It's Thursday Night Football and bettors are lining up to wager. The Los Angeles Rams host the Minnesota Vikings, and L.A. is favored by seven. Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (hamstring) appears likely to return, relegating Latavius Murray to a backup role once again. The Ram's starting cornerbacks are also ailing. Aqib Talib was placed on IR this week, while Marcus Peters is a game-time decision. Accordingly, the Over-Under, or number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, has risen from 47.5 to 49.5. Before you lock in any Rams vs. Vikings picks, you need to see what R.J. White has to say.

White was SportsLine's most profitable NFL analyst last season and returned $100 bettors a profit of nearly $2,000. The renowned prognosticator drove deep in the prestigious Las Vegas SuperContest, finishing in the top 3 percent two of the past three years. Now, he has turned his eye toward Vikings vs. Rams on "Thursday Night Football." He's looking to build on an unheard-of record of 33-6 in against-the-spread picks involving either team.

White already is 2-0 on the Vikings this year and has shown a keen eye for identifying their tendencies. He advised SportsLine members to back Minnesota in Week 1 against San Francisco, then recommended supporting an ailing Aaron Rodgers and the Packers against the Vikings in Week 2. Both picks hit and lined the wallets of White's followers.

Now, White has scrutinized Vikings vs. Rams from every angle and released a confident point-spread selection. He's only sharing it over at SportsLine.

White knows the Rams are coming off a breakout 11-win season and emerged as heavy favorites to win consecutive NFC West titles since their divisional opponents are all in some stage of rebuilding. Even so, oddsmakers weren't necessarily sure they were ready to take the next step, as their season-win total was set at 10. They have exceeded projections thus far amid an undefeated start that has featured three dominant performances.

The Rams are in the top six in total offense and defense, averaging 34 points per contest while allowing just 12. Their versatility was on display in last week's win over the Chargers as they piled up 521 yards of offense while the defense held the Chargers at bay with several key fourth-quarter stops. Cory Littleton's blocked punt also resulted in a second-quarter touchdown. QB Jared Goff is fifth in the NFL in passing yards at 941, while RB Todd Gurley is fourth in rushing yards at 255.

The Rams' early-season dominance doesn't necessarily mean they can cover a big number against a Minnesota team coming off a 13-win season that also has hopes for a Super Bowl appearance.

The Vikings may only have one win, but they took Green Bay to overtime and would have won saved two miss field goals in the extra period. And even with last week's meltdown, Vikings QB Kirk Cousins is two games removed from a four-touchdown thriller at Lambeau Field where he threw for 425 yards and had a passer rating of 118.8.

Even if Peters plays for the Rams, he likely won't be 100 percent. That means Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs could run wild against a depleted secondary. L.A. turned Mike Williams into the week's hottest waiver wire pickup after his 4-81-2 stat line for the Chargers in the Battle of L.A. last week. Philip Rivers only took one sack and didn't turn the ball over. If Cook returns, he'll face a defense that Melvin Gordon ran for 5.3 yards per carry against last week.

We can tell you White is leaning under, but he's also found a crucial x-factor that causes one side of the spread to hit hard. It's only available at SportsLine.

Who wins Vikings vs. Rams? And what crucial x-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side you need to jump on Thursday, all from the top NFL analyst who's an astounding 33-6 on picks involving the Vikings or Rams.