The weekly edition of our betting-centric article, the Gamble Ramble, has returned! Let’s not sugarcoat it — we are down bad, folks. Even in last week’s Raiders win, we hit on just one of our three picks, taking us to 8-19 on the year. We dropped another 1.15 units, leaving us down a whopping 10.55 for the season.
Gamble Ramble: Best Raiders Bets Of Week 10
We may be beaten but not broken. Three more great picks take center stage today, with the hopes of a course correction on the way. Remember, it only takes one long shot to hit to get back on track. All lines come via Draft Kings as of Friday evening. Let’s get into the picks, starting with the best value of the week.
Best Value: Davante Adams Anytime Touchdown Scorer (+210)
Let’s try this one again. Adams has struggled to find the endzone in 2023. He has only done so three times so far this season. This trend can’t possibly hold up all year. Something has got to give.
While it may not have helped much last week, Adams will benefit in the long run from having a new quarterback (Aidan O’Connell) and offensive coordinator (Bo Hardegree). O’Connell’s arm should give Adams more opportunities down the field, and the new-look offense is getting other receivers like Hunter Renfrow more involved, which should take some attention off of the Raiders’ star wideout. Adams could see more direct benefits from the recent changes against the Jets.
Adams’ lack of touchdowns isn’t the only unsustainable trend at play here. New York has only allowed one touchdown to wide receivers this year. Normally, that would help make a strong case against Adams. However, we are so far in the year that an outlier like that is more likely to be corrected every week.
There’s enough working against Adams to boost his odds to +210. Nevertheless, those factors aren’t nearly enough to stop a player of his caliber. Bet on Adams to score once again this week.
Lock of the Week: Under 36.5 (-110)
I don’t think you could possibly set the line low enough for this tilt. The Raiders and Jets have both played low-scoring games all year. The under is a combined 12-5 in their contests so far in 2023. That trend should continue this week.
The reason for all these “unders” is that both teams have solid defenses complemented by low-octane offenses. While the Raiders did show a little more scoring juice last week against the Giants, they will have a much tougher go of it against New York’s “other” football team. To make matters worse, the Silver and Black will likely be without left tackle Kolton Miller. That is the last thing a rookie quarterback needs when facing a defense that averages almost three sacks a week.
Expect this game to be a defensive struggle. It is unlikely that either team will get to 20 points. These two squads have only reached that number a combined five times this year. At most, we are probably looking at a 19-17 game. Again, that is the worst-case scenario and the under would still hit. Easy money in Vegas on Sunday Night Football.
Raiders Long-Shot of The Week: Tre Tucker Anytime Touchdown Scorer (+850)
Chances are that these three picks won’t all hit since they conflict a bit. Let’s consider this one as a hedge. If things get weird, we might be able to cash in big on this pick. Lord knows we need it. Of all the options to hedge with long odds, a Tre Tucker breakout feels like the best choice.
As mentioned earlier, Hardegree and O’Connell seem to be making it a point to get more players involved in the passing game. Tucker’s three targets against the Giants tied for his season-high. He also recorded a carry last week. The Raiders didn’t spend a top-100 draft pick on Tucker to not utilize his talent. Expect him to get more involved in the offense in general in the second half of the season.
It’s also worth noting that O’Connell and Tucker got very familiar with one another during the preseason. That could make the Raiders’ rookie receiver out of Cincinnati the most likely to score outside of the usual suspects. At +850, he is our best shot at righting the ship as far as these gambling picks go.
*Top Photo: AP Photo/Adrian Kraus
