NFL Week Betting Trends & 'Best Bet' Picks

 The 2020 NFL season enters Week 6 with a number of crucial games on the slate. A few teams are already in excellent form for a deep playoff run this year while others are positioning themselves for a top pick in the 2021 draft.

The other teams in the middle of the pack continue to jockey for position in a crowded field. Regardless of where any of the 32 NFL teams stand after five games played, the current betting trends lean toward road dogs as the best bet on the board. They have covered against the spread 54.7 percent of the time.

A close second are road teams in general with a 54.5 winning percentage ATS. The total has gone OVER in 56.6 percent of games played.

A few key betting trends for individual Week 6 games starts with the total staying UNDER in seven of the last eight games between the Atlanta Falcons and the Minnesota Vikings. The total is set at 54 points for this Sunday's game.

The Houston Texans are 13-5 ATS in their last 18 games against the AFC South rival Tennessee Titans. Houston is a 3 1/2-point road underdog in Sunday's contest.

The total has stayed UNDER in 14 of the last 17 games between Washington and New York with the Giants playing at home. The total line for Sunday's NFC East clash is 43 points.

Pittsburgh is a 3 1/2-point home favorite against Cleveland. The Steelers have won their last five home games against the Browns in this AFC North tilt.

The New York Jets are 15-6-1 ATS in their last 22 road games against Miami. The Dolphins have won four of their last five home games SU against their AFC East rivals.

The total has gone OVER in five of the last seven meetings between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers. The total has been set at 51 1/2 points for Sunday night's game.

These are just a few of the top betting trends highlighting this Sunday's slate of games. Below is a link to this week's Top 10 NFL bets at Scores & Stats. 

My year-to-date record stands at 28-20-2 through the first five weeks which equates to a respectable winning percentage of 56%.

Dave’s Top 10 Best Bets for NFL Week 6

NFL Week 5 Top 10 Betting Plays

 The first quarter of the NFL season is in the books. My record to date for these weekly picks is 22-16-2 which equals 55 percent. Not bad, but not great considering the 10 percent juice on the losing plays. At that rate I am still making a positive return on my money but of course I want more.

Moving into Week 5, there are a number of great games on the state. Some of my picks jumped right off the page once the opening lines were released. Others took some deeper analysis of all the pertinent stats, facts and recent betting trends.

The Oddsmakers have been crushing it this NFL season with close to 50 percent of the games won by either side against the spread. There is a slight edge favoring the OVER on the total line.

These picks are part of my weekly sports betting coverage for Scores & Stats. This is one of the most popular sports betting sites for anyone looking for true insider information to gain that all-important edge over the books.

Dave’s Top 10 Best Bets for NFL Week 5

NFL Week 4 Top 10 Betting Plays

 Three weeks into the 2020 NFL season and I have a 60% winning percentage on my top ten picks for each week's games. Amazingly enough, the Oddsmakers have a perfect 50/50 record with their betting lines. The favorites have covered against the spread in exactly 50% of the 48 games played. The home team has also covered 50% of the time.

Week 4 of the season will be impacted by COVID-19 after players and staff of the Tennessee Titans tested positive for the virus. Sunday's game against Pittsburgh has been postponed. Both of those teams have gotten off to a 3-0 start so bettors are missing out on a great matchup.

Putting that game aside for now, I still came up with 10 more "best bet" plays for this Sunday's games. Hopefully I can keep my hot streak going for another round of picks.

Dave’s Top 10 Best Bets for NFL Week 4

2020 Preakness Stakes Betting Preview

The final Triple Crown race of the season will take place on Oct. 3 with the running of the 145th Preakness Stakes. Normally held in May, two weeks after the Kentucky Derby, this year's race will be the featured betting event in Pimlico Race Track's Saturday card.

Authentic won last month's Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Trained by Bob Baffert, he has been opened as the 9/5 favorite to win this race on the morning line. Breaking from the No. 9 post, jockey John Velazquez will get the call.

The second-favorite in the field of 11 is Art Collector. A minor foot injury kept him out of the Kentucky Derby but trainer Tom Drury Jr. has him ready to go at 5/2 opening odds. He will start No. 3 with jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. on board.

The lone filly among this field of three-year old colts is trainer Ken McPeek's Swiss Skydiver. She actually placed second to Authentic in this year's Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. There is quite a bit of value in her 6/1 odds breaking from the No. 4 post with Robby Albarado as her jockey.

I am also looking forward to watching Baffert's Thousand Words on Saturday. He was a late scratch for the Kentucky Derby and more than capable of shaking things up Saturday at 6/1 odds. He will start No. 5 with jockey Florent Geroux getting the ride.

2020 Preakness Stakes Trifecta Pick:

1) Authentic

2) Thousand Words

3) Swiss Skydiver

I also previewed this race for Scores & Stats as part of my weekly horse betting coverage.

NFL Week 3 Top 10 Betting Picks

 The new NFL season moves to Week 3 with a few early 'must win' scenarios on the board for teams still looking for their first win. 

Monday night's showdown between the 2-0 Kansas City Chiefs and the 2-0 Baltimore Ravens is the biggest game of the week with each team vying for the early edge in the race for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The key showdown in the NFC sends the 2-0 Green Bay Packers on the road to face the 1-1 New Orleans Saints on Sunday night.

As far as this week's top betting picks, I started things on a strong note with Miami's 31-13 upset over Jacksonville as a road underdog. I actually took the UNDER on 47 1/2 points. For the rest of my picks please check out the following post on the popular sports betting site Scores & Stats:

Dave’s Top 10 Best Bets for NFL Week 3

NFL Week 2 Top 10 Picks

 My Top 10 picks for the second week of the NFL season got off to a great start with Cincinnati covering the six-point spread in Thursday night's 35-30 loss against the rival Cleveland Browns. The Bengals have now been able to cover against the spread in 10 of their last 12 games against Cleveland.

Making picks solely based on past trends ATS is not the best idea in the world since so many different factors go into handicapping any upcoming game. However, these types of trends among division rivals do carry more weight. 

In sports betting, familiarity does lead to a higher level of predictability.

Recapping my Top 10 picks from Week 1, my overall record ATS was 6-4. I was actually very happy with that result in the absence of any preseason play. Bettors were going into the 2020 season blind as far as what to expect.

A few takeaways from the first round of games would include Kansas City and Baltimore being as good as advertised. You could also add that the betting public has over hyped both Dallas and Tampa Bay.

San Francisco's loss to Arizona was one of my straight-up upsets of the week. Once again, the recent trends came into play. They all leaned heavily towards towards the Cardinals in this matchup. Second, hangovers can be severe for the team that lost last season's Super Bowl.

As far as my nine other 'best bets' for Week 2, you can find them all posted at Scores & Stats:

NFL Week 2 Best Bets

NFL Week 1 Top Parlay Picks

 It is Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season and to kick things off on a high note I have released my Top Three Parlay Plays including a two-team upset special.

For all three parlay picks, check-in with Scores & Stats at the following link:

Best NFL Games to Parlay for Week 1 to Cash in Big