Our bonus “free pick” is:

Take the MINNESOTA VIKINGS plus the points in the season opener vs. the New Orleans Saints. Vegas odds have the game fluctuating between 4 1/2 and 5 points with the Saints being the favorites. The Over and Under total opened at 48 1/2 points and hasn’t moved much all week.

Here are some trends that support our recommendation:

• Minnesota is 5-2 straight up and 6-1 vs. the spread against New Orleans over the last 10 years.
• The games have gone 5-1-1 for the OVER the last 7 match ups.
• New Orleans games have gone OVER the total points (20-13-1) at HOME since Sean Payton was hired as head coach four years ago.
• Intangibles: Minnesota has revenge on its mind. Minnesota completely outplayed New Orleans in last year’s Championship game and nearly outgained New Orleans by a two to one margin. Regardless of what’s been said by both teams, Brett Favre was on the receiving end of cheap shots. Minnesota will remember this and send a few “remember me” hits towards New Orleans in honor of Gregg Williams and his cheap shot philosophy.

MJM typically offers 5 preferred or top plays on a weekly basis for purchasers of our packages. Keep in mind that this should be considered a good average with some weeks having more or less picks for a particular week. Top plays may also involve Over and Under selections.