NFL Handicapping Articles

NFL Predictions for Hot Seat: Which Head Coach is Fired First in 2010?
by Alan Matthews - 9/1/2010

The NFL team and players props are rolling out hot and heavy at the books now with the regular season set to open a week from Thursday in New Orleans. With that said, today let’s take a look at … a coaching prop? The NFL definitely isn’t like Major League Baseball, the NBA or NHL in that it’s fairly unusual for a head coach to be let do during the NFL regular season.

Super Bowl Futures Odds and NFL Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 8/31/2010

Super Bowl futures odds this year indicate that the public seems to be feeling what I certainly am this year - that there are a lot of decent teams, but no clearly great ones. There are eight teams at 11/1 or lower at Bodog to win the big prize. That’s a quarter of the league - a whole lot to be given such a strong chance of winning it all at this point in the season.

NFL Predictions: Steelers at Broncos Betting Odds and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 8/28/2010

Sunday night’s game between Pittsburgh and Denver is the lone game on the schedule that day and because it is nationally televised by FOX there will be live betting on Bodog, if you are so inclined. This is a “rematch” of Week 9 in Denver last season when the Steelers won, 28-10. The rushing attacks were the difference in that one as Pittsburgh’s Rashard Mendenhall ran for 155 yards, becoming the fourth player since 1970 to top 150 yards rushing in a win at Denver.

How Fantasy Football Correelates With NFL Betting
by T.O. Whenham - 8/28/2010

Fantasy football is wildly popular and is getting to be more so every year. It seems like everyone has a fantasy team or two these days, and information is nearly as widely available as information about the NFL itself. Among the people who play fantasy football are inevitably many people who bet on NFL football as well. There is no real reason why you can’t do both - fantasy football is just another form of gambling for most people, anyway.

NFL Predictions: Saints vs. Chargers Betting Odds and Picks
by T.O. Whenham - 8/27/2010

For a preseason game there are a lot of storylines in this one. First, for the second time in two days we have a potential Super Bowl preview. The defending champs are the second choice overall in Super Bowl futures odds, and the Chargers are the second choice out of the AFC. More significant than that, though, this is just Drew Brees’ second chance to play against the team that unceremoniously dumped him. No matter what he says there is no way that Brees doesn’t get an extra spring in his step heading into this one.

2010 NFL Predictions: Kansas City Chiefs Strength of Schedule, Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 8/27/2010

If it wasn’t for the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams, the Kansas City Chiefs would have to be considered the bottom-feeders of the NFL the past three seasons, but thanks to those two K.C. simply has the title as worst franchise in the AFC in that stretch (yes, even worse than the Raiders) with a cumulative 10-38 record

NFL Predictions: Colts Vs. Packers Preseason Betting Odds and Picks
by T.O. Whenham - 8/26/2010

It’s hard to get too excited about any game that takes place in August, but this one is a little different than most. There is a pretty decent chance that what we see here could be a preview of the Super Bowl. The Colts are favored to win the big prize, and the Packers are tied as the second choice out of the NFC with the Vikings and behind the Cowboys. It’s also a chance to see two public teams that don’t play each other very often clash.

NFL Preseason Betting: Handicapping the Third Game
by T.O. Whenham - 8/26/2010

The third game of the NFL Preseason is a unique beast. In my eyes it’s really the only preseason game worth playing close attention to. You can gain knowledge about team depth and backup quarterbacks in the early games, but Game 3 is when you can learn the most. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the game is fundamentally different than the two that came before it, or the game that comes after it (the fourth preseason games, by the way, are unquestionably and absolutely the stupidest sporting events on the planet).

2010 NFL Predictions: Oakland Raiders Strength of Schedule, Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 8/26/2010

The Oakland Raiders can’t get any worse, right? Oakland finished 5-11 last season for its NFL-record seventh consecutive season with at least 11 losses, and the Raiders are 29-83 since losing to Tampa Bay in Super Bowl XXXVII.

NFL Predictions: Most Improved Offenses in 2010
by T.O. Whenham - 8/26/2010

This is an interesting time in the year in the NFL because every team thinks that they have improved significantly, and every fan base thinks that their team is going to be a pleasant surprise. Optimism runs wild. The sports media doesn’t help - when was the last time you heard a guy visit a training camp and not leave with at least a few things he’s wildly impressed with.

