It’s the St. Louis Rams and the Atlanta Falcons. The Dirty Birds are laying 2.5 at BetUs Sportsbook  and 3 at Sports Betting Sportsbook with a total of 36. 

Rams starting QB Marc Bulger is out. Journeyman Kyle Boller gets the start. They will again be minus their best WR Donnie Avery. Fellow wideouts Tim Carter and Brooks Foster are also out leaving St. Louis with just seven wide receivers.

However starting FB Mike Karney returns after missing the opener. He will be the lead blocker for Steven Jackson.

Alex Barron is out at RT for the Lambs, so No. 2 overall picks Jason Smith gets the start. His play has improved throughout camp.

Out for Atlanta: CB Chris Houston, LB Edmond Miles, S William Moore, and DT Jason Jefferson. Atlanta will likely test several young players against the Rams starters. DE Chauncey Davis and DT Trey Lewis will start but head coach Mike Smith said he will rotate players at those positions.

Other young Falcons who will get into the game early include CB Christopher Owens, DE Lawrence Sidbury, and DT Vance Walker.

RB Thomas Brown, who saw a lot of time as kick returner to Detroit, is a game time decision.

Smith did indicate that the QB rotation after Matt Ryan will be different than last week, but he did not specify. As point of reference, against Detroit it was Chris Redman, D.J. Shockley, and John Parker Wilson.

St. Louis starters will play the first half.

Top expert pick on this game: No. 6 all-time NFL service based on units won and No. 3 based on winning percentage has their 2009 NFL Preseason Lock of the Year on the Falcons/Rams. Click now to purchase this pick from the MasterLockLine.

Because the MasterLockLine monitors each and every one of the nation’s top sports service, handicappers, tip sheets and syndicates, you will get every Game of the Year play worth betting. Every last one in the industry is yours. That’s why you get more legitimate service Games of the Year on the MasterLockLine than anyone else.  

As the US Open betting season slowly approaches, a lot of bettors start to take more and more notice of what is happening in the Masters Series events prior to the big event. All eyes have been on Rafael Nadal and for good reason. Everyone knows that the Roger Federer express is on track to win another US Open – this would be his sixth consecutive one, for those who are counting – and the only guy that can derail that train is Nadal.

Nadal has been battling knee problems for the first time in his career this year and a lot of people aren’t sure whether this will be a regular thing from this point on or whether this is just one rough season. Nadal is the type of player that goes all out and plays with reckless abandon, so it’s not surprising that his body is breaking down, but it is surprising that his body is breaking down at the age of 23.

The betting public got their first look of Nadal when he came back from a month-long absence at the Rogers Cup in Montreal. Previously, Nadal had been surprisingly upset at the French Open, when he was among everyone’s sports picks to win the event, and then was forced to pull out of Wimbledon with his knee injury.

At the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Nadal struggled and was upset far earlier than anyone expected. He’s fared a little better at the Masters Series in Cincinnati, which to some is a good sign. After struggling to beat Andrea Seppi, needing tie-breakers in both sets to win, Nadal finally looked like himself against No. 31 seed Paul-Henri Mathieu with an easier win.

The issue was that after the match, Nadal still mention that he is suffering from knee tendinitis, which figures to be an ongoing issue. The hard court surface is the least forgiving on the knees, which means Nadal simply isn’t going to be 100% when it comes to the US Open.

Roger Federer is on a role right now. He’s surpassed Pete Sampras’ record for Grand Slams, he’s finally got that elusive French Open Championship, and now the pressure is off of him to just go out and play great tennis.

Over the last five years, Nadal has been the only player on the Tour to consistently beat Federer and if he’s not healthy, don’t expect anyone else to be able to. Those who sports bet online should stick with Federer as their pick at the US Open.

Cowboys Stadium hosts the Fox Sports crew and the Dallas Cowboys host the Tennessee Titans tonight. BetUs Sportsbook has the Cowboys -3 with a total of 38.5.

All Pro C Kevin Mawae remains out for Tennessee. “Intangibles” handicappers love the fact this is the first game in the gazillion dollar Cowboys Stadium.

