Thursday, September 10, 2015

2015 NFL Preview

So it has been a while since I have been on Dirkland because I have been writing over at SoCalledFantasyExperts.com. If you would like to check out all of my fantasy football and baseball articles, feel free to click here for my archive. Share and comment away!

Now that football season is back, I will still have my weekly picks on Dirkland, as SCFE does not want to steer towards 100% gambling just yet. I thought I would give a quick season preview with other season long prop bets first.

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AFC East
Projected
Record
Division Odds
New England Patriots
11 - 5
-600
Miami Dolphins
10 - 6
+350
Buffalo Bills
9 - 7
+400
New York Jets
6 - 10
+800


Was anyone really that surprised that Tom Brady got away with cheating?  I mean the franchise has been caught cheating more than the rest of the NFL combined with only minor punishments to show for it.

Nevertheless, this is still their division to win.  If anything, I’m probably too low on their win total as they will be in complete F-U mode the entire season.  The only divisional/wins bet I like is the Dolphins.  They have a sneaky good offense and will put up some points.  I wouldn’t deter you from taking the Jets under 7.5 wins either.

AFC North
Projected Record
Division Odds
Pittsburgh Steelers
9 - 7
+200
Baltimore Ravens
9 - 7
+110
Cincinnati Bengals
8 - 8
+160
Cleveland Browns
5 - 11
+1000

This whole division got the benefit of the doubt last season by playing the two weakest divisions, the NFC and AFC South.  That definitely ballooned their win totals as well as made them out to be better than they were.

With that said, I think the Steelers and Ravens are destined to tie at the top of the division again.  The 18th tie-breaker will give the edge to Pitt.  I don’t like any of the division odds, but I do love the Browns under 6.5 wins.

AFC South
Projected Record
Division Odds
Indianapolis Colts
13 - 3
-550
Houston Texans
8 - 8
+370
Tennessee Titans
7 - 9
+2000
Jacksonville Jaguars
5 - 11
+1500



Surprise, surprise I like Indy to take the division.  The real surprise is I don’t mind laying the heavy odds.  If Andrew Luck is healthy, they win the South. Period.  So I will lay the $550 to win $100.

The other two bets I like are the Colts over 11 wins and the Titans over 5.5 wins.  The Colts for obvious reasons, and the Titans because I think Mariota has something.  They also have the weak division and get the play the NFC South, so I think the Titans will surprise a few teams.

AFC West
Projected Record
Division Odds
Denver Broncos
11 - 5
-180
San Diego Chargers
8 - 8
+270
Kansas City Chiefs
8 - 8
+280
Oakland Raiders
5 - 11
+1200

This is the toughest AFC division to figure out.  Naturally you would think the Broncos run away with it, but the Peyton injury possibility scares me.  I tentatively put them in the top spot.

There aren’t any bets I like because the odds on the Chargers/Chiefs are too low.  If they were closer to the +350 or +400 range, maybe I would be more in to them.  The problem seems to be that one of the two middle tier teams will break out, you just have no clue which one.

NFC North
Projected Record
Division Odds
Green Bay Packers
13 - 3
-300
Minnesota Vikings
9 - 7
+700
Detroit Lions
7 - 9
+550
Chicago Bears
4 - 12
+1400

Now here’s a division with some action I like!  I think the Packers run away with not only the division, but also the #1 seed in the playoffs.  I’ll gladly lay the $300 and take them over 11 wins because if Aaron Rodgers is healthy then they win both.

I also like the Vikings to have over 8.5 wins.  Teddy Bridgewater looks like the real deal and now he has AP plus more receiving threats.  The Bears seem like a solid bet to finish under 6.5 wins as their defense is atrocious, their running back has got a lot of miles on him, their #1 receiver (Alshon) is gimpy, and their #2 (Kevin White) receiver is out for the season.
NFC South
Projected Record
Division Odds
Atlanta Falcons
10 - 6
+165
Carolina Panthers
7 - 9
+250
New Orleans Saints
7 - 9
+115
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5 - 11
+550

Most of the time I am using trends and math to come up with my betting picks.  However, I just have a feeling about this Atlanta team.  Their offense is too explosive not to and it has a lot to do with Tevin Coleman.  I am all-in on Coleman as I have him in almost everyone one of my double-digit fantasy football leagues.  I think he brings a new spark to their backfield that they have sorely missed since Michael Turner was still viable.

