Week 8 turned out to be a profitable one with me going 2-1 with my underdog picks. For the season, my record is 11-12-1. Let’s try to build some positive momentum with three more underdogs to consider for Week 9. All odds were obtained from DraftKings Sportsbook.
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Chicago Bears at Tennessee Titans: Bears +6.5
It hasn’t always been pretty, but the Bears enter this matchup with a 5-3 record. They have lost two straight games, although last week was a close contest when they fell to the Saints by just three points. Their three losses have come against tough foes in the Colts, Rams and Saints and they’ll be dealing with another excellent team here in the Titans. While playing on the road isn’t ideal, the Bears are 3-1 away from home this season.
The Titans have also lost two straight, which included an embarrassing 11-point loss to the Bengals last week. In their five wins this season, only one game was decided by more than six points. In fact, three of their wins have come by three points or fewer. The Bears have a tough defense that has only allowed 20.8 points per game, so I could see them keeping this close, which makes taking the points appealing.
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New York Giants at Washington Football Team: Giants +2.5
Well, this game should be ugly. Both of these teams have played poorly this season, leaving them with a combined 3-12 record. Amazingly, Washington is only one game back in the loss column for the NFC East lead, but that says more about how bad the division is than it does Washington’s prospects of making the playoffs.
These two teams squared off in Week 6 in what turned out to be the Giants only win of the season. They could have easily lost, though. Washington had pulled the score to 20-19 with a touchdown in the final minute, but tried unsuccessfully for the two-point conversion, rather than kick the extra point and force overtime. The Giants have played in a lot of close games with each of their last four contests all decided by three points or fewer. This game is a toss up with how bad these two teams are, so I’ll take a chance on the points.
Denver Broncos at Atlanta Falcons: Broncos +4
The Broncos pulled victory from the jaws of defeat last Sunday. They trailed the Chargers 24-10 entering the fourth quarter, only to win the game on a touchdown catch by KJ Hamler as time expired. It was a much-needed performance from Drew Lock, who threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Phillip Lindsay also did plenty of damage on the ground, rushing for 83 yards and a touchdown across just six carries.
After starting off the season with five straight losses, the Falcons have rebounded to win two of their last three contests. Really, they could have won all three games if it wasn’t for another fourth-quarter collapse in Week 7 against the Lions. The Falcons are no strangers to blowing leads, mainly because their defense can’t seem to stop anyone. They have allowed a league-high 20 touchdown passes on their way to allowing an average of 28 points per game. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Broncos win this outright, which makes rolling with the points even more enticing.
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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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