7 NFL Betting Options You Can Place on a Single Game

Many of us believe there are only so many ways to bet and win on a single NFL game. But the truth is, there are over a dozen ways to win in many different categories. 

Sure, you have your typical point spreads and over/under lines. But you may not realize there are dozens of ways to bet and win on a single NFL game. 

This article discusses seven of those ways to win, along with each category in-depth, along with betting options in each of the following categories.

Here are seven ways you can bet and win on your next NFL game. 

1 – Point Spreads

The first two sections begin with the obvious, so we can begin with point spreads. Point spreads are among the most popular ways to bet on games. The stakes are simple and straightforward. Will Jacksonville cover the -3-point spread or will Miami cover it?

I’m sure most of us probably have bet on a point spread either in the NFL, NCAA, or another college or professional league. They’ve been around since the dawn of real money sports betting. 

What many of us fail to realize is that we can bet on much more than just basic point spreads. You can also bet on alternate lines which are often a few points higher or lower than the original point spread. 

You’ll often see more favorable lines when it comes to the point spread. But be careful, because you’re often paying some juice to do so. 

Whether you’re betting on point spreads or alternate point spreads, the name of the game remains the same: If your team covers or beats the spread, you have a profit to earn. If not, you’re at a loss.

2 – Total Points

Also known as the over/under (what I’ve always called it), betting on total points has you projecting whether the teams combine to score over or under the allotted point total. So, if Jacksonville and Miami are spotting 47.5 points, will they hit over or under that margin?

Often, the lower-scoring the teams, the lower the over/under line, enticing you to consider betting the over. The opposite is true if the two teams are offensive powerhouses. In which the over/under is set higher.

As with alternate point spreads, alternate total points or over/unders also exist. Sometimes, you’ll see better numbers but like the spreads, you’re paying more juice. In other cases, the juice becomes more favorable.  

It’s basically risk-reward when it comes to betting on alternate lines. Some of us are okay with pushing the juice to gain better odds. For example, if the over/under remains at 47.5 put a more favorable over/under is spotting over 34, the odds soar from -110 to -835. 

Or, if you’re thinking the under and are betting at under 34, you’re at +480 odds rather than -110 odds. 

3 – Team Props

There are several betting options here, and we’ll go over a few of the more popular props in this section. 

One of which involves total points in each half, and total points in the game. For example, the Dolphins are spotting 10.5 points for the first half. Will they achieve over or under that number? Will the Jaguars reach their 12.5 line?

Will Miami reach the 22.5 total points, and will Jacksonville hit their allotted 24.5 points?

You can also bet on who will be the first team to score or the last team to score. There are odds for each team. In this example, Miami stood at +102 odds to score first while Jacksonville stood at -137. Then there are odds for who will score last.

Also, with team props are total touchdowns, you’ll see a line—such as 2.5 for the Jaguars—along with respectable odds. In this example, they were at -143 odds for the over and +110 odds for the under. 

The next option for team props are odds whether the Jacksonville Jaguars will score first and win. In this sample, they stood at +155 for yes and -200 for no. Then, the Miami Dolphins were up with their odds.

Finally, another team prop sits with who will score the first touchdown and who will score the last touchdown. Let’s use the Jaguars again, whose odds were -136 to score first for this game and -127 to score last. 

4 – Player Props

Player props are sort of like fantasy football. But instead of the players winning you fantasy points based on their statistics, you’re betting on specific performances.

Either way, if you’ve played fantasy football to any extent, you may like the player props option. 

For the Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Miami Dolphins example, you can bet on whether Gardner Minshew will throw over or under his allotted touchdown total. Or will Jaguars receiver DJ Chark record over or under his allotted 65.5 projected yardage total?

You get the gist of it. 

Player props are all about statistics. So, say if Chark records more than his projected yardage total and you bet the over, you win the bet based on the odds. And if he records under the projected amount, you lose the bet. 

Alternate totals are available here as well, either for more or less favorable juice. 

5 – Game Props

Let’s move onto the game props, where you can bet on a variety of winning margins. With each winning margin, comes odds. 

This one sort of resembles point spreads. But you’re given a range of points rather than a single line. There are also multiple point margins available. 

For this particular game featuring the Jaguars and Dolphins, the margin starts with one to six points, followed by +330 odds for the Jags and +360 for the Dolphins.

The list continues with a seven to 12-point margin and the +450 odds for the Jaguars and the +575 odds for the Dolphins follow. Then, the following tiers, which ends at a 43-point margin for the Jags and Dolphins, respectively. 

Other game props include TD props, which contain the over/under odds for touchdowns in the first half and total touchdowns. The final scoring play, which includes odds for a touchdown, safety, or field goal from each of the two teams.

In this game, the odds stood at +175 for the Jaguars’ final scoring play to be a touchdown. And the Dolphins stood at +410 odds if their final scoring play was a field goal. 

Then, there are the first to a listed point total. Will the Jaguars or Dolphins be the first to hit 10 points, or will neither team reach 10? Then, the odds exist for the first to reach 15 points, 20 points, and so on. 

The next set of game props are game specials. Your options here include whether a safety will be scored. In this game, the odds sat at +1,150 for yes, and -3,335 for no. Then, there are odds for whether the game will go into overtime, and if the total points scored are odd or even. 

Finally, who will have the lead after halftime and full-time? Or will the half or regulation end in a tie? Odds for both teams follow. 

6 – Halves

This category has everything to do with how a team will perform during a specific half. We have our usual point spread for the half only. So, with the Jacksonville-Miami game from Week 3, the spread per the DraftKings sportsbook stood at -1.5 in Jacksonville’s favor. 

You also have the over/under, which stood at 23.5 points. And of course, the odds for a tie. 

You can bet on the higher scoring half, along with respective odds. For this game, if you wanted the higher-scoring first half, the odds sat at -112. But if you bet the teams would score more in the second half, the odds stood at -106 while the tie is at +1900. 

7 – Quarters

Finally, you can bet on quarters for each game. Let’s look at the point spread for the end of the first quarter in the Jacksonville-Miami game, which sat at -0.5 points in favor of the Jaguars. The over/under was just 8.5.

And you have the lines for the highest scoring quarter. If you felt, say, the second quarter would be the highest scoring, you’d place your bet on it along with the +600 odds. Or if you felt the fourth quarter would be the highest, you’d take the +190 odds. 

Think of betting on the halves and quarters like mini games. The spreads are almost always smaller here, as are the over/under bets. 

Conclusion

There are so many ways to bet on NFL games these days. You can stick with the more traditional betting of point spreads, over/unders, money lines, etc. Or you can expand to alternate point spreads, over/unders, and the options listed below. 

This article provides just a sample of just how many betting options exist these days. These are among the more popular options listed in the DraftKings sportsbook. But options like in-game betting and other categories exist as well.

Have you ever bet in the above categories and if so, how have you fared?