NFL Handicapping Articles

NFL Betting Impact of Philbin Firing in Miami
by Trevor Whenham - 10/6/2015

The Miami Dolphins finally stopped the bleeding by firing head coach Joe Philbin after just four games this season. Unfortunately, stopping the bleeding after gallons of blood has already spilled out onto the floor isn't always best for the patient. So, will getting rid of Philbin make for a positive change in Miami? And what does it mean for bettors?

Las Vegas Sportsbooks Get NFL Betting Revenge on Public Week 4
by Raphael Esparza - 10/6/2015

NFL Week 4 is in the books, and if you are keeping score, the Las Vegas sportsbooks and public are evened up now 2-2 going into NFL Week 5. Last week some Las Vegas book directors told me that there were multiple games that got them but that this Sunday was a very quiet weekend with Vegas coming out on top after Monday Night Football.

NFL Football Predictions: Week 5 Opening Line Report and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 10/5/2015

To help me stay objective when writing for Doc's, I don't actually bet that often. But when there's something I feel very strongly about, I certainly do. And I am happily counting my winnings right now from betting that Miami's Joe Philbin would be the first NFL coach fired this year. He was on Monday, the second straight year that a coach was canned after a Week 4 loss in London and ahead of his team's bye week. In 2014, the Raiders fired coach Dennis Allen after his team was embarrassed by Philbin's Dolphins 38-14 in London.

NFL Odds and Betting Week 4: Line Movements & Last-Minute News
by Alan Matthews - 10/3/2015

If you read my Thursday night preview of Ravens at Steelers, you know I recommended Baltimore at +2.5. And that was a winner but also proves that sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. The Ravens had no right winning that game, but Pittsburgh kicker Josh Scobee missed 49- and 41-yard field goals in the fourth quarter, each of which would have salted it away.

NFL Props Odds with Expert Betting Picks and Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 10/2/2015

Each week of the NFL regular season you can usually count on Bovada to release a few special prop bets centering around the action in Sunday's games as well as for anything else that might be trending with bettors right now. I will take a closer look at what is on the board for Week 4 and give you my "best bet" pick for my top props.

Free NFL Picks: St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 9/30/2015

I don't think that Rams-Cardinals is the best matchup on what's just a so-so Week 4 of NFL football. But it's definitely time to talk about Arizona, which looks like maybe the best team in the league thus far -- yes better than the New England Patriots or Green Bay Packers by some metrics. And I will admit this: I was totally wrong on the team, at least so far. I expected major regression. And it could happen if Carson Palmer goes down.

NFL Week 4 Underdog Odds and Picks for the Best Money Value Bets
by George Monroy - 9/30/2015

The underdogs struggled last week and managed to win only three games outright and cover four matchups total, which is a steep drop off from Week 2's nine straight up wins. The NFL season is a rollercoaster where the underdogs will surge one week and then struggle the next. We saw the underdog win five total matchups during Week 1 and then nine during Week 2, and then they fell drastically down to earth during Week 3. If this pattern holds true, expect the underdogs to have a better week and grab a few straight up wins and covers.

NFL Basic Strategy Teasers: Best Betting Options for Week 4
by George Monroy - 9/30/2015

Basic strategy teasers continue to struggle early in the 2015 season, and after posting another 1-2 record last weekend, the wager is now 4-6 on the season. During this time last year, the teasers had produced a 9-4 mark and were one of the most solid bets on the board. Basic strategy teasers, which are two-team wagers that move spreads by six points past the NFL key numbers of three and seven, need to win at a 72 percent rate in order to be profitable.

NFL Totals Betting: Week 4 Over and Under Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 9/30/2015

The "over/under" results on BetOnline's NFL total line odds slightly favored the over through the first two weeks of the season, but that play had the clear advantage in Week 3 with 11 of the 16 games going over the closing line. My top picks on the total line for last Sunday once again came up well short in the win column with a second straight 0-3 slide.

Expert NFL Betting Picks: Weekly NFC East Predictions Week 4
by Dave Schwab - 9/30/2015

The entire NFC East tightened things up last week with Dallas losing for the first time while both New York and Philadelphia posted their first win of the new season. Given the Cowboys injury situation, you get the feeling that things are going to remain tight in this division right into the month of November at the very least.

