The best reason to watch preseason football is to see rookies against NFL competition for the first time. The best rookies to watch are almost always the quarterbacks and that makes Jets vs. Falcons one of the most exciting games of the preseason. Preseason Betting is a great way to build your bank roll before the season opens.
Sam Darnold’s first live action against NFL competition will be the biggest story of this game by far. But the Falcons have their own marquee rookie in wide receiver Calvin Ridley. Best of all, one of these teams is a clear betting favorite.
New York Jets (-2.5) vs Atlanta Falcons (O/U 34.5)
New York Jets Betting Odds
Though Darnold is the star of the show, the Jets should also give us plenty of Teddy Bridgewater. Practice reps suggest those two will split playing time down the middle. We can expect to see their best effort as Darnold will want to prove himself and Bridgewater knows he could be auditioning for a trade. There are no other quarterbacks on the roster besides Josh McCown and there’s really no reason for him to see preseason action.
The rest of New York’s skill positions are completely up for grabs. Isaiah Crowell, Bilal Powell and Thomas Rawls have all been fantasy-relevant before. Trenton Cannon is making his mark in practice. Additionally, recent camp visits from Alfred Morris and Orleans Darkwa ought to let everyone know that their place on the roster isn’t guaranteed.
New York’s wide receivers should give us one of the most intriguing training camp battles in the league. The Jets have a whopping 12 on their roster, many of whom you’ll recognize. Terrelle Pryor, Jermaine Kearse, Charles Johnson, Andre Roberts, Robby Anderson and Quincy Enunwa all have some level of legitimate NFL experience. Plus ArDarius Stewart and Chad Hansen were 2017 third and fourth-round picks, respectively. With so many players vying for so few roster spots, we can expect this group to come to play as well.
Atlanta Falcons Betting Odds
The Falcons don’t have quite as many open competitions as New York. Aside from Ridley and rookie running back Ito Smith, we know what we’re getting with most of the Falcon roster.
That means we can expect similar usage to what we saw last year. Atlanta’s starters barely played in their first two preseason games. For what it’s worth, they were also 0-4.
We’ll no doubt see top effort from the guys on the field, but how many of them have a legitimate chance to make the roster? And how much will we learn about Ridley and Smith with Garrett Grayson and Kurt Benkert likely seeing most of the snaps at quarterback?
Pick:
The Jets seem to be the clear choice here. They have NFL veterans who need to earn a roster spot and young, highly-drafted players who want to prove they can start. Compare that to the Falcons who, like most playoff teams, would probably rather just get through this without anyone getting hurt. The Jets are also playing at home are are 5-1 in their last six home preseason games. They averaged 19 points in those six games and they should have more talented players on the field for this one. Take the Jets and over.
