We had a winning set of wagers in Week 6, going 2-1 with the recommendations in this column. For the season, my record is 9-8-1. It’s shaping up to be another exciting slate of NFL games in Week 7, so let’s focus on three more underdogs to consider placing a wager on. All odds were obtained from DraftKings Sportsbook.
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Dallas Cowboys at Washington Football Team: Cowboys +1
Washington suffered its fifth straight loss in Week 6, falling 20-19 at the hands of the Giants. They actually marched down the field to score a touchdown in the final minute, but instead of kicking the extra point and forcing overtime, head coach Ron Rivera decided to go for a two-point conversion that eventually failed. It’s crazy to think that had they won the game, they would have found themselves in a first place tie in the NFC East at 2-4.
The team they would have been tied with is the Cowboys, who were steamrolled by the Cardinals on Monday night without Dak Prescott (ankle) under center. Andy Dalton did not look good while filling in, completing 34 of 54 passes for a touchdown and two interceptions. The goods news is that he did get his first start of the season under his belt and could become more comfortable moving forward now that he’s receiving regular reps. The Cowboys have a much more talented offense than Washington does, so even though both of these teams could put forth ugly efforts in this game, I think Dallas scores enough to emerge victorious.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Los Angeles Chargers: Jaguars +7.5
After a win over the Colts in their season opener, it’s been all downhill for the Jaguars. They’ve lost five straight with their last four defeats all coming by at least eight points. They haven’t exactly faced a Murderers’ Row of opponents, either, with four of their losses coming against the Dolphins, Bengals, Texans and Lions. Week 7 brings another opponent with a losing record as the Chargers enter this contest at 1-4.
The Chargers have faced a much tougher schedule than the Jaguars. They won their opener against the Bengals but have lost four straight, including matchups against the Chiefs, Bucs and Saints. On the bright side, each of their four losses have come by seven points or fewer. As a matter of fact, their win over the Bengals came by just three points, so they have played in a lot of close games. The Jaguars are a talented offensive team that has mostly been let down by their defense, so they might be able to score enough here to at least make this game close.
Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Rams: Bears +5.5
It’s difficult to get too excited about the Rams being 4-2 considering all four of their wins have come against teams in the NFC East. That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement. Last week resulted in an ugly loss against the 49ers in which they allowed the struggling Jimmy Garoppolo to throw for three touchdowns. Jared Goff threw a couple of scores of his own, but his stat line wasn’t great considering he only completed 19 of 38 passes for 198 yards.
The Bears have been one of the most pleasant surprises in the league with their 5-1 record. Nick Foles has helped provide some stability at quarterback, but make no mistake about it, this team has been successful because of their defense. They have allowed an average of just 19.3 points per game, which has included generating more interceptions (five) than they have allowed passing touchdowns (four). I’m surprised to see the line set here because I could see the Bears winning this outright, so I’ll at least take the points.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is mbarner51) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
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