Indianapolis Colts may not be so lucky lucky against Miami

From 6pm Sunday

Best bet
Miami +8.5

With four straight victories and quarterback Andrew Luck seemingly back to his best, it seems the good times are coming back to Indianapolis.

Their fine run has given the Colts an unlikely shot at making the playoffs but maybe there needs to be a sense of perspective.

After all, those victories have come against two of the weakest outfits in the league (Buffalo and Oakland), Jacksonville, who have lost their last six matches and inconsistent Tennessee.

Be in little doubt that Miami are no great shakes either and have lost nine of their last ten away matches, but they are capable of staying within a converted touchdown on their trip to Indiana.

Much of the optimism is centred on the probable return of quarterback Ryan Tannehill from a shoulder injury, news which prompted a cut in the handicap from the ten-point margin it was chalked up as at the start of the week.

Tannehill has not seen any action since Week Five, before which he had helped the Dolphins win their first three games, and he represents a decent upgrade on understudy Brock Osweiler.

Miami are alongside the Colts as one of five teams locked into battle for the sixth AFC playoff place, so they still have plenty of motivation to harness in the closing weeks of the regular season.

They could stay in touch at a venue where 13 of the last 18 matches have gone under the points line and where the Dolphins have covered the handicap in seven of their last eight visits.

Next best
San Francisco +2.5

Tampa Bay's opening victories against New Orleans and Philadelphia seem a long time ago and the faltering Buccaneers could be vulnerable against San Francisco.

The Bucs have beaten only Cleveland since those notable successes and flip-flopping between quarterback Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick doesn't seem to be helping matters.

Winston is set to get the nod this week but he will be without key target, tight end OJ Howard, and there are also problems on the other side of the ball as no team have conceded more points than Tampa Bay's average of 32.9 per game.

The Niners have had a week off and stand-in quarterback Nick Mullens has shown enough promise in his two outings - a win over Oakland and a loss to the New York Giants - to suggest the Californians can oblige as underdogs.

Best points bet
Over 16.5 Buffalo points

Jacksonville have been on a hopeless run and there is little anticipation of a thriller when they travel to Buffalo to take on another team with a 3-7 record.

The Jags offence has been poor as quarterback Blake Bortles continues to struggle and running back Leonard Fournette is still trying to get back into the swing of things after injury.

However, Jacksonville's much-admired defence have also had problems, conceded an average of 27 points per match during their poor run.

The Bills return from a bye and should be boosted by the 41-10 victory they posted over the New York Jets before the break.

Josh Allen is set to return at quarterback and he will be anxious to put on a good show after Matt Barkley performed well in the win over the Jets, while running back LeSean McCoy will be aiming to build on his best performance of the season.

Scoring 17 points looks within their capabilities.

Best player bet
DJ Moore to score a touchdown

Carolina fell to a 20-19 defeat at Detroit last week, but one of the bright spots was the performance of wide receiver DJ Moore.

He scored his second touchdown of the season and was targeted eight times by Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, so he could be in for another productive day against Seattle.

The Seahawks will have a lot to cope with in dealing with the threat of Devin Funchess, Greg Olsen and Christian McCaffrey and there could be room for Moore to score against a team who have conceded a total of four touchdowns to receivers in their last four matches.

Recommendations
Miami +8.5
2pts 89-100 188Bet
San Francisco +2.5
1pt Evs Sky Bet
Over 16.5 Buffalo points
2pts 5-6 Betfair
DJ Moore to score a TD for Carolina v Seattle
1pt 9-4 Sky Bet

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