Raiders among sharp bets for NFL preseason Week 1

Sharp bettors make NFL preseason wagers based on coaches and quarterback rotations.

That’s why the Raiders are among the best bets for pro bettor Jeff Whitelaw on Saturday. The Raiders are 2½-point favorites against the Seattle Seahawks at Allegiant Stadium.

In this case, Whitelaw said, it’s a bet against the Seahawks and their approach.

“(Quarterback) Russell Wilson is not going to step on the field,” Whitelaw said.

Raiders coach Jon Gruden has an 18-8-2 record against the spread in the preseason since 2005, according to Bet Labs.

Whitelaw also said it’s possible the Raiders will get a jolt from playing in front of fans for the first time.

The Westgate SuperBook is getting “a lot of Raiders tickets from the public in their game,” sportsbook director John Murray said via text message. “Would expect that to be the highest handle game of the weekend.”

Whitelaw also played the Chicago Bears -3 at home against Miami, though he cautions that the line has moved up to a less palatable -3½.

The Bears have three solid quarterbacks in Andy Dalton, rookie first-round pick Justin Fields and Nick Foles.

“They will definitely have decent quarterbacks in longer than the Dolphins,” Whitelaw said.

Miami starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa also hasn’t looked good in training camp, Whitelaw said.

Murray confirmed sharp action on the Bears this week.

Whitelaw is also taking the Baltimore Ravens -2 at home against New Orleans, banking on coach John Harbaugh’s stellar preseason record. Harbaugh is on a 15-1-1 run ATS in the preseason and is 33-15-1 since 2005.

“He doesn’t like to lose if he’s playing checkers,” Whitelaw said.

Harbaugh’s record has become common knowledge in the last couple of years, but “until the trend changes, I’m sticking with it,” Whitelaw said.

Whitelaw also said he bet the Los Angeles Chargers -2 against the Los Angeles Rams, but that line is up to -3½.

Murray said the Westgate has seen heavy sharp action on the Jacksonville Jaguars, who moved from as high as +3½ to now -2½ at home against Cleveland.

“Real sharp groups on that side,” Murray said.

The Westgate has also taken sharp action on the Denver Broncos, up from PK to -2½ at Minnesota, and the under in the Chargers-Rams game, which has dropped from 34½ to 32½, Murray said.

Contact Jim Barnes at jbarnes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0277. Follow @JimBarnesLV on Twitter.