Thursday Night Football is right around the corner and this week, it is the Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New Orleans Saints. Football bettors will likely be looking to start Week 7 off with a win.
What is the best way to secure an early win this week? Here are some of the best bets from this Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New Orleans Saints matchup.
Under 40
At the time of writing, most sportsbooks have the over/under listed at 40 for this game. One of the best bets in this game is to bet Under 40.
Why is this? For starters, the New Orleans Saints are great in these spots. Every game they have played this season has gone under the projected point total.
It also helps that Trevor Lawrence’s status for the game is up in the air. Lawrence suffered a knee injury during the Week 6 win against the Indianapolis Colts.
While there are more positive signs that he will play in this game, that does not mean that he will be 100%. If Lawrence even plays in this game, it will be likely that he is more limited and more cautious.When you combine these two factors, the Under looks like the best play available in this game.
Jacksonville Jaguars (+100)
Normally, I stay away from money lines in NFL games unless I am picking an upset. However, in this situation, the moneyline is more attractive than the spread.
That is because you are not gaining much value by going with this spread. The Jaguars are currently 1-point underdogs. Since one point does not give you much of a buffer, it makes sense to go with the more rewarding odds.
If you go with the moneyline, you only have to put up $100 to win $100. However, if you want to take the +1 spread, that has -110 odds. So, you have to put up an extra $10 to win the same amount of money.
The question now is why you should back the Jaguars over the Saints. For starters, there is a better chance that Lawrence is going to play in this game. Earlier in the week, the Jaguars were 3-point underdogs when it was more likely that C.J. Beathard would get the nod.
Now, that line has gone down to +1. That should tell you that the sportsbooks believe Lawrence will end up playing.
With Lawrence in the lineup, it creates a mismatch offensively. This year, Jacksonville averages 5.5 more points per game than New Orleans.
Derek Carr has not been the quarterback upgrade that New Orleans was expecting this year. The Saints have only scored more than 20 points in one game this season. The Jaguars have done that in each of their last three games.
I do not expect these trends to end here.
Brandon McManus Over 1.5 Field Goals (-115)
Finally, you may be looking for a good player prop to sprinkle a little money on. Have you thought about betting on a kicker?
This is a great spot to back Brandon McManus going up against this Saints defense. New Orleans only allows 16 points per game. That is sixth in the NFL.
So, you can expect Jacksonville to get stopped by this defense a few times. Ideally, this leads to more field goal attempts.
Another advantage you have with this is that this game is being played indoors. Because of this, there will be no natural elements impacting field goal attempts.
History is on your side with this, considering that McManus has had three field goal attempts in four of his first six games. All he has to do is make two of those to secure this bet for you.
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