Pick Management 
After hopefully an Above Average weekend it’s time to get back to the daily grind. Jacob hasn’t stopped working to find you Jacob’s Above Average plays that will help you rebound from a rough weekend or to keep your heater going.
Take Toronto Raptors -11 versus Cleveland Cavaliers (7:30pm EST, Monday 16 December 2019)
Cleveland has just been bad this year. I mean, really above-average levels of awful. They have lost nine out of ten games straight up, and have covered just four times in their last sixteen games. They rank 29th in total overall offense, 26th in made field goal percentage, 27th in three-pointers made, and 22nd in rebounds. In their last five games, they have lost by more than fifteen points in all but two of them, and are even worse on the road. Cleveland has lost it’s last five games to the Eastern Conference, losing to the Atlantic Division specifically. The only thing that’s above average on this team would be their defensive rebounds, which rank 7th in the NBA. Their defense is ranked 20th in overall defense. None of this sounds good when you know they are taking on the Raptors at home. The Raptors have not been their above-average selves as of late. They have covered just once in their last six games, and go into this game with Fred Vanvleet soaking in doubt. Overall, however, they have been playing well. They have won nine of the last thirteen games, and have won eight of their last ten versus the Eastern Conference. They are the owners of an above-average offense, which ranks 15th overall, 4th in three-pointers, and 6th in offensive rebounds. The one place I see the Raptors struggling is on the defensive boards. They rank 30th in defensive rebounds and have to take on Tristan Thompson – who has been great on defensive rebounds. I see this as more than just an average win. I see an above-average blowout coming, as a bad Cleveland team doesn’t have what it takes to go into Toronto and keep it close.
Take Florida Panthers to win in regulation -185 versus Ottawa Senators (7:05 pm EST, Monday 16 December 2019)
Tonight, we see an Atlantic Division matchup between two teams headed in the wrong direction. The Senators have been playing above average from what we are used to seeing from them. They took down Columbus 4-3 in overtime in their last game, but it should not have been that close. They had a two-goal lead in the third period, before letting the Blue Jackets pump two in to force overtime. They have allowed almost four goals per game on the road, and now take on a team who is above average on offense – allowing the Panthers to exploit the Senators’ weak defense. Ottawa is allowing an average of almost thirty-three shots on goal per game, while the Panthers average over 34 shots on goal per game at home. These are two fast-paced teams who lead the NHL in period total overs (more on that later), and I expect to see some goals here as well. This bodes well for the Panthers’ superior offense, and that will be important in the final minutes of this game – which I believe it comes down to. That said, the Panthers have been struggling. They have won just three of their last ten games, including winning just one of the last seven versus the Eastern Conference. I would also mention that their schedule has been tough: Their last six games include Boston, NY Islanders, Tampa Bay, San Jose, Columbus, and Minnesota. The Panthers have been on a long homestand that will be coming to an end soon, and they need this win before hitting the road. I do not like the price at -200, and I believe Florida gets it done in regulation – so, I’m grabbing the much better price at -140.
Take YES – Goal in the 1st 10 minutes Ottawa Senators versus Florida Panthers (7:05 pm EST, Monday 16 December 2019)
The Senators rank far above average when it comes to having a goal scored in the first ten minutes of their games. So far this year: They rank 7th (which is 21-11 and/or 64.5%) with goals scored in the first ten minutes. Florida does not have a great defense, and neither does the Senators. I see a lot of goals in the game, to begin with, and I think it definitely starts early.
Take OVER 1.5 Goals in the 2nd Period Ottawa Senators versus Florida Panthers (7:05 pm EST, Monday 16 December 2019)
The Panthers rank far above average when it comes to scoring over 1.5 goals in the 2nd period. They are top ten in the NHL, scoring over 1.5 in the 2nd period twenty-three out of thirty-two games. The Senators are 20-14 for going over 1.5 goals in the 2nd period, which should help out. Like I said before – I see a lot of goals in this game, take the over.
