NFL Handicapping Articles

NFL Props Odds with Expert Betting Picks and Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 11/6/2015

The 2015 NFL season is closing in on the halfway point, and Bovada has cooked up another batch of special player props to go along with two of this Sunday's games. Following up on last week's prop concerning the future of San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick are props for his replacement Blaine Gabbert, and there is another player prop for New York Giants' defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. Here are my "best bet" picks for a few of these unique betting opportunities.

NFL Expert Picks Against the Spread: St. Louis Rams at Minnesota Vikings Odds
by Alan Matthews - 11/5/2015

Clearly the game of the week in the NFL is Green Bay at Carolina, with potentially the top seed in the NFC playoffs hanging in the balance. But I previewed both those teams last week -- was right on taking Denver +3.5 against the Packers as well as Indianapolis +7.5 at Carolina -- so let's look elsewhere for Sunday.

NFL Betting and Wagering Advice: Biggest Mismatches Week 9
by Victor Ryan - 11/5/2015

Each week in the NFL there are games that feature marked mismatches, which oftentimes will become the deciding factor in the eventual outcome. For example, last week in this space it was highlighted Drew Brees vs. the New York Giants defense was a significant mismatch. The New Orleans quarterback promptly tied the NFL record with seven touchdown passes in a 52-49 win that soared over the total.

NFL Expert Picks Against the Spread: Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals
by Alan Matthews - 11/4/2015

A reminder that from this Thursday night game forward, they are televised on only the NFL Network and no longer also on CBS. The Thursday games this season, as in past, have been pretty lousy football, but they aren't going anywhere because they draw big ratings and it's just more money for the NFL.

NFL Basic Strategy Teasers: Best Betting Options for Week 9
by George Monroy - 11/4/2015

Basic Strategy Teasers started out the season with a slower-than-usual pace, but over the last couple of weeks the bet has turned into a solid proposition for football gamblers. The teaser is a two-team, six-point wager that moves favorites of 7.5 to 8.5 points and underdogs of 1.5 to 2.5 points past the strongest NFL key numbers of three and seven (key numbers are the most common margins of victory NFL games). A basic strategy teaser is still the smartest way to bet on a teaser since sticking to the fewest games and fewest points is always more likely to hit than a seven-point, eight-team bet.

NFL Football Predictions: Week 9 Opening Line Report and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 11/2/2015

The trade deadline in Major League Baseball and the NBA are both big events. There's always a ton of action in terms of player movement as well as futures odds shifting. The NFL? Very little if nothing happens. Might that change this year? The deadline is 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

NFL Odds and Betting Week 8: Line Movements & Last-Minute News
by Alan Matthews - 10/30/2015

Among its Week 8 specials, Bovada is offering odds on the 2015 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, so let's take a look. To no surprise, Rams running back Todd Gurley, who was chosen No. 10 overall despite coming off an ACL tear in his final season at Georgia, is the -150 favorite. Gurley missed the first few games as the Rams wanted to make sure he was 100 percent. Throw out his first game in Week 3 against Pittsburgh as he got only six carries.

NFL Betting: Handicapping the Remaining Unbeaten Teams
by George Monroy - 10/30/2015

The huge matchup headlining Week 8 of NFL action is a meeting between two titans in Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers when the Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers face off in a battle of unbeaten teams. The legendary quarterbacks have played against each other only one time in their respective careers, during Rodgers' first year as the starting quarterback in Green Bay. The matchup will cross off one of the five unbeaten teams left this year, so let's take a closer look at each one and figure out who has the best value to keep the streaking going into the second half of the season.

NFL Props Odds with Expert Betting Picks and Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 10/30/2015

It is Week 8 in the NFL. And along with all the pointspreads, moneylines and total lines for the matchups, Bovada has once again added some extra action to the games with a few NFL special props. The following two prop bets concern a struggling player and a losing team in terms of yards gained, and my bonus pick this week concerns a quarterback that might be playing for his job.

NFL Expert Picks Against the Spread: Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos
by Alan Matthews - 10/29/2015

It's arguably the game of the 2015 regular season in Denver on Sunday night when the unbeaten Packers visit the unbeaten Broncos in a potential Super Bowl preview. It's only the fourth meeting of 6-0 teams in league history and first since 2007. It's also the first ever in prime time. So expect huge ratings and betting action at the various sportsbooks.

NFL Expert Picks Against the Spread: Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots
by Alan Matthews - 10/28/2015

Even with an upset on Monday night, the Miami Dolphins (3-3) aren't going to catch the New England Patriots (6-0) for the AFC East title. The Pats are going to take the East for the seventh straight season barring a Tom Brady injury. But this game would be huge for Miami's potential wild-card chances, not to mention burgeoning confidence. The team looked like it didn't care a lick under Coach Joe Philbin, so he was fired after a listless Week 4 loss against the New York Jets in London.

