You may hear why you should not wager on preseason football and it’s not for everyone, but there are also many benefits as we get closer to Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game (Arizona/Carolina). 

1)Oddsmakers have less information. There are so many variables, including roster battles and constantly changing depth charts, that it makes it harder to price than normal NFL games.

2)It’s all about playing time. There are just three preseason games (save for Carolina and Arizona), and coaches want to avoid serious injuries, so they will keep most starters out. Knowledge of the backups, especially the quarterbacks, is crucial to winning. 

3)First-Half bets could be the answer. Unless you have a quarterback competition (Cleveland? Atlanta?), starting quarterbacks might play a quarter at most. So it’s important to know not only the game plan, but the quality of the backup quarterback. In the second half, you’ll see mostly third and fourth-string quarterbacks. So betting first-half spreads/totals can sometimes make more sense than full-game bets. How many times have you bet a preseason game, where the game is lost in the fourth quarter because teams are playing mostly scrubs who will never play in the NFL?

4)Roster battles matter. Players who are fighting for starting jobs or roster spots have more incentive to play hard. A team with multiple competitive position battles may approach a preseason game differently from a team simply trying to get through it.

5)You can learn things in preseason. Just watch the first game, and you’ll find that new coaches (there are six) have a certain philosophy after their first game. I’d be careful about taking games where Joe Brady (Buffalo), Mike LaFleur (Arizona), Jesse Minter (Baltimore), Todd Monken (Cleveland), Klint Kubiak (Las Vegas), and Jeff Hafley (Miami) coach in their first game.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Upcoming and Current Events at ATS:

• Hall of Fame Game (Aug 6). Training camp starts this week! Preseason NFL action begins as ATS enters its 34th football season. Early Bird discounts are still available!
• UFC Fight Night on Aug. 8 from Las Vegas, featuring Gamrot vs. Salkilld. UFC wins FOUR straight weeks. Average clients up over $7,500!
• Baseball Second Half projected to win 150+ units after a strong finish the last 10 weeks (discounts are available with football).
  _____________________________________________________________________