Week 12 of the NFL season is here, and hopefully we’ll have more games like the Thursday Night Football classic between the Browns and Steelers last night that looked like it was played in a snow globe. It’s a good reminder to always check weather reports for NFL games — especially this time of year — and to understand the importance of the different types of weather (snow, rain, wind) to the odds and public perception. And also to remember that live betting is always an option if the elements change quickly and complete change the game.
Just because a game has a lot of snow, doesn’t make it an automatic UNDER play, as the Browns-Steelers going OVER last night reminded us. Remember that offensive players know where they are going on every play, which is an advantage in the snow.
For the rest of the Week 12 games, the No. 1 public side is once again the Detroit Lions. Lions -7.5 (at Colts) is the most-bet side by both total wagers and total dollars at both BetMGM and DraftKings. However, one oddsmaker told me that he received sharp action at Colts +8, moving them down to +7.5. I wrote more about the Lions in an article for The Athletic today.
Below, I’ve aggregated 50 early Week 12 NFL best bets from respected handicappers for you, along with public betting info from ESPN BET, DraftKings, BetRivers and BetMGM.
I’ll have much more information — including sharp plays from oddsmakers — in my usual Sunday morning NFL post.
Have a great Friday!