NFL Handicapping Articles

Expert NFL Handicapping: Playoff Contenders and Pretenders
by Trevor Whenham - 11/20/2018

We are only 11 weeks into the NFL season, so there isn't a team that has a playoff spot clinched yet - at least not mathematically. But there is a lot that we know by this point, and we are getting a clear sense of which teams will certainly be playoff teams, which ones could be, and which ones have no hope. And of those playoff contenders, we are getting a good sense of the true contenders and the pretenders. Here's a look at how the contenders break down (odds to win the conference are from Bovada):

Expert NFL Handicapping; How to Bet Teams Out of Playoff Hunt
by Trevor Whenham - 11/20/2018

For 30 of the 32 teams in the NFL, there are six weeks of games left. That's a whole lot of football still to be played. But for several teams none of those games matter - even a little bit. In fact, for many teams it has been six or more weeks since they last played a meaningful game. Any team that is struggling badly is going to have a harder time getting up for games than, well, a good team. But some bad teams are in better shape than others.

Scott Spreitzer Week 11 NFL Handicapping Notes
by Scott Spreitzer - 11/20/2018

We enter the new football week on a 47-24 CFB & NFL winning run. We swept our big plays, winning with the Colts in the NFL and Navy in college. We'll take a 14-1-1, 93% winning top play run into the new week and have a 7* Main Event in both college football and the NFL. Grab the entire week of college and NFL plays and NOTE: Plays will be posted for the entire week on Wednesday afternoon (Nov. 21).

NFL Betting Odds: Week 11 Line Movements & Last-Minute News
by Alan Matthews - 11/16/2018

OK, this is officially the last time I talk about Le'Veon Bell for the 2018 NFL season. But Bell not reporting to the Steelers by Tuesday's deadline was the biggest news of the week, meaning he will forfeit $14.5 million or so plus some benefits, etc., in hopes of cashing in even bigger next season as a free agent. It's quite the gamble by Bell and his agent as really no player on the franchise tag has done this before. Steeles players reportedly raided Bell's locker this week, taking his cleats, etc. Good riddance, basically.

Basic Strategy Teasers: Best Week 11 NFL Betting Options
by Chris Vasile - 11/16/2018

I'm sure by now we've all heard the news about how Bell didn't report to the Steelers and will now sit out the entire 2018 season and forfeit upwards of $14 million in game salary. I've done a lot of thinking about this over the last few days, and part of me wants to hate him and label him selfish and not a team player. But the other part of me understands where he is coming from and what he is fighting for.

Expert NFL Handicapping: Oakland Raiders and Jon Gruden Performance
by Trevor Whenham - 11/15/2018

The Oakland Raiders are five-point underdogs in Arizona this week. Ari-freaking-zona! The Cardinals have been favored once this season - by two points in their opener at home against the Redskins. And they have only two wins all year - both against San Francisco. Arizona is as bad as a team can reasonably be right now, barely into a rebuild that will be long and painful. Yet they are solid favorites here and have been the choice of a strong majority of bettors so far, moving the line from an opening number of three to the current five, with 5.5 even starting to show up.

NFL Betting Odds: Week 10 Line Movements & Last-Minute News
by Alan Matthews - 11/9/2018

Suppose we have to address the big news in the NFL this week, although not as big as outlets like ESPN are making it: Dez Bryant has signed with the New Orleans Saints. Of course, the Cowboys cut Bryant after last season when it looked like the now-31-year-old was trending down as he caught 69 balls for 838 yards and six scores. Decent numbers, but the yards per catch were a career low. In addition, Dez can be a bit of a headache as most diva receivers are.

Basic Strategy Teasers: Best Week 10 NFL Betting Options
by Chris Vasile - 11/9/2018

After five straight Thursday Night Football duds, the NFL schedule finally gave us two teams worth watching - the Carolina Panthers vs the Pittsburgh Steelers. The spread favored the Steelers, and the total was set at 52. What we got was an absolute butt-whopping from a Steelers team that finally looks the part of Super Bowl contenders. Nobody in their right mind would have anticipated the Panthers getting beat as bad as they did, but they looked awful. After the second Panthers series of the game, you could instantly tell it was going to be a long night for Cam Newton and his offensive line. The Steelers were getting to Newton with ease, forcing errant throws and just bad decision-making.

Scott Spreitzer Week 9 NFL Handicapping Notes
by Scott Spreitzer - 11/6/2018

We enter the new football week on a 38-17 CFB & NFL winning run. We swept our big plays, winning with the Falcons in the NFL and Iowa State in college. We'll take an 11-1, 92% winning top play run into the new week and have a 7* Main Event in both Saturday's college football and Sunday's NFL. Grab the entire week of college and NFL...plays will be posted for the entire week on Thursday afternoon (Nov. 8).

