You don't have to wait for the regular season to make money on the NFL! As crazy as it may sound, it can be more profitable to bet on the preseason games. Think about it. It's the only time that head coaches will tell you exactly what they're going to do.
Check out our 4 Preseason best bets for Saturday, August 12 right here. Good luck with all of your bets. Let's cash some tickets!
Colts -5.5 over Bills
The Matt Ryan experiment did not last long as the Colts faltered to 4-12-1 in 2022-2023. The offseason and draft provided Jim Irsay the ability to restock for Shane Steichen. Anthony Richardson was selected as the future franchise QB who will see the field immediately.
JuJu Brents was picked early as well and will be a starter for the defense. Gardner Minshew was signed to give the Colts a solid 2nd stringer. Isaiah McKenzie was also signed and will give Richardson a nice option from the slot receiver spot. In this matchup with the Bills, Minshew will see time, as well as Sam Ehlinger.
The Bills finished a solid 13-3 last season but the finish in the playoffs was superbly disappointing. They were only able to manage 10 points against the Bengals after averaging almost 4 touchdowns per game in the regular season.
Stefon Diggs has been vocal about his frustrations in not getting the job done over the last 2 years and that could provide a fire under the team, or he could be viewed as a cancer.
Over the offseason, Damien Harris was added to replace Devin Singletary while the losses of Isaiah McKenzie and Jamison Crowder may not have been addressed as needed. Kyle Allen and Matt Barkley will be under center for most of this opening preseason game.
Despite the arguing between Jonathon Taylor and Jim Irsay, this Colts team has a lot of good going for it in this game. Both Minshew and Ehlinger are veterans that know their role and will be stable armed. There should be a bunch of looks at running back if JT stays on the PUP list.
There will also be some healthy competition in the defense both on the line and at linebacker with a bunch of rookies looking for a roster spot. The Bills, on the other hand, will likely be relying on Matt Barkley for most of this game and he ha never been the model of consistency.
Titans +3.5 over Bears
The Titans had a rough season last year and finished just 7-10 on the year. It was good to see Derrick Henry come back and run like he had in the past. Ryan Tannehill did not last the entire season due to injury and Malik Willis never seemed to look comfortable running the show.
The draft provided an opportunity for the Titans to get help on the offensive line when they drafted Peter Skoronski and a new backup option when Will Levis free fell to them later in the draft. The biggest move they made, however, was adding DeAndre Hopkins to give Tannehill a true #1 receiver. Levis and Willis will play most of this one at QB and almost the entire defensive 2nd and 3rd team have open competitions for spots across the board.
The Bears found out they have a true franchise QB, or so they think in Justin Fields last season. That said, the Bears still finished a sorry 3-14 on the year. In the offseason, they lost David Montgomery from their backfield but added both D’Onta Foreman and Travis Homer in free agency but rookie Roschon Johnson is likely to be the main backup to Kahili Herbert.
DJ Moore was also added for Fields’s downfield threats and Robert Tonyan will compliment Cole Kmet. PJ Walker could see time under center while Nathan Peterman and Tyson Bagent stand to play the most.
We like the QB battle that is going to play out a bit in this one for Tennessee. Will Levis is going to have a serious chip on his shoulder and will have a chance to eventually take over for Tannehill if he plays well enough.
The Bears will rotate running backs in their run heavy offense here and will have to control the ball in order to pick up this win. We like the Titans defense to step up and hold their run game in check.
Ravens -6 over Eagles
What a season it was for the Eagles last season that ended with a loss in the Super Bowl to their former coach, Andy Reid and the Chiefs. Jalen Hurts took a giant leap forward and looked every bit of an MVP candidate all season. The offense was one of the best in the league and the defense was up there as well.
Miles Sanders was let go and picked up by Carolina and Gardner Minshew left as well. They signed Marcus Mariota for the backup spot to Hurts and D’Andre Swift and Rashaad Penny to help with the loss of Sanders. The backfield should get a good amount of work in this one and the rookies on defense (Jalen Carter & Nolan Smith) could see time.
Baltimore was 10-7 last year with Lamar Jackson playing for a contract. He started out great but in early December his season was ended with a PCL sprain and the team’s season ended in a loss to the Bengals in the playoffs.
Odell Beckham Jr was signed to help Lamar Jackson and Zay Flowers was drafted to do the same. Josh Johnson was also brought in to challenge Tyler Huntley for the backup spot to Jackson. Defensively the Ravens did lose a lot of veteran leadership but brought in a crop of rookies that they hope will step up and fill those gaps.
As much as we love this Eagles team, particularly their defense, we believe the Ravens will have the advantage in this preseason matchup. Tyler Huntley and Josh Johnson provide extremely similar styles of play to Lamar Jackson which should help this offense late into the game. The Eagles have their eyes set on another Super Bowl run and will play this preseason game extremely cautious.
Chargers @ Rams Over 33.5
The Chargers had a very underwhelming season last year. While it was a 3 game over .500 finish, this team aspired to make and win the Super Bowl. Not much changed during the offseason for this squad but that may not be a terrible thing.
Herbert had both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams miss a good chunk of time which caused issues with consistency. Austin Ekeler was off to a slow start but finished strong and looked like a top running back once again. TCU’s Max Duggan should see extensive time under center in this one along with Isaiah Spiller and Larry Rountree III in the backfield.
The Rams looked to be a shell of themselves last season and their 5-12 record exasperated that. They brought in Demarcus Robinson from KC and drafted the back-to-back national champion QB, Stetson Bennett who will serve as Stafford’s backup.
Much like the Chargers, the Rams were riddled with injuries as Kupp was lost early for the season and Stafford was soon to follow. In this matchup, Bennett will get time along with former Boise St star, Brett Rypien.
We like both teams’ options under center in this matchup. There are going to be a plethora of rookies seeing time for both defenses and it is our hope that the QBs find ways to take advantage of this scenario. It would be really nice to see a higher scoring game in this evening start time.
