NFL Handicapping Articles

NFL Odds: Will Steelers’ James Harrison be Fined for Comments?
by Alan Matthews - 7/20/2011

The NFL Lockout appears set to end any day now, with the owners potentially set to vote on approving the new collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Players’ Association at their meetings on Thursday in Atlanta. It will start about a two-week roster movement frenzy that we have never seen in American team sports history.

NFL Betting Impact of the End of the Lockout
by T.O. Whenham - 7/20/2011

I don’t want to jinx anything, but it finally seems like the NFL Lockout madness is coming to an end, and things are going to return pretty much to normal. Ultimately, in the grand scale of things, the impact of this lockout hasn’t been that significant -- no games lost, a mostly normal training camp and preseason, and the draft and free agency still happened. In the short term, though, there is going to be a pretty significant impact for NFL handicappers, and it is going to take a while to sort it all out.

NFL Odds Released for Top Games of the Year
by David Schwab - 7/19/2011

It appears that the 2011 NFL schedule will come off without a hitch as the league owners and the Players Association remain busy putting the final touches on a new CBA (collective bargaining agreement) that should hopefully end the four-month old player lockout and reopen the NFL for business within the next two weeks.

NFL Free Agency Predictions: Top Players On the Board
by T.O. Whenham - 7/19/2011

I hardly want to say it in case I jinx it, but it seems like we are now just a couple of days away from the end of this NFL Lockout madness. It seemed like this day would never come. Soon after the lockout ends we will be plunging into what could be a crazy free agency period — a short time frame, massive team needs, and some very solid players available. I’m obviously no GM, but if I were these are the eight players that stand out as ones that I would like to have on my team if the money made sense.

NFL Predictions: AFC Division Futures Odds
by David Schwab - 7/13/2011

As the NFL owners and the Players Association continue to inch closer to finalizing the details of a new CBA (collective bargaining agreements), both sides remain optimistic that this whole mess can be resolved in enough time to avoid disruption of the start of summer training camps and the preseason NFL schedule.

NFL Odds: NFC Division Futures Betting
by David Schwab - 7/12/2011

There is still no new CBA (collective bargaining agreement) in place between the NFL owners and the Players Association, but optimism runs high that a deal can be worked out in enough time to avoid any disruption of the start of summer training camps and the preseason NFL schedule.

2011 NFL Schedule: Top 10 Divisional Games
by Robert Ferringo - 7/8/2011

To this point, the 2011 NFL schedule is still intact. And if the rumors coming out of the current labor talks are true then the odds of an abbreviated schedule this season are pretty slim. That is great news for fans and NFL bettors alike and it means that we can start to turn our attention from salary floors and wage scales to rivalry games and divisional clashes.

NFL Handicapping: Impact of Lockout on Pro Football Betting
by T.O. Whenham - 6/24/2011

I certainly don’t want to jinx anything, and things are still tenuous right up until the signing of the new CBA, but it certainly seems like the NFL and the players are moving towards a resolution to this lockout. Really, it seems like both sides came to their senses. The owners realized that they make way too much money from the ridiculous preseason to risk missing it, while the players realize that getting paid is a lot better than not getting paid.

2011 NFL Free Agent Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 6/20/2011

The current labor situation in the NFL is a debacle (brought to you by 32 sadistic and sociopathic owners).But to me the lockout is simply an annoyance; in the end, a deal will eventually be reached and football will resume. When that will happen and how many games will this season entail are the parlor game-type questions open to rampant speculation. But a deal will be reached, most likely there will be between 8-16 games played, and the sport will not be altered all that much.

NFL Predictions: Teams Hurt Most by Lockout
by Robert Ferringo - 6/15/2011

“Silent Spring”, by Rachel Carson, is one of the most influential books in American literature. The book, which documented the detrimental effects of Big Business – specifically the chemical industry and pesticide producers – on the environment, particularly birds, is credited with helping to launch the environmental movement. The premise of the book was that uncontrolled pesticide use was killing animals and birds and could lead to a spring season where no birds could be heard because they had all vanished.

