NFL Week 10 odds: ‘Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda’ parlay; five bets that would’ve won big

Patrick Everson

FOX Sports Betting Analyst

While NFL Week 10 odds are safely put to bed, the typical Monday morning quarterback conversations are wide awake. So we at FOX Sports will offer some Tuesday morning quarterbacking for the sports betting crowd.

Week after week, the public betting masses enjoy wagering on parlays. And we get it. Betting a little to win a lot is appealing, like the lottery, or in this instance, perhaps a mini-lottery.

However, remember this, too: Parlays are a bookmaker’s best friend. Proceed with caution.

That being said, what if I told you that betting $10 on: a 1,000-yard receiver to score first, a running back with over 60 career touchdowns to score first, the 2022 Super Bowl runner-ups to cover a seven-point spread against a backup quarterback, the best team in the NFC to win straight up, and a game involving Josh Allen and Jonathan Taylor to go over 46.5 points would profit you over $4,600?

In Week 10, it would have. With that in mind, here’s this week’s edition of …

Woulda Coulda Shoulda

The following five-leg parlay in DraftKings Sportsbook’s Week 10 NFL odds would’ve done just that:

George Pickens +1200 first touchdown scorer in the Steelers–Commanders game
James Conner +600 first TD scorer in the Cardinals–Jets game
Eagles -7 (-115) vs. Cowboys
Lions moneyline -238 vs. Texans
Bills–Colts Over 46.5 (-112)

Midway through the first quarter, Pickens hit paydirt with a 16-yard touchdown catch to put Pittsburgh up 7-0. And barely two minutes into the Jets-Cards matchup, James Conner scored on a 1-yard run.

With no Dak Prescott for Dallas, Philadelphia was a very popular point-spread play. And that was no sweat, as the Eagles rumbled to a 34-6 victory.

But the final two legs of this hypothetical parlay were very much sweats.

Detroit — the most popular team in the league for bettors — trailed Houston 23-7 at halftime and was still down 23-13 in the fourth quarter. But two long Jake Bates field goals, including a 52-yarder as time expired, ultimately gave the Lions a 26-23 victory.

And in further proof that no score is meaningless, Indianapolis wideout Alec Pierce had a 10-yard touchdown catch with two seconds left against Buffalo. The touchdown had no effect on the game’s winner or loser. But those seven points made it 30-20 Buffalo and clinched the Over.

Add it all up, and you’ve got hefty odds of +46026, or just beyond 460/1. So that 10-dollar bill turns in a healthy profit of $4,602.61

To reiterate, there’s a reason odds are so long on these types of bets. And bookmakers want nothing more than for you to add more and more legs to your parlay tickets.

So wager accordingly. If you’re just taking a weekly flier with 10 or 20 bucks, then that’s all well and good. If you’re borrowing against the rent money, well, that’s not good. Keep it reasonable!

Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas.