Jeff Okudah the odds-on favorite to be the No. 3 pick

Jeff Okudah the odds-on favorite to be the No. 3 pick

Still filling out your final mock projections for the 2020 NFL Draft? The smart money says to write down Joe Burrow at No. 1, Chase Young 2nd and then plus in Ohio State CB Jeff Okudah as the No. 3 pick.

It makes sense. The Detroit Lions hold the 3rd pick and sorely need a legit No. 1 cornerback. Okudah is incredibly well-regarded and ready to start right away. He’s the projection in over 90 percent of the over 50 mock drafts we’re tracking for the Lions within the last week.

Based on the odds here from BetMGM sportsbook, Okudah has nearly a 50 percent chance to be the No. 3 pick.

Remember, the odds here are strictly for the No. 3 pick, not the Detroit Lions and who they pick. That’s why QBs Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert are next up in the odds. It’s strictly about the slot, not the team.

Interestingly, Auburn DT Derrick Brown is next up, followed by Clemson LB Isaiah Simmons. Offensive tackles Tristan Wirfs is the only other player with more than a 1 percent chance of being the pick at No. 3.

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Draft odds now strongly favor Chase Young as the No. 2 pick

Draft odds now strongly favor Chase Young as the No. 2 pick after being much more favorable to Tua Tagovailoa ealier

The odds for Ohio State defensive ace Chase Young to become the Detroit Lions draft selection just got longer. The latest updated 2020 NFL Draft odds from BetMGM now favor Young as the No. 2 overall pick, ahead of Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa.

Young’s odds have moved to -556 to be the No. 2 pick, the most favorable they’ve been in the draft process. With Joe Burrow the overwhelming favorite to be the No. 1 pick — you would need to wager $10,000 to win $100 betting on Burrow as the No. 1 pick — the presumption here is that Young is now expected to be the No. 2 overall pick. That draft slot is currently held by the Washington Redskins.

 

In odds, the bigger the number below zero, the more likely it is to happen according to the bookmaker.

Effectively, the odds now strongly favor Washington keeping the No. 2 pick and selecting Young. Prior to this update, the odds for Tagovailoa being the pick at two were much more likely and even favored the Alabama QB as the No. 2 pick at times. The recent reports of the concerns over Tagovailoa’s injury status appear to have influenced the odds.

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Matthew Stafford opens with 50-to-1 odds for 2020 NFL MVP

Stafford is 17th on the list, tied with Kirk Cousins

The initial odds for NFL MVP for the 2020 season are out via BetMGM. And if you’re a believer in Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions making a big turnaround after an injury-ravaged 2019, the longtime Lions QB could be a worthwhile investment.

Stafford is tied for 17th in the odds for MVP, tied with Minnesota QB Kirk Cousins at 50-to-1. He’s just behind young QBs Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Jimmy Garoppolo.

Stafford was having his best season before breaking his back midway through the 2019 season. Through eight games, Stafford was on pace to almost identically match Dan Marino’s legendary 1984 MVP campaign, only with fewer interceptions by No. 9.

No other Lions made the initial odds list, as expected. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, who won league MVP in 2018 and Super Bowl MVP in 2019, is the favorite at 4-to-1. Reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson is third at 6-to-1, with Seahawks QB Russell Wilson sandwiched in between.

The odds from BetMGM as of Feb. 11th:

 

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The Bears at Lions Week 13 bet line sees drastic shift from opening line

Updating Vegas Watch for Week 13: According to BetMGM, the betting line has shifted from favoring the Detroit Lions to favoring the Chicago Bears.

According to BetMGM, the Detroit Lions (3-7-1) opened the week as 1.5-point favorites over the Chicago Bears (5-6) but the betting line has seen a big shift since then and now favors the Bears by 2.5-points. With both offenses struggling, the over/under has unsurprisingly stayed steady at a low 39.5 points.

Now with the report that third-string undrafted rookie David Blough will start for the Lions, the bet lines have stayed the same but the odds have heavily shifted.

BetMGM has a lot of various bet lines to wager on in this game, but here’s a look the basic concepts most would be interested in, including the Moneyline, points spread and over/under.

Moneyline

Bears -209

Lions +170

Spread

Bears -2.5 (-167)

Lions +2.5 (+140)

Over/Under

Over 39.5 (+115)

Under 39.5 (-139)

Lions Wire editor’s thoughts/predictions

The Lions Wire editors are split on their predictions, in both who wins on Thanksgiving and by how much.

On the latest episode of the Detroit Lions Breakdown podcast, Episode 130, Erik Schlitt discussed why he believes this game favors the Lions and why they will come away with a close 17-14 victory.

Jeff Risdon made his prediction in his Behind Enemy Lines with Bears Wire article saying, “I think a healthy Lions team would roll at home on Thanksgiving, but given the shell of a team the Lions will trot out, it will take a lot of help from the Bears themselves for Detroit to win. Bears 30, Lions 17

[Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.]

Vegas Watch: Lions open Week 13 as 1.5-point favorites over the Bears on Thanksgiving

According to BetMGM, the Detroit Lions (3-7-1) open the week as 1.5-point favorites as they host the Chicago Bears (5-6) on Thanksgiving.

According to BetMGM, the Detroit Lions (3-7-1) open the week as 1.5-point favorites as they host the Chicago Bears (5-6) on Thanksgiving at Ford Field.