2010 NFL Predictions: Jacksonville Jaguars Strength of Schedule, Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 8/20/2010

Coming off a 5-11 season in 2008, not much was expected of the Jacksonville Jaguars last season and many thought it would be the final year on the sidelines for Coach Jack Del Rio and his staff. But after starting 0-2 last season, the Jags started playing quite well – yet would also throw in an occasional stinker.

NFL Training Camps: Teams That Have Excelled or Disappointed
by T.O. Whenham - 8/20/2010

By the time NFL training camps start we have created expectations for every team in the league and how we expect them to perform. Until we see how the teams respond to the challenges of training camp, though, we are really just guessing based on what we see on paper. Every year there are a few teams that show early signs that are better than what we expect, and others that give us some reasons to be concerned early on. Here’s a look at three teams off to rough starts, and two that have been surprising so far:

2010 NFL Predictions: Tennessee Titans Strength of Schedule, Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 8/19/2010

The Tennessee Titans were a schizophrenic bunch in 2009 after coming off a 2008 season that saw them with the best regular season record in the NFL. The team started 0-5 last season, which was bad enough, but in Week 6 things reached complete rock bottom. The Patriots won 59-0 in the snow at Foxborough in one of the most embarrassing moments in Titans/Oilers history.

2010 NFL Predictions: Cleveland Browns Strength of Schedule, Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 8/19/2010

Don’t you just love some of these NFL fan sites? When doing a little research on this story to analyze the 2010 Cleveland Browns schedule and futures odds, I couldn’t help but chuckle when many of them had Cleveland possibly starting 2-0 – ah, preseason optimism, yet the team actually could -- but then if the Browns somehow dropped their first two Browns fans were looking at probably at least a 0-9 start.

NFL Preseason Betting Advice: Standout Players From Week 1
by T.O. Whenham - 8/19/2010

It’s a serious mistake to read too much into what happens in the NFL Preseason - especially in the first game. Starters don’t play much, and there is a lot of rust, so there are ample opportunities for a player to shine in the first game far more than he might once the games actually matter. That being said, the first game can give us a glimpse of players who are ready to do more than people are expecting of them.

NFL Predictions: Betting Odds and Picks for NFL Sack Leader Props
by Alan Matthews - 8/18/2010

Here’s one thing I can guarantee you: unfortunately for the Denver Broncos there will be a new sack champion in the NFL this season. Broncos linebacker Elvis Dumervil led the league with 17 sacks last year and got a fat new contract this offseason for doing so.

NFL Predictions: NFC West Odds and Preview with Football Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 8/16/2010

Over the last three years the NFC West has posted the worst record in the league against nondivisional opponents. They are an absolutely pathetic 54-102 over the last three seasons against the rest of the league, and that is continuing what has been a clear-cut trend over the last decade. Since the league went to an eight-division format in 2002 the NFC West has gone just 168-248 against the rest of the league, posting just one winning season (2003) during that time while losing 60 percent of its games to everyone else.

NFL Predictions: Player Props Betting Picks for Wide Receivers
by Alan Matthews - 8/16/2010

We’ve already given you our look at the 2010 passing yardage leader here at Doc’s, so now let’s take a gander at the guys who catch those balls and try and project the best value bet on the player with some NFL predictions the most receiving yards in the league this season.

NFL Predictions: Player Props Betting Picks for Running Backs
by Alan Matthews - 8/16/2010

This is the third installment of our previews of NFL player props available at various books – passing yardage and receiving yardage being the first two – so today let’s look at which player might lead the NFL in rushing this season and who provides the best betting value.

NFL Predictions: Player Props Betting Picks for Quarterbacks
by Alan Matthews - 8/15/2010

We continue with our onslaught of NFL prop stories with the odds, courtesy of WagerWeb, on which quarterback will lead the NFL in passing yards this season. Now, this probably seems like an easy bet, but I want you to quickly tell yourself who led the league in passing yards last year. …. You probably said Drew Brees, and he was the NFC leader again. But Houston’s Matt Schaub led the NFL with 4,770 yards, so guys can deliver on some pretty long odds.