Sports Betting Futures Odds: Golf, Tennis Has Center Stage as Football Season Looms

by Ricky Dimon - 8/24/2016

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees

The NFL regular season is little more than one week away. Before the pigskin is kicked off, some of the smaller sports will enjoy at least a little time in the limelight. On the golf course, the FedEx Cup Playoffs are beginning this week with The Barclays. On the tennis court, the season's final major gets going next Monday at the U.S. Open.

Odds provided by Bovada Sportsbook unless otherwise indicated .

NFL Week 1 (MyBookie.ag)

Cleveland Browns (+6) at Philadelphia Eagles -The Robert Griffin III era in Cleveland will begin next month when the Browns visit Philadelphia. How many quarterbacks must this franchise try before it gets one right? Nothing went right last season, when Cleveland went 3-13 and won only a single road game.

Oakland Raiders (+1) at New Orleans Saints - Is this a case of one team on the way up and the other on the way down? Oakland boasts a solid, young nucleus on the offensive side led by Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, and Latavius Murray. Drew Brees is 37 years old and New Orleans lost half of its home games in 2015.

New England Patriots (+6) at Arizona Cardinals -Game one without Tom Brady will not be easy. In fact, it would likely be tough for the Patriots even with Brady under center. The Cardinals went 14-3 last season and made it to the NFC Championship before getting blown out by Carolina.

Los Angeles Rams (-2.5) at San Francisco 49ers -The Rams have to go on the road for their first game back with Los Angeles in front of their name, but they won't have to travel far. Todd Gurley is one of the best running backs in the league, but this West-Coast showdown could come down to which QB makes the fewest mistakes.

The Barclays

Jason Day (+750) -The Barclays did not disappoint as the Playoffs opener last year. Day ran away with the title, and a top-heavy leaderboard also featured Henrik Stenson in second and Bubba Watson in third. Day also placed T2 in 2014, so he knows what he is doing at this event.

Dustin Johnson (+900) - Johnson finally got over the hump and won a major (the U.S. Open earlier this summer). Will it propel him to even greater heights, like the PGA Championship did for Day last fall? Johnson, who won The Barclays in 2011, immediately posted three top-10s but then missed the PGA cut.

Rory McIlroy (+1000) - In 14 events, McIlroy has not won on the PGA Tour this year. He has never been a real factor at The Barclays, either (most recently T22 in 2014 and DNP in 2015). The Northern Irishman was fifth at the British Open last month but missed cuts at both the U.S. Open and the PGA.

Henrik Stenson (+1200) -What's not to like about Stenson's chances this week? For one, the guy is on fire-with an epic British Open win and a silver medal at the Olympics. He also finished runner-up to Day at The Barclays last season and is a former FedEx Cup champion (2013).

U.S. Open (men's)

Novak Djokovic (Even) -Suddenly, Djokovic has become something less than a dominant force on the ATP Tour. He won the Australian Open and the French Open but lost early at Wimbledon (to Sam Querrey) and the Olympics (to Juan Martin Del Potro). A potential wrist injury may also be cause for concern heading into the U.S. Open.

Andy Murray (+180) - Djokovic has left the door open, and Murray has walked right through it, to the tune of his second Wimbledon title and a second consecutive gold medal in men's singles. He also reached the Cincinnati final last week despite having enjoyed zero rest after Rio. The 2012 champion in NYC has another good chance.

Milos Raonic (+1200) -There's Djokovic, there's Murray, and then there's everyone else. Is Raonic the best of the rest? Well, he finished runner-up to Murray at Wimbledon and advanced to the Cincinnati semifinals. Up to sixth in the world, Raonic just barely missed a top-four seed, so he may have to face Djokovic or Murray in the quarters.

Juan Martin Del Potro (+1600) -Ranked No. 142 in the world because of injuries, Del Potro will be unseeded in New York. But he was just that at the Olympics, too, and stunned Djokovic on his way to a silver medal. Nobody wants to play this guy in the first round-and maybe not at any point of the tournament. Stan Wawrinka is also +1600.

La Liga (MyBookie.ag)

Barcelona (-160) -Barca will be without Neymar until September, but it dominated its opener 6-2 against Real Betis last weekend. FCB is second on the all-time list with 24 titles, and it has lifted the trophy six times in the last eight seasons. Lionel Messi and company edged Real Madrid by one point in 2015-16.

Real Madrid (+125) - Real still tops the chart with 32 overall championships, but the Whites have not won it all since 2011-12. Cristiano Ronaldo has to be feeling good after Portugal prevailed in surprising fashion at the recent European Championship; now he has the task of getting his club team back on top.

Atletico Madrid (+900) - While Barcelona and Real got off to winning starts (each by at least three goals), Atletico had to settle for a 1-1 draw versus Alaves in its opener. Atletico, which last triumphed in 2013-14, contended the entire way last season and finished with 88 points to Barca's 91 and Real's 90. No other club had more than 64.

Sevilla (+6000) - No team aside from the aforementioned three has won the title since 2003-04 (Valencia). Sevilla has not finished outside the top 10 since it rejoined La Liga in 2001-02. Villarreal is also +6000, but as the odds suggest this is a three-horse race. That being said, just ask the 2015-16 Leicester City team how much odds mean….

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