Sports Handicapper Frank Sawyer's Picks & Predictions

FRANK’S CUTTING ROOM FLOOR FOR THURSDAY, 4/30:

My “Cutting Room Floor” plays are the situations I considered the closest to being worthy of investment but did not make the “final cut” for my official plays today for subscribers. The last play I cut for Thursday is with the Anaheim Ducks with the money-line versus the Edmonton Oilers. Anaheim (46-35-6) looks to rebound from their 4-1 loss on the road against the Oilers on Tuesday. The Ducks have 5 of their last 6 home games after failing to score more than one goal in their last game. They have also won 14 of their last 19 games at home as an underdog. Edmonton (43-32-12) has lost 6 of their last 9 road games after not allowing more than one goal in their last game. The Oilers have also lost 10 of their last 16 games on the road against teams with a winning record. Take Anaheim with the money-line. Best of luck — Frank.

Frank Sawyer’s Hollywood Sports improved their 24 of 36 (67%) NHL run with featured 25*/20*/10* plays by CA$HING their 25* NHL Western Conference Total of the Month with the Utah-Vegas Over last night to fuel their 15 of 19 (79%) NHL playoff featured plays run going back to last season! Frank is on a 7 of 9 (78%) NHL TOTALS TEAR in the playoffs with featured plays — and now he furthers his 11 of 14 (79%) NHL Game of the Month/Year Playoff mark with his 25* NHL Pacific Division Total of the Month for the Edmonton-Anaheim O/U winner on TNT at 10:10 PM ET! DO NOT MISS OUT!

At 10:10 PM ET on Thursday, we will be playing Over the Total in Game Six of the Western Conference quarterfinals series between the Edmonton Oilers (45) and the Anaheim Ducks (46). THE SITUATION: Edmonton (43-32-12) kept their season alive with a 4-1 victory at home against the Ducks on Tuesday. Anaheim (46-35-6) holds a 3-2 lead in this best-of-seven series. 

REASONS TO TAKE OVER THE TOTAL: The Oilers have scored four goals in four of the five games in this series. Edmonton has played 12 of their last 15 games Over the Total in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. They have also played 11 of their last 15 games Over the Total when trailing in a playoff series. The team got their best goaltending effort from Connor Ingram, who stopped 29 of the 30 shots he faced after getting benched in Game Four. Ingram is on record as saying that he appreciated the mental break after giving up six goals in Game Three. In his series, he has been saddled with a 3.77 Goals-Against-Average and a .878 save percentage. The deeper metrics confirm his subpar play as he has -1.4 Goals Saved Above Expectation (GSAx). The Ducks score 3.4 Goals-Per-Game. Edmonton has played 33 of their last 46 games Over the Total against teams who score 3.0 or more Goals-Per-Game, including 13 of those 18 games on the road. They have played 12 of their last 17 games Over the Total when on the road. Furthermore, the Oilers have played 21 of their last 33 games Over the Total against teams with a winning record, including 9 of those 13 games on the road. Anaheim has played 13 of their last 17 games at home Over the Total after losing their last game. They have also played 9 of their last 14 games Over the Total after failing to score more than one goal in their last game. The Ducks had scored 17 combined goals in Games Two through Four of this series before getting frustrated in Game Five. They did generate 2.68 expected goals in that game, but after Edmonton took a 3-0 lead midway through the first period, the Oilers took on a defensive posture to protect their lead. Goalie Lukas Dostal got pulled after surrendering three goals on nine shots. He posted a -2.27 GSAx mark in that game — and he has -5.4 GSAx in this series. In this series, he has a 4.32 Goals-Against-Average — and his .864 save percentage is the second worst in this postseason. He has given up a goal on the first shot he faced in the last two games in this series — and 12 times this season. He will be back between the pipes tonight. Edmonton scores 3.5 Goals-Per-Game — and the Ducks have played 34 of their last 49 games Over the Total games Over the Total against teams who score 3.0 or more Goals-Per-Game, including 18 of those 25 games played at home. They return home, where they have played 26 of their 41 games Over the Total, including 4 of their last 5 contests. They have also played 13 of their last 19 home games Over the Total against teams with a winning percentage in the 40-49% range.

FINAK TAKE: Anaheim has played 20 of their last 30 games Over the Total when playing with revenge from a loss at home, including 11 of those 17 games played at home. 25* NHL Pacific Division Total of the Month with Over the Total in the game between the Edmonton Oilers (45) and the Anaheim Ducks (46). Best of luck for us — Frank. 

At 8:10 PM ET on Thursday, we will be playing the Boston Celtics (509) minus the points versus the Philadelphia 76ers (510) in Game Six of their Western Conference quarterfinals series. THE SITUATION: Boston (59-28) has won two games in a row in this series before their 113-97 upset loss at home against the 76ers as a 10.5-point favorite on Tuesday. Philadelphia (48-40) still trails in this series by a 3-2 margin. 

