Did you really think we’d avoid betting on the NFL preseason? Is it more volatile and riskier than betting on the regular season? Yes. Should you proceed with caution? Without a doubt. Even with those caveats laid out, there’s money to be made, and the preseason provides us with the opportunity to slowly dip our toes back into the NFL betting waters.
Soon enough, we’ll be cannon-balling into the NFL Week 1 slate and be on a mad betting dash throughout the regular season. In the meantime, we’ll do our best to decipher some best bets throughout the exhibition season, beginning with this opening weekend. Below, we’ve highlighted some top bets for the first full slate of preseason games, which begins Thursday night and rolls through Sunday evening.
THURSDAY
Best bet: Colts -3.5 1H (-108) | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook (Right now you can use the latest DraftKings promo code to get over $200 off NFL Sunday Ticket and $200 in bonus bets instantly after your first wager of $5 or more).
The Indianapolis Colts are in a full-fledged quarterback battle between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones. Head coach Shane Steichen told reporters this week that Richardson will get the start in the opener against Baltimore and play for about a quarter and a half. After that, Jones will relieve him and play the remainder of the first half. Both of those quarterbacks will effectively be treating their time on the field like a playoff game with the Week 1 job on the line, which, in theory, gives Indy an advantage over the first two quarters.
It’s also important to note that these two clubs did go through a joint practice earlier this week, which may lead to Baltimore holding out key starters or limiting them to a series. Teams typically value those joint sessions more than the preseason game itself, and John Harbaugh has already informed reporters that Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry will not play in the preseason opener.
Best bet: Bengals 1Q ML (-145) | Odds via Caesars Sportsbook
In an attempt to be better prepared at the start of the regular season, the Cincinnati Bengals are altering their preseason approach this summer. In the past, Zac Taylor would severely limit his starters throughout the exhibition season. For instance, Joe Burrow played a single series and threw just seven total passes during the 2024 preseason. Fast forward to this summer, and Cincinnati is expected to play its starters pretty extensively beginning in the opener against Philadelphia. Specifically, Taylor noted that the Bengals starters — including Burrow — will play “several series” on Thursday and even more in Week 2 against Washington. If Cincinnati is going to fire close to all cylinders offensively, taking it to win the first quarter feels like a strong bet, even though we are laying some juice.
Meanwhile, the same emphasis simply isn’t there for the Eagles, who are coming off a Super Bowl LIX title. While Nick Sirianni hasn’t divulged his plans on what he’ll do with his starters in the preseason opener, it wouldn’t surprise me if he opted for a more cautious approach, giving us a lopsided first quarter and/or half in favor of Cincinnati.
- 10 p.m. ET on NFL Network
Best bet: Raiders -4.5 | Odds via BetMGM
Who doesn’t love a preseason revenge angle? Now leading the Las Vegas Raiders, Pete Carroll is taking on his former Seahawks team in Seattle in the exhibition opener on Thursday. While it’s not as do-or-die as a regular-season game would be, I’d bet if you gave Carroll a drop of truth serum, he’d want to leave his old stomping grounds with a win.
To help with that, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald already indicated that his starters won’t play on Thursday, meaning the likes of Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and others will likely be mere spectators.
On the other side, Carroll said this week, “Everybody’s live. Everybody’s ready to go.” That doesn’t guarantee that Geno Smith and other bona fide starters will play, but it’s encouraging. That should result in Las Vegas pulling this out and clearing the 4.5-point spread.
FRIDAY
Best bet: Lions ML (-190) | Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
I like the fact that Detroit has already played a preseason game. Its players are already in the swing of suiting up and playing in a game, unlike the Falcons. I don’t like the fact that Detroit’s quarterbacks threw three interceptions in a loss where it posted just seven points, but I’m not sure it’ll translate into this matchup against Atlanta.
While Kyle Allen and Hendon Hooker left little to be desired, they won’t be going toe-to-toe with Michael Penix Jr. or Kirk Cousins, as Falcons head coach Raheem Morris indicated this week that those quarterbacks are not expected to play Friday night. That leaves Easton Stick and Emory Jones as the lone signal-callers, which isn’t an inspiring duo.
SATURDAY
Best bet: Cowboys -2.5 (-105) | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
The Rams and Cowboys are another set of teams that went through a joint practice this week, which could result in a lot of starters being held out of Saturday’s exhibition. Already, Sean McVay has been one to limit his starters in the preseason, and it seems like backup Jimmy Garoppolo — who has been holding down the fort with Matthew Stafford sidelined — will be held out throughout the summer. That means Stetson Bennett should see the bulk of the work within Los Angeles’ offense. Since 2021, McVay’s Rams are 3-9 in the preseason.
On the other side, it remains to be seen if Dak Prescott will see any time this preseason. Even if he is put on the shelf,, Joe Milton III and Will Grier are both capable of leading Dallas to a win. Meanwhile, the Cowboys also have a rookie running back, Jaydon Blue, looking to climb the depth chart and certainly look to use whatever opportunity he gets in the exhibition to further state his case.