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Sports Betting Futures Odds: NFL Releases Schedule, Prepares for Draft


by - 4/25/2018

Lamar Jackson Louisville Cardinals

Playoffs in the NBA and NHL are in full swing, but the NFL is not to be outshined. The latter released its 2018 regular-season schedule last week, and the draft will get underway in primetime on Thursday night. Where and when will Shaquem Griffin go? Which Georgia running back will be taken first? And it's never too early to start thinking about Week 1. Falcons or Eagles?!?!

Odds provided by MyBookie.ag unless otherwise indicated.

NFL Draft positions ( BetOnline Sportsbook )

Shaquem Griffin in the fourth round (+250) - The one-handed linebacker out of Central Florida was the star of the combine. Now he is the wild card of the draft. The fifth round is also +250, while the third round is +350 and the sixth round is +450. Both the second round and undrafted are +1400.

Bradley Chubb in the top five (-165) - Quarterbacks and Penn State running back Saquon Barkley are dominating the headlines. But the consensus best defensive player available is the former N.C. State DE, who is on the Browns' radar-more at No. 4 than No. 1-but could go as high as No. 2 to the Giants.

Lamar Jackson in the top 17 (+160) - Jackson won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore, when he passed for 3,543 yards and 30 touchdowns to go along with 21 rushing TDs. The former Louisville star got invited back last season but lost to Baker Mayfield. Jackson could go as high as No. 12 to the Bills.

Sony Michel (-500) going before Nick Chubb - Michel and Chubb were thunder and lightning for four years together in the Georgia backfield. They combined for 2,572 yards and 31 touchdowns as seniors, dividing the workload evenly while almost leading the Bulldogs to the national title. Chubb is +300 to be taken before Michel.

NFL Week 1

Falcons (+4.5) at Eagles - The 2018 NFL schedule was released last week, and it begins with a mouth-watering Thursday night showdown. Atlanta will be playing a second consecutive game in Philadelphia, having lost a thriller against the eventual Super Bowl champions in the NFC divisional round last season.

Cowboys (+2.5) at Panthers - These could be two of the best teams in the NFC; or they could both just as easily miss the playoffs. We will begin to find out on the Sunday of Week 1, when Carolina hosts Dallas. The Cowboys are hoping to bounce back from a disappointing season without the services of star wideout Dez Bryant.

Chiefs (+3) at Chargers - Always an entertaining, high-spirited division, the AFC West will waste no time delving into rivalry action as Kansas City visits the Chargers right off the bat. The Chiefs will be hoping to avoid a hangover following a disastrous end to the 2017 campaign, capped off by a playoff collapse against Tennessee.

Rams (-2.5) at Raiders - The Jon Gruden era will officially get underway in Oakland when the second game of an opening-week Monday Night Football doubleheader kicks off. If quarterback Derek Carr can stay healthy, the Raiders should be much better than 6-10. The Rams, meanwhile, are emerging as real beasts in the NFC.

Stanley Cup

Nashville Predators (+330) - Only one first-round series is still ongoing, with the lone Game 7 featuring Boston and Toronto on Wednesday. As for the top Stanley Cup contenders, they mostly cruised through the conference quarterfinals. Nashville, which won the Presidents' Trophy with 117 points, took care of Colorado 4-2.

Tampa Bay Lightning (+380) - Tampa Bay earned the most points in the Eastern Conference (113) and is showing no signs of slowing down. It beat New Jersey 4-1 in the opening round, outscoring the Devils 16-7 in its four victories. The Lightning are a well-oiled machine both on offense and with Andrei Vasilevskiy in net.

Pittsburgh Penguins (+500) - Both Western Conference semifinals (Nashville vs. Winnipeg, Vegas vs. San Jose) are intriguing, but nothing beats the Pittsburgh-Washington rivalry. The Penguins have won three Stanley Cups dating back to 2009 (including the last two) and defeated the Caps along the way all three times.

Vegas Golden Knights (+500) - Some sportsbooks once had the expansion franchise at 500-1 to lift the cup in its debut season-longer odds than any other NHL team. The Golden Knights are now at 5-to-1, having compiled a shocking 51-24-7 regular-season record before sweeping the Kings in round one. Winnipeg is also a +500 fourth choice.

Kentucky Derby winning trainer

Todd Pletcher (+200) - Pletcher won the Kentucky Derby for the second time in his career last spring, when Always Dreaming got the job done. He has a good chance to go back-to-back with four horses in the lineup: Audible, Magnum Moon, Vino Rosso, and Noble Indy. Audible is a +400 third choice.

Bob Baffert (+250) - Baffert, who trained 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, has two horses in the field. One (Justify) is the favorite at +300. Solomini is a much longer shot at +1800. Baffert is a 12-time champion of Triple Crown races-four derbies, six Preakness victories, and twice at the Belmont Stakes.

Chad Brown (+600) - Brown may end up having more than one horse in the race depending on how the field shakes out, but by far his best chance rests with Good Magic (+800)-winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in 2017. Brown's first Triple Crown victory came at last year's Belmont Stakes with Cloud Computing.

Aidan O'Brien (+650) - The 48-year-old Irishman has spent most of his time in Europe, but he is now ready to dabble into the Triple Crown festivities across the pond. Mendelssohn is a +380 second choice, giving O'Brien a legitimate title opportunity. Mendelssohn won the UAE Derby in late March.

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