Underdog

If you’re of a certain age, you may remember a certain superhero from the Saturday morning cartoons. Underdog was a very popular show during the Nixon Administration, featuring a mild-mannered canine named Shoeshine Boy who morphed into the hero anytime his lady love Sweet Polly Purebread was in danger.

They don’t make shows like that anymore, but underdogs still capture the hearts and imaginations of NFL betting fans. These are the teams that get points during an NFL game. Everyone’s eyes light up when that plus sign appears in the NFL lines, like Tampa Bay +4.

It isn’t just that special feeling that comes with cheering for the plucky underdog to overcome the odds and defeat the Evil Empire. Historically, underdogs have performed better ATS than favorites have, especially at home. It’s a fairly small difference on paper: home dogs cash in about 51% of the time compared to 48% for home faves. However that small margin becomes massive when multiplied over hundreds of bets.

Betting NFL Underdogs

NFL betting experts love it when an underdog gets kicked around by the national sports media. Sometimes a team’s poor performance SU can be traced to a key injured player or a particularly brutal schedule, but all the talking heads ever want to talk about is doom and gloom. Once that injured player returns or the opposition gets softer, sharp NFL handicappers will swoop in and bet that underdog before anyone else has had time to adjust. Use your noodle, pay attention to the injury reports and the advanced stats, and you can profit just as handsomely betting NFL underdogs.