Weekly NFL Proposition Bets

Weekly NFL Proposition Bets

When you think of proposition betting and the NFL the first thing that probably comes to mind is the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl gives bettors the opportunity to place wagers on practically anything imaginable, such as these.

With Super Bowl propositions being so poluar with the betting public it's no surprise that the sportsbooks are posting proposition wagering opportunities on regular season games. Some books will have proposition bets on every NFL game, while others concentrate primarily on the Sunday night and Monday night games. Even those sportsbooks which have proposition lines up on all games tend to have more more wagering opportunities on the two nationally televised contests.

Many times proposition bets will feature better wagering opportunities than the actual game or total. You can also find proposition bets that will tie in with a side or a total that you happen to like and may be able to pick up a little additional cash on a proposition.

Note: Proposition wagers are made using the money line, so if you're not familiar with it, be sure to read Understanding Money Lines.

Typical Proposition Wagers

If we look at the typical proposition wagers for a regular Sunday NFL game from The Greek, we'll see the following:

Green Bay vs. Minnesota

Team to score first: Green Bay -185, Minnesota+165
Will there be a score in first 7 minutes, 30 seconds of game? Yes -180, No +150
The first score will be: Touchdown -180, Field goal or safety +150
Team to have most first downs: Green Bay -3 1st downs -110, Minnesota+3 1st downs -120
Longest TD of the game will be: Over 45.5 yards -115, Under 45.5 yards -115
Will there be a special teams or defensive TD? No -200, Yes +160

There are several other wagers that will be posted before kick-off that they do not have numbers on yet, such as Aaron Rodgers passing yards compared to Minnesota quarterbacks, the number of receiving yards for Greg Jenkins vs. Percy Harvin and several others. The maximum wager is $200.

Special Proposition Wagers

There will also be instances where the cicumstances surrounding a game will create a bit more interest in the outcome. Such an example will be this Sunday night's game between the Denver Broncos and the Miami Dolphins in Tim Tebow's return to the Sunshine State. As one who lives in Florida, I can tell you that Tebow ranks a close second to Jesus Christ Himself when it comes to being the most beloved person in the state. Should Tebow's football career come to an abrupt end, he could always become the governor of the state if he so desires.

Strangely, the Dolphins plan to honor the 2008 NCAA champion Florida Gators football team at the game and the Gators were led by none other than Tebow to the national title.

Such a background definitely makes for a more interesting game and the good folks at Sports Interaction have made it easy for you to have an additional rooting interest in the outcome, with a wide variety of Tim Tebow related proposition bets.

These include:
What will happen to Tebow first? Touchdown pass -133, Interception -105
Will Tebow be the starter in Week 12 at San Diego? Yes -139, No Even
Starts remaining 11 games? No -159, Yes +115 Total Interceptions vs. Dolphins: Over .5 -200, Under .5 +140
Total pass completions: Over 17.5 -111, Under 17.5 -125
Total passing yards: Over 199.5 -120, Under 199.5 -120
Total rushing yards: Over 55.5 -120, Under 55.5 -120
Total touchdown passes: Over 1.5 -125, Under 1.5 -111
Number of times sacked: Over 1.5 -125, Under 1.5 -111

What to Look For

We'll take a quick look at both the Packers and the Bronco games. In the Green Bay game, the Vikings are throwing Christian Ponder to the wolves, so to speak, and I'm still not sold on Ponder, believing he was a poor choice to be drafted where he was. Everybody knows this, however, which is why it's a bit surprising to see the Packers only favored by three first downs. Green Bay should definitely out-gain Minnesota, making me believe the oddsmakers are expecting some big plays out of the Pack, so I'd be inclined to take over 45.5 yards for the longest touchdown.

The Denver vs. Miami game is another one that involves trying to get a feel for the game. I think Tebow will be a bit reluctant to put the ball up for grabs and I like the over 1.5 sacks in that one.

The key is trying to get a handle on the games and how they will be played out. Certain teams use certain players in different situations, so keep an eye on the number of yards a particular player will gain depending on his role. A running back who enters the line-up on passing downs may be a good over bet on his yards if you believe his team will be playing from behind all game.

Then there are the obvious things to look for, such as passing yards for a quarterback you expect to be playing with the lead or from behind, as well as rushing yards for a player with the lead as opposed to rushing yards for a player whose team figures to be throwing the ball frequently.

They may not pop up all of the time, but occasionally you will find some decent wagers when looking at the proposition bets for any particular game. At the very least, you'll have a bit of fun with them and hopefully make a bit of money at the same time.