NFL Handicapping Articles

2023 NFC North Predictions with Betting Odds and Expert Analysis
by Joey House - 7/26/2023

Last season, the Minnesota Vikings ran away with the NFC North division, posting a mark of 13-4, four full games ahead of the Detroit Lions. With some massive personnel changes on the roster, the division is wide open in 2023… and who wins is anybody's guess. Doc's Sports gives you a quick rundown with NFC North predictions to get you up-to-speed for the start of training camp.

2023 AFC West Predictions with Betting Odds and Expert Analysis
by Joey House - 7/22/2023

Football fans, rejoice!! With the start of the NFL Preseason less than a month away, Doc's Sports is beginning its research and analysis in earnest. It appears once again that the AFC West is Kansas City's to lose. You have to go all the way back to 2015 to find the last time a team other than the Chiefs wore the division crown (the Super Bowl-winning Denver Broncos).

Super Bowl Favorites: Top US Sportsbooks List Championship Odds
by Dave Schwab - 7/17/2023

FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM sportsbooks have released betting odds for winning this season’s NFL Super Bowl. The Kansas City Chiefs are the favorite of all three sportsbooks going down to the Arizona Cardinals as the biggest longshot of the 32 teams in the league.

Expert NFL Handicapping: Starting a Rookie Quarterback is a Terrible Idea
by Robert Ferringo - 7/14/2023

Quarterback is the most consequential position in sports. It’s the most important position in the most profitable and popular sport in this country. The flow of billions of dollars, annually, is directed by these offensive conductors.

2023 AFC East Predictions with Betting Odds and Expert Analysis
by Joey House - 7/11/2023

Now that the start of the NFL season can be measured a few weeks away instead of months away, teams are beginning to gear up for the grind of the 2023 NFL season. Here at Docs, the situation is the same, as the industry leaders in handicapping begin in earnest to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of every team, to provide you with the best chance of betting success. One of the toughest divisional battles is expected to take place in the AFC East, where three teams have a legitimate shot at winning the division.

Genius Sports Extends its Sports Betting Data Partnership with the NFL
by Dave Schwab - 7/11/2023

Genius Sports, a London-based data research company, reached a deal with one of its most important customers by signing the multi-year extension with the NFL through the 2027/2028 football season. The partnership began in April of 2021 and Genius Sports was granted the opportunity to have exclusive sports betting data rights for the NFL games. The new agreement runs through the NFL’s 2028 Super Bowl.

The Best And Worst NFL Quarterback Rooms In 2023
by Joey House - 6/22/2023

With NFL training camps set to open in about a month, now is the perfect time to start analyzing teams and positions so we can begin to construct our power rankings for the upcoming season. Let Doc's insightful analysis be the starting point in your NFL research. Here, we will grade every NFL team’s quarterback situation. Quarterback is the most important position in professional football, and getting a good grasp on what each team brings to the table is crucial for NFL betting success this season.

Circa Sports Payouts $14 Million in the 2023 Million and Survivor Games
by Dave Schwab - 5/29/2023

Circa Casino and Sportsbook in downtown Las Vegas recently announced it is raising its stakes for the Million contests and Survivor money pool in the 2023 NFL season. Last Thursday on May 25, Circa Sports made it official that the sportsbook has opened its sign-up period for both the Million contests and the Survivor Pool. These two games run until Sept. 9 of this year.

NFL Week 1 Spreads with Expert Betting Predictions
by Matt Zitt - 5/16/2023

NFL Week 1 lines are on the board, and what an amazing sight! The 2023-2024 season is set to begin on September 7 with a showdown between the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs and Dan Campbell’s Detroit Lions. The first Sunday Night Football matchup features the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants, while the NFL will finish the week with Aaron Rodgers making his New York Jets debut on Monday Night Football. We will look below at some opening lines that catch our eyes!

NFL International Games 2023: Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Matt Zitt - 5/16/2023

Roger Goodell and the NFL has announced its 2023 five-game international schedule that features some intriguing matchups. London will play host to three games over a three-week span during Weeks 4-6. Frankfurt, Germany, will see the final two international games in Week 9 and 10, respectively. London will get to see quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson over those three weeks while Germany might have the best matchup in the Dolphins vs the Chiefs in Week 9. We will look at the full slate of international games below for the 2023 NFL season.

