NFL Week 6 Betting Trends: Bengals, Bucs, Panthers, Jets Draw Early Money

The lightly-favored Cincinnati Bengals are projected to right themselves against the host New Orleans Saints.

The heavy-chalk Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to bludgeon the host Pittsburgh Steelers.

The week’s biggest underdog, the Carolina Panthers, are anticipated to perform well for a new field boss against the host Los Angeles Rams.

And the visiting New York Jets are backed to cover the number against the host Green Bay Packers as a one-touchdown underdog.

These are some of the early conclusions reached by nationwide DraftKings bettors for NFL Week 6, according to betting trends spotted at the sportsbook.

Early NFL Week 6 Betting Action

The Bengals, who lost a 19-17 heartbreaker to the Baltimore Ravens Sunday night, received a book-high 94% of the handle at -2 for their game in New Orleans.

The Jets, who thumped the Miami Dolphins 40-17 last week, nailed 69% of the early handle for their trip to Lambeau.

Tampa Bay, despite its offensive struggles, obtained 79% of the initial handle at a substantial -8.5. Bettors also backed the Over 43.5 at 64%, partly based on gamblers’ expectation for the Tampa Bay offense to break out. The Steelers, behind rookie QB Kenny Pickett, were humbled 38-3 by the Buffalo Bills last week.

The Panthers, who fired Matt Rhule on Monday and replaced him with interim coach Steve Wilks, have 70% of the handle at +10.5 at the Rams.

Public Bettors Split on Bills-Chiefs, Cowboys-Eagles

Two consecutive Sunday games in isolated spots will likely produce the largest Week 5 handle.

In the late-afternoon Sunday window, the Buffalo Bills hover between -3 and -2.5 against the host Kansas City Chiefs, with public sentiment split.

The line opened at Buffalo -3 at DraftKings, before Buffalo support pushed the number down. Buffalo held 59% handle and the Over 54 seized 78% of the handle. Bettors may be divided on the outcome, but they are united in the expectation of high scoring.

The Philadelphia Eagles opened at -5.5 against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, but that line had been curbed to -4.5 early Wednesday. The Eagles have 61% of the handle.

On the rise: Cowboys on their way up Super Bowl oddsboards

NFL Week 6 Totals

Biggest Week 6 Over: Gamblers put 90% handle on Giants vs. Ravens to exceed 45 points.

Biggest Under: The Los Angeles Chargers and offensively-challenged Denver Broncos show 94% handle on Under 45.5 ahead of their Monday night clash.

Underdogs Helping the Sportsbooks

Two factors working together create a nice formula for sportsbooks early in the season.

One, the underdogs are 46-31-3 against the spread. That has worked out for them because the public likes to bet favorites.

Second, dog bettors take a stab at significant moneyline prices.

Some do win, like the New York Giants at +300 at DraftKings for Sunday’s 27-22 upset against the Green Bay Packers.

But the book was happy to pay the smaller percentage of players who took that and pocket the substantial Green Bay moneyline bets, which anchored numerous multi-legged parlays.

In Week 5, DraftKings got a good sample of its ideal double-dip: six dogs who covered the spread without winning outright.

• The Raiders (-6.5) lost to the Chiefs 30-29.
• The Cleveland Browns (+2.5) were dropped by the Chargers 30-28.
• The Bengals (+3) covered against the Ravens, but fell 19-17.
• The Arizona Cardinals (+5.5) paid off against the Eagles in a 20-17 defeat.
• The Chicago Bears (+7.5) squeezed home against the Minnesota Vikings, losing 29-22.
• The Atlanta Falcons (+10.5) paid their spread bettors, but lost to the Buccaneers, 21-15.

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Division Betting Breakdown

Gamblers have a fertile target in division races. Teams obtain attractive value after a loss, and bettors who pull the trigger in those situations may be handsomely rewarded.

Week 5 action brought updates to the futures odds at DraftKings within several divisions.

The Justin Tucker game-winning field goal for the Ravens made them a solid AFC North favorite and opened a buy-on-the-dip opportunity for Bengals backers.

The Ravens are the -125 chalk with 55% of the betting handle. The Bengals are second at +250 with 31% of the handle. Had Tucker’s field goal missed, the teams would likely have flip-flopped positions with the bettors.

Cleveland is +400 for third with only 3% of the handle.

In the AFC East, the Buffalo Bills are a prohibitive -650 chalk.

