Sports Handicapper William Burns's Picks & Predictions

(#269) Carolina Panthers | ATS | . 

Even though I believe that a lot of people probably like the Cardinals in this spot and that they will more than likely be a popular pick in this week's survivor contests, I do in fact expect a strong showing out of Bryce Young and the Panthers. It wasn't a pretty performance in week one by either team. I mean, Carolina didn't look good at all against Jacksonville. But McMillan started clicking with Young and I expect Hubbard to have more room in this one. 

Arizona didn't look too strong either. It was in a tight game throughout the majority of the game vs. New Orleans last weekend who might just be the worst team in the NFL. Yes, Carolina is on the road. But, stranger things have happened and I believe that this could definitely be a let down spot for Arizona with a division rival in SF on deck. Grab the points. 

Burns' Prediction: 23-21 Panthers.

(#954) Milwaukee Brewers | ML | . 

Miles Mikolas (7-10, 4.84 ERA) vs. Jose Quintana (11-6, 3.88 ERA) . 

While the Cardinals were able to force extra innings last night, it was probably their best shot at stealing a game in this series. Now, with the sweep on the line, I don't think that St. Louis stands much of a chance. The Cardinals are still barely in the playoff race now but matchups like these are not going to favor them whatsoever. 

Mikolas has been sub-par this season and Quintana has been very effective. It helps that the Brewers possess the best record in the National League at the moment. The hitting has been magical for Milwaukee this campaign and I expect more hitting excellence on Sunday afternoon. Hammer MIL. 

Burns' Prediction: 8-4 Brewers.

(#973) Texas Rangers @ (#974) New York Mets | UNDER | . 

Jacob Latz (2-0, 2.91 ERA) vs. Nolan McLean (4-1, 1.42 ERA) .

Off yesterday's low scoring game, I'm a bit surprised that this line isn't down a bit from that game. Even though these are both inexperienced starting pitchers in Latz and McLean, they've both shown flashes of greatness this season and I expect that to continue into today's ball game. Texas has been one of the best pitching teams all year long and bring in the best ERA & WHIP in the MLB. 

While the Mets don't have that good of stats in the pitching department, Nolan McLean's pitching has definitely been impressive. Yes, he lost his last start. But, he gave up only a run in five and a third of an inning in that game. He's got nasty stuff and I expect another "under" in this matchup on Sunday. 

Burns' Prediction: 3-1 Mets.

(#220361) Gil Vicente @ (#220362) Sporting Braga | UNDER |. 

Gil Vicente wasn't too strong a season ago, losing 16 out of its 34 games and winning only eight. However, times have changed and it's actually a fairly solid opponent for some of the better teams in the Portuguese league now. I believe that its defense is what keeps it in the matches and having allowed two goals in four games so far, that's exactly what I'm talking about. 

Scoring has been an issue for Gil Vicente too though as it's scored four. Braga is going to be expecting a result coming in as the favorite. But, considering the defense of the away side, don't expect it to be so easy to find the back of the net. I expect a low scoring contest on Sunday featuring two goals or less. 

Burns' Prediction: 1-0 Braga.

(#258) Dallas Cowboys | ATS | . 

New York was somewhat surprisingly (to me at least) a popular pick a week ago when it took on Washington. Ending up on the losing end of that game, I believe that the Giants are in a bit of trouble right now. Wilson didn't get Nabers the ball nearly enough and the running game was non existent. Moving forward, if these issues remain, the Giants are going to be in for a long season. 

Dallas, on the other hand, fought very hard against the defending champs. With multiple chances to win that game, I believe that the Cowboys will still bring some positive energy into its home opener in Arlington. The Cowboys still have one of the deadliest options at receiver in the league and having Javonte Williams score two TD's in the win definitely gives the team some confidence in the running game. 

After the delay in the TNF game, Dallas turned up the heat on the defensive end as well. Even without Parsons, I believe that the Cowboys definitely can still be solid on that side of the ball. Being at home should help Dallas get on the board with its first win of the season and I expect a fairly simple cover on Sunday afternoon. 

Burns' Prediction: 31-14 Cowboys.

(#253) Jacksonville Jaguars @ (#254) Cincinnati Bengals | OVER | . 

Even though its game had a delay in the middle of it, Jacksonville's offense looked very solid in the win in week one over the Panthers. The Jags' running attack was clicking with Etienne, unlike a season ago. A running game is one of the most important factors in an offenses success. With that, it opens up so many more passing options as well. 

On the other hand, it was a very bad showing from Cincinnati in the first game, who barely survived against Cleveland. Luckily for the Bengals, that was a pretty easy first week matchup for them. Having said that, they should turn it around this weekend, especially on the offensive side of the ball. The Bengals had a very poor defense last year and we'll be able to see if a repeat of that is on the cards this season. 

In the end, I'm looking for tons of points in this game. I expect THE o/u line to trend even higher and continue throughout the week. Get on the "over" train as fast as possible. 

Burns' Prediction: 36-24 Bengals.

(#24986) Canelo Alvarez | ML | . 

This has been the most highly anticipated fight in a very long time and I absolutely love Canelo in this one. Even though he's got a couple of losses on his record (63-2-2,) Alvarez is the only undisputed super middleweight champion in history. He's got the experience advantage by far, and he's definitely more used to the 12 round system, unlike Crawford who mostly sees eight rounds. 

Talking about the American, don't get me wrong, his 41-0-0 record (39 KO's) is extremely impressive. I mean you can't get any better than perfect. However, the strength in opponents that he's fighting compared to Canelo is very significant and Crawford is much less accurate with his punches than the Mexican. 

It's going to be tough to knockout the guy that's got no losses on his record and is a knockout artist himself. However, I like Canelo's head movement much more than Crawford's and I also like his counter striking ability when Crawford's sucked in looking for the big punch. Give me Canelo Alvarez to win this bout. 

Burns' Prediction: Canelo via. Decision.