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Denver Broncos vs Oakland Raiders NFL Sports Betting Guide

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This line has bounced all over the place due to the status of Oakland wide receiver Antonio Brown. The superstar receiver was reprimanded on Thursday due to a confrontation with the General Manager. Te Raiders had planned to utilize Brown on Monday Night, however, he has since been released from the team on Saturday. The Broncos are still marginally favored (DEN -1) despite playing on the road, and this is the second part of a Monday Night Football doubleheader with kickoff scheduled for 10:20 ET. 

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Details

  • Opening Lines: The Raiders opened at -2 and the over/under opened at 43.5. The lines have changed in favor of the Broncos and under respectively. 
  • Current Line: Broncos -1
  • O/U: 43
  • Location: Oakland Coliseum – Oakland, CA 
  • Start Time: 10:20 pm ET
  • Television: ESPN
  • Last Meeting: December 24, 2018 – Raiders defeated Broncos 27-14 in Oakland 

Check out all of our consensus NFL odds for Week 1 >>

Overview

Joe Flacco will take over at quarterback for Denver, which has several people apprehensive to back the Broncos. However, he’s hardly a downgrade from last year’s signal-caller in Case Keenum. The strength of this Denver team undoubtedly lies on the defensive side of the ball, where the Broncos arguably hold top-10 units across the board: defensive line, front seven, and secondary.  

On the other hand, Oakland will need to prove itself on the defensive end. The Raiders ranked 30th in total defense last season, breaking down to 32nd (dead last) against the pass and 20th against the run. There’s certainly an emotional element with the Raiders playing a prime time game in their last season in Oakland. Can that outweigh the distraction of Antonio Brown, or are the Raiders a disorganized mess? 

Trends

  • The Broncos are 3-8-1 ATS vs AFC West over the past two years. 
  • The Broncos are 4-11-2 ATS as a favorite over the past two years.
  • The Raiders went 5-1 to the under last season
  • The Broncos went 5-0-1 to the under vs AFC West last season.
  • Both meetings between these teams went under in 2018.
  • The Raiders went 2-0 ATS and 1-1 SU vs the Broncos last season. 

Prop Bets

Phillip Lindsay UNDER 61 rushing yards (-115)
Denver running back Royce Freeman has been generating a ton of buzz this preseason, and the Broncos plan on utilizing him in a 50/50 split with Lindsay. Even though Lindsay finds himself in a tasty matchup at Oakland, he may not see enough carries to break 61 rushing yards. Sure, Lindsay has shown more-than-capable efficiency to get the job done, but I truly believe Freeman will eat into his first and second-down carries with Lindsay serving as a third-down back with receiving responsibilities. 

Bottom Line

This is a difficult game to handicap. We should have a close one and the Antonio Brown saga has thrown another variable into the mix. The Raiders have some new toys on offense, but the problems will persist on defense. Meanwhile, the Broncos will have no problem on that side of the ball, giving them the ability to silence the road crowd and start the season 1-0. Take the Broncos with the tight point spread. I’m finding the line at -1 through most sportsbooks, but don’t be afraid to back Denver up to -3 if that’s the line set in front of you. 

Pick: Broncos -1

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Spencer Limbach is a featured writer at BettingPros and FantasyPros. For more from Spencer, check out his archive and follow him @spencer_jl.