NFL Preseason Week 2 Betting Picks: Best Bets for Friday’s Games

The NFL preseason can be competitive, even if it doesn’t count for much.

Before you scoff at the notion, it’s not crazy to think about placing wagers on preseason games. You just have to do your homework to see which NFL preseason games offer the best opportunities.

Here are my NFL Preseason Week 2 Best Bets for Friday, August 20:

New York Jets vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers ML at +114 (DraftKings)

The Jets are actually favored on the road against the Steelers—only in the preseason. Pittsburgh opened as the favorite, but the line likely moved because the Jets are set to start Geno Smith while the Steelers are sitting Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph.

But Drew Allar and Will Howard both did a decent job for the Steelers last week against Green Bay. Mike McCarthy is not going to be concerned with winning, but Allar and Howard are playing for their jobs. Between the two, they’ll outscore the Jets dreadful offense.

Carolina Panthers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Carolina is expected to give many of its starts “meaningful reps” tonight. How many reps or how long they’ll stay in the game is a mystery, but you have to think Bryce Young would get pulled pretty early. Jaguars head coach Liam Coen has been cagier about playing starters, saying they “may play.”

With the offensive line dealing with injuries, I’d think Coen would not leave Trevor Lawrence out for long (if he plays at all). The Panthers are also dealing with a banged up offensive line, so don’t expect to see Young for long.

• My Pick: Under 36.5 at -105 (DraftKings)

Jacksonville has more depth at QB, but with patchwork offensive lines on both sides, I see this game as being more of a defensive one with a low score at the end. It would have been a better pick where the total opened, at 39.5, but it is still a good one at 36.5.

Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos

Green Bay is expected to play its starters on offense; at least for a couple of drives. Josh Jacobs has not been ruled out yet, but he is questionable so don’t count on seeing him on the field in a meaningless preseason game. Several defensive players are expected to play, as well.

Bo Nix is expected to play a handful of plays as well (approx. 14). So, neither offense is going to have its first team out their for long. From what we saw in preseason play last week, the Packers backups are likely to struggle to move the ball.

Denver has several players competing for jobs and will likely put more effort forth.

• My Pick: Under 40.5 at -105 (DraftKings)

If the spread was still where it opened (-3.5 Denver), I’d probably go with that. But at -6? That’s too big of a spread to expect someone to cover in a preseason game. Green Bay wants to get starters some game time but will still have several players out with injuries.

I don’t see the Green Bay offense doing much damage, with Denver doing enough to win a low-scoring game.