NFL betting is extremely popular in the United States, and football is the most popular sport in this country. NFL betting has been popular over the years, and there are many terrific betting options available.
One popular NFL betting strategy is to bet on home favorites, (always check our NFL moneyline picks first) and this is a strategy that can be extremely successful. Homefield advantage is a real thing in the NFL unless teams are forced to play in empty stadiums with limited capacity (See 2020).
Here are a few things to consider when betting home favorites in the NFL.
Rivalry Games Affected
The National Football League has some terrific rivalries, and most of these matchups are between division rivals. You can usually throw the records out the window for rivalry games, and the homefield advantage will play an even bigger role.
Sportsbooks will also keep this in mind when creating the NFL betting spreads, and you might see some interesting lines when first looking at the matchup. Home teams traditionally win rivalry games, especially when they are favored at home.
There will still be some home teams listed as underdogs in the NFL, and this is the time to stay away from the bet altogether.
Beware of Huge Spreads
Another thing that you want to avoid or watch out for when betting on home favorites is a large spread. This is a way for sportsbooks to manipulate the betting lines in order to protect themselves from bettors that are using this strategy.
Home favorites are going to win a majority of the games in the NFL, but that doesn’t mean they are always going to cover the spread. Sometimes, betting the home favorite is still the best play, but you will simply want to make a money line bet instead of betting against the spread.
Check Weather Report
One thing to already remember when NFL betting is to check the weather report for each and every game. Weather reports can be inaccurate, of course, but the best possible time to check them is on the morning of the game.
There are some teams that play in some extremely adverse conditions on their home field, and that could give those teams an even bigger advantage. The weather could also impact a home team, especially if the weather could lead to a ton of turnovers.
Betting home favorites is always the best possible plan to start with, but be sure to check the weather before clicking that “submit” button.
Bet With the Same Unit
Even if you are planning on betting home favorites in the NFL, you don’t ever want to change your betting units up. A betting unit is the amount of money that you are willing to wager on each game, and it’s best practice to use the same unit for all of your wagers.
NFL betting with the same unit will give you the best possible chance to make some money by betting on home favorites. Don’t be tempted with a matchup that seems like a “sure thing,” and you won’t be at any risk of losing big.