The Los Angeles Chargers, 1-point home underdogs against the Cleveland Browns, are the Week 5 pick of more than 85% of Bookies Battle contestants, easily the highest percentage any team has garnered so far this season.
While both AFC contenders are off to impressive 3-1 starts, the betting line has jumped the fence since opening numbers were posted, as the Chargers are between -2- and -2.5 on oddsboards Friday morning. The huge majority of bookmakers in our contest is on pace for solid closing-line value with this selection.
Cowboys -7 (vs. Giants) is the second most popular contest pick this week. Two days before kickoff of this NFC East rivalry game, the line sits exactly at touchdown, but the +7.5s available earlier in the week were of interest to sharp bettors.
Week 5 got off to a nice start for the 71% of contestants who laid 1.5 points with the Rams on Thursday night in Seattle, as L.A. prevailed 26-17 in a lower-scoring game than most expected.
Panthers -3.5 (vs. Eagles) and Titans -4 (at Jaguars) round out the five most popular Bookies Battle picks for Week 5. Here’s how the contest lines for these selections match up against the current market number.
| Team | Percentage of picks | Contest line (Tuesday) | Market line (Friday morning) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 85.71% | +1 | -2.5 |
| Cowboys | 73.81% | -7 | -7 |
| Rams | 71.43% | -1.5 | -2.5 (closed) |
| Panthers | 69.05% | -3.5 | -3 |
| Titans | 69.05% | -4 | -4.5 |
Nice Week For Popular Plays
Week 4 was a solid one for the most popular selections, as the top five picks among our bookmakers went 4-1. While the Chiefs -6.5 (at Eagles), Cardinals +6 (at Rams), Ravens +1 (at Broncos), and Packers -7 (vs. Steelers) all delivered, the Bucs’ 19-17 win at the Patriots on Sunday night wasn’t enough to cover the 6.5-point spread.
Overall, consensus picks went 8-8 last week.
While he cooled down after three consecutive weeks with 11 winners, Mike Lewis from Suncoast Hotel and Casino continues to lead the way in the standings. Including his Thursday night Rams pick, Lewis is 42-21 on the season, five games ahead of Michael Smoller (Wildfire Casino) and Atif Chaudry (Meadows). There’s a three-way tie for third, with Duane Colucci (Rampart), Max Schmerin (Rivers), and Nick Smith (Snoqualmie) with 36 winners apiece.
Check out the full standings here.
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