Sports Betting Futures Odds: Playoffs?!?! NFL Draft Briefly Stealing the Show

by Ricky Dimon - 4/27/2016

TCU Horned Frogs wide receiver Josh Doctson

The NBA and NHL playoffs are going strong and just about ready to turn the page from round one to the conference semifinals. For three days (although really just Thursday night), however, the NFL will throw its hat into the ring in the form of the draft. The No. 1 and No. 2 picks have already been decided, but-as always-things could get crazy thereafter.

Odds provided by BookMaker unless otherwise indicated .

NFL Draft (BetOnline Sportsbook)

Over 1.5 RBs drafted in first round (+260) -Former Ohio State star Ezekiel Elliott is just about a lock to go in round one and probably has no chance of even slipping past the Miami Dolphins at No. 13 overall. The question is: will Derrick Henry sneak into the late first round? Chances are good the Heisman Trophy winner slips to the second.

Over 3.5 WRs drafted in first round (+110) -The value of running backs has depreciated immensely in recent seasons, but the same cannot be said of wide receivers. A run is expected to take place in the early to mid-20s of the first round. Will Fuller, Laquon Treadwell, Josh Doctson, and Corey Coleman are all possibilities.

Jalen Ramsey drafted before Myles Jack (-400) -Ramsey, a former Florida State quarterback, insists he is the best player in the draft. That may not be the case, but he should go to either Dallas at No. 4 or Baltimore at No. 6. Jack may be hurt by his 2015 knee injury (suffered a torn lateral meniscus in September while at UCLA).

Josh Doctson drafted before Corey Coleman (-160) -This could be extremely close. The Texans (No. 22), Vikings (No. 23), and Steelers (No. 24) all need a receiver. Trades, of course, may shuffle things; it only takes one team to love one of these guys. Doctson was awesome at TCU, but Coleman (from Baylor) turned heads with a 4.37 40-yard dash at the combine.

NBA championship

Golden State Warriors (+130) - The Warriors are still favored to win it all for a second straight season, but they no longer have an edge against the entire field. Stephen Curry is out for at least two weeks and may miss all of the conference semifinals against either the Clippers or Blazers.

San Antonio Spurs (+175) -Sitting pretty-and healthy-are the Spurs. They took care of Memphis in four straight games while watching teams like the Warriors and Clippers bite the injury bug. What's not to like about a team with LaMarcus Aldridge, Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard, and Coach Pop?

Cleveland Cavaliers (+325) -Flying under a radar that he has been clouded by all sorts of shenanigans in the Western Conference (injuries, controversial comments, notable press conferences, etc.), Cleveland is expected to roll through the East. It did just that in round one against Detroit.

Oklahoma City Thunder (+1400) - There is some good news for the Thunder. They aren't injured, and two of their possible conference final opponents are. Of course, the bad news is that Kevin Durant and company have to go up against San Antonio next. If they can pull off that upset, watch out.

Zurich Classic of New Orleans

Jason Day (+550) -Day never made any kind of move at Augusta National after a hot start to Day 1, but he still finished T10. He also has two victories in his last four starts. At last year's Zurich Classic, the Aussie was tied with Justin Rose heading into Sunday but ended up losing by three shots.

Justin Rose (+750) - Rose is the defending champion of this tournament. In 2015 he fired four rounds in the 60s (including the each of the last three no worse than 66) en route to a total of 22-under par. Moreover, he has four top-10 finishes already this season (including a T10 showing at the Masters).

Rickie Fowler (+1200) -Fowler does not have too much going for him at the moment. He played terrible golf at the Masters and missed the cut. He also missed the cut at the Zurich Classic in 2015. Will a week of vacation in the Bahamas with Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, and Smylie Kaufman clear his mind?

Charley Hoffman (+1800) - Hoffman is coming off a victory last week in San Antonio, where he beat Patrick Reed by one stroke with a birdie on the final hole. The 39-year-old contended in New Orleans last year before stumbling to a Sunday 73. Billy Horschel, who won this tournament in 2013, is also +1800.

Next Lakers Head Coach

Luke Walton (-200) -Walton was never the official head coach of the Warriors during Steve Kerr's injury-related absence, so he did not get credit for any wins and has no official coaching record. But for those counting, the 36-year-old led Golden State to a 39-4 record (including a 24-0 start) in the 43 games Kerr missed.

Derek Fisher (+600) -The Fisher experiment in New York was an unmitigated disaster. He went 17-65 in his only full season with the Knicks before getting fired 54 games into the 2015-16 campaign after compiling a 23-31 mark. Fisher does, of course, have Laker ties. He played 13 years with the organization and won five NBA championships.

Mark Jackson (+650) -Kerr did with the Warriors what Jackson could not do. That being said, he took them from 23-43 his first year to 47-35 and then to 51-31. Jackson, a 17-year NBA veteran, spent the last two seasons as an analyst. He has also talked to the New York Knicks and Sacramento Kings.

Jeff Van Gundy (+800) - Van Gundy has not been in the coaching game since 2006-07. He coached the Knicks for six full seasons, making the playoffs on every occasion and reaching the NBA Finals once. Van Gundy led the Houston Rockets for four years starting in 2003-04, during which they never made it out of the first round.

Start:	November 23, 2024 @ 2:30 PM
Expert:	Tony George
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