NFL Handicapping Articles

NFL Basic Strategy Teasers: Best Betting Options for Week 14
by George Monroy - 12/8/2015

Basic strategy teasers are promising to close the NFL season on a strong note. The wager went a perfect 3-0 last week and pushed its record to 13-1 over the last four weeks, which is a spectacular mark for any type of bet. The teasers are two-team, six-point wagers that use 7.5 to 8.5 point favorites and 1.5 to 2.5 point underdogs to manipulate those spreads past the NFL key numbers of three and seven. Basic strategy teasers have changed over the years and are not quite as powerful as they once were (because the oddsmakers adjusted the vig to even things out), but they are still the best way to use a teaser during the NFL season.

NFL Football Predictions: Week 14 Opening Line Report and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 12/7/2015

We have a new NFL MVP favorite. That award appeared all but locked up a few weeks ago with Tom Brady such a heavy favorite that Bovada only listed a prop on Brady vs. the field to win MVP. But Brady's Patriots have now lost back-to-back games, and he had his worst rating of the season (71.4) in Sunday's shocking home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Brady had two picks, his first game this year with more than one. He did pass Dan Marino, however, for No. 3 on the all-time TD pass list. Brady has 423 with Peyton Manning at No. 1 with 539.

NFL Betting and Wagering Advice: Biggest Mismatches Week 13
by Victor Ryan - 12/5/2015

This time of year, when weather becomes a factor, a productive rushing attack can be the difference between winning and losing in the NFL. This week's slate features a handful of games with significant mismatches in the ground game, including in a pair AFC West divisional showdowns. Let's get started.

NFL Odds and Betting Week 13: Line Movements & Last-Minute News
by Alan Matthews - 12/4/2015

I am very eagerly looking forward to Sunday night's game between Indianapolis and Pittsburgh as well as Monday's matchup between Dallas and Washington (which I previewed here at Doc's). Not so much for betting purposes or as a fan of one of those teams. I just want to see how those games can top the endings of the past three prime-time NFL thrillers.

NFL Props Odds with Expert Betting Picks and Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 12/4/2015

Bovada is not only one of the top online sportsbooks for betting on NFL games, but oftentimes it goes above and beyond with some additional betting action by releasing odds for a few special player and team props to go along with that week's games. Most times these props center around some of the top trending topics in the league.

NFL Expert Picks Against the Spread: Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders Odds
by Alan Matthews - 12/3/2015

With Denver's win last Sunday night against New England, that erased any chance the Broncos wouldn't win the AFC West. So that leaves division foes Kansas City and Oakland chasing a wild-card spot in hopes of returning to the playoffs. The Chiefs last made it in the 2013 season but haven't won a playoff game since 1993. Oakland hasn't been to the playoffs since 2002 when it lost the Super Bowl -- that was the last time the team finished with a winning record.

NFL Playoff Scenarios with Expert Predictions and Analysis
by Trevor Whenham - 12/3/2015

The NFL Playoffs seem like they are still a long way off, and there is a lot of football left between now and the postseason. Even now, though, bettors need to be aware of the race for the playoffs and the implications that it can have. Teams in the playoff hunt can have an extra incentive each time out. Teams that have no playoff future may not be as sharp as they could be. You need to be aware of playoff situations to give yourself an extra edge in your handicapping - any edge helps. Here's a look at the situation in each of the eight divisions:

NFL Expert Picks Against the Spread: Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions Odds
by Alan Matthews - 12/2/2015

Mike McCarthy has been one of the most successful coaches in the NFL with a 101-53-1 regular-season record and one Super Bowl title to his credit since taking over at Green Bay. But even legendary coach Bill Parcells has admitted every coach wears out his welcome at some point. You aren't going to see guys staying decades in jobs these days like a Tom Landry, Chuck Noll or Don Shula.

NFL Handicapping and Betting: Carolina Panthers Prospects for Undefeated Season
by George Monroy - 12/1/2015

Now that the New England Patriots finally lost a game, the last undefeated team standing is also the most unlikely one. Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers have empathically stamped their arrival into the NFC's elite with a 15-game winning streak (dating back to last season). And even if they do not win a Super Bowl this year, the organization has built a foundation that is ready to compete for a title over the next half-decade. Most NFL pundits expected the Panthers to be a 10-win team at best, and even then that assessment felt like an exaggeration.

NFL Basic Strategy Teasers: Best Betting Options for Week 13
by George Monroy - 12/1/2015

Basic strategy teasers are finally beginning to gain some traction after starting out the first half of the season with a losing record. The wager went 4-1 last week, 3-0 during Week 11 and 3-0 during Week 10 for a 10-1 mark over that span. What exactly are basic strategy teasers? And why should we bet on them? The teasers are two-team, six-point wagers that move underdogs of 1.5 to 2.5 points up and favorites of 7.5 to 8.5 down, in order to move past the strongest NFL key numbers of three and seven.