I like the Falcons to easily clear the over 8.5 wins and love getting money on their division odds.  The other three teams are a smorgasbord of issues: Carolina’s offensive weapons, New Orleans losing receivers, Tampa getting used to a rookie quarterback.  I will just leave them alone and take the known quantity to triumph.

NFC West
Projected Record
Division Odds
Seattle Seahawks
12 - 4
-500
St. Louis Rams
9 - 7
+550
Arizona Cardinals
8 - 8
+500
San Francisco 49ers
3 - 13
+1700

This division is actually very similar to the AFC South: I think the top team is so much better than the others that they are worth laying huge odds.  Seattle should win the division handily and I expect them to cover the over 11 wins.

The surprise for many will be San Francisco.  I love them at under 6.5 wins.  When you lose half of your defensive starters as well as your head coach and you were a team built on defense and leadership then you got BIG problems.  Kaepernick will disappoint yet again, and Christian Hackenberg will be quarterbacking San Francisco next season.

NFC East
Projected Record
Division Odds
Dallas Cowboys
9 - 7
+125
Philadelphia Eagles
9 - 7
-115
New York Giants
7 - 9
+350
Washington Redskins
4 - 12
+900

Let me be clear, I am not saying the Cowboys are the far and away champion of the division.  However, I do like them getting odds to win it, when it is a virtual coin flip between them and Philly.  I can definitely see this coming down to an obscure tie-break procedure to decide the champion.

With that said, you have to love the Redskins under 6 wins.  I mean seriously, does anyone think this terrible team has 6 wins in them?  The rest of the division will cannibalize like it does every year so I will leave the other win totals alone.


AFC Playoff Seeds
NFC Playoff Seeds
1. Indianapolis Colts
1. Green Bay Packers
2. New England Patriots
2. Seattle Seahawks
3. Denver Broncos
3. Atlanta Falcons
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
4. Dallas Cowboys
5. Miami Dolphins
5. Philadelphia Eagles
6. Baltimore Ravens
6. Minnesota Vikings

Wild Card Round: Broncos over Ravens; Dolphins over Steelers; Falcons over Vikings; Eagles over Cowboys

Divisional Round: Colts over Dolphins; Patriots over Broncos; Packers over Eagles; Falcons over Seahawks

Conference Championships: Colts over Patriots; Packers over Falcons



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Super Bowl XL: Green Bay Packers 31 – Indianapolis Colts 27

Last year I nailed my Super Bowl Champion in the pre-season, and I have a good feeling about this one as well.  Jordy Nelson’s injury hurts the Pack a little, but when you have the best player on the planet then you have the edge.  Don’t sleep on the Falcons or Dolphins to make a deep run though, as both of their offenses have the firepower to hang with either Green Bay or Indy.

Pre-Season Prop Bets


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Super Bowl Odds: Atlanta +3500, Miami +1700
My two Super Bowl picks are sitting at +500 and +700 respectively so the odds are not strong.  I do like my two long shots, especially the Falcons’ odds.

Player with Most Passing Yards: Matt Ryan +700, Tom Brady +3000
I already stated my love for the Falcons this year, and the Brady odds are still out of whack.

Player with Most Receiving Yards: Julio Jones +550, Antonio Brown +500
I feel like it is only going to be one of these two, so then you are getting decent odds.

Player with Most Rushing Yards: Lamar Miller +2000
Jeremy Hill had good odds but he got bet too low.  Miller is worth a flier at twenty to one.

Total Touchdown Passes: Matt Ryan OVER 27.5; Ryan Tannehill OVER 25.5; Sam Bradford OVER 24.5
All three of these totals just feel too low.

Total Receiving Touchdowns: Odell Beckham Jr. OVER 9.5; Jimmy Graham OVER 8.5; Julio Jones OVER 9.5
As the only red-zone threat on each team, I think they each get double digit TD’s.

Thursday Night Pick:

PATRIOTS -7 over Steelers
Brady starts his revenge tour against Goodell.

I will be keeping track of The Opposite Theory again this season.  TOT is when one team is coming off of not covering the spread against another team that did cover the previous week.  It hit at a remarkably high rate last season and I expect it to again.  The basis is that the line is set too far the opposite way due to the public’s recent bias.

Last Season: 122-97-2


The Opposite Theory: 37-19

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