Experts vs the closing line

Ranked by price vs. the closing line, discounted for small samples. Records over a few dozen picks are mostly luck.

Every expert on this page is scored the way we score ourselves: against the closing line. Over a few hundred bets a win-loss record is mostly luck; beating the closing line is a steadier signal. Our own row, Consensus Edge (graded calls), is the set the CLV page calls recommended picks: every pick the product recommended, over the window chosen here. The 90-day view matches that page's default.

Price CLV compares the price the expert posted (or, when their page printed none, the market price when we first saw the pick) with the best price at the last capture before kickoff. For spreads and over/unders it counts only picks whose line did not move; line value counts the points gained. Everyone with at least two priced picks is ranked by price CLV, discounted for small samples (the mean times n / (n + 30)), our own row included. An expert's status reads Building sample until there are 50 scored picks and at least 30 of them carry a price CLV; only then can their record change how much they move our number. Picks we cannot grade, such as a spread or over/under on a fight, are left out of every figure. Picks come from each expert's public articles; names link to the source.

Experts and Consensus Edge ranked by sample-adjusted price closing-line value.
#ExpertOutletPicksW-L-PROI Price CLVBeat the closeLine valueStatusReasonsLast pick
1Jon MetlerCovers5227-25-0-11.5%+0.8pp (n=51)53%n/aAhead of the close on average; the range still includes zero.matchup 31%, numbers_model 26%Oct 27
2Billy WardAction Network32-1-0+21.1%+2.4pp (n=3)100%n/aBuilding sample (n = 3)line_value 33%, other 33%Oct 19
3Andy SchoolerSporting Life32-1-0+33.3%+2.1pp (n=3)100%n/aBuilding sample (n = 3)trend 33%, other 33%Oct 7
4Jason LoganCovers2115-6-0+26.5%+0.4pp (n=21)57%n/aBuilding sample (n = 21)matchup 30%, injury 21%Oct 26
5Jake OsgathorpeSporting Life22-0-0+95.2%+1.2pp (n=2)100%n/aBuilding sample (n = 2)trend 33%, matchup 33%Oct 12
6Ethan DiamandasSportsbook Review21-1-0-10.0%+0.7pp (n=2)50%n/aBuilding sample (n = 2)matchup 40%, trend 40%Oct 23
7Brad PowersCovers31-2-0-45.3%+0.4pp (n=2)50%n/aBuilding sample (n = 3)matchup 43%, trend 28%Oct 24
8Javan ShoueyPickswise31-2-0-42.3%-1.4pp (n=3)0%n/aBuilding sample (n = 3)matchup 33%, line_value 33%Oct 26
9StuckeyAction Network159-6-0+28.3%-0.8pp (n=12)33%n/aBuilding sample (n = 15)matchup 31%, injury 17%Oct 25
10Vaughn DalzellNBC Sports32-1-0+26.7%-2.7pp (n=3)0%n/aBuilding sample (n = 3)matchup 43%, trend 43%Oct 23
11Mike SpectorSportsbook Review139-4-0+34.5%-1.1pp (n=13)15%n/aBuilding sample (n = 13)matchup 34%, trend 32%Oct 25
12Chris VasileCovers4125-16-0+30.6%-0.8pp (n=30)47%n/aBuilding sample (n = 41)matchup 40%, trend 21%Oct 23
13Consensus Edge (graded calls)3622-14-0-2.9%-1.0pp (n=26)42%n/aBuilding sample (n = 26)n/aOct 10
14Danny HowardCovers1413-1-0+47.0%-2.2pp (n=14)21%n/aBuilding sample (n = 14)matchup 48%, trend 28%Oct 24
15Andy LangWagerTalk3520-15-0+11.7%-1.9pp (n=34)38%n/aBuilding sample (n = 35)matchup 57%, line_value 19%Oct 22
16Peter DeweySports Illustrated2412-12-0-13.5%-2.4pp (n=24)17%n/aBuilding sample (n = 24)matchup 35%, injury 20%Oct 27
Not ranked yet
—Nick GriffithAction Network1910-9-0+3.1%n/an/an/aBuilding sample (n = 19)matchup 27%, injury 21%Oct 26
—Neil ParkerCovers1812-6-0+28.7%n/an/an/aBuilding sample (n = 18)numbers_model 39%, trend 25%Oct 27
—Mark LammeyPickswise1410-4-0+34.0%n/an/an/aBuilding sample (n = 14)matchup 31%, line_value 24%Oct 23
—Iain MacMillanSports Illustrated31-2-0-34.9%n/an/an/aBuilding sample (n = 3)numbers_model 43%, line_value 28%Oct 26
—Sam McLoughlinWilliam Hill11-0-0+90.9%n/an/an/aBuilding sample (n = 1)trend 50%, matchup 50%Oct 12
—Dan TomAction Network11-0-0+74.1%n/an/an/aBuilding sample (n = 1)line_value 33%, matchup 33%Oct 23
—James EasthamCovers11-0-0+233.0%n/an/an/aBuilding sample (n = 1)trend 33%, line_value 33%Oct 24