NFL Handicapping Articles

2012 Denver Broncos Predictions and AFC West Betting Odds
by T.O. Whenham - 7/26/2012

Short version of the preview — the team replaced the most controversial quarterback of his generation with one of the best of any generation and they should be glad they did. That’s a loaded opinion, of course. There will be many who agree that getting rid of Tim Tebow was exactly the right thing to do — that he was not the choice to lead the franchise in the long-term, and despite his skill set the mistake was made when they acquired him in the first place.

2012 New Orleans Saints Predictions and Odds to Win AFC South
by T.O. Whenham - 7/26/2012

There is no team in recent sports history that has overcome more distractions than the Saints did in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. This year that mental toughness they developed as an organization is going to truly be tested because the distractions are piling up in a big way. These aren’t just your garden variety distractions, either — these are unprecedented.

2012 Arizona Cardinals Predictions and NFL Futures Odds
by Aaron Smith - 7/26/2012

After the first seven weeks of the 2011 season, the Arizona Cardinals were 1-6 and looking like the laughing stock of the league. Arizona then won seven of their last nine games to finish the season at 8-8. It certainly helped that Arizona had an easy schedule down the stretch, but the Cardinals did make some major progress during the last half of the season.

2012 St. Louis Rams Predictions and NFL Futures Odds
by Aaron Smith - 7/26/2012

It seemed the St. Louis Rams finally had things moving in the right direction. Steve Spagnuolo had taken this team from one win in 2009 to seven wins in 2010. The Rams nearly made the playoffs in 2010 with that 7-9 record in the NFC West. Going into the 2011 season, many experts thought this team had a chance to finally finish with a winning record. Needless to say, things didn’t go as planned.

2012 San Francisco 49ers Predictions and NFC West Betting Odds
by T.O. Whenham - 7/25/2012

Last year the 49ers qualified as the biggest positive surprise in the NFL. With yet another coach and yet another offensive coordinator promising that things were going to change, it was easy to tune them out. Change they did, though, and if it weren’t for a particularly awful special teams play they could have been the NFC representative in the Super Bowl.

2012 Kansas City Chiefs Predictions and Odds to Win AFC West
by Alan Matthews - 7/25/2012

Every NFL team has to deal with injuries – it’s part of the game. But perhaps no club’s season was derailed earlier in 2011 by major injuries than the Kansas City Chiefs’. Fresh off a surprising AFC West title in 2010, many had the Chiefs as a chic pick to reach the AFC title game a year ago. But stud running back Jamaal Charles, who was second in the NFL in rushing in 2010, was lost for the season early in Week 2. Also going down for the year were star tight end Tony Moeaki (in the preseason finale) and Pro Bowl safety Eric Berry (Week 1). Without them, K.C. started 0-3 and was outscored by a record 99-10 in the first two losses.

2012 Buffalo Bills Predictions and Odds to Win AFC East
by T.O. Whenham - 7/25/2012

That unfamiliar sight on the shores of Lake Erie right now is swagger. It has been a long time since Bills’ fans have had any reason for confidence or hope — probably since the days of Jim Kelly. Though consecutive trips to the Super Bowl aren’t likely to happen again, this is a team that has legitimate wild card potential.

2012 Dallas Cowboys Predictions and NFC East Betting Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 7/25/2012

The Dallas Cowboys are the Notre Dame of the NFL: perpetually overrated by the NFL betting public and therefore always overvalued by the sportsbooks. Dallas enters the 2012 season again answering questions and listening to less-than-subtle whispers about Super Bowl expectations. However, once gain I think that the hype exceeds their actual station in the NFC East and in the league in general.

2012 NFL Strength of Schedule vs. Futures Odds
by David Schwab - 7/24/2012

The start of another NFL regular season is still more than six weeks away, so there is still plenty of time to place a few wagers on the futures odds for your favorite teams. The odds have been tweaked and re-tweaked throughout the offseason due to reaction from the betting public, but there is still plenty of value in the numbers if you know where to look.