Bob Warner of NFL betting blog Lines-Maker.com says he expects an “LSU atmosphere” referring to the notoriously rowdy fans at Saturday night Bengal Tiger games. There are 1,742 tree-lined spaces for tailgaters and revelers are expected hours beforehand. Gates open five, yes five hours before kickoff. 

Titans head coach Jeff Fisher said that his starters will play one or two more series than last week. This could take them into the second quarter. Backup QB Vince Young may take some snaps with the starters.

The Cowboys starters will go at least a half. Tony Romo starts at QB and veteran journeyman Jon Kitna follows.

Dallas CBs Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins as well as WR Roy Williams are probable despite nagging injuries. FB Deon Anderson is out.

For the Titans, the following players are out: cornerback Ryan Mouton, offensive tackle David Stewart, safety Nick Schommer, linebacker Josh Stamer, wide receiver Chris Davis, and defensive tackle Jason Jones. Linebackers Stephen Tulloch and Colin Allred, and offensive lineman Doug Datish are doubtful.

Top expert pick on this game: Stevie Vincent gets out the broom last night in pro football. His highest rated play of the season was on the Indianapolis Colts, plus he adds the over. This superstar also nails Texas as a Level 5 in pro baseball.

What a betting card up for Friday. The Great One has a Level 5 side and Level 5 over/under, his first two of the NFLX season, but he also has another total. This includes the national television game side and over/under on the Titans/Cowboys. Click now to purchase

Perhaps football betting investors may have heard. Brett Favre is now a Minnesota Viking and makes his debut tonight against the Kansas City Chiefs. BetED has Minnesota -3 with a total of 37. 

It now looks like a battle for backup QB between Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels as the Brett Favre soap opera starts a new chapter after Favre signed with the Vikes. Rosenfels was outstanding in the first preseason game, going 10-of-13 and leading his team to 10 points. Jackson was 7-of-15 for 39 yards.  

Favre will play a series or two, but his signing has made this a hot ticket and boisterous crowd for a regular season game is likely. Kansas City will play their starters about a half, which was longer than originally expected.

The Chiefs presumed starting QB Matt Cassel has struggled, while back-up Brodie Croyle has played very well. Head coach Todd Haley has not confirmed that he thought Cassel is the best QB in camp, hence a quarterback battle is developing. No. 3 QB Tyler Thigpen is out.

Top expert pick on this game: It’s from the top football service ever: GodsTips. Yet another winning night as the underdog Braves on top of a 3-0 NFL sweep: Bengals a Wise Guy and Majors on the Bengals under and Colts outright. Get all three sides including our second Wise Guy of the season.

MLB has just been added and it includes five Majors and a Wise Guy. Which team is a big favorite even though their pitcher is 0-7 this year under tonight’s circumstance? Which favorite keeps losing as a favorite and plays a team that keeps winning as an underdog? All that and more among NFL and MLB winners all told. Click now to purchase

Chad Ochocinco kicks GodsTips and the Cincinnati Bengals en route to a sweep by destroying Tom Brady and the Patriots. While polls say Americans are losing confidence in Barack Obama and maybe Michelle Obama’s shorts, the sports handicappers have never had a higher approval rating.

Have you heard that Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings host the Kansas City Chiefs tonight? The top football betting experts continue to be right, right, bloody well right on the picks.

No, not even the Lisa Rinna Playboy pictures, even if Jan Meza were giving her a nuru massage, could be as hot as the top sports betting picks against the NFL preseason lines.

Here is the objective rundown of who is hot and who has the big plays for Friday MLB picks and NFL betting.

Let’s start with the best of them all: GodsTips. Yet another winning night as the underdog Braves on top of a 3-0 NFL sweep: Bengals a Wise Guy and Majors on the Bengals under and Colts outright. Get all three sides including our second Wise Guy of the season.

MLB has just been added and it includes five Majors and a Wise Guy. Which team is a big favorite even though their pitcher is 0-7 this year under tonight’s circumstance? Which favorite keeps losing as a favorite and plays a team that keeps winning as an underdog? All that and more among NFL and MLB winners all told. Click now to purchase

Now to the man who has dominated the football line for more than a decade and publicly for three years, Stevie Vincent. Stevie gets out the broom last night in pro football. His highest rated play of the season was on the Indianapolis Colts, plus he adds the over. This superstar also nails Texas as a Level 5 in pro baseball.