REASONS TO TAKE THE CELTICS MINUS THE POINTS: Boston has become notorious in the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown era for playing some clunkers in the postseason — especially on their home court. Usually, the culprits are some combination of 3-point shooting variance and complacency on defense. Both of those dynamics were on display in Game Five. The Celtics took a 63-50 lead in the third quarter and seemed to be on cruise control to end this series. But they got outscored the rest of the way by a 63-34 margin. They made things too easy for Joel Embiid’s scoring in the paint. They scored only 11 points in the fourth quarter. For the game, they only converted on 11 of their 39 shots (28.9%) from behind the arc. In their Game Two loss, Boston only made 26.5% of their shots from 3-point range. They rebounded with a 108-100 victory on the road in Philadelphia in Game Three. That’s who they are. The Celtics have covered the point spread in 17 of their last 22 games when favored after suffering an upset loss. They have also covered the point spread in 7 of their last 10 games after an upset loss as a home favorite. They go back on the road where they have covered the point spread in 12 of their last 18 games — and they have covered the point spread in 7 of their last 10 road games with the Total set in the 210s. Boston has also covered the point spread in 17 of their last 26 games on the road when favored — and they have covered the point spread in 10 of their last 15 road games when laying 3.5-9.5 points as the favorite. Furthermore, the Celtics have covered the point spread in 16 of their last 23 games against teams with a winning percentage in 51-60% range, including 8 of those 11 games on the road. Philadelphia shot 50% from the field in Game Five, which was the best shooting effort in this series. Embiid scored 33 points on 12 of 23 shooting from the field — but there was a canary in the coal mine regarding his efforts moving forward. He is still less than three weeks off emergency appendectomy surgery — and he is beginning to look exhausted on the court. It is telling that he only had four rebounds in that game — and he was only in position to pull down eight rebounds, which is unthinkable for a big man. He played 39 minutes on Tuesday. Don’t be surprised if he cannot come close to replicating his performance in Game Five — especially with the Celtics stewing for 48 hours about making things too easy for him. The 76ers have failed to cover the point spread in 8 of their last 12 games after pulling off an upset victory. They return home, where they have failed to cover the point spread in 12 of their last 19 games as an underdog. The Sixers have also failed to cover the point spread in 8 of their last 11 games at home against teams with a winning percentage in the 60-70% range. 

FINAL TAKE: The Celtics have covered the point spread in 13 of their last 21 games when playing with revenge. 25* NBA Game of the Month with the Boston Celtics (509) minus the points versus the Philadelphia 76ers (510). Best of luck for us — Frank.

THE SITUATION: The PGA Tour returns to Trump National Doral at the Blue Monster Course in Miami, Florida, after a nine-year hiatus for the PGA Cadillac Championship. This Par 72 event is the second-longest on the PGA Tour at 7739 yards. The Bermudagrass rough rises up to three inches. The pros will contend with 110 bunkers and water that impacts ten holes. The greens consist of TifEagle Bermuda grass that will measure up to 12 feet on the stimpmeter, with the average putting surface of the greens being 7200 square feet. This is the fifth signature event on the PGA Tour this season, with a heightened purse and no cuts for the 72 professionals competing this week.

TOP OVERLAY BET: Chris Gotterup (+2800 odds at DraftKings). Recommended Prop Bet: Gotterup (7142) versus Sam Burns (7148) in Round One head-to-head props. This prop goes off the board at 1:50 PM ET.

Our Top Overlay Bet on the golfer who offers the most value relative to the odds two in the PGA Cadillac Championship is on Chris Gotterup, who is listed at +2800 odds at DraftKings. Gotterup is one of two members on the PGA Tour with multiple victories — he opened the season by winning the Sony Open in January before winning the WM Phoenix Open. He also won the PGA Genesis Scottish Open last July. His skill set is a great fit for this course because he is one of the best bombers on the tour. He ranks fourth on the PGA Tour in Driving Distance. He also ranks eighth on the tour in Shots-Gained: Off the Tee and ninth in Shots-Gained: Tee-to-Green. In his last 36 rounds, he leads the field in Driving Distance and ranks fifth in Shots Gained: Off the Tee. He is the best player on the tour right now when handling wind — and while the weather report suggests Saturday is the only day when wind will play a role, it can only help his chances when playing so close to the ocean. Gotterup is also good with his irons as he ranks 36th on the tour in Shots-Gained: Approach the Green. He has gained strokes versus the field in Approach the Green in nine straight tournaments. He also ranks in the top 12 when the approach shot is within 175 yards. Furthermore, his putting thrives on Bermuda greens where he ranks ninth on the PGA Tour with a +0.56 Shots-Gained versus the field mark. 

