In the prop-incentive world, NFL Week 2 is underway. The kickoff, figuratively speaking, is already in the air.
Odds boosts and game parlays are up regarding “Thursday Night Football’s” Cleveland Browns–Cincinnati Bengals tilt. More bells and whistles for weekend action will occur as that game concludes.
And there’s already been an official “upon further review” of a Week 1 game, prompting a Good Karma payout.
Here are Thursday odds boosts, plus a few quick picks for your NFL Week 2 bets.
FanDuel odds boost on Bengals-Browns total
FanDuel Sportsbook dangles the allure of offense for the Week 2 opener.
It has boosted the payout for the Bengals vs. Browns game from +120 to +170 if the game hits 48 points. This is quite a choice for the bettor, as the over-under set for the game is 43.
The normal prop is -110. For five more points, it shoots up dramatically.
That’s quite a bump. The over has basically gone to roughly 9-5 odds. The maximum bet is $50.
This may prompt bettors to piggyback the odds boost bet atop the regular over-under wager. One might play the regular total prop at 43 points, take a second wager with the odds boost, and reap the rewards if the game is high scoring.
Even if it lands between 43 and 48, you get a split.
Not sure what to do for NFL Week 2? Check out my tips and pointers below:
DraftKings and ‘Thursday Night Football’
DraftKings Sportsbook has a few strong ones for the “Thursday Night Football” game.
- Odell Beckham and A.J. Green to combine for over 120.5 yards has been hiked from +100 to +115. How times have changed. You used to expect that from EACH guy.
- An unlikely Bengals win in a shootout will be rewarded handsomely. Cincinnati to win and the game to reach 47 points has been elevated dramatically, to +570.
- Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and the Browns’ Baker Mayfield to hit for at least four touchdown passes combined was boosted from +155 to +175.
At first glance, that last one is a no-brainer over, just like Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson supposedly was at 4.5 last Thursday night.
But it didn’t happen. The number landed on 4. You can get surprised down near the goal line with play selection. Regarding this prop, Burrow ran for a touchdown last week and Mayfield threw one scoring pass.
Fox Bet: Nick Chubb, AJ Green, Joe Mixon odds boosts
Fox Bet NJ gives you a choice of two prominent players amid its odds boost package.
Will Cleveland running back Nick Chubb OR Cincinnati receiver A.J. Green tally a fourth-quarter touchdown? That’s gone from +270 to +320.
This scenario entices a bettor believing Cleveland would have a comfortable late lead. In that view, Cleveland would be running the clock with Chubb, and Cincinnati would be trying to catch up through the air with Green.
The combined rushing total of Chubb and Joe Mixon of Cincinnati for 165 yards has been pushed from +110 to +130. This is tantalizing because Mixon is the lead back for Cincinnati, and Chubb splits time with Kareem Hunt.
For sake of reference, Chubb and Mixon combined for 129 yards in Sunday’s games. The premium baked into this prop is that neither team will be way behind, the running games will be more significant and somehow these backs can combine for 36 more yards.
Here’s one for bettors who want action riding until the final play. Pick the final score of Cleveland 21, Cincinnati 17, and it goes from +8000 to +10000, or essentially 100-1. You should get a huge price for nailing an exact score like that.
BetMGM and NFL parlays
The BetMGM app has an enticing group of NFL parlays that are both thought provoking and wager inducing.
Parlay 1: Chubb and Hunt are the backfield tandem for the Browns. Will they each rush for 50 yards in this contest? It pays +150.
This is intriguing because Chubb had been the Cleveland Browns’ workhorse, but Hunt gained increasingly more carries throughout the 2019 season. This is now a backfield tandem. There may not be enough opportunities for both players to be happy.
But 50 yards each? One would think so, unless the team fell behind and needed to pass, which the Browns did in Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens. Chubb had 10 carries for 60 yards. Hunt had 13 for 72.
Parlay 2: Will Mayfield and Burrow combine for two touchdowns apiece and 250 yards? That pays +700.
Interesting one, because Burrow looked unsure of himself on medium-to-deep passes on Sunday. Does his confidence improve against a lesser defense?
Burrow ran for a TD in Sunday’s 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers but did not throw a scoring pass.
Mayfield tossed for one touchdown and 189 yards against the Ravens. Presumably, he can gain an additional 61 yards and perhaps another score to fulfill his end of the parlay. Is Burrow ready? He threw for 193 yards in his first-ever NFL game.
PointsBet and some Good Karma
PointsBet went one step beyond an odds boost this week. It issued a morale boost.
The New Jersey online sportsbook announced a Good Karma Payout for Tennessee Titans bettors after they nipped the Denver Broncos 16-14 on “Monday Night Football.”
Titans field goal kicker Stephen Gostkowski did win the game for them, but he crushed the Titans spread bettors by missing three field goals and an extra point. Ten points off the board.
⚠️KARMA KOMMITTEE ALERT⚠️
Stephen Gostkowski won the game for the Titans…He also crushed Titans Spread Bettors by missing 3 FGs AND an XP! 4 KICKS MISSED!
We are refunding ALL Titans Single Spread Bets (-2.5 or -3) IN FULL! It had to be done! pic.twitter.com/lKOIK4my7T
— PointsBet Sportsbook (@PointsBetUSA) September 15, 2020
The Good Karma Payouts, which offset the effect of bad beats throughout the season, is a genius move. One, players put that money right back into the operation. Two, good karma goodwill lasts a long time.