Time for this week’s edition of Gamble Ramble! Last week, we got the result right for some chump change, but our “touchdown scorer” bets didn’t quite pan out. Here’s hoping we can get back on track this week as the Las Vegas Raiders travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints. All lines come via Draft Kings as of Saturday morning. Let’s see if you can win some betting the Raiders tomorrow.
Smartest Bet: Raiders -1.5 (-110)
Don’t let the records fool you. These are two very different two-win teams. The Saints are falling apart at the seams. Injuries will leave them without Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry. Oh, and quarterback Andy Dalton is at the helm. Meanwhile, the Raiders are essentially three plays away from being 5-1. They seem to have found their offensive identity by feeding off of Josh Jacobs. Expect that to continue against a Saints team that has struggled against the run this year. While the Raiders are not great against the spread, this is essentially a money line bet, as they only have to win by more than a point to cover. I’m comfortable with laying one this week.
Safest Bet: Josh Jacobs to Score a Touchdown (-130)
This one is really simple. Jacobs has scored six times in his last three games. He has firmly established himself as the focal point of the Raiders’ offense. The run-first approach should work quite well against this Saints run defense. It also doesn’t hurt that Davante Adams, Darren Waller, and Mack Hollins are all questionable to play this week. If Adams specifically is out, you’ll probably see Jacobs get 30–35 touches. He’s going to find the endzone at least once.
Best Risky Bet: Josh Jacobs 100+ Rush Yards And 3+ Rush Touchdowns (+1600)
This is Draft Kings’ ‘Weekly Special’ for this game, so it is probably unique to that site. Essentially, you are betting on Jacobs to have a repeat of last week’s performance against the Texans. That is certainly a tall order, but not entirely out of the question. In this week’s Fantasy Tracker, I projected Jacobs to rush for over 100 yards and two scores. It is not crazy to think that he could sneak in for a third touchdown. If any combination of Waller, Adams, and Hollins were out or limited this week, those chances would improve greatly. The +1600 odds provide some mouth-watering value as well.
2022 Las Vegas Raiders Fantasy Football Tracker
*Top Photo: Ben Liebenberg/2020 National Football League