Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The five best NFL player prop bets to make for the upcoming week.
As we reach the “Elite Eight” round of the NFL playoffs, we take at least one prop bet from each game and mix things up. This week we take the most dynamic young receiver left in the playoffs to score a touchdown, a pair of NFC East players to hit Under their Over/Under numbers and a pair of receivers hitting Over for logical reasons.
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook
Use our staff’s weekly pick’em against the spread and straight up for the win.
The Huddle staff makes its weekly NFL game picks every Thursday.
NFL picks are provided for straight up (moneyline) and against the spread (ATS) NFL pick pools.
Each week’s spread picks are graded by the line as of when the person entered their picks. This will create situations in which a movement of the line can result in two participants having the correct pick but with different teams chosen during an individual game.
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook
DMD – David Dorey, SG – Steve Gallo, KP – Ken Pomponio, HS – Harley Schultz, CC – Cletis Cutts, CJB – Cory Bonini, HCG – HC Green
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The wisest wagers one should make for the upcoming NFL Divisional Round of the playoffs.
We have reached the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs and No. 1 seeds are getting their welcome to the dance on their home turf. For this week’s picks, we take two home teams covering the spread, one Over, and one Under.
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook
When these teams met in Week 10, Kansas City had one of its worst games in terms of turnovers (minus-3), yet still dominated and won 27-17. When you overcame three turnovers, built a 20-0 lead at halftime, and kept the Jaguars at arm’s length in the second half, how bad was it? The Chiefs had only three offensive drives in the second half but ran 29 plays and held the ball for 9:39 of the fourth quarter to close things out.
The Chiefs are heavy favorites (9 points at -111 Jaguars, -109 Chiefs), and the weather forecast calls for a rain/snow mix with temperatures in the mid-30s at game time. That doesn’t sound like Jaguars weather. The Chiefs won by 10 with a minus-three turnover number. Imagine if they win the turnover battle? Take the Chiefs and lay 9 points.
There is always something special about division rivals playing each other a third time in the postseason. They played in Week 18. In a twist of irony, the Giants knew their playoff seeding and the Eagles didn’t. As a result, Jalen Hurts shook off the rust against a Giants team resting numerous starters. The result? A 22-16 Eagles win that featured six field goals and three touchdowns.
In this rivalry, a score like that isn’t unusual, which is why the Over/Under number is a little puzzling (48 points at -109 Over, -111 Under). While the Eagles hammered the Giants in their first meeting this season, in their last six games these two have combined to hit Under this point five times – all by four points or more below this number. Familiarity will come into play and every point will be safeguarded, which again could lead to as many or more field goals as touchdowns. Take the Under (-111).
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The Damar Hamlin tragedy abruptly ended the regular-season meeting, which had huge postseason ramifications. The Bengals were ahead 7-3 and driving when the game stopped. Had they won, this rematch would be in Cincinnati. As much motivation as Hamlin is going to provide pregame to the Bills Mafia, the Bengals have their own motivation – revenge.
The Over/Under acknowledges points will be scored (48 points at -112 Over, -108 Under). Both defenses have playmakers, but the straw that stirs for both teams is their offenses. Their defenses can struggle and still win games. If their offenses struggle, it’s a lot harder to win. I see both offenses taking chances downfield and enough splash plays will happen that there are too many scenarios (good, bad or hideous for the losing team) that hit the Over to avoid. Take the Over (-112).
This is an ideal betting matchup, because the Cowboys have a dedicated fan base that has surrendered January money for pushing 30 years. America’s Torn Betting Slip. Fresh off their win against an aging core of a Buccaneers roster, the Cowboy Swagger is back in play and dreams of punching the 49ers in their Purdy mouth are afoot.
The result is that the 49ers are small home favorites (3.5 points at -112 Cowboys, -108 49ers). It isn’t the San Francisco offense that has the team in this position – even though it has been weaponized since Christian McCaffrey arrived. It’s the league’s top-ranked defense. Dallas has a lot of talent, but it doesn’t take many mistakes – in any of the three phases of the game – for a team like the 49ers to take advantage of and exploit. Take the 49ers and lay 3.5 points (-108).
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Previewing Sunday’s NFL Divisional Round playoff games between the Texans and Chiefs and Seahawks and Packers with NFL betting odds, picks and best bets
The Sunday of Divisional playoff weekend will feature a couple of games with differing looks. People anticipate an offensive shootout between the Texans and Chiefs and just the opposite when Seattle heads to Green Bay – first team to 20 wins.
But, we’re focusing on the individual days the players from all four teams are going to have and have identified ones that we believe can take you to the pay window
A Hardman Is Good to Find – Of all the stats that are out there for Chiefs players, the one that jumps out to us is Mecole Hardman with an over/under of just 19½ receiving yards (-112 for the over and the under). It’s a dice roll because Hardman has caught just 26 passes as a rookie. But, the key is that he averages 20.7 yards per reception and will be covered by a nickel corner or a safety. We think he can catch one pass and, if his average holds, he hits the number with one reception. Take the over.
