PHOTO USA Today Sports Images

We’re smack-dab in the middle of August.

NFL preseason is in full swing, MLB season divisional races are heating up, the WNBA regular season is about a month away from ending and we’ve said goodbye to the Olympics.

A lot is happening in sports, and we have the first NFL preseason game of Week 2 tonight.

Below, I’ll touch on an NFL point spread and two MLB wagers: a run line and a pitcher prop.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots

The Eagles and Patriots have spent time together during joint practices. If that is any indication of how the game unfolds, the Patriots are in trouble.

Hunter Henry has been missing due to injury, Jacoby Brissett had four straight red zone incompletions, Ja’Lynn Polk had one catch, the offensive line gave up 10 “sacks,” and, oh yeah, the team just traded edge rusher Matthew Judon to Atlanta.

With Vic Fangio as the Eagles defensive coordinator, the starters will need some reps to get used to the new system he’s installing. In Week 1 of the preseason, the Patriots offense didn’t perform well against mostly Carolina Panthers backups.

The Patriots scored 17, averaged just 4.3 yards per play, and converted just five of 15 third-down attempts.

Look for the Eagles to keep this close.

Best Bet: Eagles +2.5 (-108 at DraftKings)

Stake SportsBook Bonus

$100,000 Daily Race

For help with a gambling problem, call or text the NCPG – (1-800-522-4700)

Play now

Oakland Athletics vs. New York Mets

The Athletics are averaging just 4.06 runs per game compared to 4.78 from the Mets, but the Mets are sending Jose Quintana to the mound, who’s had rough outings lately. He’s allowed 15 runs over his past five starts, six home runs, and has walked 13.

His HR/9 is 1.37, which is the 12th-worst in the league. The Athletics hit 1.26 home runs per game, which is fifth-most in the league, and they’re averaging six runs per game over their last three outings.

Look for the A’s offense to get something going against Quintana. A’s starter Mitch Spence has been solid over his last four starts, allowing two runs or less in each.

Best Bet: Athletics +1.5 (-140 at FanDuel)

Stake SportsBook Bonus

$100,000 Daily Race

For help with a gambling problem, call or text the NCPG – (1-800-522-4700)

Play now

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Washington Nationals

Wheeler is 12th in the MLB in K/9 at 9.84 over 142.2 innings this season. The Nationals are fifth-best in the league in strikeouts per game at 7.50. That number goes up to 8.16 on the road.

The prop line here is just 6.5, and Wheeler has topped that total in five of his last six starts. He has only one start against Washington this year, which resulted in more than seven innings, and he managed six strikeouts.

In addition to the Nationals being more whiff-prone on the road, Wheeler has also performed better at home, striking out 87 batters and holding hitters to a .187 batting average compared to 69 strikeouts on the road.

This will be a close call at 6.5, but getting the +104 line for strikeout numbers he’s had in more than half his starts this season is appealing.

Best Bet: Zack Wheeler Over 6.5 Strikeouts (+104 at FanDuel)