Sometimes, you come across an NFL betting line that makes you question everything you know about the game play and your choice of odds. Betting lines in football can make you think that there is information you missed when wagering on your team.
Here are factors to consider when choosing your NFL lines.
The popularity of a team
It is important to remember that betting lines are partly formulated to even out the betting field between two teams playing against each other. In NFL, some teams have larger fan bases than others, and most gamblers bet with their hearts. A team with a large fan base can influence lines.
The home ground advantage
Home field advantage is believed to be worth at least three points. Even so, some teams enjoy a more significant home-field advantage than others. While the crown and noise contribute to home advantage, as reported by USGamblingSites.com, sometimes factors such as too much wind can affect the home-field advantage. Also, some grounds are harder to play in than others. In NFL, four teams have domed stadiums, 24 play in open stadiums, while 4 have retractable roofs on the stadiums. Some have natural grass, while others have synthetic surfaces. All these are factors that affect the home-field advantage.
Player Injuries
When choosing your NFL lines, it is essential to consider the players who are out on injury in the different teams. You should also check which players are recently from injury breaks, as this also affects their comeback performance. How a team performs lies largely on the current state of the players’ health.
Against the spread performance
When sport betting experts discuss an upcoming game, they talk about how teams performed against the spread. If a particular team is playing well against lines, it is probably because previous lines underestimated its potential. The fact that the team consistently outperforms the lines has more to do with the lines than the performance of the team.
Weather conditions
A change in the weather affects all outdoor sports. This includes NFL games, especially those played in open stadiums. Weather can be a determining factor in the performance of different teams every week. For instance, the NFL teams in Florida all have open-air stadiums, and the weather can get humid and hot at the beginning of the football season. This can have an effect on players’ performance, especially on the guest teams.
The games schedule
While coaches believe in handling a game at a time, NFL games do not take place in a vacuum. The team’s game schedule partly dictates the rhythm to a season. The betting lines are affected if a team is playing a game with limited time to prepare. Teams playing opponents who are from a bye week are disadvantaged.
Rivalry teams
Games played by rivalry teams are more exciting than regular games. While some rivalries are more intense than others, it is a factor worth considering when picking your betting lines. The history of the games can offer great insight on the possibility of the outcome, without forgetting to factor in all other aspects of the game.
