Basically, when you handicap a game (especially for MLB), you are looking at overnight lines, or lines that are fairly new. In baseball, these lines usually come out in the early afternoon for the next days games. The initial movement is usually (and I stress usually) indicative of which way the lines will move.
Example: I see an overnight line of +120 for the Cubs. My model says the fair line is +108, hence, I take Cubs action at +120. If the line starts dropping towards my number, that's a good sign that I'm on the right side. If the line closes at +112, I BTCL by 8 cents.
In baseball, line moves aren't usually larger than 10 cents or so unless there is a major event (pitcher change, etc.). NFL, on the other hand, can see some pretty big swings in spreads and totals.
with your research.