This week’s the calm before the storm in the sports betting world, as the US Open and NFL regular season are both right around the corner. Football fans can wet their NFL betting appetites by wagering on the final week of the preseason, which will take place between Thursday and Sunday. The very first game on this week’s preseason slate could wind up being the game of the week, as it features two of the league’s most successful franchises in recent years and perennial Super Bowl favorites, with the Chiefs hosting the Packers at 8 p.m. EDT on Thursday.
Star quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers will likely see limited action, if they suit up at all, but there are plenty of other intriguing storylines in this game, as the Packers are still hashing out their pecking order at wide receiver while the Chiefs are doing the same at running back. Splashy rookie fourth-round pick Romeo Doubs has excelled throughout camp and preseason for Green Bay, while second-round pick Christian Watson is working his way back from a knee injury. Both youngsters are looking to help fill the void created by the offseason departure of Davante Adams, which has left the Packers with a mix of rookies and underwhelming veterans (Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins and Randall Cobb) at wide receiver.
Kansas City also has a rookie skill position player who’s making waves. Seventh-round pick Isiah Pacheco looks like a lock for the team’s roster and got some first-team snaps alongside Mahomes in last week’s preseason game. He has one more chance here to make the case for more regular season playing time, as do expected starter Clyde Edwards-Helaire and veterans Jerick McKinnon and Ronald Jones. Based on their usage last week, Jones could be the odd man out come roster cuts unless he reverses that narrative in this game. Rookie wide receiver Skyy Moore’s another player to watch, as the second-round pick’s hoping to replace some of the downfield playmaking ability the Chiefs lost when they traded Tyreek Hill.
Preseason player prop bets are hard to find, but you can still cash in on strong individual performances from some of the players above by entering Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) contests involving this game on either DraftKings or FanDuel. If you prefer traditional sports betting, both DraftKings and FanDuel also run mobile sportsbooks, which require downloading a separate app from the DFS product. If you are at least 21 years old and located in a state where FanDuel Sportsbook or DraftKings Sportsbook operate, you can wager on different aspects of Thursday’s Packers-Chiefs game such as the moneyline, point spread or point total. For Chiefs fans, the game unfortunately comes a week too early, as KS sports betting apps see the light of day on September 1st.
