Thursday Night Football Betting Preview
Last week we had Dallas vs. Tampa Bay in the Thursday and season opener. This week, we are graced with the juggernauts of the Giants and Washington Football Team. So maybe not exactly juggernauts, but they are still football teams in the NFL, so it is going to be fun to watch no matter what! Both teams are coming off of a loss and neither was really much of a surprise. I suppose Washington’s was a bit more of a shock given they were favored over the Chargers, but realistically, I think the books had the wrong team favored there. Anyway, how can we bet the Thursday Night Football action?
The spread on this game is currently sitting at -3 in favor of Washington. That typically means that they are basically a pick’em on a neutral field. I have a hard time accepting that this team isn’t better than the Giants by more than three points. I get that it is a divisional matchup which always causes problems and surprises, but where exactly is Washington worse than the Giants? Defensively, Washington has a top unit overall and continues to be stingy with points allowed. The Chargers have a great young quarterback (great could be too harsh of a word, considering he’s played less than 16 games) and he was only able to get them to 20 points. Against another talented defensive first team, the Denver Broncos, the New York Giants only got 13 points.
Offensively, Taylor Heinicke might have been the best quarterback that WFT had last season. He now takes over the reins from the injured Ryan Fitzpatrick. During the Chargers game, he was 11 for 15 with a touchdown and 122 yards. In addition, he scrambled three times for 17 yards. I don’t think Heinicke is a world-beater, but he is a solid offensive player. I am going to play him to get over 22.5 rushing yards for the game at -114. Daniel Jones, another quarterback that can occasionally make a difference with his legs was able to run for 27 yards and a touchdown. If he can limit turnovers and hand the ball off to a healthy (although questionable for this game) Saquon Barkley the Giants can remain in the game.
I’m not expecting either team to score a ton of points, and but both should be able to move the ball a bit. The total opened around 43 and is now down to 40.5. I like the over on the game, but that is just a lean, not a play. I am more focused on the side. I think Washington should win this game by more than three points. Play Washington -3 at -120.
Some player props I like:
Just to be clear, the player props are things I bet, but on a smaller unit scale than a full game, typically.