NFL Handicapping Articles

NFC Playoff Scenarios: Who’s In and Who Can Still Move Up or Down
by George Monroy - 12/27/2012

The Playoff scenarios for the NFC entering the final week of the season are as complicated as a playoff situation can be. Just trying to follow the logic on who gets in and who does not could give you a headache that might last until the Super Bowl. But knowing and understanding each team’s playoff situation could be a great way to find excellent betting value during the final week of the season. So, let’s just jump right in and try to figure this whole NFC Playoff situation out. Here is a quick breakdown of all the playoff scenarios for each NFC team still in contention.

AFC Playoff Scenarios: Who’s In and Who Can Still Move Up or Down
by George Monroy - 12/27/2012

The NFL playoff scenarios for the last week of the season are usually as complicated as Newtonian physics, and they probably require a lot less math. We’ve all tried to follow the insane stream of logic required to understand the end-of-season playoff scenarios: if team A loses to team B and team C either ties or beats team D then team E can make the playoffs via the final wild card spot and face team A in the first round of the playoffs (yeah, I have no idea what I just said either).

NFL Picks: Falcons at Lions Predictions and Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 12/20/2012

If you had looked at this game before the season started, it could have looked like a pretty good one. Both teams seemed like they were legitimate playoff contenders, so it was quite possible that the Falcons and Lions would be battling for a playoff berth, or trying to secure a better position in the postseason. The Falcons have absolutely done their job — they can secure home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with a win here.

Handicapping the NFL Playoff Races
by Trevor Whenham - 12/20/2012

Three teams are tied at 8-6, so this one should be absolutely fascinating to watch. The Giants play at Baltimore and against the Eagles. Given the recent struggles of the Ravens, they are positioned to run the table and wind up 10-6, but first they have to rebound from a terrible performance last week at Atlanta. Washington should be able to beat the Eagles this week, and Dallas can beat a frustrated and irrelevant Saints team at home.

NFL Handicapping: Teams That Have Thrown in the Towel
by Trevor Whenham - 12/20/2012

The last two weeks of the NFL season are very depressing in parts of the league. For some teams the season has been over for a long time, and everyone on and around the team knows it. They still have two games left to play, though, and for most of them there is nothing harder to do than to motivate yourselves and care when nothing is at stake. Here’s a look at the eight teams that appear to have given up, and what remains for them over the last two weeks.

This Week in NFL Betting by the Numbers
by Ricky Dimon - 12/20/2012

A crucial Week 15 featured six contests between teams with winning records. That number is sliced in half for Week 16, with Vikings-Texas, Giants-Ravens, and especially 49ers-Seahawks on Monday night taking center stage. Only four games have spreads of fewer than three points, while three spreads favor a team by at least 13 points.

Examining the Most Common NFL Point Spreads
by George Monroy - 12/14/2012

Point spreads may be the most fundamental aspect of sports betting. In order to be able to take equal action on games between teams that do not have equal talent, the sportsbooks have to give the bettor an incentive to bet. The basic idea behind the point spread is to give, or take, points from either side of a game in order to make the matchup an even proposition for bettors to wager on. Remember, sportsbooks make their money on the vig, and they would rather have equal action on both sides of a bet and make their money risk-free.

NFL Home Underdogs: Valuable Betting Option?
by George Monroy - 12/13/2012

As sports bettors, we have all heard about the value of betting NFL home underdogs. The smart bettor is never afraid to take the points on a home underdog, which is usually the opposite of the general public, who love to bet the favorites as often as possible. And while it might seem like a logical thought process to take a NFL home team plus points, how much value do they really have?

This Week in NFL Betting by the Numbers
by Ricky Dimon - 12/13/2012

A whopping six battles will be waged this week between teams with winning records, a Week 15 record according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Get your popcorn ready for Giants-Falcons, Packers-Bears, Broncos-Ravens, Colts-Texans, Steelers-Cowboys, and 49ers-Patriots.

Week 15 NFL Teasers Advice: Best Three for Basic Strategy Teases
by George Monroy - 12/12/2012

Week 15 of the NFL season is here. And as we quickly make our way to the playoffs, now would be the time to truly appreciate how great the NFL season has really been. Not only have we had entertaining games, coupled with great and horrendously bad teams, but sports bettors have had a great season as well (unless, of course, you were on the other end of that Golden Tate touchdown or ridiculous Jim Harbaugh safety call).

