NFL Handicapping Articles

Handicapping the 2015 NFC South Schedule with Important Games and Predictions
by George Monroy - 5/21/2015

The NFC South may be the worst division in football. The situation was so bleak in 2014 that the division had fans and media experts questioning the rules and wondering if an under-.500 team should even be allowed to make the playoffs. No changes were made during the offseason, of course, since sub-.500 teams making the playoffs is a rare occurrence.

Handicapping the 2015 NFC North Schedule with Important Games and Predictions
by George Monroy - 5/21/2015

The Green Bay Packers are the clear favorite to capture their fifth straight NFC North title with the rest of the division struggling to improve over the offseason and one team actually losing a franchise player during free agency. The Packers themselves must deal with the fallout of a devastating playoff loss that cost the organization a shot at a sixth Super Bowl appearance and may use the disappointment as a catalyst for a renewed interest in the regular season.

Odds for the 2015 Green Bay Packers NFL Home Schedule
by Alan Matthews - 5/20/2015

Is there a better home-field advantage in the NFL than Lambeau Field? Maybe Seattle has an argument. Green Bay was 8-0 at home last regular season, 6-1-1 against the spread and 7-1 "over/under." The Packers generally crushed teams there other than a Week 2 comeback against the Jets and a 26-21 Week 13 win over New England that should have been a Super Bowl preview if not for the Packers' collapse in the NFC title game.

Odds for the 2015 Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Home Schedule
by Alan Matthews - 5/19/2015

The Steelers will enter the 2015 regular season off a home loss after being upset in the wild-card round by Baltimore when Pittsburgh was without injured star running back Le'Veon Bell. Perhaps the biggest offseason loss for the Steelers wasn't a player -- although safety Troy Polamalu, a potential Hall of Famer, retired -- but long-time defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. He caught the team by surprise when he resigned in January and then quickly latched on with the Tennessee Titans.

Handicapping the 2015 NFC West Schedule with Important Games and Predictions
by George Monroy - 5/19/2015

For the last three seasons, the NFC West has been the power division in the NFC and still is considered to have the toughest group of teams in the entire NFL. Even the under-.500 St. Louis Rams earned a measure of respect for the way they played defense and conducted themselves with multiple key injuries to the roster. Seattle is once again the Super Bowl favorite. And even though San Francisco is expected to take a step back, the division is still filled with teams that no one wants to play.

Odds for the 2015 Dallas Cowboys NFL Home Schedule
by Alan Matthews - 5/18/2015

I continue my analysis of teams' home schedules -- doing all 32 home slates before switching to road -- with the Dallas Cowboys. And there was arguably no more schizophrenic home/road team last season than Dallas. They were only 4-4 at JerryWorld but 8-0 on the road, the NFL's only unbeaten away from home. That Dallas won the NFC East probably saved Coach Jason Garrett's job. The Cowboys got a gift (or two) from the referees in beating visiting Detroit in the wild-card round, but then they got jobbed by the refs on a Dez Bryant (non) TD catch in the divisional round at Green Bay.

Handicapping the 2015 AFC South Schedule with Important Games and Predictions
by George Monroy - 5/18/2015

The AFC South is all about one team and one player-the Indianapolis Colts and Andrew Luck. The Colts are currently the largest favorite to win their division, according to the odds at Bovada, and at this point in his career Luck is a regular-season monster who is almost certain to produce 10 or 11 wins a year, the same way his predecessor Peyton Manning did for Indianapolis for most of his career. Let's take a closer look at the AFC South schedule, go over important games and make a few predictions. All odds come from Bovada.

Handicapping the 2015 NFC East Schedule with Important Games and Predictions
by George Monroy - 5/18/2015

Year in and year out the NFC East continues to be one of the most interesting, dysfunctional, talented, yet overdramatic divisions in the entire NFL, and the 2015 season will not be any different. Tim Tebow is back in the league, the Dallas Cowboys are Super Bowl contenders, Chip Kelly might be a genius or just completely insane, New York is still in shambles and Washington continues to let the Robert Griffin III drama play itself out. The one thing football fans can count on is the entertainment value coming out of the NFC East.

Odds for the 2015 New England Patriots NFL Home Schedule
by Alan Matthews - 5/15/2015

Are you ready for a summer of football? Welcome to my first schedule analysis looking toward the 2015 NFL season. I will break down all 32 teams' schedules into their home and road slates and try to give you relevant betting trends and advice on each. You can look for actual team-by-team previews later this summer. This will be simply opponent-based.

