The Titans, who have covered the spread in five straight contests and are a bankroll-building 7-2 ATS this NFL season, are the top consensus pick in Week 10 of the 2021 Bookies Battle. More than 78% of contestants competing for the $3,000 top prize are laying 2.5 points with Tennessee over the visiting Saints.
The Titans were largely written off by some NFL observers when star running back Derrick Henry went down with that could be a season-ending knee injury. Tennessee, as touchdown underdogs, went on to beat the Rams in L.A. last Sunday night, 28-16
The Saints, in their second game since losing QB Jamies Winston for the season, were game in a 27-25 home loss as 6.5-point favorites to the Falcons last week. New Orleans rallied from a 24-6 fourth-quarter deficit to take a 25-24 lead with 1:06 left on the clock, only to be defeated on Younghoe Koo field goal in the closing seconds.
Despite the uncertain status of QB Kyler Murray and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, the Cardinals (-9.5 vs. Panthers) are this week’s second most popular Bookies Battle pick. The line moving in Arizona’s direction to -10.5 on some oddsboards, though, suggests the betting market is confident Murray will be back. Or perhaps it’s just a fade of the reeling Panthers, who just signed Cam Newton and are expected to trot out PJ Walker as their starting QB this week. Carolina has dropped five of its last six, both SU and ATS.
In another matchup surrounded by quarterback uncertainty, nearly 70% of our bookmakers are on the Seahawks catching 4.5 points at the Packers. With news that Russell Wilson is likely back, the line is down to 3.5 at most sportsbooks. We won’t know until Saturday whether Aaron Rodgers will get the greenlight to play after missing last week’s game with a positive COVID test, and SuperBook USA’s Jay Kornegay told Gaming Today’s Rob Miech that the number could settle at 4 should Rodgers be confirmed a go.
Like Seattle, the Lions (+9 at Pittsburgh) and Chargers (-2.5 vs. Minnesota) also garnered 69.7% of contestants’ sentiment.
Here are the top five most popular plays in Week 10 of the Bookies Battle, with contest lines compared to Friday’s market numbers.
| Team | Percentage of picks | Contest line (Tuesday) | Market line (Friday morning) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Titans | 78.8% | -2.5 | +3 (-105) |
| Cardinals | 72.7% | -9.5 | -10.5 |
| Seahawks | 69.7% | +4.5 | +3.5 (-115) |
| Chargers | 69.7% | -2.5 | -7 (-115) |
| Lions | 69.7% | +9 | +8.5 |
Duel At The Top
At the midpoint of the 2021 NFL regular season, Nick Smith (Snoqualmie Casino Sportsbook) and Mike Lewis (Suncoast Hotel & Casino) are neck-and-neck for the lead, each with 80 winners on the year. Mike’s 9-7 record in Week 9 was enough to draw even with Nick, who went 8-6.
While contestants were chalk-heavy last week, and consensus picks went 5-9, two bookmakers tallied 10 winners — Bert Cirincione (Green Valley Ranch) and Chuck Karas (The Brook in New Hampshire).
That gave Bert 79 winners for the season, and he’s alone in third place. There’s a three-game gap between Cirincione and fourth-place Max Schmerin (Rivers Pittsburgh).
Check out the full standings here.
Also read: Early NFL Week 10 action | Week 10 totals | Updated Super Bowl odds | NFL MVP odds
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