Free NFL Picks: Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 9/29/2015

The Pittsburgh Steelers haven't repeated as AFC North champions since 2007-08; that '08 team won Pittsburgh's last Super Bowl. I don't think they are repeating as division champions now, either. Or probably making the playoffs after losing Ben Roethlisberger for 4-6 weeks due to a strained MCL in his left knee.

NFL Betting: Handicapping the Unbeaten Teams
by Trevor Whenham - 9/29/2015

Three weeks ago there were 32 unbeaten teams in the NFL. Now there are just seven. Unlike some years, none of those seven are truly shocking. More shocking are probably a couple of teams that aren't on the list. What's more interesting going forward is how long these teams can remain unbeaten and whether any of them can match the Patriots by winning all 16 regular-season games - or exceed them by winning the Super Bowl as well. Here's a look at each (odds of winning the Super Bowl are from BetOnline):

ATS Heroes and Zeros: Handicapping the Best and Worst NFL Teams
by George Monroy - 9/29/2015

Heading into Week 4 of the NFL season, there are still 10 teams with a zero in their ATS records. Six of them are still undefeated against the spread, while four others have yet to cover a game. If you had been betting on any of these teams, you're either a very happy or very frustrated gambler. The NFL season is all about identifying trends, knowing who to wager on and which teams to stay away from.

NFL Betting Advice and Handicapping: how to Middle a Game
by George Monroy - 9/29/2015

Middling a game is a fine art that only the most expert of gamblers attempt. Middling is confident, fun and sometimes downright crazy. Once a bettor reaches the point of middling an NFL game, then he has finally arrived. What exactly is middling, you may be asking? The tactic involves wagering on two sides of a spread that has moved throughout the week to create a positive zone where a bettor can cover both lines and walk away with two wins on a single game.

NFL Football Predictions: Week 4 Opening Line Report and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 9/28/2015

Mark this down: Miami coach Joe Philbin will not be employed one week from today if his Dolphins go to London and lose to the New York Jets this Sunday. It's actually eerie how similar this is going to play out as to what happened last year. In Week 4 of 2014, the winless Oakland Raiders went to London and lost to ... the Miami Dolphins. Of course, teams go on their bye week after playing overseas, and the Raiders decided to fire Coach Dennis Allen the day after that defeat.

Bettors Beat the Las Vegas Sportsbooks again NFL Week 3
by Raphael Esparza - 9/28/2015

If you are keeping score so far, for the first three weeks of NFL Football betting in Las Vegas, the bettors actually are up 2-1! It's no secret that last year the State of Nevada cleaned up last year in football. However, that was last year, and I can tell you from experience, the guys in the back of the Vegas sportsbooks are not thinking about last year.

NFL Odds and Betting Week 3: Line Movements & Last-Minute News
by Alan Matthews - 9/26/2015

We all know it's nearly impossible to make the playoffs after starting 0-3. How about after starting 3-0? There are nine teams currently at 2-0: Arizona, Atlanta, Carolina, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Green Bay, New England and the New York Jets. The Cardinals, Panthers, Broncos, Packers, Patriots and Jets are all favored this week. The Bengals are underdogs at the Ravens, while the Falcons and Cowboys play one another, so there won't be more than eight unbeatens following Week 3.

NFL Week 3 Underdog Odds and Picks for the Best Money Value Bets
by George Monroy - 9/24/2015

Week 2 of the NFL season was ripe with upsets-some of them expected and more than a few of them shocking. Nine underdogs managed to pull off upsets by not only covering their spreads but winning those matchups outright. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets won their games as significant underdogs, while the Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars may have pulled off the most surprising victories of the weekend.

NFC West Division Odds: Arizona Cardinals Undervalued
by George Monroy - 9/24/2015

The Arizona Cardinals are quietly becoming the best team in football. Quarterback Carson Palmer seems to be fully recovered from last season's ACL injury, Bruce Arians' defense is elite, Larry Fitzgerald is as good as ever, and rookie running back David Johnson is slowly turning into a reliable option carrying the ball. The Cardinals were Super Bowl contenders last season, but injuries and bad breaks put those hopes to rest late in the year.

Betting Odds and Free Picks NFL Thursday Night Football Game Props
by Dave Schwab - 9/24/2015

Week 3 of the NFL season kicks things off tonight with a NFC East battle between the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants. MyBookie has listed the Giants as 3.5-point home favorites, with the total set at 44. It has also released a number of game props to add even more action to this matchup, and the following are my top three picks for the betting odds on these props.