NFL Preseason Week 2 Betting Picks: Totals Drop in Jacksonville
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NFL preseason Week 2 kicks off with five games Thursday night. Many bettors have already attacked the totals in one of the early Thursday night games. We’ll follow suit as we take a look online sports betting lines for the Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals vs. Washington Redskins.
We’ll provide you with more NFL preseason Week 2 betting picks on Thursday, Friday and Saturday as more information comes out.
This week we can expect starters to have a larger role in NFL preseason Week 2, 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.
Also be sure to read our NFL preseason betting strategy guide to find out why betting during the preseason differs from traditional NFL betting and how to take advantage of the house.
NFL Preseason Week 1 Betting Picks — Philadelphia Eagles vs. Jacksonville Jaguars -3, O/U 35
The Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars were two of the most disappointing teams last week, at least if you were betting on them.
The Jaguars were shut out 29-0 without their starters on the field against the Baltimore Ravens and John Harbaugh. The Eagles didn’t fare much better, going scoreless in the second half and losing 27-10 to the Tennessee Titans.
NFL preseason Week 2 doesn’t appear to be much prettier for either team on the offensive side of the ball.
According to The Athletic’s Phillip Hellman, Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone will continue to be conservative with his team during the preseason. Marrone’s conservative approach is, in part, due to the team already experiencing bad luck with injuries.
“It’s safe to expect minimal involvement for the starters Thursday against the Eagles. Marrone seemed to be trying to set that tone yesterday, in part so fans wouldn’t be blindsided,” Hellman said in the comments section of an article breaking down some of those injury concerns.
“We’ll see the starters at some point during the preseason. But it’s going to be much more limited than in previous years, judging by what we’ve heard and seen thus far. “
While this news makes fading Jacksonville sound quite appealing, the Eagles are navigating their fair share of injuries as well.
Carson Wentz is unlikely to play this preseason and his backup Nate Sudfeld went down with a broken wrist against Tennessee after throwing Philadelphia’s lone touchdown. Sudfeld’s injury leaves Cody Kessler and Clayton Thorson taking snaps against Jacksonville.
The pair combined for just 19 passing yards on 15 attempts following Sufeld’s departure.
Nick Foles could see a brief bit of action but, again, Garden Minshew, Alex McGough and Tanner Lee will take the bulk of the snaps. The three combined to complete 10-of-25 passes for 44 yards and two interceptions against Baltimore. The good news for the trio is that Eagles head coach Doug Pederson won’t be taking Week 2 of the preseason as seriously as Harbaugh approached Week 1.
It’d be great if these two teams were playing someone other than each other this week, but we’ll have to wait until next week to fade them. Instead, it’s a great opportunity to bet the Under. I’m confident the earlier you bet it, the better off you’ll be as the line has already dropped from 38 to 35. I hate taking a bad price relative to the opening line, but it’s less concerning in the preseason. I see this falling even more before the teams kick off Thursday night, as some shops already have the total at 34.5.
My Pick: Under 35
NFL Preseason Week 1 Betting Picks — Cincinnati Bengals vs. Washington Redskins -3, O/U 41 (use our PointsBet promo code to get these odds)
The Washington Redskins quarterback competition got off to a sloppy start against the Cleveland Browns. Offseason acquisition Case Keenum was No. 1 on the depth chart Thursday completing only 4-of-9 passes for 60 yards. 46 of those yards came from a touchdown pass as a result of miscommunication between Cleveland’s defensive backs.
The quarterback who was not in the mix last week but is in the mix for the starting job is veteran backup Colt McCoy. McCoy has the edge for the starting job according to Adrian Peterson. McCoy has been sidelined with soreness but still might see snaps. Regardless, expect Keenum to get the start Thursday night against the Bengals.
Andy Dalton started for Cincinnati and led the Bengals to a touchdown-drive while completing 7-of-9 passes for 80 yards. Ryan Finley completed 13-of-18 passes for 109 yards along with a touchdown and interception.
Where the Bengals really struggled against the Chiefs was in their running game. Jordan Ellis, Trayveon Williams and Quinton Flowers combined for 21 yards on 12 carries. Cincinnati will find more success this week with Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard both active, but it’s unclear how many touches they’ll get.
For Washington, Derrius Guice still isn’t cleared for full contact and don’t expect much, if anything, from Adrian Peterson. The Redskins could give Chris Thompson more work this week, which would boost the running game.
This one is tough to call, especially considering the quarterback situation on the Redskins and the running back situation for the Bengals. Jay Gruden is 11-10 ATS in preseason games and the Under has gone 13-8 during that span. There’s hardly anything to go off of for Cincinnati’s new first-year coach Zac Taylor.
I lean towards passing on this game for the reasons above. While I thought the Redskins would have a more dependable QB rotation for preseason betting, last week contradicted that hypothesis. I think the Redskins remain sloppy and the Bengals might get off to a hot start depending on how many snaps Mixon and Bernard get, which is why I’ll be targeting Bengal 1Q or 1H spreads once they’re released closer to kickoff. This bet will only be a fraction of what I have on Under 35 in JAX/PHI.
My Pick: Cincinnati 1Q spread.
Remember to check back Thursday, Friday and Saturday as we break down more NFL preseason Week 2 betting picks for the rest of this week’s games!
Image Credit: USA Today Sports Images