NFL Preseason Week 3 Odds, Picks & Predictions: Friday (8/26)
Let’s check out our top odds and pick for Friday’s Week 3 NFL preseason games.
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NFL Preseason Week 3 Odds & Picks for Friday
Bills vs. Panthers
The spread for this preseason finale has gone from Carolina -3 to as high as Carolina -6.5 in some spots. The reason why is a philosophical difference between the two head coaches. Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott will sit his starters Friday night, while Matt Rhule confirmed that most of the starters (aside from Christian McCaffrey) will play through at least the first quarter. That includes recently named starting QB Baker Mayfield and the entire starting offensive line. The differing philosophies make sense, as Buffalo has Super Bowl aspirations and are mainly trying to solidify roster depth. Meanwhile, Carolina is trying to build continuity in a desperate year for Rhule and his coaching staff. For that reason, I’ll keep this wager simple because that’s sometimes the best we can do during the preseason. I’ll isolate the first 15 minutes and back Mayfield and the Panthers starters to take care of business against Buffalo’s backups. If Carolina’s starters can’t take care of business, then they could be in store for a really bad regular season.
Seahawks vs. Cowboys
This is another preseason spread that’s changed drastically as news trickles in about player availability. The Dallas Cowboys likely won’t play any of their main starters Friday night at AT&T Stadium. And coach Mike McCarthy might be especially cautious after tackle Tyron Smith suffered a torn hamstring earlier this week. Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks still have a quarterback battle on their hands. Geno Smith enters the final preseason week as the starter and will begin Friday’s game. Drew Lock will then get a shot to gain some ground and is expected to play most of the game. A touchdown is a lot to lay with a Seattle team that could have one of the worst rosters in the NFL. So if I had to bet anything in this game, I’d take Seattle in the first half. Lock will have plenty to prove and performed well in Seattle’s preseason debut. He should put up some points against Dallas’ backups.
Lean: Seahawks 1H ML
Chargers vs. Saints
We don’t have much concrete information as to how long the starters for both of these teams will play, if at all. So, that requires us to do some reading between the line movement. The Saints opened at -1 and sit at -3 as of late Friday night. That line movement in New Orleans’ favor suggests the Saints will give their starters some more playing time than the Chargers. And that strategy makes sense for New Orleans when considering that Jameis Winston still needs to build chemistry with new weapons like Chris Olave. Without any more concrete information, this game will likely be a pass for me. However, if I had to lean one way, I’d stick with my preseason trend of isolating starters playing against backups in the first half. I’ll lean with New Orleans in the first 30 minutes, presuming they give their starters some run.
Lean: Saints 1H ML
Patriots vs. Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders will finish out the preseason with a home game against the New England Patriots.
The Raiders have gone 3-0 in preseason play and could go undefeated in the preseason under Josh McDaniels as head coach. Because it’s the final preseason game for Las Vegas, the Raiders will give starting quarterback, Derek Carr, the first couple of drives. Carr hasn’t played at all this preseason but should be comfortable in tonight’s game regardless.
When it’s not Carr in the game, you can expect to see Jarret Stidham along with Chase Garbers for most of the game. Stidham was drafted by the Patriots, so New England might know how to prepare a little bit better.
Meanwhile, the Patriots are 1-1 in the preseason and will also be playing their final preseason game of the year. In their most recent game, the Patriots defeated the Panthers, 20-10, but Mac Jones ultimately didn’t look great in his first couple of drives, going 4-for-8 with a sack. It was really Baily Zappe who led the Patriots to victory. Zappe went 16-for-25 with 173 yards passing. However, he had one interception and no touchdowns in the game.
Towards the end of the game, it’ll be Zappe against Garbers. I truly don’t trust either quarterback and don’t think Zappe has played nearly as well as he could. However, he certainly has more potential under center. So I’ll give the Patriots the edge here.
Bet: Patriots ML
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