NFL Football Predictions: Week 13 Opening Line Report and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 11/30/2015

If you were an NFL general manager -- or, shoot, just your own fantasy football GM -- and I told you for the rest of this season you could have one of three quarterbacks to start for your team and offered Matt Hasselbeck, Brock Osweiler and Matt Ryan, the choice is easy, right? It has to be Ryan.

NFL Odds and Betting Week 12: Line Movements & Last-Minute News
by Alan Matthews - 11/27/2015

Might the de facto NFC East title game be held on Sunday when the New York Giants visit the Washington Redskins? Could be. Now let me preface this by saying I expected Philadelphia to win that division back in the preseason (I fell into the Sam Bradford trap) and Dallas to finish second. Figured the Giants third and Redskins fourth. But after what transpired on Thanksgiving, the East looks like a two-team race between the G-Men and Redskins.

NFL Wild-Card Odds: Picks and Predictions for Four Potential Playoff Teams
by Dave Schwab - 11/27/2015

This is the time of the NFL season when much of the talk turns to which 12 teams will earn the right to compete for a trip to the Super Bowl by making it into the playoffs. BetOnline has recently updated its NFL playoff prop bet odds for a number of different teams as far as their chances to nail down one of those spots, and my job is to find the best value in these odds.

NFL Betting and Handicapping: What to Make of Inconsistent Teams
by Trevor Whenham - 11/27/2015

I'm sitting here watching this incredibly awful massacre of the Eagles by the Lions on Thanksgiving, and it's making me mad. It's not because I'm an Eagles fan - I'm certainly not. It's not because I feel bad for Chip Kelly - he'll look good at LSU. It's not even because Matthew Stafford is sitting on the bench this week for my fantasy keeper team and there is nothing I can do about it now - though that isn't helping. What makes me mad is how frustratingly inconsistent the Lions are. They are one of those teams you just can't get a sense of - they are football chameleons. For a bettor that is the worst.

NFL Expert Picks Against the Spread: New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
by Alan Matthews - 11/26/2015

When I previewed last season's Patriots-Broncos matchup, I mentioned that football fans should enjoy it because it was quite possibly the last time Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, the two greatest regular-season quarterbacks of all time and two of the five best overall in league history, would ever face off. Now that's looking more and more likely.

NFL Betting and Wagering Advice: Biggest Mismatches Week 12
by Victor Ryan - 11/26/2015

There are a few glaring statistical mismatches on this week's NFL slate, including in the big New England-Denver matchup in the Mile High City on Sunday night. This week, a closer look will be taken at four different games that feature teams with bad matchup. Let's get started.

NFL Handicapping: Atlanta Falcons a Headache for Bettors
by Trevor Whenham - 11/26/2015

It has been a tale of two seasons this year for the Atlanta Falcons. They jumped out of the gate 5-0, and people were ready to give Dan Quinn the Coach of the Year hardware. After all, he had taken a team that had averaged just five wins over two pathetic seasons and won his first five games. Impressive. But then the team went out and lost four of their next five. Ouch. Even worse, the four losses were all against teams - New Orleans, Tampa Bay, San Francisco and Indianapolis - that they absolutely should have been able to beat.

NFL Expert Picks Against the Spread: Carolina Panthers at Dallas Cowboys Odds
by Alan Matthews - 11/25/2015

Some sportsbooks have Carolina as a favorite and some with this game as a pick'em, but others still have Dallas favored for the middle game on Thanksgiving from AT&T Stadium. And you might never see a 3-7 team favored over a 10-0 one again this decade in the NFL. It's only the second time a 10-0 team has opened as an underdog. The other was that storied 1985 Chicago Bears team. It was a 2-point opening dog when it visited a 7-3 Cowboys squad. Chicago won 44-0.

NFL Handicapping: Betting Odds and Analysis for Thanksgiving Matchups
by Trevor Whenham - 11/25/2015

As a proud Canadian I'm not jealous of much about other countries. Thursday is an exception, though. There are few things I love more than turkey. Football is one of those things. You Americans have a whole holiday devoted to just those two things. Brilliant. We had our Thanksgiving a month ago, and it's not quite the same. For starters, it's on a Sunday, not a Thursday, so it's just a typical day of football instead of a bonus one.

NFL Handicapping: Betting on or Against Double-Digit Favorites
by George Monroy - 11/25/2015

Betting on large spreads in the NFL can be tricky. One the one hand, giving up double-digit points is a lot to overcome. However, on the other hand, those large underdogs are large underdogs for a reason-because they are typically horrendous football teams. Surprisingly, however, the 2015 NFL season has seen only 11 double-digit spreads through the first 11 weeks of the season, and there have already been four weekends without a single large spread on the board.