Week 1 of the NFL season is already underway, and it’s time to get those bets in for the weekend’s matchups.
We’ve compiled where the public is betting at sportsbooks, along with some notable wagers, and asked several oddsmakers at various sportsbooks around the country to find out where the sharp action has come in for this weekend’s games.
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Odds for every game
Sunday
1 p.m. ET
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals (-3.5, 50.5)
Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers (-5, 42)
Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans (-1, 44.5)
Baltimore Ravens (-3.5, 47.5) at Indianapolis Colts
Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars (-8.5, 40.5)
New York Jets at Tennessee Titans (-1.5, 39.5)
New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions (-7, 50)
Chicago Bears (-3, 47) at Carolina Panthers
4:25 p.m. ET
Miami Dolphins at Las Vegas Raiders (-3.5, 40.5)
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Chargers (-10, 47.5)
Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles (-4.5, 44.5)
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Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings (-1.5, 46)
8:20 p.m. ET
Dallas Cowboys (-3, 48) at New York Giants
Monday
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs (-2.5, 43.5)
Public betting splits
Here is where the betting public has landed on Week 1 games at BetMGM sportsbooks.
Five most-bet sides (by total number of wagers)
Five most-bet sides (by total dollars wagered)
Most bet totals (by total number of wagers)
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New York Jets at Tennessee Titans under 38.5
-
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals under 51.5
-
Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers over 47
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Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles under 44.5
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New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions over 49.5
Most-bet underdogs to win (by total number of wagers)
Action report from the bookmakers
Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans
Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at Borgata in Atlantic City: “Favorite has bounced back and forth here throughout the summer. Right now, the Bills are a small favorite, we have them a -1.5. This game has been pick-em, Texans -1, Bills -1 at one point. Decent percentage of the money is on the Bills. There’s been a lot of public money on Buffalo here.”
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Joey Feazel, head NFL trader at Caesars Sportsbook: “Throughout the offseason, this has been back and forth. We opened up Bills -1.5, it had gone through the zero to Texans -1.5 at one point, and now back to Bills -1.5. I expect come game day with people remembering how bad CJ Stroud looked in the playoffs that we’ll need the Texans. Still good two-way action right now.”
Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers
Gable: “Bears currently laying 3. Not a ton of interest on this game here compared to other games on the board, but what we have taken has been mostly Bears money. Total is 47, pretty evenly split.”
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Bet Chicago Bears to cover the spread at sportsbooks right now
Feazel: “Another one where the offseason betting was high on Caleb Williams and the Bears. Not a love for the Panthers despite making the playoffs and giving the Rams a run for their money. Little bit more on the Bears side. We opened this Bears -2.5, we’re now at Chicago -3 and it’s a heavy 3. Total has gone up a couple points. It opened 44.5, now up to 46.5. We’re not crazy lopsided.”
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
Gable: “Vikings are a 1.5-point favorite. This game is relatively split. The public has come in a bit on Green Bay, but overall a pretty evenly bet game. Total is 46.5, no decision on that one yet. We did have some respected money on the Vikings in the summer when Packers were favored.”
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Feazel: “This is one that has moved the most out of any Week 1 game. We opened Packers -2.5, and slowly but surely it’s trickled to Vikings -1.5. I think it’s a couple things – no Micah Parsons, Josh Jacobs not playing and excitement for Kyler Murray being installed into the system. The J.J. McCathy experiment didn’t go to plan last year. Total has gone up a point from 45.5 to 46.5. I don’t anticipate that much to change there. Not super one-sided on the Vikings, but a little more money on Minnesota so far. In the latter half of last year, public was soured by Green Bay and shied away from this team covering. I expect to see two-way action and I don’t see this going back to the Packers being favored.”
Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants
Gable: “This game has the most handle of any game on the board. Cowboys are sitting -3. Dallas has been the darling of the betting world. Their futures have moved significantly – division, season win total, you name it. We are getting Giants money here, some local money. As of right now, we’ll need Dallas, which I don’t hate, but this game is generating a lot of betting interest.”
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Feazel: “No surprise here, the Cowboys are taking the majority of action and I expect that to continue. What people remember from Dallas is how efficient that offense was. We’re going to see over and Cowboys-centric money. We opened 49, down to 47.5, but I expect that to come back up by game day.”
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs
Gable: “As expected, if Chiefs are -3 you’re taking Broncos money and at -2.5, taking Chiefs money. Currently, KC is -2.5, which it has been for a week or so. Total at 43.5, no real decision on that. It’s one of those games where it’s been bouncing back and forth. We have a little bit more money on the Chiefs.”
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Feazel: “Not a lot of love for the Chiefs at all here. A lot of question markets around Mahomes, defense gets a little worse. More action on the Broncos side, which isn’t something we’re accustomed to – but not surprising after the Chiefs’ struggles. Total opened 44, down to 43.5. I expect one-way action on Denver leading up to the game. We opened -3, now a strong -2.5. I don’t anticipate it getting back to -3.”
Sharp action
It’s always notable where respected bettors have landed on this week’s games. While these prices may not currently be available at all sportsbooks, knowing where sharps have wagered can also be instructive for in-game wagering.
Yahoo Sports conversed with several bookmakers this preseason and over the course of this week, and here is where some sharp action has been (and the numbers it came in at):
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Big bets
We’ll be keeping track of six-figure (and larger) Week 1 NFL bets from sportsbooks, as well as if they end up cashing.
Read the full article here