So, the playoff implications for the Las Vegas Raiders don’t make the stakes high enough for you, eh? Here’s how you can responsibly make the game even more interesting. All lines are as of Friday afternoon via Draft Kings.
Smartest Bet: Raiders Moneyline (+140)
In my opinion, this game is truly a coin flip. However, the odds do not reflect that. This is why I like this bet. Honestly, if the Chargers were +140, I would probably be telling you to take them. That being said, the Raiders have a few extra factors that go in their favor. First of all, they have home field advantage. Second, the Chargers won the first matchup. Typically, when you have two divisional opponents who are pretty even on paper like these two, they tend to split the season series.
Finally, the Raiders are the hotter team. Vegas is on a three-game winning streak. Los Angeles, on the other hand, is 1-2 over that span, including a bad loss to the Houston Texans. At the end of the day, this is probably the most likely bet to hit that offers a solid payout.
Safest Bet: Raiders Over 2.5 Touchdowns (-120)
The Raiders’ offense has not been great at scoring lately. However, there are signs of life. Greg Olson appeared to be opening up the playbook last week, when we saw more of Marcus Mariota than we had all season. Also, the return of Darren Waller is massive.
Another thing to consider is the caliber of defense that the Raiders will face relative to what they have seen as of late. The Colts, Broncos, and Browns sport some of the league’s most feared units. The Chargers have an average defense. If the Raiders offense plays like they did in Indy this week, three touchdowns should be a lock.
Finally, keep in mind that this is a de facto playoff game. I would expect both offenses to pull out all the stops. There will be nothing untouched in the playbook. There is a very real possibility that this game will turn into a shootout. This bodes well for the over.
Best Risky Bet: Both Teams to Score 30+ Points (+550)
This doesn’t feel like a reach at all. +550 is a crazy payout for something that is not super uncommon in the NFL. This is especially true for a game of this magnitude. I think the odds are long on this because of how the Raiders have played as of late. The offense has not scored a ton, and the defense hasn’t given up a lot either. That being said, this game is different. The Chargers have a much better offense than the Raiders have faced recently, and you could say the exact opposite about their defense. This means that the Raiders will have to score more to keep up with Los Angeles, but they should have an easier time doing so. Hey, if you have to sweat through a shootout, you might as well make some money off of it.
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*Top Photo: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports