NFL Handicapping Articles

NFL Odds and Predictions: Rookie Quarterbacks in 2014
by Alan Matthews - 5/16/2014

I don't know about you, but I hated that the NFL moved its draft back a few weeks into May. Alas, it's probably here to stay. The league wants to own as much of the offseason calendar as possible, and by moving this back it adds a few more weeks of mock drafts, rumors, etc. It really got to the point of overkill, but the ratings were off the charts all last weekend, and that's all the NFL cares about. That it's two fewer weeks for rookies to learn with their teams apparently is irrelevant.

NFL Odds: Games of the Year Picks and Predictions
by George Monroy - 5/15/2014

The NFL schedule was released, the 2014 draft came and went, and the lines for the year’s biggest games have already been posted—outside of training camp beginning, the only thing left to do is actually sit down and watch some games. Unfortunately, that is still a few months away, but what we can do is begin obsessing over the must-see matchups on the schedule and go over the impact they will have one each team.

NFL Odds to Win Division with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 5/14/2014

Now that the NFL Draft is behind us, we can start looking forward to the regular season. It’s still a long time away, but there are no major obstacles between here and the regular season. That means that we can start to speculate with reasonable accuracy about what the teams will look like. The LVH SuperBook has released odds for each team to win their division. Here’s a look at those odds with picks and predictions of where the value lies in each division:

2014 NFL Draft Grades
by Robert Ferringo - 5/12/2014

The general football-loving public still has some pretty clear misconceptions about how the NFL Draft works and how successful teams approach the annual pro football meat market. And the public’s ignorance is fueled by the worthless bloviating of gasbags like the ones on ESPN all weekend.

NFL Betting: An Early Look at Week 1 Lines
by Darin Zank - 5/8/2014

Week 1 is led off by what should be a doozy of a Thursday night opener, a rematch of that epic Seahawks-Packers debacle of a couple Septembers ago. It also features a classic grizzled vet-vs.-young gun matchup, a renewal of a great rivalry from the not-too-distant past, a couple of key divisional bouts and another Monday night double-header.

Sports Betting Insights: Handicapping NFL Draft First-Round Prop Bet Odds
by Dave Schwab - 5/7/2014

The NFL remains the most popular choice when it comes to betting on sports. Even though it is early May, it remains a perfect time to cash in on a few NFL Draft prop bets as released by BetOnline. The opening round of this year’s event will take place this Thursday night, and the draft will continue through this Saturday.

2014 NFL Draft Prop Bet Odds with Picks and Predictions
by George Monroy - 5/5/2014

The 2014 NFL Draft is set to steal back the attention of the sports world, if only for one night, this Thursday, May 8 at 8:00 p.m. EST. The Houston Texans will be on the clock first with the No. 1 pick, while St. Louis, Jacksonville, Cleveland and Oakland will round out the top five. There will also be no shortage of storylines and intriguing draft prospects throughout the night.

2014 NFL Schedule Analysis: NFC Futures Odds Picks and Predictions
by George Monroy - 5/2/2014

The NFL schedule has been released, which means that countless fans have spent the last few weeks counting their team’s potential wins and losses and making predictions on how the 2014 season might end up. Earlier in the week we took a look at the AFC side of the schedule and made a few predictions on how things might pan out. Now let’s take a closer look at the 2014 NFC schedule with analysis and predictions.

2014 NFL Schedule Analysis: AFC Futures Odds Picks and Predictions
by George Monroy - 5/1/2014

The 2014 NFL season is still over four months away, but with the recent schedule release a few weeks ago and the draft coming up soon, it’s hard not to have football on the brain. It may be early. However, since the Week 1 lines and the schedule are already out, let’s take a closer look at the AFC and make a few predictions for how each team will end up this season.

Who Will Draft Johnny Manziel? NFL Odds with Predictions
by George Monroy - 4/16/2014

Former-Texas A&M quarterback and media lightening rod Johnny Manziel may be the most polarizing player in the 2014 NFL Draft class. There are groups of experts, scouts and fans that believe the quarterback can be a star in the NFL, while others believe Manziel is too small and not athletic enough to be a player of impact. The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner, however, is starting to build a head of steam as the draft approaches in a few weeks.

