NFL Handicapping Articles

AFC Championship Game Betting Advice: NFL Playoffs Keys and Distractions
by Trevor Whenham - 1/18/2017

An interesting thing happens in the NFL Playoffs. The amount of media attention grows significantly with each passing round, while at the same time the number of games shrinks each week. By the time we get to the championship round there are only two games, and there is a massive hunger for content to fill airtime and real and virtual print space. That means that there is a whole lot of noise out there for bettors to wade through.

NFC Championship Game Betting Advice: NFL Playoffs Keys and Distractions
by Trevor Whenham - 1/18/2017

Handicapping successfully in an environment as oversaturated in media coverage as the NFL Playoffs can be a tough thing. There are so few games and so much public interest that every minor detail gets major coverage. Good handicappers have to learn to absorb the information that is important and discard that which doesn't matter. You can't get distracted by trivialities, and you need to focus on what really matters.

Green Bay Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys Expert NFL Betting Picks for Best Props on Board
by Chris Vasile - 1/13/2017

This game between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys is not only the last game of the Divisional Round but it will likely be the most-watched game of the weekend. The Cowboys are "America's Team". Whether you agree with that nickname or not, the Cowboys are seemingly always in the spotlight and are seemingly criticized under a microscope.

Expert NFL Picks: Green Bay Packers at Dallas Cowboys Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 1/12/2017

Monday night's National Championship Game between Clemson and Alabama was the most-wagered college football game ever at pretty much every major sportsbook you could find. And the books took a major bath, but that's another story. I mention this because Sunday's Green Bay at Dallas game almost surely will be the most-wagered and highest-rated NFL game so far this season. The Cowboys always draw eyeballs and bettors, and the Packers aren't far behind in either. Frankly, the only matchup in these playoffs that would excite the sportsbooks and TV executives more would be a Patriots-Cowboys Super Bowl.

NFL Divisional Round Playoffs Handicapping: Biggest Keys to Success
by Trevor Whenham - 1/12/2017

The concept here is pretty straightforward. This weekend, which is often the best weekend of the NFL season, we are promised three really competitive interesting games (the fourth is obviously Houston, which I expect to be a special kind of humiliated). We're going to look at all four of the matchups to determine what the biggest key for success in the game is and what the biggest distraction is for bettors. So, let's get to it (lines for the games are from BetOnline):

Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons Expert NFL Betting Picks for Best Props on Board
by Chris Vasile - 1/12/2017

The Divisional Round of the NFL postseason kicks off with a rematch from Week 6, when the Seattle Seahawks travel to Atlanta to tangle with the Falcons. There were plenty of talking points in that Week 6 meeting, with the main one being the non-call on Richard Sherman for pass interference.

2017 Expert NFL Divisional Round Odds with Free Picks and Predictions Against the Spread
by Chris Vasile - 1/11/2017

In a year where almost everyone complained about the quality of product the NFL was giving us on a weekly basis, Wild-Card Weekend followed suit and delivered some pretty lame and boring football. You could argue that Oakland and Miami were already eliminated before kick off since they were both forced to start very bad quarterbacks. However, Detroit and New York had no such excuse. Both teams had their starting QBs in the lineup and both underperformed immensely.

Free NFL Picks: Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs Odds and Expert Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 1/11/2017

If the Kansas City Chiefs reach their first Super Bowl since the 1969 season -- before the NFL-AFL merger -- they probably should send a thank-you card to Indianapolis Colts linebacker Trent Cole. That's because in the Oakland Raiders' 33-25 win over the Colts in Week 16, Cole sacked Raiders star QB and MVP candidate Derek Carr, breaking Carr's leg.

NFL Playoffs Betting Advice and Handicapping: Bye Teams in the Divisional Round
by Trevor Whenham - 1/9/2017

It's a familiar scene heading into the poorly-named Divisional Playoffs Round of the NFL Playoffs. All four teams who enjoyed a bye week last week are favored against teams that won their games last week. All of the wild-card teams are out of the playoffs, and now the odds suggest that only the top two teams in each division will survive this week. This is nothing new - 22 of the last 24 home teams in this week of the playoffs have been favored, including this year, and one home team that wasn't the favorite was a "pick'em".

