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If you’re looking to combine sports betting and DFS, DraftKings’ Sportsbook Pools might be for you. It combines your knowledge of sports betting with the upside of a DFS-style prize pool.
There is a free 10K Sportsbook Pool for NFL Week 2. You have to pick each of the 14 games on Sunday against the spread, and the higher you finish on the leaderboard, the more money you earn.
Let’s take a look at all 14 contests slated for Sunday, including my five personal favorites.
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San Francisco 49ers (-4.5) @ Philadelphia Eagles
The Pick: Eagles +4.5
The Eagles are one of the preferred targets for the sharps this week. They’ve received just 35% of the spread tickets, but those bets have accounted for 75% of the spread dollars. That means that the big money wagers – which tend to come from professional bettors – are siding with the Eagles.
That’s caused the spread to drop to Eagles +3 on DraftKings Sportsbook, but we can still grab them at +4.5 in this Sportsbook Pool. That’s a good bit of value, giving us wins on the key numbers of three and four.
The Eagles were extremely impressive in Week 1, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. They limited the Falcons to just six points, and the Falcons typically have a solid offense. Maybe that will change without Julio Jones this season, but it’s also possible that the Eagles are better than originally thought on that side of the ball.
New England Patriots (-3.5) @ New York Jets
The Pick: Patriots -3.5
Everyone and their mother are lining up to hammer the Patriots this week. They’ve received over 80% of the spread tickets and bets against the Jets, and the line has risen to Patriots -6 as a result.
We can still grab them as 3.5-point favorites in this Sportsbook Pool, and it’s hard to pass up that kind of value. The Jets have some serious problems on their offensive line at the moment. Zach Wilson was pressured on more than 50% of his drop backs last week, and now the team is playing without their best offensive lineman in Mekhi Becton. Wilson will likely be running for his life once again vs. the Patriots, and if the offense can’t generate any points, the defense is not good enough to win games for the Jets.
Los Angeles Rams (-3.5) @ Indianapolis Colts
The Pick: Colts +3.5
This is the classic Week 1 overreaction spot. The Rams looked great against the Bears, while the Colts were throttled at home by the Seahawks. That’s caused this line to become inflated. The Rams were listed as just 1.5-point favorites on the advanced line, but they’re now listed as 3.5-point road favorites.
Nothing about these teams has fundamentally changed after one week. The Rams are still NFC Super Bowl contenders, but dominating against the Bears doesn’t mean they’re better than we originally thought. The same goes for the Colts. Losing one game doesn’t mean their season is over. Every team is going to have poor games, the Colts just happened to have one in the first week of the season.
One thing to monitor here is the injury report. The Colts have listed Quenton Nelson, Eric Fisher and Kwity Paye as questionable, and Xavier Rhodes will miss his second-straight game. If the Colts’ offensive line is undermanned, I would likely have to change my pick to the Rams. Otherwise, I think this is a good spot for some positive regression.
Minnesota Vikings @ Arizona Cardinals (-2.5)
The Pick: Cardinals -2.5
The Cardinals were one of my favorite teams coming into this season, and they looked the part against the Titans. Their pass rush was absolutely ferocious, led by Chandler Jones. He racked up five sacks, and the team finished with six sacks overall.
The offense is also poised to take a step forward this year. Larry Fitzgerald is one of the best receivers in history, but he had been a subpar fit in Kliff Kingsbury’s spread offense the past two years. Replacing him with Rondale Moore should push this unit to another level, and they put that on display last week. They could have a field day against the Vikings, who have already ruled out Everson Griffen and Anthony Barr and have listed Eric Kendricks as questionable.
This might be our last chance to buy the Cardinals before the public catches on to how good this team is.
Kansas City Chiefs (-1.5) @ Baltimore Ravens
The Pick: Chiefs -1.5
We’ve seen this game the past two seasons, so I feel like I already know how it plays out. The Ravens will try to establish the run and control the clock, but the Chiefs have held up surprisingly well against the Ravens’ ground game the past two years. When that happens, Lamar Jackson has not proven that he can keep up with Patrick Mahomes through the air. The only way to beat the Chiefs is to put 30+ points on the scoreboard, and even that isn’t enough most of the time. I don’t think the Ravens can do that.
Additionally, betting on Mahomes as a small favorite has historically been money in the bank. He owns a career mark of 13-7 against the spread when favored by a touchdown or less during the regular season.
Finally, this line has jumped to Chiefs -3.5 on DraftKings Sportsbook, but we can still grab them as 1.5-point favorites in this pool. That makes them a clear choice.
Remaining Games
Here’s who I’m targeting for the rest of the Sunday games. Remember, we’re looking to beat the competition and climb up the leaderboard, so I’ll be looking to gain leverage on the field and fade the public in situations where I don’t see a huge edge on the spread.
Buffalo Bills (-2.5) @ Miami Dolphins
Pick: Dolphins +2.5
Denver Broncos (-2.5) @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Pick: Broncos -2.5
Cincinnati Bengals @ Chicago Bears (-4.5)
Pick: Bengals +4.5
Houston Texans @ Cleveland Browns (-12.5)
Pick: Texans +12.5
Las Vegas Raiders @ Pittsburgh Steelers (-5.5)
Pick: Steelers -5.5
New Orleans Saints (-2.5) @ Carolina Panthers
Pick: Panthers +2.5
Tennessee Titans @ Seattle Seahawks (-3.5)
Pick: Seahawks -3.5
Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-7.5)
Pick: Buccaneers -7.5
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