The Most Popular NFL Bets Of This Offseason
It’s been a quiet month for the NFL in June, but the action is about to ramp up. Training camps are not far off and the start of preseason action (August 1st) is just over a month away.
While it’s a lull in the offseason for most, sharps have been quietly working the betting lines. There’s been a lot of shifting and moving around, so let’s take a look at four of the most popular bets in terms of the futures.
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Cleveland Browns To Win Super Bowl
Odds To Win Super Bowl: +1400 at PointsBet Sportsbook
The Browns recorded the biggest jump in win total last year as they went from 0-16 to 7-8-1. They won five of their final seven games, then had a banner offseason, so it’s no surprise that expectations are high going into this season.
Of course, part of the change in odds for the Browns has been that they pulled off a blockbuster trade to land Odell Beckham Jr. from the New York Giants. They also traded for edge rusher Olivier Vernon, signed defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson via free agency, and picked up running back Kareem Hunt. A strong draft with the addition of cornerback Greedy Williams in the second round and linebacker Sione Takitaki in the third helped too.
But even before these moves were made, the Browns were already shooting up the charts. Part of that is because the Pittsburgh Steelers roster was weakened with the losses of Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, and the Baltimore Ravens also lost a slew of starters off of their defense.
The Browns haven’t had a winning season since 2007 but the mood in Cleveland – and the mood among sharps – is that this team is in the running among the best in the AFC.
“We did a price freeze at 30/1 on the Browns after the Odell Beckham Jr. trade so have a well over $200k liability on the Browns (by far our biggest),†says Ron Shell, VP of PointsBet. “They are now at 14/1 and only a handful of bets at that price.â€
Green Bay Packers Over 9.5 Wins +110
One year after posting a 6-9-1 record, the sportsbooks have set the Packers season win total line at 9.5. A lot of bettors feel that this Packers team should be back in the 10-win range, which they were in seven of the eight prior to the last two seasons.
There’s a new coaching staff in town and we all know that by the end of the relationship, Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy didn’t get along. On top of that, the Packers signed four new players in free agency and drafted eight more – including two first-round picks. A lot of the changes came on defense to provide the offense with support.
There have been some early grumblings that Rodgers and new coach Matt LaFleur already have a bit of friction, but if they can get on the same page, this should again be one of the more dangerous teams in the NFC.
New York Giants Under 6 Wins
While Beckham’s move to the Browns has helped elevate them to Super Bowl contenders in the eyes of the betting public, his exit from New York has contributed to the torching of public confidence in the Giants. There have been calls for General Manager David Gettleman’s job after he traded Beckham and drafted quarterback Daniel Jones unexpectedly high in the first round of the NFL Draft.
In general, though, few people have faith that Eli Manning has anything left in the tank. The offensive line looks shaky again and the defense has a slew of question marks. The mood on this team is negative, which is why many have been betting the under.
Antonio Brown Receiving Yards/Touchdowns
Over/Under Receiving Yards: 1249.5 at PointsBet Sportsbook
Over/Under Receiving Touchdowns: 9.5 PointsBet Sportsbook
The Oakland Raiders appeared to hit a home run with their trade for star wide receiver Antonio Brown. Brown recorded 104 receptions for 1,297 yards and 15 touchdowns last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and while he just turned 30 years old, he should be fired up getting out of a situation he didn’t want to be in.
While he is joining a new team with a potentially lesser quarterback than he had in Pittsburgh, bettors are still extremely high on his potential production this upcoming season. The betting public has jumped all over Brown to top his receiving yards and touchdowns totals for his first season in Oakland. That’s mostly because they expect him to be as motivated as ever and because the Raiders are expected to be in many high-scoring affairs. With a shaky defense but a decent offense – especially with an offensive-minded head coach – bettors are hopping on the over on a number of Brown’s props.
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Dave Golokhov is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Dave, check out his archive and follow him @davegolokhov.