Bettors are looking at a long day on Sunday. Another game across the pond and a juicy prime-time showdown are two of the most popular games at sportsbooks in Week 6.
Key Takeaways
- Broncos-Jets and Lions-Chiefs are receiving a bulk of the Week 6 action and money.
- Favorites are seeing a ton of action, but there are still a few intriguing splits for Sunday.
- The Bengals made a change at quarterback this week, and bettors have taken a clear side.
The extended Sunday slate and two Monday Night games start with the Broncos taking on the Jets in London as 7.5-point favorites. Sunday ends with the Lions going to Kansas City as 2.5-point underdogs against the Chiefs.
"The Broncos are the flavor of the week, as Denver is our most-bet side by spread tickets and handle, and moneyline tickets, to take down the Jets in London," Adrian Horton, ESPN BET’s senior director of North American trading, said. “Elsewhere, Lions-Chiefs is our most bet game of the week, with more than 75% of patrons taking the Lions with the points on the road.
“Handle is closer to a 60-40 split but still in favor of Detroit, with the line moving out a point to +2.5."
Big-game insights
BetMGM said Friday that Denver is getting 67% of the tickets and 61% of the handle, but DraftKings has seen the handle edge go to the Jets, who are the fourth most-bet moneyline underdog at BetMGM.
Meanwhile, the Lions have a decisive edge at all three sportsbooks, with the highest handle percentage (72%) coming at BetMGM.
“The Lions are the most bet team to cover as underdogs on Sunday Night Football,” said Christian Cipollini, BetMGM senior trading manager.
The rest of Week 6, which kicked off Thursday night with the Giants winning outright as underdogs, is highlighted by 10 other games with spreads of 3.5 or higher. It’s no surprise that the public is all over favorites, which hasn’t been a winning strategy the last few weeks.
“Outside of Detroit, nearly every favorite is receiving a majority of bets to cover,” Cipollini said. “This week features 11 spreads greater than a field goal, and, generally, the book is looking for underdogs to cover.”
Public loves favorites
The Colts (-7.5) are one of the most popular favorites, getting at least 90% of the handle at two sportsbooks. Indianapolis is the most-bet team by handle at BetMGM and second in tickets.
Pittsburgh (-5.5) is the third most-bet team at BetMGM when it hosts the Browns on Sunday. The Patriots have seen the fourth-most money in Week 6 as they look to capitalize on that big win over Buffalo last week as 3.5-point road favorites against a Saints team that won for the first time a week ago.
Cowboys-Panthers has seen interesting action so far, with Dallas (-3) getting the bulk of the tickets at multiple sportsbooks, but Carolina has evened the handle and even leads with 58% of the money at DraftKings.
The Broncos, Colts, Steelers, Patriots, and Chargers are the most popular moneyline teams at ESPN BET.
| Week 6 Game | DraftKings Splits | BetMGM Splits | ESPN BET splits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos-Jets | DEN 63% bets NYJ 77% handle |
DEN 67% bets DEN 61% handle |
DEN 78% bets DEN 87% handle |
| Browns-Steelers | PIT 65% bets PIT 86% handle |
PIT 81% bets PIT 86% handle |
PIT 57% bets PIT 67% handle |
| Cardinals-Colts | IND 75% bets IND 90% handle |
IND 87% bets IND 91% handle |
IND 75% bets IND 82% handle |
| Chargers-Dolphins | LAC 67% bets MIA 75% handle |
LAC 65% bets MIA 69% handle |
LAC 81% bets LAC 94% handle |
| Patriots-Saints | NE 80% bets NE 72% handle |
NE 61% bets NE 55% handle |
NE 82% bets NE 85% of handle |
| Cowboys-Panthers | DAL 79% bets CAR 58% handle |
DAL 71% bets DAL 53% handle |
DAL 75% bets DAL 67% handle |
| Seahawks-Jaguars | SEA 59% bets SEA 74% handle |
SEA 60% bets SEA 70% handle |
JAX 51% bets SEA 72% handle |
| Rams-Ravens | LAR 69% bets LAR 60% handle |
LAR 52% bets BAL 52% handle |
LAR 73% bets LAR 68% handle |
| Titans-Raiders | LV 52% bets LV 82% handle |
LV 54% of bets LV 61% handle |
LV 55% bets LV 82% handle |
| Bengals-Packers | CIN 67% bets CIN 73% handle |
CIN 73% bets CIN 75% handle |
CIN 69% bets CIN 72% handle |
| 49ers-Buccaneers | TB 56% bets SF 66% handle |
TB 68% bets TB 69% handle |
TB 62% bets TB 60% handle |
| Lions-Chiefs | DET 80% bets DET 71% handle |
DET 75% bets DET 72% handle |
DET 72% bets DET 60% handle |
| Bills-Falcons | BUF 82% bets ATL 51% handle |
BUF 83% bets BUF 73% handle |
BUF 82% bets BUF 69% handle |
| Bears-Commanders | WAS 58% bets CHI 63% handle |
WAS 68% bets WAS 62% handle |
WAS 59% bets WAS 64% handle |
Split decisions
As much as bettors are targeting favorites, there are a few other intriguing splits in some marquee games. The struggling Ravens are 7.5-point underdogs at home against the Rams, who are only getting 52% of the wagers and 48% of the money at BetMGM.
DraftKings and BetMGM have seen more handle come in on the underdog Dolphins than the 5.5-point favored Chargers. Tampa Bay is a 3.5-point favorite over the 49ers, but San Francisco is leading in handle at DraftKings.
The Seahawks are getting at least 59% of the tickets at two operators, but ESPN BET has seen a slight majority of wagers come in on the Jaguars (+1.5) in a game where the favorite flipped from the opening line.
Taking a shot
The Bengals acquired Joe Flacco from Cleveland during the week, and the quarterback will make his Cincinnati debut in Green Bay on Sunday. The switch and a double-digit spread have led bettors to back a Bengals team that’s lost three consecutive games since Joe Burrow was ruled out for the season with a toe injury.
Cincinnati, a 14.5-point underdog, is getting the majority of bets and handle, including 75% of the money at BetMGM. The Bengals are also the second most-bet underdogs of the week behind the Lions. With odds of +700 to pull off the outright upset, bettors can’t help but take a chance that Flacco bails out a team that entered the season with high hopes.
Totals and props
Lions-Chiefs over 53 is the most-bet total of the week at BetMGM and ESPN BET. Bills-Falcons over 50 is getting a lot of attention at BetMGM, while Chargers-Dolphins is the second most-bet total at ESPN BET and getting 80% of the money.
Pittsburgh running back Jaylen Warren leads the player prop market at BetMGM with his under 49.5 rushing yards, just ahead of Dallas tight end Jake Ferguson’s over 48.5 receiving yards.
Cooper Kupp (+250), Amon-Ra St. Brown (+110), Romeo Doubs (+200), Michael Mayer (+310), and J.K. Dobbins (-130) are leading BetMGM’s anytime touchdown scorer market. Jahmyr Gibbs, Josh Jacobs, Jonathan Taylor, Javonte Williams, and Dobbins are the top five in ESPN BET’s TD market.
