Best & Worst NFL Betting Picks Based on the 2018 Schedule

The NFL’s 2018 schedule came out this past weekend, which means that it’s time to start plotting out your sports betting strategy for pro football. Some questions have already emerged, of course: Can the Philadelphia Eagles repeat as Super Bowl champions? Can they even win the NFC East if Carson Wentz isn’t ready to go? Will it matter, since Nick Foles was the one who led them to the title last year? Will Alex Smith do more with the Washington offense than Kirk Cousins could? Can the Dallas Cowboys contend without Dez Bryant? Can Tyrod Taylor lead the Cleveland Browns to multiple wins this year? Is this the year that the New England Patriots finally implode? Check out some of our thoughts on NFL betting picks for this season.

Best & Worst NFL Betting Picks Based on the 2018 Schedule

🚨 FOOTBALL! 🚨 The 2018 NFL Schedule is HERE: https://t.co/xUsEg41NgQ #ScheduleRelease2018 pic.twitter.com/8E7mZ0J08q

— NFL (@NFL) April 20, 2018

Best NFL Betting Pick: Philadelphia repeats in the NFC East

The Giants may still deal Odell Beckham, Jr., and they’re clinging to the past with Eli Manning at quarterback. They have a seven-game gauntlet to start the season that includes Jacksonville and Houston, so they may be buried before midseason. Dallas still thinks that they can win with a papier-mache defense, which didn’t even really work in the years that they won the division, because they got drummed out of the playoffs in the first round. Washington has swapped out one talented quarterback with clutch play issues (Kirk Cousins) for another (Alex Smith), so I don’t expect the results to be different there. That means that the Eagles should have a relatively easy path to another division title.

Worst NFL Betting Pick: Green Bay wins the NFC North

Yes, Aaron Rodgers will return from his collarbone fracture — and when he did the same thing in 2014, he won the league’s MVP award. However, now he’s 34 years old, and his body has taken a beating during his time in the NFL. The Packers do start with three of four games at home and get three home games in December, but the middle of the schedule is a gauntlet for them. Instead, I see Minnesota winning the North again. Despite changing out quarterbacks (even though they had Case Keenum, Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater already on the team as options, they went out and got Kirk Cousins to lead the offense), the Vikings should start the season strong with a defense that ranked #1 last year and returns all of its key starters.

Best NFL Betting Pick: Houston wins the AFC South

The Texans were already headed that way when Deshaun Watson went down with a blown ACL. He could have some sophomore-season rust, but he looked poised and ready when he led the Texans to a near-upset of the New England Patriots up in Foxborough. J.J. Watt expects to return, along with Whitney MErcilus, and new defensive backs Aaron Colvin and Tyrann Mathieu should make their defense the class of the division. The Jaguars will give the Texans the most trouble, but I’m predicting a regression to form for Blake Bortles once the regular season begins.

Worst NFL Betting Pick: Kansas City finishing over .500

A Kansas City team that won the AFC West last year traded their starting quarterback to Washington…and will now start Patrick Mahomes II at quarterback. It’s a gutsy decision, but it’s also one that will lead to some growing pains early on. In the first six games of the season, the Chiefs play at Pittsburgh, at New England and at the Chargers, who went 9-3 down the stretch last season and are predicted by many to win the AFC West this year. The Chiefs do have the Raiders (with a new head coach in Jon Gruden) and the Broncos (who added Case Keenum at quarterback but still have some roster holes to fill), but Mahomes’ growing pains will keep the Chiefs from hitting eight wins. Mahomes appears to have a high ceiling — but we won’t see him get to it this year.