2014 Kansas City Chiefs Opponents and Schedule Highlights
by Darin Zank - 4/16/2014

After going 2-14 in 2012, the Kansas City Chiefs rebounded to make the playoffs in their first season under new head coach Andy Reid. But really, how good was KC? The Chiefs started 9-0 last season then lost six of their last eight games. And that playoff loss at Indy, blowing a 28-point lead, must have left a terrible taste over the offseason.

NFL Futures: Pre-Schedule & Draft Super Bowl Odds Update
by Alan Matthews - 4/16/2014

We are about to enter probably the three most exciting weeks of the NFL offseason: the release of the schedule and the draft, so it's a good time to take an updated look at some 2014 NFL futures odds as they could change a bit after those two events (certainly win totals can be affected).

2014 San Diego Chargers Opponents and Schedule Highlights
by Darin Zank - 4/15/2014

The San Diego Chargers won their last four games last season to unexpectedly make the playoffs in their first go-around under new head coach Mike McCoy. They then won a road playoff game at Cincinnati, before falling at rival Denver in the divisional round.

2014 Oakland Raiders Opponents and Schedule Highlights
by Darin Zank - 4/10/2014

A dozen years ago the Oakland Raiders played in the Super Bowl; they haven't been back to the playoffs since. Last year Oakland won just four games for the second season in a row under head coach Dennis Allen. But the Raiders have made as much noise over this offseason as any other team in the league, bringing in, among others, QB Matt Schaub, RB Maurice Jones-Drew, WR James Jones, DE Justin Tuck and CB Carlos Rogers.

2014 Detroit Lions Opponents and Schedule Highlights
by Aaron Smith - 4/9/2014

Detroit was one of the biggest disappointments in the 2013 NFL season. After five years with the team, Jim Schwartz was fired at the end of last year. Schwartz did lead the team to the playoffs in 2010, but the past two seasons have been big disappointments. The Lions have turned to Jim Caldwell to take over as coach.

2014 Minnesota Vikings Opponents and Schedule Highlights
by Aaron Smith - 4/9/2014

Minnesota has the best running back in the NFL in Adrian Peterson, but that hasn’t been enough for this team to be consistently competitive in the last few years. The Vikings defense has turned into one of the worst in the NFL, and they badly needed a change at the top.

2014 Buffalo Bills Opponents and Schedule Highlights
by George Monroy - 4/8/2014

The Buffalo Bills made a few solid roster moves during the offseason after losing safety Jairus Byrd to New Orleans, but they did nothing that, on paper at least, would drastically improve the team heading into next season. Buffalo is receiving the third-worst AFC Championship odds at +4000, according to Sportsbook.ag, and is probably destined for another 6-10 or 7-9 type of season.

2014 Miami Dolphins Opponents and Schedule Highlights
by George Monroy - 4/8/2014

The Miami Dolphins have finally gained some distance from last season’s bullying scandal that showed just how dysfunctional and out-of-sync the team really is. The Dolphins managed to finish the year with an 8-8 overall record and 4-4 splits both at home and on the road. The team was in the mix for the final wild card spot heading into the last few weeks of the season and could have ended up in the postseason if not for two horrible losses to close out 2013.

2014 Green Bay Packers Opponents and Schedule Highlights
by Aaron Smith - 4/8/2014

The Green Bay Packers managed to sneak into the playoffs last year, but the 2013 season didn’t really go as planned for Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers was injured for much of the year, and without Rodgers this team isn’t even close to the same. The Packers took their lumps when Rodgers was out, but with a healthy franchise quarterback under center this is still a team that is one of the best in the NFL.

2014 Chicago Bears Opponents and Schedule Highlights
by Aaron Smith - 4/8/2014

The Chicago Bears finished 8-8 last year and narrowly missed making it to the playoffs. The way the Bears missed out on the playoffs was excruciating. Chicago led by a point with less than 40 seconds left in the game against Green Bay in the final game of the season. Aaron Rodgers connected with Randall Cobb on a fourth-down conversion that put the Packers over the top at Soldier Field in the regular season finale. It’s no doubt that left a bad taste in the mouth of the Bears players as well as their large fan base.