The early futures and odds for the 2016-17 National Football League season present an opportunity for dialogue and from-the-hip predictions, even before next week’s 2016 NFL draft. As difficult as it is to correctly select against the spread winners five days before NFL Sunday events, selecting accurate week-to-week ATS picks five months before the regular season begins is, in truth, a waste of time.
Right?
Then time we shall waste.
For us NFL fanatics it is just as rewarding to find variables in the futures market as it is on National Football League Sundays.
There are a large number of variables that are not only difficult to examine when evaluating teams and their potential, there are team containers that have yet to be filled and nearly impossible to measure.
1. The NFL Draft is still a week away.
2. How teams will manipulate their roster. Who will be invited to camp? Which team will insert or release important parts of the team puzzle without compromising the league salary cap?
The 2016 salary cap is set at $155.27 million. All of the NFL franchises are required to fit the salaries of their roster under the aforementioned number by the start of the regular season. The Top-51 contracts for each team count against the salary cap.
Below you will find the 2016 NFL Week 3 game future chart offered up from Vegas via CG Technology™ and my take on one particular game and an early against the spread prediction.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams are the Week 3 Finn Factor Feature Event: The Buccaneer’s faithful were still hanging on to NFC playoff hopes as late as December of last season. After an pre-Christmas victory of the Atlanta Falcons the young Tampa team dropped four straight to close out the 2014-15 campaign.
Tampa begins the 2016-17 season with a handful of tough tests, squaring off against three teams that made last year’s playoffs, in their first five affairs. The growth of quarterback Jameis Winston and the ability of new defensive coordinator Mike Smith will dictate how successful the Buccaneers will be this season.
Week 3: Sunday, September 25 Tampa Bay versus Los Angeles, 4:05 PM ET
With the 2016 NFL draft a week away there are still a number of important decision yet to be made by the LA Rams front office and coaching staff. Most indicators suggest that the Rams will select a quarterback with the first overall pick, with the most likely candidate being Jared Goff. Unless something drastically changes this Week #3 matchup between East and West Coast franchises could well pit two young signal callers that were No. #1 overall draft picks. Bucs quarterback, Winston, figures to be much more prepared than the Rams rookie.
2016 Week 3 Pick: Play on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as minus-1 point home chalk over the Los Angeles Rams.
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Below you find just released 2016 NFL Regular Season Lines for Week #2, from CG Technology in Las Vegas. CG Technology™ offers lines on all major race and sports events including football, basketball, baseball, hockey, car races, golf, tennis, and boxing, as well as unique propositions and electronic betting options.
Tony Finn
Tony “Fish” Finn has been advising clients for over two decades and after nearly 22 years he continues to lead a group of both North American and World Sports specialists covering games and or matches from coast to coast. His team of consultants and sources form a global web that are unmatched in breaking down World Wide events.
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