Buffalo at Washington Preseason Week 3 Expert Pick & Odds

The Buffalo Bills play their first road preseason game of the year on Friday night as they visit the defending NFC East champion Washington Redskins in a matchup of 1-1 teams. Expect the starters on both sides to play the full first half barring injury. The Skins are slight favorites in online NFL betting.

How To Bet on the Buffalo at Washington Preseason Week 3 Expert Pick, Odds & TV Info

Sammy Watkins is expected to make his preseason debut on Friday. #BUFvsWAS

Details: https://t.co/3vED0xJnLo pic.twitter.com/IvAi1G0u1E — Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) August 23, 2016

When: Preseason Week 3 – Friday, August 26, 2016 Where: FedExField. Landover, MD TV: Check Local Listings Radio: Buffalo / Washington Stream Option: NFL.com NFL Odds: Redskins -3 (43.5)

Buffalo vs Washington Historic Betting Trends

This is the 16th time these teams have played in the preseason and first since 2013. For a second consecutive week, the Redskins will face a 3-4 defense, albeit one with a different style. They’ll also get a chance to play a mobile quarterback in Tyrod Taylor, who took a big jump last season. These teams did play in the 2015 regular season in Week 15 with Washington winning at home 35-25, part of a season-ending four-game winning streak that gave the Redskins the division title. Kirk Cousins equaled his career high with four touchdown passes and ran 13 yards for another score. The Redskins scored TDs on each of their first three possessions of a game for the first time since September 1999, grabbing a 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter. The loss assured the Bills of missing the playoffs for the 16th year in a row, the longest active drought in the NFL. Buffalo had defeated Washington five straight times since losing to the Redskins 37-24 in Super Bowl XXVI on January 26, 1992.

Why Bet Buffalo?

The Bills looked very good last week in a 21-0 win over the New York Giants. Taylor zipped a 13-yard touchdown pass over the middle to LeSean McCoy to cap his fourth and final series. Backup EJ Manuel then secured the win by leading two touchdown drives. Rookie running back Jonathan Williams scored on a 1-yard plunge and Manuel completed a 19-yard touchdown pass to Greg Little. The Bills remain without Pro Bowl defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, who is suspended the first four games of the regular season. It’s the second suspension due to substance abuse for the sixth-year veteran in as many years. He would have been eligible to play in the preseason but has entered drug rehab. That was announced right before last week’s Giants game as he was expected to play in it. Dareus is a cornerstone player for the Bills and is in the second year of a six-year, $95.1 million contract. Meanwhile, Bills top receiver Sammy Watkins is expected to make his preseason debut here. Watkins has participated in the majority of training camp practices since being taken off the active/physically unable to perform list Aug. 8, although he was held out of both of the Bills’ first two preseason contests. “He probably won’t be in there a whole lot, but he’s scheduled to play,” Coach Rex Ryan said of Friday’s game.

Why Bet Washington?

The Redskins also beat a New York team last week, taking out the visiting Jets 22-18. The Skins rested guys like Cousins, receiver DeSean Jackson and top cornerback Josh Norman for fear of injury. And that’s exactly what happened to No. 1 running back Matt Jones. Coach Jay Gruden said Jones will be held out for the rest of the preseason after suffering a second-degree AC sprain in his left shoulder in the game. There have been questions about Jones’ durability after missing the final four games last season, including the playoffs, because of a hip injury. Now, it’s a shoulder injury that occurred while he was tackled out of bounds. Gruden says undrafted Rob Kelley will get "a lot" of first-team reps in Jones’ (shoulder) preseason absence. Seventh-rounder Keith Marshall will get some as well. But Kelley has moved past Marshall on the depth chart, and will begin the season as Jones’ primary backup. Meanwhile, left tackle Trent Williams hasn’t yet played this preseason because of what the team has described as soreness in his right knee. Williams has taken part in individual drills the past two weeks, but hasn’t taken snaps in 11-on- 11. He’s not expected Friday. Neither is first-round rookie WR Josh Doctson, who continues to deal with an Achilles injury.

My Expert Pick

Take Washington at home in online NFL betting and the under total.