The Battle for the Bay goes down on Thursday Night Football when the San Francisco 49ers host the Oakland Raiders. It's an 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff from Levi's Stadium. Both teams are reeling and desperate for a win. San Francisco lost its sixth straight on Sunday, blowing a 12-point fourth-quarter lead in an 18-15 loss at Arizona. Meanwhile, Oakland lost its third straight, 42-28 to visiting Indy, as the Raiders were outscored 21-0 in the fourth quarter. Sportsbooks list the 49ers as three-point favorites. The over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 47 in the latest 49ers vs. Raiders odds. Before you make any 49ers vs. Raiders picks, listen to what Larry Hartstein has to say.
SportsLine's senior analyst is 10-3 in his past 13 picks involving the 49ers -- he knows when to back them and when to fade them. In the season-opener, Hartstein confidently stated San Fran would not be able to stay within a six-point spread against the Vikings. The result: Minnesota led by two touchdowns early in the third quarter and cruised to a 24-16 win.
Moreover, Hartstein is a stunning 27-11 on all NFL spread picks this season, enabling his followers to net nearly $1,500. Now, he has pounced on what he calls a mistake in the Raiders vs. 49ers line. He's only sharing his pick at SportsLine.
Hartstein knows the 49ers have a potent offense despite the loss of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Running back Matt Breida (5.8 yards per carry, 3 TDs), speedster Marquise Goodwin (21.6 yards per catch, 4 TDs) and tight end George Kittle (584 receiving yards, 2 TDs) are dynamic playmakers who can take the burden off C.J. Beathard.
Four of the 49ers' seven losses have come by one score, including a pair of three-point defeats and a two-point heartbreaker. Playing at home against a leaky defense, San Francisco could break out offensively.
But just because the talented 49ers are facing a barely-there defense doesn't mean they'll cover a three-point spread.
Hartstein also knows that over his past three games, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has hit 74 percent of his passes for 654 yards and accounted for five touchdowns against only one interception. Beathard, by contrast, is 1-9 as a starter.
And the 49ers are a disappointing 1-12 against the spread the past 13 times they dressed up as favorites.
We can tell you Hartstein is leaning Over, but his much stronger play is against the spread. Hartstein has identified a personnel mismatch that causes one side of the spread to hit hard. He's sharing what it is, and who to back, only at SportsLine.
So which side of the Raiders vs. 49ers spread should you jump on? And what personnel mismatch makes one side a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to be all over, all from the seasoned expert who's 10-3 on 49ers spread picks, and find out.
