With so many betting options for the NFL season, we asked PressBox’s Stan “The Fan” Charles, Glenn Clark, Joe Serpico and Ken Zalis and 105.7 The Fan’s Jeremy Conn to share some of their favorite bets for this season and to pick the over-under for the Ravens’ regular-season win total of 10.5 games.
All numbers are from FanDuel in early August.
Baltimore Ravens’ Over-Under Win Total: 10.5
Stan “The Fan” Charles: Over (+100)
With two games against Cleveland in my win column and two more against the New York teams, I am off to a solid four wins. I also see early-season wins in the home opener against Miami and the Week 3 tussle in New England. I see a soft spot in Weeks 9-12, with wins against New Orleans, Carolina and Jacksonville surrounding a Week 10 bye. I am now at nine wins. I need to find two more wins in the following games: Atlanta, Denver, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh twice. With this schedule, I say enough goes right for 11 or 12 wins.
Glenn Clark: Over
You’re arguably always better off betting the under on a win total bet in football. Hear me out. The Ravens’ number is 10.5 wins. An under bet not only protects for the possibility of them winning 10 games (which is quite a reasonable number and essentially exactly what the oddsmakers expect), it also protects for the possibility of them again dealing with significant injuries that prevent them from fulfilling their potential. The value is in the under.
That said, I expect a reasonably healthy Ravens team to win 11 games. So I’m going to ignore my own advice and play a little on the over.
Jeremy Conn: Over … And To Win Super Bowl (+2000)
I never do this, but I love this team for the upcoming season. Lamar Jackson is in a contract year and ready to show the world why he’s a generational talent. There’s too much value here not to place a wager on the Ravens to win the Super Bowl.
Joe Serpico: Over
This isn’t just a hometown pick, as it’s one of the more popular bets by sharps in the gambling industry. There are five games they should win: Jets, Giants, Panthers, Jaguars and Falcons. They would only need to go .500 in the division and win two more throughout the schedule to get to 11.
Ken Zalis: Over
The schedule isn’t terribly difficult. Fewer than 11 wins this season would be a major disappointment.
Stan “The Fan” Charles
Baker Mayfield, Comeback Player of the Year (+1000)
For the longest time, I have thought of Mayfield as a talented player but a bit of a fool. I’m sure I’ll think of him as less of a fool now that he isn’t a Cleveland Brown. In fact, the way the Browns treated Mayfield has him chomping at the bit to play at his max level. Matt Rhule has a good fit in his third season at the helm of the Panthers.
Frank Reich, Coach of the Year (+2000)
Last year, the Colts’ brain trust counted on Reich’s previous relationship with Carson Wentz. They were wrong. The year before they thought Philip Rivers still had enough in the tank. They were wrong. This time around, I think they have the right guy in Matt Ryan to lead a good team. This fit just may pay off nicely on this wager.
Ravens, Eagles, Bengals All Make The Playoffs (+330)
The Eagles and Bengals made it to the playoffs last year, while the Ravens were the team on the outside looking in. The Bengals should continue to excel. The tandem of head coach Nick Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts will keep the Eagles rising. The Ravens come back from an injury-marred season to again establish themselves as a contender to go deep in the playoffs.
Glenn Clark
Cardinals Under 8.5 Wins (-110)
They have a brutal schedule, among other issues.
Skyy Moore, Offensive Rookie of the Year (+1000)
He could become Patrick Mahomes’ top receiver threat immediately.
Jeremy Conn
Minnesota Vikings Over 9.5 Wins (-110)
I love the Vikings this year. I would take a flier on them to win the division. They had a -1 point differential last season and went 8-9 overall. They are in a great spot with a new coaching staff coming in and playing in a weak division.
Indianapolis Colts Over 9.5 Wins (-110)
They were so close last year and blew it down the stretch. I think they win their division and double-digit games this year to get back into the postseason.
Joe Serpico
Ravens Win AFC North (+160)
Almost every season there is a team that goes from worst to first and the Ravens have a great opportunity to be the next. Pittsburgh is going through a quarterback transition, Cleveland is dealing with quarterback distractions and Cincinnati is trying to fight off the dreaded Super Bowl curse.
Lamar Jackson Over 5.5 Rushing Touchdowns (-112)
Jackson only had two rushing scores last year but finished with seven in the two prior seasons. If the Ravens are serious about getting back to the same style of play that earned Jackson an MVP, he’s going to get his share of touchdowns on the ground once again.
Rashod Bateman Over 825.5 Receiving Yards (-112)
Bateman turned 68 targets into 515 yards as a rookie, while Marquise Brown was 10th in the NFL in total targets (146). If Bateman gets 40 percent of those vacated targets, that’s roughly another 60 coming his way and he’ll be flirting with a 1,000-yard season.
Ken Zalis
No Team Goes 17-0 (-2400)
I mean, the odds here are terrible, but to me the switch to a 17-game schedule makes this feel like free money for the rich and famous.
Davis Mills Over 20.5 Passing Touchdowns (-112)
Davis had 16 touchdown passes in 11 games last year, which bodes well for 2022.
Kyle Pitts Over 950.5 Receiving Yards (-112)
Atlanta could be bad … I mean really bad … like awful. Pitts, who had over 1,000 yards last season, will only get more targets this year, even with a risky quarterback situation.
Photo Credits: Kenya Allen/PressBox
Issue 276: August/September 2022
Originally published Aug. 17, 2022