Week 18 will be an epic clash. Not on the gridiron, aside from the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions on Sunday night (and, sure, the Cincinnati Bengals’ quest to keep their postseason hope alive vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday). But among betting trends.
Will 2024 be the chalkiest year of straight-up wins in more than a decade? Or will the attrition of a long season and several rested starters finally give us the deluge of underdogs for which we’ve searched?
This all makes the final week of the regular season, a lineup loaded with games that barely matter, incredibly difficult to predict. Which defenses want to wallop someone one last time? Which backup quarterbacks will ball out? Which teams are willing to sacrifice their draft position for one last locker room-boosting win (hello, Las Vegas Raiders)? Who’s gonna play his [expletive] off to hit a season-long contract incentive?
Let’s turn to our resident NFL expert and see if we can turn chaos into cash — and if he can sneak out a win in our season-long heads-up competition. All Rhode Island Scumbag analysis is in blockquotes. My non-Scumbag bets follow.
For anyone who heeded Christian’s advice and attempted to ride the heater I was on, I sincerely apologize for your losses. Predictably, I’ve cooled off considerably and Christian caught fire.
Last week did not offer any relief, as I continued my slide (thanks Indy!) back to mediocrity. Down three units, I’m going to have to take some chances here to try and give myself a chance to do something Scumbag 1.0 could not do; beat Christian.
Of course, this week is a minefield of matchups, with teams sitting players, others making playoff pushes, and coaches coaching for their jobs. It’s going to be extremely volatile this week, but let’s try our best to identify some value as we wrap up the regular season.
