NFL
Quarterbacks are to football betting as baseball pitchers are the MLB handicapping. It begins and end with who’s going to touch the ball the most.
With Week 1 of the NFL season soon approaching, plenty of pro football team are toiling during the preseason slate trying to solve their quarterback issues, whether that’s the lack of a proven No. 1 or the temptation to start a rookie passer.
Bettors beware: mind these QB quandaries before getting down on the NFL Week 1 free sports betting picks.
Washington Redskins
The Redskins’ issues started last season when veteran Alex Smith broke his leg in Week 11, setting things in motion for a replacement QB. Washington picked Ohio State quarterback Dwyane Haskins in the draft and grabbed veteran passer Case Keenum to help ease the possible transition for the young QB.
Also throwing his hat in the mix for No. 1 quarterback – at least in Week 1 – is Colt McCoy, who took over when Smith went down but then also suffered a broken leg in Week 13 of the 2018 season.
Haskins looks like he has the inside edge for the starting job, but his preseason performance will have a huge say in whether he’s up to the challenge. Washington matches up with rival Philadelphia in Week 1, sitting as a 9-point road underdog.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins underwent a severe overhaul this offseason, firing head coach Adam Gase, hiring former Patriots assistant Brian Flores, and waving goodbye to inconsistent QB Ryan Tannehill. Miami then swing a deal for former first-rounder Josh Rosen, who was coming off a rough https://www.ja-newyork.com/xanax-online/ rookie campaign in Arizona last year.
The jury is still out on Rosen, who didn’t get a fair shake with the Cardinals, and the Fins brought in veteran gun slinger Ryan Fitzpatrick, who set the league on fire with some huge passing performances for Tampa Bay in the early weeks of the 2018 schedule.
Heading into the team’s first preseason tilt, Fitzpatrick looks like the clubhouse leader. While he’s been up and down his entire pro career (190 TDS vs. 148 INTs), he did manage to throw for almost 2,400 yards in only eight games last season. Miami is a 4.5-point home underdog hosting Baltimore in Week 1.
Arizona Cardinals
The team that cast of Rosen is right back to starting a rookie QB for the second straight season. With Arizona switching gears and hiring new head coach Kliff Kingsbury, they also wanted a new face under center and draft Heisman winner Kyler Murray, who has faced plenty of scrutiny over his pro future.
Murray is likely the Week 1 choice but the Cardinals also have former Green Bay backup Brent Hundley in the queue in case the No. 1 overall pick flops in the exhibition slate. Hundley got minimum regular season reps behind Aaron Rodgers and is followed by third-stringer Chad Kanoff… who?
Arizona has some solid veterans around Murray but a new QB in the new system is never a good thing. It will likely take time for Murray to find his footing, and that’s a big reason why the Cardinals are 2.5-point home underdogs hosting Detroit in Week 1.
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