NFL Handicapping Articles

NFL Handicapping: Biggest Concerns after Week 1
by Trevor Whenham - 9/10/2014

One of the most exciting aspects of the opening week of the NFL — and the biggest challenges — is that we really don’t know anything. Teams have changed so much since they last played meaningful games, and the preseason is more of a distraction than it is informative, so we really have to speculate a lot about how good teams are and how strong they should be.

NFL Handicapping: What We Learned from Week 1
by Trevor Whenham - 9/10/2014

Every year when the NFL season starts, smart bettors are forced to do a whole lot of learning. So much changes every year that we can’t afford to rely on what we have seen in the past to guide what we should expect this year. Instead, we need to make informed predictions of what could happen and then refine and improve those predictions as we see meaningful games played to start the new season.

NFL Power Ratings: Top 5 and Bottom 5
by Mike Davis - 9/10/2014

Every other week I will deliver my updated Top 5 and Bottom 5 NFL power ratings article. The article will feature writeups about the 10 teams with added commentary from me. Putting together NFL power ratings always helps me with my handicapping during the week before I make my picks. The commentary may or may not be pertinent or funny, you decide. Without further adieu…

NFL Football Predictions: Week 2 Opening Line Report and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 9/9/2014

Pretty solid opening week of the NFL season from a betting perspective. I looked at six games in the Week 1 Opening Line Report, and I only face flopped on two of them: Chicago losing straight up at home to Buffalo -- which I know ruined some Survivor and Confidence Pools -- and Tampa Bay somehow losing at home to a Carolina team that started Derek Anderson at quarterback. Here's a look at a few games and opening lines that caught my eye for Week 2.

Bettors Must Adjust to the New NFL
by Robert Ferringo - 9/5/2014

Football, as we know it, is dead. Brute force and physicality are now scolded, rather than rewarded, and sophisticated, pass-first offenses now dictate and dominate the game. The resulting scoring explosion has forever altered the landscape of the sport. And from its ashes a simulacra of the game I grew up obsessing has risen.

Free NFL Picks for Saints-Falcons and Titans-Chiefs
by CarbonSports - 9/4/2014

The first full Sunday NFL action is hours away and that's got recreational and professional bettors salivating with anticipation. NFL football is the most heavily bet sport in North America so you know sportsbooks everywhere will be flooded with action. Some of the best lines can be found at Carbon Sports and here are two spreads I don't believe anyone should leave off their Sunday NFL card.

NFL Teasers Betting: Four Best Basic Strategy Options for Week 1
by George Monroy - 9/3/2014

The NFL season can be a long and difficult grind—sometimes the best thing for bettors is to break up the monotony by trying new betting techniques or wagering in a new way. Every week throughout the NFL season Doc’s Sports will analyze basic strategy teasers, provide betting advice, and teach bettors the ins and outs of the strategy. Basic strategy teasers are two-team, six-point wager that move favorites of 7.5 to 8.5 points down by six points and underdogs of 1.5 to 2.5 points up by six points.

Free NFL Picks for Thursday Night Football Green Bay at Seattle
by CarbonSports - 9/3/2014

The NFL is finally back with a huge Thursday night opener between the Packers and Seahawks. Green Bay hasn't been to the Pacific Northwest since the “Fail Mary” game in 2012 with the replacement refs on the field. With both teams coming into the season among the favorites to win the Super Bowl this year there will be no shortage of action in this game tonight between two of the league's elite.

Expert NFL Betting Picks: Weekly NFC East Predictions Week 1
by Dave Schwab - 9/3/2014

A new NFL season gets underway this Thursday night, and after a successful run in 2013 of tracking the NFC East with weekly picks that returned close to $2,500 to $100 bettors, I am back for another year of previews and picks. Philadelphia is favored to repeat as division champs, but BetOnline’s futures odds for all four teams suggest a tight race until the bitter end.

NFL Totals Betting: Week 1 Over and Under Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 9/3/2014

This Thursday night another season in the NFL gets underway, but Sunday’s slate offers the best opportunity for bettors to cash in on the games. For the fourth season in a row I will be releasing my top three picks on the “over/under” NFL betting lines for Doc’s Sports.

