Betting on the First Pick of the 2022 NFL Draft

 The start of a new college football season is still more than two months away. Yet, you can bet on which college player will go on to become the first pick of next year's NFL Draft. Quarterback is always the hottest position on the board, so it is a good guess that the first pick will be a player at this position.

Over the course of the 2021 draft, five quarterbacks came off the board in the opening round to help prove the point. Most of the early attention will be on Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler as the favorite to go No.  1 in 2022. However, there are more than a few worthy candidates this far out.

North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell is also being touted as a possible No. 1 pick. Anything can happen this season as college teams return to a full schedule of games. If you are looking to get a jump on things, check out the link below to my predictions for the No. 1 pick as part of this week's NFL coverage for the popular sports betting site ScoresandStats.com.

The First Pick of the 2022 NFL Draft

Which NFL Division Wins Super Bowl LVI?

 There are any number of ways to bet on the futures odds posted for the upcoming NFL season. The most common NFL futures options cover which team wins the Super Bowl, either conference championship or one of the eight division titles.

DraftKings sportsbook has offered a unique twist by posting betting odds for which division will win Super Bowl LVI.

Led by the Kansas City Chiefs, the AFC West had the best odds on the board. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers as defending Super Bowl champs moves the NFC South high on the list. The trio of the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks add value to the NFC West as another division high on the list.

After the Washington Football Team won the NFC East last season at 7-9, it is no big surprise that this division has the longest odds on the board.

As part of this week's NFL coverage for the popular sports betting site ScoresandStats.com, below is a link to my complete breakdown of the betting odds for this NFL futures bet.

Which NFL Division Wins Super Bowl LVI?

Betting Saturday's Belmont Stakes

 This year's Triple Crown series of races for the best three-year old Thoroughbreds comes to a close on Saturday with the running of the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes. This Grade 1 event is the most grueling test of the three at 1 1/2 miles on the dirt track at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

Covering weekly horse racing for the popular sports betting site ScoresandStats.com, I dug deep into the field of eight colts to come up with a variety of ways to bet this race. 

Betting the Winner

The overall field is strong with five of the eight entries in excellent position to win this year's Belmont Stakes. However, I am still going chalk with Essential Quality as the top favorite at 2-1 odds on the morning line. Despite slipping to fourth place in the Kentucky Derby, I still believe the son of Tapit is the best three-year old in this year's class. Trained by Brad Cox, he has been preparing for the added distance of this race for more than a month.

Betting the Exotics

I made money on Hot Rod Charlie as my third choice at Churchill Downs on May 1. For the Belmont, I am elevating this Kentucky-bred colt to my second choice as part of an exacta bet.

As far as rounding out the trifecta play, I would add Known Agenda to the mix. Preakness Stakes winner Rombauer is a 3-1 second-favorite breaking out of the No. 3 post. This is another contender that could easily work his way into the money. Yet, I decided to move him to fourth place in this Saturday's featured event.

Race Preview Links

For my complete race preview and official betting picks at ScoresandStats.com, please click through to the two links below:

-- 2021 Belmont Stakes Odd, Preview & Predictions

-- 2021 Belmont Stakes Exotic Betting Picks

Tim Tebow NFL Betting Props

 Former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, who played his college career at Florida, has been reunited with his former coach Urban Meyer in Jacksonville. Tebow recently signed a one-year deal with the Jaguars in an effort to resurrect his NFL career as a tight end.

Originally drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2010 to play quarterback, he also had a brief stint with the New York Jets. Tebow spent a few seasons playing minor league baseball with the MLB's New York Mets organization.

At the age of 34, he is currently fourth on the depth chart among the tight ends on Jacksonville's roster. Deemed a longshot to even be on the team for the season opener on Sept. 12 against the AFC South rival Houston Texans, you can find prop bet odds for the OVER/UNDER on total receiving yards and touchdown catches for the entire 2021 NFL regular season.

DraftKings has set the totals about as low as it gets with 12.5 receiving yards and .5 touchdowns. However, if Tebow can work his way on to the final roster, the OVER on both offer quite a bit of value.

As part of my weekly NFL coverage for the popular sports betting site ScoresandStats.com, I covered both of these props in detail to come up with my "best bet" plays. Below is the link to that piece:

                                                      Tim Tebow NFL Betting Props

NFL Week 1 Starting Quarterback Props

 The NFL released the official 2021 league schedule on May 12 and all the major online sportsbooks responded by posting any number of betting options in conjunction with the Week 1 games. The new season starts on Thursday, Sept. 9 with the Dallas Cowboys on the road against the defending Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

With a fat new contract in hand, you can expect to see Dak Prescott under center as the Cowboys' starting quarterback. With yet another Super Bowl ring added to his collection, Tom Brady is back for another season at quarterback with Tampa Bay.

While that matchup is pretty much set, there are more than a few teams that have yet to designate which quarterback on their current roster will get the start on opening day. 

DraftKings sportsbook made note of four different teams with a competition at quarterback through some Week 1 prop bet odds. The four teams on that list were:

-- Chicago

-- San Francisco

-- New England

-- New Orleans

As part of my weekly NFL coverage for the popular sports betting site ScoresandStats.com, I broke down each of these props to come up with my 'best bet' picks. 

NFL Week 1 Starting Quarterback Props

Betting the Preakness Stakes

 The second leg of this year's Triple Crown racing series for three-year old Thoroughbreds is set for Saturday with the running of the 146th Preakness Stakes. Post time at Pimlico Race Course is set for 6:47 p.m. (ET) as the featured event on an exciting card of racing at this famed Baltimore track.

This year's race comes with a cloud of controversy hovering over the winner of the Kentucky Derby along with this colt's famed trainer Bob Baffert. 

Medina Spirit tested positive for a banned substance shortly after his thrilling victory at Churchill Downs on May 1. He was given the green light to run in the Preakness. However, the results of a second test could still strip the Kentucky-bred colt of his Derby title.

None the less, the show must still go on. The post positions and morning line odds yielded a field of 10 entries for Saturday's Preakness Stakes. Medina Spirit has been opened as a 9-5 favorite breaking from the No. 3 gate with veteran jockey John Velazquez getting the ride.

Adding even more interest (and drama) to this race, Baffert's other entry is a 5-2 second-favorite. Held out of the Kentucky Derby to better prepare for this race, Concert Tour will go off as the No. 10 colt with Mike Smith as his jockey.

The third-favorite on the morning line at 5-1 odds is trainer Steve Asmussen's Midnight Bourbon. He will break from the middle of the pack at No. 5 with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. on board.  

My "one to watch" in this race is Crowded Trade at 10-1 odds. This Kentucky-bred colt is trained by Chad Brown with jockey Javier Castellano riding him out of gate No. 4.

I am also looking at Unbridled Honor at 15-1 in a few head-to-head matchup bets. Trained by Todd Pletcher, he has the ability to finish in the money with a clean start out of the No. 8 post. He will have Luis Saez as his jockey for this race.

A few of the other contenders that could be a factor in this race are No. 6 Rombauer and  No. 2 Keepmeinmind at 15-1 odds.

My Official Preakness Trifecta Bet

1) Concert Tour

2) Midnight Bourbon

3) Medina Spirit

Betting Odds to Win NFL Offensive & Defensive Rookie of the Year

 Once the annual NFL draft is in the books, the floodgate opens for all the various betting options covering the upcoming season. Popular online sportsbooks such as BetOnline are quick to fill their NFL futures board with options covering team and individual player performances.

Two popular betting options for the newest members of the league are Offensive & Defensive Rookie of the Year. Quarterbacks dominated the 2021 draft with five signal callers coming off the board in the first round.

While defensive linemen are usually the center of attention on that side of the ball, high-profile cornerbacks and linebackers were the big story this year.

As part of my ongoing NFL coverage for the popular sports betting site ScoresandStats.com, I put together my "best bet" picks for each of these player awards.

Please make note that the betting piece for Offensive ROY was posted before the draft on April 20. 

My picks for Defensive ROY were posted on May 11 using the current betting odds at BetOnline.

2021 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year

2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year