Handicapping the 2015 AFC West Schedule with Important Games and Predictions
by George Monroy - 5/14/2015

The NFL season is still months away, and the football-hungry media has been forced to feed off the draft and New England Patriots scandal over the last few weeks. For bettors, however, it is never too early to begin thinking about next season's wagers and where the value might lie for certain teams. The 2015 NFL schedule has already been released, so we might as well take a closer look at the AFC West, go over important games and make a few predictions for the upcoming season. All odds come from Bovada.

Handicapping the 2015 AFC North Schedule with Important Games and Predictions
by George Monroy - 5/14/2015

The AFC North is always a tough division with Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cincinnati usually in playoff contention and at least one of them also being a Super Bowl threat. Last season the division was even more prosperous than normal with all three teams producing 10 wins or more and Cleveland ending the year with a 7-9 mark.

Handicapping the 2015 AFC East Schedule with Important Games and Predictions
by George Monroy - 5/13/2015

The biggest news coming out of the NFL post draft has been Tom Brady and "Deflategate" punishment. If Brady's four-game suspension holds, the AFC East may be wide-open for the first time in years, and someone other than New England could capture the division crown that has gone to the Patriots in 11 of the last 12 seasons.

NFL Handicapping: How Tom Brady's Suspension Will Impact New England
by George Monroy - 5/12/2015

The NFL dropped the hammer on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots late Monday afternoon for their roles in the "Deflategate" controversy back in January. Brady was hit with a four-game suspension (which he plans to appeal), while New England was fined $1 million and relieved of a first- and fourth-round draft picks in 2016 and 2017. The punishment was in line with what most industry experts predicted, even though it fell on the harsher side of Commissioner Roger Goodell's range.

Updated NFL Season Win Total Odds Released in Las Vegas
by Raphael Esparza - 5/7/2015

So the highly-overrated NFL Draft is in the books, and most key free agents are already signed. Now we can really concentrate on the NFL futures market. CG Technology (Cantor Gaming) released their 2015 NFL Total Season Wins soon after the Patriots hoisted the Super XLIX trophy, and now with Westgate Las Vegas posting their numbers we can see the difference three months makes in NFL futures betting market.

2015 NFL Draft Grades
by Robert Ferringo - 5/4/2015

The 2015 NFL Draft will be defined by the careers of the top two picks, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. The two quarterbacks are tasked with revitalizing two feeble franchises – immediately – and spent the weekend basking in praise and promise from every football analyst from Seattle to South Beach.

2015 NFL Draft Betting: Additional Prop Picks
by Alan Matthews - 4/30/2015

My cohort Aaron Smith has already written about some NFL Draft props here at Doc's, with the first round on Thursday night in Chicago. Round 2 is Friday night and then the final rounds are Saturday, and in an interesting twist will be announced outdoors -- the weather is going to cooperate in the Windy City. You can expect the sportsbooks to release some updated props after Round 1 for any potential big names still on the board.

2015 NFL Draft Betting: Props Odds and Expert Wagering Picks
by Aaron Smith - 4/28/2015

It's almost time for the NFL Draft once again. Sure, it may be more than four months until we see regular-season NFL action again, but the draft is a great reason to get excited for football once again. This is an underrated time of the year for sports fans. The NBA is in the playoffs, Major League Baseball is in full swing, and the NFL Draft now is a three-day spectacle that motivates every fan base. There's plenty to look forward to as a sports fan!

NFL Odds & Trends: Schedule Glances at Top Super Bowl Contenders
by Alan Matthews - 4/22/2015

The NFL released the 2015 schedule on Tuesday, one of the great offseason days for a football fan. We both know that you (and I) went through every game on your favorite's teams schedule and said either "win" or "loss." Amazing how every fan has his team winning at least 11 games. I guess that's what the offseason brings: (sometimes silly) optimism. Here I will look at the top-four contenders to win Super Bowl 50 on Bovada along with Week 1 opening odds from BetOnline. Expect 2015 win totals at sportsbooks soon after the draft.

NFL Offseason Betting Report: Handicapping Some Early Futures Odds
by Dave Schwab - 4/1/2015

The initial mad rush of free agency signings has passed, and the debate over the top picks in the upcoming NFL Draft still rages on. This is all part of the painstaking process of getting through the NFL offseason until we once again have actual games to bet on.

NFL Betting: Offseason Report and Super Bowl 50 Odds
by Dave Schwab - 2/23/2015

It has been only three weeks since New England’s thrilling 28-24 victory over Seattle in Super Bowl XLIX, but it feels like an eternity for anyone who loves to wager on the NFL. Most of the sportsbooks have already posted their futures odds to win next season’s Super Bowl, and if you go to Bovada you will even find betting odds for the game. The NFC is a 2.5-point favorite, and the total has been set at 50.5 for Super Bowl 50.