NFL Preseason Week 2 Betting Picks: 49ers vs. Broncos
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We’re nearly to the third week of the NFL preseason, but we have one more NFL preseason Week 2 betting pick to make as the San Francisco 49ers take on the Denver Broncos Monday night.
NFL preseason Week 3 betting should be a bit more eventful with coaches giving their starters a significant bump in playing time.
As for tonight, you can expect starters to have a larger role in NFL preseason Week 2 than they did Week 1, as Chris Gimino points in his Introduction to NFL Preseason DFS and Strategy:
Week 2: Starters play a more substantial volume, but still give way to the deeper roster positions somewhere between one quarter and one half into the game.
Now, let’s take a look at the online sports betting lines and NFL preseason Week 2 betting picks for Monday night.
Be sure to read our NFL preseason betting strategy guide to find out why betting during the preseason differs from making traditional NFL betting picks and how to take advantage of the house.
NFL Preseason Week 1 Betting Picks — San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos -1.5, O/U 41
The San Francisco 49ers started their NFL preseason off with a 17-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys, making Kyle Shanahan 4-4-1 ATS in the preseason. Broncos head coach Vic Fangio is 1-1 ATS after a 14-22 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Here are the key betting storylines for the Monday night matchup between the two teams.
Joint Practices
The 49ers and the Broncos shared joint practices throughout the weekend. Typically, that means you can expect less from starters in the game than you usually would.
Friday wasn’t a particularly impressive day for either offense, reports Broncos beat writer Jeff Legwold
Legold points out that both offenses play similar schemes, stemming from Mike Shanahan’s playbook, so the defenses were familiar with what was in front of them.
In fact, Broncos offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello was the 49ers quarterbacks coach last year.
On the one hand, this familiarity might be a good reason to consider Under 41 points Monday night. On the other hand, we’ll likely see less from starters and a lot more from reserves. It was probably the starters’ familiarity that helped the defenses dominate in the joint sessions.
What to Expect from the Broncos
Starting quarterback Joe Flacco completed 3-of-4 passes in Week 1, while rookie Drew Lock saw the majority snaps. Lock completed 17-of-28 passes for 180 yards, a touchdown and an interception. One thing Lock will need to be mindful of going forward is his presence in the pocket. Lock took three sacks for 20 yards last week.
We saw a brief glimpse of Kevin Hogan, who went an ugly 3-for-7.
Speaking to the media on Saturday, Fangio said Broncos starters will play more than they have in the first two preseason games, “but how much, we’ll see.”
In the joint practice, Flacco threw a pick-six to 49ers Tarvarius Moore.
While we can expect a little more from Flacco and the starting group, Fangio was coy when it came to the backup rotation.
What to Expect from the 49ers
Shanahan said that the starting offense, including quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, will get playing time this week, but it’s unclear how much time they’ll see.
Monday night will be Garoppolo’s first taste of action since tearing his ACL in week 3 of the 2018-19 regular season. Garoppolo, who has started only 10 games in five regular-seasons, has struggled against the 49ers defense during training camp, but the 49ers defense is expected to be much improved according to GM John Lynch.
Still, three interceptions on five consecutive passes against the 49ers secondary last week is a bit concerning. The 49ers have a competitive race for rosters spots within their receiving corps, but Shanahan will probably use week 3 of the preseason to give Garoppolo extended time with his receivers.
Once Garoppolo plays a couple of series, it’s CJ Beathard and Nick Mullens running the offense. Both quarterbacks gained starting experience following Garoppolo’s injury last year.
They looked fine against the Dallas Cowboys, combining to complete 24-of-34 passes for 245 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. The 49ers will continue to use the preseason to display both quarterbacks as possible trade bait.
Best Pick
I’m buying the narrative from the joint practice sessions. I hope the lackluster offense continues as I bet Under 41. Additionally, the 49ers have the edge when it comes to backup quarterbacks and receivers, so I’ll take 49ers +1.5.
My Picks: Under 41; 49ers +1.5 (use our William Hill promo code to get these odds)
Image Credit: USA Today Sports Images