NFL Basic Strategy Teasers: Best Betting Options for Week 8
by George Monroy - 10/28/2015

Everyone loves a good teaser bet, and why wouldn't they? Teasers allow bettors to move spreads around in various point intervals, beginning at six and moving to 10 points and beyond. On paper, teasers are amazing because bettors can essentially make their own lines. The wager, however, can quickly fall into "suckers bet" territory if you are not careful. The more teams and points that are added into a teaser end up the worsening the odds and correct payouts to actually hit your bet.

NFL Betting and Wagering Advice: Biggest Mismatches Week 8
by Victor Ryan - 10/27/2015

NFL games are often decided by which team can best exploit the weaknesses of its opponent. A prudent part of handicapping the NFL is finding the biggest statistical mismatches and determining what impact they will have on the result. With that in mind, each week in this space you will be provided an in-depth look at some of the biggest mismatches on the NFL slate.

NFL MVP Betting Odds with Expert Wagering Predictions
by George Monroy - 10/27/2015

The NFL MVP landscape has changed quite a bit over the last few years, and this season only a couple of mainstays remain at the top of the list. Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are still in the mix, but the most surprising absence is five-time MVP winner Peyton Manning not even ranking the in the Top 10 and receiving something in the range of +7500. During any other year Manning at 75/1 would be the bet of the century, but unfortunately players age and careers come to a close, which seems to be the place legendary quarterback is currently standing.

NFL Football Predictions: Week 8 Opening Line Report and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 10/26/2015

There are no locks in sports betting but this is: From now on, there will be at least one NFL game every year streamed live over the Internet. Did you happen to check out Sunday morning's Bills-Jaguars game from London? It was only available outside those two markets via Yahoo and other than a couple of times where the screen froze for a few seconds, it looked pretty good. The NFL is thrilled with the numbers as the game reportedly was seen by around 33.6 million people worldwide (15.2 million unique viewers).

NFL Odds and Betting Week 7: Line Movements & Last-Minute News
by Alan Matthews - 10/23/2015

Hopefully you followed my Thursday night betting advice again this week as it was a sweep on the spread and the total as the Seattle won in San Francisco 20-3, easily covering the 6.5-point spread and going way under the total of 42. Colin Kaepernick just can't handle that Seahawks defense. He was 13-for-24 for 124 yards and dropped to 1-6 in seven starts against the Seahawks with three touchdown passes to nine interceptions and 24 sacks, six more Thursday.

NFL Props Odds with Expert Betting Picks and Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 10/23/2015

When it comes to special props for the NFL, nobody does it better than Bovada. Heading into Week 7 of the regular season, it has released a whole new set of unique betting odds for a pair of backup quarterbacks that will be under the gun to get their team a much-needed win. I will take a closer look at a pair of these special player props on the board for Week 7 and give you my "best bet" pick for each.

NFL Totals Betting: Best and Worst Season Records plus Week 7 Value
by George Monroy - 10/22/2015

Wagering on spreads every single week can be a tricky proposition, and many times they can leave gamblers feeling like they have to bet on something even though a certain line doesn't jump off the board. Wagering on totals, however, can be a great way to break up the monotony of a long betting season and help NFL bettors stay refreshed and get out of a gambling rut. Let's take a quick look at the best "over" and "under" teams and figure out which lines have the most value heading into Week 7 of the season.

NFL Expert Picks Against the Spread: Houston Texans at Miami Dolphins
by Alan Matthews - 10/21/2015

Quite difficult to pick a featured matchup this Sunday. There's just one game -- one! -- featuring two teams with winning records, and it's Jets at Patriots for the AFC East lead. But the Pats have been covered plenty already this season and will be going forward. So I looked elsewhere among the less-than-impressive 13 games remaining and decided on Houston at Miami because I thought each would contend for at least a wild-card spot this year. I doubt the loser of this one has much of a shot at the playoffs.

NFL Basic Strategy Teasers: Best Betting Options for Week 7
by George Monroy - 10/21/2015

Basic strategy teasers are finally starting to gain some traction after struggling through the first third of the season. The wager, which is a two-team, six-point teaser, went 4-1 last week, and every team but the Buffalo Bills managed to cover their adjusted spreads. Basic strategy teasers only use certain lines that involve favorites of 7.5 to 8.5 points and underdogs of 1.5 to 2.5 points and move those lines past the strongest NFL key numbers of three and seven.