NFL Handicapping Articles

NFL Basic Strategy Teasers: Best Betting Options for Week 11
by George Monroy - 11/19/2015

This week's basic strategy teaser games are a little tricky. We have an undefeated Carolina team, which might be due for a loss sometime soon, playing a matchup they could easily overlook heading into last seven games of the season. We also have a Peyton Manning-less Denver Broncos team heading into Chicago to play a suddenly-impressive Bears squad that has won two straight games. Predicting these matchups might be tougher than it seems.

NFL Expert Picks Against the Spread: Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars Odds
by Alan Matthews - 11/18/2015

Every NFL team plays on Thursday night once, so remember that. But when I saw the 2015 Thursday night schedule released and Titans-Jaguars was on it, I cringed like probably the rest of you did. Perhaps the NFL's thinking is to simply pair those two lousy franchises together and get it out of the way instead of each getting pounded by a good team in the Thursday night spotlight.

2015 NBA Betting Trends: Bad Teams with Good ATS Records
by George Monroy - 11/17/2015

The NBA season is still in its infancy, and putting too much stock in the current storylines holding court over the league would be premature at best. Yes, talking about Golden State going 72-10 is fun, but the reality of the situation is that we are barely 10 games into the basketball year, and one hot start doesn't mean much over the course of a long marathon of a season. There are still a lot of games to be played, and the bad teams can suddenly become good and the good ones bad.

NFL Handicapping: Minnesota Vikings League's Best Against the Spread
by George Monroy - 11/17/2015

The 7-2 Minnesota Vikings are in the middle of the most impressive run in the entire NFL this season, and we've hardly heard a word about it. The sports media can keep on talking about the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers, but I'll take the ATS juggernaut Vikings any day. Minnesota has covered eight straight games since dropping its Week 1 matchup to the San Francisco 49ers as a 2.5-point favorite, and the team may just win the NFC North if the last half of the season is anything like the first.

NFL Football Predictions: Week 11 Opening Line Report and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 11/16/2015

What an absolutely crazy Sunday of NFL action we saw in Week 10. Detroit winning a road game against Green Bay for the first time since 1991? Yeah, didn't see that coming. Chicago going to St. Louis and pounding the Rams? Huh. Kansas City dominating the Broncos in Denver -- with Peyton Manning getting pulled from the same game where he set the NFL career passing yardage record? Shocker.

NFL Betting and Wagering Advice: Biggest Mismatches Week 10
by Victor Ryan - 11/13/2015

When an NFL game features a decided mismatch, it's time to sit up and take notice. It's an ideal situation when one team's strength corresponds with the biggest weakness of its opponent. Coaches are constantly searching for ways to exploit such scenarios when they present themselves. Handicappers should too.

NFL Props Odds with Expert Betting Picks and Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 11/13/2015

Week 10 in the NFL marks the official start of the second half of the 2015 NFL regular season, with all 32 teams having at least eight of 16 games under their belt. To get things started the right way, Bovada has released its special prop bets for a few of the top NFL storylines trending right now. After going through this week's list of both player and team props, here are my "best bet" picks for a few of these unique betting opportunities.

NFL Expert Picks Against the Spread: Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 11/12/2015

I haven't touched on too many Sunday night games yet this season, but clearly this week's NBC nationally-televised matchup between Arizona and Seattle is the week's most important game. Some might argue Patriots at Giants, but interconference games are simply not that vital when you factor in the playoff tiebreaker.

NFL Expert Picks Against the Spread: Buffalo Bills at New York Jets Odds
by Alan Matthews - 11/11/2015

Pretty much every Thursday night NFL game this season has been ugly to watch, and maybe this Thursday's will too. That quick turnaround simply leads to sloppy football. But the matchup between the Bills and Jets should be pretty fun, at least leading up, because it's Buffalo coach Rex Ryan's return to the Big Apple for the first time since the Jets fired the blustery Ryan following last season.

NFL Expert Handicapping Picks: ATS Value Teams Down the Stretch
by George Monroy - 11/11/2015

Is the NFL really in the second half of the season already? For those bettors who are winning, the season is racing toward the finish line. And for those who are losing, the football year has probably been a slow, painful grind. However, there is no need to worry, because the NFL has plenty of games left to be played before January that will provide bettors ample opportunity to continue winning or to take a bankroll from the red into the black.

NFL Basic Strategy Teasers: Best Betting Options for Week 10
by George Monroy - 11/10/2015

Basic strategy teasers went 2-1 last week, but the one loss (Tampa Bay not covering against New York) was something that many bettors could see coming a mile away. We advised players to stay away from that matchup in the first place. Basic strategy teasers are two-team, six-point parlays that only use games where the favorite is giving away 7.5 to 8.5 points so we can tease it down by six and below the NFL key number of three (the most common margin of victory). And another qualifying situation is when the underdogs are receiving 1.5 to 2.5 points so we can tease those lines up past the key number of seven (the second most common margin of victory).

NFL Football Predictions: Week 10 Opening Line Report and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 11/9/2015

History has shown us that you can go ahead and put the New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals and Carolina Panthers in the playoffs. All three won easily in Week 9 to improve to 8-0, the first time in league history there have been three unbeaten teams this late in the season. That the Pats handled the Redskins and the Bengals did the same to the Browns wasn't a surprise, but the Panthers throttling Green Bay for most of that game was.

NFL Odds and Betting Week 9: Line Movements & Last-Minute News
by Alan Matthews - 11/6/2015

This week is officially the halfway point of the NFL season as each team will have played eight regular-season games by the end of Week 9. And if the team you back still has a losing record after its eighth game, it's not over in terms of the playoffs yet. Since 2000, 35 teams have reached the halfway point of their season with a .500 or below winning percentage and reached to the playoffs, including at least one in each season.

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.