Oddsmakers at the top online sportsbooks in New Jersey worked so fast they had most of the NFL Week 3 odds up before halftime in the Philadelphia Eagles game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night.
Atlanta ultimately finished off Philadelphia 24-20 and NJ sportsbooks posted most of the rest of the Week 3 opening lines.
Still to come was the Week 2 matchup between the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football. However, the majority of the Week 3 NFL game markets were already open in NJ on Sunday.
Of course, the opening odds are subject to change ahead of kickoff. News of key injuries, weather reports, big bets, and public sentiment often force oddsmakers into action.
In fact, before this story published, the lines moved. The latest odds are reflected below.
Let’s dive into the NFL betting odds for Week 3.
NFL Week 3 spreads and totals
Below is a look at the opening NFL point spreads and totals for most of the Week 3 games at the three top NJ sports betting apps.
This includes FanDuel Sportsbook, William Hill (Caesars NJ), and DraftKings Sportsbook. Updated as of Sept. 20.
| NFL Week 3 | DraftKings | FanDuel | William Hill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals @ Bills | 43.5 -6 | 44 -6 | 44 -6 |
| Lions @ Eagles | 45 -5.5 | 46 -6 | 45.5 -5 |
| Jets @ Patriots | 43.5 -21 | 43.5 -21 | 43 -21.5 |
| Raiders @ Vikings | 43.5 -9 | 43.5 -9 | 43.5 -9 |
| Ravens @ Chiefs | 52.5 -5.5 | 52 -5.5 | 52 -5.5 |
| Falcons @ Colts | 47 -1 | 47 -1 | 47 -1.5 |
| Broncos @ Packers | 43 -7.5 | 44 -7.5 | 43 -7 |
| Dolphins @ Cowboys | 46.5 -22.5 | 47.5 -22.5 | 47 -22.5 |
| Giants @ Buccaneers | 47.5 -6 | 48 -6 | 48 -6 |
| Panthers @ Cardinals | 44.5 -2.5 | 44.5 -2.5 | 44.5 -2 |
| Steelers @ 49ers | 44 -6.5 | 43.5 -6.5 | 43.5 -6.5 |
| Saints @ Seahawks | 45 -4 | 44.5 -4.5 | 44.5 -4.5 |
| Texans @ Chargers | 49 -3 | 48 -3.5 | 48.5 -3 |
| Rams @ Browns | -3 47.5 | -3.5 47.5 | -3.5 47.5 |
| Bears @ Redskins | -4 41 | -4 41.5 | -4 41 |
Injuries impact NFL lines
On Sunday night, DraftKings had yet to post any Week 3 totals, but by Monday morning, the lines had been posted.
However, the first thing that stood out on the chart on Monday was that DraftKings and William Hill did not have opening odds posted for the Pittsburgh Steelers at San Fransisco 49ers or the New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks games. FanDuel only had the spreads on board.
And there’s a good reason for that.
The Steelers fell to 0-2 Sunday losing 28-26 to the Seahawks. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger injured his right elbow in the first half and didn’t play in the second. He underwent an MRI to assess the damage.
The result? Roethlisberger is out for the season.
The Steelers are not the same team without their legendary QB. So, it should be no surprise that the surprising 2-0 49ers are big home favorites.
In the meantime, the Saints dropped to 1-1 and star quarterback Drew Brees injured his hand in a 27-9 loss to the LA Rams on Sunday. He is expected to miss six weeks of the season.
The Saints were probably always going to be an underdog on the road against a 2-0 Seattle team. Oddsmakers were just waiting to see how much of a dog they’ll be now that Brees is out. The answer to that is only a slight underdog.
Another note in the injury column is QB Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers. His status for the Week 3 game against Arizona is up in the air.
The lines for that game are off the board at DraftKings and William Hill while the operators wait for more information.
Big spreads for good reasons
The other thing that stands out is the big spreads on a couple of games. These include the Miami Dolphins at Dallas Cowboys (-21.5) and New York Jets at New England Patriots (-22.5/-23) games.
These look more like college football spreads with Alabama or Clemson taking on an unranked also-ran.
However, the Patriots 43-0 win over the Dolphins on Sunday proved New England can cover big spreads. Plus, it almost doesn’t matter how many points oddsmakers give Miami this season.
With the Jets loss on Monday night, NJ sportsbooks moved the lines once again from the starting point of -17.5/18.
The Cowboys rose to 2-0 by beating a division rival Washington Redskins team by 10 in Week 2. Plus, the Patriots have beat the Jets six straight, including a 35-point drubbing this past December.
Therefore, it’s easy to understand oddsmakers thinking here.