It was an educational Sunday for us NFL fans and bettors. No lead is safe vs. Kyler Murray, Patrick Mahomes' MVP season was no fluke and oddsmakers are going to need to give the Dolphins a lot of points every week this season to convince anyone to bet on them again.
Week 1 isn't over yet, though, and in fact we have two more games to watch tonight. The first game, Texans-Saints, should be entertaining for everyone watching. The second, Broncos-Raiders, is one only a bettor would like.
Here's how sharp bettors have gotten down on Monday's mini slate.
All odds as 8:30 a.m. ET on Monday and via PointsBet, where Action Network users get an exclusive 200% deposit match (deposit $50, bet with $150).
Texans vs. Saints Sharp Report
7:10 p.m. ET | ESPN
After some initial line movement way back in May that did not stick, this line held steady on the key number of seven for literally three full months. How the H does a line not move off of seven for three months?
Well, finally the books had seen enough Texans cash flow in to drop the line down to +6.5 on Thursday, where it has since remained. Tickets have been near a 50-50 split all summer, but the Texans had twice as much money as the Saints did at the time of the move.
Since moving to +6.5, Houston has understandably become less popular. Their ticket percentage has fallen from 52% to 43%, while the cash flow has dropped from 66% to 60%.
With that said, it wouldn't surprise me at all if the line moved back to seven. If you're planning on taking the Texans, I would advise you to take a wait-and-see approach on this line.
Sharp bettors pride themselves on getting the best of the line. It's just a half-point difference from +6.5 to +7, but that's a crucial number in the NFL that's going to come back and bite you on a regular basis and hurt your bankroll in the long run.
Sharp Angle: Texans (moved from +7 to +6.5)
