Geoff Schwartz and 5 more
It’s finally here.
The NFL playoffs are about to begin, which means there are several ways in which you can wager and make some extra cash this weekend.
But what are the best bets to make? What are the experts saying?
And is there a way where you can turn a couple of these picks into a reasonable parlay?
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Well, we’ve got you covered, as our FOX Sports betting analysts have each laid out their favorite bets for the wild-card matchups, creating a six-leg parlay that could win big. All six games have been covered, with both prop bets and team wagers involved.
The parlay below currently has odds of +9516, or just about 95/1. That means a $20 wager could churn you a healthy profit of $1903.15, and a $10 bet could earn you $951.65.
So what did the experts have to say? Here’s our Wild Card Weekend parlay, with all odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Jason: Will Dissly anytime TD (+340)
With receiver Josh Palmer ruled out, and Quentin Johnston questionable, this figures to be a tight-end game for the Chargers. That should surprise nobody, since Justin Herbert loves throwing to his tight ends.
Expect the Texans to load up on Ladd McConkey with their top two cornerbacks, meaning someone on the Chargers has to catch passes. Enter the tight end, Will Dissly.
Toss in the fact the Texans ranked in the bottom 10 defending tight ends when it comes to receptions, yards and touchdowns, and you have the potential for one or both to reach the end zone. The Texans gave up two touchdown passes to the Ravens on Christmas — both catches by tight ends. Dissly has two scores this year. If you want to juice your odds even more, Stone Smartt is a good play here, as he’s +1000 to score at any time.
Will: Lamar Jackson Over 50 rush yards (-120)
With the Ravens’ leading receiver Zay Flowers out on Saturday, the potential 2024 MVP Lamar Jackson might have to take matters into his own hands … or, feet, to be more accurate.
With Flowers out, the Ravens passing attack takes a major hit, which could lead to more of Jackson running. Generally, betting on quarterbacks to have success rushing is a good strategy come playoff time as it is. During a long grueling season, quarterbacks might run out of bounds or throw the ball away in certain instances to preserve their health. In the playoffs, where it’s win or go home, that is far less likely to happen.
Expect to see plenty of Jackson on the move against the Steelers.
Sammy: Bo Nix to throw an interception (-145)
Price is important here, as some sportsbooks are getting close to -160. The point spread (Bills -9) tells us the Broncos are likely trailing for big portions of this game, so they’ll probably be forced to throw more than they’d prefer. Combine 30-degree weather, potential snow and a rookie quarterback making his first-ever playoff start, and I’ll take my chances with Nix hurling the ball to the other team at least once.
Pat: Packers-Eagles Under 45.5 (-112)
This could easily be a high-scoring affair. Green Bay and Philadelphia both average about 27 points per game. But there are a couple of components that make Under 45.5 worth a look in Sunday’s game at Philly.
First, both quarterbacks are coming off injuries. Packers quarterback Jordan Love exited a Week 18 loss to Chicago with an elbow issue. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was in concussion protocol and sat out the last two regular-season games.
Second, both teams have strong running backs who can control the clock. The Eagles’ Saquon Barkley rushed for 2,005 yards this season (5.8 yards per carry), and the Packers’ Josh Jacobs had 1,329 yards rushing (4.4 yards per carry).
Chris: Jayden Daniels Under 31.5 pass attempts (-110)
I anticipate this being a close game, so I don’t see a lot of hollow attempts in a late catch-up situation. The Commanders would be wise to use Jayden Daniels’ legs here to help their defense against a Tampa offense which could hurt a vulnerable Washington defense.
If you look at Daniels over his last few complete games, his workload has ramped up on the ground — 16 carries vs. Atlanta, nine vs. Philly, 11 vs. New Orleans … that resembles what he was doing early in the year before his injury. Washington is much better with him as a running threat, so I think we’re going to see a lot of quarterback run, as it is so hard to defend, and a good bit of Brian Robinson Jr. running, too.
Geoff: Matthew Stafford over 22.5 completions (-105)
This is a fantastic matchup for the Rams quarterback to carry the offensive load in Los Angeles. The Vikings do two things on defense. They disguise themselves early and then switch to something at the snap. According to the data, Matthew Stafford is second in completion percentage against defenses that disguise coverages.
The Vikings defense also loves to run a cover-zero pressure to force quarterbacks into mistakes. That doesn’t work with Stafford, who threw for the most yards in the league against cover-zero.
This is all to say, I think Stafford will play well and complete a ton of passes.
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