- The National Football League (NFL) regular season will begin on September 9.
- Several NFL teams will be determining their starting quarterback during preseason and practice.
- Sportsbooks are posting proposition odds on which player will start at quarterback in Week 1.
NFL football season is right around the corner. The preseason begins on Thursday, August 5 with the Hall of Fame Game between Dallas and Pittsburgh. The first full week of Preseason NFL begins on Thursday, August 12 and we’ll have some selections along with strategy tips for approaching exhibition games. The regular season kicks off with the traditional Thursday night marquee matchup on September 9–this year it’ll be between the Dallas Cowboys and the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The first Sunday of the NFL regular season is September 12 with fourteen games on the betting board.
Sportsbooks worldwide have started to post NFL betting odds for Week 1 (in some cases the entire season) along with props and futures bets. One of the most interesting prop bets is the starting quarterback prop. Not every team goes into the season with a clear depth chart hierarchy at quarterback. In this case, the starting quarterback job is earned through a multi-player competition that plays out in training camp, during exhibition games and on the practice field.
In this article we’ll look at some of these betting markets from sportsbooks across Colorado including BetMGM, FoxBet, DraftKings and FanDuel.
NFL STARTING QUARTERBACK PROPOSITION ODDS
There are a couple of different wordings for these wagers. FanDuel and FoxBet call these bets ‘Week 1 2021 Starting Quarterback’ while BetMGM is a bit more specific asking ‘Which quarterback will take the first snap in Week 1 of the regular season?’. They mean the same thing though I like to see the specificity in this type of wager.
DENVER BRONCOS STARTING QUARTERBACK
The quarterback depth chart for the Denver Broncos is currently:
- Drew Lock
- Teddy Bridgewater
- Brett Rypien
FanDuel has this prop priced as follows:
Drew Lock +110 Teddy Bridgewater +130 Brett Rypien +2000 Any Other +310
BetMGM has these prices:
Drew Lock +160 Teddy Bridgewater +160 Brett Rypien +2000 Any Other +225
Drew Lock was the starting quarterback last year and his performance was underwhelming to say the least. This year, he’ll have to win the job over newly acquired Teddy Bridgewater. Head coach Vic Fangio says that the starting job is ‘day by day’ and that Lock and Bridgewater will be ’50-50′ in terms of snaps until ‘someone runs away with the job’.
There is considerable debate among the Broncos media about the veracity of this statement. Some think the ’50-50′ competition is legit, others say that Lock was so awful last year that he’s already behind Bridgewater. Don’t forget the on-going speculation that Aaron Rodgers could end up being traded to the Broncos.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS STARTING QUARTERBACK
The current depth chart:
- Cam Newton
- Mac Jones
- Jarrett Stidham
- Brian Hoyer
The Pats placed Jarrett Stidham on the ‘Physically Unable To Perform’ list on Thursday with an ‘undisclosed injury’.
Odds from FoxBet:
Cam Newton -300 Mac Jones +225 Jarrett Stidham +1200
Odds from BetMGM:
Cam Newton -200 Mac Jones +170 Jarrett Stidham +2000 Brian Hoyer +5000
Odds from FanDuel:
Cam Newton -210 Mac Jones +185 Jarrett Stidham +1000
The prevailing wisdom is that Newton will get the starting job while Jones learns the playbook and puts on some muscle. There’s also speculation that the Pats might carry only two QB on the roster this year which would leave Stidham and Hoyer on the outside looking in. Newton has missed a lot of time due to injury in recent years and should he go down during training camp it would completely change the dynamic of the QB battle.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS STARTING QUARTERBACK
The Saints’ QB depth chart:
- James Winston
- Taysom Hill
- Ian Book
- Trevor Siemian
Odds from FanDuel:
Jameis Winston -280 Taysom Hill +220 Ian Book +1600 Trevor Siemian +5000
Odds from FoxBet:
Jameis Winston -213 Taysom Hill +125 Ian Book +5000
Odds from BetMGM:
Jameis Winston -275 Taysom Hill +180 Ian Book +3500 Trevor Siemian +3500
The most recent word out of New Orleans is that there isn’t really any competition for the starting QB job. ‘Sources suggest’ that Saints’ head coach Sean Payton plans to start Taysom Hill over Jameis Winston due to the former BYU QBs unique skill set.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS STARTING QUARTERBACK
The Niners’ QB depth chart:
- Jimmy Garoppolo
- Trey Lance
- Nate Sudfeld
- Josh Rosen
Odds from FoxBet:
Jimmy Garoppolo -213 Trey Lance +187 Josh Rosen +4000 Nate Sudfeld +5000
Odds from BetMGM:
Jimmy Garoppolo -250 Trey Lance +190 Josh Rosen +3500 Nate Sudfeld +4000
Odds from FanDuel:
Jimmy Garoppolo -320 Trey Lance +240 Nick Mullens +1600
The inclusion of Nick Mullens in the FanDuel odds is curious–Mullens signed with the Philadelphia Eagles on June 14 and will likely be their third string QB. Every indication is that Jimmy Garoppolo is ‘entrenched’ as the Niners’ QB. Kyle Shanahan doesn’t think Lance is ready to start yet. Kyle Juszczyk was quoted just a couple of days ago as saying:
“I’m a realistic guy, and I know the numbers. Correct me if I’m wrong. I don’t think there’s been a rookie quarterback that’s won a Super Bowl, so I’m aware of that. My thought is that as long as Jimmy’s healthy, I think he’s our guy.”
Juszczyk also spoke highly of Trey Lance:
“That doesn’t mean that there’s not a place for Trey to contribute in year one. My thought process really is that if Trey’s out there, there’s something that he’s doing right during the week that Kyle sees, and that whatever he’s doing is going to help us win.”
The $64,000 question–can Garoppolo stay healthy? He’s missed 23 games over the past three seasons including 10 in 2020. When he plays, he’s money in the bank with a record of 24-9 as the Niners’ starter.
