Sport DFW's Best Dallas Betting Picks for 7/18 (Rangers Keep Rolling, Don't Believe Dak)

The Dallas sports world has been a lot of fun so far this week. The Texas Rangers remain undefeated since the All-Star break while Dak Prescott's bold claim around the upcoming season helped push the Tony Pollard contract drama out of the headlines.

We're back to having a 15-game MLB slate on Tuesday, too, which means there's plenty to bet on even though it's the only major sport in-season right now.

Here are our editors' top betting picks for July 18.

Dallas Best Bets: July 18, 2023

Tyler Maher: Rangers Moneyline

Monday’s expected pitching duel between Shane McClanahan and Dane Dunning didn’t disappoint as the Rangers eked out a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Tonight should be a bit easier for us with Nate Eovaldi on the mound. The two-time All-Star has proven to be one of the best offseason additions by any team this year, going 10-3 with a 2.83 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP in 18 starts.

He’ll be opposed by Tampa Bay rookie Taj Bradley, who’s been getting shelled lately. He’s coming off three disastrous starts in a row where he gave up 22 hits (including 6 homers) and 16 runs in just 12 ⅓ innings.

The Rays are also a mess right now. They’ve lost nine of their last 12 games and have been playing mediocre baseball for over a month. Texas, on the other hand, has won four straight since the All-Star Break and is showing no signs of slowing down.

With these two teams going in opposite directions and such a lopsided pitching matchup on tap, backing the Rangers on the moneyline at home (where they’re 31-18 this year) is a no-brainer.

Jason Schandl: Astros Moneyline

A Rangers win is made even sweeter when it’s paired with a Houston Astros loss, but unfortunately that’s not likely to be the case on Tuesday.

The Colorado Rockies have a hard time scoring runs even during the best of times, and going up against Hunter Brown is not exactly “the best of times.” Brown’s 4.12 ERA this season may not look especially impressive, but the advanced metrics suggest otherwise. He has a 3.79 xERA, a 3.01 xFIP and a 3.43 SIERA, so he's been getting a bit unlucky.

The Rockies, meanwhile, are ahead of only the Kansas City Royals in wRC+ this season. They rank 22nd in on-base percentage and 18th in slugging percentage despite getting the Coors Field boost, and Brown’s relatively low fly-ball rate allowed (21.5%) is the kind of thing that can help insulate a pitcher from the altitude at Coors.

Isaiah De Los Santos: Dak Prescott OVER 13.5 Interceptions

Dak Prescott made headlines to begin the week with a bold prediction about his interceptions for the upcoming season. The Dallas Cowboys quarterback believes he “won’t have 10 interceptions this year” after leading the league in that category this past campaign. 

While I admire Prescott’s confidence, I’m not buying it, mainly for a reason that may be out of his control. Simply put, the Cowboys’ offense is built to air it out this year. There’s no longer a two-headed RB monster in the backfield, with just Tony Pollard – who’s never been a workhorse before – leading the charge and a ton of unknown behind him on the depth chart. After being a top-10 unit in rushing last year, it’d be no surprise at all if Dallas’ performance on the ground takes a hit.

The Cowboys seem to have been preparing for this by beefing up their cache of pass-catchers. Acquiring veteran wideout Brandin Cooks immediately elevates this WR room and gives CeeDee Lamb a legit threat to take attention away from him. Dallas also spent second-round draft capital on pass-catching tight end Luke Schoonmaker despite having the likes of Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot already on the roster.

This is a new offense Prescott will be leading on multiple fronts, from play style to the personnel. There’s bound to be miscommunications with the newest pass-catchers that ultimately lead to turnovers. Opposing defenses also can dedicate more resources to coverage with Elliott's departure leaving a huge hole in the backfield.

With all of these factors adding up, I can see Prescott going over his 13.5-interception total (-110) on DraftKings.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.