With a full slate of games under their belts, bettors and oddsmakers head into Week 2 weighing what they’ve seen and how much to adjust from preseason inclinations.
Key Takeaways
- Bettors are fading bad teams like the Titans and Browns this week.
- The Saints, Chiefs, and Bears are getting a lot of love.
- Will high scoring continue and disrupt operators’ total and prop markets?
And if the markets are an indication so far, the public is reacting to what they saw in Week 1 more than how they viewed these teams in the offseason.
The Philadelphia Eagles (-7) are the most-bet team at BetMGM by tickets and handle, even though they didn’t cover as a 5.5-point favorite against the Washington Commanders last week. However, bettors appear to be fading a Tennessee Titans team that lost to the New York Jets, as Philadelphia is getting more than 90% of the handle and tickets at both BetMGM and DraftKings.
That New York squad, however, has instilled some confidence in bettors, who are backing the underdog for the second consecutive Sunday. A slight majority of the money from BetMGM and DraftKings is leaning toward the Jets (+3.5) at home against Green Bay.
“We can’t make any drastic adjustments, but we did make some adjustments, and some adjustments were on the Jets being a little better team,” DraftKings Sportsbook director and oddsmaker Johnny Avello told Covers this week. “The Packers last week just did not play well.
“The lookahead line was five and a half, down to three and a half, so Jets being at home with a little more confidence this week, I think the bettors will be confused on this one. I think we’re going to probably have somewhat of a balanced action on this one.”
| Week 2 Games | DraftKings Splits | BetMGM Splits |
|---|---|---|
| Eagles-Titans (+7) |
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| Steelers-Patriots (-5.5) |
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| Browns-Bucs (-8.5) |
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| Saints-Ravens (-8.5) |
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| Packers-Jets (+3.5) |
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| Vikings-Bears (-4.5) |
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| Panthers-Falcons (+2.5) |
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| Bengals-Texans (-2.5) |
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| Raiders-Chargers (-6.5) |
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| Jaguars-Broncos (-2.5) |
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| Dolphins-49ers (-13.5) |
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| Seahawks-Cardinals (+3.5) |
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| Commanders-Cowboys (-4.5) |
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| Colts-Chiefs (-6.5) |
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| Giants-Rams (-7) |
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Doubling down
The New Orleans Saints (+7 at Baltimore Ravens) are the second most-bet Week 2 squad at BetMGM. Operators have seen the game’s wagers and money split between both teams. New Orleans is getting 51% of the tickets at BetMGM and 53% of the handle at DraftKings after losing by one in overtime to the Detroit Lions last week. The Saints are the most-bet moneyline underdog this week at BetMGM with odds of +335 to win outright.
Bettors certainly aren’t shying away from the Chicago Bears after they hung nearly 60 points on Carolina last week. Chicago -4.5 against the Minnesota Vikings is the third most-bet team of the week at BetMGM, while the total is getting hit hard there and at DraftKings.
“We’re 47 and a half. I don't see anybody betting this game under, especially when the coach said they're gonna light it up this year with points,” Avello said. “They're going to continue to bet the Bears. They’re going to continue to bet the over.”
The public, and probably the pros, are again fading the Cleveland Browns after a lackluster Week 1 performance against Jacksonville and taking the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+8.5), who are getting 94% of the handle and 83% of the bets at DraftKings.
Early Week 2 NFL Lopsided Action @DKSports⚠️
— DK Insights (@DKInsights_) September 18, 2026
98%💰| 98%🎟️on Eagles ML
95%💰| 94%🎟️on Eagles -7
91%💰| 97%🎟️on Buccaneers -8.5
95%💰| 84%🎟️on Buccaneers ML
87%💰| 81%🎟️on Patriots ML
86%💰on Patriots -5.5
83%💰| 84%🎟️on Panthers -2.5
95%🎟️on Ravens ML
87%🎟️on Packers ML
85%🎟️on… pic.twitter.com/EvDv54AuiO
There is also a lot of love for the Chiefs, fresh off an impressive 31-10 win over the Denver Broncos on Monday night. Kansas City is in the top five in tickets and getting 77% of the handle at BetMGM as a 6.5-point favorite over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night.
“This is one of those games where you just don’t overreact,” Avello said. “The Chiefs did look really good, and the Colts certainly did not (against the Ravens). We believe that the Colts are a better team than they showed.”
Other notable insights
Cincinnati-Houston is expected to be one of the heavier action games in Week 2. Avello said Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow battling a bad back has not affected the spread, but the Texans are getting 58% of the bets and 70% of the money so far.
Avello said Broncos -2.5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars has shown no signs of moving toward a field goal, even though the majority of the money is on Denver, and he expects a fairly balanced split by the late Sunday kickoff. BetMGM has seen significantly higher percentages on the Broncos.
The Seattle Seahawks are a steady 3.5-point favorite on Sunday over the Arizona Cardinals, who surprised the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1, even though Seattle starting QB Sam Darnold is out with a glute injury. Avello said Darnold is worth about five points, and oddsmakers have taken Arizona being better than expected into account, leading to a spread that he thinks could end up at +4.
Another spot where bettors are fading one team and backing another off of a great performance is Miami-San Francisco. The Dolphins struggled against the Las Vegas Raiders, while San Francisco dominated the Los Angeles Rams, leading to a nearly two-touchdown spread in Week 2, and Avello said bettors likely won’t stop piling on the favorite in this one.
The Super Bowl-favorite Rams look to avoid a 0-2 start when they host the New York Giants on Monday night, and Avello expects plenty of L.A. backers. So far, N.Y. is getting 63% of the bets at DraftKings, but there’s still a ways to go before that kickoff, and Avello says bettors could question if the Giants are as good as they looked against the Cowboys.
Totals and props
After a high-scoring Week 1, four of the top five most-bet totals at BetMGM are overs this Sunday, including Carolina-Atlanta.
Bettors also had a great start in the anytime touchdown market in Week 1, with big names finding the end zone everywhere. This week, BetMGM customers are already on Houston running back David Montgomery, who scored three TDs in his Texans debut, with odds of -140. Eagles star Saquon Barkley (-120) and Bears tight end Colston Loveland (+175) are also popular anytime touchdown bets.
Denver QB Bo Nix is the most-bet first touchdown scorer with wild odds of +2,000. Commanders QB Jayden Daniels’ over 213.5 passing yards is BetMGM’s most-bet player prop so far. Customers also like Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase to go for 75+ receiving yards and Nix to eclipse 219.5 passing yards.
