NFL preview: Point spreads for all 16 Eagles’ games just part of the new sports betting world
The Eagles are 2-point underdogs for Week 7 at Dallas, but 1-point favorites for New England's visit in Week 11.
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It’s football season and there is no shortage of creativity among the oddsmakers. PointsBet, an online operation in New Jersey, is among the most inventive. They let customers submit suggestions for propositions and they’ll put a line on it.
Prominent professional gambler Bill Krackomberger wanted odds on the Patriots to start 0-4 against the spread. They posted a number of 15-1. New England is laying five to Pittsburgh in Week 1. Whatever the spread closes at is what applies for Krackomberger’s wager.
The people at William Hill sports books are watching if Nick Foles can recapture his magic by leading Jacksonville to a Super Bowl. They took two $5,000 wagers in Nevada on the Jags at 50-1. Those two tickets are worth a half-mill.
It’s not all victories and sunshine, of course. Some poor guy at one of their Jersey houses put four grand on the Colts to win the Super Bowl long before Andrew Luck pulled his little surprise.
Eagles odds
The consensus win-total line for the Eagles among Pennsylvania and New Jersey sports books is 10 wins. Here’s a sampling of the Birds’ odds to win the NFC and win the Super Bowl:
But let’s go back to PointsBets props and start with their lines for every Eagles game this season, because there are some interesting ones.
Week 1: vs. Washington, Eagles -8.5 at -110. The “-110” is the amount a bettor would have to place in order to win 100. So to win $100, you’d need to bet $110. That extra $10 is called the vig. DraftKings is offering a “no vig” promotion for Week 1, so the Eagles are +100. You bet 100, you win 100. But here’s the hook: Their line is Eagles -9.5. There’s always a hook.
Week 2: at Atlanta, Eagles -1 at -110.
Week 3, vs. Detroit, Eagles -8 at -110. That line could be 11 or 12 by the time that week rolls around.
Week 4, at Green Bay, Eagles +3 at -110. First time they’re underdogs.
Week 5, vs. New York Jets, Eagles -7 at -105. It’s a cute note that the Jets have never beaten the Eagles, but hardly a reason to put money on it.
Week 6, at Minnesota, Eagles +2.5 at -105. The Vikings are in for a rebound season. Wait to see if it goes up to 3 or 3.5.
Week 7, at Dallas, Eagles +2 at -110. The Eagles have one win and two overtime losses in three visits to Dallas under Doug Pederson.
Week 8, at Buffalo, Eagles -3.5 at -110.
Week 9, Chicago, Eagles -3.5 at +100. This feels like a trap going into the bye
Week 11, vs. New England, Eagles -1 at -110. Don’t mind the Birds having the week off prior to playing the Patriots.
Week 12, vs. Seattle, Eagles -4.5 at 110. Russell Wilson as a solid underdog is worth avoiding.
Week 13, at Miami, Eagles -6.5 at 110.
Week 14, vs. N.Y. Giants, -9 at 110. If this isn’t the biggest bargain on the board …
Week 15, at Washington, -4 at 110. … then this is. Both the Giants and Washington could be starting rookie quarterbacks by then.
Week 16, vs. Dallas, -4 at -110. But then again, Josh McCown could be starting for the Eagles.
Week 17, at N.Y. Giants -3.5 at -110. Watch it. The Eagles could be resting people.
Player props
DraftKings has the over/under on Carson Wentz’s passing yards at 4,050.5. PointsBet is 4,150.5.
Both have the same number of receiving yards for Alshon Jeffery (850.5) and Zach Ertz (850.5).
Don’t love Miles Sanders at 14-1 to win rookie of the year, but I do like Chicago’s David Montgomery at 12-1 at DK. Just an educated guess, by the way.
Wentz’s over/under for TD passes is 28.5 or 29.5 depending on the shop.
And finally
Europe has long featured individual matchups in golf, horse racing, and other sports. That’s finding its way over here with DraftKings’ prop that Wentz will have more passing yards than Houston’s Deshaun Watson.
Forgive the obvious, but the more betting options there are, the more dangerous it becomes to develop an addiction. There’s even a line for most receiving yards between Ertz and Jeffery. Yeah, this is fun, but let’s be careful out there.
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