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Miami is coming off a disheartening series in Colorado. They lost in heart break fashion two nights ago after grabbing a top of the ninth go-ahead run. A blown save by Steve Cishek sent the game into extra innings where the Marlins eventually lost. That game could have put the Marlins two games ahead of .500 and gained on the wild card as the Giants and Braves also lost.

Instead it derailed them as they got off to a poor start yesterday against the Rockies and lost again. That’s how fast things can change.

This is a crucial interleague series for them. Cosart heads to the mound today for Miami and Wade LeBlanc the former Miami pitcher does so for the Angels.

Cosart has been impressive since coming to Miami, and has turned into the 1-2 punch behind Alvarez as Eovaldi continues to struggle. Even though Miami lost yesterday they had 7 extra base hits last night (season high) against the Rockies. Unfortunately for them a lot of those came with 2 outs and no runners on.

Strong money is on the Angels side tonight and maybe rightfully so. In July before being traded to Miami, Cosart had a sky high ERA. A new setting has calmed that but how long will it hold for?

The only other time the Marlins travel this far west is against the Dodgers. You’d have to wonder the mental affects of losing in Colorado and traveling further west to play the Angels tonight. I’m sure Mike Redmond will have a few non-regular bats in the lineup that may struggle the first few times at the plate.

Cosart is effective enough in the first five to like the under in this situation. I surely don’t want to trust the bullpens especially the Marlins who have used it quite a bit lately.

Grab the first five under tonight.

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Today’s free play focuses on the San Diego Chargers vs the San Francisco 49ers. Surely there will be some heavy hearts as the bay area is affected by an Earthquake in Napa Valley.

The line on this game is currently at minus five for the San Francisco 49ers. The first two games of the preseason the 49ers have had as basic of a vanilla offense as a team can have. This is nothing new as the 49ers played similar in last years preseason with Colt McCoy as backup.

It looks like bettors are anticipating an aggressive game plan from the 49ers tonight. But how many series will Kaepernick actually play? That’ll be a tough mark to predict. In all likelihood the 49ers will need to rely on big series from struggling backup Blaine Gabbert to procure a point spread cover here.

In order to get this cover the 49ers will need to get the job done defensively. I think that’s where the spread does have the advantage in the 49ers favor. This defense has played decent in the preseason but will turn it up another notch as the starters are on the field longer. San Diego struggled mightily against the Seahawks defense and likely will see similar pressure and style of play.

Nab the 49ers today as a free play, as the defense should hold up and keep the Chargers from getting a high amount of points. Final score San Francisco 24 and San Diego 13.

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No longer should a fantasy owner frown upon a crowded backfield in the NFL. The gradual effect over the years of teams using their backs properly has led to better depth in fantasy football. Years ago fantasy teams could dominate by having one of the top five fantasy picks and getting a running back that carries the football 30 times a game.

It’s also alleviated the necessity to waste a pick handcuffing a running back. It was a norm to do so and essentially a waste of a pick if an injury did not occur.

Here are the best duo’s in the NFL this season that surely will bring relief instead of headaches to fantasy football owners.

Le’Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount
They are in the news for the wrong reason right now, but Pittsburgh did themselves a solid job in bringing in Blount. He has only been in the league for a handful of years but has had better than expected seasons in Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh. Two years from now he may be out of the league, but I expect him to be a strong asset this season. Bell showcased his skills last year and is now considered a borderline top ten fantasy back.

Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman
Unlike most fantasy prognosticators I believe the Broncos will shift to more of a running team. This will be to protect the ever-aging Peyton Manning. Their ground game has been underrated even through the Tebow season. Look for this backfield to surprise some and have a strong aggregate total.

Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen
New England shifted to more of a running team a couple of seasons ago, and it has worked. Last year they had injuries and fumbling issues with Ridley that were offset with LeGarrette Blount. Having a healthy Shane Vereen should get this backfield to an even higher level than a year ago.

Others: McFadden/MJD, Reggie Bush/Joique Bell, Lamar Miller/Knowshown Moreno, Giovani Bernard/Green-Ellis, Lacy/Starks, Jackson/Spiller/Brown

trim.375A2DE1-E510-4ECB-956A-922B4FD70D47 from Zack Cimini on Vimeo.

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All the fantasy rankings in the world do not matter when it comes to busts. They’re going to happen. Whether it’s first round talent, rookies, veterans, and received fantasy trades. Putting together a full roster is never going to be perfect. Here is a top ten list of potential fantasy busts for 2014.

1. Peyton Manning
Yes I’m putting Peyton Manning atop my list of possible busts for 2014. Manning’s track record showcases that he’ll never hit a wall barring injury. Sooner or later though the body breaks down and halts even the greats. Manning just a few years ago in his first season with Denver looked rusty. His arm was stale and the zip gone. He managed to regain it and performed fine a year ago. Much like an aging pitcher though, can Manning do it game in and game out for sixteen games? I expect his numbers to dip for over zealous fantasy owners.

2. Brandon Marshall
Sometimes you see such a strong offense that you become numbed to an emerging star. Chicago has that in the younger Alshon Jeffreys. Marshall has the connection with Cutler intact but I think we will see Jeffreys overtake Marshall in the fantasy department.

3. Andre Ellington
I wrote a column about the Cardinals historical success at tailback dating back to 1999. They’ve only had three seasons of 1,000 yard rushers. Emmitt Smith in the twilight of his career and back to back years from Edgerrin James. Ellington showed the same flash we’ve seen before in Cardinal backs such as Beanie Wells, Tim Hightower, and Michael Pittman. None ever transpired to fantasy success. Ellington may be different but where he is situated to be drafted doesn’t sit well with me.

4. Sammy Watkins
Everyone knows the sky is the limit for Watkins. He has endless talent. The problem is the Bills direction offensively. EJ Manuel will still be playing like a rookie based on the amount of games he missed a year ago. Secondly, they haven’t solved what direction they want to go at tail back. Watkins will be one of those receivers that has two to three standout games, but is MIA in the rest.

5. Vincent Jackson
The tall target in Vincent Jackson was the lone bright spot for a Buccaneers team that fell apart a year ago. Many of the same question marks remain in Tampa Bay. McCown was brought in to aid if Glennon can’t get the job done. In all likelihood he will end up on the field. Jackson still has talent but I think we’ll see a similar drop off in his production like we have seen from Marques Colston.

Others
6. CJ Spiller
7. DeSean Jackson
8. Trent Richardson
9. TY Hilton
10. Michael Crabtree

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The NL wild card race features both of these teams in the Reds and Cardinals. Just a week ago the Reds appeared to be in strong contention for a spot. They’ve had a rough stretch since, while the rest of the NL seems to be winning. St. Louis is one of those teams that has been winning with rejuvenated pitching and returned hitting.

Their bats coming alive have been the primary reason for their wins. Against San Diego and the Reds they have fought off issues with their relievers to come from behind or hold off rallies.

With so much momentum on the Reds bats and the Cardinals bats some bettors today are going to think automatically on the over in this matchup for a plus payout. Lets not greedy here. The line for the under was -115 and has moved to -130 on the under of 7.

Both pitchers have been outstanding as of late, and Cueto has been all year. Look for some normalcy in strong pitching tonight and a solid play on the under.