Our wait is over, the preseason has wrapped up and NFL teams have solidified their 53-man rosters in hopes of being that one squad that hoists the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season.
There’ll be plenty of opportunities to wager on games over the next 17 weeks, but you shouldn’t neglect your prop betting options. Each week I’ll go through the selections provided by BetDSI and pick out three solid props for your entertainment purposes and if you make a little cash in the process, all the better.
Total number of players to not stand for the national anthem in Week 1
Over 34.5 (-115)
Under 34.5 (-115)
This prop only gets more interesting since Nike announced that they had teamed up with Colin Kaepernick for its “Just Do It” ad campaign this season, celebrating his anthem protests and putting a bright spotlight on the league’s incompetence when dealing with this distraction. Of course, our current president isn’t helping and wasted not a single minute before tweeting out his displeasure like he has nothing else better to do.
The NFL tried to enact some new anthem rules this past offseason, requiring players to stand for the anthem if they were out on the field. If they didn’t want to stand, they could elect to remain in the locker room. Back in July, that cowardly rule blew up in the NFL’s face and it was suspended until further notice. That means players can protest any way they want with no fear of repercussions from the league. But will they?
When you look at how the anthem protests went down last year, I really like the over. During a single game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Baltimore Ravens, 27 total players took a knee. On Sept. 24, 32 members of the Denver Broncos alone took a knee during the Star Spangled Banner. Those were all in responses to outside, and sometimes inside, attempts at shutting NFL players up. With the league fumbling their new anthem rule this offseason, I expect a healthy contingent of players to make sure a message is delivered.
Team with the most players not stand for the national anthem in Week 1
Seattle Seahawks (-200)
San Francisco 49ers (+175)
Miami Dolphins (+400)
Field (+300)
This prop is interesting because the 49ers, as an organization, are kind of invested in this, even though Kaepernick isn’t on the team. At one point last season the entire Seahawks team actually remained in the locker room as a protest to “the injustice that has plagued people of color in this country” so that might be a solid bet.
For me, I’d take the field. The Raiders aren’t even on the list and they, led by Marshawn Lynch who may have never stood for the anthem in his life, could very well have the 35 players needed to hit the over/under in the first prop take a knee alone.
Drew Brees total passing yards 2018-19 regular season
Over 4,100 (-120)
Under 4,100 (-120)
Get out your wallet because I’m about to fill it up. Brees hasn’t passed for fewer than 4,334 yards in his NFL career since 2005. That means he’s easily eclipsed that 4,100 mark for 12 consecutive seasons. Of those 12 seasons with more than 4,300 passing yards, he’s led the league in passing yardage seven times.
There’s just no way, barring injury, Brees doesn’t blow past 4,100 yards this season with the weapons around him in New Orleans. In fact, my guess is that Brees will hit 5,000 passing yards for the fifth time in his career.
