⏱️ Top NFL Combine Players To Watch 

Still missing the NFL? Buck up: We’re approaching an underrated time for sports (and betting). And we’re not even talking March Madness yet.

We’re staring down these exciting sporting events among our top stories for this week’s Back Office Buzz:

• After the always-eventful NBA All-Star Game, the league restarts regular-season play Thursday. We share two award betting props that still might be a bargain.

• The NFL Scouting Combine offers a glimpse at the potential stars that will debut this season.

• MLB Spring Training has ramped up, with games starting Thursday. We have some favorite futures bets to place before the markets shift.

• Fantasy baseball drafts also are hiding around the corner. A FantasyPros-honored ranker gives his top rankings.

• We reveal our top prop for the PGA’s Mexico Open.

ALL-STAR WEEK IS DONE: BET THESE NBA FUTURES

The NBA resumes regular-season play Thursday following its All-Star party in Indianapolis.

As the league resets, take advantage of these two soft betting markets to nab some value:

NBA MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder (+270)

DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 0.5 Units

If Shai Gilgeous-Alexander blossomed in 2022-23, he’s flourishing in 2023-24. The 25-year-old has followed up his breakout campaign with an even better statistical output, not to mention his Thunder have one of the four best records in the NBA.

On top of being one of just three players averaging at least 30 points per game, Gilgeous-Alexander is also contributing 5.6 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and a league-high 2.2 steals.

The road to knocking off Nikola Jokić en route to claiming his first NBA MVP is a difficult one, but SGA is well-positioned to be a finalist. He also doesn’t have a star sidekick, making his and OKC’s achievements look even better.

Western Conference Winner: LA Clippers (+240)

bet365 Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit

The season isn’t over yet, but so far, the James Harden experiment has been a massive success for the Clippers. LA has gone 33-10 since Nov. 14 while picking up major wins over the Celtics, Nuggets, Thunder, and more.

Health has also played in the Clippers’ favor for once. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have combined to miss just eight games this season, putting both on track to set single-season records for appearances since coming to Los Angeles.

The Clippers are strong on both ends of the floor and considerably deep, plus they have a championship-caliber coach in Tyronn Lue. If ever there was a year for “The Other LA” to win the Western Conference, this is it.

Keep tabs as we analyze odds movement for the top NBA betting markets. — Garrett Chorpenning

WHAT TO WATCH AT THE NFL SCOUTING COMBINE

With drills and activities starting Monday, the NFL Scouting Combine often heralds the true beginning of the NFL offseason activities. NFL media members and fans will flock to Indianapolis for an up-close look at the next NFL Draft class.

Astute bettors and fantasy players can often spot hints in the Combine that can help their NFL Draft and regular-season prep. Let’s take a look at what you should be paying attention to at the Combine.

40-Yard Dash

The 40 isn’t as important as it used to be, given that football is less of a straight-line sport than in past days. However, teams value how laterally fast you are as much as your straight-line speed, so keep an eye on some of the skill-position guys out there, especially at wide receiver.

Among other names that will earn the spotlight, I’m looking forward to seeing how fast Marvin Harrison, Jr., Malik Nabers, Blake Corum, Jaylen Wright, Keon Coleman, and Rome Odunze can run.

Throwing Drills

We got to see some top quarterbacks at the Shrine Bowl and the Senior Bowl (Michael Penix and Bo Nix, for example), but we haven’t gotten to see other big names since the CFB season ended.

We’ll get to see assumed No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams throw, and I assume plenty of teams want to see how the interview process goes for him.

NFL teams are reportedly rocketing J.J. McCarthy up their draft boards, supposedly among their top three QBs. (Was the source his agent?)

Keep an eye on next week’s Back Office Buzz for our recap of the NFL Combine Winners & Losers. — Sam Wagman

SPRING INTO ACTION WITH THESE MLB FUTURES

Spring training exhibition play begins for most MLB teams this weekend. Baseball season is here for bettors, and now is the time to wager on some MLB futures at FanDuel Sportsbook. 

Atlanta Braves: Win the World Series (+450)

The Dodgers (+320) have shorter odds, but Atlanta has a stellar rotation to combine with a fearsome batting order and is well-positioned to win its second title in four years. 

The Braves have fine starting pitching depth to survive the regular season and hopefully be in optimal form in time for the playoffs. 

The lineup boasts an incredible amount of thump (it tied an MLB record with 307 home runs last year) and is topped by Ronald Acuna Jr., who will still outperform everyone else even if he regresses from an awe-inspiring 2023 season. 

If Chris Sale works enough innings and Jarred Kelenic flourishes with a change of scenery, the Braves will likely avoid another early exit.

New York Mets: Make the Playoffs (+148)

Mets fans are conditioned to brace for disappointment, if not disaster. The 2024 version, however, will exceed expectations, especially if a few key players deliver rebound seasons. 

This New York lineup has more potency than some of their followers might believe. 

Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor are obvious anchors. Francisco Alvarez has serious power upside. Bounce-back campaigns from Jeff McNeil, Starling Marte, and Brett Baty could boost an offense that also features sparkplug Brandon Nimmo. 

Edwin Diaz is back to stabilize the late innings and save chances. If Luis Severino finds his better self and Jose Quintana remains a quality option, Queens could host NL Wild Card action this year. 

Juan Soto: MLB Home Runs Leader (+1400)

Aaron Judge would seem to be the natural pick in pinstripes. However, he remains a perennial injury risk who will turn 32 years old in April, and his new teammate carries better value with the seventh-best odds to lead MLB in HRs. 

(FanDuel’s juice on this bet is way softer than other operators, too.)

Juan Soto hit a career-high 35 homers last season and now gets to take advantage of the notoriously short right-field porch in Yankee Stadium. 

Soto’s status as a free agent after the season and his projected spot as the No. 2 hitter in a formidable lineup are added factors to almost coerce you into placing this fun wager. His Pull Percentage of 39.1 last year was the highest of his career so far, as was the 41.1 Hard Hit Percentage. 

Both numbers point to plenty of souvenirs traveling toward Yankee Stadium’s bullseye after a Soto Shuffle. 

Track the rest of our MLB bets before the season starts. — Scott Engel

FANTASY BASEBALL RANKINGS: TOP 30, TARGETS & FADES

My early fantasy rankings are out. Here’s my top 30:

Draft Targets

• Gleyber Torres has established himself as an all-around producer after putting up a .273 average with 25 homers and 13 steals last season. We saw the Yankees second baseman trim his strikeout rate impressively from 22.6% to 14.6%. It's a contract year for Torres, so look out.

• Ke'Bryan Hayes could be headed for a breakout season with a notable home run boost. The Pirates third baseman hit 10 of his 15 big flies from August onward and increased his seasonal barrel rate from 3.9% to 7.4%. Hayes bumped his flyball rate from 17.7% to 26.2%.

• Seiya Suzuki is my favorite target in fantasy baseball this season. The Cubs outfielder increased his pull rate by 8.4% and put up a 183 wRC+ in 207 plate appearances from August onward. This came after a benching, which prompted Suzuki to be more aggressive at the plate. Wheels up for 2024.

Draft Fades

• I'm low on Luis Robert Jr., who has dealt with injuries throughout his career and will now be playing on one of the worst teams in MLB. The White Sox remain a complete mess, which will hurt Robert's counting stats (runs and RBI).

• Christian Encarnacion-Strand has ample power upside, but the Reds have a logjam in the infield. They’ll need to dish out playing time for Jeimer Candelario, Noelvi Marte, and Jonathan India. CES may fall short of overzealous estimations for plate appearances.

• I'm worried about Zac Gallen, who compiled a heavy workload in 2023. When you count the playoff run, Gallen threw 243 innings. His previous career high was 184, which adds injury risk to his profile.

Click to read my full 2024 fantasy baseball rankings. — Frank Ammirante 

HEAD TO THE RESORT FOR THIS MEXICO OPEN PGA PROP

We finally had a champion come from outside of the odds board’s triple-digits section of the odds board. Hideki Matsuyama came from behind on Sunday afternoon to snag the Genesis Invitational trophy out from under the noses of Patrick Cantlay and Will Zalatoris.

Now we move to the less-heralded (but still important) Mexico Open at Vidanta Vallarta. It’s a tight field this week, with only one top-25 player in the OWGR (Tony Finau).

As such, Finau stands as an overwhelming favorite in this field. That being said, he’s not a player I’d be betting on this week to win, despite his finishes of first and second in this event the past two years.

You need a long driver to win this tournament, but you also need to be good on the putting surface. Finau has struggled in the second part of his game this season.

I’m looking down the leaderboard for my favorite pick this week:

Taylor Pendrith: Top-20 Finish (+125)

No matter how many models I ran this week, Taylor Pendrith seems to keep coming up pretty solid on them.

We’ve had a nice run for Canadians this year, with Nick Taylor winning the WM Phoenix Open. I’m predicting that Pendrith will make a solid run here, too.

Pendrith finished top-30 last season in his only appearance in this event, but he carries a solid statistical foundation for this tournament. He ranks ninth in ball speed and driving distance among this field, two categories that have proven successful in predicting winners here.

The Canadian also ranks in this field’s top 30 on these paspalum greens in Strokes Gained: Approach; Proximity from 200+ yards (where nearly 40% of approaches last year came from); Bogey Avoidance; Sand Saves; and Strokes Gained: Putting.

You could do a lot worse than betting on Pendrith this week. The 32-year-old has excelled recently in coastal, resort-style course environments: T10 at the 2024 Sony Open, T15 at the 2023 World Wide Technology Championship, and T8 at the 2023 Butterfield Bermuda Championship. — Sam Wagman