Sports Betting Futures Odds: Some Wild Results in the NFC North
The Vikings lost at home to Buffalo and the Lions upset New England. In
other words, the NFC North is not what we thought it was-at least not in
Week 3. Meanwhile, football will have to share center stage in the sports
world this weekend with golf. Following Tiger Woods' famous triumph at the
TOUR Championship in Atlanta, the Ryder Cup is taking place across the pond
in Paris.
All odds provided by Bovada Sportsbook
.
NFC North
Minnesota Vikings (+120)
- As -17 favorites, the Vikings suffered the NFL's biggest upset in 23
years when they lost at home to the Bills 27-6 last weekend. Unbelievably,
the Bills led 27-0 midway through the second quarter before coasting to
victory. On the bright side for Minnesota, it is still a respectable 1-1-1
through three weeks.
Green Bay Packers (+200)
- Also at 1-1-1 (the Packers and Vikings tied at Lambeau Field in Week 2),
Green Bay is currently tied for second in the division. Aaron Rodgers has
been less than 100 percent since sustaining a knee injury in the season
opener, and he struggled to get the offense going in a recent 31-17 loss at
Washington.
Chicago Bears (+350)
- The Bears should be 3-0, but for now they will take a 2-1 record that has
them alone in first place in the NFC North. Led by newcomer Khalil Mack as
the star linebacker, Chicago is fifth in the entire league in total defense
following back-to-back wins over Seattle and Arizona in which it allowed 31
points.
Detroit Lions (+1000)
- While Chicago would be 3-0 if it had not blown a massive Week 1 lead over
Green Bay, Detroit would be 0-3 if it had lost to defending AFC champion
New England on Sunday night. Instead, the Lions pulled off a 26-10 victory
as +6.5 home underdogs for their first win of 2018. The visit the Cowboys
in Week 4.
NHL points leader
Connor McDavid (+275)
- McDavid racked up 108 points to top the NHL charts in 2017-18, beating
out Philadelphia's Claude Giroux by six points. The 2016-17 league MVP was
sixth in goals (41) and third in assists (67) behind Giroux and Winnipeg's
Blake Wheeler. McDavid recorded 100 points (30 goals, 70 assists) a season
earlier.
Sidney Crosby (+850)
- With McDavid (21 years old) on the rise and Crosby (31 years old) still
going strong, the NHL is in good hands as it prepares for the 2018-19
campaign that begins on Oct. 3. The key for Crosby is staying healthy, and
he has played at least 75 games in five straight seasons. He finished 10 th in points (89) last year.
Nikita Kucherov (+1000)
- Three players reached the 100-point mark in 2017-18, with Kucherov
finishing right on the number. His consistent improvement over the past
three years has been impressive, recording 66 points in 2015-16 and 85
points one season later prior to his 100-point performance. Kucherov dished
out 61 assists in 2017-18.
Evgeni Malkin (+1400)
- Malkin finished fourth in points (98) and fourth in goals (42) last
season. He was the top goal-scorer among anyone who finished in the top 10
in points. The 32-year-old finally played more than 70 games (78) for the
first time since 2011-12). Mark Scheifele and Nathan MacKinnon are also
+1400.
Ryder Cup
Team USA to win (-135)
- The Americans have won only two of the last eight events, but was their
17-11 blowout at Hazeltine in 2016 the start of a new trend? They are
absolutely loaded in 2018, with 11 of the top 17 golfers in the current
rankings. That includes Tiger and three-time major champions Jordan Spieth
and Brooks Koepka.
Team Europe to win (+145)
- On paper the Europeans are nowhere near as stacked, but they simply know
how to get the job done in this team competition. And it's not like this
particular European side can be discounted-especially not with home-course
advantage. Justin Rose just won the FedEx Cup and Rory McIlroy is in fine
form.
Tiger Woods to be top wild card point-scorer (+300)
- Both captains (Jim Furyk and Thomas Bjorn) had four picks, or proverbial
wild cards, beyond the automatic qualifiers. Tiger, of course, was the most
high-profile and no-brainer selection. Although he is red hot, the
42-year-old is just 13-17-1 lifetime in seven Ryder Cup appearances.
Justin Rose to be top European point-scorer (+500)
- What's not to like about Rose this week? The Englishman 11-6-2 lifetime
in four Ryder Cup appearances, with a winning record in all three
disciplines (fourballs, foursomes, and singles). He won the FedEx Cup with
three consecutive top-four finishes. McIlroy is also +500.
Ryder Cup top American
Dustin Johnson (+500)
- Since the British Open, Johnson has one win (RBC Canadian Open) and two
other top-three showings (including at the TOUR Championship). He remains
No. 1 in the world ahead of Rose, Koepka, and Justin Thomas. The
34-year-old is 3-0-0 in singles during his Ryder Cup career.
Justin Thomas (+600)
- Thomas has never been a part of the Ryder Cup, but he has been absolutely
on fire over the past two seasons to establish himself as one of the
Americans' anchors on the 2018 team. The 25-year-old is No. 1 on the PGA's
money list in 2018 and he has recorded four top-10 finishes in his last six
tournaments.
Brooks Koepka (+650)
- Koepka compiled a 3-1-0 record in his Ryder Cup debut, helping Team USA
dominate the visiting Europeans in 2016. And that was before he was a major
champion; now he has won three majors, including back-to-back U.S. Opens.
However, the 28-year-old has struggled since winning the PGA Championship.
Tiger Woods (+750)
- Tiger boasts a 4-1-2 singles record at the Ryder Cup, so there is no
telling how good he can be in Paris if Furyk manages to mesh him with the
right partner(s). The 14-time major winner is back up to No. 13 in the
world and he was one Justin Rose par on 18 away from winning the FedEx Cup.
Spieth is also +750.
Read more articles by Ricky Dimon
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