NFL Picks Week 8: Opening Odds & Predictions

Join us as we follow the Week 8 NFL odds all the way to kickoff, helping you decide when and where to place your NFL picks.

 

Click here to follow live NFL odds for the entire slate of games for Week 8.

 

NFL Line movement blog update 

Welcome to the final update of Week 8 of the NFL Odds. This is a very unique week, as there are several one-point lines, and several hotly contested matchups. We haven’t seen that much movement in the last 24-48 hours, but let’s take one last look at the lines, and see if the public is having any affect on the movement.

I can almost guarantee that the line between the Packers and Jaguars will move before kickoff, but where is the question I can’t answer. Right now the line sits at -14 ½ in favor of the Packers at home, and if I had to guess, the line is going to go up. However, it was bet down when it got up to -16, so don’t expect it to move too much whichever direction it goes.

I think we can expect the line between the Panthers and Bears to drop from its -9 status. The Panthers’ struggles on offense are going to get better one of these weeks, and while I don’t think they are going to upset one of the best defenses in the NFL on the road this week, they could very well keep it close. Look for this line to drop down to -8 or even -7 ½ before kickoff.

The Falcons are still sitting at +3 road underdogs, and that could have something to do with the big hurricane heading for the east coast. The latest weather reports I’ve heard have the heavier parts of the storm coming closer to Monday, so if you like the Falcons as I do, take them now. I don’t think there is going to be the high winds and heavy rains everyone is expecting by Sunday afternoon.

 

 

Well, we’ve made it through another week, and it’s finally Friday. With only 48 hours left before Sunday’s NFL games, line movement should kick back up, as Joe Public will start to hit the lines any time now. NFL Odds have mostly settled down, but there are some that aren’t wound down yet, and some that will continue to move. There might even be some lines that appear to have settled down, and are just fooling us.

I am still shocked by the rollercoaster movement within the Chargers and Browns spread. After opening at -3 in favor of the road Chargers, the line dropped down to -1 around the middle of the week, but now that we have reached the end of the week, the line is back up around where it opened. I understand that the Browns are better than their record appears, and I know the Chargers’ pass defense is less than admirable. However, I still can’t help the fact that I like the Chargers in this one, especially if Trent Richardson is still banged up.

Find out why the Browns vs. Chargers made it on our Week 8 NFL Fades list.

A line that hasn’t budged all week is the Raiders going into Kansas City to face the Chiefs. Stuck at -1 in favor of the Chiefs all week, I can’t help but also like the slight road underdog in this one. The Chiefs will be starting Brady Quinn, who is a big wildcard, and even though the Chiefs do have a superior defense, this game is definitely going to be close. I see the Raiders putting up a fight, however, I don’t think this line holds too much value either way.

Raiders vs. Chiefs NFL Picks

The Monday Night Football line has settled down to -7 in favor of the road 49ers, but I can see that line moving before Monday night. The Cardinals still have a solid team, and my guess is that this line might shrink before Monday evening. Keep a close eye on it.

How are we betting the total on Monday Night?

 

 

Thursday Night Football is upon us, so that means the official kick off to Week 8 of the NFL is tonight. While we haven’t seen too much movement in the line for this evening, the NFL Odds for this week have been moving a lot. So, let’s take a look at the start of the late week lines, and see if value is emerging or withdrawing.

Read out picks for tonight's game.

Lines for the Packers and Jaguars are out, and as expected, they are some of the biggest lines of the entire NFL season. Early week odds opened around -13, but now, more books have the line at -16 in favor of Green Bay. The Jags are of course dealing with injuries to Maurice Jones-Drew, as well as their quarterback, Blaine Gabbert. While this line is susceptible to teasers in favor of the Jags, this game will most likely have the mercy rule in effect.

Packers vs. Jaguars NFL Picks

Almost all the lines between the Jets and Dolphins have settled down to -1 in favor of the Jets. I called this line dropping throughout the week, and even though you can still find some cases where the Dolphins are still higher underdogs, the money line is going to see the most action in this case, and the best odds you can get on the Dolphins to win is at Bookmaker at +120.

Jets vs. Dolphins NFL Picks

It looks as if action on the Chargers going the other way is finally coming in. I predicted early in the week that this line would go up, but instead it shrunk really fast. However, it is slowly climbing back up to where it opened. It is looking like it is going to settle at -2 ½ in favor of the Chargers on the road.

 

 

The NFL is at the half waypoint, and NFL betting lines are getting sharper and harder. NFL Odds are out almost in their entirety for Week 8, so let’s take a look and see where lines are settling and which ones are moving away from where they started.

As I predicted yesterday, the Bears have settled to a -9 favorite against the Panthers this week from Chicago. With all the problems the Panthers have had this season on both sides of the ball, this game has blow out written all over it. Cam Newton may have been pouting and down on himself now, but this week may bring about a whole new meaning to the word, “distraught.”