What a betting card up for Friday. The Great One has a Level 5 side and Level 5 over/under, his first two of the NFLX season, but he also has another total. This includes the national television game side and over/under on the Titans/Cowboys. Click now to purchase

Now all the sports betting services with their top picks are in one place. The top money won handicapper in the 21^st century is a handicapper out of Philadelphia who rates his plays 5, 7.5 and 10 stars. He is especially rewarding in professional sports, where his NFL and NBA combined units won is No. 1 all-time.  His first 10* of 2009 NFLX was on the Carolina/NY Giants over. Just his second of the preseason is on the Rams/Falcons over/under. He also has one MLB 10*

No. 6 all-time NFL service based on units won and No. 3 based on winning percentage has their 2009 NFL Preseason Lock of the Year on the Falcons/Rams

The No. 1 ranked football service both since 2005 and all-time is a service out of Las Vegas that has hit 58 percent or higher with “Vegas Insider’ releases nine of the 11 years they’ve been in the business, exceeding 62 percent five times. (NFL and NCAAF combined).Their first Vegas Insider NFL pick this season is on Kansas City/Minnesota

The Coach Potato is the premier television handicapper in the world.  In 1988 after having success as a handicapper, investing 70-plus hours per week, he opted to streamline and concentrate on only national TV games.  His efficiency has paid off hitting at least 58 % in college and pro football and basketball. All plays are rated equally. First release of the football season is on the Titans/Cowboys side

Luther Wade is the former right-hand man of Oscar Dooley.  When Wade was making his picks, Dooley had 4 straight Top 10 finishes all sports combined ’97-’00.  Wade is his best on college basketball conference play and with totals plays in all sports. He is the No. 1 all-time money winning totals handicapper. He waives the rating on the Chiefs/Vikings total.   

No. 1 Pay After You Win MLB Service has their Pay After You Win Game of the Month, a play they have hit all four previous months. They are charging $49. (guarantees and Pay After are by sports services to their clients.  We can’t enforce guarantees on re-releases). Click now to purchase sports betting picks from the top sports services or you can get more information and a free sports pick    

So long, Vick; the NFL betting community is abuzz with Brett Favre chatter this week. He finally signed with Minnesota and sportsbooks responded, upping the Vikings’ odds of being a powerhouse. They were +180 to win the NFC North a last week and now they’re +125. The assumption is that pocket passer Favre makes the Vikings better, but I wonder how true that is. Here are a few factors to consider in your betting management.

FAVRE’S FITNESS

Favre has a rep for not enjoying training and preferring to simply gunsling footballs all summer. However, at this stage of his career, his success correlates with how hard he trains. When he had his massive comeback season in 2007, he had hired a personal trainer and worked himself into great shape the offseason prior. Before starting with the Jets in 2008, he didn’t work out much, instead just tossing balls to high schoolers, and he immediately regressed. This offseason, Favre has done very little training, so he’s more likely to be the Jets incarnation than the Packers one. That means he’ll take a lot of hits, make some hurried throws and, quite possibly, throw as many interceptions as touchdowns. In other words, he’ll do what Sage Rosenfels would’ve done at a fraction of the price.

RUNNING GAME

Adrian Peterson is the man, but will Favre make him better? AP isn’t a great pass catcher. He excels when he gets the rock 20-plus times a game and bludgeons defenses. With Favre in the lineup, will coach Brad Childress feel obligated to throw more and use AP less? It could weaken the running game.

RECEIVERS

At the absolute best, the Vikings receiving corps matches what Favre had at his disposal in New York. Bernard Berrian and Sidney Rice can get deep, but can Favre still throw the deep ball? Percy Harvin is the real wild card. He and Favre could form a dynamic tandem, but Harvin is a rookie—out of bust-heavy Florida. He’s no guarantee to flourish. It’s thus fair to wonder if Favre will have a tough, between-the-20s, surehanded guy like Donald Driver or Laveranues Coles in Minny at all.

In conclusion, I’d be careful with the Vikings in my online betting. Favre could help them but he could just as easily hurt them, as he’ll force them to fix what isn’t broken on offense. Remember that before making Minnesota your NFL picks this season.