NFL betting: Bettors looking toward Baltimore on Monday night
Thankfully for us, Week 1 of the NFL season is not yet completely in the books. After a game on Thursday night and 14 games on Sunday, we now turn our attention to Las Vegas where the opening week will come to an end on Monday night.
After a bizarre opening Sunday that saw underdogs rule the day, the Las Vegas Raiders are 4-point home underdogs on Monday night at BetMGM against the Baltimore Ravens.
Most bettors are riding with Baltimore
Underdogs have gone 11-4 against the spread in the first 15 games of the NFL season, with eight of those underdogs winning the game outright. Despite the hot start for underdogs, it's the road favorite getting most of the action on Monday night.
As of Monday morning, 63% of the betting tickets and 72% of the betting handle is on the Ravens to cover the 4-point spread at BetMGM.
Despite all of the action coming in on Baltimore, the line has actually been steadily moving in favor of the Raiders over the past few months. Earlier in the summer, the Raiders were listed as 5.5-point underdogs. That number came down to 4.5-points up until about a week ago.
After Baltimore lost J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards and Marcus Peters to season-ending injuries during preseason, the line moved from 4.5-points to just 4 points. Despite the line movement, injuries and early season underdog revolution, Baltimore is the side where people feel more comfortable staking their money.
Most popular prop bets for Monday night
With the evolution of the prop market, more and more bettors are getting involved through that avenue. Which props are being most heavily bet at BetMGM prior to Monday's game?
Lamar Jackson and Derek Carr to both record 225+ passing yards (+175): Passing for 225 yards seems like a very achievable number in today's NFL, however, that has not been the case for Lamar Jackson. Jackson has thrown for over 225 yards just six times in his last 30 NFL games. Maybe the thought process is that the Ravens will throw the ball more due to their recent running back injuries.
Lamar Jackson to score the first touchdown of the game (+650): While Lamar Jackson might not be an elite passer, he certainly is one of the elite runners in the game. Last season, Jackson ran for over 1000 yards while scoring seven rushing touchdowns. With the running back woes, maybe Jackson takes an even larger share of the rushing attempts, especially in the red zone.
Darren Waller first touchdown scorer for Las Vegas (+450): There's no questioning who the alpha receiving option is in Las Vegas. Last season, Darren Waller had 147 targets, ranking 8th in the league. Nelson Agholor ranked second with 91 targets. Waller was the second most targeted player in the red zone across the whole league last season behind only Davante Adams.