Millions of us enjoy betting on NFL games, but maybe you’ve wondered sometimes about the different ways of doing this. The moneyline betting on the outright winner is a popular way of gambling on NFL games but dig more deeply and we see how you can also bet on what individual players do on the field of play in each game.
What Are Prop Bets?
Prop bets are NFL gambling options that let bet on something specific in the game. Team props cover areas like which of the teams scores first, how many TDs a team gets, or how many points they rack up. If you’ve got a good nose for how a game is going to work out, team props let you drill down on the details and place more specific wagers than the general moneyline bet allows.
You might see game props listed too. These are typically wagers that cover both teams’ possibilities of doing something specific like crashing into the game’s first sack or the total number of first downs achieved. They are good fun wagers, but they also give you a chance to put your football knowledge into practice as you try to win some money with a smart bet.
Some of the Most Common Player Props
Team props are similar to team and game props, but they focus on individual players. This means we’re looking at areas such as the number of passing touchdowns or total passing yards achieved by one of the quarterbacks. This is often expressed in terms of over/under totals, so instead of choosing an exact number you’re just picking one of the two options on display.
While QBs are particularly prominent in player props, you’ll find players in other positions listed too. A good example comes with the speedy running backs, as you can make your bet on exactly how many rushing yards your chosen RB makes during the game.
What if you enjoy analyzing the performances of the wide receivers? In this case, you can check out the latest odds for the number of receiving yards that are racked up. This is an example of the kind of player prop when having extensive knowledge of the two teams and their tactics can be incredibly useful, while other fans simply bet on their favorite players without analyzing things so deeply.
A Look at Some Upcoming Football Games
Is the time right to make your first player prop bet? At the time of writing this short guide, the NFL has just started and we’ve already seen some spectacular performances as well as a few surprise results that have blown the race to the Super Bowl wide open. Therefore, it feels like a great moment to take a deep breath, take a step back from the action and see what some of the upcoming football games offer in terms of player props.
Player prop bets are updated constantly, so the odds you find will vary from those we came across when writing this. This means that you should just look at this as a general guide to get you started rather than a guide to specific odds. By checking and following the football betting odds, you can find out exactly how much you could win by getting a particular bet at any time. Just put the wager amount in the bet slip and you’ll see the potential return right away.
What game should we focus on to find interesting odds? Well, the Minnesota Vikings are going to be taking on the Philadelphia Eagles soon, and we checked out the QB player props. Jalen Hurt’s passing yards bets are based on him going under or over 248.5, with both bets at odds of -115. If you prefer to bet on how many yards Kirk Cousins passes, you’ll get the same odds with under/over totals of 261.5 yards.
We then took a look at the receiving props and found the likes of A.J Brown (over/ under 73.5 yards at -115), Alexander Mattison (15.5 yards at -110 for under and -120 for over), and Dallas Goedert (43-5 yards with odds of -130 for over and evens for under this figure).
How to Choose Your Play Prop Bets Wisely
What about if you decide to bet on the players, you most enjoy watching and the team you support? This is a perfectly valid option and just involves looking at their upcoming games to decide which prop is best to choose. In fact, there are a few different ways of approaching this way of betting for you to consider as part of your overall NFL betting strategy.
As for approach number two, if you want to look more in-depth at the next batch of player props, you’ll find a huge amount of analysis online. You could literally spend the full week between one game and the next just researching the latest data and crunching numbers. For most people, it’s a question of finding the right balance between these approaches, with everyone needing to take the time to consider exactly how much effort they want to put into making their choices.
You can now feel more confident about looking at the latest player’s prop bets and making a wager. It’s easy to see why these bets are so popular as they offer a relatively simple way of gambling that adds an extra layer of pleasure and anticipation as you watch the game.