NFL Week 5 Odds: 5 best bets against the spread
By Brad Rowland
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3) over Jacksonville Jaguars
This one is simple. I think Tampa Bay is better than Jacksonville.
The Bucs are laying three points in a home game, and the early returns indicate that the public (nearly 70% of the action according to Vegas Insider) actually backs the Jaguars on the road. That is an overreaction based on the ineptitude of Jameis Winston and the Bucs offense in my opinion, and while it probably won’t be pretty, Tampa Bay is the more talented team from top to bottom.
Lastly, do you really want Blake Bortles on the road with a field goal or less? Not me.
Philadelphia Eagles (-4.5) over New Orleans Saints
“Two favorites in one column?!”
That is a perfectly reasonable response given that, well, I never give out favorites in this space. However, both plays are of the “fade the public” variety, and that makes them fit the bill.
No one likes the Eagles right now, as the world has turned on Chip Kelly and Sam Bradford as a tandem. That line of thinking is backed up by the fact that more than two-thirds of the action (via Vegas Insider) is on the Saints as an underdog. Still, the line has actually crept up by a half-point in most places after it opened at four points, and that is almost always a strong indicator that the wise guys like the other side.
Make no mistake, I am not comfortable laying more than a field goal with the current version of the Eagles, but at some point, talent wins out and New Orleans is simply being overvalued after their “big” win on Sunday night. This isn’t a good football team, and Philly gets right with a big win here.
Next: Cardinals-Lions and 49ers-Giants