The Five Best Bets Before Football Season Kicks Off

Packers, Seahawks, and Panthers Parlay to Make Playoffs (-140)

All three teams made the playoffs last year and have made it for the past three years, including a 2013 Super bowl winner (Seahawks) and a 2015 Super bowl runner-up (Panthers). Leaving the Packers—who haven’t made the Super bowl since 2010—but have made the playoffs for seven straight years. There doesn’t seem to be any cause of concern for it to be different and I really like the odds. Bearing any crazy injuries, all teams at the least should get a wild card spot. These are arguably three of the top five teams in the NFL and each team knows they have a good shot to win it all.

Odell Beckham Jr. Over 10.5 Total Receiving Touchdowns (-140)

Entering his third year with the New York Giants, Odell Beckham Jr. looks to have another All-Pro season. In 27 games with the G-Men, OBJ has caught 25 TD passes. 25! Averaging almost one touchdown per game in his career, I don’t see why Beckham doesn’t get at least 11. Victor Cruz coming back shouldn’t affect his production that much—in fact—it should widen up the field for OBJ. Beckham’s connection with quarterback Eli Manning has grown each season and look for them to link up in the end zone more than 10 times.

Ryan Tannehill Over 23.5 Total Touchdown Passes (+100)

Hear me out on this one. New head coach Adam Gase has a history of propelling quarterbacks statistics (Peyton Manning & Jay Cutler). Ryan Tannehill has posted 24, 27, 24 touchdowns in the last three seasons of his young career. With a more offensive-minded coach, alongside his best wide receiver core to date, Tannehill has the potential to throw 30 touchdowns. I’m not drunk I swear. The truth is: all he has to do is throw like he has in the past (which hasn’t been great) and there is money in your pocket.

Cowboys Over 8.5 Wins (Adjusted Line -150)

This one pretty much rides on Tony Romo staying healthy and if you aren’t confident about that… then stay away from this one. I really like the Cowboys to bounce back after a more than disappointing 2015 season. In the NFC East anything is possible, but remember—a healthy Cowboys team in 2014 was one Dez Bryant catch away from being in the NFC Championship game.

If you’re feeling lucky: Bet Cowboys to make playoffs (-120)

Patriots to Win AFC East (-250)

The New England Patriots to win the AFC East is the easiest one of the five. From 2003–Present, the Pats have won the AFC East every single year except for 2008. That’s 12 out of 13 years for those playing at home. Quarterback Jimmy Garappolo will be able to muster up two or three wins before passing it off to Brady once the suspension is over. It also doesn’t hurt that New England’s last seven games will be played against just one playoff team from the 2015 season. The Jets, Dolphins, and Bills don’t stand a chance to at least make the division race interesting. Not the best payout, but free money is free money.