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NFL Preseason: Best Ways to Safely Handicap

NFL Preseason: Best Ways to Safely Handicap

Written by on August 11, 2017

There’s no other way to say it football betting enthusiasts. Betting on the preseason odds can be like walking blindly through a field of land mines. However, you can take comfort in the fact that there are several steps you can take in order to help you locate and navigate your way through the treacherous field – without ever placing a foot in the wrong are. Thanks to the expert NFL Preseason betting insight that you’re about to get, you’re going to be more prepared than ever to maneuver your way through the 2017 NFL scrimmage season.

NFL Preseason: Best Ways to Safely Handicap

NFL Preseason Research

I’m a huge believer in research – or ‘doing your homework’ as I like to call it. Whether you’re visiting some of the bigger online sports websites or collecting more betting-based betting information from more online sportsbooks and other betting entities, gathering as much knowledge about teams or specific matchups will help you out in a big way. Do you know if certain teams go all-out more often for preseason wins than others or just what the NFL preseason thought-process is behind the team or teams you plan on betting on this preseason? For example, while a team like the Chicago Bears or San Francisco 49ers may be looking for starters and quality backups, another team that is maybe more mature and more of a Super Bowl hopeful may be looking to simply find a few backups or playmakers at special team’s positions. Research each team and gather as much information as possible on each teams’ preseason plans or game-specific goals as possible.

5 Things Every Bettor Should Watch for This NFL Preseason

Know Your Backup Quarterbacks

The bottom line is that you need to know every team’s backup quarterback situation if you want to be successful betting on preseason NFL action. For instance, while the Atlanta Falcons have an MVP-caliber starter in Matt Ryan, they also have a more than capable backup in veteran Matt Schaub. The same goes for a team like the Philadelphia eagles who have a solid veteran in Nick Foles behind young star Carson Wentz. Conversely, a team like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a fine young starter in Jameis Winston, but there quality drops off significantly when you know they have to turn to uninspiring veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick as their backup. The same could be said for a team like the defensively-powerful Minnesota Vikings who have a competent, but not great, starter in Sam Bradford, but a mediocre backup that just can’t win games with his passing in Case Keenum. Knowing each team’s second-string and even hopeful third-string backup quarterbacks is critical to your chances at preseason betting success.

Coaching Changes

Does a team you’re considering betting on in the preseason have a new head coach or either a new offensive or defensive coordinator – or worse. Both? If they do, then it’s very difficult to know just how many changes they are going to bring with them and just how quickly their new players will learn their new schemes and playbooks. Many of the coaches changes within a team are seen on the NFL Preseason. For instance, if you were playing the Los Angeles Rams a year or two ago, you knew they were going to have a powerful defensive line that was going to bring the heat New head coaches aren’t necessarily a red flag. They can often feel a little pressured to win in the NFL preseason in order to impress the front office and fan base, which can give some teams added betting value. New coordinators, on the other hand, are working in different plays and schemes, which usually come with a learning curve. Read up on how teams are adjusting to new systems and offenses, especially if there is a dramatic shift in gears, like speeding up with no-huddle attacks or going from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4. When these teams take on established coaches, who have implemented their systems for a while, there can be value going against those new faces on the sideline.

NFL Preseason Point Spreads

You may see some crazy point spreads like the Week 1 matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Cleveland browns. While the rebuilding Browns are 3-point home favorites, you’ve got to know that, no matter where they meet New Orleans in a regular season game, they’re simply not going to be favored, mostly because of the presence of future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees. A matchup like this one is almost dependent on know who the saints’ backups are and whether they can either outplay Cleveland’s or whether the saints are even interested in getting the win over a Browns team that may play its starters a lot longer than the more established Saints. Watch the point spreads in the NFL preseason and remember, they’re generally nothing like the ones you’d see in a regular season meeting between the same two teams.

Most Important Weeks

If you don’t know by now, every week of preseason football action is certainly not created equally. For instance, Week 1 is a virtual afterthought for teams that are maybe a bit older and has more established starters while some other younger and rebuilding teams may put a bit more emphasis on Week 1. Week 2 is almost the same, except you’ll see most teams play their starters just a wee bit more than the series or two of action they got in Week 1. If you’re looking for the closest thing to a regular season contest, then Week 3 is the week you need to focus on as the majority of teams play their starters for at least a half and often times into the third quarter. Week 4 is basically for players that are on the bubble of their respective rosters. Remember the level of importance for each team varies from week to week, but generally, the aforementioned script for all four weeks of preseason football is how it goes.

2018 SUPER BOWL LII ODDS TO WIN

Now that we have gone through some tips of the NFL preseason, take a look at the latest NFL Super Bowl LII Odds to win on 2018 as follows: Arizona Cardinals +1600 Atlanta Falcons +1100 Baltimore Ravens +2800 Buffalo Bills +5500 Carolina Panthers +1800 Chicago Bears +8000 Cincinnati Bengals +3300 Cleveland Browns +10000 Dallas Cowboys +750 Denver Broncos +1300 Detroit Lions +4000 Green Bay Packers +800 Houston Texans +1800 Indianapolis Colts +3300 Jacksonville Jaguars +5500 Kansas City Chiefs +1500 Los Angeles Chargers +5500 Los Angeles Rams +8000 Miami Dolphins +4000 Minnesota Vikings +2000 NE Patriots +400 New Orleans Saints +3300 NY Giants +2000 New York Jets +8000 Oakland Raiders +1500 Philadelphia Eagles +3300 Pittsburgh Steelers +900 San Francisco 49ers +10000 Seattle Seahawks +750 Tampa Bay Buccaneers +3300 Tennessee Titans +4000 Washington Redskins +4000