NFL Preseason Week 4 Must-Bet Games

NFL betting for the last week of the preseason is tricky, because you can’t expect to see much of the starting units for each team. Most coaches want to keep their first groups healthy, so you’ll often see a lot of reserves. This doesn’t mean that the games won’t be competitive, because what you’re seeing are people fighting for those last roster spots, trying to cling to the bottom of the depth chart. But it does mean that you can get a lot of unpredictability. Expect lines to stay tight, with the home team getting a slight edge in many cases, unless there is a clear talent gap. Take a look at some of our most promising matchups from the NFL preseason Week 4 finales.

NFL Preseason Week 4 Must-Bet Games

Top 5 NFL wide receivers in 2017 (via @PSchrags) 1. Julio Jones 2. Antonio Brown 3. Odell Beckham Jr 4. Mike Evans 5. Jordy Nelson pic.twitter.com/f4cmmn7hc7

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) August 23, 2017

Thursday, August 31

Jacksonville at Atlanta (7:00pm ET)

Will Matt Ryan and Julio Jones even step onto the playing field for the Falcons? If their Week 3 rehearsal goes well, I’d doubt it, as the Falcons will likely feel that they are ready for Week 1 with their starters. Jacksonville, meanwhile, has an open quarterback battle between Blake Bortles and Chad Henne — with Henne apparently on the winning side. So you could see the very best effort from both quarterbacks, which should at least keep this game close and could lead to a Jaguar win.

L.A. Rams at Green Bay (7:00pm ET)

The Rams have knocked off both Dallas and Oakland so far in this preseason, with Wade Phillips adding some starch to an already strong offense. I don’t know why Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson would even consider playing in this game with the regular season just a week away, but I do see the Rams wanting to finish their preseason with momentum and to get Jared Goff as many reps as he can with the offense so that he’s ready for a better 2017. This could be another road win by a team that probably wouldn’t have much of a shot in a regular season tilt.

Philadelphia at N.Y. Jets (7:00pm ET)

I’m not sure that the Jets have anyone who can move the ball reliably against the Philadelphia defense — which isn’t all-world but is good enough to contain the likes of Josh McCown, Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty. Even in a battle of reserves, I like the Eagles to prevail over those J-E- T-S.

N.Y. Giants at New England (7:30pm ET)

No, we won’t see much Tom Brady, but we will see a lot of Jimmy Garoppolo, who will be doing his best to earn a starting gig somewhere else in 2018, on the basis of some recent comments. The Giants will be trying to limp to the start of the regular season; don’t expect to see Odell Beckham Jr. or Brandon Marshall running passing routes. In this battle of reserves, we should expect to see the Patriot scheme win, because even if they haven’t fixed all of their defensive holes, the Giants won’t be showing many weapons at all.

Dallas at Houston (8:00pm ET)

The annual battle for the Governor’s Cup takes place down in Houston — and this is a rivalry that the Texans care about a lot more than the Cowboys do. I don’t expect to see Dak or Zeke on the field for Dallas, which means lots of Cooper Rush and Kellen Moore. On the Houston side, though, they may still be trying to decide between Deshaun Watson and Tom Savage, so the first team offense may get a lot of playing time.

Seattle at Oakland (10:00pm ET)

This game is remarkable enough for marking Marshawn Lynch’s return to the field against his former team. Even if he doesn’t get more than a couple of carries, that’s what will be driving the press buzz going into that matchup. Seattle tends to get a little careless on the road, but I think Trevone Boykin is better than Connor Cook, so I see the Seahawks having more success moving the ball. Pete Carroll is that rare NFL coach who prizes preseason wins, so I like the Seahawks to push for this win.