When it comes to handicapping, one of the first names that should come to mind is Hammerin' Hank Goldberg. The longtime ESPN handicapper turned in an astonishing 15 winning seasons out of 17 with the network and then absolutely dominated the Las Vegas Review-Journal's NFL Challenge last season, going 50-29-6 and beating all 10 of the top handicappers he went up against. Now, Goldberg is sharing his strongest picks on SportsLine and he's already paying off big.
Last week, Hammer nailed his prediction that Ezekiel Elliott would be stonewalled by the Redskins' defense. The result: Elliott had the second-worst rushing performance of his career with 33 yards on 15 carries and the Redskins beat the Cowboys just as Goldberg expected.
For NFL Week 8, Goldberg has three best bets. Parlaying them would pay out at 6-1. One key part we can tell you: Despite Minnesota's three-game win streak and home-field edge, Hammer is riding the Saints in a pick'em to avenge last season's heartbreaking 29-24 playoff loss. New Orleans has a balanced offense that averages 34 points per game, second only to the Chiefs, while the Vikings' defense has slipped a notch from a year ago.
However, it's not just the Saints' offense that has led them to their 5-1 start. While their pass defense has been leaky, the Saints have been able to use their top-ranked rushing defense to get their offense back onto the field. Opponents have scored on just 43.5 percent of drives this year against New Orleans, the seventh-lowest mark in the NFL. In a game expected to be a shootout, a few stops by the Saints defense could be the difference on Sunday Night Football.
Hammer also is bucking a contender that's playing at home and riding momentum, even though 60 percent of bettors are all over them. The line on that game is wrong, Goldberg says, so it's a must-play for any NFL parlay.
So what are the three best bets Goldberg is confident will return a huge 6-1 payout in Week 8? Visit SportsLine now to see which contender gets a rude awakening, and see which pointspread is way off, all from the legendary handicapper who keeps crushing sportsbooks with his NFL picks.