2012 Philadelphia Eagles Predictions and NFL Futures Odds
by Alan Matthews - 7/21/2012

One would think that the Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterbacks would learn to keep their mouths shut by now. Last year, after Philly added a handful of Pro Bowlers, backup quarterback Vince Young (himself a new addition), boasted about how the Eagles now had a “Dream Team” that couldn’t be beaten. Oddsmakers believed him as the Iggles were the Super Bowl favorites heading into the preseason.

NFL Players we want to Cheer For in 2012
by T.O. Whenham - 7/21/2012

Football is the ultimate team sport. The play of one player, though — especially at quarterback — can have a huge impact on how a team performs, and more importantly how kind they are to NFL handicappers. Each of these four quarterbacks are guys that bettors should be cheering for, because, for different reasons in each case, if they perform well they are likely to deliver some very nice value for bettors.

2012 Jacksonville Jaguars Predictions and NFL Futures Odds
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 7/17/2012

In March the Jacksonville Jaguars lost out on home-town hero Tim Tebow. The former Heisman Trophy-winner had his pick between the Jaguars and Jets and he spurned his home town to sign with New York. It is a feeling Jaguar fans have surely become accustomed to.

2012 Cleveland Browns Predictions and NFL Futures Odds
by Darin Zank - 7/17/2012

Those poor Cleveland Browns fans. They're some of the most loyal and fervent football fans in the NFL, and yet they're stuck, at the moment, with a stinker of a team. What's wrong with this outfit? Why do they have to keep changing coaches and quarterbacks? Anybody around there ever heard of the concept of continuity?

2012 Minnesota Vikings Predictions and NFL Futures Odds
by Adam Richard - 7/16/2012

The Minnesota Vikings began the 2011 season with fringe playoff hopes, pinned to the workhorse legs of Adrian Peterson and the veteran arm of Donovan McNabb. Minnesota learned quickly what Philadelphia and Washington already knew about McNabb.

NFL Handicapping: The Return of Randy Moss
by T.O. Whenham - 6/21/2012

Randy Moss is back. He’s with the 49ers after a one-year retirement, and he has looked good in the limited action he has seen so far in camps. We know he looks good because he has received so much attention from the media — far more than almost any other free agent not named Peyton, and certainly more than any 35-year-old receiver. The return of a high-profile player like Moss raises some interesting issues and considerations for sports bettors. Here are six that come to mind:

2012 NFL Season Win Totals Top Picks
by David Schwab - 6/13/2012

Sportsbook.ag recently released its projected win totals and corresponding ‘over’ and ‘under’ money lines for all 32 NFL teams for this upcoming regular season. There is value in the numbers scattered throughout this list, but the real opportunity for a solid return on investment lies at the extremes.

2012 NFL Super Bowl Futures Odds Update and Predictions
by David Schwab - 5/9/2012

The dust had hardly settled from New York’s 21-17 victory over New England in last season’s Super Bowl before Bovada released its odds for Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans next February. These early odds were primarily based on each team’s form at the end of last season, but with the start of free agency in March and last month’s college draft, there has been some significant movement in both directions for a couple of teams.

2012 NFL Schedule: The Big Games
by Darin Zank - 5/2/2012

It seems so far away, it's almost not worth talking about. Then again, it is the NFL, and a lot of us are already getting the itch for the upcoming season. So now that the 2012 regular-season schedule is out, we might as well take a look at it, see what kind of fun is in store for us football-betting fools this fall. Here's my quick take on some of the biggest games that catch my attention.

Rookie Quarterbacks and NFL Betting Impact
by T.O. Whenham - 5/1/2012

After the NFL Draft last weekend we now know what we had suspected for a while — there is at least a solid chance that four rookie quarterbacks will start the first game of the season for their new teams this year. That’s noteworthy mostly because it has never happened before.

NFL Handicapping: Sean Payton's Suspension Has Big Impact On Saints Betting
by T.O. Whenham - 4/23/2012

The NFL offseason is never boring. Thanks to the New Orleans Saints and their bounty scandal, though, this one has been particularly interesting and we’re not even at the NFL Draft yet. For bettors the Saints’ situation is an interesting one, and one that could potentially cause more than a few headaches.