relying way too much on him, I think, at this age.
45:32
Xavier Worthy's already banged up again in camp. We'll see if you can get a full season out of Rashee Rice. I, I know they've swapped out some pieces on defense, but I am, I am not fully sold on Kansas City.
45:43
I don't necessarily think they should be favored right now to win the AFC West. Okay. Um, Nick, appreciate it very much. We'll all look forward to you and Jeff on Prop Points, 10:00 AM Pacific, 1:00 PM Eastern.
45:54
Thank you. Appreciate you guys having me. Nick Whelan, everybody, right here on the show.
45:59
Um, normally Todd Wishnev would, uh, kick off Wishnev Wednesdays next segment, but we have to, uh, schedule around his tennis match this morning. Ah. So Matt and I- Okay...
46:07
are gonna look at some NFL season-long props next, and then we'll get to Todd when he's done with his match. Coming up on The Numbers Game.
A Numbers Game
Listen on
Apple Podcasts
Apple Podcasts
Pocket Casts
Pocket Casts
Castro
Castro
Recent episodes
A Numbers Game | September 17, 2026 | Hour 1
Sep 17, 2026
Best of A Numbers Game | September 16, 2026
Sep 16, 2026
A Numbers Game | September 16, 2026 | Hour 3
Sep 16, 2026
A Numbers Game | September 16, 2026 | Hour 2
Sep 16, 2026
A Numbers Game | September 16, 2026 | Hour 1
Sep 16, 2026
Best of A Numbers Game | September 15, 2026
Sep 15, 2026
A Numbers Game | September 15, 2026 | Hour 3
Sep 15, 2026
A Numbers Game | September 15, 2026 | Hour 2
Sep 15, 2026
A Numbers Game | September 15, 2026 | Hour 1
Sep 15, 2026
Best of A Numbers Game | September 11, 2026
Sep 11, 2026