NFL Football Predictions: Week 1 Opening Line Report and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 9/2/2014

Oakland Raiders at NY Jets (-5.5, 39): This has the lowest total on the board. I Can see why as we get the not-so-stellar quarterback matchup of David Carr against Geno Smith. Carr, a second-round rookie out of Fresno State, was somewhat surprisingly named the starter on Monday over Matt Schaub, who was not surprisingly pretty awful in camp and preseason games.

NFL Betting Advice: Denver Broncos ATS Cheat Sheet
by George Monroy - 8/28/2014

The Denver Broncos are a regular-season monster. Peyton Manning has led the team to a 26-6 record over the last two years and earned a Super Bowl trip in the process. Most of the offseason, however, was filled with Manning chatter. Is he overrated? Can he win that elusive second Super Bowl ring? Can he ever really be considered as the greatest quarterback of all time?

Expert NFL Betting Tips: How to Bet on Basic Strategy Teasers
by George Monroy - 8/28/2014

Basic strategy teasers are one of those almost-forgotten tricks of the sports betting trade that can earn bettors an extra bit of profit during any NFL football season. Imagine a betting system that tells you who to bet and how to bet them simply based on the spreads? Some teams qualify, others don’t, but no matter what wagers you make, they are supposed to bring back a profit at the end of the year.

Week 1 NFL Odds: Taking a Closer Look at the Biggest Underdogs on Betting Board
by George Monroy - 8/26/2014

The NFL can see some huge spreads on a weekly basis. Last year the Jacksonville Jaguars were a 27-point underdog against the Denver Broncos and a 19-point dog against the Seattle Seahawks (they went 1-1 ATS). Lines of that magnitude, however, are rare, and big underdogs tend to stay in the 10- to 14-point range.

Handicapping the St. Louis Rams after Sam Bradford Injury
by Trevor Whenham - 8/25/2014

I was high on Sam Bradford heading into this season. He and Jeff Fisher were looking like a good pairing once they got a chance to play together and get comfortable. He had some talent around him. He’s old enough and experienced enough to let his talent finally come to the forefront. It was going to be a good year.

Handicapping Bovada’s Prop for the NFL’s Worst Team
by Trevor Whenham - 8/25/2014

If you were to tell me that at this point last year you knew that the Houston Texans were going to wind up with the worst record in the NFL then I would be forced to call you a liar. Heck, if after six weeks you thought it was going to be anyone other than Jacksonville then you are probably remembering wrong.

Handicapping Bovada’s Prop Bet for First NFL Coach Fired
by Trevor Whenham - 8/25/2014

Whenever things start to go badly for any team in an NFL season, one of the first things that fans call for is for the coach to be fired. Teams often listen — about a fifth to a quarter of coaches are fired every year. Quite often, like last year, teams will get a jump on the race and fire a coach during the season — as the Houston Texans did last year with Gary Kubiak.

Handicapping Sportsbook NFL Season Special Props Odds with Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 8/25/2014

When it comes to the NFL, I am an absolute sucker for records and the breaking of mythical barriers. It means little if a guy winds up with 2,000 yards receiving or 1,996 in real terms, but it means everything to the football geeks amongst us — and if you are reading this article that probably means you.

Handicapping Sportsbook NFL Quarterback Special Props Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 8/25/2014

When we are looking at players in the NFL, we so often handicap how they match up in particular games against the players they will line up against. It’s a good handicapping exercise to look at a wider picture and to really consider how they are going to fare on a larger perspective. It’s kind of like bringing a fantasy football drafting perspective to handicapping. One way we can do that — and hunt for profit at the same time — is by looking at the QB special props that Sportsbook.ag has on offer this year.

NFL Comeback Player of the Year Odds, Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 8/25/2014

There are two challenges I face when looking at betting on who will be the Comeback Player of the Year in the NFL. The first is that it is such a poorly-defined award. A guy can win it because he is coming back from a devastating injury, because he wasn’t in the league the year before, or just because he had a lousy year the year before and bounced back strong.