The King of All Sir Duke – Duke Johnson was brought to Houston to be the team’s primary receiving back and caught 44 passes for 410 yards. His over/under for receiving yards is 24½ – a number he has surpassed in three of his last four games. The conventional wisdom is that the Chiefs are going to force the issue offensively and the Texans will have to pump. A couple of check-down passes to Johnson could be enough to his that low number if he finds a seam in the defense. Take the over.
Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood – Aaron Rodgers is a Hall of Famer when his career is over, but he hasn’t been the same lights out player he was in previous years. Aside from Davante Adams, he has struggled to elevate one of his young receivers to be a clear No. 2 option. His over/under for passing yards is 251½ (-112 on both over and under). It’s a number you would think he would hit, but the Packers don’t have the explosiveness on offense they’ve had in past years and, with the emergence of Aaron Jones as a legitimate rushing threat, A-Rodg will struggle to hit the number. Take the under.
Where There’s a Wilson There’s a Way – Russell Wilson has an identical yardage number as Rodgers at 251½ (-112 on both the over and under). He’s coming off a huge game against a beat-up Eagles defense, but the Green Bay defense will bring a much more daunting challenge. Before last weekend’s game, Wilson had been held under the point in his last four games, six of his last seven and his last four road games. There’s a reason for that. Take the under.
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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship, and there is no influence on news coverage.
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Previewing Saturday’s NFL divisional-round playoff games between the Vikings at 49ers and Titans at Ravens matchup, with NFL betting odds, picks and best bets
The two No. 1 seeds — San Francisco in the NFC and Baltimore in the AFC — arrive to the postseason dance looking to tango the first Sunday in February. They’ll take their first steps in their hopeful collision course against a pair of No. 6 seeds in Minnesota and Tennessee, respectively.
With No. 6 seeds having lost 11 of the last 12 meetings against No. 1 seeds, the chances of the 49ers and Ravens moving on look good.
But we’re not looking at final scores here. We’re looking at individual yardage prop bets that we think have a good chance of hitting.
Bet $1, WIN $200 (in free bets) IF ANY NFL team scores a touchdown during the NFL’s divisional playoff rounds. Easy win. Win now at BetMGM!
Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions.
These are our Fab Four for the Saturday games.
NFL odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated Saturday at 12:30 a.m. ET.
Niners QB Jimmy Garoppolo has a pretty solid over/under for passing yards at 254.5 (-112 for both the over and the under). Despite Minnesota’s secondary being thinned by injury, this one seems about 20-30 yards too high (which is a lot). Minnesota won’t blow out the Niners, but San Francisco could blow out the Vikings. If so, expect the 49ers to run the ball more. If it is a defense-dominated game, both offenses will do what they do best — run the ball. Jimmy G is making his first playoff start and he’s likely going to come out cautious by design. He has hit over this number in just three of his last 11 games. TAKE UNDER 254.5 for too many reasons.
Dalvin Cook has an interesting line for rushing yards at 69.5. Most yardage props come in with the same bet for the over and the under. Cook’s rushing line is -125 for the over and -106 for the under. Why? Vegas wants you to bet the under. Anyone who has seen Cook play this season, he isn’t breaking off a lot of 40- or 50-yard runs, but he has a lot in the 10-20 range. At this number, Cook likely needs just two or three of those splash play runs to hit the over. Unless the Vikings fall behind by 14 or more early on, Cook will get 15-20 rushes. He can hit 70 with ease if that happens. TAKE THE OVER.
Titans running back Derrick Henry has a pretty stiff number for the over/under for rushing yards at 93.5 (-112 for both the over and under). But there is a number even more imposing — 128-31. That is the combined scores of the first quarter in the Ravens’ 16 regular-season games. Baltimore has routinely built early leads and expanded on them — the Ravens scored 294 first-half points. Tennessee has scored 146 first-half points. If those numbers come even close to replicating Saturday night, Tennessee will have to abandon the run at some point. Seeing as Henry isn’t viewed as the best receiving back on the team, Tennessee will have to keep the game close for three quarters to hit that number. TAKE THE UNDER.
The Ravens’ run game will be fine whether or not Mark Ingram plays. It’s what they do. But, the Titans are likely to leave themselves open to a big play over the top and few QBs can flick 50-yard passes with the ease that Lamar Jackson can. His over/under for passing yards is 213.5 yards (-112 for both over and under). The Ravens are going to look to take advantage of the perception that all they do is run. In the last nine games, Jackson has thrown 25 or fewer passes in eight of them. If he’s going to get over that number, he will need to have a lot of yards per completion. But, at 213.5 against a defense willing to force him to pass, it LOOKS GOOD FOR THE OVER.
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Conquer the NFL Divisional Round with a 4-bet parlay featuring the Ravens, Vikings, Chiefs and an over/under.
Let’s match the stakes of the NFL divisional round with an ambitious wager– a 4-bet parlay. Just so you know, a parlay bet combines two or more wagers together and if one of them loses, the entire bet loses. But the return grows exponentially with each added bet, so the payout might be worth it if you can pick winners. Here’s my 4-bet parlay for the NFL divisional round.
