You can spend hours handicapping your NFL Week 8 picks. But if you’re not backing up those bets with the best of the number, you’re throwing your biggest edge in the toilet.
Week 8 odds are on the board. Some spreads and totals hold value in their opening number, while others show potential for buyback later as the market matures.
I highlight the best Week 8 NFL picks to “Bet Now” and which ones you may want to “Bet Later”.
NFL predictions: Week 8 bet now, bet later picks
- Bears at Ravens (-6.5): Bet Now
- Cowboys at Broncos (-3): Bet Later
- Giants at Eagles (Over 42.5): Bet Now
- Browns at Patriots (Under 40.5): Bet Later
Chicago Bears at Baltimore Ravens (-6.5): Bet Now
The Baltimore Ravens will be the healthiest they’ve been in a long while when they take on the Chicago Bears in Week 8.
Baltimore enjoyed a much-needed bye in Week 7, allowing several key players time to heal up — none more important than quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has missed the past two games with a hamstring injury but is expected to return in Week 8.
Chicago scored a win over New Orleans on Sunday, but it was far from dominant. The beleaguered Saints turned the ball over four times and went 3-for-12 on third/fourth down, yet stayed within striking distance until the fourth quarter. The Bears finished 2-for-6 inside the red zone and sit in the bottom third of the league in TD rate inside the 20-yard line.
Some sharper books are dealing Baltimore -7, but the majority of the market is below the key number at Ravens -6.5. We’ll get some positive injury updates from Baltimore in the coming days, and that will pump this spread upward.
Best odds to bet Ravens -6.5 right now
Dallas Cowboys at Denver Broncos (-3): Bet Later
The Denver Broncos opened as field-goal favorites hosting their second consecutive NFC East opponent in Week 8. And after needing an insane fourth quarter comeback to knock off the Giants on Sunday, the vig on Denver -3 is starting to shrink.
Part of that movement could be the Broncos’ bad showing as touchdown home chalk versus New York, and some of it could be bettors buying into the Dallas Cowboys’ crushing victory over Washington on Sunday afternoon.
Dallas dropped 44 points on the Commanders and continues to put up strong offensive outputs, with the help of some so-so defensive opponents. The Cowboys have taken on both New York teams, Washington, and Carolina. Denver steps in as the stiffest stop unit Dak Prescott & Co. have faced all season.
The Cowboys have struggled away from Arlington, going 1-3 SU and 2-2 ATS as visitors. I’ll keep tabs on this spread and see if we can get Denver at -2.5 or shorter later in the week.
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New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles (Over 42.5): Bet Now
It was just a few weeks back that the New York Giants scored a sizable upset over the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday Night Football. New York scored 34 points and followed it with a wild 33-32 Week 7 loss at Denver.
Philadelphia’s offense was sputtering in the opening weeks, but it seems to have snapped out of that funk. The Eagles let it rip at Minnesota on Sunday, scoring 28 points and getting 326 passing yards and three touchdowns from QB Jalen Hurts.
That Philly air attacks now take on a Giants secondary potentially missing pieces after safety Jevon Holland and CB Paulson Adebo left Sunday’s game due to injuries. Intact, the G-Men weren’t great against the pass to begin with and watched Bo Nix come alive in the fourth quarter, finishing with 279 yards and two touchdowns in that crazy rally.
This total opened at 42.5 points and has moved to as high as 44.5 O/U at some shops on Sunday night. I’m betting the Over now, getting the low end of this total below the key stops of 43 and 44 points.
Best odds to bet Over 42.5 right now
Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots (Under 40.5): Bet Later
The Cleveland Browns scored 31 points in a one-sided win over Miami in Week 7, but that had more to do with the dreadful Dolphins than Cleveland’s offense.
Miami turned the ball over four times and finished 3-for-17 on third/fourth down, yet the Browns managed a measly 206 total yards in 31:45 of possession. Cleveland also got seven of those 31 points from an interception return.
The Browns travel to Foxborough to face a New England Patriots team piling up points over the past month. New England has scored a collective 121 points over the last four outings, but has done so against some questionable defenses (Titans, Saints, Carolina, and Buffalo). Cleveland may lack in a lot of areas, but defense isn’t one of them.
Based on the Week 7 scores, I’m willing to wait and see if this total ticks upward. It currently sits just shy of the key number of 41. If the number rises, I’ll come back on the Under later.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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