In our final installment of “100 Things NFL Bettors Should Know,” we take a look at the Las Vegas betting market entering Week 1 of the regular season.
- The biggest Week 1 line move has come in Saints at Falcons. Atlanta opened as a 1.5-point favorite at MGM Resorts, and now the Saints are laying 2.5.
“It will probably hit 3 before it’s done,” Jay Rood, VP of race and sports, told The Linemakers on Sporting News. “The teams have looked like polar opposites. The Saints have looked really good in the preseason and the Falcons have looked horrible.”
William Hill also opened the game Falcons -1.5 and moved to Saints -2. Nick Bogdanovich, the company’s director of trading, agreed with Rood that this line is headed to 3.
Panthers-Bucs also is on the move. MGM Resorts opened at Tampa Bay -1, and the game moved to Carolina -1, before being taken off the board because of Cam Newton’s uncertain status. The Panthers quarterback has a hairline fracture in one of his ribs and was walking gingerly early this week. He did not practice Sunday or Monday. The best guess is Newton plays at less than 100 percent and runs less than he normally would.
Sam Bradford’s latest torn ACL had varying impacts at Vegas books. The LVH moved the Rams’ lines significantly, cutting them from 6- to 3.5-point home favorites in Week 1 vs. Minnesota, and raising their Super Bowl futures from 40-to-1 to 75-to-1.
But William Hill cut its Week 1 line from -6 to only -4.5 and didn’t change the Rams’ 50-to-1 odds to win the Super Bowl.
“Sam Bradford never has reached his potential in this league,” Bogdanovich said. “Shaun Hill is a decent backup. Their defense and running game are good, so I don’t think there’s much of a dropoff.”
For the last seven things an NFL bettor should know, check out Larry’s full story at The Linemakers on Sporting News.
