NFL Betting – 2019 Week 16 Wise Guy Picks

It was just last week in this article when I said it’s been another wacky NFL season. Proving me right the wackiness was not only evident on the field, it happened at the betting window, too. After putting together a few winning weeks with our wise guy picks, we got shut out with a big ohfer last week. With two weeks remaining in the regular season there is still time to recoup some of those losses, and a windfall would come in handy with Christmas just a few days away. We’re still in the black for the season, however, it’s becoming a lighter shade of gray.

We were a few seconds away from cashing a winning ticket in the Eagles-Skins game until Philly scored two touchdowns in the final half-minute to not only win the game but cover the spread. We had an idea of how the rest of the day would go after that debacle. And sure enough, it didn’t go very well. Backing the Bengals +11 looked like a sketchy bet at the time, but wise guys are smarter than I am. They weren’t last week with New England abusing the worst team in the NFL, 34-13, for an easy cover.

The Steelers were our last chance to avoid the hat trick and if not for the generosity of Duck Hodges, our week would’ve turned out much different. Backing the Steelers at home in a toss-up seemed like a good bet until Hodges threw four interceptions and Pittsburgh surrendered a fourth quarter lead to fall 17-10. That’s how it goes in the sports wagering realm; sometimes you’re the bug and sometimes you’re the windshield.

Thursday night games have been put down with Week 16 taking over the vacant Saturday with a tripleheader to start the betting week. With division titles and playoff positions up for grabs the slate is loaded with intriguing matchups. It’s time to check them out and see where sharp action is going. And remember, BookMaker will have spreads and totals for every NFL matchup during the 2019 season. Visit BookMaker.eu when you’re ready to wager on your favorite NFL team.

NFL Week 16 Wise Guy Picks

Houston Texans ( -3, 49.5 ) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Two top-10 scoring offenses collide in the first game of Saturday’s tripleheader when Deshaun Watson leads his Texans against Jameis Winston and the Bucs. When the total hit the board at 53 the over was gobbled up by the betting public. After all, Tampa is coming off its second straight game of 38 points, has topped 30 in three of four, and is the third-highest scoring team in the NFL at just under 30 per game. So naturally the total dipped to 49.5.

Wise guys are clearly buying into the under in this one, forcing the total to drop. Maybe it’s the rare Saturday start or that the Texans are battling for the top spot in the AFC South. Winston passed for over 400 yards last week and could surpass 5,000 yards for the season. But he still hasn’t erased the many negatives that have followed him since being drafted No. 1 overall. And the Texans have an opportunistic defense that can slow down the No. 1 ranked passing team.

Baltimore Ravens ( -10, 49 ) at Cleveland Browns

So much for the Brownies ending that playoff drought. They were officially eliminated with a loss to Arizona last week and failed to show up in a number of contests during the year. With nothing to play for how will they react this week? Riding a 10-game winning streak the Ravens surfaced as a 7-point favorite. We don’t often see lines spike as high as this one did in a short amount of time. Soon after hitting the board we had Baltimore -10 with backing of the public and wise guys.

Cleveland was the last team to beat the Ravens back in Week 4, and playing at home the Browns might have gotten the benefit of the doubt. It’s hard to win as many games in a row as the Ravens have and the odds of a loss get higher, but Lamar Jackson has plenty to prove, especially when he goes against other quarterbacks drafted higher than he was in 2018.

Dallas Cowboys ( -3, 46 ) at Philadelphia Eagles

Rarely does a game between .500 teams this late in the season carry such much importance. There’s just the NFC East title and a playoff berth at stake. Following their convincing win over the Rams, Dallas hit the board as a slim 1-point road favorite. Early action on the game was split evenly, which wouldn’t necessitate a change in the line. But it was alarming when the line moved in favor of the Boys by 2-points.

Both clubs came away with a victory last week to set up the showdown. Dallas hammered the Rams and the Eagles needed a late Carson Wentz touchdown pass and a fumble recovery for a score on the final play to beat the Redskins. Philly hasn’t been overpowering with a few bad losses on their resume. Maybe they just aren’t as good as people think. Wise guys are counting on it.

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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com