Gotterup is linked with Sam Burns in Round One head-to-head props. Burns’ strength is with his putting. He led the PGA Tour in Shots-Gained: Putting last season and currently ranks 11th on the tour in 2026 in that metric. But his advantage with his blade may be limited, given the unfamiliar greens he is playing on this week. He has four top 25 finishes this season after following up his tie for seventh place at the Masters with a tie for 16th place at the RBC Heritage two weeks ago. But I don’t like how his game sets up for the challenge of the Blue Monster. While Burns has good length off the tee, he lacks precision with his driver as he ranks 123rd in Driver Accuracy. He is likely going to have to contend with the three-inch rough and the 110 sand bunkers. He ranks 63rd on the tour in Shots-Gained: Off the Tee and 98th in Shots-Gained: Tee to Green. He also ranks 79th in Sand Save Percentage and 67th in Scrambling. Furthermore, Burns ranks just 83rd on the tour in Round One Scoring. Gotterup, on the other hand, leads the PGA Tour in Round One Scoring. Take Gotterup (7142) versus Burns (7141) in Round One head-to-head matchups. Best of luck for us — Frank.

Money Management advice: I like to consider the three "to win" prop bets as lottery tickets. If your typical bet is X, then I am fine if you wager 10-30% of X into each golfer to win — just be consistent with that method from week-to-week. I am also fine if you are more ambitious with these bets and wager up to X on each golfer-per-week. Over the course of the season, we have been profitable -- so I preach consistency with the investments each week. I am also OK with a slow uptick in the initial investment if the bankroll warrants -- maybe go from 20% of X to 25%.  For the head-to-head prop bets, treat them as either 10* or 20* bets (if you choose to invest in them) -- and stay consistent from week-to-week.

THE SITUATION: The PGA Tour returns to Trump National Doral at the Blue Monster Course in Miami, Florida, after a nine-year hiatus for the PGA Cadillac Championship. This Par 72 event is the second-longest on the PGA Tour at 7739 yards. The Bermudagrass rough rises up to three inches. The pros will contend with 110 bunkers and water that impacts ten holes. The greens consist of TifEagle Bermuda grass that will measure up to 12 feet on the stimpmeter, with the average putting surface of the greens being 7200 square feet. This is the fifth signature event on the PGA Tour this season, with a heightened purse and no cuts for the 72 professionals competing this week.

BEST BET: Cameron Young (+1275 odds at DraftKings). Recommended Prop Bet: Young (7120) versus Scottie Scheffler (7119) in Round One head-to-head props(and grab the +0.5 strokes if available and priced no higher than -150). This prop goes off the board at 10:50 AM ET.

Our Best Bet to win the PGA Cadillac Championship is on Cameron Young, who is listed at +1250 odds to win this event at DraftKings. It has been a breakout season for the 28-year-old. After finishing in a tie for third place at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, he won THE PLAYERS Championship last month and then followed that up by finishing in third place at the Masters (leading on Sunday at one point). His most recent PGA event was at the RBC Heritage two weeks ago, where he settled for a tie for 25th place. Young is playing at an elite level and has gained +1.63 shots per round versus the field. In his last five events, which have either been a major championship or a signature event with a stacked field, he has gained more than 45 strokes versus the field. He is a great fit for this course because he is one of the longest drivers on the tour. He ranks sixth on the PGA Tour in 2026 in Shots-Gained: Tee-to-Green and tenth in Shots-Gained: Off the Tee. He also ranks second on the tour in Total Driving and second in Proximity to the Hole. He also has an excellent short game. He ranks 12th on the tour in Scrambling with a success rate of over 67%. He loves playing on Bermuda greens as well, where he ranks third on the tour since the start of 2025 by averaging +1.22 strokes-gained per round versus the field. Where Young’s game has most improved is with his irons, as he ranks 18th on the tour in Shots-Gained: Approach the Green. Young ranks fifth on the tour in Bogey Avoidance, which suggests he should play well on more difficult courses. 

Young is linked with Scottie Scheffler in Round One head-to-head props. Scheffler has just missed in two straight events as he followed up his second place at the Masters with a second place at the RBC Heritage two weeks ago. But he has only won once on the tour in 2026 and is still getting priced as if he was Tiger Woods at his prime. It is a credit to his immense talent that he is still eking out good results despite being way out of form with his irons. He led the tour in Shots-Gained: Approach the Green last year — but he has plummeted to 65th on the tour in that metric this year. Furthermore, he has played this course as a professional — and opening rounds are when he is at his least lethal as he ranks just 72nd on the tour in Round One Scoring in 2026. He then improves to 14th in Round Two Scoring before leading the PGA Tour this season in Round Three and Round Four Scoring — so getting his bearings on a golf course makes a significant difference for him. Take Young (7120) versus Scheffler (7119) in Round One head-to-head props (and grab the +0.5 strokes if available and priced no higher than -150). Best of luck — Frank.

Money Management advice: I like to consider the three "to win" prop bets as lottery tickets. If your typical bet is X, then I am fine if you wager 10-30% of X into each golfer to win — just be consistent with that method from week-to-week. I am also fine if you are more ambitious with these bets and wager up to X on each golfer-per-week. Over the course of the season, we have been profitable -- so I preach consistency with the investments each week. I am also OK with a slow uptick in the initial investment if the bankroll warrants -- maybe go from 20% of X to 25%.  For the head-to-head prop bets, treat them as either 10* or 20* bets (if you choose to invest in them) -- and stay consistent from week-to-week.