We don't like to micro-manage how you use the information provided here. Everyone has different tolerance of risk, or different use cases. That said, here are some things we think apply to many users:

Find your own comfort level

There is no such thing as a get-rich-quick scheme. Of course, Upset Watch has had amazing success over the years, but there have been low points along the way. At one stage early last season we were -$700 in total, before rebounding to make a profit in the second half of the year.

Of course, I believe in the picks, but you don't have to. Some people take only the best pick of the week in their own eyes, others take only the ones we're absolutely unequivocal on. Others make only a handful of selections all year based on the column and still win.

And lots of people do follow it, but dial down the risk level to say, $10 per pick, or even $5 per pick. So that -$700 becomes a much more tolerable -$70, but by the end of the season, they're back in profit.

Pick'em pools are won and lost on a handful of games

I make all picks on merit, but the specialty is finding the edge cases, not picking every game. If you are picking 6-7 underdogs every week on principle, that's a quick way to lose your pick'em league!

Instead, I like to refer to one of the users in our Discord, BTSDaze, who posted these stories, which may give you an idea of how a Pick'em pool can be won and lost with Upset Watch's guidance:

By the way on a personal note, I won my confidence pool last year thanks in a big part to upset watch and your advice on how to use it. I picked my spots and valued very much the times when you let people know you felt particularly strong on a game. A prime example was Arizona vs Atlanta on Kyler Murray's return.

My pool average had everyone else ( more than twenty people ) all taking Atlanta for an average of 9 for confidence, I was the lone Cardinal guy and I gave them a 3 confidence pick. I won my pool with 1548 total points 2nd and 3rd place finished 0ne single point behind me with 1547 season points. 

That was so big for me last year, another pick I took to the bank was the 49ers over the favored Eagles in Philly. Only a couple of guys made that same pick in my pool and I went 49ers big at 15 confidence because as I recall you were emphatic on that game. That Sir brought my horse well up the track. I would have never made that pick without you. You Sir helped make me a champ! So glad I can thank you personally. 

You see how it can work for people? If you're in a pick'em pool, the likelihood is the best and worst players in your league will end the season separated by <20 picks. Upset Watch can help you win those horrible games where two bad teams face off, or two good ones.

Get the best odds you can on single selections

Parlays are great. Win a parlay and it can be an amazing boost, but we deal mainly in single selections for the purposes of reporting this column.

That's why getting the very best odds matters. You may think it's just $10-20 here or there, but they all mount up, and you can be hundreds of dollars worse off if you ignore that value.

This year we're sharing our best odds in the column, so you can see where they are. Of course, there may be times when you're willing to forego an extra $10 profit to stick with your sportsbook, but we recommend not doing so!

Teasers and alternative spreads

A teaser is a form of bet where you can change the spread on (usually) two selections in a parlay, to make it more likely the parlay will win. The disadvantage is that teasers only allow a limited number of changes to the spreads.

Some bookmakers also offer 'alternative spreads', where you can easily back a team at lower odds, but with more margin for error. The advantage of alternative spreads is that you can theoretically build a parlay of teams to get within 7pts, for example, and still make 4-5x your money.

Some users have found this is a better way to use Upset Watch, and while it means you're unlikely to win a big week, 3-5x your money is still pretty good if you can get the right picks.

I personally think alternative spreads are a solid low-risk alternative, particularly in weeks with tougher schedules, or during leaner periods of the season.