Sports Handicapper Joey Tron's Picks & Predictions

I am taking the points with the home dog Panthers against the Lions on Sunday Night Football. The Lions defense has been the biggest question mark for them leading into this game even with them coming off a win. They are allowing 31 PPG (Leagues highest) and are dreadful on 3rd down, with teams hitting 56%!! It gets worse as they are 30th in EPA/play and 31st in RZ TD%. The Panthers offense, specifically their passing game has been lethal with them averaging just under 300 yards in the air per game with Bryce Young throwing at least 1 TD in every game thus far. Carolina’s secondary is going to make it hard on Jared Goff as they sit 4th in pass completion %. CAR is 15-4 ATS off a loss and playing as a dog and DET is 3-7 ATS L10 after scoring 30+ including 6 straight losses ATS/SU. Take the points with the Panthers here. –Joey Tron

I am taking the points with the home dogs here with the Raiders against the Chiefs.The Raiders are playing incredible football going 3-0 SU and ATS with at least 26 pts in each game so far. The Chiefs also enter this 3-0 however are facing back to back road contests across different coasts. The Raiders offense has been the focal point of their perfect start with Kirk Cousins throwing 3 TDs in each game so far and they are averaging 13 offensive yards per point! On the defensive side, the Raiders are 3rd in defensive EPA/play and are Top 10 in Points allowed per game. The Chiefs might be 3-0, but their offense ranks 16th in RZ% and the Raiders defense has the secondary to prevent explosive plays. LVR is 21-8 ATS as a home dog against the AFC and KC is 10-20-2 ATS  as a road favorite of 7 or less against the AFC. Take the points with the Raiders here. –Joey Tron

I am laying less than a field goal spread with the Cardinals here on the road against the Giants. The Cardinals may be 1-2 on the season, but they are 2-0 ATS on the road and the Giants will be rolling with Jameis Winston again - we saw enough of what he was capable of against a weak defense and that was NOTHING. Arizona behind Jacoby Brissett doesn't look bad as he is completing 70% of passes and they put up 30 points against the 49ers and 26 against the Chargers. The Giants secondary has been their weakest link this season and Arizona should do enough on the road to come away with a win and cover. To make matters worse for the G-Men, top pass rusher in Brian Burns is OUT making even more time for Brissett to find McBride and Love downfield. ARI is 11-4 ATS in a road game where the total is between 42.5 and 49 points and NYG is 8-15 ATS after playing a game at home. Lay it with the Cardinals here. –Joey Tron

I am laying this small spread with the Texans here at home against Dallas. The Cowboys are coming off a heart breaking loss to Baltimore in Brazil and as good as their offense was, their defense was all over the place allowing just under 400 yards. I'm well aware the Texans are winless to start the season however their record doesn’t paint the full picture. 2 of their 3 losses came by a single possession and they are getting WR Nico Collins back in addition to several other key pieces on both sides of the ball. Despite not getting a lot of production on offense, the Houston defense is holding teams to sub 40% on 3rd down and -.02 EPA per play which will test this Cowboys offense. The Dallas defense, like I mentioned earlier, has been all over the place. They rank dead last in EPA/play on defense and on 3rd down with teams converting 58%!!! The Houston run game has been bleak however the Dallas line of scrimmage has been horrid and this can be a huge bright spot for the Texans at home on Sunday. HOU is 21-16 ATS at home off a loss against division rival and DAL is 14-18 ATS as a road dog of 7pts or less. Lay it with the Texans here. –Joey Tron