It looks as if the line between the Lions and Seahawks has settled to just -1 in favor of the Lions. The Lions’ offense has been bad for the better part of this season, and for a team with little to no defense behind their front four, this spells bad news. Although I’m not sold on the Hawks just yet, this could be a hard week for the Lions.

I was completely wrong about the line between the Chargers and Browns this weekend. After opening as -3 favorites, the Chargers have dropped all the way to -1 favorites. I’m not sure who is betting down the Browns, but whoever you are, if you’re reading this, I would like to let you know that you are insane. The Chargers are the play here; I don’t know what the hell the sharps are thinking on this one. This is one week I just have to side with the public.

Finally, on Monday Night Football, the 49ers look to have settled to a -7 road favorite against the Cardinals this week. After opening at -7 ½, this line has shrunk some, but it hasn’t gone below -6 ½ yet, and I doubt it will.

 

 

Tuesday is here, and we are just 48 hours away from the start of Week 8. NFL Odds are not completely out like they were this time last week, but there are still at least a sample of some of the lines. Let’s see where the lines have moved since yesterday, and see if more value has opened or closed.

It does appear the line for Thursday night is going to stay at -6 ½. After dropping a whole point and a half overnight between Sunday and Monday, it hasn’t budged since yesterday. You might expect it to move a little more before the game, but I doubt it drops more than another point if it does at all. The Vikings and Bucs are both pretty good, so if I had to guess, I think the line will drop after betting on Tampa.

Read Jason Lakes report on this games opening odds. 

As I suspected, almost all the lines between the Jets and Dolphins have dropped to just -1 in favor of the Jets. There are still a few books that have the line at -2 ½, so if you like the Dolphins, which I do, I suggest you jump in now.

I was wrong yesterday when I thought the line between the Browns and Chargers was heading up. Overnight, the line has dropped a half point down to +2 ½ Browns in some cases. With the injury concerns to Trent Richardson, I see no reason why anyone would bet the Browns here. I know they are at home and they have looked ok, but I think the Chargers coming off a bye will win this game rather easily.

Pittsburgh looks to have settled at -5 over the Redskins this weekend, after opening at -4. I think this is a pretty sharp number at this point. This game is going to be very hard to predict, and I don’t have a beat on either of them. I’m staying away, but I’ll take suggestions!

 

 

We have officially met the half way mark in the NFL regular season, and already the first half has been as wild and crazy as ever. This past week, a lot of home teams covered, which has ended up being a slight trend so far this season. So, let’s take a look at the Week 8 NFL betting lines, and see if we think that trend will continue, or start to even out.

Thursday Night Football is once again un-watchable, as the Vikings host the Bucs on a short week. Minnesota is currently favored at -6 ½, after opening at -8. Neither team looked great this past Sunday, as the Vikings won against the Cardinals, and the Bucs lost to the Saints. I understand why the number is moving, but I’m not buying it. A road game in that dome is an environment the Bucs have yet to play in together this season. I’m thinking the line will move back up a bit before Thursday. 

Currently, the only sportsbook that has a line out for the Packers hosting the Jaguars this weekend is BetOnline, and their number sits at -13 in favor of the Packers. I can’t see many scenarios where this line shrinks. Maurice Jones-Drew was carted off the field yesterday, and Blaine Gabbert was hurt in the game as well. Don’t expect many other books to have their line out for a few days. 

The Miami Dolphins travel into New York this weekend to face the Jets, and already that line is moving down after opening to favor the Jets at -2 ½. Now the line sits at -1 ½, and I could definitely see it moving closer to a pick em as the week progresses. I think the Dolphins are a great team to add to your Week 8 NFL picks, and they hold wonderful value if you can continue to get them closer to even money, or even still as an underdog.

The Rams were within ten points of the Packers this past weekend, and now they welcome in another powerhouse, this time in the New England Patriots. The Pats come in after winning but not covering a lofty spread against the Jets, and in this week’s game, the Rams are +7 home underdogs. Much like last week’s line, I expect this one to drop some, but to the degree of the Rams vs. Packers line, probably not. That line shifted multiple points throughout the week. Look for this line to settle somewhere around +6.

One line that I’m particularly interested in is the Eagles hosting the Falcons this week. The battle of the birds should be must see TV, and to my surprise, the Eagles are favored in this game. Both teams had bye weeks in Week 7, but only Philadelphia had a coaching change. The Falcons are +1 on the road, and I’m doing everything in my power not to go lay the house on Atlanta +1. I know about their past road woes, but they have had three road games so far where they have played exceptionally well. I don’t think the streak ends in Philly, especially with all the problems Andy Reid and company have been having.

Dallas is a -1 favorite over the Giants for the NFL’s game of the week. Both teams had solid wins over the weekend, and now get to face off against one another. These two have to be looked at as the slight division favorites so far in the NFC East, so this game should be hotly contested, so look for it not to move an awful lot.