NFL Week 2 Betting Picks: Chargers at Detroit
The Los Angeles Chargers opened as 2.5-point road favorites and the line has not moved even with a majority of bets placed against the Detroit Lions at some online sports betting sites. The total opened at 47 and has only moved a half-point to 47.5 at William Hill sportsbook.
NFL Betting Tip: Remember to use RotoGrinders’ new NFL odds comparison tool to look at NFL Week 2 lines across the online sports betting industry and find out what sportsbook has the best price for your favorite NFL games.
Also check out more NFL Week 2 lines and betting picks.
Now, let’s break down the odds and look at NFL Week 2 bettin picks for the Chargers at Lions.
NFL Betting Picks Week 2 – Los Angeles Chargers -2.5 at Detroit Lions, O/U 47.5
Both the Chargers and the Lions managed to make it to OT in their respective Week 1 matchups. The Chargers blew a 15-point lead halfway through the third quarter before finally winning the game with an Austin Ekeler touchdown in OT, while the Lions blew a 18-point fourth-quarter lead and ended the game in a tie.
With a lot of people watching the Chargers pull out the win, a higher volume of bets had come in on the Chargers before news broke that Hunter Henry suffered a knee injury. The performance by the Lions in the fourth quarter that led to a tie largely put a sour taste in the mouths of Detroit bettors who failed to cover the 2.5 points spread. While the Chargers look like they may be the same team that we saw last year minus Melvin Gordon and Derwin James, Detroit looks to be much improved from last year. In the first game of the year, T.J. Hockenson looked like an absolute beast going for 131 yard and a TD on on 9 targets, and veteran receiver Danny Amendola resembles the promising pass-catcher we saw earlier in his career.
While the Lions managed to blow the lead in this game, Matthew Stafford played well and so did the Lions defense, at least for the first three quarters. Stafford did not throw an interception all game long and the Lions defense managed to sack Kyler Murray five times and force an interception.
The Chargers, on the other hand, showed mediocrity outside of the performances of Ekeler and Keenan Allen. No Chargers wide receiver had more than two catches outside of Allen. On the other side of the ball, the defense had a bad game all around, failing to force a turnover and ending the game with only two sacks against quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
My Pick: While looking at the line, 2.5 points given up for the Chargers may not seem like enough. Most of the early bets were on the Chargers, but the action has neutralized with the news of Henry’s knee injury and a wounded Mike Williams. I thought that this game would move back to +3, but injury news has rained on that parade. The Chargers could be missing up to seven starters, so even at +2.5 I like the Lions to cover. Detroit +2.5 (use our William Hill promo code to get these odds)
NFL Week 2 Betting Picks — Monkey Knife Fight Player Props
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Here are my favorite Monkey Knife Fight props for the San Diego Chargers vs. Detroit Lions:
Over/Under Total Fantasy Points: Over 18.5 Keenan Allen; Over 16.5 Matthew Stafford; Philip Rivers Over 18.5.