NFL Draft Grades 2023
by Robert Ferringo - 5/1/2023

NFL draft grades are tricky because you can never really tell how a class is going to shake out until four or five years down the road. But I am grading teams based on how they did with the information they had in the here and now. So, with that in mind, here are my 2023 NFL Draft grades:

2023 NFL Draft Betting Predictions: Safety Odds
by Matt Zitt - 4/26/2023

Safety is no longer the premium position that it used to be. Last year, two safeties were drafted in the first round. However, the two prior drafts saw zero safeties taken on Day 1. It takes a rare athlete at safety to garner an organization’s first round pick. This year, I expect only Brian Branch from Alabama to go in the first round. Another may sneak in at the tail end of the first. However, with the massive talent at wide receiver and running back, teams like Buffalo and Cincy could lean that route instead of safety.

2023 NFL Draft Betting Predictions: Defensive Linemen Odds
by Matt Zitt - 4/26/2023

Last year’s defensive line class was one of the weakest in recent NFL Drafts. Only makes sense that 2023’s class follows up with one of the better classes, with three heavy hitters at the top of the board. Two pass rushers have been drafted with the No. 1 pick since 2014: Jadeveon Clowney (2014, Texans) and Myles Garrett (2017, Browns). In two of the last three drafts, pass rushers went second in the draft behind a quarterback: (Nick Bosa and Chase Young).

2023 NFL Draft Betting Predictions: Cornerbacks Odds
by Matt Zitt - 4/17/2023

Last year and this year bring back-to-back solid classes at the cornerback position. With the young wide receiver talent the past few seasons, and now at cornerback, should make for some good matchups in the future of the NFL. Last year four corners were taken in the first round, with two of them going in the first four selections.

2023 NFL Draft Betting Predictions: Linebackers Odds
by Matt Zitt - 4/17/2023

Once considered the most important defensive position in the NFL, teams have shifted to edge rushers to apply more pressure on starting quarterbacks. In the modern NFL, linebackers need to be able to blitz and cover slot receivers’ sideline to sideline. Top players at the position in 2023 include Arkansas’ Drew Sanders and Clemson’s Trenton Simpson. Last year, five linebackers were drafted in the first round, although some of them like Micah Parsons are OLB/DE hybrid players.

2023 NFL Draft Betting Predictions: Tight Ends Odds
by Matt Zitt - 4/14/2023

For the first time in a while, the 2023 tight end market is an exciting one to watch heading up to the NFL Draft. There is a ton of talent all around, from Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer, Utah’s Dalton Kincaid, and Iowa’s Sam LaPorta. In four of the last six NFL Drafts, a tight end has been selected in the first round. 2023 will provide one of the best classes for tight ends in recent memory, assuring at least one or more should fall off the board on Day 1. Teams that are in need that could pull the trigger in the first round include the Packers, Cowboys, and Bengals.

2023 NFL Draft Betting Predictions: Running Backs Odds
by Matt Zitt - 4/14/2023

As every year passes, the running back position loses more and more value in the NFL Draft. Top-projected backs have garnered late first-round consideration if they are lucky. Ownership seems content using second round or later draft picks on ball carriers. This is a far cry from Top 5 considerations like Ezekiel Elliot in 2016 and Saquan Barkley in 2018. Look at Jonathan Taylor, a premier starting running back in the NFL but was taken in Round 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft.

2023 NFL Draft Betting Predictions: Offensive Linemen Odds
by Matt Zitt - 4/14/2023

Offensive lineman is among the most premier positions in the NFL Draft. Obviously, it’s not valued as high as the quarterback. However, teams often fork up a lot of money to lineman as an investment to protect their franchise QB. This year’s class is a tossup of who could be the first linemen off the board in the 2023 NFL Draft. In recent years, we have seen Super Bowl contenders disintegrate down the stretch without an effective offensive line, most recently the Chiefs in 2020 and the Bengals in 2021.

2023 NFL Draft Betting Predictions: Wide Receivers Odds
by Matt Zitt - 4/13/2023

In a league that values the passing game, there will be a few wide receivers taken in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Even though this year’s class is not on par with recent classes, there still should be four to six WRs taken on Day 1. For this upcoming NFL season, the Bears, Texans, Ravens, Patriots and Chiefs are in definite need of pass catchers. You can also throw in the Vikings with the departure of Adam Thielen and the Green Bay Packers since they lost Allen Lazard.

Where will Lamar Jackson Play Next Season? Odds and Expert Predictions
by Sean Barnard - 2/16/2023

While Aaron Rodgers and Derek Carr may dominate the headlines, Lamar Jackson is the true prize of the potential quarterback class. The 26-year-old and former MVP took the season to bet on himself and prove he is worthy of the lucrative contract he desires. The Ravens and Jackson are still as far as $100 million apart, although allowing him to walk would set the franchise back a major way. The Ravens are 49-21 in games in which Jackson has played, and their entire offense has been built around his unique running ability and versatile play.