Super Bowl Betting Odds and Expert Handicapping: Checking in With First-Round Bye Teams
by Trevor Whenham - 1/6/2017

Now is a good time to take a look at the bye teams as we head into the NFL Playoffs. The reason for that is simple. This is the one time that few other people are doing the same. Soon the Patriots and Cowboys will resume their perches as conference and Super Bowl favorites. For now, though, people are more interested in whether Packers can keep things rolling, the mess at QB for Oakland and all the other storylines of the opening week of playoff action. While there is a bit of calm before the storm, then, let's check in on the four bye teams and their status at this point (odds to win the Super Bowl are from BetOnline):

NFL Playoffs Betting Advice and Handicapping: Avoid Distractions
by Trevor Whenham - 1/6/2017

The NFL Playoffs are about to begin. This week between the regular season and the start of the Divisional Round is an interesting one. I always like to sit back and look at what the media and the general public are talking about most. Some of it is always important and relevant. And much of it really isn't. Every year there are storylines that grab all sorts of attention. It makes sense - they are juicy and compelling.

Expert NFL Picks: New York Giants at Green Bay Packers Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 1/5/2017

You may want to go bet on whichever team you think wins this game to win Super Bowl LI. Why? Sunday's NFC wild-card game at Lambeau between the NFC's fifth-seeded New York Giants and NFC North champion Green Bay Packers is the eighth postseason meeting between the flagship franchises. The winner of the previous seven won the NFL championship or Super Bowl. How's that for a trend!

Free NFL Picks: Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers Odds and Expert Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 1/5/2017

The Dolphins and Steelers are two of the marquee franchises in the AFC and both have rich playoff histories. It's just that the two haven't been good together in a long while as they meet in the first of two wild-card games on Sunday. The two franchises have played three times in the postseason, with the Dolphins holding a 2-1 edge.

Detroit Lions vs. Seattle Seahawks Expert Betting Picks for Best Props on Board
by Chris Vasile - 1/5/2017

Game 2 of wild-card Saturday sees the Detroit Lions travel to CenturyLink Field to take on the NFC West Champion Seattle Seahawks. The Lions could have avoided this matchup by beating the Green Bay Packers last week in the regular season finale, but failed to do so and failed to capture what would have been their first NFC North Title since 1993.

Oakland Raiders vs. Houston Texans Expert Betting Picks for Best Props on Board
by Chris Vasile - 1/4/2017

The NFL Playoffs get underway Saturday with what is expected to be the worst matchup of wild-card weekend. The Raiders come into this game with a 12-4 record and are in the postseason for the first time since 2002, the year they lost Super Bowl XXXVII to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Raiders had the AFC West title in their grasps until a slip up in Week 17 allowed the Kansas City Chiefs to jump over them, steal the division and a first-round bye.

2017 Expert NFL Wild-Card Picks and Predictions Against the Spread
by Chris Vasile - 1/3/2017

The NFL Playoffs are set to kick off this weekend with a pair of wild-card games on both Saturday and Sunday. This postseason will mark the first time in 13 years that last year's Super Bowl teams will miss this year's 12-team tournament. Taking that a step further, this rare occasion has only happened four times prior, in 2002, 1999 and 1988. But what's done is done, and we must now turn our attention to the teams that were fortunate enough to secure a playoff spot.

NFL Odds: Week 17 Line Movements & Last-Minute News
by Alan Matthews - 12/30/2016

While on "Black Monday" we are likely to see a handful of coaches fired, joining Jeff Fisher, Gus Bradley and Rex Ryan as those currently unemployed, let's take a look at which coaches did a fantastic job this year and could be looking at nice extensions or a raise -- not to mention the AP Coach of the Year Award.

Free NFL Picks: Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions Odds and Expert Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 12/29/2016

Welcome to my final regular-season NFL preview for the 2016 season, although I'll certainly be here right through the Super Bowl as will other Doc's writers. The NFL doesn't schedule a Sunday night game originally for Week 17 but leaves open a slot for NBC to flex into prime time. Needless to say, the goal is to have the most playoff relevant matchup for the biggest potential audience. And there's clearly no more important Week 17 game than Packers at Lions (both 9-6). By the time this game kicks off, the teams will know if the loser will miss the playoffs.

Expert NFL Picks: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 12/28/2016

Sunday is the final regular-season NFL game ever in Atlanta's Georgia Dome as the team is moving to the spectacular Mercedes-Benz Stadium for next season. That's one thing the Falcons and Saints have in common: their stadiums will be sponsored by the same company starting in 2017.

NFL Handicapping: How to Bet on Eliminated Teams
by Trevor Whenham - 12/28/2016

There are 19 teams eliminated from the NFL playoffs with a week to go in the season (technically it is only 18, but Tampa Bay needs such an impossible set of circumstances to get in that I am already counting them as out). That means that each of these teams has absolutely nothing to play for in this final week - and some of the teams have been in that position for weeks already.