The NFL preseason arrives on Aug. 6 with the Hall of Fame Game. Some bettors like to sit the preseason out and wait for college on Aug. 27 or the NFL regular season. If you are playing on your own, we don’t advise that you play the preseason with hesitancy. But if you are going to wager on your own, here are some tips on how to bet preseason, especially if you are a novice.
1)Let’s face it. Most starting quarterbacks sit during preseason (three games) except for maybe Patrick Mahomes. Though that would be a serious risk with him coming off a knee injury.
Quarterback rotations:
A)How many series will the starting QB play? The backup quarterback is likely the starting qb and usually they end up going two quarters, but things can change with each coach and each situation.
B)Who plays the second half? Will the fourth string QB play the last quarter? Again, so many different scenarios for each team. Try and check each team’s website because many coaches will give their gameplan a day or two before the game.
C)Experienced quarterbacks usually have success against 2nd and 3rd string guys. Some are just plain bad. It’s important to know all the QBs and the rotation. *We’ll have one available this week on the blog)
2)Once again, read the comments from the head coach before the game. They can be found on the team’s website, on regular sites (ESPN, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, etc.), and in local newspapers. If you can’t get into them due to cost, there are countless blogs for each team that might have that information. SB Nation and Fan Sided are just two of the many communities out there with NFL blogs.
3)Look at quarterback competitions. In Minnesota, Kyler Murray is battling with JJ McCarthy for the starting job. It’s unlikely that Murray will play all three games with his injury history, and he doesn’t have a lot to prove, but that’s just one of the few competitions in the NFL for starting jobs. But there will be a lot of backup jobs up for grabs. In that situation, you might have one guy start a half in Game 1 and the other guy start in Game 2. It’s not fair to judge a guy facing the third string of the second half.
4)BETTING the FIRST HALF. Speaking of the first half, if you want to go out of the box instead of just betting the spread or total, try betting the first half spread or first half money line. That’s where you have most of the starters or players competing for starting jobs. The second half of most of these preseason games becomes a coin flip as third- and fourth-string guys who won’t even be on a roster (maybe practice squad), are showing why they are fringe players.
5)Always look at coaching philosophy and records (once again, stay tuned to this blog as we’ll have coaching records next week). Some coaches treat games as a regular season. Others don’t care, and they are just looking to evaluate players. Most of these gameplans are as vanilla as possible as coaches are very paranoid and don’t want to give anything away.
6)Be very conservative with your bankroll. Bet smaller amounts than you would during the regular season because the preseason games can be volatile. Don’t chase losses, and if you don’t have an informational edge, pass on those games.
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Upcoming and Current Events at ATS:
- Baseball Second Half projected to win 150+ units after a strong finish the last 10 weeks (discounts are available with football).
- UFC Fight Night on Aug. 1 from Serbia, featuring Medic vs. Rodriguez. UFC wins three straight weeks! Average clients up over $5,200!
- 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!
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