CFL Grey Cup Futures Odds and Season Preview
by David Schwab - 6/6/2011

The start of the 2011 NFL season is still up in the air due to the ongoing labor dispute between the league owners and its players, but our neighbors to the north in the CFL are busy gearing up for another season that kicks off on Wednesday, June 15, with the first preseason game off the year. Bodog has released the futures odds for each team’s chances to hoist this year’s Grey Cup as the league champion.

NFL Odds and Predictions: Offensive Rookie of the Year Props
by Alan Matthews - 5/19/2011

Recently here at Doc’s we previewed the upcoming 2011 NFL class of defensive rookies and the odds to win Defensive Rookie of the Year – you know, assuming there is an NFL season. Today let’s look at the Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, courtesy of WagerWeb.

NFL Handicapping Impact of Lockout
by T.O. Whenham - 5/13/2011

There is going to be an NFL season this year. It will likely even start when it is supposed to. I don’t base this on any inside knowledge — just time spent watching and analyzing what has been going on. I’m no labor lawyer, and I am so sick of this whole mess, but I just don’t see this thing dragging out as long as both sides are currently willing to say it will. I can’t find any of the major sportsbooks currently offering odds on if the season will start on time, but if they did I suspect that the yes would be solidly — and justifiably — favored. There are five good reasons I think so:

NFL Odds: Props Predictions for 2011 Defensive Rookie of the Year
by Alan Matthews - 5/9/2011

Since we may not see any NFL transactions for months, depending on a June 3 court hearing on the lockout, and with the draft still fresh in everyone’s memory, let’s take a look at one of the few NFL player props out so far this year: the 2011 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (check back at Doc’s for a story on the Offensive Rookie of the Year as well).

Handicapping Early NFL Week 1 Lines
by David Schwab - 5/3/2011

The on-again, off-again NFL owners’ lockout of the players is back on, and the prospect that the current labor situation delays the start of the regular season still hangs over the league’s head. Despite all the uncertainty, it is not too early to take a look at the opening lines for Week 1 in the NFL as released by Sportsbook.com because, as they say on Broadway, ‘the show must go on’.

How 2011 NFL Schedule Affects Super Bowl Futures Odds
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 4/29/2011

The release of the NFL schedule is a highlight of the year for most sports fans who can instantly start clearing out their fall and winter weekends and plan their sick days at work around their team's Monday Night Football games. It is also a chance to take a closer look at NFL futures odds, as some teams are dealt easier hands by the NFL schedule makers than others.

NFL Futures Odds: Super Bowl 46 Longshots
by Alan Matthews - 2/8/2011

There were no surprises when WagerWeb released its Super Bowl XLVI futures for next February’s game in Indianapolis – ah, another joyful week of weather likely awaits like what we saw in North Texas. The New England Patriots opened as +500 favorites for next season, and it’s hard to argue with the bookies on this one as the Pats have the reigning unanimous league MVP in Tom Brady and they had the NFL’s best record in 2010. They also have a ton of draft picks this year to add young talent to an already fairly young but talented team.

Odds Say NFL Lockout Likely
by Richard Gardner | Bodog Sportsbook Manager - 2/8/2011

Will there be football next season? That’s the big question everyone’s asking now that the Super Bowl is over and done with. The collective bargaining agreement between NFL owners and players expires March 3 and there’s still a wide gap in opinions to bridge.

Betting the NFL Pro Bowl – Tips and Advice
by T.O. Whenham - 1/27/2011

The Pro Bowl is, without a doubt in my mind, the most pointless event in sports. There isn’t a major sport that requires more practice, game planning and precision than football, so it is all but impossible to create a team that can play together effectively in just a week of practice. That means that offenses are simplistic, and defenses are vanilla. On top of that, most of the players in the game have been banged up during the year and are thinking more about taking a bit of time off than in risking injury by trying too hard in this game. It’s incredibly boring to watch, and largely uninteresting to bet on as well.

NFL Picks: Jets at Steelers Odds and Betting Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 1/21/2011

I think that the tone of the New York Jets speaks volumes about how this weekend’s game is going to go. The Jets are traveling to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers this Sunday in the AFC Championship Game. The game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. EST with the winner earning a trip to the Holiest of Holies – the Super Bowl.