NFL Handicapping Articles

NFL Championship Round Predictions: Titans vs. Chiefs Props
by Chris Vasile - 1/16/2020

Let's have a show of hands for those of you who were fuming and about two seconds away from ripping your KC -10 tickets when the Texans went up 24-0? I was one of them, but then something clicked, and the Kansas City Chiefs put on one of the most dominant postseason displays I've seen in a while.

NFL Championship Round Picks: Green Bay Packers vs San Francisco 49ers Props
by Chris Vasile - 1/16/2020

The 2020 NFC Championship Game will be a rematch of Week 12 when the San Francisco 49ers host the Green Bay Packers. In that Week 12 game, the Niners blew out the Packers by a score of 37-8, and the score was indicative of how dominant the Niners were. The Packers were held to just 198 total yards of offense despite possessing the ball for 35:16 to the Niners' 24:44. The question that begs to be asked is will that game have any effect on the NFC Championship Game?

NFL Playoffs Betting Tips: How to Bet the Conference Championships
by Ricky Dimon - 1/16/2020

And then there were four…with no Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, or New Orleans saints among them. That's not to say the absences of New England and New Orleans from the NFL's conference championships are entirely surprising. After all, they did not even earn first-round byes in the playoffs. But the Saints were actually just a half-yard away from snagging said bye (see: San Francisco vs. Seattle in Week 17) and despite their status as No. 3 seeds, they were still a trendy pick to reach the Super Bowl out of a wide-open NFC.

Free Football and Basketball Picks for Weekend by Handicapper Doug Upstone
by Doug Upstone - 1/10/2020

We have a variety of sports betting action from the NBA, college basketball and NFL Playoffs to cover this weekend. Take a minute to review all the betting trends, our free picks and predictions (175-143-3 of late) to see what we are thinking about today. See you back here next week.

NFL Divisional Round Wagering Predictions: Passing Yard Props
by Trevor Whenham - 1/9/2020

There are eight quarterbacks left standing in the playoffs. And though it would be tougher to make a case for Ryan Tannehill and Kirk Cousins than some, they are all very impressive guys who have very high ceilings. It's a loaded group. Aaron Rodgers has two MVPs and a Super Bowl MVP. Lamar Jackson is about to have his first MVP, and Patrick Mahomes already has one. Russell Wilson has a Super Bowl.

NFL Divisional Round Betting Tips: Keys and Distractions Each Team
by Trevor Whenham - 1/9/2020

The interesting thing about these four NFL divisional round playoff games this weekend - and about every football game ever played - is that they can be boiled down to a few things that are going to be key to how the game turns out. There are also always a few things that are not nearly as important as they seem to be, or that don't warrant the attention they are getting. Handicappers who can spot the keys and avoid the distractions are the ones who wind up ahead. Here's a look at a key and a distraction for each of the four games on the slate:

NFL Playoffs Divisional Round Betting: Ranking the Games by Value
by Trevor Whenham - 1/9/2020

The slate of divisional games this week is a solid one. Hard to argue about that. Solid enough quarterbacks all-round, good coaching for the most part - and Bill O'Brien - and some intrigue. But as is so often the case in this round of the weekend, we don't really have a lot of edge-of-the-seat intrigue. All four home teams, the ones coming off the byes, are solidly favored, and other than Green Bay all of them are favored by at least a touchdown. Any of the road teams winning would be an upset by definition but would also feel like a pretty solid upset given the realities of the two teams involved in each case.

Where Will Tom Brady Play in 2020? Odds and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 1/9/2020

Tom Brady removed a little of the drama from the offseason when he announced on Wednesday morning on Instagram that he wasn't done yet. It was hard to believe that he was going to retire anyway, but some people were certainly speculating that he would. Now that it seems clear that he is coming back, and the question remains where he will play. It seems impossible that he would ever play anywhere other than New England, but then you could have said the save thing about Peyton Manning and Indianapolis or Brett Favre and Green Bay.

NFL Divisional Round Playoff Betting: Vikings vs. 49ers Props Picks
by Chris Vasile - 1/8/2020

I don't believe there is any possible way that Cousins can go on the road for the second straight week and lead his team to victory. I wrote last week that the Vikings will need Cousins to play well against a bad Saints passing attack and he did, but this week he's going up against the No. 1 ranked passing defense, which doesn't bode well for him or the Vikings. However, we do know that the Vikings' bread and butter is their rushing attack as they ranked sixth overall, and they'll be up against the 17th rank run-defense.

