Ryder Cup best bets: There's no doubting Thomas for the USA

The United States and Europe will renew their long-standing rivalry this weekend with the 44th edition of the Ryder Cup from Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome. Team USA has won two of the last three runnings of the Ryder Cup, but they haven't won on European soil since 1993.  

As Team USA and Team Europe prepare to do battle in Rome, let's take a look at a few value bets to lead their team in scoring this week. 

Justin Thomas top USA points scorer (+1100 DraftKings)

Team USA captain Zach Johnson caught a ton of heat for using one of his captain's picks on Thomas. JT missed five cuts in his last eight starts leading up to the selection, but when you look at his Ryder Cup resume, you'll understand why he made the roster.

In two Ryder Cup appearances, Thomas has gone 6-2-1 in nine matches played. He's 4-2-0 when paired with his good friend, Jordan Spieth, and he won both of his singles matches against Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton. 

Thomas may not be in the best form, but everything changes when he dons the stars and stripes. The 30-year-old will be paired with Spieth in nearly every session this week, so he shouldn't be priced this high to lead Team USA in points. 

Ludvig Aberg top Europe points scorer (+1200 FanDuel)

Aberg isn't a household name in the golf world quite yet, but that will surely change this week. 

The 23-year-old Swede is the most talented youngster in the sport right now. He drives the ball as far and as straight as anyone on the PGA Tour, and he's entering his first Ryder Cup on quite a hot streak. In his last three starts on the DP World Tour, Aberg finished T4 at the D+D Real Czech Masters, won the Omega European Masters and finished T10 at the BMW PGA Championship.

There are already rumors circling that Aberg will go out first with Viktor Hovland, the hottest player in the world. Although he's a Ryder Cup rookie, Aberg will be a major part of Team Europe's game plan this week. He's a great value bet at +1200.

In the news ...

Jets sign Trevor Siemian amid Zach Wilson's struggles — New York Jets fans are getting tired of watching Wilson throw away football games every week, and the front office is, too. On Tuesday, the Jets signed veteran quarterback Trevor Siemian to their practice squad. Siemian is 13-17 in 30 NFL starts, but he hasn't won a game since 2017 when he was still with the Denver Broncos. Due to New York's QB woes, the Jets' in-season win total is all the way down to 6.5. 

Phillies clinch top NL wild-card spot — Red October is back at Citizens Bank Park. The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in walk-off fashion Tuesday night to clinch the top wild-card spot in the National League. The Arizona Diamondbacks (83-74), Chicago Cubs (82-75), Miami Marlins (81-75) and Cincinnati Reds (81-77) are in a heated battle for the final two wild-card spots. The Phillies are +600 to repeat as NL champions. 

Liberty's Breanna Stewart wins WNBA MVP — The WNBA MVP race came down to three worthy contenders: Stewart of the New York Liberty, Alyssa Thomas of the Connecticut Sun and A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces. In the end, Stewart prevailed for her second career MVP award by the narrowest of margins. Wilson's Aces, though, are the heavy favorites to win the WNBA title at -230 odds. 

Today's Bark Bets is written by Jack Dougherty