Section 215’s Best Philly Betting Picks for 7/17 (Eagles vs. DeAndre Hopkins, NL East Action)
The Phillies get a well-earned day of rest at home on Monday after rattling off three straight wins against the Padres, but that doesn’t mean fans and bettors in Philly don’t have anything to get action on today.
One of the NFL offseason’s biggest remaining dominos fell on Sunday, with DeAndre Hopkins becoming a Tennessee Titan. That means the Eagles will be the first team to face him as a Titan in regular season action, and betting odds for that game are already available.
There are also still a pair of NL East teams in action today, and both contests present some interesting value.
Here are our editors’ top betting picks in Philadelphia sports today.
Best Philadelphia Betting Picks: July 17
Jason Schandl: Cubs Moneyline
There’s not much NL East action going on tonight, but there’s one reliable spot we can count on: the Nationals completely blowing it.
Nobody needs to be too afraid of the Cubs, but you don’t need to be a World Series contender to beat up on the Nats.
Washington is one of five teams in the majors whose pitchers have an aggregate WAR below 5.0, and even with MacKenzie Gore on the mound (4.42 ERA) this isn’t an intimidating spot for Cubs bats.
Things have also been rough for Gore lately. A rain delay meant he couldn’t get much work in against the Reds before the All-Star break, and before that game he made an early exit with a blister after getting shellacked for 7 runs in 2 2/3 against the Phillies. This guy has one good outing in the last 30 days.
The Nats have the second-worst record in the entire National League, and that’s not getting any better tonight.
And remember, if you sign up and bet through FanDuel Sportsbook you’ll get an added bonus. Anyone in PA who signs up through Section 215 will get a guaranteed $100 bonus just for placing your first $5 wager. That means if you bet $5 on the Cubs but the Nats somehow win, you’ll still get that $100 bonus!
Isaiah De Los Santos: Eagles Week 1 Win Margin
DeAndre Hopkins choosing to sign with the Tennessee Titans impacts the Philadelphia Eagles in more ways than one. There was some rumored interest between the two parties, but Philly didn’t appear too aggressive in its pursuit, which makes sense given the Eagles’ already-stellar receiving corps.
One team that desperately needed Hopkins’ services, however, was the New England Patriots – the same Patriots who are Philadelphia’s Week 1 opponent. New England shuffled its deck of wide receivers this offseason, opting to swap Jakobi Meyers out for JuJu Smith-Schuster. Other than that, though, this group is underwhelming, to say the least.
Adding Hopkins would’ve suddenly elevated not only their wide receiver room, giving the Pats a true No. 1, but also their offense. Instead, they’re depending on a No. 2 in Smith-Schuster to be their top dog, along with a bunch of No. 3’s or unknowns like DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton.
New England’s loss is Philadelphia’s gain. This development should make the Eagles even stronger favorites in Week 1 to take down Bill Belichick and company. Philly has a clearly superior offense and defense, with both capable of doing what the Pats do, but even better.
I love getting Nick Sirianni’s team at plus-money in the Week 1 win-margin market. FanDuel provides a bigger bucket (1-13-point Eagles win, +135 odds), but DraftKings offers greater value on a win by at least 7 points (7-12-point Eagles win, +400).
Tyler Maher: Marlins/Cardinals Under
With the Philadelphia Phillies off on Monday, we’ll be keeping a close eye on the Miami Marlins (53-42), who are only one game in front of Philadelphia for second place in the NL East. Miami heads to St. Louis tonight to face the Cardinals (40-53) in a National League showdown.
The Cardinals have been a massive disappointment thus far, falling to last place in the NL Central after winning the division last year. They’ve started to turn things around lately, however, winning five of their last seven games.
The Marlins trail the Atlanta Braves by 9.5 games in the NL East after getting swept by the Baltimore Orioles over the weekend. They’ll try to bounce back in St. Louis tonight behind Jesus Luzardo, who’s 8-5 with a 3.29 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 109 ⅓ innings.
Luzardo’s been lights out lately with five straight quality starts, posting a 1.14 ERA and a 40:6 K/BB ratio over that stretch. He’ll go up against Miles Mikolas (5-5, 4.12 ERA), who’s also coming in hot with 10 scoreless innings over his last two outings combined.
With the way both starting pitchers have been dealing recently, runs will likely be at a premium tonight. As such, our best bet for this game is for the final score to go under the projected total.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.