Both teams are coming off of ugly games. The big difference was, the Bears managed to beat their bad opponent (the Giants), while the Lions couldn’t leave Washington with a win. Between the two teams, their starting quarterbacks threw five interceptions (Lions’ Jeff Driskel tossed three and the Bears’ Mitchell Trubisky had two) and neither offense could manage to break 19 points — so no surprise, the over/under currently sits at low 39.5 points.

BetMGM has a lot of various bet lines to wager on in this game, but here’s a look the basic concepts most would be interested in, including the Moneyline, points spread and over/under.

Moneyline

Bears -110

Lions -110

Spread

Bears +1.5 (-125)

Lions -1.5 (+105)

Over/Under

Over 39.5 (100)

Under 39.5 (-121)

[Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.]

Updating Vegas Watch: Lions hold as 3.5-point favorites at Washington

Updating Vegas Watch for Week 12: According to BetMGM, the Detroit Lions are holding as 3.5-point favorites at Washington.

According to BetMGM, the Detroit Lions (3-6-1) opened the week as 3.5-point favorites over Washington (1-9) in Week 12 and that line has held steady throughout the week.

BetMGM has a lot of various bet lines to wager on in this game, but here’s a look the basic concepts most would be interested in, including the Moneyline, points spread and over/under.

Moneyline

Washington +145

Lions -176

Spread

Washington +3.5 (-115)

Lions -3.5 (-106)

Over/Under

Over 42.5 (+110)

Under 42.5 (-134)

Lions Wire editor’s thoughts/predictions

The Lions Wire editors have once again aligned their predictions, with both picking the Lions to leave Washington with a win.

On the latest episode of the Detroit Lions Breakdown podcast, Episode 129, Erik Schlitt discussed why he believes this game favors the Lions and why they will come away with a 24-17 victory.

Jeff Risdon made his prediction in his Week 12 Football Meteorology article at RealGM, calling for a Lions 36-17 win. Here’s Risdon’s reasoning:

The Lions have held the lead in every game this season. Somehow they are 3-6-1. Washington has not held a lead since Week 6. Jeff Driskel and the Lions offense is doing well enough to ravage a bad Skins defense that cannot get off the field. I see weeks of Detroit frustration being exorcised on the FedEx Field turf.

[Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.]

Vegas Watch: Lions open Week 12 as 3.5-point favorites at Washington

According to BetMGM, the Detroit Lions (3-6-1) open the week as 3.5-point favorites as they head to Washington (1-9) in Week 12 at Fed Ex Field.

According to BetMGM, the Detroit Lions (3-6-1) open the week as 3.5-point favorites as they head to Washington (1-9) in Week 12 at Fed Ex Field. The over/under currently sits at 42.5 points.

Both teams are in the middle of disappointing seasons and are currently taking the field with the second option at quarterback — albeit for very different reasons. Washington has turned to first-round pick Dwayne Haskins after a lost season, while the Lions have turned to Jeff Driskel after Matthew Stafford suffered a fractured bone in his back.

BetMGM has a lot of various bet lines to wager on in this game, but here’s a look the basic concepts most would be interested in, including the Moneyline, points spread and over/under.

Moneyline

Washington +150

Lions -182

Spread

Washington +3.5 (-115)

Lions -3.5 (-106)

Over/Under

Over 42.5 (-110)

Under 42.5 (-110)

[Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.]

Vegas Watch: Lions are 6.5-point underdogs vs Cowboys in Week 11

With Matthew Stafford ruled out in Week 11, BetMGM has the Detroit Lions as 6.5-point underdogs to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

According to BetMGM, the Detroit Lions (3-5-1) are significant underdogs to the Dallas Cowboys (5-4) in Week 11. Despite the Lions hosting the Cowboys Ford Field, BetMGM believes the loss of starting quarterback Matthew Stafford will be too much for the home team to overcome.

BetMGM has a lot of various bet lines to wager on in this game, but here’s a look the basic concepts most would be interested in, including the Moneyline, points spread and over/under.

Moneyline

Cowboys -304

Lions +240

Spread

Cowboys -6.5 (-121)

Lions +6.5 (100)

Over/Under

Over 46.5 (-115)

Under 46.5 (-106)

Lions Wire editor’s thoughts/predictions

The Lions Wire editors have once again aligned their predictions, with both picking the Cowboys to leave Ford Field with a win.

On the latest episode of the Detroit Lions Breakdown podcast, Episode 128, Erik Schlitt discussed why he believes this game favors the Cowboys and why they will come away with a 28-20 victory.

Jeff Risdon made his prediction in his Week 11 Football Meteorology article at RealGM, calling for a Cowboys 36-24 win. Here’s Risdon’s reasoning:

Matthew Stafford will miss this game with his fractured vertebrae. He’s not the only injured Lion. It’s easier to list the Detroit defenders who aren’t going to be designated with some injury status than to rattle off the litany who will. Expect a big game from Zeke Elliott against Detroit’s woeful, banged-up run defense. If the Lions shift their limited resources to stop that, Dak Prescott and friends can exploit a pass defense that has allowed a league-worst QB Rating of over 127 in the last month. If you haven’t used Dallas in survivor fantasy football, now is a good time.

[Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.]