During the regular season, NFL teams have one goal in mind — win the game. During the preseason? Not even close. Coaching staffs use the preseason to fine-tune their game plans, navigate team strategies, and finalize depth charts. It’s about giving their guys some reps before beginning the regular season. So when winning the game isn’t much of a consideration, it’s tricky to develop an NFL preseason betting strategy. But there ARE angles out there. Here are my top five tips on betting the NFL preseason. 1. Protect Your Bankroll Rule No. 1 of sports betting — protect your bankroll. It’s tempting to start betting football right out of the gate, but there are better opportunities during the regular season. With motivation lacking from both sides during the preseason, you’d be wrong to assume either team will have a significant advantage in these contests. Add in variables like last-minute roster changes, second- and third-string replacements getting reps over star players, and the preseason is just a mess. Protect your bankroll by staying patient and waiting for better opportunities. 2. Target Underdogs With all things being equal, and neither team really giving a damn about winning, there is value in targeting underdogs. When you have two teams playing with lackluster efforts, either side has a chance of winning the game outright. Taking the points is a reasonable option. What’s more, preseason games tend to be low scoring. And the lower the score, the tighter the range is for a final outcome. And the lower the point total, the more value there is on taking the points with the underdog. 3. Bet The Under Look, if you’re watching preseason football, you aren’t allowed to complain about betting the Under because it’s boring. You’ve already made the decision to watch a slow-paced football game, filled with third stringers hoping to crack a starting roster, managed by coaching staffs who would rather be at their lake house enjoying the last few weeks of fishing season 4. If The Line Looks Wrong, Bet The Other Way Every now and then, you’ll find a betting line that seems off. While it’s tempting to put a hefty bet down thinking you’ve outsmarted the oddsmakers, a better approach would be to bet the other side. It’s a difficult bet to make because it’s extremely counterintuitive. But sportsbooks are not stupid. More often than not, the point spread represents a fair number. So if you find yourself puzzled at, say, the Kansas City Chiefs +3 against the Chicago Bears just remember … this is the preseason. The game doesn’t matter. Patrick Mahomes isn’t marching down the field to make the playoffs. It’s the second and third stringers battling it out for starting jobs. And do the Chiefs have better alternates than the Bears? Maybe? I have no idea. It doesn’t matter. If you see a line that looks fishy, plug your nose and bet the other side — in the example above, lay the 3 points with the Bears (just don’t tell your friends). 5. Do Research I’ve emphasized that NFL preseason games don’t matter. That said, there MIGHT be situations when one team is slightly more motivated than its opponent. Determining this requires some research, so learn as much as you can about teams before game time. Certain coaching staffs make little effort to win during the preseason, whereas other coaches might want to make a good impression. Maybe it’s their first year, maybe they have new ownership, or there could be any number of factors that might fire them up. From a player standpoint, there are elite QBs who make the start, try not to get injured, and then quickly sub out. There might also be backups QBs who get the start and try to score some touchdowns. They’ve got nothing to lose and a starting job to gain. There is any number of situations like this that can pop up. So before you make your bets, pay attention to pre-game press conferences, read articles, follow beat writers on Twitter, and see if you can spot a betting angle by simply paying attention.
 

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