Bet $1, WIN $200 (in free bets) IF ANY NFL team scores a touchdown during the NFL’s divisional playoff rounds. Easy win. Win now at BetMGM!
Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions.
The No. 1 seed Baltimore Ravens host the Tennessee Titans, who are riding high now after upsetting the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in the wild-card round. Since the Ravens are no strangers to laying big numbers—nine of the 14 Ravens’ victories came by double-digits—the RAVENS -10 (-106) is the strongest play of the 4-bet parlay. During the regular season, the Ravens had a lead after the first quarter in 12 of its games, winning 11 of them. If the Titans fall behind early in this matchup, I don’t see them coming back. Their 21st-ranked defense is not stout enough to bottle up the Ravens attack and the Ravens’ defensive personnel should neutralize the Titans’ pass game.
Both teams are going to pound the rock this game; the Ravens had the most rushing attempts (596) in the NFL and the Titans were 10th in rushing attempts (445). Also, I envision a very one-sided game for the Ravens who lead the NFL average time per drive (3:21 per drive). So a lot of time could burn off the clock during their drives.
The Ravens’ elite pass defense will give QB Ryan Tannehill fits and allow them to put more defenders in the box to stop the NFL’s leading rusher in Titans RB Derrick Henry. Even though Tannehill led the NFL in multiple passing categories since taking over the Titans starting job, he only threw for 72 yards in the Titans’ 20-13 win over the Patriots and only one team has passed for more than 200 yards in a game on the Ravens since Week 10.
The Vikings and 49ers have done well against bookmakers’ expectations –they have a combined 20-13 record against the spread this season — so we’ll take the extra juice to get our line above the key number of seven. The 49ers are 0-6 ATS this season when laying 6 or more points; the most points the Vikings were spotted was +5 in Week 17 against the Chicago Bears because they sat most of their starters. According to FootballOutsiders.com, the 49ers are ranked second in team efficiency and the Vikings are ranked seventh, which is the closest team efficiency ranking among competing teams in the divisional round. Point is, the 49ers are NOT 7.5 points better than the Vikings.
The playoff woes of Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid are well documented: Reid is 2-5 outright and ATS in the playoffs since taking the helm of the Chiefs. Quarterback Deshaun Watson and the Texans put up 30+ points in each of his two games against the Chiefs, including a 34-31 win over the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 6. Also, factoring in the stakes, how explosive the Texans offense can be and the Texans getting 9.5 points, the backdoor will be wide open in this game. There are just too many scenarios where the Texans cover this spread.
NFL odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated Friday at 1:30 p.m. ET.
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Previewing the NFL divisional round football matchups and parlays, with NFL betting odds, picks and best bets
The divisional round of the NFL playoffs — arguably the league’s best weekend of football — is upon us. And with the top seeds back in action following their wild-card byes, all four matchups Saturday and Sunday offer intriguing matchups.
And while this is going to be a tough week for gamblers as three of the four spreads are 7 or more points, that doesn’t mean value can’t be found in the way of a three-team parlay. So without further ado, here is the parlay bet you have to make this week.
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 1:05 p.m. ET.
Bet $1, WIN $200 (in free bets) IF ANY NFL team scores a touchdown during the NFL’s divisional playoff rounds. Easy win. Win now at BetMGM!
Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions.
The first game of the weekend will be the Vikings traveling to San Francisco to take on the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers. While the Vikings certainly are one of the most balanced teams in the NFL, they can be exposed some in the secondary.
San Francisco is one of the most explosive teams in the NFL, as they had the fourth-most completions of at least 20-yards this season. Minnesota’s cornerback position has been a problem over the last few weeks and expect Kyle Shanahan to test them early and often down the field.
On the other side of the ball, look for the 49ers’ pass-rush to rattle Kirk Cousins as this game could get out of hand quickly. The talent differential in the trenches is massive, and that could result in some sloppy football for the Vikings. The 49ers to cover the touchdown spread feels like a pretty safe wager as they are just the far more talented team.
The No. 1 seeded Ravens are 9.5-point favorites over the Titans on Saturday night, but that line feels just a tad bit too high. While I like the Ravens to win this game, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Titans kept this game close. That’s why I’ve chosen an alternative line at BETMGM, which puts the Ravens as 6.5 point favorites at the price of -182.
While the value isn’t great, it’s just hard to see a way that the Titans keep this within a touchdown. Considering that you are parlaying this game with two other contests, don’t stress too much about the lack of value.
New to sports betting? A $10 wager on the Ravens to win by 7 or more points would profit $5.49.
Now, the bet that will really help boost your payout is the Seahawks’ moneyline over the Packers on Sunday afternoon. While Green Bay has been fantastic at home, Seattle has been the league’s best road team, winning eight of their nine road contests including last weekend’s win at Philadelphia. Russell Wilson has been playing out of his mind of late and the 1-2 wide receiver punch of Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf could prove to be a difficult matchup for the Packers.
Given just how close these teams are and the fact the Seahawks are 11-2 straight up in one-score games this season, I like the value of taking Seattle this week. If the moneyline is a little too risky for you, consider taking the Seahawks +4.5, which would bring the overall parlay odds down to +465.
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