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Week 8 NFL Odds - Lookahead Lines - Picks & Best Bet Predictions

by Mike Allen - 10/16/2024

NFL Week 8 lookahead lines and odds Brock Purdy San Francisco 49ers

Week 6 was the most public betting week of the year. Road favorites covered at an all-time high, 9-0. In fact, against the spread. Home-field advantage doesn’t equate to 3 points anymore or even 2.

If your bets left you in the green after the weekend, resist the urge to double down your winnings with the current slate of games. Resist recency bias when deciding which teams and or point totals to bet.

Forgive me for wagging my finger. It's easier said than done not to let a team's most recent performance take on more weight than it should in the handicapping process. One way we can do this is to make our wager two weeks ahead of time. Yes, betting limits are higher the closer we get to the game. However, I'm sure you've been in the NFL betting game long enough to know that many times, the difference between making a profit and losing money is roughly 0.5 to 1.5 purported point edges we have on the sportsbook.

There is plenty to be said for the strategy of waiting until just before kickoff to make your bet. You have the most knowledge of who's playing as well as a graph of the line movement, including where the public money has gone compared to the sharps. The problem with this process is that many times, you're left out in the cold. The injured star players are a go for the favorite, you can see they're the pro side of the money, and the other is public. Everything has lined up perfectly for you, except the betting odds have moved past a key number like 3, 6, or 7.

A good bet can turn into a bad bet quickly.

Instead of reacting and just taking what they give us, we can be proactive instead. Let’s bet the lookahead lines for the Week 8 games a week ahead. 

Doc’s Sports offers NFL expert picks for every game on our NFL predictions page.

NFL Week 8 Lookahead Lines Best Bets

Green Bay Packers (-4) at Jacksonville Jaguars Odds (+4) Total: 47.5

Oct 27th at 1:00 PM Jacksonville, FL

I'm looking at the odds for Week 8, and I see Houston nearly a touchdown favorite against the Colts, Baltimore and Tennessee are 9.5-point betting favorites, and the LA Chargers are catching 6 against the Saints.

Why are the Green Bay Packers only 4-point favorites against the Jaguars? Maybe, just maybe this betting line gets down to 3.5 if Jacksonville blows out New England and the Pack is stunned at home by C.J. Stroud and the Texans. Those are two unlikely potential events.

What’s more probable is the defense for the Packers being the difference against Houston and Green Bay winning by 3.

As for Jacksonville's game against New England, they could easily get lit up by rookie Drake Maye. He looked great last week, and the Jags' secondary is one of the worst units in all of football. I believe both public money and the sharps will come in on the Packers, potentially moving the betting odds up to 6 or more.

Pick: Green Bay Packers (-4)

Carolina Panthers (+4) at Denver Broncos Odds (-4) Total: 43

Oct 27th at 4:25 PM Denver, CO

Whether the Carolina Panthers cover the 7.5 points in our nation's capital on Sunday or not, I don't see the betting odds going any other way than in Denver's direction. They are the better team with a more mobile quarterback. The Broncos' defense is top-five in the NFL, and nobody has given up more points this year than Carolina (203). Denver has allowed 96 points this year, and the Panthers have barely reached triple digits, and that's with garbage time.

I don’t think the pros are ready to bet on Carolina again, and the public will probably push this line up a point. This one isn’t so much about the line movement as it is simply betting on the better team with the better coach to win at home in elevation.

Pick: Denver Broncos (-4)

Dallas Cowboys (+6.5) at San Francisco 49ers Odds (-6.5) Total: 49

Oct 27th at 8:15 PM San Francisco, CA

Okay, I love the first pick on Green Bay. I like the lookahead line on Denver. Where we go with this Cowboys vs Niners game is another story. Dallas got demolished by the Detroit Lions in their last game. However, they have Week 7 off to prepare for a massive game in San Francisco against the 49ers.

They also have revenge on their minds, as the Cowboys haven't beaten the Niners since 2020, and last year's result was a ridiculous 42-10 whooping at home.

San Francisco can't look ahead at all as they host the Kansas City Chiefs this week. We would need to see a dominant game from either side to move this line, and I think this one goes down to the wire.

As for the matchup on the field, the Niners are Super Bowl contenders, and Dallas is 30% to make the playoffs.

I can’t confidently say where this line will go, but it’s more likely to be over the key number of 7 at kickoff than be under 6. Just a sprinkle here on San Francisco at (-6.5).

Pick: San Francisco 49ers (-6.5)

More NFL Odds - Week 8 Lookahead Lines

Minnesota Vikings (-3) at LA Rams odds (+3) Total: 46.5 (Oct 24th at 8:15 PM Los Angeles, CA)

Tennessee Titans (+9.5) at Detroit Lions odds (-9.5) Total: 45 (Oct 27th at 1:00 PM Detroit, MI)

Baltimore Ravens (-9.5) at Cleveland Browns odds (+9.5) Total: 42.5 (Oct 27th at 1:00 PM Cleveland, OH)

Indianapolis Colts (+6.5) at Houston Texans odds (-6.5) Total: 47.5 (Oct 27th at 1:00 PM Houston, TX)

Arizona Cardinals (+3) at Miami Dolphins odds (-3) Total: 47.5 (Oct 27th at 1:00 PM Miami, FL)

Atlanta Falcons (+2.5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers odds (-2.5) Total: 48 (Oct 27th at 1:00 PM Tampa, FL)

Chicago Bears (+1.5) at Washington Commanders odds (-1.5) Total: 47 (Oct 27th at 4:00 PM Washington DC)

New York Jets (-7) at New England Patriots odds (+7) Total: 39.5 (Oct 27th at 1:00 PM Foxboro, MA)

Buffalo Bills (-3) at Seattle Seahawks odds (+3) Total: 48 (Oct 27th at 4:05 PM Seattle, WA)

New Orleans Saints (+6) at LA Chargers odds (-6) Total: 39 (Oct 27th at 4:05 PM Los Angeles, CA)

Philadelphia Eagles (+2.5) at Cincinnati Bengals odds (-2.5) Total: 49.5 (Oct 27th at 4:00 PM Cincinnati, OH)

Kansas City Chiefs (-10) at Las Vegas Raiders odds (+10) Total: 43.5 (Oct 27th at 4:25 PM Las Vegas, NV)

New York Giants (+4) at Pittsburgh Steelers odds (-4) Total: 38 (Oct 28th at 8:15 PM Pittsburgh, PA)

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