Longshot Super Bowl Futures Odds: Which Teams Have the Best Value?
by George Monroy - 12/11/2012

The Super Bowl may be the most difficult championship to win in professional sports. The single-elimination format makes it extremely difficult for any football team to be a significant favorite. The constant threat of injuries, coupled with the grind of weekly games, make betting Super Bowl futures an excellent way to get huge value and return on a minimal investment.

Weekly Philadelphia Eagles Betting Picks: Week 15 vs. Bengals
by Dave Schwab - 12/10/2012

The Cincinnati Bengals will wrap up their season series against the NFC East with a Thursday night tilt against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The kickoff for this inter-conference clash is slated for 8:20 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast nationally on the NFL Network.

NFL Picks: Broncos at Raiders Odds and Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 12/6/2012

Writing about this game makes me a little sad. This was once a great rivalry. There is no reason it shouldn’t still be, and the Broncos have certainly done their part this year. The Raiders, though, are a total mess, and they have been for so long now that it’s getting depressing. I’d love nothing more than to close my eyes and pretend that we are back in the glory years of a grand rivalry, but that would require giving Oakland far too much credit — and making a bad decision as a result. Sadly, that means all we can do is deal with the bleak reality of what this game is instead of what it could be.

NFL Week 14 Player Props, Leaders Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 12/6/2012

The rookies getting all the publicity in the NFL this season are the Colts’ Andrew Luck and the Redskins’ Robert Griffin III, the top two picks in the 2012 draft. They certainly both deserve it as both are on record-setting rookie seasons and might get their teams to the playoffs (unbelievable in the Colts’ case). But a guy you don’t hear too much about is Seattle rookie QB Russell Wilson, a third-round pick out of Wisconsin via NC State. Perhaps it’s because Seattle is nestled way up in the Pacific Northwest, but Wilson is having a season that normally would be Rookie of the Year worthy – just not this year.

This Week in NFL Betting by the Numbers
by Ricky Dimon - 12/4/2012

While three teams (Atlanta, Denver, and New England) coasted to destinations that were inevitable many weeks ago, a number of NFL divisions just got a whole lot more interesting after Week 13 developments. Pittsburgh stayed alive in the AFC North, Green Bay finally pulled even with Chicago in the NFC North, and Seattle and Washington are suddenly in play in the NFC West and NFC East, respectively.

NFL Handicapping: the Kaepernick vs. Smith Niners Quarterback Controversy
by Trevor Wenham - 11/29/2012

One of the most surprising and intriguing storylines of the last few weeks of the NFL season has been the quarterback situation in San Francisco. The unspoken rule in the league is that a player isn’t supposed to lose his starting role because of injury. When Alex Smith suffered a mild concussion, though, Colin Kaepernick was so good in relief that he was named starter even once Alex Smith was declared healthy.

NFL Picks: Saints at Falcons Betting Predictions and Odds
by T.O. Whenham - 11/28/2012

There is a good chance that this will be the best Thursday night game we have seen all year — though that’s not saying much given the overwhelming slate of mid-week games we have been subjected to. The stakes are very high for both teams in this one.

NFL Handicapping: Teams that Could Finish Strong
by T.O. Whenham - 11/28/2012

At this point in the NFL season there are some teams that we know are going to finish strong. The Patriots, Texans and Ravens are very strong in the AFC, for example, and San Francisco is for real in the NFC. Those teams are less interesting to bettors, though, because the public is all over them. What is more interesting is finding teams that have a good potential to be more impressive than people think. Here are four squads that have the chance to reward the bettors who believe in them the rest of the way:

This Week in NFL Betting by the Numbers
by Ricky Dimon - 11/22/2012

It’s Thanksgiving week in the NFL, and football bettors and fans always have a lot for which to be thankful this time of year. The Lions and Cowboys have traditionally taken the field on Thanksgiving Day, and a recently-added night game continues to be part of the menu. What more could you ask for, in addition to a smorgasbord of food, then a smorgasbord of NFL action on national television?

NFL Picks: Texans at Lions Predictions and Betting Odds
by T.O. Whenham - 11/21/2012

There are three games on offer this Thanksgiving, and it’s the strongest group of games we have seen on Turkey Day in quite awhile. The Patriots and Jets will be good for some fireworks, and the RGIII show rarely disappoints, but in my eyes the first of the three games is by far the most interesting. Both of these teams have the potential to be very good, but both have shown — many times over in the case of the Lions — that they are vulnerable and imperfect as well.