NFL Betting Odds: Week 9 Line Movements & Last-Minute News
by Alan Matthews - 11/2/2018

We sent in our Monday Opening Line Report story just about simultaneously as to when the news first came out that the Cleveland Browns had fired head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley - if you watched "Hard Knocks" this summer, it was pretty clear those two guys weren't on the same page (Jackson's an offensive guy too).

Basic Strategy Teasers: Best Week 9 NFL Betting Options
by Chris Vasile - 11/2/2018

I watched the game between the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers last night, and I kept thinking to myself, damn, Brett Favre still has it. The only problem is, the 49ers quarterback - who played at Southern Miss - just like Favre did - was in fact not Favre. It was Nick Mullens, and he was making his first career NFL start.

Scott Spreitzer Week 8 NFL Handicapping Notes
by Scott Spreitzer - 10/31/2018

We finished 4-1 in CFB and 3-2 in the NFL this week, which ups our CFB / NFL run to 35-12. We're also on a 19-6 CFB run the last 5 weeks and we're 18-8, 69% on NFL Sundays this season and 38-17-1 with our last 56 NFL plays overall. We have a 7-Unit CFB Main Event and our first 8-Unit NFL side going this Saturday and Sunday and we're on a 9-1, 90% CFB/NFL top plays run. Be sure to grab it all this week!

NFL Betting Odds: Week 8 Line Movements & Last-Minute News
by Alan Matthews - 10/26/2018

I really had no intention of addressing next Tuesday's NFL trade deadline in this space, but from what I'm reading things could get a bit wacky ahead of that. Do I think any Super Bowl futures odds will change because of one trade? I don't. This isn't the NBA where adding one guy - short of a quarterback or a franchise-type pass-rusher like Khalil Mack - is going to alter a team's futures odds. But, it certainly can make a team that much more likely to win a Super Bowl.

Basic Strategy Teasers: Best Week 8 NFL Betting Options
by Chris Vasile - 10/26/2018

Can the NFL bring back replacement refs, please? After watching last night's debacle in Houston, I actually started to miss the replacement refs we were stuck with back in 2013 for three weeks. I mean, come on. The NFL made history by firing a ref mid-season for the first time in the Super Bowl era. That back judge missed a blatant false start and was made an example of.

Scott Spreitzer Week 7 NFL Handicapping Notes
by Scott Spreitzer - 10/23/2018

This is an informal look into my weekly NFL notes as I take them from highlight shows, internet recaps, and my own eyes while watching games. Please excuse the crudeness...consider a weekly rough draft. This will be posted every week on Tuesdays and this helps me immensely with my weekly NFL handicapping and preparation.

NFL Betting Odds: Week 7 Line Movements & Last-Minute News
by Alan Matthews - 10/19/2018

Has anyone ever had a stretch of back-to-back games like New Orleans Saints quarterback and lock first-ballot Hall of Famer Drew Brees might come Sunday in Baltimore? On Monday night in Week 5 in a home blowout of the Washington Redskins (Saints were off Week 6), Brees passed Peyton Manning for the most passing yards in league history - and Brees is going to put that record completely out of reach if he plays a few more years.

Scott Spreitzer Week 6 NFL Handicapping Notes
by Scott Spreitzer - 10/15/2018

SEAHAWKS 27-3 OAKLAND: Raiders 0 points 1st 7 possessions. Derek Carr 0 TDs and 2 Fumbles lost...his 4th game this season with at least 2 turnovers. OLT can't block...sacked 6 times. Allowing 29.3 ppg this season. Sea 3 straight games rushing for 150 yards or more.

NFL Betting Odds: Week 6 Line Movements & Last-Minute News
by Alan Matthews - 10/12/2018

The Dallas Cowboys opened as 1-point home underdogs Sunday vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars and are up to as high as 3.5 points at a few Doc's-affiliated books. I'll be taking the 3.5, and as long as the Cowboys cover that number I could give a hoot who wins the game.

Basic Strategy Teasers: Best Week 6 NFL Betting Options
by Chris Vasile - 10/11/2018

At what point in the season is it okay to start believing in the Kansas City Chiefs as legitimate Super Bowl contenders? Given Andy Reid's track record of starting fast and fizzling out late in the season, I understand the hesitancy. However, it must be stated that Alex Smith is no longer the quarterback, and some guy by the name of Patrick Mahomes is handling quarterbacking duties. Not sure if you've heard of him, but he has been playing some pretty great football over the course of his first five meaningful games in the NFL.

NFL Betting Odds: Week 5 Line Movements & Last-Minute News
by Alan Matthews - 10/5/2018

Some of the most dominant defenses in NFL history had great nicknames. Purple People Eaters. Steel Curtain. Monsters of the Midway. And Legion of Boom belongs in that conversation. Alas, the Legion is no more - and really, the Seattle Seahawks' identity is gone.