Betting Odds: Green Bay Packers at Oakland Raiders (-6)
- Green Bay Packers Moneyline: +225
- Oakland Raiders Moneyline: -278
- Over/Under: 40.5
- Kickoff: Aug. 24, 2018 – 10:30 p.m. ET
Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers engineered a touchdown on his first drive courtesy of new red-zone BFF Jimmy Graham. The first-team offense won't be suiting up again Friday night, and 85% of the money has accordingly backed the Raiders spread and helped shift the line from -3 to -6.5 (the largest preseason point spread since 2011).
Rodgers and Co. might not play much, but their brief time on the field displayed their high-upside scoring potential entering 2018. Rodgers has fed multiple receivers double-digit touchdowns in two of the past four seasons and will look to do so again with Graham and Davante Adams.
Aaron Rodgers hasn't historically featured tight ends
Good thing 9 of Jimmy Graham's 10 TDs last season came lined up in the slot or as an outside wide receiver pic.twitter.com/wjN3mGaIGU
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) August 22, 2018
Oakland Raiders
Coach Jon Gruden has confirmed that the team's starters will play into the second quarter of their matchup against the Packers. The team's new-look scheme is still a bit of a mystery, though Gruden noted in February that he plans on running the offense through receiver Amari Cooper.
"He'll be the focal point of our offense … He has tremendous quickness. I think he's smart, he's versatile, he's a gamer, he likes the bright lights and he'll be the headliner in our offense."
The rest of Gruden's offense features an all-star cast (from 2014) in Jordy Nelson, Marshawn Lynch, Martavis Bryant and Doug Martin. Cooper should get every opportunity to thrive in 2018 after a disappointing third season.
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