Bird Betting: Prop Till You Drop For Eagles-49ers Battle

Posted on September 16, 2021 - Last Updated on September 17, 2021

The Eagles have the San Francisco 49ers game right where they want it.

Philadelphia Eagles Shocked the World

Does that number look familiar? That’s where the Eagles settled against the Atlanta Falcons before pummeling them 32-6 in last week’s season opener.

Good karma.

Ultimate Home-Field Advantage in Philly

The Eagles’ home-opener at the Link makes the betting line even more intriguing. They issued the second biggest beatdown in the league last week and torpedoed scores of Atlanta Falcons suicide-pool entries.

Here are a few betting angles, organized by different sportsbooks.

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CAESARS SPORTSBOOK

The Eagles have improved from +500 to +300 to win the NFC East in the futures section. The New York Giants now have the fourth spot, at +575.

The Dallas Cowboys are favored at +135 and the Washington Football Team is next at + 275.

That’s the value of one victory. It’s a good idea to check those odds each week and time to get a good value on the dip. A loss will usually make a team’s division betting odds higher going forward.

Will the Prop Line Create an Edge for Eagles bettors?

Books are reporting that roughly 80% of the early action has been on the “over” 50.

The expectation of Hurts not reaching two touchdowns indicates the books believe he may fail against the Niners or he might spoil the TD total by running one in.

  • Receiver DeVonta Smith has an over of 44.5 yards at -110 for the over and -120 for the under.
    • Attractive consideration, if not a great price.

Think Miles Sanders can bust a good gainer on a swing pass?

  • The over 17.5 yards is -120 and the under is -110.
  • These bets are intriguing by creating individual games within the overall contest.

The bettors expect a high-scoring game, the books consider it reasonably close and have dangled yardage totals that could easily be attained in a high-scoring game.

This is a good menu to wager into.

DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK

There are Bird Watchers and Bird Whalers For Week 2

Big-money players often look to the moneyline in a perceived close game to dramatically enhance their payout.

At DraftKings Sportsbook, The Eagles at +3 cost the player -110.  That’s $11 to win 10, $110 to earn a $100 profit.

But the moneyline for the Eagles to win the game outright is +140 and dropping. Wager $100 and earn a $140 profit if the Eagles triumph.

The classic public-versus-sharps dynamic are unfolding in this game.

By mid-week, 42% of the bets had gone on the Eagles to win, but 70% of the handle was on them. That means the big bettors are plunking down money on the Eagles to win, period.

(This is an interesting dynamic to watch each week. When the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Buffalo Bills 23-16 as a 6.5-point dog last week, scores of bettors cashed in the Steelers at +250. There were many of them, attracted to the payout)

The Magic Of One Upset

At DraftKings, the Eagles are +140. That will be the absolute first bet for Eagles bettors, but consider what happens if it is linked to three victorious favorites.

  1. The Arizona Cardinals are -190 against the Minnesota Vikings
  2. The Pittsburgh Steelers are -260 against the Las Vegas Raiders
  3. The New England Patriots are -240 against the New York Jets.
  4. Combined, they pay +199 in a parlay. Peanuts, who wants it?
  5. But if the Eagles at +140 are added, now it pays +618, an average of +155 per selection rather than well-below even money.

Try this mix and match technique with one underdog and a couple of favorites. Gamblers can be entertained by this practice and don’t have to commit to the wager until evaluating the betting odds.

FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK

Buying and Selling Points

Everything is for sale. Even betting spreads. That’s why it’s advantageous for bettors to shop and pick up half-points for free at some books that cost money to purchase at others.

Nonetheless, there comes a time to tease the line.

At FanDuel Sportsbook, for instance, the Eagles +3.5 has heavy juice at -120. To go one point out from there, the Eagles +4.5 is -130.

For a fair number of bettors, that’s a reasonable price to obtain a victory if the Eagles were to lose by four.

A Note About Props

They are important, because they’ve augmented the one-size-fits all spread line and total points that dominated betting circles for decades. A bankroll aimed at a prop can produce a profit _ perhaps even easier one than the spread line _ if a gambler feels as though he/she is wagering into an edge.

Props at FanDuel Sportsbook

  • Will the first drive result in a:
  • Punt -110
  • Offensive touchdown +280
  • Field goal attempt +400
  • Any Other +650

This one’s great because it provides action right off the bat.  Why wait three hours for a verdict when three minutes can provide one?

Some Recent History

The Niners have failed to cover the spread five of the last six times they were favored.

Their first game illustrated the importance of bet timing. Gamblers betting on the Niners midweek, when they were -7.5 against the Detroit Lions, gained a tense half-point win. That’s because San Francisco prevailed 41-33.

But those who didn’t catch the betting train in time paid for it.  The Niners were -9 across major books on Sunday and those bets lost.

Good luck cashing in on the wagers of your choice, Iggles bettors.

Dave Bontempo Avatar
Written by
Dave Bontempo

Dave Bontempo, a national multi-award-winning writer, and broadcaster, writes extensively on the evolving legalized sports-wagering world. Over the past four decades, he has called fights for all major networks, authored columns for the Associated Press, Atlantic City Press, and iGaming Player. He is in the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame, the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame and a Sam Taub Award for broadcast excellence, given by the Boxing Writers Association of America.

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