Sharp money on side, total of Raiders-49ers game

There was a huge adjustment to the line on the Raiders-49ers game Wednesday after it was reported that quarterback Derek Carr would be benched for the final two games of the season and replaced by Jarrett Stidham.

But at least one professional sports bettor thinks it was an overadjustment.

San Francisco soared from a 6-point favorite to -10 before the line settled at 9½.

Sharp bettors had backed the Silver and Black at +6 before the Carr news. But virtually all of the sharp money has since been on the Niners — at -7 at BetMGM and at -9 at the South Point.

“We opened the 49ers -6. Got bet on Raiders. Went to 5.5. They laid -5.5. Went back to -6. Then we heard about Carr, went to -9. They laid -9. We’re now at 9.5,” South Point sportsbook director Chris Andrews said via text message.

Sharp money also is on the game to go under the total, which has dropped from 44½ to 42½.

“Everything has been pretty much related to the Derek Carr news,” Circa sportsbook director of risk Chris Bennett said. “49ers and under with the downgrade at quarterback for the Raiders.”

Bettors are all over the Niners at BetMGM, where 84 percent of the tickets and 86 percent of the money are on San Francisco, and at Station Casinos, where 87 percent of the tickets are on the favorite.

“Everyone is backing the 49ers at this point,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “We’ll clearly be Raiders fans at kickoff.”

The Raiders (6-9, 7-8 ATS), coming off a 13-10 loss at Pittsburgh on Christmas Eve, have lost only one game by double digits this season, a 24-0 defeat at New Orleans on Oct. 30. Their other eight setbacks have been by a total of 30 points for an average of 3.75 points per loss.

Pro sports bettor Jeff Whitelaw expects another close game Sunday at Allegiant Stadium and wagered on the Raiders +10.

“Again, they play all these close games,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a huge difference between Carr and Stidham, anyway. I don’t think that’s that big of a deal.

“Everyone always overcompensates. The line moved five points. If it’s just Carr, Carr’s not worth five points over Jarrett Stidham. There’s no way he’s worth that.”

The 49ers (11-4, 10-5 ATS) are the NFL’s hottest team. They’re on an eight-game winning streak and have covered six straight and seven of eight. San Francisco has the league’s No. 1 scoring defense (15.3 ppg).

The Raiders have won and covered four of their six home games this season. They walked off with a wild 30-24 win over the Patriots on Dec. 18 as 2½-point favorites last time out at Allegiant, where Chandler Jones returned a botched lateral 48 yards for a touchdown on the game’s final play.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.