Texans vs. Chiefs Props: NFL Divisional Round Predictions
by Chris Vasile - 1/8/2020

For whatever reason, the Houston Texans love to come out flat in home playoff games. In 2018, the Texans fell behind 21-0 to the Indianapolis Colts and never recovered, managing to score just seven points. This year, they fell behind 16-0 before putting together a solid -- and extremely lucky - comeback against the Bills to eke out a 22-19 overtime win. If the Texans plan on coming out flat this week against the high-flying Chiefs, they should just stay home and save themselves the embarrassment of getting blown away.

Seattle Seahawks vs Green Bay Packers Expert Betting Picks for Best Props on Board
by Chris Vasile - 1/8/2020

It wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing game I've ever seen, but the Seattle Seahawks went into Philadelphia and managed to come away with a 19-7 win against the Eagles, who were forced to play without Carson Wentz for the three quarters thanks to a cheap shot by Jadeveon Clowney. The Seahawks now get to go to the Lambeau Field for a chance to get back in an NFC title game for the first time since 2014, when they beat the Packers in the title game only to lose to the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

Free NFL Playoff Picks: Titans vs. Ravens Props
by Chris Vasile - 1/8/2020

The Tennessee Titans went into Foxboro and did the entire NFL a huge favor by beating the New England Patriots and potentially ending their dynasty, which seemingly lasted 20+ years. The Titans played a nearly perfect game. They got great production from Derrick Henry, who ran the ball 34 times for 182 yards and a touchdown. They got a serviceable game out of Ryan Tannehill, who tossed a touchdown pass to an unknown tight end.

Free Football and Basketball Picks for Weekend by Handicapper Doug Upstone
by Doug Upstone - 1/3/2020

We have a variety pack of NBA, college basketball and NFL Playoffs to cover this weekend. Take a minute to review all the betting trends, our free picks and predictions (172-139-3 of late) to see what we are thinking about today. See you back here next week.

Vikings vs. Saints Predictions for NFL Prop Betting Odds
by Chris Vasile - 1/3/2020

The first wild-card game on Sunday takes place at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and it's a rematch of the 2017 Divisional Round game where the now-infamous "Minnesota Miracle" took place. For those of you who don't remember, the Saints held a 24-23 lead with time winding down in the fourth quarter. On the last play of the game, Case Keenum threw a 27-yard pass to Stefon Diggs, who was able to evade two tackles and take it all the way for a 61-yard touchdown.

Bills vs. Texans Predictions for NFL Props Wagering
by Chris Vasile - 1/3/2020

After waiting over 17 years to get back into the playoffs, the Buffalo Bills find themselves in the postseason for the second time in three seasons after putting together a solid 10-6 campaign that earned them the first wild-card spot. The Bills had their chances at claiming the division but lost both games to the New England Patriots, which was ultimately their undoing.

Titans vs. Patriots Predictions for Best NFL Prop Bets
by Chris Vasile - 1/3/2020

In a somewhat surprising scheduling quirk, the NFL has decided to put both AFC games on the same day, and so we get the Titans and Patriots in primetime on Saturday night. I don't mind that move from the perspective of the entire sports world getting to see the Patriots lose a playoff game at home for the first time in what seems like four million years.

NFL Betting Odds: Week 17 Line Movements and Last-Minute News
by Chris Vasile - 12/27/2019

And just like that, Week 17 of the NFL season is upon us, and we couldn't be sadder to see another NFL regular season come and go. It's been an up-and-down season with a few highlights, a lot of mediocre play, some terrible officiating and atrocious team performance, but such is life when talking about the National Football League.

Week 17 NFL Picks: Best 6-Point Teaser Bets from Handicapper Doug Upstone
by Doug Upstone - 12/26/2019

It looked like we had a 4-0 week locked up, having Seattle at a reduced number for NFL teasers, but they were even more off their game than we thought they might be and lost outright to Arizona. Still, a 3-1 record is not a bad week, and we made a little cash on NFL picks, taking season record to 44-20 on teasers. While I'll fall short of my annual goal, a profit will be made, and we'll move ahead to close out this article for the season.

NFL Playoff Scenarios Week 17 with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 12/24/2019

It's really quite amazing heading into Week 17 of the NFL season how little we really know about what is to come in the playoffs. We know who the first and fifth seeds are in the AFC, and the sixth seed in the NFC, but everything else could change in the final week. It makes for an exciting and confusing weekend of action. To help clear your confusion up, here are the NFL playoff scenarios heading into the weekend:

NFL Betting Predictions: Week 17 Opening Line Report and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 12/23/2019

We are already to the final week of the 2019 regular season (all games on Sunday). Here's hoping these Opening Line Report stories were of some betting value to you this year, and God-willing we will be back to do them again for 2020. That's not to say our work is done for this football season, of course, as Doc's will have everything NFL covered all the way through the Super Bowl.