Prepare your sportsbook for the NFL regular season and generate the most handle in 2020. Read how NFL opt-outs and the coronavirus may impact your pay per head sportsbook.
The National Football League regular season is upon us. Training camp is underway, the opt-out deadline has passed, and the league is moving forward with a 2020-2021 season. It’s full speed ahead for NFL betting.
Is your pay per head service sportsbook ready? Here’s what you should prepare for before NFL Week 1.
NFL Opt-Outs Affect Futures and Totals
Luckily, the NFL didn’t have superstars like quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson opt-out. However, there have been moves that could affect where the money goes in spread betting, regular season totals, and NFL futures.
Only four teams had no player opt-out of the 2020 season. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons are the four teams.
The New England Patriots, currently at +2000 to win Super Bowl 55, were most affected with eight players choosing to sit out. Most notably, strong safety Patrick Chung and linebacker Dont’a Hightower won’t suit up for Bill Belichick and the rest of the Brady-less Pats.
Prepare to see futures betting on the Pats slow to a crawl. The odds on New England had already taken a hit after Tom Brady decided to open a locker in Tampa.
Fresh off a Super Bowl 54 win, key Kansas City Chiefs offensive players are opting out. Starting guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and starting running back Damien Williams won’t play.
That leaves the Chiefs with rookie runner Clyde Edwards-Helaire to carry the backfield load. Still, KC’s odds remain at +650, which makes them the favorites.
Prepare for Unpredictable NFL Regular Season Month 1
During the preseason, Coaches rarely play their stars and rarely go deep into their playbooks. But coaches do take the preseason to assess young talent and depth.
No 2020 preseason games means coaches must throw young players into the fire.
More talented, veteran teams could take advantage of young, unprepared squads. Or it could create coaching chess matches, games dominated by the best game plan, which would generate more parity.
The former isn’t great for sportsbook bookies, as bettors tend to lean on favorites early in a football season. The latter is pph sportsbook heaven, as parity means balanced action and underdogs winning against the spread.
Teams to Garner the Most Interest in Week 1 and Beyond
This season, the Kansas City Chiefs should attract the most against the spread betting attention.
The Baltimore Ravens are the other team that could dominate the NFL regular season betting. However, the Ravens play a college-style offense that some bettors may not trust.
Instead of backing the Ravens, expect bettors to lean towards New England until Belichick proves to be human. Also, because Tom Brady is a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, it shouldn’t be a surprise that bettors will focus their money on Tampa until the GOAT proves he’s past his prime.
Also, beware of more substantial wagers on New York based teams. Big-city bias, and the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets competing in a Brady-less AFC East could create a New York state of mind.
Your bookie software allows you to change juice or move lines. Do so, should you feel like you’re at risk of being offside on gameday.
Most Handle Heavy Matchups
Pay per head agents should prepare for these heavy handle NFL games during the 2020 regular season:
- Week 1 – Buccaneers at Saints: Tom Brady vs. Drew Brees is guaranteed to attract betting money. Bookies get the matchup at least twice in 2020!
- Week 3 – Chiefs at Ravens: Lamar Jackson has a chance to prove he deserved the 2019 MVP award over Mahomes. The quarterback duel takes place under the Monday Night lights!
- Week 5 – Giants at Cowboys: Some may bristle at any focus on the underwhelming NFC East. But former Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett is the Giants’ offensive coordinator. His return to Dallas should attract extra eyes.
- Week 16 – Vikings at Saints: We rarely get Christmas Day battles in the NFL, therefore, expect this competitive divisional battle to garner a healthy handle.
- Week 17 – Seahawks at 49ers: Although we’re sure there will be plenty of do-or-die matchups in Week 17, the second game between the Seahawks and 49ers could be for the division just like it was in 2019.
Prepare for Quick Line Moves with PPH Software
The NFL is copying the MLB model to deal with COVID. That may create a lot of unexpected roster changes or even a few game postponements.
Sharp bettors will look to exploit any changes. Bookies must use reliable and up-to-date sources to determine line moves or whether to take bets off the board. While usual media outlets like ESPN and CBS Sports are always great choices, bookies should embrace media channels like NFL Insiders on Twitter.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer are great at providing accurate NFL gameday info the second it breaks.
Should things get beyond your control, remember that bookies can lay off their bets with pph sportsbook software. That will allow you to mitigate risk on potential losses.
Prepare for the NFL Regular Betting Season with Pay Per Head
Use PayPerHead bookie software to prepare for a unique NFL regular Season. With our sports betting software, bookmakers can provide their players a great online betting experience.
They can also use the Agent Payment Solution, a secure online way to get paid and collect from players.
Take advantage of PayPerHead’s 3-for-3 Promo and only pay $3 per head for up to 3-months. Load up right through the start of the 2020 NFL Season.
