It has been an up-and-down ride for Team USA so far, and the Americans are trying to get rolling as the 2021 Tokyo Olympics progress. After failing to medal on the first day for the first time in the Summer Games since 1972, the precious metals are starting to trickle in. 

Among the Americans chasing Tokyo 2020 swimming medals early this week are Katie Ledecky in the women's 1,500-meter and 200 freestyle events, Caeleb Dressel in the men's 100 free, and Lilly King and Lydia Jacoby in the women's 100-meter breaststroke.      

William Hill Sportsbook lists Ledecky as the big -1600 favorite in the 1,500 freestyle in its latest 2021 Olympics odds. Ledecky is the +300 second favorite in the women's 200 freestyle behind Australian Ariarne Titmus (-350). King is the -120 favorite and Jacoby is getting +400 odds in the 100-meter breaststroke odds, and Dressel is the even-money +100 favorite in the 100 freestyle.

Other popular sports on tap include women's team gymnastics, standard and 3x3 basketball and women's mountain biking. Before locking in any Tokyo Olympics 2020 picks or predictions, you need to see what SportsLine's Olympics expert, Mike Tierney, has to say. (Head over to our 2021 Olympics page for more analysis and updates)

A national sportswriter whose work appears in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Tierney has covered nine Olympic Games in person. In the past two Olympic Games, his advice helped those who followed him cash in big, and he already has nailed a winner at Tokyo 2020.

Before Sunday's men's triathlon, Tierney tabbed Norway's Kristian Blummenfelt as his choice to win gold, and that bet paid off big at +600. The Olympics expert saw good value in the Norwegian, who had won twice this year and was the 2019 Grand Final champion. 

"When an event is as wide open as the guys' three-in-one sport, look for a price and go with the hot hand." Tierney told SportsLine.

The 27-year-old Blummenfelt was in disbelief as he pulled away from the younger runners in the final stages to win by 11 seconds over Alex Yee for his nation's first medal in the sport. But picking a winner was nothing new for Tierney.          

At the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in 2018, he nailed Suzanne Schulting (+2500) of the Netherlands and Norway's Havard Lorentzen (+800) to triumph in speed skating and the USA's Mikaela Shiffrin (+185) to win the giant slalom. Tierney also took the Under (10.5) on the Americans' gold-medal count, and that also cashed as the USA came in with nine. 

And at the Rio 2016 Summer Games, Tierney told readers to bet Over on Team USA's gold medal count (41.5) and Over on Team USA's overall medal count (102.5). The result? 46 golds, 121 medals and two easy cashes. Anyone who followed Tierney's advice cashed in huge!

Now, Tierney has been studying the 2021 Olympics event schedule and digging down into the individual sports. He has released two CONFIDENT best bets with big plus-money payouts.

Shockingly, Tierney is fading American Caeleb Dressel, the +100 favorite in the men's 100 freestyle event. The 24-year-old is a two-time Olympic gold-medalist (4x100 free, 4x100 medley) and has won 13 golds over the past two World Aquatic Championships. But Tierney loves a good value, so he is going in a different direction. "Caeleb Dressler might earn the moniker as the next Michael Phelps, yet even-money on the versatile Team USA standout is unfounded," Tierney tells SportsLine. 

Tierney sees a few options who could finish ahead of the Floridian, and he is backing a swimmer who has the experience and maturity to handle the pressure in Tokyo. He's also found an underdog team in another sport he loves at more than 5-1!

You ABSOLUTELY have to see who it is and check out Tierney's analysis before making any 2021 Olympics swimming picks or Tokyo 2020 predictions of your own.

Who will win the 2020 Olympics men's 100-meter freestyle? And which high-value pick is a must-back? ... Join SportsLine now to get Mike Tierney's best bets for the Tokyo Summer Olympics, all from the renowned sportswriter who's covered nine Olympics in person and cashed big in both 2016 and '18!!