Andrew Ortenberg
Show Bio
It’s that special time of year when most of the major sports are in action. It’s a lot, and we’re grateful for it. There are plenty of crucial contests coming up, which always attract some big public sides. Let’s take a look at where the public money is going as bettors once again try to beat the ‘books, with the Cowboys leading the way on Thursday.
NFL: Cowboys -4.5 @ Saints
Any primetime standalone NFL game is going to see betting volume that’s off the charts. And these nationally televised showdowns are often where we see the biggest public sides. For the Week 13 edition of Thursday Night Football, the public is flocking to the Cowboys. A total of 79 percent of the bets and 82 percent of the public money are laying the points with Dallas, per DraftKings’ internal numbers shared with us.
Since these splits were released this morning, this line has ballooned out from 4.5 to 6.5. That probably has more to do with the Saints ruling out key players like Alvin Kamara and Terron Armstead than oddsmakers reacting to public money. We’re backing Dak Prescott and the Cowboys, as well.
NFL: Colts -8.5 @ Texans
Let’s take a look at the rest of the NFL slate now. The Cowboys aren’t the only big public side of Week 13. Bettors are also gravitating toward the road team in this AFC South rivalry game. A total of 84 percent of the bets and 96 percent of the public money are laying more than a touchdown with the Colts over the Texans here.
Indy has been playing their best ball of the season lately while the Texans just lost to the Jets last week, so this one isn’t too hard to understand. The Colts are making a playoff push and are humming on offense, while Houston is just playing out the string with Tyrod Taylor. We think Indy wins this one going away, too.
NBA: Bucks -4 @ Raptors
Now we are turning our attention to the NBA. The big public side of the Thursday pro basketball slate is the Bucks. 90 percent of the bets and a whopping 94 percent of the public money are laying the points with Milwaukee here. The Bucks got off to a slow start, but have since rebounded with eight straight wins.
The Raptors, on the other hand, have lost three in a row — failing to top 97 points in any of those games. They are also really banged up, with key guys like OG Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. both dealing with injuries. We don’t see any reason to fade Giannis Antetokounmpo here either.
NCAAF: Georgia -6.5 @ Alabama
I never thought I’d see the day where the public was lining up to fade a Nick Saban Alabama team. But here we are. Championship weekend is here and by far the most highly anticipated game is this SEC showdown between Georgia and Alabama. A total 78 percent of the bets and 87 percent of the public money are laying the points with the Bulldogs.
If you would’ve said before the season that the public was fading Alabama, and that it would be an underdog of nearly a touchdown, you probably wouldn’t have believed it. But it’s a fitting end to a wild college football season. Make sure to check out our ‘NCAAF Picks‘ tab for our experts’ free picks on the side and total of every conference championship game.
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