The AFC South looks like a betting dogfight. The Colts at +160 have 45% of the handle. The Jaguars are +250 with 36% of the handle and the Titans are the slight chalk at +150 with 14% handle.

The Chiefs are the -225 chalk in the AFC West and commandeer of 54% of the handle. Second is the Chargers at +250 and 26%.

The NFC East has an intriguing before-after proposition regarding the Eagles and Cowboys.

Philadelphia holds down the -330 chalk position with 75% of the handle before hosting Dallas in Week 6. Cowboys bettors observe an excellent buying opportunity if they think this is the team to win Sunday night.

The Cowboys are +310 with 12% of the handle.

Odds will plummet dramatically if the Cowboys upset the Eagles on Sunday night.

Should the Cowboys prevail, any bettors who took them at +1000 division odds after Dak Prescott’s Week 1 injury will be sitting on an excellent price.

The Giants remain a good value at +1200 with 10% of the handle.

In the NFC North, the Packers, in a site rarely seen, are no longer the chalk.

The Vikings at -135 command 48% of the handle while The Pack stands at +130 with 33% of the handle. Green Bay’s upset loss to the Giants make the team appear far less formidable than in recent years.

Tampa Bay rules the NFC South roost with 54% of the handle at a price of -650.

New Orleans has 34% of the money at +900.

The NFC West figures to have price fluctuations all year.

San Francisco now stands at -180 with 20% of the handle, as its league-leading defense and methodical offense remind people of their late regular-season and playoff run last year.

The Rams, beaten by the Cowboys, are +200 and have 69% of the handle. For backers of the Rams, this team is on sale for division honors. And based on this handle, the public is buying into them.

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Other Numbers for Bettors to Look at

The Steelers notched seven sacks in their season-opening 23-20 triumph over the Bengals. They only have three since.

What happened?

Attribute that to the loss of T.J. Watt, who left the Week 1 game late with a pectoral injury and hasn’t played since.

This is why one would suspect that the Steelers games would be going Over. But the Steelers offense has been poor, and no Steelers game has finished above 46 points this year.

Irony: the Steelers don’t have a touchdown reception from a wide receiver. But the New York Jets have one from their quarterback.

Zach Wilson hauled in a pass via the Philly Special route when the Jets played the Steelers in Week 4.

Can Philly run the table: Odds for Eagles to go undefeated

Bettors Hitting the Winner’s Circle at DraftKings

Here’s a look at a couple of nice scores on two different betting levels.

$100 Bet, Big Win on Same Game Parlay

A bettor placed a $100 SGP that paid out $35,100. Below are the winning legs from the Bills-Steelers game.

• Gabriel Davis – Anytime Touchdown Scorer
• Stefon Diggs Receiving Yards – Over 84.5
• Stefon Diggs – Anytime Touchdown Scorer
• Josh Allen Passing Yards – Over 279.5
• Gabriel Davis Receiving Yards – Over 69.5
• Total Points – Under 46.5
• BUF Bills Total Points – Over 34.5

Talk about walking a tightrope.

The bettor needed to get all of this offense and stuff it inside of 46.5 points, but that’s what happened.

Davis had his yardage and a score on the game’s third play from scrimmage, a 98-yard hookup with Bills quarterback Josh Allen.

The bettor received a break in that Allen had more than 300 yards and Buffalo held a 31-3 lead by halftime, because the Bills took their foot off the pedal in the second half.

The Steelers contributed with an end zone pick that would have made this bet a loser.

The Economy Package

This parlay turned a $5 bet into a $7,219.70 payout by combining team totals with spreads/moneylines across 9 different games:

• NY Giants +8.5
• GB Packers Over 20.5 Total Points
• NY Jets +3.5
• NY Jets Over 17.5 Total Points
• NE Patriots -3.5
• NE Patriots Over 20.5 Total Points
• TB Buccaneers Moneyline
• ATL Falcons Over 14.5 Total Points
• TEN Titans Moneyline
• TEN Titans Over 17.5 Total Points
• CLE Browns +2.5
• CLE Browns Over 17.5 Total Points
• NO Saints Moneyline
• NO Saints Over 20.5 Total Points
• MIN Vikings Moneyline
• CHI Bears Over 16.5 Total Points
• Stefon Diggs Anytime TD Scorer
• PIT Steelers @ BUF Bills Over 39.5

No sweat … except for Tennessee having to stop Washington from the 2-yard line on the next-to-final play to preserve a 21-17 victory.
One snap of the ball, seven grand on the line. That’s pressure.

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